Authors note-
Hello again. I hope you are ready for a new chapter. Perusal things do not go according to plan. For this chapter there is a trigger warning because there are mentions of blood, severe pain, and birth. Please read at your own discretion.
-KQinsihgts
All rights to Star Wars are reserved to Lucasfilm, I am just an admirer. All rights to promises are reserved to KQinsights.
Leia woke up the next morning cold. Although the blankets were wrapped tightly around her, she couldn't stop herself from shivering as her eyes blinked open.
It was as if the entire room had dropped 20 degrees overnight. As she rolled to her right, she realized why her bed felt more like a carbon freezer than the warm sanctuary she had fallen asleep in. Han was gone, but in his place was a folded piece of paper. It read
Your worshipfullness,
Chewie and I went down to the hanger around eight. The Falcon needs a few repairs before she is ready for another take off. Come find me when you wake up.
Bags are already packed, and there is breakfast in the fridge. Eat and then all you have to do is get your cute ass down here so we can go home.
P.S I expect a thank you in not so many words, the moment we land.
Love you,
She laughed to herself as she read the last line, yet her eyes teared up as well. Home. They were going home. Maybe she did not know where that was yet, or when they would actually get there, but they were going home.
The smile that crept onto her face as she rolled on her back and clung the note to her chest, was one she had not let herself indulge in, in a very long time.
As she rolled out of bed, her smile lingered. Hope. It was hope that was coursing through her body as she walked about her room.
As she opened the closet door, she found that only one dress hung on the rail.
"Scoundrel," she mumbled to herself as her face shifted into a different sort of smile. Of course, he had left this dress behind. She hadn't even realized she had brought it with her. After Luke had told her about Han, she hadn't paid attention to what she stuffed into her bag. She had been more focused on persuading Luke to let her go with him.
The entirety of the dress was white with variations of coverage. All aspects of the dress were covered in a thin transparent polyester lined with chiffon from the shoulders to the feet. However the cuffed bell bottom sleeves were completely transparent. The bodice was loose and crossed into a V neck, that suggested, but did not give a showing of one's assets, that was cut off at the A-line. From there, the rest of the fabric hung off the cinched braided belt and to the floor only breaking at a slight slit along that left side.
Leia walked closer to the dress and touched its smooth white fabric. The loose polyester slipped right over her fingers as the back of her hand was met with the smooth lining. Leia gave the dress a once look over and took it off the hanger. A slight blush covered her face as she donned the dress and looked at herself in the mirror.
The dress was nothing extravagant, but it meant something to her. It had been a gift from her husband for her last birthday. They had stayed in and ordered some food and had a relaxing evening. That was until Han brought out a large black box with a ginormous white bow on top. She had been skeptical as she opened it, but as she uncovered the wrapping paper, she could tell her husband had thought long and hard about that gift. She immediately tried it on, and when she came out of the fresher, Hans' words told her how badly he wanted to rip the new fabric off her right then and there.
He made love to her that night. It had not been just sex, but the making of love that resulted in their daughter.
Leia rubbed her oversized stomach as she marveled at herself in the mirror. Because of the loose-fitting design, it still fit her now larger size; however, the once suggestion of cleavage had become more of a certainty. A certainty she knew Han would overly enjoy.
A knock at the door caught Leia's attention, and now feeling foolish for looking in the mirror for so long, she quickly walked out of the fresher and to the front of the quarters.
She opened the door to find no one standing there to greet her. She looked down the halls both ways, yet it was completely empty. She was about to close the door when she noticed the mug sitting on the ground in front of her. In a more difficult struggle that she would admit to, Leia reached down to the ground and picked up the glass to find it steaming hot and a note slipped into the handle. It read:
Princess Leia,
I heard you were heading home today and thought you could use a cup of tea before your travels. I know the circumstances of our meeting were not ideal, but it was a pleasure talking to you yesterday. I hope everything goes well with the rest of your pregnancy, and don't forget to tell your husband about the back massages. They really help take some of the pressure off you and the baby.
All the best,
- Kerris
Leia looked down the hall once more to see if Kerris was truly gone, and when her search came to no avail, she backed up into her room and closed the door. She wished she could have thanked Kerris in person, but she understood that the med center needed her attention more than she did.
Leia finished getting ready by putting on a little mascara, finding and eating the bagel that was left in the fridge while finishing the tea from Kerris, and then putting on her shoes. The latter task taking her much longer than it should have.
Now slightly frustrated and out of breath Leia walked out of her quarters and walked toward the elevator at the end of the hall.
Standing in front of the large metal doors, Leia felt a sudden sharp jab to her right side as a tiny foot struck hard against her lower ribs.
"Hey!" Leia yelled at the sudden onset of pain as her face winced and her body slightly contorted to readjust itself. She proceeded to push back against her daughter's outstretched leg as she whispered, "Come on now. We are going home, and then I promise, no more standing for hours on end, no more pacing back and forth, and no more boring official meetings. I promise from now on you and I are listening to your father's advice and taking a step back. It might be a small step…" Leia's right side received another kick, stronger than before, and her lower abdomen constricted. This time Leia's words caught as she closed her eyes, tightened her shoulders, and rubbed circles along her side.
Just as her muscles began to release the doors to the elevator opened.
"Leia!" Luke shouted as he stepped out.
"Luke!" she said, as she walked toward her brother and embraced him. It was the first time either twin had seen the other since Luke left to find Han. Although both knew the other was safe, to be able to see one another face to face, confirmed it.
"You ok?" Luke asked more as an assessment of her past state than her current one.
"I'm alright. And you? You didn't meet any storm troopers while out there searching for my husband?"
"HaHaHa No. Just lots of trees and this one scruffy looking guy, but no stormtroopers," Luke said with a smile of relief on his face.
Leia playfully rolled her eyes and walked past him to the empty elevator.
"I'm heading down to see Han, you coming with me?" Leia asked, holding the door for her brother.
"Han sent me actually. He said to find you and tell you that the Falcon is acting up and there are a few more things he and Chewie are going to have to fix before you two can leave."
"Of course there is," Leia muttered as she rolled closed her eyes and shook her head. That bastard of a ship was always in need of major repairs right as they were about to leave. She never really understood how Han had put up with that thing after all this time.
"I think I have one of the tools he was looking for in my bag form when I was doing repairs to my X-Wing last month. I'm going to run back to my room and then meet you two down there," Luke said, stepping out of the way of the elevator doors. Leia could only nod as she felt a small piece of that hope she had felt all morning crumble.
She made her way down to the hanger floor and was just about to walk into the landing bay when she stopped to grasp the wall as another sharp pain crashed into her. This time it was not a foot, but a combination of tightening muscles across her abdomen, that had her breath catching.
Han had been working on the roof of the Falcon when he saw Leia. He saw her stride pause and her face twist as she grabbed for the wall and began to breathe, deep and slow.
Han froze. He wanted to run to her, but she had told him this was normal and to be expected. So, he stayed there in his crouched position atop the falcon and watched her. His heartbeat faster and faster as he counted the number of breaths she took before her face relaxed. When he reached 18, he just about jumped off the side of the Falcon and rushed to her side, but then her shoulders eased, her breath evened out, and she opened her eyes.
Han, not all too slowly, climbed down the side of the falcon and walked toward his wife, with as much normalcy as possible.
As he walked toward her, he realized the dress she was wearing. Of course he had known that she would show up wearing it, he did pick it out, but his expectations had been blown away.
She was glowing. Like actually glowing. The white pigment of the dress complemented the red pigment in her cheeks and the slight tan in her skin. Her brown eyes sparkled along with the lace that caught the light at certain angles. The dress did nothing to hide her bulging belly or her…
"Eyes up here, fly boy," Leia scolded her husband, drawing two fingers towards her face.
"I would endure all the nasty things you have ever said to me because of your hormones, just for this," Han said as his eyes reluctantly lifted to his wife's unamused face. "Sorry sweetheart, can a man not tell his wife how absolutely hot she looks at any given time? I thought girls always liked that kind of thing," he purred, giving her his most flirtatious smirk.
"He can, but only if it continues once the walling, needy, disgusting, child comes out, and your hot wife looks more like a sack of potatoes than an hourglass," she told him, as she slightly ran both her hands up his chest and clasped them behind his neck.
"Oh, trust me princess, there could not possibly be a moment when you are not the most attractive person in the room," he murmured, as he leaned down and met her waiting lips.
After their lips retracted, Leia brought her right hand down his chest and lightly pushed him back with her fingers as she said, "Come on. Let's go fix this rust bucket you call a ship, so we can get off this planet." She only knew she could get away with a comment like that as she pushed past him and walked away leaving his eyes in full view of another pregnancy improvement.
Han turned to retaliate, but instead his heart skipped a beat as his eyes caught something else.
"God woman," said trailing after her, "I could knock you up all over again."
She reached the ramp and turned slightly so that he could see both front and back and said, "I would love to see you try Captain, but we must fix your ship first and get back to base before you can touch anything." She smirked and she swore she could visibly see the hunger in his eyes.
"Such a tease!" Han said, running to the ramp, grabbing Leia in his arms, and kissing her neck and shoulders.
She indulged for a moment before fighting her way out of his grip and walking deeper into the Falcon.
"What's wrong with her?" Leia asked, scanning the open paneling in the main hallway.
"Not sure yet. Everything seems to be in the right place, but she won't turn on for more than a few seconds at a time."
"That's odd."
"Precisely what I said. I have never seen anything like this before. She has had her bumps and bruises but has never had an issue firing up. There is another possible panel that may be the issue, but it is under the ship's main engine in a hard-to-reach place. That's why I had Luke go up to his room to see if he had any of the tools I could use to get it open. You saw him on your way down, right?"
She nodded and continued to study the panel wiring. She was not as educated as her husband when it came to ships, but she knew the basics and had learned a lot watching Han throughout the years.
"If you want you could take a look here and double check that the wires match up, while I go and open the hatch to get to the other panel." Han continued as he watched his wife assess the wiring. If possible, he was even more turned on watching her think than anything else.
"Yeah, sounds good to me," she said, not taking her eyes off the wires.
"Alright, I will leave you to it then. Chewie went to get some food and should be back in a little. Send Luke to me when he gets here?"
"Yeah, for sure." she said, again not moving her eyes and stepping closer to the panel.
He smiled and walked away.
Han was just about out of ear shot when…
"Ahhaa" she quietly muttered to herself as her muscles constricted once again, just as strong as the last time.
Keeping his steps quiet, Han went back to find Leia in a similar stance to the one he had seen moments ago. Again, he did not rush to her side, but instead watched her from the curve of the hallway. Again, he counted her breaths, this time reaching to 22 before her body relaxed. Although Han wanted to make her lie down and relax, he knew his opinions would not help the situation. So once she had resumed staring at the panel, he took quiet steps backwards toward the grate in the floor, making sure he could still hear her if another contraction came.
Leia rubbed her stomach in tight round circles. Her eyes looked at the panels, but her mind was having its own conversation.
Another one? So soon?
The doctor did say they would come more frequently, but that is three in the past...
She looked at the clock that hung on the wall
15 minutes
It's too early
Her heart began to race
No, no, stop that. You're fine. She is fine. They are still relatively short, and you will soon be on your way back to base. If this keeps up, you can get a checkup when you get there.
Leia shook her head in agreement to the internal dialogue and continued to study the wires. To no surprise they were all correct. It only took her a moment to realize that, but this gave her something to do. So, she checked again and again and again.
After her sixth time thoroughly checking, another shot of pain went through her, almost sending her to her knees. To keep herself from crashing to the ground she grabbed the sides of the panels and held on. The pain was no longer stationary. It moved up and down her spine, anchoring itself in her lower back, radiating across her abdomen, and even spreading down her legs.
She counted the seconds, each tick of the clock past 25 she silently begged for her muscles to let go, but they persisted. 35 seconds went by and finally they were released. As her strength came back to her, she let out a large breath and looked down at her belly.
"Hang in there a little while longer, sweetheart." she whispered. Her daughter kicked her again, but softer this time, as if to acknowledge her mother, and Leia smiled.
"Leia?" A voice said from behind her. It was then that she noticed she was still bent slightly over and holding on to the panel with one hand.
"You alright?" Luke said, stepping closer to his sister.
"Yeah!" Leia responded standing straight up. "Totally fine! Han is looking for you. He is just around the corner under the ship. Did you find what you two were looking for?"
"Yeah," Luke said cautiously, scanning his sister, while holding up the tool in his left hand.
"Great! Han can fix this ship up and get us out of here in no time."
"Yeah. Leia, are you sure you are alright?" Luke asked again.
"Yeah, all good. Just going over the wire work."
"Okay, I'll give this to Han then," Luke said, turning slowly away from his sister.
Luke made haste on his way to Han and found him under the ship trying to pry the door to a small panel open with the backside of a hammer.
"Luke! Did you find it?" Han asked as he realized Luke was crouching behind him.
"Yeah, I did. Here," he said, handing it over to Han.
Han began working on the panel but stopped immediately when Luke asked, "Is Leia ok?"
"What do you mean?" Han asked, whipping his head toward Luke.
"I saw her up there a second ago. Her hands were gripping the panel walls and she was very still for a couple of seconds,"
Hans' heart began to pound again. That was the third time in less than 12 minutes. Hadn't she said she never gets more than 3 in an hour?
"How long?" Han demanded.
"What do you mean?"
"How long was she like that?"
"I don't know. But it took me a few seconds to get her attention."
"Shit," Han swore as he dropped the tool and began quickly walking back to the grate.
"Han what is it?"
"Just give me a minute, kid. Stay here and let me see if I can talk to her." Han said as he climbed out the trap door.
As he rounded the corner there she was, similarly as Luke had described her.
Her hands white knuckled the sides of the panel walls, but her breath was uneven, her head swung back and forth, and she was pale. Ghost white.
"Leia!" Han rushed to her side. No more waiting and watching.
"Han, I…" She began, but he cut her off knowing what she was going to say.
"Leia, this is the fourth contraction in 15 minutes, and they are longer than 10 seconds." His voice panicked and his heart pounded. Her eyes would not meet his.
After a few seconds she tried again.
"Han, I…"
"Leia. I'm not negotiating…." It was Leia who cut him off this time.
Her body was screaming. Her legs shook, her head spun, and her entire abdomen felt as if it was on fire. It was pain she had never experienced. More severe and controlling than anything she had ever been through. Fear was a large contributing factor. She was not worried for herself, but the wellbeing of their daughter.
"Han." She said cutting him off.
She gained just enough strength to bring her head up to meet his eyes. "Something's wrong."
If it wasn't the lack of color in her face or the sweat dripping down her temple, then it was the absolute terror in her eyes that made Han more scared than he had been in his entire life.
As the words left her lips, another wash of extreme pain crashed through her.
"AAAHHH!"
"Whoa! Leia!"
Han caught her just in time before her knees hit the floor.
Han was yelling, something about getting help, he was talking to her, but she couldn't hear him. She couldn't hear anything. Her entire reality had become the siring pain. There was no brake. No momentary release as her heart throbbed against her chest. It was stagnant and claiming. She swore it almost began to take form in her minds eye. The ocean. The same ocean from her dream. Black now with the roaring waves crashed along the red stained sand. It begged her to come closer, let the water hit her bare skin. Let it drag her under to the depths of what she could only imagine was either the sweet bliss of nothing or a dark and cold hell. She contemplated taking that first step, but there was a ripple. Small and almost insignificant, but it caught her eye. Then another, and another. Something, someone, pulled her back from the waters edge.
"LEIA!" Hans' own knees had crashed right beside her. His hands tightly gripped her shoulders and his eyes stared at her grimacing face. He could do nothing. His worst fear was coming true, and he was completely and utterly useless.
Han heard footsteps coming up behind him and whirled his head to see Luke stopped dead in his tracks.
"Oh Gods, Leia!" Luke stammered not taking his eyes off of her. "What the hell happened?"
"I don't know," Han admitted, turning back to his wife who still was lost in her own suffering. "She has been having contractions for a while, but she told me they were normal!"
The pain began to let up, but the waves were still roaring. She could feel the pain in her fingernails that were digging into the panel door, and she could also feel his strong grip on her shoulders.
Han.
Then she felt something different.
Warm. The waves slowed into a gentile sway, and she felt warmth. Spreading warmth that started at her core and spread down her legs. No, not spread, ran.
"GET ME A MEDIC NOW!" Han demanded, as the edges of her pure white dress became red.
"Han, I don't even know if there is one on the base!" Luke yelled in response. His own panic was taking over.
"Well, we have to figure something out NOW. She's bleeding!"
Leia released a shuddering breath.
"Kerris," she muttered, still not opening her eyes, but beginning to drift back to reality.
Han's attention snapped to her face.
"What?" He asked, the panic evident in his voice.
"Kerris," -she muttered with more strength- "She said she was a medic." Leia paused. Breathing was exhausting. "She helped me the other day,"
Han turned back to Luke "Find whoever Kerris is and bring her back here. Brief her on the way over. I'll get Leia to the bed in the back cabin and try to make her more comfortable."
"Alright, Alright," Luke said as he took one last look at his sister.
"Luke. Run." Luke did not hesitate as he turned and ran towards the exit of the Falcon.
"Leia? You don't need to speak, just nod for me, okay?"
She did.
"Are you in pain?"
She nodded once. He figured as much.
"Is she ok?"
Leia pulled her focus. It was an effort not to focus on subduing the pain, but for her daughter she would manage. Leia took a deep breath and reached out to her daughter. Throughout her pregnancy she had been able to feel her daughter's presence. It was like a little light that called to her. Luke had felt too and had sensed it after he found out about Leia's pregnancy.
Leia searched and searched, but…
No
No
No
Leia was about to collapse in despair when she felt that small warmth pulling her from the chilling darkness.
"She's okay," Leia managed to say, basking in her daughter's presence.
Han let out a shuttered breath. He had seen her connect with their daughter before, but it had never taken that long.
"Leia, I have to get you to the back. Can you move?"
She shook her head no.
"Okay… we are going to do this slow. You ready?"
Leia knew what he had to do and took another deep breath and nodded.
Han loosened his grip on her shoulders and slid his Left arm around her back. At the new support, Leia loosened a breath and fell into his chest.
"That's it. Just lean on me."
As Hans' other hand slipped across the back of her thighs, Leia loosened her grip on the metal panel and moved them to interlace them behind his neck.
In one quick movement Han took all of her weight against his chest and stood. Leia groaned. Every movement was agonizing, but Han's warmth helped center her.
Her head dug into his shoulder.
"You okay?"
Keeping her head buried, she nodded once more.
Han tried to ignore the blood that was running down his arm as he turned and walked towards the back cabin. He only made it a few steps before her grip tightened and her breathing staggered.
"Hang on Leia, just keep breathing. It's going to be okay."
He wanted to believe his own words, but with each step his hope faded just a little bit more.
He burst into the cabin bedroom and placed her softly on the navy blue sheets. He knelt by her side, gripping her hand in his.
"Han, the baby," she murmured as the latest contraction eased and she had momentary control.
"She's going to be fine. You are both going to be fine."
He had to say it. Even though every thought in his mind gave every situation when that was not the case, he had to keep some semblance of optimism.
"Han," she whispered, meeting his eyes, "if it comes down to her or me… you save her."
"Leia!"
"Han promised me. Promise me you will save her."
"Leia, we are going to save you both. You will both make it out of this."
"Han, you and I both know…" she paused as the pain crashed again, but she fought to get her words out. "Han please. Promise me you will save our little girl… AHH!"
"What can I do?"
"My back…" Leia gritted out in between shallow breaths.
Han knew all too well of her back pain. He had spent hours pushing his fingers into her lower back trying to take any of her pain away.
Without hesitation Han dropped her hand, stood, pushed her forward slightly, climbed into the bed, and straddled her from behind. She leaned back into his chest as his thumbs dug into her lower back.
She loosened a slight breath as the pressure eased slightly.
Han kept massaging her back as he watched and counted her breaths. He watched each inhale and exhale, some ragged and short, others long and hitched. When she finally let out a deep exhale and slumped back into his chest, he looked at her face once again.
Beads of sweat ran down her temples, but he noticed the lack of heat radiating off her back
"Gods Leia, you're freezing," he whispered, rubbing his hands up and down her sleeve arms.
"Blood loss," she responded, rationalizing the situation
"Right," Han muttered, trying to conceal the dread in his voice, as he reached across the bed to grab a grey throw blanket. Wrapping it around her shoulders she tried to ease into the soft fabric.
"Better," she muttered in thanks.
XX
Luke had been running since he left the Falcon. Running and asking absolutely everyone if they knew where Kerris was. Each time getting a confused shake of the head, most mentioning that they didn't know the name, before he ran once again, not bothering to explain.
He just rounded the corner of a small maintenance hallway when he Chewie five feet in front of him.
"Chewie!"
"Hey, Luke. I was just heading back to the falcon. Did you find that…"
"Chewie do you know Kerris?"
As Luke came into chewie's view, he could make out the panic and terror in his eyes.
"Luke, what's wrong?"
"Do you know Kerris?" Luke asked again, momentarily catching his breath.
"Umm.. yeah I think Leia mentioned something about someone named Kerris yesterday. Before you and Han got back. Leia mentioned she was a medic or something."
"Can you find her?"
"Luke what is going on?"
"Yes or no?"
"No! I wasn't there when they met. Why? Luke, what is this about?"
Luke tried to wrap his head around what had happened in the last 20 minutes.
"It's Leia."
Luke explained as much as he could in a few seconds before they were both running in different directions to cover more ground, and both agreeing to meet back at the falcon in 10 minutes regardless of what they found.
Luke ran again for another 5 minutes and was about to head back when a woman stepped into his path. Luke almost ran over her but stopped just short.
"Whoa! Watch it." Luke snapped, forgetting his politeness in the chaos.
"I'm so sorry sir!" the woman replied.
Taking the moment to catch his breath again, Luke put his hands above his head and asked, "Do you know where Kerris is?"
The woman looked him in the eyes, "What can I do for you?"
"You're Kerris?!" Luke asked frantically in surprise.
"Yes. What can I do for you?"
"Thank god." Luke muttered, "Come with me. I'll explain on the way."
Luke took off again and without hesitation Kerris followed.
Without breaking stride, Kerris asked "What is this about?"
"You helped my sister the other day, yes?"
"The princess?"
Luke nodded.
"Yes, she was having some bracks and hicks contractions and I helped with the pain, but I haven't seen her since."
"Somethings wrong…" As they ran through the base Luke explained as much as he could. He just finished describing the stain on her dress when they entered the hanger. They both ran up the Falcon ramp and Luke immediately burst into the back cabin, Kerris a few steps behind him.
"Luke, did you find her?" Han asked from behind a painting Leia.
One look at his sister, and he wanted to fall to his knees.
She was as white as her dress, and her features seemed to hollow out. She was drenched in sweat, but there was a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Then there was the blood. The small red stain had become larger, and even though the navy sheets concealed the majority of the red color, he could still see where there was a depression in the cover because of the heavy liquid.
"Luke!?"
Luke snapped out of his haze at the sound in his name.
"Yeah… Yeah. She's right here," Luke said, turning his head from his sister and toward the hall.
Kerris stopped dead in the door frame, no doubt taking in the same sight Luke had.
Disregarding the look, Han started explaining.
"She started bleeding about 12 minutes ago, but she has been having contractions all morning. She said they were just bracks and hicks, but they got closer together in the past hour. They're almost constant now."
Han stared at the young woman and only then saw the slight twinge of fear in her expression.
"Alright," Kerris said in a hasty breath. She walked to the front of the bed and knelt at the edge of the bed.
"Is she conscious?" Kerris asked, looking up at Han having seen Leia's eyes shut since she entered the room.
"Yes," Leia murmured, with her eyes still shut.
"Good. I know this is painful but I'm going to have to take a look. Can you bring your feet towards you?"
Leia shook her head as she pressed against Han and brought her knees towards her shoulders.
"Good. Thank you," Kerris moved Leia's dress towards her abdomen just as Leia groaned as another wave crashed down and around her.
Han began massaging her back once again as he felt her tense.
"Breath," he whispered in her ear as he saw her chest go tight but not fall. Her chest relaxed again and rose as she shifted against his fingers.
Kerris looked up at Leia, "Alright Leia, you're crowning, so when the next contraction starts, I'm going to need you to push."
"WHAT?" Han and Leia said in unison.
"No I can't… It's too early… She's not ready..." Leia said, gasping between words.
"Well apparently she is because she is eager to meet you both," Kerris said with a smile.
Switching her attention to Luke, Kerris commanded, "I need clean towels, a bowl of water, alcohol, and scissors. Now."
Luke didn't hesitate as he ran out the door to find what she needed. "I am going to wash my hands; I'll be right back." Kerris got up and quickly walked out the room.
"Han," Leia panted, her fear evident in her tone.
"I know. It's going to be okay." He whispered trying to reassure her as much as he could. "We're going to meet our daughter," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
Leia slightly smiled and Han pressed a kiss on the side of her head. As her smile faded, she took a deep breath in anticipation. Leia cried out as the wave of pain crashed once again.
Kerris was immediately back in the room, carrying the supplies Luke had found.
"Okay Leia, I need you to push."
Leia's hand frantically searched for Han's. He immediately grabbed hers in his and folded their fingers together.
Everything around her went silent as Leia forced her muscles to obey.
She didn't know whether or not she screamed the moment her body felt like it was treating itself apart. She must have because Han's hand tightened around her death grip.
"Breath Leia, breath," he said to her as she collapsed against his chest.
10 seconds. It had been 10 long and grueling seconds that had completely exhausted every cell in her body.
Her lungs rose hard and fast, and her eyes did not open. A momentary reprieve. She felt the heat of Han's back radiating around her, the soaked sheets below her, and the beads of sweat running down her face. But that was all she could focus on before another contraction took over her senses.
"Good Leia, a little more and you get to meet your baby girl," Kerris said encouragingly, not meeting either of their eyes.
Another 10 seconds and Leia collapsed once again.
"You're doing so good sweetheart," Han whispered as he placed another kiss on her head, "Just hold on, just a little bit longer, okay? Fight for her."
Han must have known what had run through her head in that very second. The black ocean once again replaced her consciousness for mere seconds. The raging waves vanished and the world around her seemed to be calling to her. It begged her to come to the water, to take a step into the darkness, fall in, and be completely washed over, but she heard Hans' voice. Felt his hand wrapped around hers. His strong chest bracing her back. And then she felt the warm light that she had been carrying with her for the past 8 months. She ran towards it and snapped out of that world as pain ravished her body again.
"Leia one more push and she will be here. One more and you are done," Kerris grabbed for the towel as Leia surged up once more.
10...9...8...7...6…
Leia felt the pressure release from her abdomen and crashed backward with Han.
For a moment she couldn't think. All she knew was that the pain was gone. Her labored breath was the only sound she heard, the rest of the room was silent
Too silent.
Her eyes flew open searching for that whaling scream that should have been reverberating off the walls.
"Han?" she whimpered as tears swelled her eyes and her heartbeat faster and faster. Pure terror ran through both of their bodies as he too realized what was missing.
She couldn't do this… Not this… Please… please… Oh god, please!
Han pushed her forwards slightly, quickly untangled himself, and ran to wear Kerris standing with a towel bundled in her arms.
All Leia could do was watch as Kerris rubbed her knuckles against what Leia assumed was her daughter's chest.
No...No...No… Please!
The scream of a newborn echoed across the room.
Han let out a staggering breath as he took his daughter in his arms.
Leia pulled her hands towards her face and sobbed. It was the most beautiful sound Leia had ever heard.
Han took a moment to look at his daughter before he walked over to Leia, who pulled her hands from her face when she heard Han's footsteps approaching.
Han kneeled and Leia saw her daughter's face. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Han handed her over to Leia, and she did not break eye contact with her daughter.
Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of brown with flecks of gold. They were Leia's eyes, but they held Han's warmth.
Han pressed his forehead against Leia's with one hand on his daughter and one on the back of his wife.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and just let the relief sink in.
They are both okay… They're okay… they're… Han's tears ran down his cheek.
Leia momentarily broke her stare with her daughter to turn her head to her husband. As their eyes met, she saw the worry and fear that had taken a toll on him.
She leaned into his forehead and held his presence for a moment before they found each other's lips. Their lips met and only broke when the baby in Leia's arms began to fuss again as if asking for more attention.
Leia and Han both began to laugh as their focus shifted back to their daughter in Leia's arms.
Authors note-
She's finally here! Maybe a bit early and by way of dramatics, but nevertheless. I would love to know what you think in the reviews. Perusal I will be responding to those who are signed in and giving them a preview of the next chapter. There will be a next chapter. This story still has a little way to go and I am not one for fluff so come prepared.
Pulling back to reality for a moment, I would like to say a quick word about what is happening in the world at the moment. I will not get political. To my readers in Europe, especially those who are close to the chaos, I am praying for you and your family. I would like to encourage my readers to do the same regardless of your religious affiliations. That is all, thank you.
-KQinsights