14. Juniper
Juniper
It was a rare clear night in Pualena, and the world outside was bright. A coqui-frog chorus sang ceaselessly as Juniper tossed and turned – no small thing, given how much effort it took just to turn over anymore.
She had fallen asleep before sunset, exhausted, but now at midnight she was wide awake. Her baby was even more active, turning and kicking restlessly in her belly. Finally, she gave up on sleep and walked outside.
The garden glowed nearly day-bright in the light of the full moon.
Juniper walked through the orchard, mesmerized by the movement of shadow and light beneath the trees.
She paused when she reached the duck pond, a bright pool of moonlight at the back of the property.
The frogs there were so loud that they drowned out every other sound.
She could see the trees moving in the ocean breeze, but she couldn’t hear the susurrus of their leaves over the CO-QUI! CO-QUI! of the tiny, invasive frogs.
Continuing her walk, she was surprised to see huge white flowers floating up ahead. As she got closer, she realized that she was looking at a dragonfruit plant. The flowers only bloomed at night, and she had never seen them open before. They were luminous in the moonlight.
“You’re out of season, I think,” she murmured, stepping closer. None of the other dragonfruit plants had flowers on them. That was more of a summer thing, if she remembered right. One side of her mouth quirked up in a wry smile. “But then, who am I to talk about blooming early?”
Jun went into the house for a small paintbrush and then walked back out to the dragonfruit plant.
She wasn’t sure what the variety was or if it was self-fertile or not, and she had only read about hand pollinating, but she saw no reason why she shouldn’t give it a try.
Carefully, she collected pollen with the brush and deposited it into the large stigma of each flower.
A smooth motion caught her attention, and she looked up to watch a barn owl float past on silent wings. She was huge, maybe four feet from wingtip to wingtip, and her round white face glowed in the moonlight.
Juniper’s heart lifted, and a deep peace settled into her chest.
The world was so tranquil and beautiful that night that all of her fears seemed distant and silly. She watched the owl until she glided out of sight, and then she returned her attention to the dragonfruit flowers.
Jun’s stomach hurt when she crouched down to reach the last, lowest flower. She sat down on the dew-damp grass to catch her breath.
“You must be as cramped as my lungs,” she told the baby, putting one hand over her distended belly. “Won’t it be nice to come out and stretch?”
Another contraction seized her belly, and realization dawned.
“I didn’t mean right this minute!” she gasped.
The pain subsided, and Juniper struggled to her feet, using a low branch to pull herself up.
She walked back through the orchard, moving slowly and pausing every few minutes as another contraction took hold.
The last one that caught her at the edge of the orchard was powerful, and she clung to a tree limb to stay on her feet.
She stood there panting after the contraction had subsided, looking uncertainly between the ‘ohana cottage and the main house. Was it too early to wake Emma? Labor could last a day or more. She probably shouldn’t–
At the first twinge of the next contraction, a panicked shout escaped her.
“Auntie Em!”
“Jun?” Emma’s voice floated down from her bedroom window a moment later.
“Help!”
Her aunt was there in a flash, hands steadying her before Jun even realized that she was there. She waited for the contraction to pass before speaking.
“Let’s get you inside, and I’ll call the midwife.”
“He’s early,” Jun gasped, fighting panic.
“Not very,” Emma soothed her.
“But first babies are always late!”
“Not always. Come on, let’s get you to your room.”
“I don’t want to be inside,” she protested.
Emma let out a little huff of a sigh, the first hint that she might be feeling anxious herself. “Let’s get you closer to the cottage, at least. Then I’ll get your phone from inside and call the midwife on that. Mine’s inside somewhere. I didn’t stop to look for it.”
Juniper walked towards the cottage, even though she really wanted to hide away in the orchard instead of stepping out into the full light of the moon.
Halfway across the lawn, another contraction nearly drove her to her knees.
“You’re okay,” Emma said, holding her up. “Just breathe.”
“That hurt!” Jun gasped when she could breathe again.
Emma let out a helpless little laugh. “Come on. Let’s get you up the steps, and you can sit on the lanai if you want to stay out in the fresh air.”
They were nearly there when another contraction came.
“He’s coming fast, Auntie Em,” Jun panted after it had passed. “He’s coming really fast.”
“I know.” Her voice was tight with worry, and she supported Jun as they walked up the steps to the little porch. “Where’s your phone?”
“On the kitchen counter, I think.” She sank wearily onto the cushioned bench.
Emma disappeared into the cottage, and she stayed there long enough that three more contractions came and went. Juniper could hear her aunt’s voice inside, but she couldn’t make out the words.
“What’s going on?” she asked when Emma stepped back through the screen door.
“I talked to your midwife. She’ll be here soon.”
“What took so long?”
“She’s having some car trouble,” Emma admitted, rubbing Jun’s back.
“She what ?!”
“Cody’s going to pick her up and bring her here. It won’t be long.”
Juniper felt anxious for a minute, but then another wave took over and pushed away all rational thought. She lost herself to the push and pull of each contraction, the tidal forces at work within her body, a rhythm of work and rest.
She found that when she stopped fighting it, when she allowed the ancient rhythm to overtake her, it wasn’t actually painful. Intense, yes. More intense than anything she had ever experienced. But painful? No. Not exactly.
She gave herself over to it, and found peace.
When she caught her breath between waves, the night air was sweet and cool.
Her aunt was by her side. All was well.
“Juniper!” Cody was there all of a sudden, on his knees in front of her, his face pale in the moonlight. “I’m here. Are you okay?”
“Hi,” she gasped. The contraction subsided, and she looked up to find her midwife nearby. “Hello.”
The woman smiled, serene. “Hey there, Jun.”
Another wave came, and she squeezed her eyes shut as three voices comforted her and told her to breathe.
“Let’s get you inside,” said the midwife when the contraction had passed.
“I can’t,” Juniper panted. “I can’t stand.”
“You can.” Her voice was kind but firm. She took one of Juniper’s arms, and Cody supported her other side. Slowly, they made their way through as Emma held open the door.
“There we go,” said the midwife as they walked inside. “Let’s go meet your baby.”