Seirei was in agony and there was absolutely nothing that Waisana could do for her right now. Keeping a cool head right now was vital, the baby had to be the focus if she was going to deliver it safely and soothing the young woman came a close second in her list of priorities. The mother-to-be had to be kept reasonably calm if this delivery was going to go ahead as panicking wouldn't help matters right now. She needed Seirei to follow her instructions as she gave them rather than having her wrapped up in how overwhelming the whole situation was. The doctor didn't want to admit that she was scared by this. She didn't want to say that she had never carried out a delivery like this alone before. Twins were a rare case, although she knew that one of them being breech was a high enough possibility. Of course, showing her fear and shaky confidence would be to no one's benefit. She knew what she was doing, she'd seen it done before and had assisted in such cases so this wasn't new. Acting with authority and confidence was key. The Drykas girl couldn't allow herself to display any sort of doubt.
The captive had assumed the position that she'd been instructed to take and when the contraction came, it shuddered her whole body. Her face crumpled in pain and effort, her forehead slick with sweat from the toll this was taking upon her. She made to push but the energy appeared to drain out of her, the tension in her lower body suddenly slackening despite the fact that her weak form still trembled from the labour.
"Push, Seirei! Push! Please!" she urged, watching the opening anxiously. The weak apology sent fear spiking through her as she realised that the girl wasn't able for this. Her energy was spent, her body suffering terribly from what was being inflicted upon it and Waisana felt despair rise within her. No! She quashed her doubts and grabbed her friend's hand fiercely and squeezed it roughly.
"When it comes again, push! You can do it! Push! Do it!" she ordered, watching for the sign of the next contraction. Lukar picked up on the tension and stress in the air and began to wail, the shrill sound piercing the air as no one comforted him. Later, he could be dealt with but for now they had to listen to his cries. They added to the horror of the situation, setting the blonde's teeth on edge as she tried to encourage the mother to find a reserve of strength within her that she could use in this last effort. When the next contraction came, Waisana squeezed her hand once more, in an effort to spur her on and to keep her conscious. Her eyes had glazed over, no doubt from the agony of the ordeal, and the doctor feared she'd pass out.
"Deep breath, Seirei! Now push! Push, Seirei! You have to, Seirei!" The girl's name was repeated over and over in an effort to keep her with her. She wasn't even making an effort to push although her womb was doing its best to expel the newborn on its own. The muscles within pulsed and more of the baby slid out with a trickle of blood that continued steadily as the doctor waited for the next contraction to come. Her nails dug in to the youth's hand, her voice low and insistent.
"You must, Seirei! You must! It is coming too slow," she explained rapidly. She didn't tell her the fear that her patient might well bleed to death by the time this was over if she couldn't push and get the child out quickly. There was a terrible chance that she might lose both of them and she couldn't bear such a notion. If the child came out then something could be done about the bleeding, thus ensuring that it wasn't fatal but it all depended on Seirei. She wasn't even sure if she was getting through anymore or if the girl was too lost in a haze of pain to notice her. She was only a child herself! Grown women had trouble with this and it wasn't fair that this had been forced upon her. Waisana owed it to her to get her through this alive, especially because of what had been done to her in the name of Drykas survival.
When another contraction came, the doctor screamed in to the girl's face, not caring who she might draw in to the pavilion. It was unlikely that this labour was a secret to those nearby as they would have heard the screams. They knew Lian's captive was pregnant, although she was surprised that no woman had come to help. Not one had offered to lend a hand as if it was none of their concern. Waisana could have done with the help.
"Push the child out! Get it out! Out! Now! Do it!" she yelled, her growing panic seeping in to her voice, the last word cracking in her throat as she reached a level of scream that it couldn't sustain. Whether the girl heard her or reacted of her own accord, she didn't know but it didn't matter as she pushed with all her might and the baby slid wetly in to the doctor's waiting hands. The pale flesh was hardly visible under all the blood and fluids but she rapidly wiped it down, rubbing a tattered cloth over its face to allow the baby to breath and cry as its airways were cleared. She cleaned it, rubbing it dry as she did so and registered the newborn's sex before she wrapped it in blankets, being careful of the cord which still led back in to the womb with Lukar's.
"You did it," she breathed, awed by what the captive had achieved against the odds. "It's a girl. You have a girl and a boy." She placed her down carefully so as to allow the fluids to drain naturally as she'd done before with the boy. A hand tried to coax Seirei to lie down, to let her body collapse with exhaustion. She doubted it would be possible to move her any time soon but she would need sleep and it was unlikely she'd require any encouragement to do so. Once the woman settled on to her back, the doctor placed the girl almost reverently upon her breast, the child likely to latch on to feed of her own accord. Lukar was placed there also and covered with warm blankets before Waisana dealt with the bleeding that the birth had caused. A hand was rubbed firmly under the woman's belly button, the movement sure to be painful but vital as it would slow down the blood flow as it caused the womb to shrink gradually under her touch. With her free hand, she attempted to mop up some of the blood that had already fallen, material coming away crimson, before the bowl was returned to its place between her thighs to catch what would come out. The flow of liquid eased and became a trickle and then an irregular dripping. The blonde sighed with relief, glad that not too much damage had been done. There seemed to be a bit of tearing but for the most part, she was in very good condition all things considered. A needle could patch up those problems although not yet, it could wait. For now she needed the afterbirth to be delivered, something that would occur much faster if the babies had started to feed and then she would probably be able to cut each of the umbilical cords.
"Congratulations," she whispered in Pavi as she ran a wet cloth over Seirei's thighs to clean her up, dealing with other fluids that had inadvertently escaped as well. The smell could be dealt with by burning some herbs to cover it perhaps, although she wasn't sure that Seirei had noticed it yet, Lian might find the escape of waste distasteful. "You are almost done. Soon you rest," she added softly in Common. When the placenta did finally slide free, the teen dug under the Lukar's blankets to find his umbilical cord. The pulse had weakened but she waited patiently, still holding it until it stopped. When it did, she took one of the cords for the purpose and tied it a few inches above the baby's belly button, looping the material around and placing one piece under the other before pulling it tightly in to a knot. She looped the material again and tied a second knot over the first, making sure that it was tight before tying the second cord two inches from the first but towards the placenta to which it was still attached. When both cords were double knotted, she grasped the flesh between them firmly and sliced through it with the blade she'd brought for the purpose. With care and patience she was able to untie the cords to do the same for the girl. When both of their remaining attachments to the womb had been cut, she ensured that they were well wrapped up and collected all the afterbirth matter in to the bowl to be disposed of, placing the soiled cloths on top of it.
She wiped up any mess that was left before covering over the captive's thighs and wiping her face with a wet cloth to rid it of sweat.
"All done," she murmured smiling. "You have beautiful babies. What name for the girl?"
The captive had assumed the position that she'd been instructed to take and when the contraction came, it shuddered her whole body. Her face crumpled in pain and effort, her forehead slick with sweat from the toll this was taking upon her. She made to push but the energy appeared to drain out of her, the tension in her lower body suddenly slackening despite the fact that her weak form still trembled from the labour.
"Push, Seirei! Push! Please!" she urged, watching the opening anxiously. The weak apology sent fear spiking through her as she realised that the girl wasn't able for this. Her energy was spent, her body suffering terribly from what was being inflicted upon it and Waisana felt despair rise within her. No! She quashed her doubts and grabbed her friend's hand fiercely and squeezed it roughly.
"When it comes again, push! You can do it! Push! Do it!" she ordered, watching for the sign of the next contraction. Lukar picked up on the tension and stress in the air and began to wail, the shrill sound piercing the air as no one comforted him. Later, he could be dealt with but for now they had to listen to his cries. They added to the horror of the situation, setting the blonde's teeth on edge as she tried to encourage the mother to find a reserve of strength within her that she could use in this last effort. When the next contraction came, Waisana squeezed her hand once more, in an effort to spur her on and to keep her conscious. Her eyes had glazed over, no doubt from the agony of the ordeal, and the doctor feared she'd pass out.
"Deep breath, Seirei! Now push! Push, Seirei! You have to, Seirei!" The girl's name was repeated over and over in an effort to keep her with her. She wasn't even making an effort to push although her womb was doing its best to expel the newborn on its own. The muscles within pulsed and more of the baby slid out with a trickle of blood that continued steadily as the doctor waited for the next contraction to come. Her nails dug in to the youth's hand, her voice low and insistent.
"You must, Seirei! You must! It is coming too slow," she explained rapidly. She didn't tell her the fear that her patient might well bleed to death by the time this was over if she couldn't push and get the child out quickly. There was a terrible chance that she might lose both of them and she couldn't bear such a notion. If the child came out then something could be done about the bleeding, thus ensuring that it wasn't fatal but it all depended on Seirei. She wasn't even sure if she was getting through anymore or if the girl was too lost in a haze of pain to notice her. She was only a child herself! Grown women had trouble with this and it wasn't fair that this had been forced upon her. Waisana owed it to her to get her through this alive, especially because of what had been done to her in the name of Drykas survival.
When another contraction came, the doctor screamed in to the girl's face, not caring who she might draw in to the pavilion. It was unlikely that this labour was a secret to those nearby as they would have heard the screams. They knew Lian's captive was pregnant, although she was surprised that no woman had come to help. Not one had offered to lend a hand as if it was none of their concern. Waisana could have done with the help.
"Push the child out! Get it out! Out! Now! Do it!" she yelled, her growing panic seeping in to her voice, the last word cracking in her throat as she reached a level of scream that it couldn't sustain. Whether the girl heard her or reacted of her own accord, she didn't know but it didn't matter as she pushed with all her might and the baby slid wetly in to the doctor's waiting hands. The pale flesh was hardly visible under all the blood and fluids but she rapidly wiped it down, rubbing a tattered cloth over its face to allow the baby to breath and cry as its airways were cleared. She cleaned it, rubbing it dry as she did so and registered the newborn's sex before she wrapped it in blankets, being careful of the cord which still led back in to the womb with Lukar's.
"You did it," she breathed, awed by what the captive had achieved against the odds. "It's a girl. You have a girl and a boy." She placed her down carefully so as to allow the fluids to drain naturally as she'd done before with the boy. A hand tried to coax Seirei to lie down, to let her body collapse with exhaustion. She doubted it would be possible to move her any time soon but she would need sleep and it was unlikely she'd require any encouragement to do so. Once the woman settled on to her back, the doctor placed the girl almost reverently upon her breast, the child likely to latch on to feed of her own accord. Lukar was placed there also and covered with warm blankets before Waisana dealt with the bleeding that the birth had caused. A hand was rubbed firmly under the woman's belly button, the movement sure to be painful but vital as it would slow down the blood flow as it caused the womb to shrink gradually under her touch. With her free hand, she attempted to mop up some of the blood that had already fallen, material coming away crimson, before the bowl was returned to its place between her thighs to catch what would come out. The flow of liquid eased and became a trickle and then an irregular dripping. The blonde sighed with relief, glad that not too much damage had been done. There seemed to be a bit of tearing but for the most part, she was in very good condition all things considered. A needle could patch up those problems although not yet, it could wait. For now she needed the afterbirth to be delivered, something that would occur much faster if the babies had started to feed and then she would probably be able to cut each of the umbilical cords.
"Congratulations," she whispered in Pavi as she ran a wet cloth over Seirei's thighs to clean her up, dealing with other fluids that had inadvertently escaped as well. The smell could be dealt with by burning some herbs to cover it perhaps, although she wasn't sure that Seirei had noticed it yet, Lian might find the escape of waste distasteful. "You are almost done. Soon you rest," she added softly in Common. When the placenta did finally slide free, the teen dug under the Lukar's blankets to find his umbilical cord. The pulse had weakened but she waited patiently, still holding it until it stopped. When it did, she took one of the cords for the purpose and tied it a few inches above the baby's belly button, looping the material around and placing one piece under the other before pulling it tightly in to a knot. She looped the material again and tied a second knot over the first, making sure that it was tight before tying the second cord two inches from the first but towards the placenta to which it was still attached. When both cords were double knotted, she grasped the flesh between them firmly and sliced through it with the blade she'd brought for the purpose. With care and patience she was able to untie the cords to do the same for the girl. When both of their remaining attachments to the womb had been cut, she ensured that they were well wrapped up and collected all the afterbirth matter in to the bowl to be disposed of, placing the soiled cloths on top of it.
She wiped up any mess that was left before covering over the captive's thighs and wiping her face with a wet cloth to rid it of sweat.
"All done," she murmured smiling. "You have beautiful babies. What name for the girl?"
