Atlantis didn't have an infirmary. Why would a race of beings capable of healing each other instantly actually need a place to take their injured? They did, however, have a room that was where the females gave birth, since that wasn't something that could be taken care of with a simple touch. And this was the room where Ian had been guided to, and the room he more or less carried Sam to.
The room was fairly large, and held several beds, all of which were made, but covered in blankets that were so dusty and so old that Ian wasn't sure it would be safe to actually let Sam sit on them. Instead, he took the blanket that she had around her shoulders – again, taken from the now dead and unlamented First Prime – and put that down on the closest bed before helping Sam up onto it and taking stock of the situation.
Her pants – which were loose maternity pants in the same olive green as the BDUs Ian was wearing – were soaked, and he grimaced, unsure what to do first. Sam caught the look, her scared eyes bright with pain.
"Please tell me you've delivered a baby before?"
Ian shook his head, wishing he could say that, and putting a couple dusty pillows around Sam's head and shoulders, and supporting her back so she was sitting up like the woman in the diagram had been.
"I saw a dog give birth, once."
"So you're going to do what she did?" It was obvious Sam was trying to take her mind off just how bad things were.
"God, no…" Ian said, giving her a slight smile. "She ate the placentas and licked the puppies clean."
Despite her pain, Sam chuckled at that, although it was a little hysterical. The humor faded quickly, though, and Ian saw the fear once more take dominance in her expression. He took her hand, squeezing it gently.
"Don't worry, Sam. It's supposed to be a natural thing… I won't let anything happen to you."
Like he could stop anything from happening? She thought to herself. But she didn't say it. Ian was barely controlling his own panic, and she didn't want to add to his with her own. Instead, she squeezed his hand tightly, unable to help but cling to him.
Ian took a quick look around the room. There was a sink, in the corner, and several panels that he knew from being here the first time that would open up if he touched them, probably revealing cupboards or shelves.
"I'll be right back… I need to see if I can find any-"
"Don't leave me…"
He shook his head.
"I'm not going to. I'll just be right there." He pointed to the far wall. "Just… um… take deep breaths. Like you learned in those Lamaze classes…"
"We aren't scheduled for Lamaze for another month," Sam told him, reminded once more just how early this baby was coming. God, she was going to lose it, she just knew it.
He saw the renewed panic in her eyes and wished he could make it go away.
"Take deep breaths," he told her, demonstrating with a ragged, scared breath of his own. "Not too quickly, though, or you'll hyperventilate. Okay?"
She nodded, taking a deep breath. And then another. Once he was sure she was breathing, he let go of her hand and went to the sink, trying the faucet. It didn't work. Shit. The panels did open, however, and revealed several things that might come in handy – including sheets and towels that were wrapped in some kind of plastic that had kept them from gathering dust which made Ian think they might be safer to use than the ones on the bed.
He brought an armful of them over and draped one of the heavier sheets over Sam, who was breathing raggedly once more, a contraction settling in.
"They're close together, aren't they?" He asked.
She nodded. She knew enough to know that the closer they were the closer it would be to delivery time, but she couldn't make them go away.
"I… um… need to get you ready…"
She nodded again, well beyond caring what he saw and what he didn't – although she knew he was embarrassed, just by the way his ears reddened and his voice became even more uncertain than it had been.
"I promise you won't have to marry me," she gasped, trying to put him at least a little at ease about the whole thing.
He gave her a partial smile, knowing what she was doing and appreciating it, and quickly undressed her, thinking that he'd give anything just then to have Janet Fraiser walk into the room with some smart assed comment.
"Oh, Jesus…"
Her thighs were smeared with liquid, which he wiped clean, but what terrified him was that the delivery was far more advanced than he'd expected. Jacob wasn't wasting any time. The moment he took his first look, he realized that she was well on her way to having him, and he looked at Sam over the sheet he'd covered her lower body with, his eyes wide and panicked.
Which made her panic, too.
"What? What is it?"
"I think it's the head… give me a second…"
"Give you a second?" She couldn't hide the hysteria in her voice, and Ian tried to school his expression, knowing that his own fear wasn't helping hers.
"I'm sorry… just… just breath, okay? Deep breaths…"
He needed to figure out which part of the diagram they were on – because they were long past the first step. You didn't have to be a doctor to see that. Okay… the part that was showing – which was stretching her impossibly wide – had to be the head. That was a relief, because at least it meant that the baby wasn't breech – something he was quick to point out as he grabbed up a towel and got to work between her legs.
"That's got to be the head, Sam," he said, shakily, his eyes on what he was doing, but her eyes on him, even as she felt herself pushing without even consciously doing it. "Which is good, because it means he's in the right position. At least he has a better sense of direction than Jack does, right?"
He watched in amazement as more of the head appeared, and watched as Sam's stomach and lower abdomen convulsed as her body pushed at the baby, knowing what to do without too much assistance from her.
"He's got hair…"
More appeared, and the head was completely out, and Ian thought he was going to pass out. Then realized he'd been holding his breath, and took a couple of deep, gasping breaths, much like the ones Sam was taking.
She couldn't really focus much on what he was saying, but she reacted to his amazement with another push, now a little more in tune with her body and knowing – sort of – what to do. It hurt, but not as much as she'd thought it was supposed to – and she realized the baby wasn't as large as it was supposed to be, which might be easing things along. She pushed again, feeling a little hope, because things seemed to be going okay, and felt the pain escalate a bit as she was suddenly caught up in the worst contraction yet. Unable to bite down on the pain, Sam cried out, and Ian flinched, even as he held the tiny shoulders, supporting him as the rest of the baby slid out, pushed by contractions that seemed to ripple through Sam one right after another until they seemed to be one big one.
"He's a boy, Sam," Ian told her, looking down just to make sure, and smiling despite himself. He had a baby in his hand.