Marilla felt another contraction hit her as she paced her bedroom. She bent over her vanity chair in agony and gasped in pain. Glancing at the clock she saw it read 11:45.
It felt like ages but soon Matthew came back with Rachel and the doctor in tow.
"I'm going to have Mrs Lynde get you ready and then I'll come in to examine you." He stepped outside and tried to calm Matthew who at this point was more than frightened for his wife.
"Alright Marilla, let's take off your undergarments now."
Marilla felt a bit uncomfortable as she exposed herself. Rachel told her to walk around a bit more and she focused her mind on the task ahead. With each contraction she moaned or gasped in pain.
Rachel coached her and taught her to breathe through each contraction.
"That's it Marilla. Do you want the doctor to come in now?"
Marilla nodded and laid down on the bed.
"How far apart are your contractions, Mrs Cuthbert?" He asked as he felt her cervix.
Marilla looked cluelessly at Rachel, she hadn't even thought to count.
"They're about seven minutes apart."
"You have some time then. You're no where near dilated enough to push yet. Just relax."
"I want Matthew," Marilla groaned.
The doctor and Rachel looked at each other hesitantly before Rachel went to get him.
Rachel found him pacing the whole house in a circle, the kitchen to the parlor, to the guest room, and back.
"Marilla wants to see you."
He nearly ran Rachel over as he bounded up the stairs.
"Mar, are you okay? Is the baby here?"
"We have some time until the baby comes. Doctor says I'm not ready to push just yet."
He kissed her forehead and held her hand, hoping that his wife wouldn't feel his hand shaking with nerves.
"What are you hoping for?" Dr McNeil asked curiously as he sterilized his instruments.
Marilla looked at Matthew, neither of them really cared, just as long as the babe was healthy.
"Neither of us care very much about the gender," Matthew said as Marilla was panting through a contraction.
On and on it went, and Marilla labored for hours. Each scream and moan felt like a million gunshots to Matthews heart but he stayed there with his wife, wiping her head with a damp washcloth and being her support.
Rachel was down at the business end with the doctor and she tried to hide her concern.
Marilla saw their concern, "what's wrong?"
"The baby never flipped. It wants to come out bum first, and it also looks like it might be stuck on your pelvis."
Matthew held his wife close to him.
"Now, Mrs. Cuthbert, I will have to use forceps. You must only push when I tell you to."
"Arrrrrrghhhhhhh!" She screamed as the wave of pain hit her.
"Now you must push, Mrs. Cuthbert," he urged gently.
Marilla shook her head slowly as a tear tan down her cheek.
"I don't think I can, I'm so tired," she said breathlessly.
Matthew whispered to her in her ear, and what he said was only between him and Marilla. No other ears heard what he said, but those words were the motivation Marilla needed.
She bore down and pushed, panting and screaming all the way.
"You're doing fine, Marilla!" Rachel encouraged.
"Stop now. Take a break." The doctor
readjusted the forceps making Marilla yell in pain once more.
"There the child is finally unstuck. I will no longer need the forceps. Taking them out is going to be very painful, Mrs. Cuthbert."
She nodded and he pulled them out, going slow and trying not to cause more pain to Marilla. She yelled and cried anyway. Never in her life had she experienced pain quite like this before.
The sun began to peak over the farm as the doctor shouted, "I think two more pushes and the baby will be born!"
Marilla cried in agony as she pushed
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Just one more, almost done, dear," Rachel said, patting Marilla's hand.
"Ahhh!"
She collapsed against the pillows, feeling the child slip between her legs. Her wave of tiredness and pain fell away as she heard her child wail…..and then stop.
"Is the baby alright? I didn't hurt it did I?" Marilla asked, out of breath.
Matthew and her clung to each other as they watched.
Rachel was working to rub the baby down and Matthew noticed Rachel discreetly flicking the child's foot.
Meanwhile Marilla felt pain down there again as she felt the urge to push.
"Why do I have to push again?"
"The after birth," the doctor said, rather distractedly, "Mrs Lynde, I'll be with you in a moment, I just need to stitch
Mrs Cuthbert and stop her bleeding."
Finally a loud cry pierced the air again.
Marilla felt that her heart couldn't take much more of this.
"Rachel, is the baby okay?!"
Rachel came over, with the baby swaddled in the blanket Marilla made. She smiled softly as she handed the bundle over.
"The baby was in shock, that's all.l
Marilla held the baby in complete awe, she didn't even feel the stitches or the pain.
Matthew held the baby's little hand, marveling as how tiny the fingers were.
Everyone was so distracted that no one asked or thought to mention it but now as Marilla held her child in her arms it dawned on her.
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Oh, I'm sorry! You have a daughter," Rachel smiled down at Marilla as she worked to clean up the bloody towels and after birth.
"Hello little lass, I'm your mother," Marilla bent her head over and kissed the velvety head, already loving the slip of life more than anything in the world.
"Don't cry, darling. It's alright," Matthew said smiling down as his daughter. Marilla let him hold her and she watched as he gently rocked her in his chair.
"She's perfect, Mar."
"Oh before I go downstairs I ought to write it down. Her weight came out to six pounds, 4 ounces and she measured about twenty inches long," Rachel said, scribbling it down on a piece of paper.
Marilla just nodded, the babe was a decent size, big enough to not be too sickly, but still small. Her and Matthew's cup had overflown. She was so very happy, but right now she wanted to sleep, and get out of her sweat soaked nightgown. At the same time she didn't want to take her eyes off of her daughter.
What a wonderful thing to say, my daughter.
A/N: Forceps were invented in the early 1600s and were common to use for a breeches, although back then they didn't realize just how dangerous using forceps for a breech delivery was.