Warning : Semi descriptive, traumatic birth past the second line break. Skip that if it makes you uncomfortable.
The months seemed to fly by for Erik and for once he was almost deliriously happy. It was an uncomfortable yet enjoyable feeling. He and Christine were getting closer and closer. While they'd yet to really put a name to their relationship, he would take what he could get from her.
Though there were things he remained concerned about. Some concerns had been confirmed and others were still unfounded. He was now absolutely certain that she was carrying more than one.
There was no way that one baby would take up that much room in her stomach. He hadn't seen very many pregnant women before, but he was almost certain that the ones carrying a singular baby were much smaller than Christine.
Unfortunately, for the life of him, he couldn't come up with a concrete answer to why she was so exhausted. He assumed that her current state did have something to do with it, but that wasn't comforting in the slightest. Mostly because he couldn't say with absolute certainty that it was the only reason.
He tried to ask her occasionally but she always assured him that she was fine.
He never pushed because he didn't have the heart to, not when she was looking up at him through barely open eyes. Her raspy, sleep roughened voice also tugged at his heartstrings. So even if he were to try, he would give in sooner rather than later.
Selfishly, there was another reason that he could barely bring himself to acknowledge. He didn't want to. Even so, the simple fact was that he would miss the way that she curled into him when he went to bed at a decent time.He would especially miss the times that he didn't.
During those times, she would embrace him from behind. She leaned into him heavily, her rounded stomach pressing against him as she clung. She would implore for him in the sweetest voice and it worked every single time. How could he when she was always so warm and pliant?
Today, however, things would unfortunately have to be different. He had many things to check on and both Giry and Khan were insisting that he spoke to them. He had a few ideas as to why but he had already made himself clear. He would not be swayed in his decision. But he didn't want to leave her. Something was different.
She seemed less refreshed with her naps and the sleep itself seemed restless.
He would assume that her size was simply impeding her ability to become comfortable, if it were not for the way she winced and the way her breath hitched occasionally. She wouldn't be fully alone, but Ayesha could not help her if something were to happen.
"Christine... Perhaps I should put it off one day more?" He suggested wearily, resting a hand on her abdomen. He stroked it gently.
Christine covered his hand with one of her own, teeth embedded in her plush lower lip for a moment. She seemed to be debating with herself over something, but he waited as patiently as he could.
"No. You should go. Besides, your friend would just come down here and I don't want anyone else to see me like this." She finally answered, looking up at him almost imploringly.
That was understandable. Even though he still thought she was the epitome of beauty, she clearly wouldn't. Nor would most of the general public. They were far too judgemental and being with child was something that most thought should remain private.
"As long as you are sure, ange." He finally relented, leaning down to press a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead.
He was slow to pull away and even slower to get himself ready. Perhaps he was simply giving her an opening to change her mind. When she didn't, he continued on his way.
Though he was trusting her claims, he couldn't ignore the way his stomach was twisting and turning.
He was just paranoid. That's all it was. He would just have to force himself to focus on what he needed to do.
As soon as she was sure that he was gone, she was filled with both relief and fear. She was relieved that he had respected her wishes but she was also scared. Scared was a bit of an understatement.
Frightened worked much better. How could she not be frightened? She had been trying to hide her contractions since early this morning. They were already pretty intense and she could safely assumed that they'd started even earlier. They'd just been tame enough for her to sleep through.
But these ones weren't. Not only were they intense, but they were getting closer together. She didn't know by how much, but she had a pretty good idea of just what that meant.
She wasn't prepared for this, especially not doing this without a midwife. But she didn't have a choice. Not really. It was mostly her fault anyway. She could've opened her mouth and mentioned them but she hadn't. She couldn't risk his safety in that manner.
She remained in the bed for a few more hours, her hair becoming limp and sweat soaked. Her chest heaved shallowly as she stroked her stomach. Her eyes were full of tears that she couldn't bring herself to wipe away.
Some sort of instinct clicked inside her, making her realize that she needed to get off the bed. She didn't want to sully the sheets with the mess that she'd be making soon. So with this in mind, she struggled to get out of bed.
She rested her hand on the table beside the bed, using it to balance herself. A mixture of hight pitched whimpers, grunts and sobs left her as she stumbled her way towards the chaise lounge.
She nearly collapsed when she felt something pop, a gush of liquid following it. She winced when she heard the sound. She managed to hold herself awhile longer to disrobe. Just in time it seemed, because after she'd tossed her clothing away a particularly nasty contraction drove her to her knees.
She lost track of time, only noting a difference when she felt the urge to push come over her. She followed it without hesitation. She couldn't keep herself from calling for Erik between her cries of pain and gasps for breath. Calling with a strong word. Perhaps it was closer to begging for him. Unfortunately, he was not in a position to hear her.
When the first baby came out, she was almost relieved. The feeling only increased when she heard it begin to wail. She'd carefully laid it on the chaise lounge, fully intending to get up find something to swaddle it with. It wasn't something that would come to pass because she was driven to her knees once more when those feelings returned.
She struggled more with this one and by the time that she'd managed to push it out, her movements were sluggish and her eyelids were heavy. Even so, she used what strength she had left to lift the baby up. She repeated the process she'd used with the first one, getting it to cry before laying it beside it's sibling.
Something else followed but she was relieved to realize that it felt nothing like a baby. Dark spots began to dance in front of her eyes and she leaned her head against the lounge beside her babies.
Ragged breaths slipped past her dry lips as she tried to regulate her breathing.
She heard footsteps and someone calling her name, but that was all that she could register before everything went dark and her body finally relaxed.