Chapter 22: Birth
Iris, Amber, Trudy, Jack, and Jay entered the hospital and walked up to the front desk. "Andre, I was told Cloe is in labor. We would like to see her, if it's all right," Iris said after the young man had greeted her. "Cloe has already given birth," Andre said with a small smile. "Ved and three other girls are with her now." "How is she, and the baby?" Iris asked. "Cloe and one of the babies are doing well," Andre answered, "but the other baby needed special attention." "Twins!" Trudy cried. Andre smiled. "Yes. A boy and a girl. It is the girl who is with the Healers at the moment."
"May we go up?" Amber asked. Andre nodded and gave directions to Cloe's room. Jay hurried up the stairs before all the others, anxious to see his brother. When they got to the room, they saw Cloe in a comfortable bed, being fed a bowl of broth by Salene. She looked tired and worried, but healthy. May and Ellie were helping two female Healers clean up towels and sheets that had been used in the birth. Ved was sitting on a chair, proudly holding his baby son. He looked up as Jay entered and gave him a huge grin. "I'm a dad!" he cried. Jay smiled back and sat next to Ved, motioning towards the bundle in his arms.
"May I?" Jay asked. Ved, still grinning, nodded and placed the little boy in his uncle's arms. The others surrounded Jay and looked down at the baby, who was sleeping peacefully. His little cone shaped head was covered in black hair, and his olive skin still had the red blotches of a newborn. "He's adorable!" Trudy said, touching the baby's little fingers. "What did you name him?" Jack asked. Ved looked over at his wife, who smiled back at him. "We named him Odion," he said. "It means first twin." "What about your daughter?" Iris asked while the others complimented the new parents on the choice of name. "Is she all right?"
Ved looked a bit worried. "The Healers say she will be fine. She just had a little trouble breathing at first." "She is just fine," one of the Healers said, coming into the room holding a little pink bundle. Cloe let out an audible sigh. "Here you go, Mommy," the Healer said, handing the baby to Cloe. Ved hurried over and hugged Cloe and the little girl. "We just had to extract mucus from her throat," the Healer told them. "She should be fine now. And you should feed them both, Cloe." Cloe blushed. "I will," she said quietly. "What is this little beauty's name?" Jay asked, coming close to look at his niece, who looked just like her brother. "Kakra. The youngest twin," Cloe said quietly, smiling down at the little girl.
"They are wonderful babies," Iris said, touching Kakra's cheek. "How does it feel to be an uncle, Jay?" Jay grinned and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It feels great. I can't wait to be a father." Iris saw Amber and Trudy exchange glances, and Amber touched her abdomen in an unconscious gesture that made Iris' eyes widen. "She's pregnant!" Iris thought in wonder. "And Jay doesn't know!" She looked from both Jay to Amber with her mouth open and Amber caught her gaze. Iris stared directly back at Amber with a shocked expression, clearly letting her know that she knew what was going on. Amber stared back, horrified, and the hand on her abdomen dropped to her side.
"All right everyone, visiting time is over," the Healer said. "No disrespect to you, My Queen, but the babies need to be fed and the new mother needs privacy." Iris nodded, her eyes still on Amber. "That isn't a problem," she said, then turned to Cloe and Ved. "Congratulations, you two. As soon as you feel up to it, Cloe, come to the palace and we will start planning the naming ceremony." Cloe smiled and nodded. "Thank you, My Queen," she whispered. Ved murmured his thanks as well, not keeping his eyes off the babies. "I'm going to stay with Cloe and Ved," Salene said. The Healer nodded. "That's just fine, Salene. You've been a wonderful help." The others said their goodbyes and filed out the door.
On the way back to the hotel, Iris lagged behind the others, lost in thought. She was interrupted by Amber, who suddenly appeared beside her. "You know, don't you?" Amber asked accusingly. "I know what?" Iris asked. "That I'm pregnant with Jay's baby," Amber answered in a whisper. "I guessed," Iris said, raising an eyebrow. "And you can drop the bitchy tone, Amber. If you think I am going to tell Jay, I'm not. That is for you to do. Although I'm surprised that you haven't already." Amber turned red with anger. "I have my reasons," she said slowly. Iris shrugged. "I want to congratulate you, but I don't think you're too happy that you're pregnant. Therefore I'll merely wish you all the best."
Amber's face screwed up as if she was going to cry. "It's not that I don't want this baby . . ." she began. "I am not asking you to give me your reasons," Iris interrupted. "It's none of my business." She glanced over at Amber and sighed. "Don't worry so much," she told her gently. "Everything will turn out all right in the end." Amber swallowed. "I apologize for snapping at you," she said. "I'm just going through a rough time right now." Iris nodded. "I understand. You don't have to explain. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. The midwives like pregnant women to begin coming in as soon as they know they're pregnant. They like to see their patients twice a month at the very least. And they will be discreet. Talking to people about other's health care is a punishable offence here in Genesis."
"Thank you," Amber said softly. "For your offer of help . . . and not telling Jay. I will tell him, just not yet." "You're welcome, Amber," Iris told her with a smile. "You have no reason to worry. Anyway, it's not good for the baby." They followed the others into the front hall of the palace. "I'll see you at dinner," Iris said, giving Amber a friendly nod. Amber smiled back. Iris said her goodbyes to the others and walked up to her room. She sat on the bed, kicking off her boots. "At least now I know why Amber has been so crabby," she said to herself.