The baby's finally here! The jokes I make at the end of this are the funniest jokes I've written and I'm very proud of them.
In the final weeks of Moana's pregnancy, everyone was preparing. Moana hadn't told anyone about the visions Fetia had given her, not even Keoni. Something told her that those visions were for her and her alone.
Huihana gave Moana genuinely helpful tips for labor and preparing for the baby. Meanwhile Pania had just learned she was pregnant, about a month in. She and her husband were ecstatic but they wanted to focus on helping her cousin first. Keoni knew there wasn't much for him to do other than be supportive and be ready for when the baby was born.
To the surprise of some, Keoni was considerably calm, he knew it was going to be fine, the gods wouldn't let Moana down in her time of need, especially in the case of childbirth.
Moana also refused to allow anyone to baby her. Yes, she was nine months pregnant and did need to take it easy, but she wasn't going to let anyone live her life as a chief, she wasn't going to put herself in any harm. And while Keoni knew that, he did remind Moana to relax and just take it easy a little bit, and she listened to him.
Huihana spent more time with her sister in law, mostly to give her advice, and to be supportive. And not to mention they hardly saw much of each other except at gatherings.
The two were walking towards the shore, just to watch the ocean for a little while. Huihana helped Moana take a seat, and once she sat down, Moana sighed.
"What's on your mind?" Huihana asked. Moana smiled a little.
"The baby, as per usual." Huihana chuckled.
"I was the same."
"What was Keoni like as a child? What do you remember of him then?" Moana inquired. She wanted to know, so she could see it when her daughter grew up.
"Oh, he was actually quite outgoing as a child. He had a lot of friends growing up, but he was still a little shy when it came to making them. He was very curious about the world beyond our village. And… mom used to say he reminded her of dad a lot." Moana raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yeah, my mother and father were childhood best friends and then fell in love. Their life was a little hectic, but they were in love."
"I can't imagine what your mom went through when your dad died." Moana said. She couldn't imagine losing Keoni for any reason.
"It was… very hard on our family. And Keoni was not even a year old when it happened, he has no memory of dad, and the memories I have are fuzzy at best. I was almost five when dad died."
"Did your mom ever express interest in finding someone new?"
"She tried, but… it was never the same. His death changed her, and I think that influenced Keoni as a child."
"That makes sense." Moana made a face upon feeling an unusually strong kick, "ow…"
"You okay?" Huihana asked. Moana made another face of discomfort and pressed her back.
"Yeah, just… really strong kick. I think this baby is getting close."
"Do you need someone?"
"No contractions. Yet." Huihana helped her stand, but in doing so, Moana froze. She felt something trickling down her inner thigh. Eyes wide and panicked, Moana checked herself.
"Oh gods." She whispered. And then she felt the first contraction, "Huihana…." She said. Huihana didn't need any further instruction. Supporting Moana, she led her through the village to the healers fale.
"It's time." She said. The healer nodded and the two women led Moana to the designated fale where wives of the chief or chieftess gave birth. The healer told Huihana to send for Sina, Pania, Huihana's mother in law, and to tell Tui to notify the village, and of course to tell Keoni.
After informing the women, Huihana actually found Keoni and Tui discussing something with a trio of villagers. Huihana skidded up to them and almost fell, Keoni catching his sister.
"Whoa whoa, sis, what's wrong?"
"Moana's water broke." Huihana said. She grabbed her brother's hand and led him to the fale. But he stopped once they reached it.
"Sis, I'm not allowed in there, remember?" Huihana gave him a look.
"Do you really think Moana is going to let that tradition stand?"
"I love Moana, but birth is something that I'm leaving to the women."
"Squeamish?"
"I'm just nervous and I don't think I'd handle myself well in there watching it happen." Huihana gave her brother a once over, and sighed. "But you be her support for me. She trusts you." Huihana had to smile.
"You know I will." The siblings hugged, "excited to meet your baby?"
"Yes, but terrified too. I just hope the gods are good to her." He looked up at the sky saying this.
"I know they will." With another hug, Huihana entered the fale where Sina was comforting Moana who was sitting on her knees and breathing. The healer, Pania, and another woman were preparing for the birth itself.
"What can I do?" Huihana was given the same instructions as Sina to be a support and help Moana breathe and relax. Huihana joined her side, and Moana looked up at her.
"Did you… tell… Keoni?" Huihana nodded.
"I did. He and your father are waiting outside." Sina smiled at her daughter, sharing hongi with her.
"He's just as ready for this baby as you are, you just have to bring this child into the world, are you ready?"
"Is any woman ever really ready?" Moana gasped out through another contraction, earning a chuckle from the women around her.
"Very true."
Outside, Keoni watched the sky. Any natural sign was a sign from the gods. As he waited, a villager ran up to him.
"Chief! I came to inform you there's a massive storm brewing over the horizon. We expect it to make landfall in a few hours!" Keoni paused to process it before thanking the villager. Tui noted the expression on Keoni's face.
"What's on your mind?"
"Back home… when our chief welcomed his son, he looked to the heavens for a sign, I don't remember much of what he said, as I was only 7, but he said that certain weather patterns often were a prelude to what the child would be like."
"What was the sign the chief got?"
"Sunshine, not a cloud in the sky for three days. That kid had the happiest disposition I'd seen in an heir."
"What would they say a heavy thunderstorm means?"
"Fierce and resilient, and headstrong." Tui chuckled.
"If anything, he or she will take after Moana, it seems." Keoni nodded.
"Gods help us both, it'll be a wild ride."
Back inside, the head had been delivered, and Moana was already exhausted. As were her feet, since she'd been in a squatting position for a considerable amount of time.
"Gods I need a break…" She said, rubbing her face and resting her head in the crook of her mother's shoulder.
"Shhh, shhh, the shoulders are the hardest part, and then it'll be smooth sailing from there." Sina said.
"It better be…" As she continued pushing, she felt the comforting presence of her grandmother, and another feminine presence. Tala's support was all Moana needed to find that bit of strength to push the rest of the baby out.
"You can do this." Tala said. Moana gave her a very subtle nod, and pushed as hard as she could, and felt the last come.
"It's a girl!" The midwife exclaimed. Sina burst into a huge smile and brought her daughter in for a huge hug.
"You did beautifully, my little minnow, you're a mother now." The afterbirth came and was cleaned up, and Sina helped her daughter lay down and let her body rest. Sina looked down at her daughter with pride and love, tearing up.
"Mom…" Moana whispered.
"I'm so incredibly proud of you… I told you you'd do wondrous things, and I was right, you brought a beautiful baby girl into this world." The two held hands and shared hongi. The midwife carefully passed Moana her newborn daughter, and Sina helped her cradle the newborn comfortably.
Sina looked down at her daughter and granddaughter, the latter who was wailing.
Huihana, Pania, and the healer and midwife all stepped back to let the three of them bond. Pania looked to Huihana and whispered.
"Can't believe my cousin is a mother now…" Huihana smiled.
"It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?" Pania rubbed her own growing belly and nodded.
After Sina helped Moana get comfortable holding her newborn, Moana looked up.
"Tell Keoni and my dad…" She said. Huihana looked to Pania who nodded. She pushed back the tapa curtain to see Keoni and Tui still waiting. Keoni looked up first and Pania gave him a huge smile.
"Come meet your daughter, chief." She said, gesturing for them to come inside. Keoni eagerly came up the steps and practically felt his heart melt seeing Moana cradling an infant in her arms. Their daughter, their child. Moana glanced up from cooing at the baby and gestured for Keoni to join her. He didn't hesitate. Tui joined Sina's side as they watched their daughter and son in law bond with their newborn. They had a granddaughter.
Huihana was absolutely beaming, she had a little niece now, a niece she was for sure going to spoil, and Pania was feeling the same.
Keoni marveled at the little girl Moana held in her arms. She had the tiniest hands, and her face scrunched up upon tasting her hands, making them chuckle.
"Yeah hands don't taste very good do they?" Keoni laughed. He looked at Moana, who was clearly exhausted. And Keoni couldn't help but crack a joke about something Moana said to him only four years ago.
"Done doing the heavy lifting for this one?" Moana glanced up at him, processed his joke, and then laughed.
"Yes. I am." No one bothered asking what the joke meant, as it was something meant for the couple only. After a few moments to bond with the baby, Moana asked an important question.
"What're we gonna name her?" Upon asking this, a strong gust of wind blew through the fale, ruffling the tapa curtains around. Keoni glanced over at Tui who nodded. The storm was making landfall.
"Well… how about Laeli?" He asked. Moana looked at him and snickered.
"You have a thing with timing don't you?" Keoni shrugged. Moana rolled her eyes. It was a fitting name, though, something told her that the breeze would turn into wind in no time.
"Laeli it is… Welcome to Motunui, Laeli."