Winter Blues

[Dravite]

9 Winter, 515 AV
11th Bell, Morning
Blackwater Pavilion
Endrykas

"Just breathe, Belkaia."
The woman clenched her teeth and stared long and hard at Raven, "where is my husband?"
"Here he is!" Roan puffed, cheeks flushed red from his trouble fetching Dravite.

The horse lord walked into the tent to find his wife seated on a pelt cushioned crate rocking back and forth slowly, huffing as if out of breath. She was holding her left side and had been complaining about a dull pain for the last three or four days, it seemed the pain was no longer dull. As soon as Belkaia set eyes on Dravite she burst into tears and he waved a hand to get the men and women gathered around his wife to clear out of the room. Yuki lingered at the door and Fara remained seated behind her half-sister, massaging the woman's shoulders.
"Kaia," the watchman cooed gently to his wife, "what is it? I've run all this way."
She sobbed against his shoulder as he kneeled in front of her, "the baby is on its way," Fara said from where she stood.
"What? It's too soon," Dravite looked concerned and he was, Belkaia was due to give birth late winter but it seemed the baby was ready now."
Belkaia sucked in a breath and held it in momentarily before speaking, "I had pains this morning, well before first light, but I ignored them and went back to sleep. They woke me up again just after you left for work."
"Where is Pearl?" Dravite asked and looked around to find Yuki at the door.
"Raven went to go and get her but she was not at the River Flower."

The watchman growled.
"It's not her fault," Fara smiled softly.
"I know..." Dravite agreed with a nod, clearly frustrated.
"Rub my legs?" Belkaia tried to distract him.
"Your legs?"
"Please."

Dravite took one of Belkaia's legs and massaged her calf gently. He felt his wife set her hands on his shoulders and every now and then she would squeeze tightly and bow her head to touch his. After the pain had come and gone, she got up and paced back and forth; practicing the breathing techniques Lazuli had taught her three summers ago. Not this again, Dravite thought, he would rather wrestle a Night Lion with his bare hands than be made to feel helpless for the next few bells.

Just as he got up to leave in search of Pearl, Belkaia made a grab for him and he caught her, stopping the woman from falling down, "Kaia?" He helped sit her down and Yuki rushed in to start fanning the woman.
"I'll go and find Pearl," Dravite insisted.
"No!" Belkaia refused to let him go, "stay, please."
He had been late to the birth of his first son and Belkaia gave him one of those looks that reminded him of that, "all right," he nodded, "I'll stay," Dravite promised and glanced up at Fara, signalling for her to go and find Pearl or send somebody else to do it.

[Pearl]

Knox came thundering into camp, Pearl upon his back. When she had returned the River Flower she’d been met by Star, before she could even dismount and told her that her family was looking for her and that Belkaia needed her at home. She hopped off Knox’s back and grabbed her bag from the yvas bags.
“I’ll tend to him,” Roan said to her. “They’re inside.”
“Thank you,” she said to him. Pearl nodded and a smiled to him as she rushed towards the entrance of the main pavilion. Instead of going immediately inside, she paused at the doorway and took several deep breaths. She knew the baby wasn’t early and that the birth would likely go well, but it was that knowledge that caused her to have to compose herself.

Once she was calmer, she smiled, the professional one that all of her patient’s saw, and stepped inside the pavilion. She met Fara on her way to the front, “There you are!”
“Not too late, am I?”
“Just in time, I’d say.”
“Good,” she smiled still. “Would you and Yuki make sure I have plenty of hot water, and fetch the clean linen I put away in the trunk?”
When Fara and Yuki went to make sure things were ready, Pearl moved further into the pavilion, to where Dravite and Belkaia were and knelt down beside Dravite, looking up at Belkaia. “Looks like we’re having a baby,” she said calmly to Belkaia.
Belkaia snorted a laugh and quickly grimaced afterwards as another pain contracted across her abdomen.
“How far apart are the pains?”
“Five chimes between them now,” Belkaia told her, her jaw still clenched. “I can’t sit still, and I can’t not sit still,” she complained.
“Alright,” Pearl glanced to Dravite and tried to reassure him with a quick wink. “Then we’ll do both,” she said to Belkaia.
“What?” The pain was easing up for Belkaia and she looked at Pearl like she had lost her mind.
“After I check on the baby and make sure the position is proper for birthing, then I’ll show you exactly what I mean.”

The examination was quick. Just as Pearl had expected, the baby was in the proper position and ready to enter the birth canal to make his appearance in this world. “The baby’s in the perfect position for birthing,” she explained to Belkaia and Dravite. She was avoiding saying anything that indicated that she thought the baby was early. “They often pick their own times on when they want to join us, and seems like this little one has picked now to be with his family,” she said as she leaned up to kiss Belkaia’s cheek and whispered, “I’m here for you, all the way.”

Pearl stood up and held her hands out to Belkaia, “Walk with me, and let’s have a baby,” she said.
Belkaia put both hands in Pearl’s and with her help was able to stand up, though was a little wobbly on her legs, “Walk,” she asked.
“Mhmm. You said you can’t sit still, and can’t stand to not move, so we are going to do both. We’re going to walk this baby right into this world,” she told her and then began to start walking backwards, slowly, while holding Belkaia’s hands in hers, a gentle urging for her to follow with her. “Dravite, husband?” she smiled at him as she talked, “If you’ll walk behind her, with your hands at her sides, then when she has a contraction, you can support her weight and hold her. But don’t keep her standing upright,” she continued to instruct him. “When the contraction comes on, let her squat down, but hold her weight up for her.”

Fara watched the entire scene from the side of the room and asked, “What do you want me to do?” looking as if she didn’t entirely trust Pearl’s instructions.
“You and Yuki will be ready with the cloths and the water so we can welcome our bundle of joy into this world with a nice warm bath and get him, and Ma here all cleaned up so they can rest after the hard work of the birthing.”
Yuki smiled at Pearl and nodded, “I’ll make sure the bedding is ready, and the water is already warmed.”
Fara’s brow furrowed and she nodded, her hand going to rest on her own rounded abdomen.

Just then, Belkaia groaned and her knees folded as the pain of the contraction squeezed took hold of her. Pearl kept her promise to her wife, and knelt down before her. “Put your hands on my shoulders. Keep your feet on the floor. Dravite’s got you. He won’t let you fall. Look at me, and breathe. Focus on me. That’s it. Breathe.” Pearl lead Belkaia in the breathing exercises they were both familiar with and had practiced. It had pleased her to know that Lazuli had also known and used them in her birthing methods as a healer.

When that contraction had passed, Pearl stood with Belkaia, helping her up and brushing her hair back out of her face and over her shoulder as she smiled. “A couple more contractions like that and you’ll be ready to push,” she told her. Pearl glanced over Belkaia’s shoulder to see how Dravite was holding up through it all.
“I don’t want to do this. Don’t make me do this. Please, Pearl, Sister.”
Pearl blinked and looked at Belkaia, “You don’t want to walk?”
“I don’t want to have a baby! I don’t want to be pregnant!”
Pearl smiled, “You won’t be pregnant for much longer, but you are going to have a baby,” she said as she began walking with Belkaia and Dravite again.



.
.
.

[Dravite]

Relief, that was what the man felt upon witnessing Pearl enter the tent. The birth wouldn't have fazed him alone if the baby was on time, but the man's concern ruled him now and every now and then a hint of that worry registered where his brow knotted. He followed Pearl's instructions and when Belkaia's form was flooded with a sudden onset of pain he took the weight, letting her lean back against him and lifting her to her feet again when she was ready. This continued for some time and soon, Belkaia opted to sit down again. Dravite rubbed her legs and let her squeeze his shoulders, paying full attention to his first wife, even when he heard Fara giggle at his back, "you're looking a little pale there, Drav."
"Don't tease him," Belkaia hissed.
Dravite looked over his shoulder at Fara apologetically, he knew Belkaia would jump on any chance for distraction and it seemed Fara had provided the perfect opportunity.

Pearl would call for focus and calm the situation, he knew, she was a great mediator which probably came in handy in her line of work. Soon his wife was overcome with pain once more but unlike the first time they had gone through this together, she wasn't blaming him, or lashing out, or beating him with the back of her hand. Dravite put that down to age; Belkaia had grown up a lot since the birth of their son Kyanite and no longer acted like the spoilt child he had married over four summers ago.
"I can't do this," she shook her head, "don't make me do this."
"Still think we are having a girl?" Dravite asked in an attempt to distract his wife.
Belkaia grit her teeth and scolded him for making her laugh, "I don't care, I can't do this!"
"Yes you can," he closed his hands against her face and looked her in the eyes, "focus."
Belkaia watched her husband, "no."
"Yes," he kissed her.
Belkaia closed her eyes and bowed her head before nodding, "all right," the woman agreed, "Help me up."

The watchman helped his wife to her feet and followed wherever she led, doing his best to be as attentive as he possibly could be while feeling utterly useless. It was difficult for him to watch Belkaia go through such pain, as despite what she thought or had ever convinced herself of, he really did care. When she was ready to start pushing, Dravite left Pearl in charge but remained close in case either of them needed anything.

[Prophet]

Pearl,

If you return, PM me and I will grade this for you.

-Prophet