At first I thought maybe I released my bladder when I screamed as the windows shattered. I know now that I am all too familiar with this sensation and the cramping causes me to wince. My water had broke and the fluids dampen the sheets surrounding my body. I knew this moment was coming soon, but now I'm not ready and I'm scared--petrified.
"Raidyn." I cry out grabbing my stomach.
Ries begins to cry having woken up from the sound of the breaking glass. Raidyn grabs the baby and tries to soothe him. "I'm going to get Alanna and wake up Rosie to watch Ries."
I watch him rush out the door as I'm left to the pain of contractions. I try my best to regulate my breathing as I wait for Raidyn to return with Alanna which he does minutes later.
Alanna rushes over to my side and checks my dilation immediately. "You're barely dilated, this baby isn't coming anytime soon. You're in labor, but it'll be awhile."
"Like what ten, fifteen minutes?" I look at her like she's insane.
"A few hours maybe. Try and relax, take deep breathes." Alanna suggests.
I turn my head to look at Raidyn and I groan. "No, no I want this baby out now!"
"Hey, hey. Listen to me. He'll be here soon. Hollis is working on his own time." Raidyn hushes me as he pushes my hair back. "You won't believe it, Byrd. Our windows aren't the only ones to break; the windows all over the castle are completely done with." He changes the topic to distract me.
I shake my head and I'm pretty sure a tear escapes from my eye from the pain and fear of giving birth right now. All of the windows in the entire castle...I'm really going to have to talk to her about this. "I'm going to kill your sister--she did this to me!"
"She didn't do this to you, I did." He chuckles.
"Then I'm going to kill you." I groan.
"I'm just as nervous as you are. I love you, Byrd. Let's take some deep breaths, huh?"
I nod my head ready to take some deep breaths with him, but I end up crying from the hormones and Alanna just sits back sighing--she's facilitated so many births she's so used to it all. "I-I want Astrid." I cry out. "I can't do this, I don't want to do this."
"Astrid isn't at the castle right now and she won't get here before you have the baby." Raidyn says softly.
I sigh and whimper as I listen to Raidyn distracting me for hours and hours and after then I am still only three centimeters away in my dilation. My forehead is damp with sweat and the contractions feel even worse, now I'm feeling the overwhelming urge to push like last time. "Raidyn." I grab his hand. "I love you."
"I love you too. After this contraction I'm going to go get you a wet cloth and ice chips, you're burning up."
I squeeze my eyes shut and ride out my contraction while grabbing onto Raidyn's hand so tightly I thought for a minute I broke it. He kisses my forehead and heads to the bathing chamber for a washcloth. When he returns he puts it on my forehead and I feel instant relief. "Thank you so much." I grab his hand again and give him a weak smile.
"You never need to thank me." Raidyn dismisses. A saint, he is a saint and a God.
More hours pass and I'm getting further frustrated at not being dilated yet as Alanna checks me one more time and then looks to Raidyn nodding at him signifying what I think it means. "Okay Queen, it's time to push."
"You've got this little dove." Raidyn weakly smiles and I can tell how nervous he is underneath.
I nod my head and I start to breath heavily as Alanna positions herself at the foot of the bed. I hike my knees up and wait for the instruction that I remember from my birth with Riesner. I push while she counts to ten and I can barely make it to eight when I stop pushing and whine, "It hurts, I can't." I shake my head.
