The Perfect Addition

Writers: Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 16th April 2015

Characters: Arippa, Reven, Coran
Description: A new hold resident is born
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 11, day 8 of Turn 7

Arippa

Reven

Arippa woke up with a cramp gripping her belly harder than anything
she'd ever felt before. She'd been restless all night but now she
groaned and reached out to grab Reven's upper arm. "It's time," she
shook him.

Reven, normally not a light sleeper, came awake very quickly with
those two simple words. His blue eyes were as wide as saucers as he
tumbled from the bed, his legs momentarily snarled up in the sheets
and blankets. "I'm up! I'm up!" His deep voice assured her as he
reached for pants- pants were good right?- and then he lit one of the
lamps beside of the bed.

**What am I doing? I have a firelizard!** He realized just as he
opened the door to their bedroom.

"Keeper!" He barked as he closed the door and spun back around.

The bronze flit came obediently from his pillow that he shared with
Arippa's firelizards. "Go get Coran." He pictured his brother's face
was clarity and sent the young flit away.

Rushing back over to Arippa's side, Reven stroked her hair back from
her forehead, "What can I do?"

"Can you help me sit and fix these pillows?" Just getting comfortable
was impossible at this stage but she knew she was in for a long haul.

Reven tugged the pillows from the bed, snatching his own up to stuff
them behind Arippa's back so that she could sit up better. With his
hands beneath her arms, the Green Valley holder tugged his wife up a
little higher in the bed, and then reached down to smooth the blankets
over her lap.

"I didn't think I'd be this nervous." He admitted, feeling like he
might be sick himself at any moment. After all of the things he had
endured at the torturous hands of the Hooded Man, Reven had thought
that childbirth would be nothing... How wrong he had been! He flexed
his hand, the one missing the pinky finger that had been sawn off, a
nervous habit he had developed since that day.

"Thank you," she smiled at him. She was between contractions and knew
people would be coming in any time now. She reached out to cover his
hand. "We'll be fine," she smiled reassuringly. Then she began to feel
the next contraction and her focus went to her body. "They'll be here
soon right?"

Reven tried to give his wife a confident smile, "Of course. I sent
Keeper for Coran." That was assuming the young bronze flit did as he
was suppose to do.

No sooner had the words left Reven's mouth than the door burst open
and his brother, nearly a twin in appearance, entered the room with
his bag in one hand and a young female apprentice trailing behind.

"What took you so long?" Reven demanded.

"Did you _want_ me to have pants on for this?" Coran replied, not at
all intimidated by his older brother's bluster. Setting his bag down,
the senior journeyman healer turned his eyes on his sister-in-law and
he smiled as he came to her side. "Have you been keeping track of your
contractions?" He asked her.

"Three minutes," she said between clenched teeth and began to breath
slowly in and out mentally counting. She knew when she got to about 30
the contraction would be on the way down and she'd get a little break.

Coran's eyebrows raised and he glanced at Reven, "You won't have to
wait long." He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his
sister-in-law's temple before pushing up from the bed. "Banrie, get
the supplies ready." The healer rolled his sleeves up over his
forearms.

"I know you are comfortable," Coran said, addressing Arippa again,
"but this will be a lot easier for us both if you slide down to the
end of the bed." He cast about for a moment and then went to retrieve
a stool that sat beneath the vanity, leaving Reven to help his wife
reposition.

"Comfortable is pushing it," she said dryly to her healer
brother-in-law. Nevertheless she tried do scoot toward the bottom of
the bed. Mentally she cursed him for making her move during a
contraction.

With strong, capable hands Reven helped his wife resettle toward the
end of the bed. He snatched the pillows from against the headboard and
propped them behind her back again.

Coran seated himself on the stool at the foot of the bed, his hands
guiding Arippa's knees so that they were bent and spread far apart.
"You hold this leg here." He motioned for Reven, taking his brother's
hand and placing it on the inside of Arippa's knee.

The journeyman folded Arippa's gown back over her legs, mindful of her
modesty even though there was no getting around it, really. "The baby
is ready to crown. On your next contraction, Arippa, I am going to
need a big push, this will be the hardest part."

She groaned as they helped her move but she was past modesty in her
current condition. She looked her thanks at Reven and nodded at
Coran's instructions. When the next contraction came on her body had
its own mind about pushing and she just went along with it holding her
breath and bearing down.

Reven felt helpless while he did as Coran instructed and held Arippa's
knee, giving her a sturdy support while she pushed. Glancing down at
his brother, whose face was a mask of concentration, Reven was
suddenly glad for Coran's skill as a healer. He couldn't imagine
trusting anyone else with his wife's care.

Coran looked up and met eyes with Arippa, "Take a breather. On the
next contraction you're going to push, hard, and after that you will
have a baby to hold."

She nodded and took a few slow breaths. Her hand reached for Reven's
hand when she felt the contraction strengthen and she did exactly as
Coran had instructed. She took a huge breath grunted with the effort
as she bore down. Every bit of her strength went into the push and her
hold on her husband's hand.

Reven lent what support he could, giving Arippa a steady hand to cling
to as she did all of the hard work. Down at the foot of the bed,
Coran's brow furrowed as he worked, his voice a low pitched murmur of
assurance as he coached Arippa through the end of the labor. The
healer's sure hands guided the babe into the world, and a smile lit
his face as he glanced up, "I have a niece."

Last updated on the May 14th 2015

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The Perfect Addition