Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my stuff, and
Fastdancer, Rae Kelly, Half-Pint, and my other non-writer friends, who
helped me write this. This is the second to last chapter. I hope you guys
all liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. And be sure to read my
other fic… I'm gonna work more on that when this is done.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Four months later, Singah and Half-Pint felt the first pangs of labor. Screaming in unison at their husbands, they pushed and strained to bring their children into the world. Fastdancer was there again, helping them through it, and Rae was helping. Race and Kieran sat worriedly outside while the women did what ever it was they did… Inside, the fight for the lives of all involved was in full swing.
Singah was soon delivered of a squalling baby boy. Rae hurried out to tell Kieran he was the father of a boy, and ran back in to aid Fastdancer at Half-Pint's side. Singah was willing to deal with her baby, with Lashes at her side cleaning the child. Half-Pint, however, was screaming at the top of her lungs, as a baby came headfirst. However, her fight wasn't yet over… there was another one coming. Fast handed the first baby, a girl, to Inky, who was standing at the ready, and turned to help the next one into the world. This baby took more time and effort, and Half-Pint was soon drained. With a final scream-grunt, she forced the infant forth. Fast caught the infant, a boy this time, prepared to catch the afterbirth, then sighed. There was yet another baby to be birthed that day.
The last (they hoped) baby took the longest. Where the first two had been born within an hour each, the third took 4 hours of screaming, panting, and fainting. There was much running to the door to reassure Racetrack that all was well, that she was just having a baby. After the last bout of reassurances, Race sat back against the wall. Kieran hit him on the back, man-style. "Don't worry… they know what their doing. Fast delivered Maire, and she's good. Half-Pint'll be fine. She's jus' havin' a baby. Singah's had two and she's ok…" He paused. "'Sides, Race, she's having triplets… dat ain't easy ya know." Race decided that Kieran, having slightly more experience in the baby department, was probably right.
Back in the bunkroom, Half-Pint was nearly dead from exhaustion when the third and final baby entered the world. It was another girl. Once the afterbirth was (at last) expelled, and mothers and babies cleaned, the proud fathers and sister were allowed to enter and see them. Racetrack was astonished that he had gone from no children to three in the span of six hours. He sat at Half-Pint's side and stared wonderingly at the infants. "I'm… I'm a father." He looked at Half-Pint. "What're we gonna call 'em all? There was only supposed to be one!"
"Racetrack!" Half-Pint smacked him. "There're only 3 of them because of you, you bastard!" Half-Pint was NOT in a good mood. Six hours of labor for three kids might be short, but it HURT and having your husband say there was only supposed to be one baby was not helpful. "We'll call the first girl Siobhan, like we planned, and the second can be Isabella. And the boy will be Leonardo Ossian. That wasn't hard, now was it?" He shook his head, and went back to staring at his now-numerous progeny. "And Racetrack? If you EVER do this to me again, EVER get me preggers again, I will beat you so badly with a wooden spoon you won't know what hit you."
On the other side of the room, there was less arguing. Maire, of course, wanted to know why there had to be another baby. "I don' wanna brother!"
"You'll like him when he gets older. Then you can teach him to be a newsie, and to fight, and use a slingshot." Kieran informed her.
"Fine. What's his name?" Her parents looked at each other. "He does have a name, right?"
"His name is Caleb. Caleb Matthew Conlon." Singah said, then looked at Kieran for approval. He nodded.
"I like it." He kissed his wife. "Now Maire, go with Rae." Maire nodded, and with a look and a scowl at her baby brother, she scampered off to Rae. "How ya doin', Singah?"
"I'm fine, just drained." She looked down at the newly named Caleb. "Kieran? No more babies, aight? It hurts too much."
"Fine. No more babies." He didn't want to lose her. Too many women still died in child-birth, and if she said Caleb was the last one, then he'd listen.
***
Maire was in a foul temper. She was kicking everything on the ground, hitting everything with her cane, and swearing like, well, like a newsie. Rae was walking a few feet behind her, out of the reach of the cane, not even trying to deter her from swearing. Rae knew that the gidget would not take kindly to orders right now. However, when the last rock Maire kicked was stopped by a foot, Rae decided to at least try and calm Maire.
"Gidget, stop kicking things. Ya just hit someone." She looked at the person Maire's rock had hit. It was a girl, maybe nine years old. And next to her… IBlink/I
Maire noticed Rae stop, and looked at the people who had caused her to stop. A girl a little older than her and a man with an eye patch. –Uh-oh. This must be Blink.- She thought. –And who's da kid?-
"Hello, Rae. And this must be Maire. Hello, Maire." Blink said genially. "Rae, she's grown up well. But I'd like you to meet someone." He put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Patch. She's my daughter."
***
"Daughter? How can she be yer daughter?" Rae was incredulous, and had to know. The girl, Patch, just stared hungrily at Maire, obviously longing for a fight. Maire looked back, returning the challenge.
"Well, it kinda goes like dis. The year before me and dat brat's muddah were together, I had a goil in Harlem. We was together for a while, and before she left me, I guess Patch happened. But she nevah told me until about 5 years ago."
"You really ain't dat good with the girls, is ya Blink. Can't even keep the girl ya got pregnant."
"Watch yer mouth, Rae." Blink nodded at his daughter. She began to circle towards Maire, looking for the world like a hungry jackal around a pile of carrion. However, Maire was not carrion, and was perfectly able to handle herself in even an unfair fight, which this most certainly was going to be. Smiling cruelly, Blink began to approach Rae, in a challenge to her. She smirked, and began bouncing on her toes.
Patch darted in at Maire, swinging almost faster than the eye could see. But Maire had been trained to fight by boys who were the best, since she could walk. She easily blocked the punch, and hit Patch back, harder and faster, in the belly. Patch doubled over, but managed to hit Maire in the knee. Rae saw this out of the corner of her eye and yelled, "Gidget, what have I told you! Even when they're down they can still cause trouble!" Maire nodded and shoved her opponent away.
Rae turned her attention to her fight. Blink had obviously improved from the last time they fought, but he was still no match for her. He stood solidly, and when his first attack came, she didn't even flinch. His muscles had clenched, telling her where the hit was coming from, and she blocked it easily. She then started a flurry of blows to his face and stomach, none of which he was able to block. All the while, she was calling encouragement to Maire, who was still doing well despite her opponent's larger size and more experience. Maire was a natural. She blocked, hit, and took contact well, and was managing to wear down Patch without exerting too much energy.
Eventually, Rae tired of beating Blink and hit him solidly on the top of the head, rendering him unconscious for the time being. Removing his patch as a souvenir, she called to Maire, "Gidget, you wanna finish this? I'm hungry and we should probably be getting back now."
"Aight!" Maire yelled. "Hold on!" With that, Maire let loose, no longer holding back. She followed Rae's example of blows to the face and chest, knowing those were the most painful areas. Soon, Patch leapt backwards, not wanting to suffer the same fate as her father. She held her hands up in defeat, and with a rousing kick, woke Blink. The two looked warily at Rae and Maire, and left.
"So, Gidget, wanna go get some ice cream?"
Chapter Twenty-nine
Four months later, Singah and Half-Pint felt the first pangs of labor. Screaming in unison at their husbands, they pushed and strained to bring their children into the world. Fastdancer was there again, helping them through it, and Rae was helping. Race and Kieran sat worriedly outside while the women did what ever it was they did… Inside, the fight for the lives of all involved was in full swing.
Singah was soon delivered of a squalling baby boy. Rae hurried out to tell Kieran he was the father of a boy, and ran back in to aid Fastdancer at Half-Pint's side. Singah was willing to deal with her baby, with Lashes at her side cleaning the child. Half-Pint, however, was screaming at the top of her lungs, as a baby came headfirst. However, her fight wasn't yet over… there was another one coming. Fast handed the first baby, a girl, to Inky, who was standing at the ready, and turned to help the next one into the world. This baby took more time and effort, and Half-Pint was soon drained. With a final scream-grunt, she forced the infant forth. Fast caught the infant, a boy this time, prepared to catch the afterbirth, then sighed. There was yet another baby to be birthed that day.
The last (they hoped) baby took the longest. Where the first two had been born within an hour each, the third took 4 hours of screaming, panting, and fainting. There was much running to the door to reassure Racetrack that all was well, that she was just having a baby. After the last bout of reassurances, Race sat back against the wall. Kieran hit him on the back, man-style. "Don't worry… they know what their doing. Fast delivered Maire, and she's good. Half-Pint'll be fine. She's jus' havin' a baby. Singah's had two and she's ok…" He paused. "'Sides, Race, she's having triplets… dat ain't easy ya know." Race decided that Kieran, having slightly more experience in the baby department, was probably right.
Back in the bunkroom, Half-Pint was nearly dead from exhaustion when the third and final baby entered the world. It was another girl. Once the afterbirth was (at last) expelled, and mothers and babies cleaned, the proud fathers and sister were allowed to enter and see them. Racetrack was astonished that he had gone from no children to three in the span of six hours. He sat at Half-Pint's side and stared wonderingly at the infants. "I'm… I'm a father." He looked at Half-Pint. "What're we gonna call 'em all? There was only supposed to be one!"
"Racetrack!" Half-Pint smacked him. "There're only 3 of them because of you, you bastard!" Half-Pint was NOT in a good mood. Six hours of labor for three kids might be short, but it HURT and having your husband say there was only supposed to be one baby was not helpful. "We'll call the first girl Siobhan, like we planned, and the second can be Isabella. And the boy will be Leonardo Ossian. That wasn't hard, now was it?" He shook his head, and went back to staring at his now-numerous progeny. "And Racetrack? If you EVER do this to me again, EVER get me preggers again, I will beat you so badly with a wooden spoon you won't know what hit you."
On the other side of the room, there was less arguing. Maire, of course, wanted to know why there had to be another baby. "I don' wanna brother!"
"You'll like him when he gets older. Then you can teach him to be a newsie, and to fight, and use a slingshot." Kieran informed her.
"Fine. What's his name?" Her parents looked at each other. "He does have a name, right?"
"His name is Caleb. Caleb Matthew Conlon." Singah said, then looked at Kieran for approval. He nodded.
"I like it." He kissed his wife. "Now Maire, go with Rae." Maire nodded, and with a look and a scowl at her baby brother, she scampered off to Rae. "How ya doin', Singah?"
"I'm fine, just drained." She looked down at the newly named Caleb. "Kieran? No more babies, aight? It hurts too much."
"Fine. No more babies." He didn't want to lose her. Too many women still died in child-birth, and if she said Caleb was the last one, then he'd listen.
***
Maire was in a foul temper. She was kicking everything on the ground, hitting everything with her cane, and swearing like, well, like a newsie. Rae was walking a few feet behind her, out of the reach of the cane, not even trying to deter her from swearing. Rae knew that the gidget would not take kindly to orders right now. However, when the last rock Maire kicked was stopped by a foot, Rae decided to at least try and calm Maire.
"Gidget, stop kicking things. Ya just hit someone." She looked at the person Maire's rock had hit. It was a girl, maybe nine years old. And next to her… IBlink/I
Maire noticed Rae stop, and looked at the people who had caused her to stop. A girl a little older than her and a man with an eye patch. –Uh-oh. This must be Blink.- She thought. –And who's da kid?-
"Hello, Rae. And this must be Maire. Hello, Maire." Blink said genially. "Rae, she's grown up well. But I'd like you to meet someone." He put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Patch. She's my daughter."
***
"Daughter? How can she be yer daughter?" Rae was incredulous, and had to know. The girl, Patch, just stared hungrily at Maire, obviously longing for a fight. Maire looked back, returning the challenge.
"Well, it kinda goes like dis. The year before me and dat brat's muddah were together, I had a goil in Harlem. We was together for a while, and before she left me, I guess Patch happened. But she nevah told me until about 5 years ago."
"You really ain't dat good with the girls, is ya Blink. Can't even keep the girl ya got pregnant."
"Watch yer mouth, Rae." Blink nodded at his daughter. She began to circle towards Maire, looking for the world like a hungry jackal around a pile of carrion. However, Maire was not carrion, and was perfectly able to handle herself in even an unfair fight, which this most certainly was going to be. Smiling cruelly, Blink began to approach Rae, in a challenge to her. She smirked, and began bouncing on her toes.
Patch darted in at Maire, swinging almost faster than the eye could see. But Maire had been trained to fight by boys who were the best, since she could walk. She easily blocked the punch, and hit Patch back, harder and faster, in the belly. Patch doubled over, but managed to hit Maire in the knee. Rae saw this out of the corner of her eye and yelled, "Gidget, what have I told you! Even when they're down they can still cause trouble!" Maire nodded and shoved her opponent away.
Rae turned her attention to her fight. Blink had obviously improved from the last time they fought, but he was still no match for her. He stood solidly, and when his first attack came, she didn't even flinch. His muscles had clenched, telling her where the hit was coming from, and she blocked it easily. She then started a flurry of blows to his face and stomach, none of which he was able to block. All the while, she was calling encouragement to Maire, who was still doing well despite her opponent's larger size and more experience. Maire was a natural. She blocked, hit, and took contact well, and was managing to wear down Patch without exerting too much energy.
Eventually, Rae tired of beating Blink and hit him solidly on the top of the head, rendering him unconscious for the time being. Removing his patch as a souvenir, she called to Maire, "Gidget, you wanna finish this? I'm hungry and we should probably be getting back now."
"Aight!" Maire yelled. "Hold on!" With that, Maire let loose, no longer holding back. She followed Rae's example of blows to the face and chest, knowing those were the most painful areas. Soon, Patch leapt backwards, not wanting to suffer the same fate as her father. She held her hands up in defeat, and with a rousing kick, woke Blink. The two looked warily at Rae and Maire, and left.
"So, Gidget, wanna go get some ice cream?"