Happy that her wife was under the care of the healers, Catra allowed herself to slump against the wall for a moment. Despite Adora telling her the otherwise, Catra had a funny feeling that the Braxton Hicks weren't Braxton Hicks. They felt… odd… different to the ones that had been Braxton Hicks. She inhaled deeply as Maia checked Adora over, asking for only a moments peace. Yet, the universe was still punishing her for her war crimes. The second she actually sat down, her pad buzzed frantically.
Breach in the Northern wall. Immediate assistance is required.
"Fuck," She mumbled. Adora hummed. "Everything ok?" She asked. Maia glanced up as well. "Yeah, it's fine. Just your mom. I need to go... you gonna be ok?" Adora nodded, thankful that something was pulling Catra away. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll buzz you if anything goes wrong," She leaned up to kiss her quickly. "Arrows'll be here soon to keep you company," Catra said over her shoulder. "Don't kill anyone!" Adora called back. Catra chuckled as she ran out of the healer's room. Once the door had shut, Adora sunk into the pillows with a loud groan. "Hmm, I know hiding labour when I see it," Maia, commented. Maia was monitoring Adora's contractions, which seemed to come at breakneck speed, despite no change in her dilation, which was a small worry. "Yeah, well... I know something's happening... Catra doesn't need this distracting her. Labour always takes forever anyway," Adora argued. Maia hummed. "I'm not gonna disagree with you there. My eldest took twenty-seven hours to come out, and my second took nineteen. What hour are you on?" Maia's face contorted into a small frown as she looked at the machine hooked up to Adora's body. The blonde matched her face with her own confused one. "Um... like, six, I think. I had my first contraction really late last night, but they didn't pick up until around eight this morning... why do you have that face? Is something wrong?"
Maia hummed. "Maybe, maybe not. I'll just do some quick tests. I'm thinking maybe not, but I just want to be sure," Maia shuffled over, putting the clipboard on the bed. "Are they ok?" She found herself asking. Maia nodded. "Yeah. You're both ok. Those heartbeats? The slower, top one, is yours. The quicker bottom one is the baby's. They're both healthy," Maia smiled briefly. "I'm going to feel around and palpate your abdomen slightly, ok, Adora?" The blonde nodded.
Adora gasped in slight pain when she pressed near the bottom. Maia muttered to herself as she pushed around the bottom of her stomach. Adora fisted the sheets of the bed, wincing and gasping softly. "Hmm. I think the baby is in a transverse position. That's why you're contracting but not dilating," Adora's brow furrowed. "So what's gonna happen?" She asked. Maia pursed her lips. "I'm going to have to try and turn the baby from outside," She pulled some gloves on. "Wait, what?" Adora pushed further up the bed. "Will-will it hurt?" She asked. Maia nodded grimly. "It will. I'm sorry, but short of a c-section, I don't see much other choice," Adora whined. "Fine. Do whatever you need to do," She huffed. "I'm so over this labour," She threw a hand across her eyes dramatically.
"Do you want to wait for the person your wife mentioned? Arrow?" Maia asked. Adora snorted. "His name is Bow... and no, it's fine. I just wanna get this over with," Adora said. Maia frowned. "Are you sure?" Adora swallowed. "I'm sure," Maia nodded once. "Fine then. All you need to do is keep breathing evenly like you've been doing," Maia said. Adora nodded. "On three then. One, two, three,"
Maia manipulated the baby from the outside, pulling and pushing as best as she could. "Good, we're nearly there," She encouraged. Adora screamed out, bringing her arm to her mouth. She bit down, drawing blood. Maia glanced up with a grim expression. "One last twist and I can get them to turn. But this one's gonna really hurt," She warned. "You're nearly there, though, one more," She said. Adora groaned loudly. "Just get it OVER with!" She yelled, pushing her head harshly against the pillows.
Maia gave a final push on Adora's belly. She yelled out in agony, launching up from the bed. "Done, it's done. Baby is no longer transverse," Maia grinned. Adora panted on the bed, breathing heavily. "Hey, I'm here!" Adora twisted her head to the door. "Hey, Bow," She sighed. The archer rushed over, immediately frowning. "What's going on? Catra said you were having Braxton Hicks," He said. Adora shook her head. "No... I'm in real labour," She said. Bow's eyes lit up. "Really!?" He gasped. She hummed evenly, turning back to Maia. "I'd like those drugs now," Maia audibly hesitated. Adora rose her head to glare. Maia shifted. "I hate to say it Adora, but it you're only three centimetres dilated,"
Adora whined, fisting her eyes. "How!? My waters broke over ten hours ago," She cried. Bow frowned. "Wait, they broke? And you haven't told Catra?" Adora shrugged. "They broke at three in the morning. I didn't even realise I was having contractions until gone nine when I got up," Bow levelled her with a glare. "What!?" The archer shook his head with a huff. "Doesn't matter. How long until she can have the epidural?" Maia shrugged. "Could be an hour, could be another ten," Adora began to protest. "Hell fucking no. NOT another ten!" Maia tutted in sympathy. "Unfortunately, that's just not how childbirth works,"
"NO!"
Bow sighed heavily. "When can she have the epidural?" Maia wrinkled her nose, wincing as Adora battled through another contraction. He loaned his labouring friend his hand, only hissing slightly when Adora's iron grip grabbed it tightly. "Technically, she can have them from now. But if she's only progressed from zero to five in six hours, it might wear off before she's ready. And we can only give her the epidural once," Maia paused. "So, it's up to her,"
The contraction passed, and thankfully so did Adora's grip on Bow's fingers. "Is there anything I can have before the epidural?" She hissed, rubbing her stomach. "Not that's as effective, I'm afraid," Adora sighed heavily. "Can I leave it a bit? See if anything changes?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. Maia nodded, writing some stuff down. "Sure. I'll be back in half an hour,"
...
In those two hours, Adora dilated to six centimetres, and the constant flow of finger-breaking contractions proved it. With that jump, however, came the epidural, which both parties were more than happy for her to receive. Two hours later from that, she'd jumped to nine and was nearly ready to deliver.
Which is where it began to go wrong.
"Adora, I really think I should get Catra," Bow rang the cloth into the basin, squeezing out any excess water. He put it onto her forehead with a slight frown. "No, she's busy," Adora huffed. Bow quirked his brow. "She's in a meeting," He deadpanned. Adora sighed. "Do you really think I didn't see her tracker pad before she left? I know some wall was breached," Bow's eyes widened slightly. "No! That was a false message. A drill, I think Teela said," He chuckled. Adora hummed. "I hope you can lie about Santa better than this,"
Bow groaned. "Fine. Skeletor and the clones have broken down the Northern wall. Your parents, brother, Glim and Catra are trying to push them back with the other soldiers," He said. "Wait, who's Skeletor?" She asked. "Oh, the guy the clones are listening to. Probably not important, but apparently Adam's fought him before… lots of times," He answered. Adora sucked her teeth. "Don't you think you should be down there, helping them then?" She asked. Bow shrugged. "Probably, but I'm sure they're fine," Adora inhaled as another contraction began to take hold. "If they need the help, go," She strained out, arching away from the pain. She caught Maia's eye frantically. "No, you're too close to having the baby," Bow argued. Adora breathed into the tube she'd been given: Gas and Air, Maia called it, with a low groan. "You'd be OK to leave her, Bow. She's still stuck on nine centimetres. It could be a while," Maia thankfully saved her skin.
Bow glanced back and forth between her and Maia. "Are you sure? I hate the idea of you being on your own," Adora exhaled into the tube heavily. "I'm fine," She said softly. "Go and help the others," Her hand came to rest atop her swollen belly. "Seriously. The sooner you go and help, the sooner you all get back," She paused. "Wait, where's Vi?" Bow slipped the tracker pad back into the holder on his back. "When the wall was breached, all under sixteens were moved to the basement. Vi and Freya included," Adora relaxed back into her pillows. "Good. She's safe then," Bow nodded. "A hundred per cent," He paused by the door. "You sure you're ok?" Adora flapped her hand. "Go!" She laughed.
Bow chuckled as he tore out of the door.
"Adora, you need to push harder, this baby isn't gonna come with that tiny amount of pressure," She laid on the bed, panting heavily. She ground her teeth, and using the metal bars on the bed, grabbed them and pushed. "Hold for ten... and breathe," Adora slumped back on the bed with a loud groan, pain radiating in her loins and up into her back. "On the next contraction, I need you to bear down and push, ok, Adora? It looks like baby might be breach," Maia frowned slightly. Adora raised her head, confused. "Breach? What does that mean?" She wiped the back of her head with the rag Bow left her. "It means baby is coming feet first," Still confused, Adora tried to look. "No, no. Baby's ok, just coming the wrong way," Maia was quick to reassure. "Good, good," Adora slumped back against her pillows, feeling another contraction coming. Maia gnawed on her lip. "Adora, can you move or feel your legs?" Adora frowned but shifted them beneath her gown. "Can you feel them?" Maia pressed. Adora nodded. "Yeah... why?"
Maia ignored her. "Here's how we're going to do this," Maia said. "Gravity is our best friend right now. So, to help the baby come out quicker and safer, I'm gonna get you to stand up and deliver,"
Adora sighed shakily. "Why not?" She shook her head slightly. "Are you ready?" Maia pulled back her covers, holding her arm out. Adora nodded, gritting her teeth against the pain in her back. She steadied herself on Maia's surprisingly strong arm, using her as a crutch. "You can grab onto the metal of the bed," Maia instructed. "Good. Now you're gonna spread your feet a little to give me wider access," Adora shuffled her feet slightly apart. "I feel like a cow," She moaned. Maia snorted as she tied on a surgical bib and reapplied some gloves. "Your body is gonna push on its own with gravity, but your brain will try to tell you it's wrong. Ignore it. I'm here, I will get the baby and help them out. Do NOT stop listening to your body, ok?"
She nodded, bracing herself and grabbing the metal railing tightly. "Adora, are you ready?" She nodded, exhaling heavily. Letting out a loud groan of pain as she pushed, Adora felt something shift. "Good. Keep going," Maia said. The metal of the bed began to warp beneath her hands. "Breathe through it," Maia said. Adora continued pushing, exhaling sharply and inhaling quickly. "Good, and rest," Her head slumped down onto her chest, sweaty and red with exertion. "I've got the feet. Two, maybe three more pushes Adora, and you'll be done... you ready?" Maia spoke. Adora, too tired to speak, nodded.
"On the next contraction, you need to really bare down. The easy bit is over. You've gotta do the shoulders and head," Maia warned. Adora whined as the contraction began to build in her belly. Her body tingled, not just in pain, but with something else, something... powerful. She glanced at her hands, panting. "Wait, what if I transform? Will it hurt the baby?" She asked Maia. She glanced up with a slight frown. "I doubt it. She-Ra is bigger than you. If it were the other way around, perhaps. I'm gonna be honest, I've never had to help a She-Ra give birth before..." Maia chuckled lightly. The contraction ramped up into her hips. Adora grabbed the mask of gas and air, puffing into it. "Go, go, go, push, Adora!"
Gritting her teeth and squeezing the bedframe probably tight enough to break it, Adora pushed. She pushed harder than she ever had before. Her long groan trailed into a stifled, teeth-clenching, scream as the pain became unbearable.
Suddenly, it stopped.
The pain left her body in a single swooping feeling.
Adora let her head fall forward as she panted, exhaustion seeping into her bones.
Then suddenly,
There it was.
The tell-tale sign of a baby.
She gasped out, crying in relief. "Well done, Adora! A baby boy!"
She sagged forward, barely catching herself on the metal post. "Come on. Let's get you back on the bed," With a groan, she eased herself back into the bed, sighing heavily, feeling the weight of childbirth crash down onto her. "Do you want to see him before the doctor takes him?"
She held her arms out, "Gimmie," She whispered, grabbing out to her son. Maia smiled softly as she placed the squirming baby into her arms. Only a dot, and he already looked like Catra. Thin and wispy golden fur adorned his body. A tiny little blonde tail was already swinging around, trying to grab onto something, matching the little blonde tuft of hair on the top of his head, between his pink and black ears.
He was beautiful.
Adora sniffled quietly as she stroked his head, touching the base of his ear. He whined quietly, so she offered him her finger instead. His little fist closed around it and the whining stopped. "Oh, he's beautiful," She cooed. Maia hummed from the side. "He looks like the woman that brought you in earlier," Adora nodded, stroking her thumb across his cheek. "Yeah, Catra. She's his other mom," Maia hummed again.
"Right," She said a few moments later. "Baby boy needs to be weighed and have his checks," Adora's heart threatened to stab Maia if she took the baby. "Can I take him now?" Adora bit her lip. "Yeah… um," She held her son to her chest, watching as he nuzzled into it like Catra does. "Can… can you take him? Wherever's safe? In case I need to go?" She asked. Maia held her arms out with a small, knowing, smile. "Aether!" She called. A tall, lanky, woman came in. "Can you do the newborn routine? Then take him to the basement with the others?" Aether nodded as she took the baby, not a word leaving her mouth.
Adora's heart writhed with guilt as Aether took her son out of the room. She bounced her toes. "How long until I can move around?" She asked Maia. Maia hesitated. "I mean... whenever you feel up to it. It varies with each woman. Some take minutes, others take weeks," Adora nodded to the door. "They're here for me... for She-Ra. I have to go and help," She turned to Maia, grimacing. Maia simply rolled her eyes. "I've been a nurse in the castle long enough to know nothing will stop anyone in your family when another needs help," Adora chuckled weakly. "Am I good to go then?" Maia nodded. "Yup. Let me just check you didn't tear and grab the placenta, then you can go," She paused. "Though I would wear a pad of some description. I don't know if She-Ra bleeds or not,"
"She does, just not like I do," Adora answered. Maia hummed as she crouched down. "How so?" She asked. Adora glanced up to the ceiling. "I've turned into her when I've been on my monthlies and not bled through. Or when Violet was ten days old and I went back out to fight," She said. "But we'll see what happens when I change," She decided. Maia sat up with a smile. "Well then, off you go," She nodded to the door. Adora stood up on shaky legs. She exhaled heavily and threw out her hand.
"For the honour of GRAYSKULL!"