Wow, thanks for all the Favoriting and such. Makes me =). - Again, don't mind smiley. He's just... there.
Disclaimer: Must I say this again? I'm starting to think... oh, never mind. (I iz watchin' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. *fist pump*)
P.S. - Sorry about my absence... I've been keeping up with classes... barely.
Two weeks had past since the check-up, and I had to admit, my little baby was getting much bigger. I could see a definite bump, now. It wasn't too long before I'd be giving birth.
The next morning, I was greeted by a bright sun, fresh air, and a growling stomach. The clanking of the food and water buckets rang in the distance, and the oldest women here were already eating. Royal shook me, to get me fully awake. I noticed her belly was remarkably bigger than it was yesterday.
"Come on, Beatrice. Let's get some before it's all gone," she grumbled. The baby was getting a bit heavy for her. She actually looked full-term.
We took the trip up towards the hill, and saw the rest of the females already up, eating and talking. Breakfast was a few buckets full of cow's and goat's milk, and plain slices of toast, as well as scrambled eggs. Just like back in the Oakley's habitat.
I took a few slices and headed back towards a small grass patch. Royal followed.
That night, Royal went into labor.
She was maybe five hours in; I had no idea. She was panting, her body moving up and down stiffly with each breath, her body totally naked and vulnerable. Every once in a while, I'd hear a whine or squeal of pain. Poor Royal, I thought.
She managed to sit herself up, and looked down, her body making harsh, nessecary contractions for the birth. I sat next to her, holding her hand. "How do you know when it's time?" I asked.
She turned to me, red-faced. "I know how wide it feels. The baby starts to push on me after that." She probably would know... she's done this three times before. She looked at me, and lied down on her side. Obviously not the best position, but she knows more than I do.
And then I noticed she stopped breathing in between her deep breaths. No - she was pushing.
She was pushing for quite some time - she sun was down, and it was almost pitch-black out. Except for the lamp a few feet away.
We were near the gate between Edward's boy's habitat, and a few gathered around for the birth, sitting against the gate and watching. For some, it was uncommon to see some girls in their year birth. But they watchedon quietly, and I saw that the boys really felt bad for her. But she didn't care what they thought. She was used to an audience, though she really did prefer privacy.
"Do you want them to leave?" I asked her.
"No," she whispered, in pain. "I think it's important for them to learn what they do to girls." True that.
A few more minutes, a lot more pushes, and all of a sudden, I heard a sucking, squelching noise, and heard liquid flowing out from her, onto the soft dirt ground. And then, she screamed. I could hear andsee what was happening - I could see a baby's soft, placenta-covered head just barely coming out of her. Royal pushed again and again, more liquid coming out of her. The boys that were watching had wide eyes.
She lay on her side, her stiff legs moving with every push. The rest of the baby slid out of her, covered in gooey white and red liquid - the placenta, and blood. It didn't cry, or move.
With a few more strangled breaths, she sat up and held the still baby to her breast, urging it to suckle. It did - thank goodness.
I sat next to her, smiling and watching the baby suckle, and the boys left the scene, going to bed in their soft, tree hammocks. Lucky boys.
Pfft. Yeah. Lucky them. Review?