"Kylie it only took us a month to cross the ocean."
"A month! That is wonderful." I knew Paddy was anxious to go home for a visit. "I will tell him when he comes in for his lunch."
"Kylie I have been watching your belly. Is every thing all right?"
"Yes why?" I asked anxiously.
"It has not moved since I sat down."
"Oh yes. Well. Remember back when people were losing their heads."
"Yes."
"It was a dragon that was doing it. One of the young dragons was injured. Scott and I healed it with our blood. Of course our blood mixed. This time when I became with child the dragon's blood is protecting the child in a form of an eggshell." She stared at me like I lost my mind. "It is true Mikalia."
"I believe you Kylie."
She stared at her hands. "We have been friends for a very long time and I was becoming concerned until twenty years ago when you started writing me again."
I smiled. I had not told her about me being burned and buried. "Mikalia something happened when I was healing the young dragon. The father thought I was hurting him. He burnt me so bad that Councilwoman Anna had buried me in the ground to heal. I was buried for almost for forty years."
"No one told me when I was here for the gathering." She shook her head. "Oh my dear Kylie the worst always happens to you."
"Now my only concern is how am I to deliver an egg." I put my hands on my huge belly. Mikalia gasped.
"It is quite hard." I knocked on my belly twice. There was a responding kick. We laughed. "I am sorry I am sure that was quite loud." I rubbed my belly. "Scott has come up with a few ideas but I am carrying a shifter I will be birthing in the bathing pool."
"They have water births?"
"Yes."
Paddy walked in with the rest of our family.
"Hello Mikalia."
Everyone greeted her as they came in. She was introduced to any of the new arrivals. "I stood up and went to serve their lunch.
"I will help you Kylie." Mikalia said.
"You do not have to Mikalia."
"I know but I have always enjoyed watching your family eat."
"Then by all means come and join us." Mikalia and I served the stew with plenty of bread rolls. Everyone wanted to know about Mikalia's voyage here.
"You came across during the winter months did you fare better?" Shaun asked.
"Si Senor Shaun. We left a month ago. We had very nice weather."
"A month? It only took you a month?" She nodded smiling. Paddy grabbed my hand and kissed it.
"Si."
"How was it possible?" Shaun asked.
"Pedro is trying a new invention. It takes a lot of coal. That is all I know."
"Amazing. I must speak with him later." Shaun was very interested in this new invention.
"Please do. He is very proud of it."
I stood up to start cleaning off the table. I grunted and stood very still.
"Kylie?" Paddy asked concerned.
I had another sharp pain. It brought me to my knees. Paddy knelt in front of me. He hugged me. This time he felt the kick. "I think he wants out."
I nodded.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Water." I whispered.
"All right."
Paddy picked me up and carried me down to the bathing pool. He pulled off my dress it was already covered in blood. "Kylie ... there is so much blood."
"It is the eggshell, it is cutting into me."
He helped me into the water. I floated in the water. I could see the crumbled pieces of the eggshell floating in the water.
Paddy picked up one of the pieces and it cut his fingers.
"Kylie you will bleed to death before the baby is born."
"No the bleeding has stopped. The shell is now small enough that it is not hurting me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I am not in pain and I can feel the baby moving. Feel." I put his hand on my belly. We could feel our child moving. Paddy smiled.
"I think once all the shell is gone the birth will start." I said.
"I think so too."
It took over an hour for all the eggshell to crumble away. Then the pains started. It took awhile to have our baby. The shell did its job protecting me from the birthing pains until the very end.
That is when I felt everything.
Paddy was very worried.
"Kylie you were never in this much pain before?"
"Yes I was I gradually became used to it. The shell shielded the pain."
"Oh."
I started to push I grabbed Paddy's hands and placed them in between my legs. He turned the baby's head so the shoulders would come out gently. The next push brought the rest of her out.
Paddy lifted her out of the water. She was covered in sparkles.
"Leftover eggshells maybe?"
"Maybe."
She started to suckle. I fed her right away while I fed her Paddy rubbed me belly to expel the afterbirth. Finally everything was out.
Paddy helped us out of the water. He wrapped a towel around the baby then wrapped one around me before he dried himself. I held the baby while he dressed then he waited for me to dress. We went upstairs where everyone was waiting for us. We stopped in our bedroom to dress the baby. Paddy and I discussed want her name would be, we decided on Pearl.
We entered our common room all our family and friends were waiting.
After Quinn, John and Councilwoman Cassie held their sister they came and sat with Paddy and I.
"Mama, do you need to feed?" Councilwoman Cassie asked.
"No not yet I had eaten before the birth that is still with me." I told her.
"Oh? Let me know I will go with you."
"All right."
"How did the birth go with the eggshell?" She asked.
"Actually it went very well." Paddy said. "The shell just crumbled."
"Good." Our children said together. They looked relieved.
"I did not hear of any painful episodes." Councilwoman Cassie said.
"Pearl is hungry." I whispered to Paddy. He went to get her for me. She was sucking on her blanket when Paddy gave her to me.
"Okay little one." I went into our bedroom to nurse her.
I came out a few minutes later to find more people in our common room. I looked at Paddy confused he was talking to Shaun. He nodded to his father then brought me back into our bedroom.
"Wilbert just finished his report to the Council. Everyone was here so they just joined them."
"Oh I was wondering why there was so many people here."
