Her mama's presence was caressing and breezing through her hair and all, a small comfort to her as she rested over the hole, feeling the squeezing contractions of pain, yet she wanted Waylon more, and then heard her mate calling for her.
She screamed/sobbed out for him, "Wally!", and she heard running footsteps, lots of them, and she turned her head to face the cavern entrance into the underground pond and its surroundings, and she snarled and growled, protectively guarding and covering her nest as she saw her family, instincts flaring.
"Poppy!", Waylon shouted. His heart had raced as he rushed as fast as possible to the pond, now seeing Poppy and the utter sight of the dug nest. It took him only a few moments to piece things together before he felt his heart sink.
She was pregnant with their children... and clearly, something had gone tragically wrong. Poppy heard him and snapped out of her instincts almost, "Don't let them get near! You come now, Wally, and turn Croc! Please!", with sobs and tears.
"Stay back! All of you!", Waylon quickly growled as the others came to a stop when he turned form. After a few moments of no one moving, Waylon moved to be with Poppy. "I'm here... I'm here...", Waylon whispered as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
Poppy wishes that she would be small enough to fit inside his arms, but she cried and sobbed, "Wally...not too tight, please...I am still in labor...but I'm scared...What if the last one's broken?...the eggs, some of them didn't get fertilized, but the ones as big as papayas...they...they were alive before I killed them...I didn't know...it was my fault...I'm sorry, Wally...I'm sorry...I'm a murderer...".
Waylon saw with wide eyes underneath her to take in the depth of the dug nest, stunned to see 15 eggs, his heart breaking and stunned...
He knew he was very much bent up and so loaded that week after Halloween, considering that it was his Croc's mating season, determined to fill his mate up with so much sperm, yet the 15 eggs was impossible, because his mate isn't a Croc like him, but she's gamma-charged, so it must have happened when the abrupt change of her body from 13 to 17 had advanced her period to give out eggs so much at one time, and after that week, her prime heat had settled down to casual heat, and his instincts to close dormancy for mating until he's in the mood occasionally over the next few months here and there.
Some of his biggest concerns back around that time returned to the forefront of his mind again; but just as quickly fell back as none of those were important at the moment. Right now, was the moment and how Poppy was an absolute disaster with what had happened. There was a dark part of him in the back of his mind, just for a brief moment, that was almost so angry with her about their children... but it vanished a moment later as he couldn't be angry with her about this. Neither of them knew or suspected a thing; it was a complete accident. Right now, she needed him so much.
Waylon shushed her, kissing her on the temple, "You didn't know. How could you be a murderer if you didn't know? It was a complete accident...We didn't know or suspected that you were pregnant...It wasn't your fault. Did you want to kill them?".
"What? No! I didn't want that!", Poppy protested, and Waylon replied, "See? And even if I'm sad and stunned right now, you didn't torture them either or anything else...It was quick, they didn't even know what happened today. You aren't a killer, a murderer, and I will fiercely tell you that you did nothing wrong from this day through our lives. But right now, it's up to you to save a life, even if it's terrifying. You need to push the last egg out, I got you...".
Poppy whimpered, "I'm scared...", and Waylon kissed her on the lips, "Hey, I'm scared too, but fear is the precursor of bravery. You got this. You're my mate, my girlfriend! You're strong, you got this!".
"Y-Yes...You're right...You're right, I got this...", Poppy took deep breaths, burying her face into his chest, and pushed as she instinctively laid, moaning and crying out in pain, clenching her feet into the sand.
Waylon encouraged her, "Good, you're doing so good.", proud of his gamma hulk mate, watching and feeling her quiver and contract, barely noticing the scraps of her pajamas, and when he heard a sound, he snapped around, his Croc instincts flaring as he growled, acting like a father and a mate, glaring at the family with Bruce taking only a step forward, and he gulped, afraid for once of Waylon.
Martha replied, "I told you so...They're mates, and Waylon isn't letting any other males get near, even family, and you saw Poppy just earlier, she's protective of the nest right now.".
Thomas nodded, "Your mother's right, son...Even if I want to help my daughter so badly due to being a doctor and all, her instincts are helping her, even if she's still wrecked...I can't really see what happened, but it must be bad...".
Several minutes passed, and Poppy whimpered, "I...I'm so tired, Wally...It really hurts...Can Mom help, please?", pleading to Waylon's Croc instincts, and Waylon listened to his Croc instincts, and replied, "She's not a male, nor a predator...You sure?".
Poppy nodded, tears in her eyes, "Yes...", and Waylon turned his head over with an accepting snort, "Martha is welcome, but only to help, no stealing, only fixing the nest to help the egg land safely, and guide the egg if Poppy is tired, is that clear?".
"Of course.", Martha said. Not that it would've probably happened, but Waylon's instincts often did make him think some of the strangest things. Plus, there was the thought in his head that he's probably lose in a fight to her; he might shatter his teeth on her skin if he tried to take a bite. Nothing provable but why take the chance?
With careful, quick steps, Martha made it to the nest, widening her eyes in shock and horror to see the evidence of 15 eggs in the nest as Poppy moved her leg, revealing it all, and not wanting to make a scene of making Poppy feel worse, she replied gently, "It's going to be alright, Poppy. I'm here...", slipping and carefully watching her step into the nest, with Poppy's leg instinctively moving back into position, gently moving the sad sight of the mismatched eggs to the sides of the nest, making sure the sand is soft and firm underneath Poppy's legs, remembering what Thomas did.
She checked the dilation of Poppy's vagina, seeing the egg peek, but barely, and told Poppy, "You're quite dilated, but you're so much stretched...we need some encouragement. Waylon, tear a bit off your shirt, and go to the water, soak it as much as you can, and hand it to me so I can make the pain manageable and easier.".
"Right.", Waylon walked away for a few moments as he got to work as Poppy looked at Martha; she honestly felt so weak even in her gamma amazon form.
"Am I a terrible person, Mommy...?", Poppy whispered as Martha shook her head. "No, Poppy, you're not... this all clearly was an accident; you never would've dared to endanger your children if you knew...", Martha tried to tell her. She could tell that Poppy was going to probably be haunted by the guilt forever; and it broke her heart to see that.
Martha felt her wife's presence around her, and she knew what to say, "Penelope Wayne, listen to me. I'm not mad at you, or about you doing this. Like you said, your choice, your body. And you're not a terrible person at all. If you knew, you would have more manageable fears and all those needs to know the genders, names, and personalities, but you'd have the family to help, even if it was five eggs and this one...Yes, it's sad that out of all those eggs, those five eggs which was clearly successfully developed, but they weren't viable to stand against the accident which wasn't your fault or theirs. Their shells weren't strong enough, that's all. They didn't know what was coming, but they are at peace, with your mama, and you know your mama would watch over them until their souls want to be reborn elsewhere on earth or some other universe out there. It was nature, and nature brings life or takes away life. But you still got a chance with this last egg...I know you are scared and tired, but you can do this, and I'm right here to help, and so is Waylon.".
Poppy whispered a bit stronger, "I...I really want my lost children to move on...to find better lives...even if I wasn't the best mother, I'd want the best lives for them...Do you really think that Mama can guide them with my request, even if I and Wally wasn't really parents until now?".
"Of course she will...", Martha told her. "Let's just look at these as a tragic miscarriage with the ones lost... please... I don't want you to hate yourself, Poppy, for this.", Martha said as she rubbed her back over the side, as Poppy had been looking at her over her shoulder during the conversation, and Martha had raised her body up on her knees to face her daughter directly without straining herself.
"Okay...", Poppy whispered under her breath as she felt another contraction, and Waylon returned with the soaked piece of his shirt, handing it to Martha, "Here.".
Martha smiled thankfully, "Thank you, Waylon. Now return to your embrace to hold her, but not too strong, but just very firm, if she needs to really hold into you, alright?", and Waylon nodded, returning to his original spot.
Martha lowered herself back, and she gently smoothed the red, sore edges with the soaked rag as Poppy moaned in relief, and Martha sighed gently in relief, continuing it as it sounds like it's helping, and she dabbed through the dilation of her daughter's vagina, touching the bare tiny bit of the peeking egg, making it able to go a bit easier.
She put the soaked rag back on her lap, and replied, "Now, breathe when there's another contraction coming, and push!", encouraging her daughter, faintly hearing her husband and son's whispers of encouragement at the cavern entrance.
Poppy took deep breaths, waiting for the next contraction, and when it came, she pushed, crying out in pain as her hands clenched and scratched into Waylon's chest and shoulders, with her feet dug and clenching into the sand, hearing her mother's shouts, "That's it, good, you're doing so good, Poppy! Nice and steady!".
"Is this like it was giving birth to Bruce and Poppy?", Waylon asked Martha as she gave a small nod, "If I have to hazard a guess, possibly, the only issue was that they were a bit more flexible and softer in some places to pass...".
Martha smiled at Poppy, "Trust me, sweetie, this might be some of the worst pain you'll ever experience but be glad you'll never have to go through the gamma treatment like Waylon or I did; giving birth was practically a breeze compared to that...".
Poppy muttered, "I'll take your word for it...", before she pushed again at another contraction, crying out in pain, and Martha encouraged behind her, "Oh, that's it, trust gravity!", gently easing the egg out, dabbing the damp rag around the edges of her daughter's vagina again.
"It hurts!", Poppy sobbed as she felt the widest part of the egg starting to stretch her out, and Waylon kissed her on the temple, "I know, but you heard your mom. Nice and steady!".
Poppy nodded tiredly, and grunted at another quick contraction, pushing steadily as she screamed out in pain, and Martha laughed, "Good girl!", guiding the egg in almost evacuation of the birth with her hands, guiding to the soft, firm sand cradle, "One more push should do it!".
Waylon kissed her on the temple, "Hear that, Poppy?! Almost there!", and Poppy, with relieved tears, gave a small smile, taking another deep breath, and then cried out in pain as she pushed again, this time a bit stronger, and felt a pop as the egg came free of her, panting and nearly collapsing into Waylon's embrace.
"That was a great job, Poppy!", Martha warmly laughed as she cleaned off the egg gently, resting it in their sand cradle before her eyes widened in concern, "Oh, my!", seeing a hairline crack on the back side she didn't see until now.
It wasn't a complete crack to her slight relief, not seeing any missing pieces of the shell, meaning that possibly the hairline crack didn't breach that deep, unlike the other five eggs that was damaged or crushed with complete cracks or cave-ins.
Poppy took deep breaths as she tried to relax. "Is... is it okay?", she asked as Waylon gave a small nod. "Yeah... there's a crack, but nothing too strong, I don't think... maybe just superficial...", he said.
Poppy almost didn't want to see, afraid, even if Waylon is telling the truth, but she had to know, and twisted her body around and up, and saw the egg that's as big as a coconut, a pristine white, and she saw the hairline crack...
"Is it...?", Poppy looked at her mother in worry, and Martha replied, "It's warm, and it's not shaking, but I think I can feel something moving...But I don't know if the crack is from either the accident, which I am surprised about, but the shell must be very strong to hold against what happened, or perhaps preparing to hatch...".
Thomas' voice replied, "I can do an X-ray check.", starting to move, and Poppy with Waylon moved, glaring at him, protecting the nest, Martha and the egg, and Poppy snarled, "I'm freshly sore from giving birth for damn 16 times, did we tell you to move?!".
Thomas froze, paling, and gulped as Bruce smirked at the irony of the situation, like son, like father, and replied, "I have a better idea for distance without moving...May I have permission to call Doctor Fate?".
Poppy and Waylon shared a look, and Waylon growled lowly, "As long as you tell him to stay right there at the spot besides you two, you may call him as long as he's helping somehow.".
Bruce nodded, glad that he grabbed his cell phone from his room during the search in the manor, opening it, and dialing for Fate's number, and after a couple of rings, "Hello, Doctor Fate...Yes, I know it's late, but we do have a situation. Can you sense my energy and portal to me as we're currently down in the caverns? Good. Note of warning, you can't move forward. I believe you will see what I mean. You are allowed to help by magic which is not against the rule logically. Great, see you in a moment.", and closed his cell phone.
A couple moments later, Doctor Fate appeared by portal, and he glanced around, taking into the situation, "Ah, I see...Explain, if you please.", staying by Bruce's instructions firmly, not stepping forward as he can sense the protective aura of mates and parents in Waylon and Poppy.
"Fairly cut and dry.", Bruce said. "Poppy was pregnant; but not in a normal way; she was pregnant in a more reptilian way which makes sense with both her and Waylon. And right now, they're both on more animalistic instincts; so, you can't get close to them.", Bruce quickly ran things down.
Thomas replied, "And what we observed and heard, while we were looking for her, she was in labor 15 times, with an egg as the 16th time just now, with a hairline crack. I think most of them didn't...ah, get fertilized successfully, but the last batch that was fertilized successfully, very developed, prior to the egg that survived, well, Poppy was in a gymnastics competition meet, and in the middle of her run, she failed to catch the high vault bar, and...you get the gist...", with a sigh.
"I'm to assume that she never knew she was pregnant in the first place then?", Fate asked as some of the others nodded. "There were none of the signs; or if there were, they might have been dismissed since she certainly wasn't starting to show off her pregnancy.", Bruce said.
Fate nodded, "I see.", before looking at Waylon and Poppy, "I promise not to steal or touch your nest physically, but may I use magic to check over the egg?", and the couple looked at each other for a moment before Poppy gave a low rumble, "You're saying the truth, and you may.".
Fate bowed in respect before speaking in Latin as his hands glowed, and a warm, gentle-feeling energetic line of magic came from his hands, reaching over the distance between the men and the nest, to gently curl around the egg, and with his other hand, a stream of magic forked out, reaching the middle of the distance as the magic projected a holographic picture of the egg.