Post by oxfordcommasupporter on Mar 14, 2021 21:05:33 GMT -5
As soon as the herd member sought him out, Luca was mentally kicking himself. Why had he bothered making an appearance at the party when there was a patient to see? He knew the answer, of course - nobody outside of the gods themselves knows how any given birth will go or how long it might take a new life to enter this world. Still, the sight that greeted him was less than ideal. Crossefissa was moaning, long and low, her body curled around her swollen stomach in a way that screamed of protective instincts. At her side, wiping her brow with a wet rag, knelt Alessandro. “You’re here. Finally.” There was more than a hint of relief in the ghoul’s voice upon seeing his master.
“You thought I wouldn’t come,” Luca asked, trying to keep the mood light between them. He and Alessandro had been working together for years now. Each knew how the other worked, each understanding the other’s studies and specialties. They were both skilled doctors. Surely this would be fine. But why did Alessandro sound that relieved?
“Of course not, master.” Alessandro’s response was immediate, his tone respectful. As Crossefissa let out a keening cry, both doctors jumped a little. It was time to get to work.
“How far is she dilated?”
“Not enough. This will be a long wait.”
More than a long wait, as it turned out. Crossefissa shifted and moaned and screamed as she needed to as her body did what came naturally. The first three times Luca tried to check on the progress, the laboring woman batted him away. He was capable of fighting her, could hold her down or call Mia in to do it, but it seemed wiser, for the moment, to let nature take its course. As bad as everything looked, that was all it was: surface appearance. There was no sign at all that anything was going wrong. Until there was.
Luca smelled it before he saw it, nearly three hours in. Blood. Not quite as appealing as a fresh wound, but a definite sign, in this case, that something might be wrong. “Crossefissa, please, one of us needs to take a look.” She seemed calmer, tired, but the rest between contractions wouldn’t last long. All it took was a nod from the woman and Luca focused blood through his body, willing his movements to speed up to preternatural levels. Peering between her legs, he found blood, an unready body, and - “The child is coming out backwards. Crossefissa, you must stop pushing. It isn’t time yet.”
“You hear that? The baby is in a poor position. We need to give your body more time to adjust,” Alessandro soothed. For all their effort, the doctors were nearly too late as the next contraction sent Crossefissa’s body tensing again. A scream came out, muffled behind her gritted teeth.
“Mia, more water. More rags.” Luca didn’t bother to look back, trusting his other ghoul to be nearby. Sure enough, she hustled in with the requested supplies in minutes. For a moment, he felt both his retainers watching him, felt the question in their eyes as surely as he might have a physical touch. “I am fine. Can we focus?”
“Apologies, doctor.” The ghouls spoke together and then, it was back to waiting.
Crossefissa continued to writhe and moan, Luca wincing with each scream. Seeing people in pain was never a joy, but in this case it was necessary. “Please, gods, just take me,” Crossefissa moaned.
“Don’t talk like that, dear. Just focus. Once all this is over, you’ll have a beautiful baby and it will need its mother. Squeeze my hand.” Luca entwined his fingers with hers, keeping his grip light. “Squeeze as hard as you need. You won’t break me,” he reassured. “Alessandro, see how things have progressed.”
“There’s a bit more space. Not enough to turn the child. If we wait, she may be able to-”
“No more waiting! I have to push!” At the determined cry, the two doctors locked gazes. Luca frowned. Alessandro shrugged, then slowly nodded. She could do it then. Maybe. Luca growled softly. Another nod from Alessandro.
The darkness and quiet of the temple had already been broken for hours, but now whatever peace was left was shattered as Crossefissa bore down, sweating, pale, exhausted, but determined. Her moan built, first to a cry, then to a screech as the two men switched places. Alessandro supported Crossefissa from behind while Luca took his position, ready to catch the baby. The scream stretched on, echoing through the temple, raising up to the gardens above, as Crossefissa pushed. And pushed. And pushed.
The next sound was a high cry, rail thin and pitched higher than the earlier shriek as a squirming baby girl slipped into Luca’s waiting hands. Crossefissa took one look at her daughter, gave a beatific smile, and promptly passed out. A span of immeasurable time passed in the next instant, stretching out with all the speed of flowing molasses. Alessandro started working on reviving Crossefissa while Luca focused on the baby, making sure the cord was properly cut and sealed against incoming infection, checking for clear airways and unusual birthmarks, and cleaning her up. Once the swaddled baby was finally laid in her mother’s arms, every being in the room was exhausted.
Luca gathered a handful of herd members, placing them as guards directly outside the room for the day, then gave orders to the rest. The Hobblers would be facing the Bisconne tomorrow and Luca would risk nothing while they were gone, The gardens would be closed to the public for several days, taking one worry away from Crossefissa. She may have been just a herd member, but as far as Luca was concerned, she was just as important as any Hobbler when it came to safety and protection. Risking her and especially risking the baby was completely out of the question. They both needed to know they were safe. That was Luca’s last coherent thought as the sun began to rise and he gave in to sleep.
“You thought I wouldn’t come,” Luca asked, trying to keep the mood light between them. He and Alessandro had been working together for years now. Each knew how the other worked, each understanding the other’s studies and specialties. They were both skilled doctors. Surely this would be fine. But why did Alessandro sound that relieved?
“Of course not, master.” Alessandro’s response was immediate, his tone respectful. As Crossefissa let out a keening cry, both doctors jumped a little. It was time to get to work.
“How far is she dilated?”
“Not enough. This will be a long wait.”
More than a long wait, as it turned out. Crossefissa shifted and moaned and screamed as she needed to as her body did what came naturally. The first three times Luca tried to check on the progress, the laboring woman batted him away. He was capable of fighting her, could hold her down or call Mia in to do it, but it seemed wiser, for the moment, to let nature take its course. As bad as everything looked, that was all it was: surface appearance. There was no sign at all that anything was going wrong. Until there was.
Luca smelled it before he saw it, nearly three hours in. Blood. Not quite as appealing as a fresh wound, but a definite sign, in this case, that something might be wrong. “Crossefissa, please, one of us needs to take a look.” She seemed calmer, tired, but the rest between contractions wouldn’t last long. All it took was a nod from the woman and Luca focused blood through his body, willing his movements to speed up to preternatural levels. Peering between her legs, he found blood, an unready body, and - “The child is coming out backwards. Crossefissa, you must stop pushing. It isn’t time yet.”
“You hear that? The baby is in a poor position. We need to give your body more time to adjust,” Alessandro soothed. For all their effort, the doctors were nearly too late as the next contraction sent Crossefissa’s body tensing again. A scream came out, muffled behind her gritted teeth.
“Mia, more water. More rags.” Luca didn’t bother to look back, trusting his other ghoul to be nearby. Sure enough, she hustled in with the requested supplies in minutes. For a moment, he felt both his retainers watching him, felt the question in their eyes as surely as he might have a physical touch. “I am fine. Can we focus?”
“Apologies, doctor.” The ghouls spoke together and then, it was back to waiting.
Crossefissa continued to writhe and moan, Luca wincing with each scream. Seeing people in pain was never a joy, but in this case it was necessary. “Please, gods, just take me,” Crossefissa moaned.
“Don’t talk like that, dear. Just focus. Once all this is over, you’ll have a beautiful baby and it will need its mother. Squeeze my hand.” Luca entwined his fingers with hers, keeping his grip light. “Squeeze as hard as you need. You won’t break me,” he reassured. “Alessandro, see how things have progressed.”
“There’s a bit more space. Not enough to turn the child. If we wait, she may be able to-”
“No more waiting! I have to push!” At the determined cry, the two doctors locked gazes. Luca frowned. Alessandro shrugged, then slowly nodded. She could do it then. Maybe. Luca growled softly. Another nod from Alessandro.
The darkness and quiet of the temple had already been broken for hours, but now whatever peace was left was shattered as Crossefissa bore down, sweating, pale, exhausted, but determined. Her moan built, first to a cry, then to a screech as the two men switched places. Alessandro supported Crossefissa from behind while Luca took his position, ready to catch the baby. The scream stretched on, echoing through the temple, raising up to the gardens above, as Crossefissa pushed. And pushed. And pushed.
The next sound was a high cry, rail thin and pitched higher than the earlier shriek as a squirming baby girl slipped into Luca’s waiting hands. Crossefissa took one look at her daughter, gave a beatific smile, and promptly passed out. A span of immeasurable time passed in the next instant, stretching out with all the speed of flowing molasses. Alessandro started working on reviving Crossefissa while Luca focused on the baby, making sure the cord was properly cut and sealed against incoming infection, checking for clear airways and unusual birthmarks, and cleaning her up. Once the swaddled baby was finally laid in her mother’s arms, every being in the room was exhausted.
Luca gathered a handful of herd members, placing them as guards directly outside the room for the day, then gave orders to the rest. The Hobblers would be facing the Bisconne tomorrow and Luca would risk nothing while they were gone, The gardens would be closed to the public for several days, taking one worry away from Crossefissa. She may have been just a herd member, but as far as Luca was concerned, she was just as important as any Hobbler when it came to safety and protection. Risking her and especially risking the baby was completely out of the question. They both needed to know they were safe. That was Luca’s last coherent thought as the sun began to rise and he gave in to sleep.