Tonks was aware of the pain before she was aware of being awake. She sat up with difficulty, clutching at her stomach. She'd known labour would be painful, but the realisation of what was happening was even stronger. She reached out blinding in the dark for Remus. In her panic, she wasn't gentle. She was desperate; she needed him. He woke with a start, blurting out, "What?" before he had the sense of what was going on.
"Get my mum," Tonks said between breaths. "I need her."
Maybe she should have been gentler. She was about to give birth to their son, but in the heat of the moment, with the contraction ripping its way through her, she couldn't focus on anything other than the panic. If she wasn't going to be able to go to St Mungo's, she at least needed her mum. Andromeda had been through it before. She could help.
Remus didn't need to be told twice. He was up and had robes on in record time. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before he disappeared out the door.
Tonks gripped the sheets tightly. It would only be a few minutes. She could take care of herself for that long.
hr
It really was only a few minutes. In record time, she had Andromeda and Remus on either side of her, with both expressing supportive comments. Remus took her hand, and she gripped back tightly. Whatever problems they'd had in the past, he was there in that moment, and she knew he wasn't going anywhere.
Teddy came faster than Tonks had expected, almost as if in apology for the complications surrounding his birth. Tonks held him tight to her chest, tears running down her face. Remus held them both close.
In that moment, everything was perfect.
