Hello Sweetie

Chapter 26

"Breathe, River." He does his best to calm me down, even though he's panicking more than I am.

"I am!"

Another wave of pain goes through me and I let out a string of Galifreyan curses. Loudly.

Everyone near us turns to stare, and I grit my teeth.

"Um, okay. Okay, okay, okay. You've got to- Rory! Yes, Ponds, and then hospital, and then we-"

He's cut off  by me punching him on the arm. "Ow!"

"TARDIS. Now."

Everyone's still staring at us, and I do my best to tolerate the pain.

He helps me up, and I slap down the first currency I find in pocket on the table. We get to the door, and a waiter finally asks if we're alright.

"Yeah." I make out. "Just going into labor."

His eyes widen. "Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"No!" The Doctor says, still guiding me to the door. "Actually, we're good, because we have to get her parents, and then he can help with the nursing stuff, and then he can tell me that everything is going to be okay, because I'm terrible with women giving birth, and-"

I give a yelp, and he shuts up and turns his attention to me. "The food was delicious!" He calls out over his shoulder as we walk into the parking lot.

He manages to stay quiet until we get into the TARDIS, who immediately materializes a stretcher in the console room and takes off without us piloting.

He starts rambling in Galifreyan as he helps me on the stretcher. The language may be beautiful and fluid and musical, but when he's talking about my anatomy and different techniques for giving birth, I start shooting curses in the language back at him. Mainly because his baby is starting to hit me. Hard.

Then I hear the TARDIS land, and my parents bust in, immediately running to me and firing questions at the Doctor. It's hard to hear even that, because my water's breaking, and I feel a gush of fluid.

"When did it start?"

"How far apart are her contractions?"

"Has her water broke?"

"How long does it take for a Galifreyan to be born?"

I can't make anything out after that. Apparently the whole going-into-labor is a lot more painful than humans, because I'm screaming and yelling during this contraction, and I may have broken my husband's finger at some point. In any case, I can tell that we're going somewhere.

They wheel me out of the TARDIS, and then I see bright white light. I can tell it's a hospital from the smell, and soon enough they've got me in a room.

I take a moment to breathe after one contraction is over, and release my husband's hand.

"You should have told me that this would be extremely painful and the first thing I would feel would be contractions!"

He bites his lip and squeezes my hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I wasn't allowed to be in the same room as a mother giving birth on Galifrey. One, because it was so rare and only the top scientists were allowed to see and two, because I have a tendency to panic."

"Really now?" I ask sarcastically.

He frowns. "Well, it's kind of scary. Besides, Rory's got this. Right?"  He turns to my dad, who I hadn't noticed.

Rory's face is confused. "Um, I just recognized my name.... you're not talking in English."

I realize we've been conversing in Galifreyan, and the Doctor repeats the question in English. Rory's face reddens. "Um, no. I don't know how to give birth! We're in the Sisters of the Infinite Schism, and they'll do it anyway."