Chapter 13: A Child is born.
Ten months earlier
New Lantia.
It had been almost eight months since Teyla had informed him that she was pregnant and still their daughter refused to be born. They had found out a few months ago that the baby was a girl and he suspected that she would be as stubborn and strong-willed as her mother. Although Teyla often told him that the baby took after him.
Jennifer had told them if the baby didn't come on its own in the next couple of days it would have to be induced since the doctor wasn't sure how the baby's health would suffer if she stayed inside Teyla much longer.
It was the night before Teyla was due to be induced that John awoke to the sound of someone moaning, lying there as his addled brain tried to enter the world of wakefulness, he wondered what it was. It sounded as if it was a person. Who would be in my bed in pain? Was his first thought upon waking and then it suddenly it hit him; it must be Teyla. He knew that she'd been having contractions earlier, but she hadn't let him know about it, so obviously she was having another one. Looking at the clock he realised that it was 05:00 in the morning.
Looking over at Teyla, he realised that she was lying on her side with her hands on her stomach moaning and she appeared to be in considerable pain.
"Teyla, Sweetie, are you okay? How far are the contractions apart?"
He started rubbing her back and waited for an answer, after another ten seconds her face relaxed and he realised that the contraction must be over, so he asked the same question that he had before.
"Teyla Sweetie, how far apart are the contractions?"
"The last two were 11 minutes apart and they both lasted about twenty seconds."
"Did you have any before those two?" John asked trying to remain as calm as possible.
"I had a couple at 4:00 as well." She told him the worry evident in her eyes.
"Okay Teyla, I'm going to contact Jennifer to let her know what is going on, so all you have to do for now is lay here. I'll contact Ronon as well so that he can come and keep an eye on Torren.
"John, can you help me get up before you contact Jennifer and Ronon because I need to go to the bathroom?"
He nodded and helped her up, helped her to the bathroom and then he stood by the door in case she needed anything from him. A few minutes later he heard a cry from her, and his panic meter shot up, what is going on, is she having another contraction, or is it something else? With these thoughts running through his mind, it didn't take him long to unlock the door and rush in to see what had happened.
"John, I think my water broke." She told him, pointing to the huge puddle on the floor.
He looked at the mess on the floor and felt himself beginning to panic, but he knew that he didn't have time to panic as he had to be strong for Teyla.
"Come and sit down and I will contact Jennifer and then we can get you to the infirmary?"
She nodded at him, and he took her arm and led her to the table and sat her down in a chair, he was about to contact Jennifer, when Teyla's face contorted with pain and she doubled over grabbing her stomach again.
John started rubbing her back while he counted how many seconds the contraction lasted, when the contraction was over and she finally relaxed, he realised that it was ten minutes since the last one and it had lasted twenty-five seconds.
Sighing he held Teyla's hand and contacted the doctor, "Sheppard to Dr Keller come in, please?
"Go ahead, John?"
"Teyla has been having contractions on and off since about 2:00 and her water has just broken."
"How far apart are the contractions now?"
"Around ten minutes."
"And how long do they last?"
"The last one was twenty-five seconds."
"Can you bring her to the infirmary?"
"I'm not sure, she looks to be in a lot of pain."
"Bring her to the infirmary as soon as you can?"
"Okay will do, Sheppard out."
He looked over at Teyla and realised that she looked exhausted already and she still had to give birth to a baby, hopefully, it would be sooner rather than later, as he didn't want to have to see her in pain.
Walking over to her, holding her hands and looking into her eyes, he spoke gently to her, "Teyla, sweetie, I'm going to take you to the infirmary alright."
She looked up at him with bleary eyes, he could see that she just wanted to go to sleep again, and he didn't blame her, he was beginning to feel tired too. He went about checking a few things in his room and when he had finished, he looked over at Teyla again and he realised that she had dosed off sitting at the table. He decided to leave her that way because the next contraction was due in about four minutes.
The door chime sounded a minute before Teyla was due for another contraction and he was relieved to see that it was Keller with a wheelchair.
"I'm just letting her sleep for a few minutes doc because she's due for another contraction in a minute."
John watched as Teyla awoke from her doze when another contraction hit, this time it lasted a few seconds longer and it looked to be the most painful one yet. Once it had subsided, he stayed behind her rubbing tiny circles on her back, hoping that it would offer her some comfort. Teyla looked around the room and her eyes seemed to settle on Jennifer, which was a good thing because he was hoping that she could get to the infirmary as soon as possible and within the next couple of hours the ordeal would all be over for Teyla.
"Are you ready to go to the infirmary now?" He asked her softly, as he came around to take one of her arms.
Teyla carefully stood up with Jennifer and John's help, and they helped her into the wheelchair that Jennifer had brought with her.
John had no idea what to expect because he wasn't there when Torren was born. Rodney had been with Teyla when his son was born and the worst thing about it was that they were on a hive-ship trying to escape from Michael.
Well at least we'll be in a hospital this time, he thought as he carefully pushed the wheelchair she was in out of their apartment.
He turned to look at Ronon and Amelia who had just arrived, "Let T.J. know what is going on when he wakes up."
Ronon and Amelia had been on Atlantis for the last few days negotiating a trade agreement between Atlantis and New Sateda – which was weird because he had never thought of Ronon as the negotiating type. Lorne had done most of the negotiations and John had sat in towards the end to make sure that everyone was getting a fair deal.
Teyla looked to be in pain, so he spoke to her in a gentle voice, "are you okay Teyla?" He asked kneeling in front of her.
"I am alright for now, but I cannot wait to meet our daughter."
"I know what you mean. Are you still happy with the name we've chosen?" He asked as they started to walk down the passageway.
At this point Teyla did not look happy, so she yelled at him through gritted teeth," of course I am so will you please Shut up!"
He felt severely chastised by her tone, so he knew well enough to keep his mouth shut for now.
"John!" She yelled and grabbed his hand squeezing it tight as the next contraction hit, he had no idea what she was going through, but it was probably extremely painful. Maybe even more painful than having the life sucked out of you by a wraith or turning into a bug.
"Come on Teyla, remember to breathe," he said rubbing her back with the hand she wasn't in the process of breaking.
When the contraction had finally settled down, he realised that they had made it to the infirmary and were sitting just outside a private room. It was the room that he used when he was injured but for now, it was where she was going to give birth and he certainly hoped that he wouldn't need it during the labour or subsequent birth.
"John, how far apart were the last two contractions?" Teyla asked him with fear in her eyes.
"They're getting closer together, they were only 9 minutes apart and that one lasted 30 seconds." He answered her rubbing his hand.
"She sat back in the wheelchair and John wondered what she was doing, was she ever going to get in the bed? Eventually, he and Jennifer, helped her get onto her feet and settle into a bed. Teyla looked exhausted and she hadn't had the baby yet, he had no idea how she was going to get through it and he certainly hoped that the next contraction would be longer than nine minutes away.
Teyla looked on the verge of sleep when Jennifer spoke to her again, "Teyla I need to conduct an exam to see how you're progressing."
Teyla looked like she wasn't going to do what the doctor asked, but finally, she nodded her head and let the doctor examine her.
Jennifer conducted the exam and announced, "things are looking good the baby's head is down and ready to engage. I want to attach a foetal heart monitor to monitor the baby's heart rate, so don't mind me fussing about.
"That sound's great hopefully the contractions will hold off for a while so I can get some sleep," Teyla told everyone in the room.
He watched as Teyla tried to find a comfortable position and he was relieved when her breathing evened out as she fell asleep, he was hoping that there would be a break in the contractions and that she could get some decent rest.
Looking over at Jennifer, he noticed that she was attaching the foetal heart monitor, "how's the baby?"
"Her heartbeat is strong and at this stage, there doesn't seem to be any problems."
"And how is Teyla doing?" He asked taking the cloth that Jennifer had given him and wiping the sweat off Teyla's brow.
"She is doing a great job at the moment, although it is good to see her getting some rest," Jennifer told him looking down at the expectant mother.
He continued to wipe Teyla's brow as he spoke to the doctor, "how much longer until the baby is born?"
"I'm not sure, if things continue down the path, they are going down it could still be another few hours, but sometimes labour can stall and even stop. If that happens, I have no idea what will happen."
"Well at least she's in a hospital and there's a doctor present."
"That is a good thing considering what she had to endure when she gave birth to Torren."
John felt a lump in his throat when he thought about all that she'd gone through when Michael had kidnapped her and tried to take Torren, "Yeah it can't have been a pleasant experience for her."
"I'll just be in my office if you need me, I will come and check on her every hour or so unless you call me first," Jennifer said smiling at him as she left the room.
Once the doctor had gone John sat next to Teyla and held her hand. Looking at his watch he realised that it had been half an hour since her last contraction, he hoped that labour hadn't stalled completely, because if it did, this could last forever.
Looking at his watch he realised that it was 7:30 and he hadn't had any coffee or breakfast as yet this morning. He thought about going to get some, but then he looked down at his sleeping wife and decided that he would stay with her for now. He would ask one of the nurses if they could get him something when they came in the check on Teyla.
Suddenly he felt exhausted, and his eyelids started to droop, so rather than fight it he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to come.
A loud voice pervade his senses the next time John became aware, "John!"
He didn't feel like opening his eyes, so he tried to ignore it, but the voice was persistent and spoke louder this time, "John!"
He still kept his eyes closed, until Teyla started to yell at him, "John! Will you wake up?"
"What!" He yelled back as he almost fell out of the chair, he was sitting in.
"You were snoring, and it was annoying me." She told him calming her voice a little.
"Sorry." That was all that he said.
"Why are you sorry John?" She asked in a sickly sweet tone, "and I hope that you are not going to be saying that all day because it is irritating."
He was about to say 'sorry' again when she glared at him, so he thought about changing the subject.
"How was your sleep, Sweetie?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her again.
"It was restful, how long have I been asleep, John?" She asked and the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Around half an hour and that means that you haven't had a contraction for over forty minutes now."
He could see tears in her eyes as she spoke again, "does that mean my labour has stalled and if so, how long before the baby is born?"
"I don't know what it means Teyla, but do not worry I'm here." John soothed in his awkward way.
Suddenly she gripped his hand so tight that he thought he heard the bones crack, he watched as she tried to curl in on herself as another contraction ripped through her – and it was painful.
When it was over, he tried to wipe his brow with the hand that she wasn't still squeezing.
"John I am sorry about your hand. I hope I did not injure you." Teyla asked with a horrified look on her face.
He tried to smile at her, but it turned out to be a grimace, "don't worry Sweetie I'm fine."
Their conversation was interrupted when Jennifer walked into the room, "how are you doing Teyla?"
"I am okay at the moment; I think."
"When was the last contraction and how long did it last?" Jennifer asked looking at them both.
"Umm…" John answered still rubbing his hand, "the last contraction was a few minutes ago and it lasted about fifteen seconds."
"Okay, I think I'll check to see how things are progressing?" Jennifer suggested.
Teyla did as she was asked and Jennifer conducted her exam, "there's not much happening at the moment, do you think you might like to go for a walk out to the infirmary balcony, to see if we can speed things up a little?"
John thought that it was a good idea, and he was sure she didn't want to lie in bed all day.
"I would love to get some fresh air thanks, Jennifer," Teyla answered and he was relieved to see her smile.
"I'll go with her," John suggested helping her to her feet.
He put his arm around his wife and began the walk to the infirmary balcony. It seemed to take forever because for some strange reason Teyla was walking incredibly slowly. Arriving at the balcony she went over and put her hands on the railing and John watched as she took in deep breaths – it was obviously what she needed.
They were walking back to the infirmary after spending a short time on the infirmary balcony when another contraction hit, John rubbed tiny circles on Teyla's back as she doubled over in pain. She'd had one on the balcony and he had decided that it was time to head back inside. Looking at his watch he realised that it had only been ten minutes since the last one.
He continued to rub her back and she squeezed his hand again; he knew that he was going to ask Jennifer for some x-rays on his hand when the baby was born because he could have sworn, he heard the bones break.
"Come on Sweetie, breath through the pain." He soothed.
He was a little afraid by the look that he gave her, but it was what came out of her mouth that shocked him.
"Will you shut up John, I am sick of listening to your voice."
He kept his mouth closed until the contraction was over, which was about 30 seconds and then he continued to help her back to the infirmary.
Once they were back in the infirmary and Teyla was settled in her bed again, John decided that it was time to go for a walk to the mess hall since he hadn't eaten all day and was beginning to get hungry.
"I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like anything?
Teyla just glared at him and said nothing, so he decided it was time to go. On his way out, he found Jennifer and sent her back in.
"How is she, John?"
"She had another contraction a couple of minutes ago, the last two were ten minutes apart and lasted thirty seconds. I'm going to go and get something to eat and believe me when I tell you she is in a really bad mood."
"Just remember she's in a lot of pain John."
"Yeah, I know that's why I need a walk; I hate seeing her like this. Let her know I'll be back soon."
He left the infirmary and headed towards the mess, passing the waiting room on the way. When he looked inside, he was surprised to find that Rodney was waiting there.
"Hey, McKay, what are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting until Teyla has her baby so that I can go and see her," Rodney answered while standing to his feet.
"Well, you might have a long wait, so you might as well go and do something else."
"Where are you going, Sheppard?" Rodney asked him with suspicion.
"I was just going to get something to eat."
"Well how about I go and get you something to eat and then you can go back to Teyla?"
"Sounds good McKay," John answered, before turning around and heading back to Teyla.
He arrived back in the infirmary to find that Jennifer was holding Teyla's hand as she rode out another contraction and this one looked more painful than any of the others she'd had. He rushed around to hold her other hand and started to wipe her brow with a damp cloth as she rode out the pain.
Once it had finished, Jennifer conducted another examination to judge how things were progressing.
John continued to wipe Teyla's brow while he waited until Jennifer had finished what he was doing.
"How's she doing Doc?" John asked when he had finished.
"The baby's head is engaged, so it won't be long now."
"Did you hear that Sweetie it won't be long now?" John soothed.
"Of course, I heard, I'm not deaf and stop calling me Sweetie?!" Teyla shot back.
John took that as a sign to just keep his mouth shut, so he didn't say anything more; he just kept holding her hand and rubbing the damp cloth over her face.
For the next half an hour, he sat and held her hand and wiped her forehead, as the contractions came and went. They were getting closer together, lasting longer and seemed to be more painful.
After one such contraction, Jennifer told them that the baby was ready to be delivered and when she felt the next contraction, she needed to push as hard as she could.
A few minutes later John held Teyla's hand as the next contraction hit, "come on Teyla, you're almost there, don't forget to push."
"John, don't you talk to me, this is all your fault, so why don't you shut up, before you drive me insane!" Teyla shouted at him as she pushed.
He continued to hold her hand and Teyla moaned again as another contraction hit.
"Push Teyla," Jennifer encouraged her gently.
For the next five minutes, the only sound John heard was Teyla moaning in pain as she continued to give birth to his first biological child.
He could barely believe it when Jennifer announced that it was a girl and put the baby on Teyla's chest, asking him if he wanted to cut the cord.
He nodded eagerly and followed Jennifer's instructions and cut the cord, all the while looking at his daughter. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
"Do you have a name for her?" Jennifer asked smiling at Teyla with tears in his eyes.
"Charin Elizabeth Sheppard," Teyla answered through her tears.
John's eyes lit up when he saw his tiny daughter laying in Teyla's arms. He couldn't believe it the woman he loved had just given him a child and he saw the pain she went through to give him such a precious gift.
"She's beautiful, just like her mother," he said stroking the tuft of black hair on the top of the baby's head.
He was convinced that Charin's hair was going to be as hard to manage as his, but in every other way, she took after Teyla.
There were tears in her eyes when Teyla spoke again, "Thank you for being here with me today, John and I are sorry for shouting at you."
There were tears in his eyes as he answered her, "You're welcome, Sweetie, and thank you for giving me a beautiful daughter."
When Teyla passed their daughter to him it was the most magical moment of his life, he was a father and he still couldn't believe it. He looked down at his daughter and decided that she was perfect in every way.
Before they had a chance to say too much else Jennifer interrupted, "Why don't you have a rest Teyla while I take Charin and check her out to make sure everything is okay? Perhaps it's time for you to get some sleep, but don't worry I promise I will take good care of your daughter."
John watched as Teyla closed her eyes, hopefully, she would be able to have a rest before the baby needed feeding.
There was so much for them to look forward to in the future and he hoped that one day they could have more children, but looking at how much pain Teyla had gone through today, he knew that it would be a while before she'd even consider it – if ever.
He sat in the chair next to her and held her hand as she drifted off to sleep, she was exhausted. A few minutes later he felt his eyes closing and although he struggled to keep them open it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep as well.
TBC…