Chapter 14
One hour later…
Sweat beaded her brow. The contractions were coming one after the other with barely any time to catch her breath. There was no ultrasound machine available for the next hour, at least. They were doing this blind, which wasn’t a problem, according to Doctor Michaels, who had looked tense when she’d informed them that the baby was coming. The drugs hadn’t worked.
Macy put a straw to her lips. “Drink.” Her friend’s eyes were filled with concern.
Georgia’s mouth felt dry and her lips were cracked, but she had barely taken one sip when the pains started up again. “Nooo!” she cried, exhaustion settling into her limbs. A feeling of hopelessness overtook her. This was wrong. The baby wasn’t supposed to come just yet. The medication to stop the labor wasn’t working. Twenty-six weeks. What did that even mean? How small would the little one be? Oh, god!
“Breathe.” Shale took her hand and squeezed.
“No.” She fought against the pain, against her own body. “I don’t want this to happen. This can’t happen!” The drugs were supposed to have stopped this. Why hadn’t they? Her contractions were getting worse by the minute.
“Sorry to have to rain on your pity party,” the doctor said, her eyes bearing into hers, “but this isn’t over yet. You’re nearly there. You should start to get the urge to push soon.”
“I don’t want to push! I can’t have this baby.” Tears spilled over.
“What you want or don’t want doesn’t count, I’m afraid. Nature has other ideas. Now breathe and try to relax. It won’t help to fight.”
Georgia sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. She nodded once, breathing with the contraction that wracked through her body.
“That’s it!” Doctor Michaels said. “You are doing great.” She moved between her splayed legs, checking her progress again. “You are nine centimeters. You will start to feel the need to bear down soon.”
“I do feel more pressure down there.” She bit down on her cracked lip, tasting the coppery tang of blood.
“Good. That means the little one is moving into the birthing canal. It won’t be long, you’re doing really well.” The doctor gave her a smile. “The pediatrician is on his way. Shouldn’t be more than a minute or two. He is really great at what he does. Being born so early is no longer the death sentence it once was. Ninety percent. Think about that.”
Shale made a noise of irritation, which she ignored. He kept insisting that the baby would be fine. Make that, babies. He hadn’t let up.
The doctor went on. “You will have a difficult road ahead. The baby won’t be able to go home with you but…”
Before Georgia could return the smile, pain rolled through her again, building with each panted breath. She clenched her teeth. In reality, a contraction lasted a minute, but it felt like forever. On the other hand, the two minutes between contractions seemed to go by in a heartbeat.
The pressure increased. Georgia felt the first tremors in her hands, and before long her whole body shook, like she had caught a chill or something. She was about to ask Doctor Michaels about it when the nurse arrived at her side. “It’s normal to sometimes shiver like that. You’re in what we call the transition phase of the labor. Your womb has opened, and the baby is slowly moving down, ready to be pushed out.” She gave a reassuring smile. “You will continue to have contractions, they might get worse and closer together.”
Worse!
How could this possibly get worse?
“Do you want more to drink?” Macy asked. It felt so good to know her friend was there with her.
Georgia shook her head. She felt exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep. There would be no sleep for her for a good while. When the baby came ‒ and it would be soon ‒ she was going to be too worried to sleep. She blinked away more tears as they gathered. This was the time to be strong. Stronger than she had ever been in her life. She braced herself as another contraction took hold.
* * *
Georgia went from shivering to feeling too hot, and then back to shivering all over again. She kept having birthing pains. It was hard for Shale to watch and not to be able to do anything to help. They were so bad now that her back bowed and sweat dripped off of her. Shale wiped her forehead with a damp cloth and whispered words of encouragement. Truth was, he felt useless. He wanted to take her pain. To do something more for her, but what? There was nothing. All he could do was be there. It wasn’t enough! Not nearly!
The healer went over to the foot of the bed once again, peering between Georgia’s legs. She had done so twice already in the last half an hour.
Another healer was standing in the far side of the room. He had a whole lot of equipment set up and two nurses with him. They were waiting for the baby to be born and had explained that the infant would need to be put in a large box and taken away. Shale was not coping well with that thought. If they tried to take his sons, he wasn’t sure what he would do. He might fight the male. It would be the wrong thing to do but his instincts were riding him hard.
“Your perineum is bulging.” The doctor looked excited.
“Is that good or bad?” he blurted, unable to help himself. Georgia had slumped back onto the inclined section of the bed, panting heavily. When she turned her head, he noticed that her eyes were bloodshot. Her face was flushed and dripping with perspiration.
Her lips looked dry. “Shale…” Georgia’s voice cracked.
He took her hand in his. “Do you need something?” He had a panicky edge to his voice.
She shook her head. “I’m scared. So scared. Right now, I’m hoping all those crazy things you said are true.”
“They are true, Wisconsin.” He squeezed her hand. “Everything I said is true. You’ll see soon enough.” Unfortunately, everyone in this room would see as well but there was nothing he could do about that at this point.
“A bulging perineum is good,” the healer said. “The baby should start crowning soon.”
She must have seen his look of confusion because she added. “The top of the baby’s head will start to show soon.”
Another pain hit. This time Georgia made these weird noises. “Oh, god!” she groaned. “I…I feel like pushing.” She was out of breath, panting between every word.
The doctor was already at the foot of the bed. “You can push if you feel ready. Some women like sitting up, or on their haunches. You need to do what feels right. Make as much noise as you want. Do whatever it takes to help this along. I will guide you.”
Georgia was making more of those strange noises. They were a deep kind of grunting. “I really need…I….” She was gritting her teeth.
“Do it!” the healer urged. “Push!”
Crunching her body as much as her swollen belly would allow, Georgia pushed. She drew in a deep breath and pushed again. She growled, snarled, panted and gripped his hand really tight ‒ for a human ‒ then she pushed some more.
When the contraction was finally over, she sagged back against the pillow, panting hard.
Shale held her for a few moments.
“You’re doing good, hun,” Macy said in a hushed whisper. “I think you should wet your mouth. A nurse brought in some ice chips earlier.” She held the bowl up to Georgia who sucked one. “Not too much,” Macy added, “We don’t want you getting ill. She warned of the possibility of that.”
“Okay, Georgia. Let’s get this baby out.” The human rubbed her gloved hands together and leaned in between her legs.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Georgia said between gritted teeth. She was looking at Macy when she said it. The two shared a moment. Shale felt like a useless asshole all over again. He didn’t blame Georgia for not believing him. He sounded crazy to his own ears.
The whole pushing process started up again. She strained and strained, till her face turned red and sweat dripped from her forehead.
When it finally subsided, instead of falling back onto the bed, Georgia panted. “Help me up.” She tried to g
et into a squatting position on the bed.
He shot a questioning look at the healer, who nodded. “It’s fine. If she wants to sit up to have this baby, I’m good with that.”
Shale lifted Georgia and carefully helped her into position on the bed. Georgia was unsteady, so he got in behind her bracketing her body with his arms to keep her in position. He put his back up against the headrest of the bed for support. “That’s better,” she sighed, almost sounding content. When the next birthing pain hit, she groaned loudly as she pushed. Her body was tense. Her heart raced.
“I can see the baby’s head.” The healer spoke calmly, but Shale could hear the excitement in her voice. “Listen to me carefully, I need you to stop pushing now.”
“But I have to push,” Georgia argued.
“I don’t want you to tear,” the doctor said. “We need to take it slow. You’re stretching too quickly.”
Georgia shook her head, continuing to push with all her might. “Have to,” she ground the words out between clenched teeth.
“You are going to tear,” the healer warned. “Stop! Breathe instead.”
“O-okay,” Georgia grit out, sounding unsure. “I’ll try,” she whimpered.
“I know it’s tough, but you can do it,” the healer continued. “That’s it. You’re doing great.”
“I can’t!” Georgia yelled. “Need to…must…can’t,” she groaned.
“No, you need to give your perineum time to stretch or there’s a good chance you’ll tear badly. Trust me, you don’t want that. The infant is bigger than I expected.” She said the last to herself, sounding shocked.
He felt her tremble in his arms. Georgia whimpered again. She truly sounded like she was in agony. Which she most probably was. Shale’s sense of uselessness mounted, until he remembered something stupid from his Google searches the night before. It might help. “Blow out the candle,” he blurted.
“What?” both Georgia and Macy said in unison.
“Pretend there is a candle a few inches from your mouth. Blow it out. Do it now.”
Thankfully, she didn’t question him. Georgia was probably too desperate at that stage. He heard her blow.
“Okay,” he said, holding onto her arms, supporting her as much as he could. “It’s one of those candles that reignites itself. Blow it out again.”
She sucked in a breath and blew. They went through this process two more times.
“Okay.” The doctor was doing something between Georgia’s legs. He couldn’t see. “You can push again.”
Georgia did as she said, bearing down hard. She grunted low and deep.
“That’s it,” Shale said, watching as the healer’s eyes lit with excitement.
Georgia held onto his forearms, she made a growl of frustration as the contraction subsided.
“Your baby is right there. One or two more good pushes and he will be born.”
Georgia was leaning back against him, she nodded. “Okay.” She was panting heavily.
“Standing by,” the male healer announced, moving in closer. “My team and I are ready.”
“Great! This is Doctor Hickstead.” The healer looked back their way. “Just so you know,” she addressed Georgia, “it is normal for an infant to move down and pull back up. It’s fine, just as long as they keep moving down in the long run. I think your perineum is stretched sufficiently, but if I tell you to stop again, you need to listen, okay?”
“I understand.” Georgia was slumped in his arms. She sounded exhausted. Macy was there giving her more liquids.
“Good move,” the healer said, looking at him. “I’m going to remember the candle thing. Haven’t heard that one before.”
Georgia’s breathing hitched and her body began to tense in preparation for the next contraction.
“Are you ready to meet your baby?” The healer smiled.
Georgia nodded, “It’s too late now to say no,” she forced out before a low growl began to build in her throat.
“Good.” The healer looked down. “Push now, Georgia, push!”
Shale held onto her, wishing so hard that he could do something more to help her through this.
Georgia’s loud groan turned into a triumphant shout.
The healer looked really busy. “Your baby’s head is out. I’m just cleaning the nasal passage and checking to ensure that the mouth is clear. There is no umbilical cord around the neck. The infant is small but looks…good.” She sounded surprised. The other healer moved in closer, his whole stance showing readiness.
Without thinking about it, Shale nuzzled into the back of her hair, damp with sweat. He inhaled her scent. “I’m so proud of you.” His first son was almost there. Pride burst from his chest.
Georgia trembled in his arms. “Is he okay?” she whispered. “Is he…is he…?”
“He looks good. On the next contraction, we’ll free his shoulders,” the healer responded.
Georgia sighed.
“Here we go!” the doctor shouted.
Georgia stiffened. All it took was one big push and their whelp was in the healer’s arms. The baby squirmed and kicked while the healer cut the cord. He couldn’t see much of what was happening from his angle behind Georgia. The nurse helped.
“Oh, my goodness,” the human said. “You were right,” she glanced up at Shale, “it’s a boy.” The little one squirmed some more. He let out a wail. It was loud and strong and filled Shale with joy like he had never felt before.
Georgia laughed. It had a hysterical edge. “He’s okay then?” Tears coursed down her cheeks. “He’s breathing, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is,” the healer said, still busy with his whelp.
Shale kept supporting Georgia as much as he could. When she tried to get up, he held her in place. It wouldn’t be long before her pains began again. Before the urge to push started up again. She might not know it, but that moment would be on her soon.
The male healer took his whelp from Doctor Michaels and Shale had to stop himself from snarling. Males were not permitted in the birthing chamber back at the lair. Recently, fathers had been present for the birth of their whelps. It seemed that human females preferred it that way. Outside males, however…forget about it. Every possessive instinct flared up in him, his lip curled away from his teeth in a silent snarl and his scales rubbed beneath his skin.
“Are you okay, Shale?” Macy asked.
He nodded once, keeping his eyes on the male healer who held his son. The male rushed over to the table on the far said of the room, placing his son on a mat. The healer got to work right away. It looked like he was suctioning the baby’s nose and mouth with some or other device. There was a slurping noise. Shale was torn. He wanted to go to his whelp, but he also needed to stay with Georgia. A nurse stood close by, handing the healer tools. The doctor made the odd comment, using terms Shale had never heard before. He could hear his son breathing. Could hear the rhythm of their whelp’s heart.
Chapter 15
Her heart practically beat out of her chest. Her soul felt like it might burst. Georgia strained to see what was happening and caught a glimpse of her tiny baby. Just a glimpse. She whimpered, putting a hand to her chest. Right then she felt every emotion there was to feel. They all ran through her. Each one fighting for center stage. She felt absolute elation. Then fear…more fear than she imagined possible. She also felt frustration and anger. Why had this happened? Her baby was going to have to fight for his life. He was going to have to fight for every breath. She caught another fleeting glimpse just as the pediatrician put her son on a table. He was shouting to his staff for equipment. The baby wasn’t quite as small as she expected he would be. She’d seen pictures of premature babies and they always looked odd. Very big heads and paper-thin, wrinkly skin. For the few seconds she had seen him, her son appeared to be normal. His skin had been pink. Not blue. It didn’t mean anything. He was premature. It was what it was.
“Please,” Georgia moaned the word, “is my baby okay?”
�
�He’s fine,” Shale murmured. “I swear he is.”
Then there was a gasping noise and a tiny squeak. Her son was alive. He was very much alive. She’d seen him kicking and squirming. He was fighting. She could hear it and sense it. Her son was a fighter. Then her heart sank.
Her son.
Her baby.
Hers.
She needed to stop thinking of him in those terms. Georgia needed to contact the Joyces. She needed to let them know what had happened. They deserved to know.
“He’s beautiful,” Macy gushed. There were tears running down her friend’s cheeks. “I can’t believe how strong you are,” she added, looking at Georgia. “I’m sure your little boy is going to be just fine.”
“He’s not mine.” She tried to sound resolute and was both happy and unhappy to say that she succeeded.
“He is yours.” Shale’s arms tightened around her, making her realize that she was still in his arms, on the bed. “He’s yours, Georgia. You’re his mother.”
Tears began to fall all over again. “Please make sure he’s okay?” she asked Macy, feeling a lump in her own throat. Georgia needed to hold it together. She wiped her eyes and sniffed hard.
Macy walked to where they were still working on their son. One of the nurses stopped her. “Please stand to the side. Let the doctor do his job.”
“Please listen,” another nurse added, using a voice of authority.
“Please let me see him,” Georgia pleaded, trying to see what they were doing. “At least let me know how he’s doing.”
There was so much activity. She thought she heard another squeak. “Let my female see our son,” Shale growled. His fists were clenched and his jaw was tight.
“Let me get up,” she whispered.
Shale shook his head. “You aren’t done yet.”
“The placenta will come when it’s ready,” the doctor commented, overhearing them. “It might have a few minutes yet. You shouldn’t feel much. Maybe a light contraction at the most. You’re nearly done.” She went to fetch something from a set of drawers.
Dragon Whelps: Earth Dragons Series: Book 3 Page 11