Elmer looked from Lona's pale face back towards the tunnel
entrance, hoping to see Hook or Chris or pretty much anyone that might be
able to do something to help Lona and the baby. Children, just children,
nothing but what felt like an endless sea of children.
'Keep moving!' Antubis growled as he shoved several of the children who were stopping to look curiously at Lona and Elmer. 'It's just a baby being born. You've seen it before and you'll see it again. Nothing to look at here. Now move!' He shook his head as he moved back over to Elmer and Lona. Honestly, Mary was fairly bright if hopelessly naive when it came to seeing the good in people. What was wrong with these kids.
Maybe the fumes from all of that dye killed a few brain cells?
Elmer glanced up from Lona to the anteater before looking back along the tunnel once more. No, still nothing but children. He hesitated,
not believing he was about to do this but.... Before he could let himself think about it anymore and become more convinced it was a bad idea, he blurted out, "You said you knew something about babies being born. Do you?" He shook his head slightly as he spoke, not really believing he had just asked a large anteater to lend a paw at the birth of his firstborn child.
'I've been in Mary's family for over a thousand years and some of them were very fond of each other. Of course I know about babies.'
"You've been in Mary's family for over a thousand years. Wonder what they did to be punished like that," Elmer murmured under his breath.
'I heard that.' Antubis glared at Elmer for a moment before reaching out and gently prodding Lona's stomach with his snout once more.
It wouldn't take much to fix the problem. Probably if it was left alone long enough, time itself would correct things. If that baby could get itself turned wrong in the middle of pains like Lona was having, it could probably turn back once more. The question was if Lona could last long enough for time to correct the problem. She seemed stronger here than she had back in the new Kingdom but she was starting to slowly weaken once more.
Elmer looked down at Lona, gently stroking her forehead with one hand as she moaned through another pain. He wasn't so sure that she would agree with what he was about to do but what other choice did they have? He didn't see Hook or Chris anywhere and it didn't look like they were heading back to their Kingdom anytime soon. "Can you fix this?" Elmer didn't look over at Antubis as he spoke. Okay, he could somehow believe that the creature might know something about childbirth but did that mean he knew how to actually correct whatever was wrong?
For once, Antubis hesitated slightly before speaking to Elmer.
Fixing the problem would be simple, likely rather painful, but simple. As to whether or not he could do it, though.... He glanced down at his claws before speaking. 'Nothing hard about fixing things. You're supposed to be a doctor, you know. Didn't they teach you how to fix this? Or were you maybe doing more naughty things when....'
"I had a 102 degree fever! It was hardly my fault!" Elmer muttered as he looked from the anteater to Lona. Of course, even though he knew realistically that his lack of knowledge wasn't his fault but bad luck, it didn't make things feel any less like he was to blame.
Lona could hear Elmer and the anteater talking but they sounded far away, their words unintelligible. The pain was overwhelming now. She barely managed to muffle a scream knowing that it would only make things worse if Elmer knew exactly how bad this was. She looked up into his frightened face, forcing herself to push past the pain slightly to see him clearly. He looked so afraid and she felt a tear slipping down her cheek,
not for herself this time but for him. Contrary to what she had expected when she woke up and discovered her condition, Elmer did really want this baby and now.... He reached up, gently touching his face, wishing there was something that she could say to comfort him.
"Lona...." Elmer took her hand, stroking her forehead once more with the other hand. No, he wasn't going to lose her and their baby! He had lost his brother, his mother, but not Lona and the baby as well. He looked up at Antubis with firm resolve on his face. If that anteater could do something to save them.... "Help her!"
This time Antubis was the one who glanced back along the tunnel hoping for some sign of the two other doctors. No, just more children.
Really, it hadn't seemed like there were so many children in the mill the last time he was there.
"Hey!" Elmer couldn't believe that anteater was letting himself get distracted at a time like this! "You said you knew what to do about this! Were you telling the truth or..."
'Of course I know how to fix this.' Antubis glared at Elmer for implying that he might actually not know about something before dropping down onto his haunches beside them and slowly reaching out with a paw,
gingerly touching Lona's stomach.
"Well, then fix it!" Elmer demanded not even looking up from Lona's pale face. "It's going to be alright, " he whispered to her as he stroked her forehead. "We're going to get this fixed in just a minute and you and the baby will be just fine."
'This might hurt a little.' Antubis prodded a bit more firmly trying to decide exactly where his paws should go to best avoid cutting Lona with his claws. A moment later he found what he thought was a workable position and moved his other paw onto Lona's stomach as well.
Lona blinked as she felt the sudden pressure on her stomach and then a sharp pain, bad but with surprise she realized not as bad as the other pains. She tried to focus her vision on what in the world was going on but she couldn't make anything out clearly. She bit her lip as the pain increased once more. The baby, were they doing something to help the baby?
Elmer told himself to stay focused on Lona's face and not to watch whatever the anteater was doing but he couldn't help but look up as the large creature suddenly moved, pressing and twisting on Lona's stomach with what looked like incredible force. He had to fight to keep himself from crying out and pushing Antubis away, knowing what he was doing had to be hurting Lona but... Would it help them, save Lona and the baby? He wanted to believe that the anteater knew what he was doing but....
He forced himself to look away from Antubis but he couldn't bring himself to look down at Lona either, knowing that he was the one who had given permission for something that would cause her more pain He glanced up at the children that were moving past only to find that they were no longer moving forward but slowly backing up, heading towards the tunnel entrance once more. What?
Before Elmer could think, before he could ask one of the kids what was going on, he heard a sinister laugh and looked down the tunnel as Paul stepped into view, his hands glowing white as energy build.
"Can't have you saving the kiddies now," Paul said with a chuckle as he gave Elmer a contemptuous look. "Not that you're very good at that,
now are you? Can't even save your own kid."
"I thought he was still back in the hospital," Elmer muttered as he looked at Paul, having to fight down sudden guilty feelings that the boy's words induced at the mention of the baby. The baby. The guilt begin to fade as he recalled what that boy had tried to do to Lona and the baby,
anger taking its place instead. He looked from Lona to Antubis before making a decision. Antubis was powerful, there was no question of that,
but he was also the only one there who might be able to help Lona and the baby. As for him...
"Take care of her," Elmer whispered as he shifted slightly, easily Lona's head out of his lap and slipping to his feet, pressing back into the shadows of the wall as he did so. "If I can get him out of the way, get her out of here." Elmer moved away before he could change his mind about leaving Lona. That boy had hurt her, had tried to kill her and their baby twice already. He wasn't going to get a third shot at them, not even if it cost him his own life to keep them safe.
nothing but what felt like an endless sea of children.
'Keep moving!' Antubis growled as he shoved several of the children who were stopping to look curiously at Lona and Elmer. 'It's just a baby being born. You've seen it before and you'll see it again. Nothing to look at here. Now move!' He shook his head as he moved back over to Elmer and Lona. Honestly, Mary was fairly bright if hopelessly naive when it came to seeing the good in people. What was wrong with these kids.
Maybe the fumes from all of that dye killed a few brain cells?
Elmer glanced up from Lona to the anteater before looking back along the tunnel once more. No, still nothing but children. He hesitated,
not believing he was about to do this but.... Before he could let himself think about it anymore and become more convinced it was a bad idea, he blurted out, "You said you knew something about babies being born. Do you?" He shook his head slightly as he spoke, not really believing he had just asked a large anteater to lend a paw at the birth of his firstborn child.
'I've been in Mary's family for over a thousand years and some of them were very fond of each other. Of course I know about babies.'
"You've been in Mary's family for over a thousand years. Wonder what they did to be punished like that," Elmer murmured under his breath.
'I heard that.' Antubis glared at Elmer for a moment before reaching out and gently prodding Lona's stomach with his snout once more.
It wouldn't take much to fix the problem. Probably if it was left alone long enough, time itself would correct things. If that baby could get itself turned wrong in the middle of pains like Lona was having, it could probably turn back once more. The question was if Lona could last long enough for time to correct the problem. She seemed stronger here than she had back in the new Kingdom but she was starting to slowly weaken once more.
Elmer looked down at Lona, gently stroking her forehead with one hand as she moaned through another pain. He wasn't so sure that she would agree with what he was about to do but what other choice did they have? He didn't see Hook or Chris anywhere and it didn't look like they were heading back to their Kingdom anytime soon. "Can you fix this?" Elmer didn't look over at Antubis as he spoke. Okay, he could somehow believe that the creature might know something about childbirth but did that mean he knew how to actually correct whatever was wrong?
For once, Antubis hesitated slightly before speaking to Elmer.
Fixing the problem would be simple, likely rather painful, but simple. As to whether or not he could do it, though.... He glanced down at his claws before speaking. 'Nothing hard about fixing things. You're supposed to be a doctor, you know. Didn't they teach you how to fix this? Or were you maybe doing more naughty things when....'
"I had a 102 degree fever! It was hardly my fault!" Elmer muttered as he looked from the anteater to Lona. Of course, even though he knew realistically that his lack of knowledge wasn't his fault but bad luck, it didn't make things feel any less like he was to blame.
Lona could hear Elmer and the anteater talking but they sounded far away, their words unintelligible. The pain was overwhelming now. She barely managed to muffle a scream knowing that it would only make things worse if Elmer knew exactly how bad this was. She looked up into his frightened face, forcing herself to push past the pain slightly to see him clearly. He looked so afraid and she felt a tear slipping down her cheek,
not for herself this time but for him. Contrary to what she had expected when she woke up and discovered her condition, Elmer did really want this baby and now.... He reached up, gently touching his face, wishing there was something that she could say to comfort him.
"Lona...." Elmer took her hand, stroking her forehead once more with the other hand. No, he wasn't going to lose her and their baby! He had lost his brother, his mother, but not Lona and the baby as well. He looked up at Antubis with firm resolve on his face. If that anteater could do something to save them.... "Help her!"
This time Antubis was the one who glanced back along the tunnel hoping for some sign of the two other doctors. No, just more children.
Really, it hadn't seemed like there were so many children in the mill the last time he was there.
"Hey!" Elmer couldn't believe that anteater was letting himself get distracted at a time like this! "You said you knew what to do about this! Were you telling the truth or..."
'Of course I know how to fix this.' Antubis glared at Elmer for implying that he might actually not know about something before dropping down onto his haunches beside them and slowly reaching out with a paw,
gingerly touching Lona's stomach.
"Well, then fix it!" Elmer demanded not even looking up from Lona's pale face. "It's going to be alright, " he whispered to her as he stroked her forehead. "We're going to get this fixed in just a minute and you and the baby will be just fine."
'This might hurt a little.' Antubis prodded a bit more firmly trying to decide exactly where his paws should go to best avoid cutting Lona with his claws. A moment later he found what he thought was a workable position and moved his other paw onto Lona's stomach as well.
Lona blinked as she felt the sudden pressure on her stomach and then a sharp pain, bad but with surprise she realized not as bad as the other pains. She tried to focus her vision on what in the world was going on but she couldn't make anything out clearly. She bit her lip as the pain increased once more. The baby, were they doing something to help the baby?
Elmer told himself to stay focused on Lona's face and not to watch whatever the anteater was doing but he couldn't help but look up as the large creature suddenly moved, pressing and twisting on Lona's stomach with what looked like incredible force. He had to fight to keep himself from crying out and pushing Antubis away, knowing what he was doing had to be hurting Lona but... Would it help them, save Lona and the baby? He wanted to believe that the anteater knew what he was doing but....
He forced himself to look away from Antubis but he couldn't bring himself to look down at Lona either, knowing that he was the one who had given permission for something that would cause her more pain He glanced up at the children that were moving past only to find that they were no longer moving forward but slowly backing up, heading towards the tunnel entrance once more. What?
Before Elmer could think, before he could ask one of the kids what was going on, he heard a sinister laugh and looked down the tunnel as Paul stepped into view, his hands glowing white as energy build.
"Can't have you saving the kiddies now," Paul said with a chuckle as he gave Elmer a contemptuous look. "Not that you're very good at that,
now are you? Can't even save your own kid."
"I thought he was still back in the hospital," Elmer muttered as he looked at Paul, having to fight down sudden guilty feelings that the boy's words induced at the mention of the baby. The baby. The guilt begin to fade as he recalled what that boy had tried to do to Lona and the baby,
anger taking its place instead. He looked from Lona to Antubis before making a decision. Antubis was powerful, there was no question of that,
but he was also the only one there who might be able to help Lona and the baby. As for him...
"Take care of her," Elmer whispered as he shifted slightly, easily Lona's head out of his lap and slipping to his feet, pressing back into the shadows of the wall as he did so. "If I can get him out of the way, get her out of here." Elmer moved away before he could change his mind about leaving Lona. That boy had hurt her, had tried to kill her and their baby twice already. He wasn't going to get a third shot at them, not even if it cost him his own life to keep them safe.