Heart of the Sea: Chapter 1
A/N: I know that MANY of you have been waiting for this story right here. I am sorry that I have made you wait so long. I had an accident that messed up my arm and it left me out of commission with typing for a while. But anyway I am back and glad to share this story with you all. It is four chapters and it is the birth of Hermione and Sirius' child. Of course if you are not a reader to Aftermath then this story might not make any sense, so go check that one out first. :D
As for the baby's name, Jewel812 guessed correctly, but since my arm put me out of commission I did not get a chance to send this to her first, I am sorry. I just felt like I've make you all wait long enough. But here is a great shout-out to Jewel812 great guess.
This first chapter gets a little graphic with the birth of the baby, so I am making it M for that reason and of course sexual references within the four chapters. With any luck this story will be completely posted within the week.
Lastly I am glad to be back... Happy Reading!
Hermione sat on the bed she shared with Sirius and flipped a page in her book. She was almost a week and a half overdue and she and Sirius failed to come up with a list of suitable names. "Sirius what do you think of Alistair?" She asked.
"Alistair Black? I am not too sure. It sounds too stuffy. Our child should have a fun name, like Havana or Expecto." Sirius responded from the kitchen. He was making dinner.
"Expecto Black? What they hell are you thinking! I am not naming our son…"
"It could be a girl's name."
"Fine, I am not naming our son or daughter Expecto!" Hermione sighed and threw the book on the bed.
"Calm down, love, when we see him or her; the name will just come to us. This stress is not good for you or the baby." He walked over and put the dinner tray on her lap. "Now eat." He demanded.
"Sirius, I am not hungry!" She said.
"Joe said you needed to eat to retain strength. Now eat, for our baby!"
"Fine, Sirius. But just for it." She picked up her fork and began eating some of the chicken. She couldn't wait for their baby to arrive. But her pregnancy so far had not been easy. She was put on bed rest for at least 16 hours a day, only allowed up for eight at the start of November. By Christmas she was on twenty hours of bed rest a day and a week into the New Year she was put on full bed rest. Her blood sugars were too low, dangerously low at times, and her stress level was too high which began contributing to high blood pressure with borderline preeclampsia.
At the start of the New Year when Joseph told her she had high blood pressure and borderline preeclampsia; he started her on a potion to help tame the levels. He wanted to take the baby at the end of January, but when he ran some magical tests he discovered that the baby's lungs and organs were not developing properly. He attributed it to her behavior and emotional state of her first trimester. He said they should let the baby come when it does, but he had been monitoring her every day.
"This is very good Sirius." Hermione said finishing her plate. He had been a great help, taking over her work load with the potions, he had been cooking every meal and doing whatever he could to help her take care of herself and the baby.
"I am happy you enjoyed it. I think I am getting better at cooking chicken. Was it dry?" He asked. Hermione laughed he sounded so domestic.
"It is wonderful, love. Now don't you have potions to check on?" She asked him.
"Yes, I do. Severus might be stopping by this evening. I need to make sure that I have those three orders filled before he brings the new ones." Sirius responded. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked.
"Yes, I am tired, so I think I am going to take a nap, though." She responded.
"Sleep is good, love. If you need me send me your patronus." He said. He kissed her forehead, removed the tray and put it into the kitchen, and then walked down the hall to the room at the back. Hermione reached for the book she threw to the bottom of the bed and got out her quill and parchment. She was going to come up with a name for their baby before the night was over.
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Sirius took a ladle and scooped up the last of the potion in the cauldron and put in the vial. There, he was finished with the last of the orders they got at the start of the week. He put the four vials in a package and affixed the label with the contract number, the name of the potion, how many vials and the dosage.
He took it over to the small table by the door and put it with the other three. Man that was a lot of hard work. He really could've used the extra hands, but Hermione was his main concern. He kept a hawk's eye on her. He has been so scared for her. It seemed like their first month married went wonderfully, and then it all took a turn for the worse with the baby. He knew Hermione felt guilty for not being an ideal wife, and business partner. But everyone understood. Their friends would rotate to visit her and that made her feel a bit better, but he knew it was taking a toll on her.
He was told by Tonks that Hermione was feeling incompetent as a woman because she was having so much trouble with carrying their baby. He tried talking to her about it, but she didn't want to discuss it. He was worried she might become depressive, but around Christmas he had Molly pay her a special visit. It seemed that Molly had a terrible time carrying Bill, her first child. She was around the age of Hermione and she experienced some of the same things Hermione was facing. Molly talked to her and convinced her that she felt the same way when she was on bed rest, but once Bill was born it was all worth it. And Molly reassured her that the rest of her pregnancies would be just fine. Sirius was glad that it worked. Hermione's attitude really changed for the best after that and she and Molly began talking every day. Molly would even visit her every other day.
Sirius looked at the watch, a wedding gift from Hermione, and saw that it was past midnight; he had been down there for five hours and didn't check on her. He had a bad feeling. He raced up the steps and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her sleeping on the bed. It was late and he was tired so he undressed and then climbed into the bed with her. She instantly began snuggling herself next to his body. She felt a bit warm, so he took off the topmost blanket and threw it to the floor. He laid his head on her neck and rested his hand on her bare stomach. Their baby was kicking up a storm and he wondered why she was not uncomfortable because of it. Maybe she was used to it. He fell asleep swiftly.
A deep moan woke him up from his slumber and the first thing he noticed was Hermione's body was no longer wrapped around him. He also noticed the bed was wet; he shot awake and looked at his wife. "Hermione?" He used his wand to turn on the lights. He noticed that his wife was ash faced and was covered in sweat; she looked like she was fading in and out of consciousness. Her head hanging limp on the pillows. "HERMIONE!" He asked jumping out of the bed and going to her side. "Hermione?" He asked. She opened her eyes a bit.
"Get Joe." She said almost out of breath.
Sirius began to panic. He needed his wand. He ran to his bedside and send out a patronus with only one message HELP! He walked back to Hermione's side of the bed and held her hand. "Hang on, love. Joe is on his way!"
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"HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!" A voice roared in their room. Joseph hurdled awake grabbing his bag before he fully realized what it meant. He saw the silver impression of a grim and reached for Mindy.
"Wake up. We need to go now!" He yelled. She popped awake and together they apparated to The Black Family home. He didn't knock on the door just walked right in. He saw her on the bed and realized that his fears were correct. This is not what he wanted.
He walked swiftly over to Sirius who was kneeling on the floor next to the bed; his hands holding tight onto his wife. He was crying. "It's alright Sirius. She is going to be fine." Joseph said even though he was not sure himself.
"She has not been conscious since I sent the patronus. And she is burning up. What's wrong with her?" He asked.
Joseph felt her face and looked at him, "it's the fever. Sometime it sets in with witches while they are pregnant. It is like a bacteria or virus that is given off by the placenta, and then it triggers when labor sets in. I've seen very few cases of it, and there is no cure for the woman until the baby is born. The fever won't harm the child but it can contribute to a loss of blood quickly during delivery, it also can attack her organs." Joe knew what he was saying was hard to hear, but Sirius and Hermione were their friends, he was not going to sugar coat a dangerous situation.
"What can we do? She isn't going to be able to push out the baby; she can't even hold her own head up." Sirius said.
"Mindy I need you to get some ice, a lot of it. The best thing for Hermione will be to break the fever before the baby is delivered. I am going to need you to pack it on her thick. And get the baby blankets." Joe said turning to Sirius. "I need you to get into my bag and pull out the vials in there, two are blue one is red." He heard the two of them bustle around to get what he asked. He snapped on his hospital gloves and tried rearranging Hermione on the bed so he could deliver the baby.
"I have the ice, Joe." Mindy said coming over with a few silver bowls full of ice and she stacked some baby blankets next to Hermione's feet on the bed.
"Pack it on her top half, and don't forget under her arms." Mindy began doing as she was told. "Sirius, you have to believe I was prepared for this. I need you to make Hermione drink both the blue potions, one is to help the infection, and the other is a very extreme potion that will increase the rate of delivery dilating her cervix allowing the baby to be born. Make her drink the two blue first."
Joe watched as Sirius stood on the other side of Hermione. "Hermione, love, I am going to give you some potions to help you. Please wake up and help take them." She didn't respond, so he forced open her jaw and poured down the first vial.
"Rub her throat. It will help." Joe instructed as he began pulling things out of his bag. He laid them next to her legs on the bed and then bent her legs at the knee. He checked her cervix and was pleased to see that her cervix was dilating quickly. "Now the red one. It is a blood replenishing and pain potion. The labor is going to be intense with extreme pain due to the potion. Since she is incoherent she will not remember the pain of it, but when she wakes up she will feel the sting of it. The potion is going against Mother Nature. It will save them both, but it almost destroys the body through pain. We need to keep an eye on her as she might begin to have seizures." Joe said looking at his wife and friend.
"What can I do to help?" Sirius asked his face filled with worry.
"Mindy will assist with the delivery. You just talk to her. Trust me it will help." Joe responded. "Mindy I need you down here at her knees. You are going to need to pull them back to help ground her and help force the baby down the birth canal." Mindy moved to help him and he looked at Sirius. "The baby will be here within five minutes. With any luck Hermione will be awake in twenty." Joe said trying to reassure him.
He felt the cervix again and was glad the potion had her fully dilated. He tried feeling the baby and couldn't. It was just going to have to work its way down.
"Hermione, love, I need you to wake up so you can push the baby. Please wake up." Sirius said begging. Joe felt horrible for him. He could only imagine what it would be like if Mindy was in Hermione's position.
"Sirius, her body is doing well. Mindy check her vitals?" Joe said.
Mindy did a few complicated wand motions and the room filled with Hermione's heart rate. "You hear that Sirius, that is a strong heart beating."
"Her blood pressure is high, but her body is in extreme pain right now, that is understandable." Mindy said.
"Good, just keep talking to her, Sirius. You're helping keep her calm." Joseph said with a smile, "and guess what I can feel the baby's head. It won't be long."
"You hear that Hermione, our baby is almost here." Sirius said. "If only you would wake up. Why won't she wake up?" He asked.
"It's the infection, Sirius. We gave her the right medications. And with that potion we gave her it is better if she is out." Joe said grabbing for a blanket that was next to him. He laid it out on the bed in front of Hermione. He checked again and felt the baby's head again, and the shoulder. "Sirius come here and watch your baby be born." Joe said. Sirius changed position to stand behind his back.
"Hermione, I see the head. It has hair." Sirius explained. "And there are the eyes and the noes. Ooh my gosh! I cannot believe it. There are its shoulders and…" He went silent as Joe pulled out the rest of the baby.
"Congratulations, Sirius, you have a baby girl." Joe said with a grin. "Here cut the cord." Joe handed Sirius the metal instrument and showed him were to cut it.
"Hermione, I just cut the cord. We have a girl. Hermione, you have to wake up to see it. Joe? Why isn't she crying? Is she breathing?" Sirius asked him terrified.
"Mindy, here, go and wash the baby and clean out its mouth and nose." Joe said quickly handing off the baby. Mindy took a few items off the bed and went back to the bathroom. Sirius looked faint. "Sirius, you need to sit down. I have to stitch up your wife. Your daughter is fine. Just needs to be cleaned up a bit." Sirius followed orders and went and sat next to Hermione.
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Sirius held his wife's hand while Joe stitched her up. He had yet to hear the baby cry, and he was terrified. Hermione had not stirred; she still looked like she had a fever. What if he lost them both? There would be no way he could go on. He wouldn't. He would kill himself if he lost them. He bent down and kissed his wife. "Hermione, love, you just had a beautiful baby girl. She is covered with goop now, but I can tell she is beautiful. Just like her mummy. But you need to wake up so you can see her. Mindy is with her now." He explained squeezing hard on her hand.
Sirius absentmindedly looked at the clock next to the bed; it was three forty-four. He sent for Joe at three eighteen. Not even thirty minutes. How long had she been going in and out like that? He couldn't answer that question. At midnight she was fine… How could it change so quickly? From the back he heard a nice wail from their daughter and he began crying, "you here that, love, she is already calling for us." Sirius said.
"Is there anything we can do to wake her up?" He looked and asked Joe.
"Let me check her vitals and do a quick blood culture." Joe said. He took a few more things from his bag. "Make her drink this; it's a blood replenishing, pain and antibiotic potion. I know she just had one, but she is going to need this, and it is not going to harm her any." Sirius took the vial and poured it down her throat and then rubbed it. Joe took a needle and drew some blood. He waved his wand and looked at the results. "Her blood sugars are normal and so is the blood pressure. She has no infection or fever." He watched Joe take off the ice and dry his wife. "She just needs to wake up. Which I would say would be within the next hour. I am sure that she will be in pain, but I have some more potions made up for her. I'll leave them on the bedside table. Every four hours. Trust me she will need it. Now would you like Mindy and I to stick around or would you like some alone time?" Joseph asked.
"Once I have the baby, I think I would like some alone time. No offence, if there is another issue with Hermione I can send my patronus." Sirius said. He just wanted time to be alone with his daughter and wife.
"No offence taken." Joe said with a smile.
"I have a little girl here ready to see her daddy." Mindy said coming out from the hall at the back. Sirius left Hermione's side and let Mindy put the carefully wrapped baby in a pink blanket with a little pink hat in his arms. More tears fell. As soon as he had a hold on her she opened her big brown eyes and looked at him. He felt his heart melt as the little girl wrapped her little hand around his finger. There was no doubt in his mind that this was his daughter, and he knew she recognized him as her father. He looked up at Joseph and Mindy and smiled.
"Thank you both for helping with this. Thank you so much." He said.
"Congratulations Sirius, give Hermione our love and we will come back in the morning to check on her." Mindy said. Joe nodded and together they left. Sirius carried his little girl to the bed and they both sat next to Hermione.
"We don't have a name for you yet little girl, but we will soon." He said. Carefully he undid the blanket she was wrapped up in to check and see if she had all ten toes and fingers; she did. They had her in a nappy already. He took off her little hat to look at that head of hair. He was not surprised by what he saw, it was bright orange, she had her mother's eyes and her father's hair.