Dianna could not suppress her smile as her mother screamed and trembled. At last, she was transitioning. It was the most difficult part of labor, and the part that Dianna liked best when her patients got to it. She never felt guilty for enjoying it. Since she became a midwife the urge to take people into the woods to hurt them had largely abated. Labor was going to hurt either way. As strange as it would seem that someone with a piece of Shabranigdu in their soul would get into this profession, it was a surprisingly good fit.

Dianna even wondered if that was why Rezo was attracted to healing, in addition to curing his blindness. As a healer you meet plenty of people in pain.

"You're almost there. The worst part will be over soon." Dianna said as Lina relaxed and rested her head against Gourry's shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. It was not often that fathers stayed with their wives, and Dianna found that his mixed feelings of guilt and fear especially heightened the effect. And each time Lina's face contorted in pain those feelings reached a delectable crescendo!

She put a hand on Gourry's shoulder and asked, "If there was a way to feel it for her, would you?"

Gourry looked at her, startled, "Is there?"

Dianna grinned, "No."

Gourry gaped at her. Even Lina stirred, obviously perturbed by her remarks. Usually Dianna tried not to let her passenger interfere with her bedside manner, but there were times she could not help herself. Before he could say anything she turned around and walked to the washstand and started prepping for the arrival of her newest sibling. Lina tensed again, and Gourry and Mrs. Inverse started to coax her through it. Even with all of the noise, Dianna still heard the front door open and Attie walk in. She had made sure she would be in town when the babies were due. Considering most of the town was pregnant and due at the same time, the community of help that a family received with the arrival of a new baby was going to be extremely diffused. Attie and Dianna were tasked with their parents, while Min was also going to get help from her in-laws. Lina's parents would be helping Luna when the time came.

Dianna started scrubbing up as Attie walked up and stood in the doorway. When she saw that her mother was hard at work she quickly turned around to face the hallway, "No baby yet?"

"Not yet." Dianna said quietly, "But soon. Considering how long it's been since you were born she's progressed rather quickly."

"Good." Attie said as she folded her arms, wincing as her mother screamed from inside the bedroom. When Lina quieted again she said, "Aunt Luna is still quiet, but when I stopped by to check on Min she said her pains were starting."

"How far apart? And for goodness sake come on inside." Dianna said as she started the triage process. Lina's labor was going well and progressing normally. While Lina's first delivery had nearly killed her, after going on to have two standard deliveries with Min and Attie it was generally agreed that it was Dianna's passenger that caused that delivery to be so treacherous. Likely Dianna could call a different midwife in if needed and Lina would be fine. Min, on the other hand, tended to have complications. And there was not a midwife who was more talented than Dianna.

"I'm fine out here. And nine minutes."

"She should be fine until I finish here. I really don't think Mom's is going to waste too much time to come out." Dianna said as she dried her hands, "And don't be scared. Come on in! It's not every day you get to see a new sibling born."

Attie looked at her in surprise, "It's not weird to you that you're helping Mom give birth?"

Dianna shrugged, "When I'm on the job, I'm on the job."

Attie cringed as Lina screamed again. "I don't see how you do this."

But she tepidly stepped into the room and hung back around the dresser as Dianna confidently strode to her parents. She noticed their hands clasped tightly together and how Lina braced herself against him as though he was an anchor. Once again, Dianna acknowledged the impossibly high bar her parents set for a successful marriage. Nearly thirty years together and they still seemed so attuned to each other and worked so well together. She had thought she was going to have that with Kenneth. But, not even ten years with him and she wasn't sure they were going to last much longer.

Dianna pushed her feelings aside as she reminded herself that she was on the job and, more importantly if she had timed it right, the transition period was over. "Let's check and see how it's progressing."

Lina nodded, and Dianna swiftly examined her, "Looking good. Head is engaged. You should be feeling the urge to push."

"You think?" Lina snapped.

Dianna patted her on the knee. "Shouldn't be too much longer."

And she was correct. Not twenty minutes later she was placing her newborn sister on her mother's chest. And Dianna recognized all too well that look of euphoria, that rush of love as Lina broke down into tears of happiness. Dianna watched and mustered every bit of detachment as she could as Gourry kissed the crown of Lina's head before placing a hand on his new daughter's back. Dianna tried to bat the feeling away.

But still it rose.

Dianna had known it was a long shot. But she also knew Lina had not wanted another baby. Part of her had been hoping that her parents would give the new baby to her and let her raise her. Every time she indulged in the fantasy she mentally smacked herself. Her parents would never trust her with a baby. But still. Foolishly she clung to the hope that they would have been moved by her grief over losing the latest one. But as she watched her parents welcome their new baby she knew that that was what that baby would remain. Their baby.

Dianna took a deep breath as she waited for the afterbirth and stared at the new baby. She looked so much like the baby she had lost. The pain stabbed her heart. Behind her she heard Attie sniff and she glanced at her. Attie was smiling even as she was crying and sharing the same overwhelming happiness as her parents. Suddenly Dianna felt very alone in her grief.

Attie clasped her shoulder, and Dianna nearly jumped out of her skin, "Thank you for dragging me in here." She whispered, and then she asked loudly, "What are you going to call her?"

"Pomona." Lina said as she stroked her head and then she laughed, "Looks like we don't vary the pattern. She looks just like the three of you did!"

Gourry stroked Lina's hair, "Why mess with it when you get such good results?"

He looked over at Dianna, relief etched into his features that both Lina and the baby were okay. "You did an amazing job, Di."

Dianna shrugged, "Mom put in the hard work. I just caught the baby."

"We felt a lot better knowing you were here." Lina said.

Dianna was not interested in hearing their praise when she was struggling so much to hold it together. It was a rotten consolatory prize compared to what she was wanting. "I've got to finish up here. Min's labor has begun."

For a brief moment Dianna thought of leaving before she had cast a healing spell on her mother to force her to live with the pain of being torn apart until she got back, but she forced herself to stay until she was healed.

"Are you going to be okay, attending to one delivery after another like this?" Gourry asked as she was gathering her stuff to leave.

"Well, considering the volume right now, all of us midwives are pulling in long hours." She said as she closed her bag.

Gourry put a hand on her arm, "Not all of the midwives carry the burdens you do."

Dianna bit her lip, "The red passenger is under control. Besides, you know Min is high risk, and I'm the one tasked with the high risk cases. Never lost a mother."

Gourry's lips thinned, and then he pulled her into a comforting hug, and Dianna could sense that overwhelming fear. Was he scared for her or Min? Or both of them? "Just, take care of yourself while you're taking care of her, okay?"

Dianna fought against tears, "We'll be fine." She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door, "I'll stop by and tell you all about your new grandchild as soon as I'm able."

But as Dianna walked to Min's house, all she could think about was the opportunity. With her mother recovering from delivering a child, she couldn't stop her from letting Shabranigdu take over and destroy the world. With the whole family preoccupied with the new arrivals likely no one would notice that she had slipped out until it was too late.

Dianna took a deep breath. She had a job to do. The months since she lost her baby had been anguishing and hard, what with all of the swollen bellies and influx of patients. But Dianna had her pride. If she gave up now she would be saying she wasn't tough enough to handle it. She would be giving into the monster who had killed her baby. So she had to focus on Min. It would crush her father if anything happened to Min.

When Dianna got there Min's mother-in-law, Cathy, was there and Drake had already gathered the boys and taken them elsewhere. And as their butler was home with his wife who had just given birth, and both their maid and cook were at home recovering with their new babies, it was Cathy who answered the door.

"I'm so glad you're here. Her water has just broke." She explained as she ushered her into the house.

"How far apart are the contractions?" she asked.

"Six minutes."

Dianna nodded as she walked into the master bedroom and was only slightly surprised to see that Min was lying on her side and reading between contractions. Dianna shook her head, "In all my years of doing this, you are my only patient who has ever read while in labor."

"Once this baby comes I'll be so busy I don't think I'll ever have the opportunity to crack open a book again!" Min explained, and Dianna wished she would stop talking about the new baby as a burden. But unlike her parents, she knew there was no way Min would give her the baby. Even if Min was inclined, Drake would not allow it.

"Let's get you checked out." Dianna said.

"Did Mom have her baby?" Min asked as she moved to the bed.

Dianna winched at the words "her baby." Her mother's baby. "We have a healthy new sister. They're calling her Pomona."

Min laughed, "Poor Dad, sill the sole man in the family."

"You know, I think he likes it. Besides, as long as everyone is happy and healthy then that's…" Dianna's voice trailed off.

"What?" Min asked.

"It's going to be fine." Dianna said once she had taken a breath. "We're just going to check baby's heartbeat now."

"Oh, here it comes, it's not too bad right now though." Min said as she shifted to make herself more comfortable as the contraction built. Dianna patted her knee as she got out a cone. The umbilical cord had prolapsed. Depending on the baby's heartbeat Dianna could either try to manually put it back in place or put Min under a sleep spell and perform a caesarean.

Or, a foul voice said in her head, you could let it die.

Dianna shut her eyes as she put the cone to Min's stomach and started to count. But it was hard. All she could think about was how Min had everything. While her marriage to Drake wasn't as strong as their parents' marriage, it was still enviable considering how things were between herself and Kenneth. Min had two beautiful sons, and a large, nice house with a housekeeper and a cook! And Min had always been so popular and adored.

Dianna had been popular in a sense. A notorious one. She was notorious and scorned.

Sure, Min had had her little crises. But nothing like the agony of losing pregnancy after pregnancy.

Dianna could neglect to intervene. Min would pull through, but depending on how the baby was sitting on the cord it could starve itself of oxygen and suffocate. Likely no one would look too closely into what she could have done different. She could still retain her place as the best midwife in Zephelia.

But then, if she let Shabranigdu take over, then even that wouldn't matter. And before the world ended the perfect Min would know what it was like to lose a child.

Dianna exhaled and focused on counting the heart beats and her job. She wanted to avoid a caesarean. To put her under a spell heavy enough that she wouldn't wake up from the pain would mean she would be out for a good eight hours and wouldn't be able to feed it until then. And the way things stood, wet nurses were at a premium. Granted, Dianna decided, Min could afford it. Or worse come to worse they could take the baby to Lina.

Or, the voice said again, you could cut her open without the sleep spell. You could heal her up as soon as the baby is out, she could nurse immediately, and think of all of that pain!

Dianna closed her eyes and told her passenger to shut up. She worked hard to focus and frowned as she listened. Min's contraction abated and she looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"I need you to listen to me carefully and do everything I say. The cord is prolapsed. Right now his heart beat is good, but I'm going to have to constantly monitor him to make sure it stays that way. If it goes down, I'm going to have to perform a caesarean."

Min's eyes widened at the thought of being cut open as Dianna continued, "We also need to get that cord back in place. Here, lay with your head down, and put your feet up."

Dianna got the cord back in place easily, but from there on it was a nerve wracking labor. Dianna was constantly monitoring Min to make sure the heart rate did not drop and was in fear of her own thoughts about letting the baby die. The thoughts troubled her. What if the baby did die? Would it have happened either way, or would it have been because she had messed up somehow? That she had let Shabranigdu take over and get in the way of doing her job? Or worse, that she herself had deliberately slipped up to kill the baby?

She always liked to blame the less attractive aspects of her personality on Shabranigdu. When she hurt people, it wasn't her, it was Shabranigdu. But the fact was, when she hurt other people, it was because she wanted them to hurt, allowing her will and Shabranigdu's to align. If the baby died, and if it was because of something Dianna did, or failed to do, then that death would be on her hands.

Dianna monitored Min more obsessively than she usually did to compensate for her thoughts. And then she started to emotionally withdraw. She knew she should help Min rally through the contractions, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The bedside manner she had mostly maintained while assisting with her mother's labor was shed completely. Dianna's thoughts became so disturbed that she decided she needed a breather. "I'm just going to fix myself a cup of coffee."

"Do you need me to get that, dear?" Cathy asked.

Dianna shook her head, "I need a moment."

"Enjoy your damn moment and remember I don't get a fucking break!" Min spat as she kneeled over the bed, the book forgotten, and her face red and tear stained.

Dianna grinned as she soaked in the animosity. It was almost as revitalizing as the coffee! "If you need me, scream."

Dianna walked into Min's immaculate kitchen and found what she needed. She'd just finished the cup when someone knocked on the door. She went and opened it. "Hey," Attie said.

"Come on in." Dianna said. "How are things?"

"Dad and I tested Pomona at dawn. She's free of the curse."

Dianna nodded. Considering how normal Lina's pregnancy was, that was not surprising but still a relief. Attie continued, "Pomona is eating well. When I left Mom was sleeping and seems to be on the mend. Before she went to sleep she told me to tell Min that she is forgiven."

"Min will be glad to hear it." Dianna said caustically as she started to walk back to the bedroom. Attie followed nervously.

"And it's a busy night. Grandma was going to come over to help with Min, but she stopped by her house first and found that Aunt Luna was in labor. She sent Grandpa to tell me to tell you."

"Hm. Any news on that?" As a first time mother at the age of forty-seven, Luna was delegated to the high risk category. But as things were, Dianna could not leave Min.

You could leave her. If you take Attie down and leave now, no one will be able to stop us.

Dianna shook her head and asked Attie to repeat herself. "I went with Grandpa to get another midwife."

"Which one?"

"Connie."

Dianna nodded, "If it's not me, then it had better be Connie. And Min has had complications. I can't leave her unless something serious happens with Aunt Luna."

Attie patted her arm as they reached the bedroom, "Connie told me to tell you she has it under control."

Dianna was relieved. She did not think she could handle a third delivery after this one. She got out her stop watch and walked into the room, "Look who's stopped by."

Min looked at Attie and then rested her head back on the mattress. "What is she supposed to do, speed this up?" she snapped.

Dianna patted Attie on the arm and whispered, "Just ignore her. It's the labor talking. And if prior history is anything to go on, she's just going to get snarkier as this progresses until she gets it all out of her system, then she'll lie there, dormant as a kitten, too tired to even scream..."

Attie looked a little white and interrupted, "So, how much longer?"

Min's hands clenched in the sheets and she tensed. Dianna started the watch, "I'd say about four or five more hours. Well, until she stops with the snark."

"Bitch! I heard that." Min spat.

Dianna smiled to herself. She knew she should stop. Usually she could keep her enjoyment of it under control around her other patients. But still. At the end of the day Min was going to have everything she wanted. Provided she kept it together and didn't do anything to the baby. Fear arouse in Dianna as she started to worry about the heartbeat. When was the last time she had checked it? Meanwhile, Attie looked nervously from Dianna to Min as Dianna got out her cone and said. "Here, let me listen to the heartbeat again."

"I think I'm going to go." Attie said.

Dianna shrugged. Attie walked up to Min and put a hand on her shoulder, "You'll get through this."

"And until you've gone through this, shut up!" Min said.

"If it helps, you've helped me decide to never have kids." Attie said. And then she rushed out of the room.

Hours passed agonizingly slowly. And as they passed, Dianna did start to feel a bit of sympathy for Min. Cathy was not a good coach and while Lina was usually there now she was recovering from her own birth, likely making the experience even harder than her previous labors. Dianna warred with putting her resentments aside and being more supportive herself and her desire to make Min suffer like she was suffering.

Dianna took a deep breath as she remembered Aunt Luna telling her to always do the harder thing. It was the best way to fight him. Dianna exhaled, and when Min next cried out in pain she put a hand on her arm, "Focus on my hand." Dianna said calmly, "There, it's almost over."

Somehow Dianna worked herself into a rhythm. Check the heartbeat. Support Min. Fight her feelings of jealousy. Shabranigdu's voice receded as Dianna's compassion grew. Her fear that the baby would die started to abate as well. Finally Min made it to the point where it was time to push. Dianna heard the front door open but was too busy coaxing Min to pay too much attention.

"Is it safe to come in?" Drake asked from the hallway.

Dianna rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Come on in, you're just in time."

Drake walked in, obviously expecting to see the baby already born and was stunned that it hadn't been. But before he could protest Dianna said, "Hold Min's hand."

Dianna was not someone to be disobeyed, so Drake did as she asked, looking nervous as hell. Well, if she wasn't going to torment Min, she would settle for making Drake uncomfortable. Dianna looked at Min, "Almost there. One or two more big pushes, okay?"

Min nodded. She got the head out with the next contraction, and then the rest of the body followed. Dianna felt relief wash through her as the baby screamed. He was alive! A bit bluer than she would have liked, but still alive!

"It's a boy." Dianna said as she placed him on Min's chest. Min laughed with relief as she held him, looking extremely tired but euphoric. Much as she had resented her pregnancy, Dianna recognized that she was falling in love with her youngest.

"Oh my goodness, Min." Drake whispered, "Is this, is this all normal?"

"Quite." Dianna said coldly. Neither Min, Drake or Cathy noticed. They were all wrapped up in the new baby. Dianna was thankful for that. Because now that she had seen mother and baby safely delivered, she felt as though she was suffering under the weight of her depression.

She kept an eye on the infant as she tended to Min and healed her up, her movements becoming more and more mechanical as the child started to pinken and become livelier. Dianna's worries had not been realized. Min's son would be fine. Dianna, meanwhile, would go home to a quiet, cold house. After her latest fight with Kenneth she was still not speaking to him.

Suddenly it was unendurable being in Min's beautiful, perfect house. She started to pack up her bag and hoped that she could get out of there before she started to cry. Then she started to fear that she had overlooked something, missed something important. So she gave Min and the baby another exam and saw them settled in. If anything was wrong, Dianna could not find it. But the thought that something could be, that she would find out in five hours that the baby was dead worried her.

She left and hurriedly walked to her home. She knew she should check on her Aunt Luna but she could not bring herself to do it. Between her mother and Min she had been at work for eighteen hours straight. And she still had twenty patients on her caseload. Aunt Luna would be fine with Connie. She needed to get what rest she could before the next woman popped.

Dianna swiftly walked down the street, and thought too late that she should have taken a different route. From inside every other house it seemed you could hear the wail of a newborn baby. Tears started to pour down Dianna's face. And then she stopped walking. Going to her house was unendurable, but where else was there to go? Lina and Min were basking in the joy of their new babies in their homes. Luna was delivering one of her own at her grandparents' home. There was nowhere she could get away from it.

Except for one.

Dianna trembled as she veered to the east and started to walk towards the woods. As she saw it, she had two options and the perfect opportunity to execute either of them. She could merge with Shabranigdu and usher in the destruction of the world. Or she could kill herself, start the reincarnation cycle again, and let someone else shoulder the burden of carrying him. She could save Kenneth the trouble of divorcing her, and her parents and siblings the burden of caring for her while they struggled to raise their new babies. It wasn't as if anyone would be torn apart by her death. And now that she had seen her mother and sister safely delivered, there wasn't even a need for her.

And besides all that, she was so tired. So very tired of fighting him. Steadily she walked into the woods. Soon, she would find peace.