Chapter 10: Giving Birth
Haruka sped down the street as fast as possible, at times only avoiding a bad accident in the last second. She thanked all the Gods in Heaven that Michiru was too busy to notice her lover's driving style while she drove her car to the nearest hospital – which was still twenty minutes away. Michiru rested on the laid-back passenger's seat, her eyes closed, her breath coming in rasped, pain filled gasps. Every time another wave of pain flooded through her, she let out a small whimper through gritted teeth, and Haruka mumbled soothing words to her, hoping that she could help her girlfriend with that a little. The blondes concern turned into pure wonder and surprise when Michirus eyes suddenly went wide. "Michiru...? What..." the blonde started, but Michiru interrupted her. "Setsuna?" the aqua haired girl whispered, and Haruka stared in the rear view mirror, already expecting that the mysterious senshi of time had popped out of nowhere and had materialised in her backseat. The mirror only showed the empty backseat. "Michiru, Setsuna isn't here." Haruka spoke, her slight worry turning into something bigger. Was her lover already having hallucinations? "Setsuna." Michiru mumbled again, this time with happiness in her voice. And then, all of a sudden, a bright, white light filled the car, causing Haruka to yelp in surprise at the sudden loss of her eyesight. The blonde pulled the steering wheel sharply to the right and jumped at the brake in the same time, silently thanking the Gods – again – that she had thought about putting her seatbelt on in spite of the stress she had been in. The car came to a halt with screeching tires, and Haruka leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, panting. Her eyes had been squeezed shut during her stunt-like stop, and now as she opened them again, she had to find out – to her horror – that she couldn't see anything. For one terrible second, the blonde thought that she had gone completely blind, thanks to the mysterious light, and already had visions of herself kissing her racer career goodbye. Squeezing her eyes shut once more, the blonde took a deep breath before she dared to open her eyelids again. The steering wheel stared back at her, pretty blurred, but she could see it. "Thank God." Haruka sighed before she remembered Michiru again, fear for her partner flooding through her like liquid fire. Turning her head, the blonde saw Michiru lying on the seat, smiling, staring off into nothingness. "Michiru?" Haruka carefully spoke, afraid that her lover had snapped and gone to LaLa-Land or something similar. "She won't look like him." Michiru suddenly said, causing the blonde to flinch and to give a very intelligent reply: "Huh?" "Our daughter." Michiru informed her blonde lover, finally looking at her again. The distant gaze that had been in her eyes had vanished, only to be replaced with joy and love – for both, for Haruka and for their yet unborn baby. Haruka still didn't have a clue what Michiru was talking about, and so her eyebrows went up. Michiru gave her a warm smile and finally cared to explain herself: "Setsuna was here, Love. She did something to my baby...to our baby....and told me that it now would look as if it was ours. As if you were the father. It's looks will resemble both of us...and not the rapist." Haruka smiled back at her lover, sudden belief in her heart. Michiru hadn't been hallucinating this. Harukas smile vanished when she thought about the light that had blinded her for some terrible moments. "Hey, Setsuna!" she spoke into the air, "the next time you do something to our baby...cease the darn light." As soon as the last word had faded, Haruka started her car again and drove on. She could've sworn that she heard Setsunas laughter in the distance on the way to the hospital.
"I'm sorry, Mister Tenoh, but you can't go in there now." "Oh come on!" Haruka cried out, staring at the nurse in a pretty frustrated way. "This is my girlfriend in there, giving birth to our baby, and you say that I can't go in?!" "I'm sorry." The nurse apologised. "But the rules say that you are not allowed to enter the room, unless you are a close relative of the patient." Haruka rolled her eyes in frustration. "Well, just to inform you...I'm the father of that baby!! Does that make me close enough?" "You won't give in anyway, won't you?" the nurse scowled. Haruka nodded proudly, already one hundred percent sure that she had pursued the nurse into letting her in. "Well then, go inside. But use one of those masks", the nurse shoved an ugly green paper mask into Harukas hands, "this cap", a similar ugly green cap followed, "and this gown." The last item the nurse handed to the stunned blonde was a long, ugly green thing that looked like night gown – one that maybe a hippo would wear. Haruka sighed and put on the various objects before she was allowed to enter the room. She was greeted by an ear-piercing scream from her lover, and as fast as lightning the blonde stood next to the stressed doctor. "What are you doing to her?!" she demanded to know, and the man glared at her. "Giving birth to a baby hurts. And what are you doing here anyway?" he replied. Haruka felt the sudden childish urge to poke her tongue out at the man, but then remembered that he wouldn't see it anyway thanks to the mask, and replied: "I'm the father. Of the baby, I mean, not of Michiru." "Haruka..." Michiru now moaned, recognising her lover's presence in the room. Haruka made a beeline for the bed Michiru led in, her legs spread wide apart and held in the air by two metal rings. "You have to press, Miss Kaioh." The doctor now said while he almost stuck his nose between Michirus legs. Haruka felt an irrational pang of jealousy, since the doctor was looking at an area where only she should have her eyes, but quickly thought this feeling down and took Michirus hand instead. "I know that I'm supposed to press!" Michiru snapped at the doctor, sweat running down her face. "Do you have a clue how much that hurts?" "Honey, I don't think that he has." Haruka tried to calm her down, only to be rewarded with a snap towards her: "Shut it!" the blonde quickly fell silent while Michiru pressed again, more pain flooding through her. And then, after a seemingly endless time, the doctor called out: "It's coming! The head is already out!" "Thank God." Michiru and Haruka both whispered – Michiru because she didn't think that she could stand the pain much longer and Haruka because her fingers hurt from Michiru squeezing them in her pain. "One more push, and you did it!" the blonde encouraged her lover, who gathered all the strength she had left. And finally, the couple plus the doctor were rewarded with the screaming of a healthy baby. "You have a girl." The doctor announced proudly while one of the nurses hurried away to wash the baby off. One minute later, the woman returned, gently laying the baby girl into Michirus waiting arms. The aqua haired girl gave her beaming lover an exhausted smile and was rewarded with a kiss. "I love you." Haruka whispered into her ear before her eyes fell on the small baby again, full of love and joy. This moment, Michiru knew that Haruka not only accepted the baby, but loved it as if it was her own.