Okay, again with the feels.
Also, maybe not one for the squeamish.
Talking Through The Pain
A storm rolled in over Republic City, in both the literal and metaphorical sense.
The actual clouds came rolling in off the Mo Ce Sea first, billowing thunder-heads filling the sky from horizon to horizon, the rumble of thunder echoed off the mountains and between the tallest buildings, clearing the streets in a way no curfew ever could. Only those with pressing business or no other choice went out in the torrential rain, sheet lightning turning night into day for the briefest of moments. The city, normally so vibrant and full of life, no matter the hour, took on a dark, sombre feel that seemed to permeate bricks and mortar to affect the people as well, somehow making the world seem smaller. The weather played merry hell with the atmospherics, limiting the range of reliable radio communications, so it was the ringing of a phone that caught everyone's attention. Korra was closest, and picked it up without a second thought; only a handful of people had the number of their direct, private line, and she wasn't expecting any bad news from any of them. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. The line was filled with crackling static, and it took Korra a while to make out Kya's voice on the other end. The waterbender sounded highly agitated, and it took the Avatar a while to understand what she was saying, but when she did, all the colour drained from her face.
Katara was gravely ill, possibly dying, and the storm had knocked out the direct line to Air Temple Island, meaning that Kya had no way of alerting her younger brother and his family.
Shocked beyond words, Korra had been ready to run out in the storm herself, but Asami had bard the door, pointing out, very matter-of-factly, that her wife was nine months pregnant, the baby due any day. Korra had stood, dumbfounded, and looked down at her swollen abdomen as if she was seeing it for the first time, then burst into tears. Asami had comforted her as best she could, the sound of their daughter crying bring Tonraq and Senna running from the lounge where they had been playing with their granddaughters. Once it had been made clear to everyone that nothing was wrong with Korra or the baby, Tonraq offered to make the trip over to Air Temple Island to give Tenzin the bad news. His wife had looked worried, but he pointed out that he'd been at sea in far worse and come back home safe. Asami grabbed the keys to her roadster, insisting on driving him down to the docks herself, leaving Korra and Senna to watch their spouses disappear into the storm from the shelter of the hallway.
"Momma," Korra held her bump, a worried look on her face, "I think my water just broke."
One of the servants called down to the docks to leave word for Asami and Tonraq, then to the police station so a message could be gotten to Mako, while Senna helped he daughter to her bedroom, the storm having grown too severe to risk trying to make it to the hospital. Fortunately, that possibility at least had been planed for, and there were a White Lotus doctor and midwife on standby, who quickly took charge. Senna stayed at her daughters side, doing her best to keep her calm as the contractions started, the doctor commenting that it looked like it was going to be a quick delivery. Korra screamed with the pain of each contraction, her anguish almost drowned out by the raging storm.
Either the noise of the storm or the sound of Korra screaming set off her two daughters, who started crying themselves. Senna felt torn between going to calm them and staying with Korra, who was white as a sheet and already covered in sweat. Fortunately, there was a loud knock on the door, heralding the arrival of Mako and Kuvira, the metalbender taking charge of the children while her partner face up the stairs two at a time, bursting into the room looking like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.
"We got here as soon as we could." He explained, rooted to the spot at the sight of Korra in so much pain, knowing that he was at least in part responsible for it, "Where's Asami?"
"She had to drive Tonraq down to the docks." Senna explained as she pressed a damp cloth to her daughters brow, "Kya called; Katara's been taken ill, and the storm's knocked out the radio and phone lines to the island."
Mako unleashed a string of oaths and curses under his breath, totally at a loss as to what to do.
"Go boil some water and find some newspaper." Senna ordered him, and he vanished in a flash.
"I've never understood..." Korra panted through gritted teeth, "...why men are always told to go do that at times like this."
"The boiling water is so they can make everyone a nice cup of tea," The doctor explained from the other end of the bed, "the paper is so they have something to read while they wait for the kettle to boil."
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Korra admitted, then screamed so loudly the windows shook, and not from the storm.
"You're crowning." The midwife informed her, "Won't be long now."
"Where's Asami?" Korra asked, eyes darting about the room desperately, "I want Asami!"
"She'll be here just as soon as she can." Senna comforted her daughter with a kiss on the head, "You know she wouldn't miss this for the world."
"Then why isn't she here?" the Avatar begged, almost weeping, "Why did this have to happen now?"
"Because it's your child." her mother couldn't help but laugh, "Spirits know, you were the most impatient of babies."
Korra simply screamed, partly in pain, and partly in anguish that her wife was not at her side. Somewhere deep inside, she understood why; Tenzin had to get word if he was to make it to the South Pole in time, and Asami was probably the best driver in Republic City, regardless of the weather. But that voice was at the very back of her mind, crowded out by the pain and the fear and the WHERE THE HELL WAS ASAMI?
"The head is out." The doctor announced, but there was an edge to his voice that wasn't lost on Senna, and glancing down, she could see the bloodstains running up the man's arms.
"Just a little more." The midwife encouraged the Avatar, "Another couple of big pushes and we'll be done."
A high pitch, whining scream echoed around the room as young lungs took their first deep breath and then used them to express their displeasure at being trust violently into the world. Senna smiled, happy that all seemed to be well with her latest grandchild, then realised that the blood had to be coming from somewhere.
"And we're clear." The doctor pulled the screaming newborn away, the midwife expertly cutting the umbilical cord and wrapping the child in a clean blanket.
"It's a boy." she held the child up, "Congratulations."
Korra murmured something, but her head dropping to one side, her eyes closed.
"Doctor!" Senna looked round in alarm.
"Damn; she's still bleeding." the medic hissed, reaching for a needle and thread, "I can't see where it's coming from."
The midwife handed the newborn to Senna, then set to work trying to clear as much of its mothers blood away as she could. For her part, it was all Senna could do to hold her grandson in her arms and try and comfort him, her eyes darting between the new life in her arms, and the one she herself had brought into the world, which lay before her, her breathing grown shallow and ragged.
"I couldn't find any newspaper." Mako appeared in the doorway, a large steaming jug in his hands, "But I boiled as much water as I..."
The doctor reached out with one hand, summoning most of the water forth from across the room, instinctively cooling it before washing it over his patient, clearing away the blood and making it possibly to see where the bleeding was coming from. Sending the crimson-tinted water to the basin on the night-stand, he worked quickly to close the tare before summoning a smaller amount of water to help heal the wound. A fain glow came from the water as the doctor channelled all his skill through it, helping the Avatar's body to repair itself, clearing away any sign of infection and soothing the pain she would have felt if she was awake.
"That... was closer than I'd like to admit." he sat back, drained physically and emotionally, sending the water to join the rest in the basin.
"How bad is it?" Senna asked, rocking her grandson carefully.
"In all honesty, it could have been a lot worse." The doctor admitted, leaning in to examine the wound carefully, "He was a little bigger than I was expecting, given he is her first. If she has any more children, I'd advise booking her into a hospital in advance, just in case."
Mako walk round the bed, keeping his eyes averted from the rather delicate view of his ex offered by her current state. He stood behind Senna, looking down at the baby in her arms: his icy blue eyes looking back, unfocused and not understanding what had so nearly happened. His skin was slightly darker than his father, but not quite the same shade as his mother, a clear indication of his mixed heritage.
"He has Korra's eyes." He remarks in a hushed tone.
"He has your nose." Senna smiled, "Do you know if he have a name?"
"I know Korra and Asami had picked one out, but they were keeping it to themselves." Mako shook his head, looking down at the woman on the bed, "How long will she be out?"
"Probably a few hours; maybe through the night." the doctor advised, pulling the blankets across his patient to offer her some privacy, "She's been through a lot, and needs rest. I wouldn't want to see her up an about for at least two days."
"Good luck with that." Senna commented, looking round as she heard the dull roar of a powerful motor through the rumble of the storm, "Asami?"
"I'll go see." Mako offered, kissing his new son on the head then quickly making his way back down stares to the entrance hall.
"Okay, now he's out of the way, just how bad is it really?" Senna locked eyes with the doctor, "And I want the truth this time."
"Your daughter lost a lot of blood, but not enough to be life-threatening, so long as she doesn't start bleeding again." the man admitted, having cleaned himself off, "I'll set up a drip to replace the fluids she lost, and we'll have someone keeping an eye on her for the next few days, but she should be okay, so long as she gets some rest."
"Have you met my daughter?" Senna asked as the sound of hurried footsteps coming up the stares echoed along the hallway, "Not a word of how bad it was to her wife; she has enough to deal with right now."
"Korra?" Asami burst through the doorway, rainwater dripping off of her coat, her hair plastered to her face. She took one look at her wife's still form, then was at her side in an instant, grabbing one of her hands and clasping it between her own.
"She just needs rest." Senna placed a reassuring hand upon the shoulder of the woman who was in every way possible as much a daughter to her as Korra, "You know just how draining childbirth can be."
"Mako said there was blood!" Asami looked around the room, eyes wide with fear.
"There was a little bit of bleeding, but the good doctor here took care of it." Her mother-in-law nodded towards the medic, who bowed his head, "You now how squeamish young men can be at times like this."
"I should have been here!" Asami knelt down on the floor beside the bed, her eyes locked on the woman sleeping in it, "I should have been here for her."
"You had no way of knowing that she was going to go into labour right then and there." Senna assured her, holding out the baby, "And look; you have son."
Asami slowly turned round, seeing the new addition to her family for the first time, and a torrent of fresh tears ran down her face as she took him and held him in her arms.
"We'd... we'd hoped for a boy this time." She whispered, captivated by the small life held against her heart, "We spent a lot of time talking about it, then wrote a letter to Katara, just to make sure it would be okay." She brushed a hand across the babies head, and he instinctively grabbed one of her fingers and held it as tightly as he could, "Welcome to the world, Aang Sato."
To Be Continued...