Some references to characters in this chapter from the first book, but its okay just go along with it.
DISCLAIMER: I am not in any way associated with any of the characters or parts of PR SPD.
Funny?
Not exactly.
I was awoken one morning to the sound of Isinia's screaming. She was in labour, and with a jolt of horror I felt a long sharp spasm run down my stomach. I was in labour too.
The pain was continuous, and far more intense than when I'd had the girls back on my home planet. I realised that I must've slept straight through my weaker contractions. In panic, I pelted, as fast as the pain I had would let me, to the infirmary, so that my brother could take care of me and help me.
But when I got there, Dr Felix was talking intently to Isinia: "Listen to me Isinia. Your baby will be fine, but you aren't strong enough to have this child. I'll need to take you into theatre and…" I didn't bother listening to the rest. My brother had to operate! I looked around briefly. There was no other nurse on duty in this ward. I presumed that Doggie would want to wait around for Isinia.
That meant I was alone.
Groaning at the concept, I ran. I didn't know where I was going – nor did I care – I just trusted my legs to take me somewhere safe.
I ended up in the ladies toilet.
Not caring if anyone else was in there I threw myself into a cubicle and bolted the door shut. I stood, leaning against the wall, groaning at the sheer intensity of it. What was I going to do? I couldn't seem to think straight.
"Kat, are you okay?" Heck – it was Syd.
"I…" I tried to tell her I was fine, when, with an almighty splatter, my waters broke all over the floor. "Eugh!" I exclaimed, jumping back. I realised, with fear, that the birth was more imminent than I'd thought… I certainly wouldn't be able to hang on until Isinias operation was over.
Syd had obviously heard it too, because she called out: "Kat?" and leant against the door.
I didn't know what to do. I stared at the water all over the floor, leaking into the next door cubicle too, until my vision span. Suddenly, the walls began pressing in on me, restraining my movement, and the ceiling seemed to come crashing down on me. I couldn't see a thing, and my throat was so tight I could barely breathe. I knew that I was having a panic attack, but I couldn't find the strength to fight it.
"Help! Help me!" I cried, thumping weakly on the door. "Let me out, I'm giving birth!" That was when the door flew open, presumably unhinged by Syd, and I stumbled out, gasping for air. I knew one thing: I was not prepared to have this child in a toilet! But I needed privacy, and I wanted to be out of the way of the Cruger family.
There was only one place I could think of, and I took off down the corridor, shoving anyone who got in my way to the floor.
The small, disused space, between the boiler room/ridiculously oversized airing cupboard and the infirmary was that place. Well, people thought it was small, but I was among the only few people who knew it opens up into an eight by eight foot room, with a dim lightbulb hanging from the low ceiling. It was probably once a secret storage cupboard of sorts. I crawled in.
Almost instantly I collapsed, and it was a good thing I'd stolen some towels, because no sooner than I'd laid down, a tiny body slithered out of me. I grimaced at the feeling – I'd forgotten just how disgusting it was – and picked up my son… who looked exactly like a mini replicate of Doggie, his large canine ears plastered to his blue scales with blood.
The panic began to grip at me again, but this time I managed to think of a plan. Quick thinking and improvisation – it is part of being a scientist. Dressing myself up again, and still giving birth, I ran to the operating theatre, where Felix had just pulled out a little girl from Isinia. Unable to speak through breathlessness and pain, I just thrust my son at him, who squirmed slightly from the cold.
Instantly, my brother knew what I wanted. Great minds think alike I suppose.
"No, Kat!" He growled. "I can't do that to them."
"Please brother!" I cried. If Felix could somehow convince Cruger that Isinia had been bearing twins, maybe everything would be alright. "Please do this – it's for Crugers honour more so than mine. He'll lose his wife if Isinia knows what happened!"
After what seemed like an age, my brother nodded with a sigh, "Much against my better judgement, Kat, I think you have suffered enough for what you have done. I will do my best to see that Isinia and Cruger accept this child, regardless of regulations." For a moment, as I watched Felix swaddle my son, I thought my heart would physically break. But I had no choice. Leaving the baby boy with him, I sped back to my room.
I thought that after all that running around, I'd have no energy to deliver the last two of my triplets. But they came quickly and painlessly and had no visible hint of Cruger in them whatsoever. I sighed, cuddling my children close to me. They were so perfect, in many ways.
"Kat?" Almost half an hour later I heard my brothers' voice calling into the alcove. I growled in response, and he came exploding into my tiny room in a flurry. "Oh, Kat, I am so sorry… if I'd have known you were… but I had to operate or Isinia would have…"
I held up my hand in a silent signal that it was okay. "Enough. It's okay Felix - you did what you had to, and I am fine. More importantly, they are fine." I grinned and Felix accepted my unspoken offer to come and crouch beside me, looking over my shoulder and the baby I was cradling – my elder of the two, a girl, with long legs and fair eyebrows. "She is my eldest." Her cat-like ears twitched at my words. "Hold her for a moment."
Felix took her, and I picked up the younger of the two, another girl, who already had a full head of dark brown hair.
"Two girls," I announced, running my finger over my daughters cheek. She squirmed in protest. "No hint of Cruger visibly in them."
"They are so beautiful." Felix purred, as he weighed them and scribbled things down on birth certificates. "Have you named them yet?"
"I have." I confirmed. Originally I had wondered if I ought to stick to the tradition of naming which I had learned on my home planet. Naming the child for either the first object you see after your child is born, or a name meaning something. My name meant pure, I remembered. My mother probably named me that so she'd remember I was the pure one whereas my half sister was born thanks to an affair… I shook my head. I wasn't going to stick to that tradition for I'd heard many names on Earth, from humans and other races alike, and I had decided which my favourites were. I would name my daughters with these names instead. "The elder girl is named Zelda with a middle name of Maria, and the younger is named Soara with a middle name of Jayne."
"Did you take note of birth times?" Felix asked, smiling a little. These were his nieces – he must have been happy. I had done, and told him them: 7: 32 and 7: 42.
For a moment there was silence.
"Just so you know, Isinia is beginning to come round. Commander Cruger has met their daughter, and his son." He lowered his head to my height, and growled at me, in our old Felle language. "I hope you know what you have done."
"Of course I know." I spat back, in the same language. "And it hurts so much! But I had to. It was for the best."
Felix sighed wearily, and understandingly. Then he spoke in English again, "Well he mentioned giving you a visit later on. I suspected that you wouldn't be in the best of moods," I glared at my brother, "and that's why I decided to give you a heads up."
Felix seemed to pause for thought. Then a smile crossed his face. "You know, Zelda looks a bit like Sasha."
I know it sounds strange, but the comment stung in my chest, for it made me think: by abandoning, and lying about my son, was I just like Sasha, my mother, whom had also abandoned me? But I was desperate not to show this. Instead I smiled. I was getting pretty tired.
"I would much prefer it if you came into the infirmary, Kat. I won't let you stay here for three days." Felix warned, raising his eyebrows.
"Mmm," I agreed. "I will move, but not now, I'm too tired. I need sleep." As Felix left, I laid my twins next to each other and settled down for a rest.