Epilogue Nature Delivery

Five Months Later

Sunshine sat on the shady side of his home teepee working on the small blanket with delicate feather designs he was sewing for the baby. His weight had increased over the past five months with the growth of the child, so his belly was now very large and he had difficulty standing without someone helping him.

Pocahontas was out gathering corn this morning, though she had promised to return home soon. Kocoum was resting inside after being out most of the early morning hunting their supper for that night.

He gasped softly, nearly dropping his fine bone needle when he felt a hard kick from inside his belly, quickly followed by a second one. He stilled when he heard a soft voice speak to him on the wind just as Pocahontas returned with her small basket of corn.

"John Sunshine," the voice of Grandmother Willow called to him. "It is time. Tell Pocahontas to waken your husband and come to me with your family."

"I will," he replied quietly. He started to get up with the blanket in his arms, smiling as Pocahontas reached out with her free hand to assist him.

"You will what?" she asked him, her dark eyes curious as she looked at him.

"Go to Grandmother Willow. She just told me to come to her because it is time for the child to be born. Can you wake Kocoum, please? I am to bring my family with me."

"Oh!" Pocahontas gasped, her eyes widening in response to his explanation. "Of course, John!"

She carefully took the blanket from John's arms, carrying it and her corn basket inside and setting it down on their bed furs near Kocoum, reaching out to touch his bare left shoulder. "Kocoum. Wake up, my husband."

He shifted as she spoke and opened his eyes to look up at her. "What is it, my wife?"

"It is time. We need to accompany John to Grandmother Willow's clearing for the birth of our child."

Kocoum was up and on his feet instantly, watching Pocahontas quickly gather together two of their thick and warm blankets and a big, soft deer skin pillow for John before they went outside to join him.

Pocahontas laid one of the blankets down on a dry patch of sandy earth in front of Grandmother Willow along with the pillow, her and Kocoum gently getting John settled down on his back.

Kocoum sat behind John's head while Pocahontas seated herself at John's feet with the second blanket in her lap, the three of them looking up at the wise old tree's wrinkled, kind face for direction.

Grandmother Willow smiled down at the three of them, her long vines dancing in the slight breeze. "John Sunshine, you will need to remove your shirt."

John nodded in reply, obviously nervous. But he sat up for a moment, lifting his arms above his head when Kocoum moved to help him. His husband drew the shirt off for him, setting it aside and then helping John to lie back down again.

"Be calm, Pale Two-Spirit," the old tree spoke, her low voice soothing in tone. "There is nothing to fear. There will be no bleeding, and no pain for you. And no trauma for the children. I swear it."

"Children?" Kocoum inquired in his deep voice, his dark eyes looking down now into the suddenly wide blue eyes of his two-spirit wife. "There is more then one babe?"

"Yes, Kocoum," she replied with amusement clear in her face. "Two."

Pocahontas gasped softly in response, her intense joy lighting up her face and shining from her dark eyes. "Oh, Grandmother… Thank you!"

"You are welcome, child. Love your family. All of you. They are a gift."

Then her vines came closer to them purposefully, beginning to glow with a soft golden light. One trailed a path from above John's belly button up to just below his upper chest, while a second vine moved in and reached into the opening the first had created in John's belly. When it came back into view it was cradling a small baby boy with pale skin, short dark hair, and big blue eyes, lowering the perfectly calm and happy child gently into Pocahontas's arms.

The woman stared in silent awe and clear gratefulness for a few moments before beginning to tenderly clean the child of the blood and fluids that clung to his soft skin and strands of hair.

The vine returned to the opening in John's belly, this time lifting out a little girl baby with dark skin, light blonde hair and deep, soulful brown eyes. This child the vine handed to Kocoum to clean before Grandmother sterilized and resealed the opening into John's belly, leaving behind a thin, barely noticeable white scar on his pale skin there.

Pocahontas reluctantly passed the boy child to Kocoum when he had finished cleaning the girl. She placed the second warm blanket she had brought over John's body thoughtfully, lifting the edges of the blanket beneath him up to cover most of his arms. She then leaned down to tenderly press her lips to John's forehead before drawing back to look down into his familiar face with a smile and joyful tears filling her dark eyes.

"Thank you, John Sunshine. Thank you for our family!"

"You are welcome, Pocahontas," he replied, looking up at her with a smile. Then he looked to Kocoum where he was now lowering their babies onto either side of John's body on the blanket and into the curve of his arms. "I thought Virginia for the girl. Though, of course, she may choose a Native name when she gets older if she wishes to."

"And for the boy?" Pocahontas asked him, her dark eyes, and the dark eyes of their warrior husband curious as they looked down at him and the softly cooing babies.

"Kocoa," John replied, his smile widening in reaction to what he was thinking as he spoke in answer. "For his father."

"My Sunshine," Kocoum said simply. His dark gaze glittered with his strong emotions as he leaned down to claim John's lips with a brief, upside down and tender kiss while Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow watched with smiles on both of their faces.

Pocahontas and Kocoum went with John and the babies back to the village, getting them settled down in their teepee to rest and so that John could feed the children in the privacy of their home.

The Native princess then left John to Kocoum's capable care in order to run to her father's longhouse and tell him the news. She saw the Chief standing outside his home, quickly going up to him and touching his forearms while informing him excitedly, "Father, the children have come! You are a grandfather twice over!"

Pohawtan smiled back at her excitedly in return. "This is wonderful, my daughter! I am happy, and proud, for you and your family!"