Noir

Chapter 17 - A Child Born

"Yixing!" I screamed the minute my water broke. I knew right away that this baby was coming now, and I needed my husband. "Yixing!"

I got up out of bed, waddling out into the courtyard and met him halfway as he came rushing in, covered in sweat and wearing his armor. "Jikyung, what is it?" He took me by the arms, and I looked up at him in fear.

"The baby's coming now," I pressed, and he hurried me back to the bed, propping up pillows behind my back so that I could sit back in comfort. "Yixing!" I implored, reaching for his hand. I looked at him, my heart beating a mile a minute, and I saw he looked equally as terrified as me. "Don't leave me. Stay here during the birth."

"I promise," He got to his knees beside me on the floor, holding my hand. "Just breathe, okay? This will all be over soon." Yixing's eyes were swimming with tears, and I realized that these would be our last moments together.

I began to softly cry, and he gripped my hand tighter, pressing it to his lips. "It will be alright, Jikyung-ah," He murmured. "Everything will be alright."

I cried out in pain with a contraction, and Luhan hurried in. "Milady!" He exclaimed, his eyes going to me and then to Yixing in fear.

"Go out!" Yixing ordered. "Find the midwife and bring her here! The baby is coming!" Luhan raced out of the room in a panic, and I tried to remember to breathe, to stay as calm as I could.
"How far away is the midwife?" I asked, and Yixing moved up on the bed to sit beside me and hold my hand.

"She lives in town, about fifteen minutes by horseback," Yixing said. "She's most likely asleep; he'll have to wake her and then another fifteen minutes back. I'd say forty minutes at least."
"Forty minutes!" I groaned, turning to look at him. "I don't want to wait forty minutes."
"You're just in the beginning stages," He said comfortingly. "She'll get here in time, don't worry." I sighed, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. Suddenly, a horrible thought came to mind, and I began to panic.

"Yixing, what if I don't make it?" I whispered, and his eyes grew large with alarm.
"Don't say that, Jikyung, don't you dare," He said warningly. My lower lip quivered, and I struggled not to cry.

"But what if I do?" I said weakly. "What if our baby has no parents?"
"The child will have both a mother and a father," Yixing insisted. "I promise you! You are strong enough to survive this birth, I know you are!" He kissed my forehead, and then on my lips. I could taste the salt of his tears, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding Yixing close to me.
"I love you," I murmured, kissing him hard until I was seized by another contraction and cried out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Yixing cried, pulling away and helping me readjust my seating. "Just breathe, you're doing fine."

"Is there anything I can do?" We both looked up at the doorway to see Yimou standing there. My heartbeat quickened, and Yixing got off of the bed and stood protectively before me.

"If you want to help father, please fetch clean water, and keep a look out for the midwife's arrival," Yixing said firmly. Yimou nodded, and turned to me.

"Good luck, Jikyung. May it be a son." He turned and left the room, and Yixing went back to me, kissing my forehead and holding my hand. I gripped his fingers tightly, lacing them between mine.
"Will you stay with me the whole time?" I asked softly.

"As long as I can," Yixing murmured. "I'll stay with you the entire time."
"I don't want you to go," I breathed, my eyes brimming with tears. "They never should have done this."

"The governor was generous with giving us the time that we had," Yixing said quietly. "At the very least, we should be grateful for that."

"I would have carried this child forever if it meant I could have you," I said softly, and he caressed my face with the back of his hand.