“Sorry about my cold hands,” she said as felt around the edges of the baby’s head to see if she would need to make more room for the baby’s head to pass through. Satisfied there was enough elasticity in Amanda’s skin she watched her belly to decide when to instruct Amanda to push. She used this moment to gather some elemy and tie into Amanda’s life-line. She used this link to evaluate and control her patient’s pain level as well as the progress of the labor.
Before the next contraction began, Bryon rushed into the room, carrying all of Alena’s supplies. He kept his eyes averted from Amanda’s body and concentrated on only looking at her face. He set the supplies down on the side table and began to leave the room.
“Stay,” Alena ordered.
“But…,” he began, searching for an excuse to escape.
“I may need your help,” she said quickly. “This baby’s coming fast. Sit beside Amanda and hold her hand.”
Unable to refuse, Bryon reluctantly did as he was ordered. The strength of Amanda’s grip made him feel foolish for thinking of his own discomfort; Amanda needed his strength to help her through this ordeal. This was going to be his first birthing experience as well.
“Okay, Amanda, I want you to push gently, but consistently,” she instructed. She watched as the baby’s head progressed until it was half-way present and said, “A little more, now stop pushing.” Once the head was completely out, she wiped the face and cleared the airway with the suction device from her kit. “One, maybe two, strong pushes and we’ll have ourselves a baby,” she announced happily.
Amanda did as she was instructed. She was amazed and not just a little alarmed at the speed of this birth; she had always heard it took hours of hard labor. While she felt a lot of pressure, she was surprised at how little pain was actually involved in the process. She had no way of knowing how much Alena was shielding the pain from her.
Alena glanced over at her husband and dictated, “Put a towel across Amanda’s chest, Bryon.”
Bryon had to let go of Amanda’s hand to comply with his wife’s instruction. He grabbed a towel from the bedside table and unfurled it across Amanda’s chest.
With the baby’s head presenting she wanted to have Amanda feel as though she were an active participant in the birthing of her daughter. The most effective way to do this was to allow the mother to help guide her child out with her own hands. Without missing a beat, Alena turned back to her patient and instructed, “Give me your hands, Amanda.” She brought Amanda’s hands over the baby’s head and then guided them to deliver the baby from Amanda’s body. Alena released Amanda’s hands and held the baby’s body and together they lifted the wet and bloody baby up onto the towel on Amanda’s chest.
She used the towel to begin vigorously rubbing the baby’s skin both to clean her and to stimulate her to cry. Within moments, the little girl gave a gusty cry of displeasure at the rough handling and Alena smiled with satisfaction. She left the towel on the baby and told Amanda, “Keep her warm while I help you deliver the afterbirth.
“Bryon, can you please get a set of clamps and a pair of scissors out of my kit to cut the cord,” she instructed as she gently tugged on the cord inside Amanda to see if it had come free. The placenta had not yet released so Alena clamped and cut the baby’s cord with only a few drops of blood released onto the towel.
After a cursory exam of the crying baby, she looked between Amanda’s legs and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness!”
“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked worriedly.
“You’re having another baby, Amanda! Bryon, please take the baby while Amanda gets ready to push again.”
Awkwardly wrapping the bloody baby, Bryon did as he was told. Even one-handed, Bryon was able to fling another towel across Amanda’s chest.
Being an experienced father, he decided he could wash the baby while the other was being born. Glad for something to do, he soaked a washcloth in the warm basin water and began swabbing the pink little girl. He was glad to see ten perfect fingers and toes.
A few minutes later, Amanda held a second crying daughter against her chest. Alena then discovered the reason the afterbirth had not come out, the babies were identical twins sharing the same afterbirth. The two babies also explained the reason for Amanda’s enormous girth.
Once both babies were washed, wrapped in clean clouts and towels, and resting on either side of Amanda, Alena asked the most obvious question, “What’re you going to name them?”
“The first one’ll be named Juila,” she replied promptly as she turned to the little girl on her left and smiled. She turned to her right and smiled even bigger and said, “I don’t have any idea what I’m going to call this little surprise! Do you have any suggestions?”
“I’ve always liked the name Jena,” Bryon suggested helpfully.
“Juila and Jena,” Amanda mused thoughtfully. She liked how the two names sounded together; similar, but not so close as to be confusing. She nodded her head with satisfaction, “I think that is the perfect name!”
“Wonderful,” Alena said to no one in particular as she clapped her hands together quietly. “Bryon,” she turned to address him, “Can you get the bassinets we used for Justan and Andera out of the attic. I think we need to get Juila and Jena into them so Amanda might get a little sleep before they decide to wake up and eat.”
Alena watched as Bryon left the room and turned to look at Amanda lying in bed with her two daughters. Her first experience as a wise-woman had not turned out as she had imagined. She was upset with herself for not taking the time to give Amanda a proper examination to be able to know she was carrying twins. She supposed she had been too preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to accept Elder Debbon’s invitation. It really was not a good excuse. She prided herself in thinking of her patients’ welfare over her own. In that aspect, she had failed. She vowed it would be the last time she erred in her wise-woman practice.
Alena was thankful things had turned out well. She reached forward and moved the blanket from covering Jena’s eye; the baby twitched at her touch. She smiled down at the baby and then shifted her attention to Amanda.
“Thank you for their safe delivery,” Amanda said softly. She snuggled closer to her daughters and tried to get comfortable. She had never felt so tired and excited at the same time. Not for the first time, Amanda wondered what her mother would say about being a grandmother—twice over now. She thought about her children’s future. Would they be raised on Tuala or would they be able to go back to Earth? Only time would tell.
“What are you thinking?” Alena asked.
“I was thinking about my mom.”
Alena thought Amanda might be tired enough to let something slip about where she was from so she followed Amanda’s lead and asked, “Do you want to let her know about the twins?”
“I can’t,” she replied sadly.
“Why not?”
“Because she doesn’t exist here.”
“You mean she’s passed on?”
“Yes, she’s on the other side.”
“I’m sorry, Amanda, I’m sure she’d be proud,” she finished lamely. “Do you have any other family?”
“Not anymore,” Amanda replied and squirmed uncomfortably.
“Are you hurting? Do you need me to check you to make sure everything’s okay?” Alena asked with concern for her first official patient.
“I think I’m fine, I just feel sore and used. How long do I have to stay in bed?”
“You could get up right now if you felt like it. Gravity will help you to heal and dispose of residual blood from the delivery. Do you want to try to go to the bathroom?”
“I think I’ll wait until the babies are in their bassinets before trying anything. It’s really nice just having them in my arms right now,” she answered with another sigh.
They heard muffled curses and a crash as Bryon fell down the attic ladder. He appeared in the bedroom doorway, disheveled, yet smiling as he pulled the two bassinets into the room. “It was a
war, but I won,” he exclaimed triumphantly. Then he asked, “Where would you like these to be placed?”
Together, Alena and Bryon moved a couple pieces of furniture so the two bassinets could rest side-by-side near Amanda’s bed. Satisfied with the arrangements, Alena dusted the bassinets and left the room to get clean bedding for the two infants. Returning quickly, she made up one bassinet in pink and the other in yellow. After a few minutes of fussing, she gently picked up Jena and settled her in her new yellow bedding making sure her blankets were sufficiently tight to keep her warm.
Amanda lifted Juila, settled her into her other arm, and struggled to sit up. Taking the two steps to reach the other bassinet, she gently placed Juila into the small bed and then looked down at her perfect little daughters. She could hardly believe these two babies had come from her.
For the first time, she was able to get a good look at both of them. She tried to see anything of Neal in either one of them. Try as she might, she could not find any resemblance to him. Oh well, she thought to herself, I’ve heard all babies resemble little old men, and you don’t really know who they’ll look like until they’re older.
Since the excitement of the birth was over, Amanda was feeling fatigue seeping through her tired muscles and into her very bones. She wished for nothing more than the chance to curl up and sleep for a hundred years, but she had to wait until Alena changed the soiled sheets on the bed. Once the task was completed, Amanda was able to melt down into the fresh bed on her side, facing the bassinets, and pull the covers up over her shoulder. She heard Alena usher Bryon out of the room and close the door leaving her alone with her children for the first time ever. She smiled as she drifted off to sleep.
Within a few hours, the babies started to cry. Alena came in to help Amanda change their clouts and then show her how to nurse the girls. While it was possible to nurse them both at the same time, Alena insisted it was better for the girls if she were to feed them separately. Alena supplied a pacifier for the baby who was temporarily denied sustenance while the other ate her fill.
Amanda could hear the three other children talking outside her bedroom door. She could imagine how intensely curious they would be to meet the new arrivals. She smiled at what their reaction would be to discover two babies when they had only thought there would be one. She asked Alena, “Would it be okay if your kids came in to meet Juila and Jena? I’m sure they’re bursting with curiosity.”
“I don’t mind, if you don’t. I told them it’d be up to you when they were allowed to see the baby. I didn’t even tell them there were two since I thought you would like to see their reaction to the news.”
Amanda smiled and nodded, “I am very curious what Justan will say. He’s been the most attentive with me, and he did voice his concerns more than once about how big I was getting.”
Alena nodded, smiling, and said, “It was the first thing he mentioned to me when I got home last night!”
“Was it only last night?” Amanda asked incredulously. “It feels as though a whole lifetime has passed since you came home!”
“Well, two lives have begun since I came home at least,” Alena replied as she walked over to the bedroom door. She poked her head out and said, “All right, children, Amanda has said it was okay for you to come and visit as long as you behave.”
Justan was the first to appear in the doorway. As anticipated, his reaction to the two bassinets was priceless. “There’re two babies?” He looked incredulously at Amanda for confirmation.
“There sure are,” Amanda said with a smile. “I’ve named them Juila and Jena.”
Justan sidled up alongside the first bassinet and looked in on the baby and asked, “Which one is which?”
“The one you’re in front of is Jena.”
“How will we tell them apart?”
Amanda had not thought about it yet and looked to Alena to answer the question.
“We’ll keep Juila dressed in pink clothes and Jena in yellow,” she replied. “Do you think you can remember to keep track of who’s who then?” she asked sounding as though this would be no easy task.
“Sure, Juila has an “i” in it like pink, and Jena has an “e” in it like yellow,” he replied smugly.
“Well, my smart little boy, it sounds as though you do have it all figured out. Why don’t you move closer to Amanda so the other two children can have a chance to look at the new arrivals?”
While the children were staring at the babies, Alena asked Amanda, “Have you thought about when you’d like to have their crystal ceremony?”
Amanda was startled by the question since she had forgotten about her children needing crystals. She had to cover for her momentary alarm and thought quickly about what to say. “I had hoped Nealand would be here for it, but I guess that isn’t going to happen,” she began sullenly. She shook her head to clear her negative thoughts, “I guess we can have it as soon as it can be arranged. I don’t know very many people, so the guest list would be pretty short.”
“Do you want me to perform it, or would you rather have another wise-woman brought in?”
“Alena, I can’t believe you’d think I’d even consider allowing someone else to do the honor for my children! Of course, I want you for it! Besides, it was one of our terms of agreement for me watching your kids while you went off to school, remember?”
“Well, I had to ask. You might’ve changed your mind since I was gone until the very night you delivered,” she said as though ashamed of her poor timing.
“It just proves how wise you are to come home in time to help me,” Amanda pointed out and smiled smugly.
“Thank you, Amanda. This ceremony will be my first, and I believe it’s very special and important since they’re twins.”
“When can we do it?”
“Since it’ll be small, we can do it this afternoon.”
“I think that would be ideal, all things considered. Do I need to wear anything special?”
“No, I’ll take care of everything; you’ll just need to bring the babies to me just after they eat their dinner. I should be prepared by then.”
Amanda could see how excited Alena was to perform this first official ceremony as a wise-woman. Grateful for Barla’s detailed explanation of the crystals and their associated ceremony, Amanda was a little concerned about Alena not being able to see clearly into the children’s futures since their parents were from Earth. She decided to wait and see what transpired. If there were a problem with the reading, she could always pretend to faint from just having had the babies, and it would end the entire scene.
Alena, true to her word, had transformed her work room into a bright and cheerful area for the ceremony. She had set up two pillows on the floor at the far end of the room for the babies to be laid down on so she could perform the reading without fear of them falling. She had carefully dressed in the costume of a wise-woman ready to do a formal reading, which consisted of a red tunic, a yellow belt embroidered with scenes of nature, a black pair of pants, and soft-soled shoes. She had pulled her hair back into a bun secured tightly to the base of her head to keep it out of the way. She had set out two bowls of green liquid, one for each child, along with her new box of crystals.
Alena watched as her entire family as well as the next-door neighbor filed into the room and took seats on either side of where she would be performing the ceremony. Since there were so few people, everyone would have an easy time seeing the entire process. Alena hoped she would remember every step so as not to jeopardize the children’s futures and also bring shame to her new status.
Once everyone was seated, Amanda entered the room with one child in each arm. She walked up the center of the room and delicately placed each sleeping child on a pillow as indicated by Alena. Amanda then knelt on the floor opposite of Alena and waited for the ceremony to begin. The short walk had been tiring, and Amanda was grateful to be able to rest in comfort for the duration of the ceremony.
“Friends, family, and neighbors, we have gat
hered together for the important task of assigning the protective crystals for these two infants. Amanda, as their mother, do you agree to allow me to look into your children’s minds to assign their individual crystals?” Alena waited for Amanda to reply before continuing.
“Yes, I do,” Amanda replied. Immediately she thought this seemed almost like a matrimonial ceremony, and it made her smile at her answer. Apparently, it was the correct thing to say because Alena nodded solemnly and continued the ritual.
Alena dipped her finger into the green liquid of the bowl beside Juila’s head. She marked a line in green across Juila’s forehead and chanted, “I mark Juila’s forehead to be able to divine the thoughts and intents of this being.” She dipped her finger again in the bowl and marked a circle in green on the back of each of her tiny hands chanting, “I mark each of Juila’s hands to be able to divine the actions for which she will be responsible in her lifetime.”
The room was utterly silent as Alena held each of Juila’s hands in her own. With her eyes closed, she began to rock back and forth with a thin smile on her lips, as she spoke, “Pencipta langit, silakan panduan dalam pencarian. Membuat bacaan saya benar dan penugasan kristal yang tepat.”
Bryon leaned forward and quietly asked Amanda, “Would you like me to translate?”
Amanda nodded quickly without taking her eyes from the ritual.
Bryon listened carefully to Alena and then translated into Amanda’s ear, “Creator of heaven, please guide me in the quest. Make my readings true and the crystal assignment precise.”
They all sat in silence as Alena continued to rock silently. Amanda began to wonder what was going on when Alena finally spoke again.
“This child will have many obstacles to face in her youth. She will grow to be strong and independent. She will have a strong sense of right from wrong,” Alena finished, and she released the baby’s hands. She smiled and looked up at Amanda and said, “Juila is the one who spoke to me before she was born. She said she was glad I was performing this ceremony because it has made you happy.”
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