"Go lock the door. Then go into the closet and across from the kitchen and get some towels." Bethany said through gritted teeth.
"But-" Luna was cut off by a scream. Luna felt like panicing, but she knew she couldn't, not now.
"This baby isn't going to wait, Luna." Bethany said through clenched teeth.
"Ok. Just hold steady for a bit. I'll be right back." Luna went and got some towels and locked the door on her way back to the bedroom. I can't believe I'm doing this, Luna thought as she walked back into the room.
"There's a book on childbirth over there on the table. Grab it and open it to chapter twelve."
"Alright." Luna grabbed the book and opened it to the chapter she was told and began to read. "I'm going to need some shoestrings, Bethany."
"Out in the closet, there's some old shoes. Use the strings from those."
"Ok." Luna went out to the closet and grabbed the shoes, taking the strings from them, and then putting them in her pocket. Then she went to the kitchen and got some warm water. Just as she got back to the room, Bethany let out a choked scream.
"It's ok, Bethany. You can do this." Luna said as she knelt at the foot of the bed. Luna tied one of the shoestrings around the umbilical cord of the baby girl setting on Bethany's stomach. Luna took the baby and cleaned her witht he warm water and then wraped her in a towel and set her next to her mother. Luna left the room to get fresh water for the baby on the way. Luna came back into the room and knelt back in front of the bed. Bethany began to push and Luna soon saw the head.
"You're doing great, Bethany. I see the head. Keep it up." Luan coached, even though she had no clue what she was doing. Luna followed as the book explained, hold the head as the baby came.
"You're almost done Bethany. The head's out." Luna said as she gently held the head. She was surprised how fast the rest of the baby was born. After the shoulders emerged, the rest of the baby came out very quickly. Luna grabbed the baby as it started to cry and cleaned it. She then wraped it in a towel and then gave it to it's mother.
"It's a boy." Luna said as she tied the second shoestring around the umbilical cord.
"Thank you, Luna. I'm sorry I put you through all this trouble." Bethany said weakly.
"It's ok. You need to rest. I think I'll go get a doctor now." Luna said, getting up.
"Ok. Will you ocme back in with him?" Bethany asked, looking up at Luna with her large hazel eyes.
"Sure. Let me go get a doctor, ok?"
"Ok." Bethany said, looking down at her children. Luna went into the bathroom and cleaned up, it finally hitting her that she had helped deliver a baby. She walked out of the apartment and was bombarded by a million questions.
"Is she alove?"
"Is she alright?"
"She didn't get mad at you, did she?"
"No, she didn't get mad at me. Yes, she is still alive and she is alright. She will need a doctor, though."
"How can she be alright if she needs a dotor?" Mummers of agreement followed.
"She gave birth to a pair of twins. They seemed healthy, but it's going ot take a doctor to confirm that, though." Luna said.
"It took you and hour and a half to convince her that she needed a doctor?"
"No. I had to help deliever one. Someone just go get a doctor."
About half an hour later, Bethany was resting comfotably, her children in bassinets next to her bed. Luna still couldn't believe she had helped deliever the little boy that was sleeping soundly next to his mother.
"Thank you so much, Luna. I don't think I would have been able to deliver this baby on my own." Bethany said, looking at her son.
"Anything to help. Why didn't you scream for help?"
"I guess I'm ashamed of the reason these two beautiful children were concieved."
"Oh?"
"I never told anyone, but I think I can now. Do you mind being the shoulder I lean on?"
"No, not at all." Luna said, sitting next to her on the bed.
"Well, my last boyfriend drunk a lot, and he thought he had to take his problems out on me. One night he came home and started hitting me, like he always did. One thing led to another and he suddenly starting apologizing to me. He was kissing me and telling me he would never hit me again, under one condtion. He wanted me to sleep with him. We had only been together for about two months and he knew that I wanted to wait until I was married. I said no, and he kept trying to convince me it was the right thing to do. Eventually he just wrestled me to the floor and took me. That was my first time, and now I'm a mother." By now, Bethany was crying.
"Oh, Bethany. It'll be alright. At least they're healthy. That's all that should matter right now. What's happened in your past should stay there. You should stay strong for them." Luna said, looking toward the sleeping infants, trying to imagine how horrible an experince Bethany had been through.