Chapter 33: Birth
AN: Oops. Sorry I've been away for so long. This was a really hard chappie to write, seeing as I've never experienced childbirth and consequently don't really know diddley about it, save for what I've seen on TV. So pardon me if it's badly written. Again, sorry for the absence. Love ya' guys! (Reviews make me a happy camper)
Oh, P.S.: IDEAS FOR THE SEQUEL! HELP!
"What is it Destiny?" Allison asked, concern etched on her face. I shuddered as the contraction lessened, unconsciously placing a hand on my stomach.
"I need a midwife," I said, turning to look at her. Her face turned as white as mine felt.
"Are you –?"
"Yes."
Before I knew quite what was happening, Allison had grabbed Carl in one arm and, putting her other around my shoulders, was ushering me inside and to my room.
"Lie down," she commanded, which I was all too happy to do. "I'm going for the midwife. I'll be back in a few minutes."
And so I waited, gritting my teeth at the onset of each of the contraction, which were getting progressively stronger. As much as I wanted my babies to be born, I suddenly didn't want to be pregnant. It hurt too much.
The midwife arrived a few minutes later. She struck me as the type who would book no nonsense from anybody, with her steel grey hair pulled tightly away from her sharply angled face in a severe bun and her mouth pursed tightly. I wasn't planning on giving her any anyway.
Three hours passed, three long, agonizing hours. What I wouldn't have given for some sort of painkiller right then. Thank goodness for Allison's presence. Without her, I surely would have gone mad from boredom. It was Allison who told me funny stories about Carl, Allison who gently wiped my brow with a cool cloth, and Allison who let me practically break her hand with every stab of pain. She was a real blessing.
After another hour, I couldn't take the pain anymore and so I retreated into the depths my mind, unwittingly dropping all my mental shields in the process.
The room I was in was small, like a study or something, and I was lying down on a couch along one wall. A fire in the fireplace threw deep shadows into the corners of the room, but for now that didn't bother me. I was just glad to be away from the pain.
The midwife looked over at her charge, concerned by her sudden silence. Destiny looked as if she was sleeping peacefully, eyes closed, breathing evenly, as if a few moments ago she hadn't been caught up in the pangs of labor. It unnerved the midwife. It just wasn't natural.
I sighed in relief and closed my eyes. After a few moments, I sensed another presence in the room with me. I was angry. Who dared invade my mind at this time? Opening my eyes, I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. What I found made my eyes turn as round as saucers.
Dracula was leaning against the wall in one of the shadowy corners, watching me. Not doing anything, just watching.
I was sooooo dead. And yet, my heart leapt at the sight of him, after being separated for what seemed like an eternity. I struggled to push myself into a seated position and then he was there, gently grabbing my elbow to help keep me balanced. I looked at him in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" I asked softly, trying to keep all of my conflicting emotions out my voice.
"What, am I not allowed to witness the birth of my children?" he asked wryly. "Or are you going to take that away too?"
"No! Of course not," I exclaimed. "I might've run away, again, but I'd never try to keep something like that from you," I continued honestly. I could have been readying his body language wrong, but he seemed to relax slightly at my words. In relief? Relief from what? Had he actually been afraid my answer would have been no? Surely my mind wasn't that strong that I could keep him out.
We lapsed into silence, broken only by the occasional crackle from the fireplace. I stared into it gloomily, wrapped in my own heavy thoughts. It took me a few moments to realize that Dracula was talking to me.
"Huh?" I asked, turning to look at him. His mouth twitched in the faintest hint of a smile (or smirk, knowing him).
"I said, you seem unusually depressed. What's wrong?" he asked, brow furrowing as he studied my face. I tucked myself closer to him.
"I think I'm going to die," I said in a small voice, too soft for even him to really hear.
"Hmm?"
"I think that this is going to kill me."
He jerked away in surprise. My head flew up, as surprised by his reaction as he was by my words.
"You think WHAT?"
I opened my mouth to repeat it, but he put a silencing finger to my lips and I kept quiet.
"Just why would you think such a thing?" he asked.
"Do you know how much it hurts?" I demanded, and opened the part of my mind that housed that feeling. Dracula raised his eyebrows.
"I actually pity mortal women if that's normal in childbirth," he remarked.
"You wouldn't be so objective about it if you were in my shoes," I grumbled. He just smirked infuriatingly.
"Urgh, you drive me crazy." But I was smiling as I said it. I tentatively rested my head on his shoulder and we just sat there, not really sure of what to say to each other, until I felt like I'd better be getting back.
Lying back down, I said, "I have to go now. You can stay, if you want."
thatwhyI came back right in the middle of a contraction, a bad one. I bit back a yelp and felt a mental hand on my shoulder. I knew that Dracula was still in my mind, watching, but I was busy with other things. Allison's face came into my line of vision.
"Destiny! Thank goodness you're awake. You had me worried there."
"How long was I out?" Time passed differently inside a mind-world.
"A good couple hours," she replied. "Somewhere in the neighborhood of seven or so."
"Oh. That explains it."
She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, I went through the same thing with Carl, the little minx." I gave a sigh of relief. So I wasn't going to die after all. Stupid me. "But you are having a hard labor, sorry about that. You're just so…slight of build."
I grinned. "Say it: I'm short."
"Ok, you're short."
"Allison," the midwife said sharply.
"Yes?" Allison turned her head towards her inquisitively.
"I need you to go and get water to wash the babes when they come. Which," she added, looking at me, "shouldn't be too long." I crushed Allison's hand as yet another of those darn contractions started up again.
"I think…you're right on that one," I gritted, trying not to cry out. Casting a worried glance at me, Allison rose and left the room.
Right when the babies decided that they finally wanted to be born.
I thought I was going to pass out from pushing so hard. Which the midwife was practically yelling at me to do. Fed up with the whole thing, I started yelling at her back.
"Push!"
"What do you think I'm doing? Sleeping!" I wished she would just shut up and disappear. But then again, I would be much worse off if she weren't here. I was very glad that I was not giving birth in Castle Dracula. I seriously doubted that any of them knew anything about human childbirth. It made me smile slightly just thinking of the chaos that would have undoubtedly erupted.
After what seemed like forever, I birthed the first of my four children.
The midwife looked at the bloodied child in her arms. He appeared a normal human child, until you noticed the glint of tiny fangs in his mouth, the immature bat-like wings protruding from his back, and the tiny claws where his fingers and toes should be.
She lay him aside in disgust and turned her attention back to the mother, who was in the middle of delivering her second child. It too was a boy, but did not carry the claws of his brother. Twin girls followed, one with wet, white feathery wings, one with black.
Laying the fourth and last baby aside, the midwife turned back to the mother, who had passed out from her exertions. It was just as well that the midwife had asked the other woman to leave; it would make her job easier. She had strict orders: any demonic traits and the child was not supposed to survive.
Quickly and efficiently, she strangled the eldest. About to do the same to the next, she was stopped by a soft groan from the bed. The children's mother had come to.
The midwife laid my children in my arms, one boy and two girls. So caught up in both mine and Dracula's feelings (happiness on my part, satisfaction on his) that I did not immediately notice the absence of my fourth child. I instinctively knew it had been a boy. I looked up at the midwife, who was watching me with an expressionless face.
"Where is my child?" I asked in a shaky voice. When she did not answer right away, I grew angry and demanded, "Where is my son!"