CH 14

[A/N: There is still a lot more to this story, thank you for sticking around. Just to give you a time line, we're not even at the half way mark...]

She smiled weakly, shutting her eyes, "We need to get ready. We need blankets, towels, scissors and all those other things they told us about at the class." She really hopped he had remembered since she didn't. "

Clamps and a bulb suction." He finished the list for her. "Don't worry. It's all taken care of."

"It is?" She asked, of course she was worried, she had been worried about this moment ever since she had found out she was pregnant, "You seem so calm."

"Well once you've had a false alarm or two, you get the hang of how to react." He tried to look as reassuring as possible. "Can you walk?"

She nodded, "I think I need some help getting up though."

He held out a hand for her. She took his hand, managing to get up with his assistance, then moved towards the door. He supported her weight as they walked through the halls. The bathroom was one of the big ones with a tub big enough for at least five people. The shelves were already stalked with the earlier listed items and the tub already full at the perfect temperature. She stripped off her clothes, eager to get into the water since she know it would relax her muscles.

"Doctor..." She said, pulling her hair up before sliding into the tub, "You said that my connection with Freya would come back when I went into labor..."

"Yes, I did." He perked, having momentarily forgotten about that. "Can... can you hear her?"

"I don't know." She murmured, closing her eyes to try and see if she could hear the baby.

Mummy? The voice seemed kind of timid and unsure.

She smiled when she heard the voice, Hello Sweetie.

Mummy, what happened? It was really, really quiet. Even Amelia was quiet.

You were just...um, sleeping for a while, but everything's alright now. Daddy and I are all ready to finally meet you.

Is that why it keeps getting so cramped?

She laughed, Yes sweetie, that's exactly why. Another contraction hit, making her let out a small whimper in pain.

The Doctor had been getting supplies off the shelf. He put them down next to the tub and was at her side again. It was rare that he ever heard River whimper. She squeezed his hand tightly, trying to suppress another whimper. "Breathe, River." He instructed. She took in a few deep breaths, trying to remember what the instructor in the class had been trying to teach them about breathing. "Good." He kissed her forehead. "I know it hurts, but you've got to remember to breathe."

She nodded, "I know, I know." Her contractions were getting rather close together, and she tried her hardest not to groan too much.

He stroked her hair, "Do you want me to come in with you?"

Her head rest against the ledge of the tub so she could look up at him, "If you want to." He slipped out of his clothes, leaving his boxers on and sat behind her in the tub, tracing circles on her belly. She lay back against him, her head resting beneath his chin. She tried to relax before the next contraction hit, her body tensing as her nails clawed at the sides of the tub. He could feel her skin grow tight under his fingertips with the contraction. He did his best to sooth her her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and reminding her to breathe. Just the sound of his voice comforted her a great deal, but she still let out a pained moan.

"W-We need to check how far d-dilated I am." She breathed, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. He nodded, shifting to the front of her, between her legs. He tried not to look to squeamish as he checked her dilation. She closed her eyes, resting as she waited for him. He held his fingers up about seven centimeters apart. "This much. That's only seven centimeters, though."

"What do you mean only? I only have to be 10 centimeters, right?" She looked a bit alarmed, wanting the pain to be over as soon as possible.

"Yes. I guess we have to wait a bit longer." He resumed his position behind her. "But if you feel the need to push, you should listen to your body."

She readjusted herself against him. "Trust me, I will." She groaned rather loudly as the next contraction came, feeling a bit of pressure building. He reached over the side of the tub and grabbed a cloth. He dipped it in the water and ran it along her forehead, wiping away the bit of sweat the had started to form. "Thank you." She managed to say, trying to breath through what seemed to her like constant pain by this point.

Twenty minutes later the pressure was much stronger and close to unbearable, "I think I have to push." He stayed where he was, but put his hand under her thighs to help hold her legs apart.

"Then push."

She gathered up all her strength, beginning to push with a loud moan of pain. "Nghh!"

"That's it, good!" He cheered her on. She whimpered again as she kept going, willing it to be over soon.

He leaned forwards a bit to peer down between her legs. He could see the small bump of one of their daughters crowning heads. He didn't know which one, though he had a hunch that it was Freya. "The heads almost out, River. You can pause."

She collapsed back against his chest, her chest heaving and her face flushed deep red. He ran the cloth along her forehead again, pausing a moment and keeping it there longer. "Just relax."

She looked up at him through tired eyes, "She's almost here." She whispered.

"Almost." He repeated knowing that she still had to get through the rest of this then do it all over again.

"I'm surprised you're so relaxed." She took a deep breath, preparing to push again, "I thought for sure you'd be panicking the whole time."

"So did I" He murmured. "But panicking would've just made everything more stressful than it needed to be." He was also making an effort to stay calm for River's sake. Being calm seemed to help her stay calm too.

She nodded, understanding. She started to push again, biting her lip as she tried to find something to grip onto. Everything felt like it was burning and she tried to hold back a cry of pain that ended up sounding like a strangled groan. He let go of her legs and held her hands, holding them tightly against her shoulders. She clutched onto his hands, trying to keep up her breathing just as he had been instructing her to. Within the next few pushed, the head fully emerged. The Doctor moved his hands down between her leg to support the head.

She didn't want to stop and rest at this point, but had to ask, "Have you got her head? Does everything feel alright?"

He nods. "She's fine. Neck is clear." He assured her. "River, I can feel her little ears and nose!" He said excitedly. "Do you want to feel?'

She nodded, relieved that there was nothing wrong. He reached one of his hands up to take her and lead it down to their child's face. "Oh, Doctor..." She breathed, her fingers lightly floating along the small features.

"You're so close, just a few more pushes." She nodded again, the feeling of the baby motivating her to push even harder than before.

He could feel the shoulders slip out. "That's it, one more push!" She let out a strangled cry as she pushed one more time, finally feeling the rest of the baby's body slip out. He brought her to the surface, simultaneously reaching for the bulb suction for her mouth and nose. The infant let out a loud wail as soon as the suction was removed. River stared at the newborn for a moment, her expression absolutely amazed.

"Wow," was all he could say for a bit. Freya waved her arms about, smiling up at her parents who seemed completely dazed that they had made a whole other person.

"She's precious." River whispered, looking down at the Freya's adorable smiling face. "Hello there, darling." She smiled back down at her.

Mummy! It's much roomier out here. But you better not make me do that again because it wasn't very comfortable.Though there wasn't much, Freya had a small tuft of strawberry blonde curly hair on the top of her head.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you won't have to do that again." She smiled, holding the tiny baby close to her chest.

The Doctor was peering over her shoulder wearing a ridiculous smile. "She looks just like you!"

"Do you think so?" She continued to smile down at the baby, unable to take her eyes off of her.

"Yes. Well, except for her eyes. She's got my eyes. " He pointed out, giving River a kiss.

"She's perfect." She whispered, holding the baby a bit closer to her in an effort to keep her warm.

"Oh. Here." He handed her a tiny hat that they usually make babies wear to keep warm.

She put the hat on her, then kissed her forehead, "Do you want to hold her?" She asked.

He bit his lip. "What if I drop her? I tend to be clumsy with these kind of things..."

She smiled up at him, "You won't drop her, just relax." She turned, gently placing Freya in his arms, "Now, mind her head." She was small enough that he could hold her in one arm.

"She's so tiny."

River beamed and reached for the scissors and clamps to cut the cord, "She is..." She ran a finger along Freya's tiny arm, "It's so nice to finally see you, my love."

Freya smiled up at them with tired eyes and yawned, nuzzling into the Doctor's arms not noticing that her mother was cutting what had connected them to each other for the last eight months. I like being held by you guys.

"Oh, are you sleepy? Doctor, maybe we sh-" She was cut off by a sharp pain in her belly, groaning and clutching her stomach. He reached his spare arm for her to hold, mindful not to disturb Freya too much as she drifted to sleep.

"Breathe."

She clutched onto his arm, breathing deeply. "I don't know if I can do this again."

"You can, River. I know you can do do this." He wrapped Freya in a blanket and placed her in a basket that he had gotten when he was getting the supplies and faced back towards River, placing his hands on her arms. "You are one of the strongest people I know. You can do it."

She whimpered loudly, pressing her forehead against his chin, "I knew it wouldn't be fun, but I didn't think it would be this painful." He hated seeing her in pain, especially when he could do nothing about it.

He reached his hand around her and put pressure on her lower back. "Does that help?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing shakily, "Yes, that actually helps a lot." He continued massaging her back, glad he could be more useful than just sitting there. She groaned again, trying to lean back into his hand to get more pressure on her back. He pressed a bit harder, obliging to her request. "I wish I could do more for you."

"D-Don't be silly, y-you're doing p-plenty." She panted, sweat collecting on her forehead and chest. He kissed her forehead, not moving his hands.

"You are so strong. I would never be able to do this."

She laughed weakly, "I think you would be able to." She murmured.

"Maybe if it was an alternative to you being in pain."

She shook her head, "But I couldn't bare to see you suffer."

"Nor I you. But I don't think it quiet counts as suffering if you get a family at the end."

She groaned, rubbing her belly, "I agree, but it would be really nice to just get the family without the pain."

"I can't make it painless, but I can try my best to ease it."

She shook her head, "I'm alright." She murmured, tensing as she felt another contraction.

"You are amazing." He corrected. "Absolutely amazing."

"Doctor..." She breathed, sweat running down her forehead, "Something doesn't feel right."

His felt a pit of fear in his stomach. "W-what is it?"

She moaned, clearly in much more pain than she had been during the last contraction, "I-I don't know, but I know something's wrong..."

"Okay, um. Okay." He wasn't panicking. Definitely. Not. Panicking. "I have to check her position." He told her before reaching in and feeling for Amelia. She groaned, laying back, her breathing heavy. "River..." He looked back up at her. "She's... she's transverse. She's sideways."

"So what- what does that mean? What's going to happen?" She groaned again, trying hard not to let in turn into anything louder.

"I have to turn her until she's facing the right way with out getting her tangled it the cord." He said, trying to remember everything they had learned about breach or transverse babies. "It's going to hurt..."

She swallowed, trying to hide the fear in her eyes, "Okay, okay then do it." She would do anything to make sure the baby would be alright. "Just make sure she's okay."

He took a breath, praying he wouldn't screw this up and cursing himself for the pain he was going to cause her. He reached in a bit further, getting a good grip on Amelia and began maneuvering her.

"Uugh!" She tried to hold back her cries at the pain that surged through her core, finally sobbing out in pain. She was starting to bleed, trying her hardest not to cry out any more, not wanting him to feel bad.

"O-okay..." He brought his hand back up. His hearts beat fast when he saw that it was coated in blood. "Push!"

She whimpered, struggling to push, the color draining from her face from the blood loss. "Come on, Riv! You can do it, push!" He put a hand to steady her shaking legs. She fought against the pain, doing the best she could to bare down. He looked up at her exhausted face "Okay, good. Relax a moment."

She fell back against the side of the tub, feeling rather light-headed, "Is she alright now?"

"I think so.. Yes." He nodded. "But this bleeding is rather concerning."

"W-what bleeding?" She asked, unaware of what was happening, although the water in the tub was starting to turn very, very red.

"You're... Oh, god." He ran a hand through his hair, as he looked at the water. "We need get this baby out. Now."

"D-Doctor, w-what's going on." She murmured, looking at him through exhausted, half-closed eyes.

"I don't... I don't know!" He didn't know if it was Amelia or River that was bleeding but he had a good reason to assume it was River. "Push!"

She resumed pushing, gripping onto the sides of the tub, hardly suppressing her cries. He caught the head as it slipped out. "Almost there! Keep going!"

She shook her head, "I can't, I can't do it anymore." She cried, her face had paled even further.

"Yes you can, River. You can. You can make Daleks run in fear and you can defeat whole armies. You can do this."

Encouraged by his words, she bore down once again, her cry closer to a scream. "Aagh!"

The tiny body slid into the Doctor's hands and he brought the baby above water. "Is she okay?" River whispered, her curls matted to her forehead.

"She's perfect." His fears disappeared for a moment as he stared down at Amelia.

"Good...good..." She murmured, her eyes closing and her breathing shallow. He quickly cut the cord and wrapped her in a blanket, placing her next to her sister.

"River...? Open your eyes." With this much bleeding, he couldn't be sure whether she was resting or not. She didn't respond to him, just sank a bit deeper into the red water. "River!" He rushed to lift her back up. "Come on, River. Stay with me!"

"I'm...I'm so tired." She murmured as he lifted her, her whole body pale from the amount of blood she had lost.

"J-just hang in there a little longer..." He scooped her out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel before rushing to the medbay.

"Doctor...the babies..." She didn't really know what was happening, but she was aware that he was taking her out of the room, taking her away from the two newborns.

"They're alright" He put her on the bed and sprinted back to get them, returning less than a moment later. He set them down in two small glass cots and was back by her side. She managed to smile softly when she was him return with the children, her eyes fluttering shut again.

"No no no!" This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this, not here. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He hooked her to a blood I.V. but she was losing blood faster than he could give it. She started to wake again as he hooked her up to the I.V. She had no idea what was going on, completely out of it. She looked over at the children longingly.

"Can I hold her?" She asked hoarsely, wanting a chance to hold Amelia.

"N-no, not yet. " He felt terrible that he was denying her that right. She was weak and he wasn't sure she could even lift her hand without shaking. "I still have to stop the bleeding."

"I'll be fine." She insisted, still looking at Amelia, "I really want to hold her..." She whispered, her hands were shaking though she was unaware.

"I know... I know. But it's important that I make sure you're okay first." He examined her with the ultrasound. "I-it looks like you ruptured an artery..."

"W-What does that mean?" She asked, her teeth chattering.

"It means you're going to bleed out if I don't stop it soon" His head was pounding, but he was able to think straight enough to get medicine. It was clear fluid in a large syringe.

"What is that?" Her whole body was visibly trembling now, she closed her eyes, "Promise me you'll take care of them. Promise me they'll be safe, and nothing will happen to them."

"River, you are not going to die." She couldn't die. He'd seen her die and though that day was still coming, that day was not today. "I promise they'll be safe and I promise you'll be there to see that. This... this should stop the bleeding." He hoped.

"You're going to be the best father in the universe, do you know that?" She looked up at him, smiling weakly.

"But I can't do it without you. I won't do it without you." He glanced down, relieved that the bleeding had begun to slow.

She reached for his hand, squeezing it lightly, "If you had to, you absolutely could do it without me. But you don't have to worry because I have no intention of leaving you just yet."

"Ever. Don't leave me ever." He pulled her into a hug, not realizing that there were tears on his cheeks.

"It's alright, my love." She whispered, seeing the tears on his cheeks, "I promise, I will never, ever leave you." Of course she knew nothing about the Library and that one day, she would break her promise.