IC Date: Day 56, Spring, Turn 12, 10th Interval
Players: Vanya, Talim, Talianya [NPC] & Shayla
Location: Ista Weyr
Synopsis: Baby Talianya finally arrives. The parents are pleased. OOC Date: 20 May 09.


Infirmary,
Evening

This natural, bubble-shaped cave shows signs of recent renovations, the walls freshly painted, with new fittings. Cupboards cover one wall of the large cave, one marked prominently with a black skull and crossbones and bolted with a heavy lock. A stone bench, covered in a padded sheet, rests in the center of the room directly under a glass glowbasket; this area is the examining table. Racks, draped carefully with sterile cloths, surround the bench. Another bench against the back wall contains a sink, a water heater, and research equipment, including a white cloth draped over what must be a microscope. Three beds line the wall opposite the cupboards, curtains on tracks prepared to be drawn around them. The room smells faintly of redwort and numbweed.


Inventory can be a pain in the butt, but Shayla actually enjoys doing it. If only because she thinks she's the only one who can do it correctly. And so she stands in front of the cupboard, counting under her breath and then marking whatever number she counts on a clipboard. It may be boring, but she loves it. And it's a slow day in the infirmary, so it provides a break in the monotony of just sitting around.

Talim just likes to throw things in where they fit. It just /makes/ sense. But whatever.
He's not on shift but he IS here, with his lovely weyrmate, no less, who's looking less than lovely right now--with reason of course. "Hey!" he calls out, leading the other woman in. "I think it's time!"

"I tell you, Talim, it's only indigestion." Vanya's voice can be heard well before her entrance. "There's no need to rush me to the infirmary every time I feel a little twinge." She shakes her head, looking at Shayla. "Talim, it's all right, I promise." To the Healer, she says, "I'm /fine/. Just a couple of pangs, and I wet myself on the way here," she complains.

Shayla exchanges an amused glance with Talim at Vanya's comments, pointing to a cot for them to take. "You know the drill, Talim." At least he should, even if he's going to be on the father-side instead of the healer-side of things this time around. She goes to wash up, calling over her shoulder to him. "How far apart are her contractions?"

"Those are contraaaactions," Talim sing-songs. He's the healer. He KNOWS these things. "And I'm pretty certain that was your water. I think it's partially broken," he explains to Shayla, nudging Vanya over to one of the cots. "They're--what, five, six or seven minutes, I think?" Something like that.

"/Those/ are /contractions/?" Vanya exclaims. She doesn't sound like she believes him. "It feels like indigestion." She rolls her eyes. "To hear my mother talk, I should be in agonizing pain." She shakes her head, clumsily climbing onto the cot. "Could you at least go back and get my underwear?" she begs her weyrmate. "Otherwise, someone's gonna find an icky surprise in the tunnels. I was so /embarrassed/!" she explains. "I lost my undies. They just fell off when I peed." Once on the cot, she lies there quietly, perhaps expecting the healer to agree with her.

"Oh honey, they'll get worse," Shayla breaks the news to Vanya about the contractions, grinning as she dries her hands and heads in their direction. "And really, you're not going to need underwear for much longer. The baby needs to come out down there, afterall." Unless Vanya is going to push the baby out of her elbow, which would be a sight to see. Sitting at the foot of the cot, a gentle hand gets placed on a Vanya-knee. "You're gonna have to spread your legs so I can check you and see how dilated you are." Check your modesty at the door!

"I um, I'll get them later. No one's gonna find them," Talim grimaces, giving Shayla a look. "You don't need them right now. We'll get you into a gown, actually," he says as he goes over to the corner to fetch one, waving it in the air as he re-approaches Vanya. "Need help?" But he steps aside to let Shayla do her thing, first.

Vanya looks slightly annoyed, sighing with some exasperation. "All right, fine," she says, parting her knees. She's done this for nine months, so she knows the drill. "I'm sure this is all going to be for nothing, but ... whatever." She looks over as Talim returns, signing again. "If you insist, but I think you two are mistaken." Her knees part all the way, feet planted firmly on the cot. "See? No need to be in an uproar, right?"

And so Shayla's hand goes up, feels around, and her hand comes out, a smile taking over her face. "She's six cetimeters," she tells Talim, since he'll know what she's talking about more than Vanya will. "Go ahead and put that gown on." She'll let Talim be in charge of that, helping her get changed and whatnot. While they are busy doing that, Shayla starts getting her supplies aroun.

"Wow. Baby's coming out," Talim explains in less complex terms. "Arms up!" Because the gown is going on. "Just four more centimeters are you can start pushing. You're at the point where you can get to ten in a matter of minutes--or candlemarks. Let's hope for minutes though."

Vanya is totally taken by surprise. "Really?---you're not joking?" She allows Talim to help her undress, and then to slip the backless gown on. "But it's supposed to be painful!" she says, shaking her head. "Is something wrong with me?---or with the baby?" Now she's starting to be concerned. "I don't feel any pain, Talim," she tells him, reaching for his arm. "She was kicking a little bit ago, but even that's stopped." Ah, the fears of a new mother---starting even before the birth.

"Calm down," Shayla says in a soothing voice. "Everything is fine. Some women tolerate labor better than others, and for other women, the contractions intensify as they progress. If you're one of the lucky ones with an easy labor, /be thankful/ and don't complain." Really. It might get her beat up. After throwing in her two cents, finished getting things around, Shayla sits at the foot of the cot, grinning. "And now, we just wait."

"Yep. Usually we'll check every half hour or so to see how far you're progressing. Or, if you suddenly have the feeling that you NEED to push, it probably means you've jumped to ten. Until then, let's talk." ...Yeah, about what, now? "So," Talim says, nodding his head while chewing on his bottom lip. "You excited?"

The Healer's words do help calm Vanya down, but there's still a little nagging fear left behind. "Talk?---about what?" is Vanya's question for the male half of this team. "Excited---yes. I feel kind of ... fluttery," she tells them both. "In here," and she places her hand on her lower abdomen. "It kind of feels like I have to, you know, go to the bathroom." But she doesn't. Instead, Vanya lies there, breathing calmly. "I hate waiting for anything," she tells them. "Isn't there some way we can speed things up?"

And so until the show gets on the road, Shayla has nothing to do but sit there and wait. As far as Vanya's question goes, she just shakes her head. "Not unless you can tell your baby to hurry up. It's all up to him. Or her."

"Him or her. Hoping it's a her. We didn't really come up with any boy names, huh?" Talim asks, pulling up a chair to sit beside Vanya. "Still feeling the same? We'll have to keep timing the contractions."

"Her," Vanya says firmly. "Talianya. We already decided on that name." And then the show does, indeed, get on the road---in a big way. "Faranth!" The curse explodes out of Vanya, perhaps taking everyone by surprise. She half-sits up on the cot, as much in surprise as in pain. All thought of breathing and such goes right out the window as a wave of pain hits her. "Talim!" she cries, terror filling her eyes. "What's happening? Is this it? Am I in labor? What's going on?" Questions erupt in a rapid-fire pace as she grabs his hand.

A brow raises at Talim for Vanya's reaction. "Did you not tell her what to expect?" Shayla questions him, making a quick mental note of the time and starts counting so they can keep track of how far apart her contractions are.

"You were in labor the second you started feeling your "indigestion"," Talim explains. For now, he leans forward and reaches for Vanya's hand, waiting for Shayla's verdict on how far along Vanya is now. "No, we've gone over everything. But explaining something and actually going through it a few months down the road's a little hard to connect, I reckon," Talim explains to Shayla with a crooked grin and a shrug of his shoulders. "You're doing good baby."

Admittedly, the swift reaction was mostly due to surprise. Vanya lies back, panting slightly. "Yes ... he told ... me," she says, a bit of an edge to her voice. "He's been ... very dutiful." She blinks a couple of times, loosening her grasp on his hand slightly. "Now I see what ... mother meant," she says softly, eyes going to her weyrmate. "That ... /hurt/!" she tells him, almost accusing. "You said it would hurt, but you didn't say how MUCH it would hurt!"

Shayla smothers a grin as a hand is once again placed on Vanya's knee. "I'm gonna check you again, hun." And so she does, eyes widening slightly once her hand is removed. "Nine. One more to go. So whenever you get the urge to push, go ahead." Almost time to get the show on the road.

"Well, hi. I'm a man. What would I know, right? At least that's what /I'm/ always told." And that's the excuse that Talim will stick by. "Wow, see? You're practically there. You'll probably be at ten with the next contraction, and then you'll be able to push," he nods alongside Shayla's own words.

The next contraction comes only moments later, and this time Vanya's a little less reactive. She still gives a curse, and rolls upward, but she's not forgetting how the midwife told her how to breathe. "I feel ... like I need ... to stand up ..." she tells them as the pain ebbs. That "I'm a man" remark gets Talim a kind of glazed glare, and an audible snort. "So ... be a man ... and take some of ... this pain!" she snaps, her face sweating a little.

"Let's not fight now," Shayla says in a soothing voice, mostly to Vanya. "Don't say things you'll regret after the pain is gone. Yes, it hurts, I know, but it's worth it. Just keep that in mind." Healer, cheerleader, Shay does it all.

"Yeah, I won't hold anything you say to me against you," Talim says, matter-of-factly. "Or if you break my hand in the process." Because Vanya's surely utilizing it.

Oh, yes, Vanya's utilizing it all right. She at least isn't intertwining her fingers with his, but grasps his hand in hers. She actually tries NOT to hurt Talim, letting up every time the pain ends. The third contraction isn't quite as hard to take, and this time her body begins to tell her it's time to push. Grunting, she bears down, gripping Talim's hand and grinding her back teeth. No fighting now! She doesn't really have the breath for it. When a fourth contraction follows only a couple of minutes behind the other, Vanya lets out a low cry of pain, and another curse.

And so it's time for Shayla to finally do her job, her eyes focused down between Vanya's legs as her head bobs. "Good, good, keep going, keep going," she cheers Vanya on, then she smiles up at Talim. "Want to see your baby? It's crowning." And then it's back to cheering Vanya on. "Keep going, hun. You're doing great. Just a little bit more."

"Really?" Talim asks, bending sideways with only a little grimace for the pain in his hand. "We have a head!" he exclaims to Vanya, adding "Keep pushing! It's smooth sailing from here!"

Once the pain subsides, Vanya pants for breath, drops of sweat beading her forehead. "I'm ... trying ... to," she says, gasping as there's the urgency to push once again. "R-really?---" She tries to smile, and succeeds a little, but another pain has her crying out once more and bearing down. The baby's head is definitely coming and although there's pain, the knowledge this will soon be over seems to urge Vanya on. Another push or two and ... it's a baby. Almost anticlamatic, that sudden rush of infant. Like maybe Talianya wanted to see her parents just as much as they want to see her. Pain subsides and Vanya pants, catching her breath, perhaps instinctively knowing it's all over now.

Shayla's got herself an armful of baby, quickly tying off the cord and suctioning out the baby's nose and mouth. And then... "It's a girl!" The now-crying newborn is handed off to Vanya, laying her on her chest. "Congradulations," she says to both Vanya and Talim, now getting back to her job. Cleaning up now that the hard part is over.

Oh, but it's not over because those contractions aren't going to end until the amniotic sac is out! But hopefully Vanya remembers this part by herself since Talim's much too busy leaning over to look at their new daughter. "She's so--" Ugly and pink? "Gorgeous." That's a better adjective to use right now. And yeah, he's totally got a few tears in his eyes.

Vanya's body won't allow her to forget the expulsion of that sac, and all the while she's panting and trying hard to keep from crying---and failing!---she's continuing to push. She can't stop the trembling of her hand as she gingerly touches the tiny infant now lying on her chest. "She's ... she's ..." Words cannot express what Vanya sees and feels. Ugly, yes. Red and slightly battered by the birth canal, yes. But totally beautiful. "... got all her ... fingers and toes?" she asks, looking up at Talim with glistening eyes.

And once that sac is out, Shayla's job here is done, everything all cleaned up. She's handing the reigns off to Talim. "You can clean her off whenever you two are ready," she says softly, adding another round of, "Congradulations." And then, Shay's fading into the background to allow the new parents some privacy.

"She's... hungry," Talim snickers as the babe starts seeking you-know-what. "I think so. Two eyes, nose, mouth. She's got it all. Even a cone-shaped head." But most babies do at first. "Nice job, mom. Shall I clean her so she's at least a little decent looking?"

Vanya's exhausted, but she can feel her daughter's fumbling at her breast. "Yes, please," she says, looking up at Talim with gratitude. She adjusts her position on the cot, wincing slightly, and feeling a bit of a mess herself. Shaking hands try to smooth back her hair, and she's grateful to someone for handing her a cool drink. After a few minutes, she's more presentable, and eager to meet their daughter. "I can't wait to see her," she says, meaning, obviously, the cleaner version of baby. "I guess we can't call her Bump anymore." A bit of wistfulness in those words. "She's a person, now."

"Person or not," Talim says over his shoulder as she's cleaned off, "we can still give her nicknames. No harm, no fowl," he grins, finally bringing her back. But, at first, he's a bit reluctant to hand her over. "You look /much/ better now, don't you? Yes you do! You're soooo preeeetty."

"I'm sorry the cot's not big enough for the both of us," Vanya says, gently taking Talianya from Talim. A full breast is offered to the hungry child, who eagerly nuzzles until she's found what she wants. Once the babe is settled, Vanya can now take time to look up at her weyrmate. "Are you ... happy?" she asks, voice soft and low. "Did ... did I embarrass you?" All those insecurities! Poor Talim to have to deal with it, but new mothers are often unsure of themselves, aren't they?

"Ecstatic," Talim admits. "It's--absolutely unbelievable. She's gorgeous," he repeats, settling back down on the chair before leaning forward, resting his elbows against the cot. "Embarrass me? How so?" But he shakes his head, nonetheless.

But Vanya's drifting off into other thoughts, now, not even certain what Talim's saying. She holds Talianya carefully, the baby blissfully enjoying her first meal. "I'm so tired," she says softly, a finger smoothing down her daughter's hair. "I feel like I've been bashed into the pier a few times." She can't stifle the yawn that over-comes her, and chuckles at herself. "How soon can we take her home with us?" she asks Talim, not taking her eyes off the baby.

"Pro'lly keep you here for a couple days at least. Just to make sure you don't rip anything open inside, and to make sure she's latching on and feeding correctly, and just for your overall sake. I'll be here with you." Yep, he'll sleep in the uncomfortable chair if he has to! Or at the desk. Or an empty cot.

Vanya's eyes are drooping slightly. "She's feeding just fine," she murmurs, smiling tenderly. "I can feel it." Her face is starting to look a little wan, likely from exhaustion. "Fine---though the bed's not as comfortable as ours," she tells Talim. "I'll be glad when we're back in our own room." She looks up at him again. "Can you send a message to my mother? Let her know she has a granddaughter?" And then there's another yawn. Talianya, too, seems to be drifting off. "She'll need burping...." Sleepy, that.

"I can take care of it if you want to rest," Talim says, also nodding in regards to sending a note to her mother. "I can even arrange for her to come up here if you want--you know, to visit."

She nods. "Yes, you need to bond with her, too," Vanya answers. As for her mother's visit...? "Once she's a little older, yes, that would be nice. I want Mother to know Tali, but I don't want her to try and take over. That's one of my biggest fears, now that father's gone." A touch of sadness. "He would've loved to meet Tali. Too bad she won't ever get to know her grandfather." Eyes glimmer with tears, now. Emotion. Exhaustion. Both.

"Shh," is Talim's attempt at soothing the emotional mother. Vanya even gets a lingering smooch to the forehead before he uses his hand to smooth her hair back. "Let me know when she's ready and then I'll take her and you can get some rest."

"I think she's done," Vanya says after a couple of minutes. "I haven't felt her pull for the past little bit. Poor little thing must be exhausted, too," she adds, sniffling. "Go ahead and take her." She strokes a hand over Tali's head a last time. "Go with your daddy, sweetheart. He'll take good care of you... no worries." From the sound of Vanya's voice, the new mother's quite close to sleeping herself.

Current Mood: accomplished