Disclaimers: Not mine, really.
A/N: I'm becoming stunningly fast with all my updates, aren't I? Well, that means that soon this story will be over, definitely.. or at least until I decide to re-write it like I'm doing with my other stories. I want to repost all my stories on this site, because some of them are really too immature in their writing style. Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter, I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. There are still 2 chapters left after this one, and to who asked how far is Rachel, well.. you'll discover in this chapter! Bye-bye!
To Danii: Thanks so much for correcting it!
In Labour
Rachel stood up from the long bench at the Gryffindor table. She stood frozen for what seemed ages before her face contracted with pain and she collapsed back on the bench. She was so deep in concentration about calming the overwhelming pain in the bottom of her stomach that she didn't even notice that someone had placed a hand on her shoulder and was calling her.
She turned towards Emeric only when he called her for the fifth time.
"What?" she asked, short of breath.
"I asked you if you were all right," he said, looking at her with concern.
She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" he asked again.
She nodded again. "I just – it's nothing."
"It didn't seem like nothing," said Allyson, sitting in the seat across from her. "It seemed like something."
Rachel shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm fine, seriously. I just had a little pain at the bottom of my stomach."
"And is that normal?" asked Emeric.
"How would I know?" snapped Rachel, as a new pain filled her body and blurred her vision. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, in the vain attempt of calming the pain.
"Rachel?" Emeric shook her by her shoulders. "Rachel, are you all right?"
She opened her eyes and looked at him, trying to focus her sight. She nodded another time. "Now, I'm fine."
"I'll call Madam Pomfrey," said Emeric, turning to leave.
"No!" she said loudly. "No. I'm fine. There's no need to call anybody."
"If you are fine, then why do you seem to be going through searing pain?" asked Allyson, who had just circled the table and now knelt in front of Rachel.
"I'm fine, seriously," she answered, with a determined expression on her face. "Just, help me to stand up, will you?" she asked, stretching a hand towards Emeric.
Emeric took it and helped her up.
She smiled, weakly. "Come on, today we're going to have our last exam, and then we're free," she said to Emeric. "Then I have all the time in the world to be sick."
"If you are going through this during your exams, I don't think-"
"I'm not," Rachel cut off Emeric. "I'm fine."
She stepped towards the door of the Great Hall, then she turned and looked at Emeric. "No, I'm not fine," she said, and then she fainted.
When Rachel regained consciousness, she felt as if something was very painfully trying to make its way through her body. She screamed out in pain and someone's hands seized her upper arms and her hands.
"Grit your teeth, Rachel," she heard Madam Pomfrey saying calmly. "And when the pain passes, breathe."
She did exactly as she was told. When the pain passed, she opened her eyes and found herself in the Hospital Wing.
"How are you doing, darling?"
"What do you think?" she snapped to Madam Pomfrey.
Madam Pomfrey smiled. "Not too good."
"Why am I in the Hospital Wing?" she asked. "Why am I not in St. Mungo's?"
"The Healers are coming, dear," said Madam Pomfrey reassuringly.
Rachel's eyes filled with fear. "I don't want to have my child here," she cried.
"Rachel, we'll bring you to St. Mungo's as soon as the Healers get here," said Emeric, caressing her sweaty forehead to comfort her. Rachel became aware that the hand that she was holding tightly was his.
"Where is Allyson?" she asked.
"She helped Mr. Malfoy to bring you here, but she couldn't stay. I had to sterilize this place," explained Madam Pomfrey.
"Sterilize for what? I'm not going to give birth to my child here-" But her sentence was interrupted by a new wave of pain that coursed through her body, and a scream of pain escaped from Emeric's mouth.
Emeric?
"Mr. Malfoy, behave!" Madam Pomfrey snapped at him.
Emeric looked at her with teary eyes. "But she's crushing my hand," he protested weakly.
"Miss Weasley, the Healers will be here any moment now. Stay calm and breathe, all right?"
Rachel seized Madam Pomfrey's robes and bent the nurse down. "Promise me that my child will not be born here," she said forcefully.
Madam Pomfrey looked at her, quite nervously. "Miss Weasley, you are ripping my robes," she said.
"Promise me," screamed Rachel.
"I promise," answered Madam Pomfrey hastily.
Rachel let go and smiled, but her momentary respite was interrupted by another flaming pain in the bottom of her stomach. She screamed in pain, but then something attracted her attention: an incredible wetness on her legs. She tried to stand up to have a better look at the bottom of her body, but was forced down by Emeric.
"What happened?" she asked him.
Emeric was looking at her legs with a confused expression, unable to understand what on Earth had just happened. Rachel dug her fingernails into his hands to make him look at her face.
"Hey!"
"What happened?" she asked again, ignoring his weak protest.
"I-I don't know, your legs are all-"
"Your water just broke, Rachel," said Madam Pomfrey gently.
Rachel looked at her. "You're kidding me," she said. "I can't have this baby here."
"No, Rachel, you can't. We aren't equipped for that," said Madam Pomfrey gravely.
"What do I do?" asked Rachel, desperation in her voice.
"First of all, don't push," said Madam Pomfrey sternly. "Whatever happens, don't push."
Rachel nodded. She gritted her teeth and tried to relax her body, but her muscles didn't seem to want to obey her, especially her abdominal ones. She screamed another time as she couldn't help her body to push a little.
"Rachel!" cried Emeric, afraid. "What can I do? Rachel!"
Rachel looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "N-next time-" she started, weakly.
"Next time? Next time what? Rachel!"
"Next time, use a contraceptive," she snapped with renewed vigour.
Emeric looked at her, taken aback.
"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Malfoy," said Madam Pomfrey dismissively. "She doesn't really mean that."
"She doesn't?"
"Of course I do!" shrieked Rachel, as another contraction took her breath away.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "No, don't worry. It's always like that when you go through great pain. You tend to say say things that you don't really mean."
Emeric nodded, reassured. "What can I do?" he asked Madam Pomfrey.
Madam Pomfrey looked towards the door, and then turned to Emeric. "Go ask Professor McGonagall why the Healers aren't here yet."
Emeric looked at Rachel, who was now catching her breath. "I can't leave her."
"Mr. Malfoy, if you don't go and find those Healers, be ready to deliver your child," stated Madam Pomfrey sternly.
"Go find the Healers," Rachel yelled against him.
"I-I would do that, Rachel, but you have to let my hand go," he said, trying to remove Rachel's hand from his, finger by finger. When he managed to free himself, he hurried out the door of the Hospital Wing.
"Rachel, dear, how are you doing?" asked Madam Pomfrey as soon as they were alone.
Rachel took a deep breath. "As if something is ripping me apart from the inside," she answered. "Sorry about earlier, Madam Pomfrey, but it's so painful."
"Don't worry, dear," Madam Pomfrey reassured her. "Just be quiet now. Think of a nice place with birds singing and-"
"Madam Pomfrey!" Emeric came running into the Hospital Wing. "They're here."
Two Healers in green robes followed Emeric inside. One was a woman, about thirty years old, with long brown hair and big round glasses. The other one was a man, with greying hair and a stern expression.
"Oh, thank goodness you are here," said Madam Pomfrey, wiping away the sweat from her forehead.
The man smiled. "Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey. We'll take care of her. Douglas," he said towards the woman. Healer Douglas wore a pair of sterile gloves and unceremoniously shoved a hand under Rachel's skirt. When she withdrew her hand, it was covered with blood and placenta.
She looked at the other Healer, with wide eyes. "She's already ten centimetres, Watt," she said, paling.
The other Healer turned towards her. "What?" he asked in disbelief. "Why didn't they tell me it was so urgent?"
"Because you were busy with the medical examination of the patients at the hospital," explained Douglas.
A yell of pain coming from Rachel cut off the discussion. She breathed quickly and deeply and looked at them. "Then, maybe we should get a move on and go to St. Mungo's, shouldn't we?" she asked stiffly.
"Go to St. Mungo's? I don't think so, darling. Douglas, prepare for a birth, and if necessary, a caesarean," said Healer Watt seriously.
Rachel sat up at once, her eyes wide. "No, what are you doing? I can't give birth to my child here, I want to go to a hospital – a real hospital," she screamed.
"There's no time, darling," said Watt. "Douglas, help her take off her robes. That shirt is too tight."
"No!" protested Rachel. "I want to go to St. Mungo's."
"W-we are not equipped for a birth, here," said Madam Pomfrey weakly.
"We have all the necessary equipment, don't' worry," said Healer Watt. He looked at Emeric. "You're the father?"
Emeric nodded.
"Go and get some boiling water," he said quickly.
Emeric disappeared from the Hospital Wing another time.
"What do you need the boiling water for?" asked Rachel, as the pain subsided for a moment.
"Keeping him busy," said the Healer seriously. "What's your name, darling?"
"Rachel," she breathed.
"Okay, Rachel. I'm Healer Watt and this is Healer Douglas. You just have to do exactly what we tell you, all right?" asked the Healer.
Rachel nodded.
"Good, now don't worry about being at school. We have all the equipment necessary for a safe birth here with us," said the Healer.
"All right," murmured Rachel.
"How often is she having contractions?" he asked to Madam Pomfrey.
"For Merlin's beard, I don't know, how am I supposed to know that? I've been too busy keeping her quiet," answered Madam Pomfrey, collapsing on a chair next to the bed.
"All right. All we need is someone that will hold her hand and stay next to her," he looked at the nurse. "Can you do that?"
"No," screamed Rachel, as another contraction made her life hell. "No, I want Emeric."
The Healer nodded. "Madam Pomfrey, go and tell the Headmistress to call the grandparents and all the people that must be informed."
Madam Pomfrey nodded and, visibly shaken, she exited, bumping into an equally shattered Emeric who was coming back with a bowl of hot water. "I have the water," he said, hurrying to Rachel's side.
"Good boy, now put that thing away and hold your wife-"
"Girlfriend," shrieked Rachel, as the pain blurred her vision again.
"Your girlfriend's hand," the Healer corrected. "And never let her go, just stay with her, all right?"
Emeric nodded, while he took Rachel's hand with one hand and with the other he caressed her forehead.
"Right, now, when we tell you, you push with all your strength, got it?" asked Healer Douglas.
Rachel nodded. Some hot tears ran down her cheeks as she tried to fight the pain of another contraction. "Push, darling, push," said one of the Healers.
Rachel let out a cry of pain, and pushed as hard as she could, crushing Emeric's hand in the meantime.
The contraction finished. "Okay, Rachel, breathe, small breaths, yes, darling, yes," said Healer Douglas.
Emeric moved away some of the hairs that had stuck to Rachel's sweaty face, and started to whisper into her ear how much he loved her and how well she was doing.
Another contraction arrived and now she pushed without waiting for someone to tell her to do so.
"I can see the head," said Healer Watt, calmly. "It's a nice blond head, Rachel. Come on, another push, darling."
"What?" asked Emeric weakly. If Healer Watt was so calm, he wasn't. "The head?"
Rachel gritted her teeth and pushed harder, screaming another time. Every time she pushed, she thought that she had never suffered more, only to be proved wrong with the following push.
"Here we are! Here we are!" she heard the Healer say happily.
And then she heard it. The most wonderful and amazing sound she had ever listened to. A cry. Her baby's cry.
She felt the pain of the contractions leaving her body, to be replaced by the one, less excruciating but continued, of the afterbirth. Her hand released Emeric's, but he didn't even notice, as they both were gazing at the tiny baby that Healer Watt held in his arms.
He wrapped the baby in a little sheet and, rocking him, the Healer walked to where Rachel was and laid the baby on her chest.
Rachel and Emeric looked at the little baby. He was all red with lots of blond hair on his small head.
"I-is it normal that he's so small?" asked Emeric, moving away a piece of cloth to look, or, better, admire, his child.
The Healer laughed. "Of course, what did you expect?"
Rachel rocked the baby softly. "So, it was you who kicked me all the time," she whispered. The baby, as an answer, yawned and nestled on her chest. Emeric stretched out a finger and caressed the head of the baby. Then he bent down and kissed Rachel.
Healer Douglas washed her hands and then turned towards them. "So, what are you going to call him?"