Pocahontas had done something she never though she'd do- she had cheated. The night of the grand ball with the King, she slept with John Smith. After he disappeared she soon married John Rolfe- and realized she was pregnant. As soon as she discovered this she made up her mind that she was going to pass the baby off as John Rolfe's.
The day she told him she was pregnant they had been married for less than a month. John was surprised but overjoyed. They told Mrs Jenkins, and began planning for a new house that would accommodate their growing family. Pocahontas felt guilty about hiding the truth, but knew that it was in the best interest of everyone involved.
The first 2 months of her pregnancy went smoothly and were fairly uneventful. In her third month, right as she was starting to show, Pocahontas woke up in the night to a cramp in her stomach. Stroking her tiny bump, she rolled over as the cramp went away. After she was asleep, she woke up again to another cramp. It felt similar to the last one, and she rubbed her belly until it subsided. This continued for at least 2 hours, but the cramps seemed to be getting stronger. She didn't want to wake John, so she got out of bed and walked down the hall to the bathroom. She leaned up against the sink, swaying her body from leg to leg as she timed the cramps. Realizing that they were nearly 5 minutes apart, Pocahontas began to worry. Her worry soon turned to fear when the next cramp hit her. It was strong, and she nearly lost her breath. She screamed for John, and he came running.
When John walked into the bathroom, he was horrified. His beautiful wife was straining and leaning up against the counter, white as a sheet. She was clutching her small belly and near tears. But her tears were the least of his concern as he moved his eyes downward. "Pocahontas… the floor." Pocahontas leaned over and looked at the white rug. Tiny specks of blood, then drops, were falling between her feet. "John, I'm bleeding John!" She cried out as she erupted in sobs. John picked her up in his arms, wrapped her in a blanket, and ran outside to their carriage.
Driving like a madman, they arrived at the hospital in just 15 minutes. The doctor carefully examined Pocahontas, and to their relief informed them that she was not having a miscarriage. Her placenta was starting to detach, but that was a common problem with twins. Both Pocahontas and John looked up at him in shock. Twins? She was showing pretty significantly for 3 months, but since she was really closer to 3 ½ months she hadn't paid it any thought. As they left the hospital to go home, she realized it was probably a good thing, since twins were normally born early it would go along better with the timeline set if it actually were John Rolfe's baby.
As her pregnancy progressed, Pocahontas grew unnaturally round to accommodate both babies. John doted over her, rubbing her back and massaging her belly whenever she complained of aches and pains. He helped Mrs. Jenkins with some of the housework so Pocahontas could rest, and oversaw most of Pocahontas' affairs.
When Pocahontas was 8 months pregnant, a huge ball was to be held at the castle of King James and Queen Anne. John Rolfe asked her to decline the invitation, but Pocahontas knew that it was important to go to keep the peace between the English and her people. John grudgingly purchased a new gown and shoes for her, and even bought her some jewelry. Pocahontas was hoping that a poufy dress would give the allusion that she wasn't as pregnant as she was, so she would not seem inept or weak in front of his majesty.
The night of the ball, Pocahontas was actually feeling excited for the first time in months. She took a bath and pulled her new dress out over her bed. As she was unzipping her dress to pull it over her head, she felt a twinge of pain. Breathing in deeply, she assumed that it was a strong kick or false labor, and rubbed her tummy until it eased off. With the cramp out of her way, she pulled on her dress and shoes, and then powdered her face. As she was putting on her jewelry, she felt another cramp. Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to relax through it, pressing into the soft spots of her middle to try and alleviate some of the pain. Once she finished getting ready, she and John Rolfe climbed into their carriage and headed towards the ball. Halfway there, she had another cramp. Not wanting to concern John, she curled her toes and tried to relax her muscles. She slowly ran circles over her stomach, trying to look natural. Thankfully, John didn't seem to notice as he looked out the carriage window pointing out specific buildings. As her cramp began to ease, Pocahontas relaxed against the back of the seat. John turned back towards her as they entered into rural countryside. "Are the twins kicking?" he asked as he placed both bands around her belly. Pocahontas smiled and placed her hands on top of his, feeling terrible for her deception. However, she was feeling good because the cramps seemed to have stopped and they finally arrived at the palace.
They stopped in front of the entrance to the ballroom, and John Rolfe helped Pocahontas from the carriage. She was so heavy with child she could barely climb down. He walked and she waddled up the steps slowly, with his hand on her back to make sure she didn't fall. They finally made it into the ballroom, where a huge table was set up for a feast to start off the night. They took their places and began the first course. As their entre arrived, Pocahontas gasped in response to a sharper pain in her womb. John Smith looked alarmed and held onto her arm with one hand and her bulging stomach with the other. "Pocahontas? Are you alright? What's wrong? Is it the babies?" Pocahontas managed a smile back at him. "I'm fine John. One of them just kicked me and it startled me is all." John sighed with relief and turned to his meal. Pocahontas sat against the back of her chair and rubbed the underside of her belly underneath the tablecloth. She knew it definitely wasn't a kick, but didn't want to think about the possibility of labor. She could feel her abdomen tightening, and then finally loosen. She felt one more before the meal ended, but simply relaxed her muscles and massaged her swollen belly.
The dancing began. Pocahontas tried to resist him, but John led her out on the dance floor. They waltzed, and the music slowed. With her arms wrapped around him, her eyes gazing into his, Pocahontas wanted so desperately to come clean about all of it, all of her deception, all of her lies. As she opened her mouth to speak, all that came out was a gasp as she doubled over her stomach. Braxton Hicks. John reeled, obviously worried. Before he could say anything, she grabbed hold of his wrist and stood up straight, trying to cry out from the pain. "It was just another kick and it startled me, I'm sorry John." He looked less than convinced, but took her hand and led her over towards a chair on the side of the room with other people not dancing. There they watched a few more dances, and Pocahontas was relieved to not have any more cramps over the next 20 minutes.
That was when the King and Queen entered the room. All of the guests, one by one, bowed before the throne in respect to their ruler. Pocahontas and John waited for a few minutes before it was their turn. As a sign of peace, the king got down from his throne and approached Pocahontas below his throne. As she curtsied before him, Pocahontas felt another much stronger wave of pain in her belly and doubled over clutching her tummy as she watched a gush of water cover his majesty's shoes. She had no time to process what had just happened because a contraction seized her almost instantly and she fell against John's strong grasp holding the underside of her belly and crying out. The crowd immediately erupted in commotion, and the king looked almost dazed. John Rolfe thought quickly and supported her with his forearms while massaging the sides of her stomach with his fingers. She was so close to the ground she was almost squatting, and water was still trickling from her womb to the marble floor below.
John Smith, still holding Pocahontas upright, called out to the other guests, "Don't be alarmed please- she's in labor. I need some help here!" A gentleman brought over a chair and helped John lower Pocahontas into it. As her contraction subsided, Pocahontas sat up straighter, already starting to sweat and lose her breath. John cupped her face in his hands- "Can you make it home?" She nodded, having no desire to give birth on the ballroom floor. He and the other man supported her sides as they made their way to the carriage outside. They rode along for 10 minutes before she had another contraction. John Rolfe knelt in front of her and tried to massage her as she grabbed at her tight abdomen. She had 2 more within the next 18 minutes, and the pressure was growing in her pelvis. This was definitely hard and active labor. She knew she would soon feel the urge to push as her cervix continued to dilate.
They were 5 minutes from the house when the horse saw a rabbit darting across the cobblestone street and reared up, knocking the carriage on its side before it rolled down the hill on the right side of the road. Everything went flying, and by the time the carriage hit the ground Pocahontas had prepared herself to die.
When the world stopped spinning, Pocahontas raised her head and looked around her. John Rolfe was standing over her, bleeding from a significant cut in his left arm, She had rips in her dresses, and they were sitting on the roof of the upside-down carriage. As John knelt over her, she felt her entire body tighten with the massive contraction that didn't feel right at all. Maybe it was just time or maybe the fall had accelerated her labor, but there wasn't time to decide. Pocahontas spread her legs as her head fell back in agony. She felt her cervix stretching as the pressure began to build and the baby started it's decent through her birth canal. Her entire dress was soaked with sweat, blood, and amniotic fluid. John was rolling up his sleeves, ready to help deliver their babies. There was no longer any break between contractions, and the baby's head was fully engaged and she could feel it coming through her pelvis. With a few labored pushes, Pocahontas delivered the first twin, a crying baby girl.
John laid the infant on Pocahontas' still bulging belly. They both cried tears of joy as she cradled the baby in her arms. She had never felt more in love. As she bent over more to kiss her daughter on the forehead, she felt another contraction, though it wasn't as bad. John took the baby and wrapped her in his overcoat that had fallen next to them. Pocahontas breathed and rubbed her stomach, knowing that her ordeal wasn't yet over. She labored few several more contractions, but the second twin wasn't dropping. John tried to help her press on the top of her belly and even worked his fingers into her upper sides. He helped her crawl out of carriage in between contractions and leaned her up against the side. He set the baby girl over to the side on some grass. Pocahontas squatted with her legs open to the ground, trying to progress her slowed labor, but to no avail.
By that time, people were coming down the hill to help, seeing the carriage crash. A woman knelt down beside Pocahontas and gently checked her cervix. "You're barely dilated. It will be awhile before the next one is born." With that information, they decided it was best to try and get Pocahontas as well as the newborn back to the house since it was so nearby. John and another man gently lifted the heavily pregnant Pocahontas and carried her up the hill to another carriage while the woman carried the baby. Pocahontas had a contraction as the carriage pulled away, and squatted on the floor of the carriage, still feeling no pressure whatsoever to push. They rode slower to the house since her labor was so progressed and they didn't want to jolt her too much. As they pulled up in the front circle before the door, Mrs Jenkins ran outside to assist them. Pocahontas took John's hand and slowly stepped out of the carriage.
As her second foot touched the ground, Pocahontas gasped and grabbed the underside of her belly while snapping her legs shut beneath her as she doubled over in agony. The baby had practically fallen into her pelvis, and the pressure was so intense she could barely stop herself from pushing on the porch. She had barely made it through the doorway when her second water broke, as was common with fraternal twins. The water breaking pushed the baby even further, and she could feel him descending against her will. The woman, whose name was Mary, hurriedly checked her, still standing in the doorway. Her expression turned to one that was clearly not good. "What's happened?" John was shouting, near panic. "I feel a foot- the baby's breech- Pocahontas, you cannot push!" Pocahontas shook her head back and forth, as she felt another contraction come on top of the last one. She pressed her knees together and tried to hold up her stomach with her hands, but knew it wasn't going to do much good. Her body was working against her. Everyone around her was supporting her from all sides, and they were slowly moving towards the closest bed- the guest room. She could still feel her water gushing out of her- there was much more fluid around this baby than the last one. She finally collapsed on her bed, and John held her head up while Mary checked her again. As Pocahontas spread her legs again she felt the baby coming out. Mary shook her head no, but it was too late. Two legs and then a butt were already out.
As she finally began pushing, Pocahontas was horrified to realize what they had all feared- the baby's head was stuck. She was screaming in agony, pushing with everything she had, but the head was lodged her pelvis. The opening was simply not big enough. Mary tried to work her fingers around the baby's head, but nothing seemed to even move it. The baby was turning blue, and there was nothing they could do but wait.
After 5 more excruciating hours, Pocahontas' body finally delivered the stillborn boy. Pocahontas and John grieved the lost bitterly, but found hope in their newborn baby girl.
She grew to be independent and strong, voyaging away from England to the beautiful lands her mother had so often talked of. Her parents never returned to the new world, but she lived in Jamestown where she married and had 3 children of her own. And after the dear friend of her mother's who never got to see her again, she was named Nakoma.