Accidents Will Happen

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Very good," said the midwife as she set aside her small doppler apparatus and picked up her clipboard to take a couple of notes.

Elphaba sat up on the examination table and quickly pulled her shirt down to conceal her bulging belly. She turned her head and locked eyes with Galinda, who nodded encouragingly. In response, her lips quirked upwards, if only slightly. A strange nervousness had settled in the pit of her stomach lately, and she didn't know how to shake it. Hearing that her child was doing well was comforting, but their looming arrival scared her nonetheless.

She didn't feel adequately prepared and had no idea how to remedy that. Books and videos could only help so much. Vittolea had offered her a course she could go to, but she couldn't fathom that any such class would prove worth the hassle, especially in her specific case. The internet had taught her all the necessary skills, without the added pressure of being among a group of strangers. Somehow, it still wasn't enough.

"At twenty-nine weeks, my dear," said Vittolea, "we should start discussing your birth plan."

Elphaba's spine stiffened, and she swallowed hard. She preferred not to think about these things in detail just yet. She wasn't that close.

"Get the little worm out and be done with it is my plan," she replied curtly.

Vittolea chuckled at what she perceived to be a joke. Galinda's eyes momentarily welled up with the beginnings of tears when she cast her an empathetic smile. It felt good to be understood by at least one person.

"I don't know if I'd recommend a home birth," Vittolea began, oblivious. "But if a hospital setting isn't to your liking, I could recommend the nearby birthing centre instead. You're young, baby is doing fine, and so far, there are no complications to speak of. You'd be a fantastic candidate for that."

She passed a brochure to Elphaba who'd already researched her options and simply folded the thing in her hands.

"Yes, that sounds sensible," she agreed. "Beyond that, I don't know what to plan. I'm not going to create a playlist or anything like that. No candles or incense or any other of this esoteric crap."

Especially no incense, she thought to herself. The association she made with those was questionable at best, ever since the Philosophy Club. Or would that make for a delightful irony perhaps? She allowed herself to toy with the idea for a moment before dismissing it definitively. No incense.

Her midwife tutted.

"Now, now dearie. It's alright if those things aren't your cup of tea, but other women find them helpful. No need to knock other people's joy."

"I figured this was a confidential meeting," Elphaba bit back. "There's no need for you to tell those other women about my distaste for their methods. I should be allowed to speak my mind in private."

"Let's move on to more technical aspects of the process then," Vittolea said, raising her voice to drown out the remainder of her argument.

"Would a water birth appeal at all? It can have various bene—"

"No."

Vittolea acknowledged Elphaba's firm rebuke and noted it down.

"What are your feelings on pain relief? If you're not labouring in water, you can use any of the options available, but if you'd like to consider an epidural, the hospital would be your best bet."

"Nothing too drastic, I think," replied Elphaba, then bit her lip and thought some more. "Of course, not having birthed a child before, I can't exactly say how I'll feel when the time comes."