Chapter 37
Scarlet
Panic.
Peony was whimpering, holding her rippling belly.
Atem was growling and snarling and pacing – expression shifting rapidly between fear, anger, determination, and helplessness.
Alanna was looking for the drone that Tuvo had knocked away while Tuvo was staring at Peony like she was a monster about to attack him.
Havali was saying something as he attacked the control panel, trying to make anything happen. She couldn’t hear him over whatever Alanna was saying, Peony’s pained sounds, and Atem’s absolute freak out as he tried to hover and pace at the same time.
Taking a deep breath, Scarlet cupped her hands around her mouth and let out a single, resonating-
“HEY!”
Her voice rang out over the din and there was suddenly silence. No less panicked or tense, but now everyone was looking at her.
“Okay,” she said slowly, looking at each of them in turn. “What we are not going to do is lose our minds. Everyone take a deep breath. Calm down. Peony, is the contraction finished?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she mumbled, holding her belly like the baby might come bursting out at any second.
“Okay. Alanna. I want you to come over here, help Peony walk some laps.”
“What? Why? Will that stop it?” Peony asked as Alanna approached her with a calm smile that mostly concealed the slight fear in her eyes.
“It will help it along.” Scarlet gestured for Alanna to take her arm.
“No,” Atem started, looking like he wanted to grab Peony before turning on Scarlet. “We don’t want to make this happen faster.”
“Yes, we do.” Scarlet fixed him with a firm look. “This is going to take long enough. And if she’s in labor, the last thing we want to do is prolong it.”
“But-”
“The baby is ready to come out. He’s fully formed. We were all just waiting for this anyway. There’s no reason to force him to stay and doing so will only hurt Peony more.”
“That’s-”
“You are Dominani, and I accept your authority in all other things, but I’m in charge of this right now. And if Peony is in labor, we are helping, not hindering.”
She didn’t give him a chance to respond. She turned to Havali.
“What is our likelihood of someone coming to get us?”
He shook his head. “Very low. The orbital would have sent out an emergency signal when the engines were disturbed. They likely already know that we dropped out of our position. But they also know that we’re caught in the energy field of the lights.
They can’t stop the energy release once it starts, and they can’t come get us out of it without risking themselves.
We have to wait until the release is finished.
By then, they’ll have rescue shuttles ready for us. ”
“How long will that take?”
“I’m sure they’ll try to rush it, but they can last anywhere from half a day to two days. It depends on how much energy is being released.”
That was definitely not what Scarlet wanted to hear, but she nodded, accepting it wordlessly. “How about communication? Can we talk to them?”
“Not while in the lights. The energy field will prevent anything from entering or leaving subspace and this orbital doesn’t have backup communication equipment that could work through the energy field.
Even if we did get something through subspace, it would be garbled and incomprehensible.
” As though to prove it, he pressed a button on the console and, immediately, a scrambled sound began playing.
If she pretended hard enough, it kind of sounded like a voice, but she couldn’t make out a single thing that was being said.
“All right. So, we’re on our own for the foreseeable future.”
“It appears so,” he agreed.
She resisted the urge to curse their circumstances before looking at Atem.
“You had to train as a healer to become the dominani, right?”
“Yes, but it’s been years. And that was only domini physiology. The only thing I know about humans is what you have told me.”
“I can work with that. Havali, what about you?”
“Emergency aid,” he shook his head. “I can keep someone alive who is dying, but little else. My task as a guardian is to get them to a healer, not be a healer myself.”
“Fair enough. Tuvo…” Her voice faded when she looked at First Warrior.
The moment she said his name, he gave her a panicked look like he was afraid that she was going to ask him for medical help, and he already knew he couldn’t give it.
Instead, she said, “Go look through the supplies. Anything this ship has. Bring me a list.”
Relief flashed over his features, and he saluted her once before turning to obey the simple order with the practiced ease of a well-trained soldier.
“Okay.” Scarlet put her hands to her hips and looked over the room.
Peony and Alanna were walking, arm in arm, around in a circle.
Atem was watching them like a mother hawk.
Only Havali kept his eyes on her. It wasn’t much, but this was what she had to work with.
“If we can’t get out, and they can’t get in, we have to assume the worst. We have to act as though Peony is going to be giving birth here and prepare accordingly. ”
Peony whimpered but her steps didn’t falter.
“Peony, start by prepping your nest.”
“This isn’t my nest!” She wailed, gesturing around her. “No! I don’t want this!”
Atem was by her side in an instant, pulling her into his arms. He looked so helpless, and Scarlet knew the instinct to get his mate to her nest was beating at him. But he could do nothing as Peony panicked in his arms, sobbing and shaking and yelling fearfully.
Scarlet stepped in, grabbing her friend by the shoulders and turning her to face her.
Atem kept his arms around her middle, kissing and nuzzling the top of her head, his expression heartbroken.
To the domini, it was considered cruel to keep a pregnant female from her nest at the best of times.
Doing so while she was in labor was torture.
“Hey,” Scarlet shouted again, cutting Peony off and forcing her to focus on her face. “You listen to me. Are you listening?”
Peony sniffled and nodded her trembling head.
“Deep breaths. Okay? In and out. Just like that.” Scarlet took her face in hand and held it firmly, keeping her steady.
“Good. You have a domini baby inside you, and I know those instincts are beating at you like a sledgehammer. I get that. But you are human, Peony. And humans don’t need a nest. We don’t need a den.
The only thing we need is a safe place. And we’re safe here.
The engine is running again. You have your mate at your side.
And you have everything in this room you can possibly use to make a nest. You want the table runner from the buffet?
It’s yours. Every rag Tuvo can find? Done.
You are human, and humans are adaptable.
You will adapt and overcome because this is happening, and you have to do what you have to do. ”
Peony sniffled, breathing in stuttered gasps. Terror in her eyes. “Scarlet, I’m scared. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.”
“I know, honey.” Scarlet pushed her hair out of her face. “But women have been giving birth for hundreds of thousands of years. Literally, billions of times over. And not all of them were in ideal circumstances, but they did it. And you’re going to do it too.”
“It’s going to hurt,” Peony whispered, lip trembling.
“It will. But your body was designed for this. Right?”
“Yeah,” she whimpered.
“You can do this. You will do this.”
Peony nodded.
“Hey.” Scarlet gave her a firm look. “Say it. Tell me these words.”
“I’m going to do this…”
“Louder.”
“I’m going to… to do this.”
“Say it like you mean it!”
Peony drew in a breath and screamed, “I’M GOING TO DO THIS!”
“That’s right!” Scarlet screamed along with her. “Now, you make your nest. Do whatever you have to in order to feel comfortable. And you trust me, got it?”
Peony sniffed but nodded her head more decisively this time. Scarlet gave her a proud smile before standing back and letting her get to work. Atem followed behind her, determined to help.
Havali came to her side, and she gave him a quick look.
“Should we be worried?” He asked softly so as not to disturb Peony who was having Alanna bring her anything soft in the room as Atem arranged the largest cushion and the few nest supplies she had brought with her.
Scarlet considered the question carefully before answering.
“We checked her this morning. Baby was fine. Mom was fine. He’s still small enough that he can fit through the pelvic outlet without help, the placenta is attached normally, and he’s already in position.
I don’t know what might go wrong. And I know that childbirth is dangerous.
But as of right now, it all looks like everything is as good as it can be, health wise.
If something happens, we’ll address it, but until it does, I’m going to assume this is a normal childbirth and act accordingly. ”
“Dangerous?” Havali repeated, confused.
But Scarlet didn’t have time to address that concern because Tuvo had come back and was approaching her, ready with his list of whatever he could find.
Thus began the long, agonizing wait as a first-time mother went through her labor.