How It Was

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 16th July 2015

Characters: Taril, Humari, Torinya, Numor
Description: Humari remembers giving birth
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 13, day 4 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Arnott

Humari

The Healers surrounded Humari from the moment she arrived, well alerted by Arnott. As they seemed to whisk her into privacy, a single Healer stayed back with Taril, not yet letting him follow Humari. "Taril, is it? I'm Numor, the Healer that has been watching over Humari's pregnancy." The Healer's lips were tight as he offered his hand to Taril in a brief greeting. "Before you go back, I need to speak to you." He cleared his throat, glancing behind his shoulders as he heard a low groan of pain from the direction the young woman had been taken. "This labor is a bit early for my liking. We'll try to stop it, but if it progresses, you'll need to know that there are risks."

"What sort of risks?" Taril forced his attention to Numor. He'd only just found Humari again, and now this...

"Early labor babies do not always survive." The man's voice was gentle. "Sometimes they have not turned in the womb and do not survive the breech birth. Others, they aren't formed enough to survive more than a few hours, if that. I am hoping that this is not the case, but it could happen. Humari's pregnancy has been an excellent and relatively easy one, so I am hoping it ends well, but I would like you to be prepared should the worst happen." He glanced at Arnott, who paced nervously by the infirmary door, his face stricken. "He tells me that she's been stressed..." He was interrupted before he could finish his statement.

"Numor!" A younger journeyman thrust his head through the privacy curtain. "Her water has broken and she's dilated. Looks like she's been in labor for a while but didn't realize it was more than cramps."

Numor cursed softly and turned back to Taril. "She'll need you now." He beckoned the merchant to follow him, his face set and determined. He led Taril to the private area and gestured to the small chair beside the bed before moving to check on Humari's condition.

Half reclined and holding on to the sides of the bed, Humari's eyes were clenched shut, exhaling slowly through her teeth. As she heard the familiar thump of the crutch her eyes opened and there was a clear look of relief on her face that was swallowed by a grunt as her belly visibly spasmed. "I'm sorry, Taril. I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"It's all right." Taril hurried to her bedside and sat on the stool next to the bed, leaning his crutch against the far wall where it promptly fell over. He left it there and covered Humari's hand with his. She looked so pale. The Healer's words echoed-- his child could be dead today. His first child. Worse, even though the Healer hadn't mentioned it-- so could Humari. Women died in childbirth.

And, like as not, her premature labour had been brought on by the stress of dealing with her hateful mother. "You didn't do anything wrong. Everything's going to be fine." The lie slipped easily from his tongue; he was desperate to hear it, even though they both knew it wasn't true.

Numor was quick to examine her, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a moment, he lifted his head to Humari. "Your baby is not turned completely, Humari. I'm going to try to turn it. You'll feel pressure, don't fight it." He glanced at Taril and then bent to his work.

Humari felt tears of worry and tiredness slide down her face as her hand grasped Taril's. She had seen labor before, she knew what was expected. She knew that it would be painful, but she had thought she would have more time to prepare herself for it. Breathing through her teeth, felt another spasm of pain, breathed through it, then gasped as she felt the pressure she had been warned about. She held still, closing her eyes tightly. She was already so tired and she didn't want to do this. She wanted to go home and rest in her cool sheets. A moment later she was surprised by the curtain opening and her sister, Torinya appearing, her face pale. She looked at the situation, paled and hurried to Humari's other side, immediately brushing a young apprentice aside to take a cool cloth and press it against Humari's brow. Humari looked up at her, a grateful look on her face.

Torinya looked over a Taril, her face pinched. "She's my sister and I'm not leaving." She clasped Humari's hand and looked over at the doctor, biting her lip.

Taril glared at Torinya, but since Humari wasn't protesting her presence, he bit his tongue. Torinya was trouble, but this wasn't the time. But later...

Numor just blinked at the addition, but kept his focus on what he was doing. "Good, Humari, just keep holding still. Almost there." He had to pause as another contraction rocked her and she whimpered, but went back to his work the moment it ended. He shifted his shoulders, brow furrowed and suddenly stopped, exhaling. "The babe's head down." An apprentice wiped his brow as Numor cleansed his hands with redwort. "It goes quickly and that's a blessing right now."

Humari gave a groan of relief as the added pressure faded, but clutched the hands holding her own tightly as another contraction seized her. "I don't want to do this any more!" She panted, sweat sheening her brow. "Faranth, I can't. I can't. It's too much!" She slumped back after the contraction ended, catching ragged breaths. "I'm so tired...I can't."

"Yes you can." Taril leaned forward to brush Humari's hair away from her forehead, then brushed a kiss against the knuckles of the hand he held. She was in so much pain. He'd take it if he could. He'd dealt with pain before. But having to watch Humari's was unbearable. Not knowing how the night would turn out was worse-- he'd gone from losing his wife to either being father, or mourning. "Just breathe, love. You'll be fine. Everything will be over soon enough, and then I'll take you home. I promise."

"It's not alright and it's not fine!" Contractions came and went, steadily growing closer together after what seemed like candlemarks. Humari suffered through them, sometimes groaning, sometimes sputtering out surprising curses. She clutched the hands gripping her own with bruising strength. At one point, she cried out that she was going to die, but Torinya quietly informed Taril that most women in labor thought so at some point during the process. Humari didn't appreciate the fact that her sister didn't believe her, but before she could rail at her sister, she gasped. "It burns!"

Numor checked her and steeled himself. "The baby's head is crowning. Just a bit more and you'll be finished. You can do it, Humari. The next contraction, I want you to push."

"I know what to do." She snapped and when the contraction came, she let go of Taril and Torinya's hands, gripped the bed and curled upwards, gritting her teeth. Sweat dripped down her face, and her hair was damp with it, but she bore down and strained.

"That's it, Humari, one more."

"I don't want to do one more!" She panted, closed her eyes and bore down through another contraction, then gasped as she felt a sudden release as she slumped back. But it was quiet. There was no sound from the child she had just birthed. Immediately concerned and frightened, Humari reached her hands out, lifting up. "Is the baby okay?" There was alarm in her voice, close to panic.

A thin wail broke the silence as Numor hurriedly checked the child. He held up a small baby, perhaps four pounds and bright red from the labor and fluids. He looked relieved. "You have a son, Humari." The child screamed a high pitched protest, arms waving and eyes clenched shut. "And he appears healthy." He wrapped the baby firmly in a blanket and handed him to Humari. "You'll both have to stay with us for a sevenday or so to keep an eye on him and make sure he's breathing well, but everything looks good."

Humari's eyes filled with tears, the memory of the pain birthing him forgotten as she took her son. He was small, but perfectly formed. She looked up at Taril, tears in her eyes. "I've given you a son."

"A son...!" He was so tiny, red and wrinkled. But Taril's heart did a weird little flip-flop in his chest as he looked at the baby. His baby, his and Humari's... and Yriadha had tried to deprive him of this. A fierce, possessive pride rose inside him, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. **I have a family.** He gently brushed the top of the child's sticky head, then leaned over and kissed his wife passionately.

---

Humari hummed softly as she looked down at her greedily nursing son. The first few weeks after his birth had been touchy. He'd been weak, hadn't nursed well, and for a few days, the Healers didn't know if he would survive. But after encouragement and constant care, their son had begun to breath better and had began to nurse with the same greedy intensity that he now did.

She hadn't known what love really was before she had looked on her son. Her and Taril's son. A fierce protectiveness and devotion had swelled in her and she knew without a doubt, that she would never hurt her son as she had been hurt. She would never allow anyone to do so. She looked over at the man sitting beside her and Humari's smile was gentle, but full of pride.

Taril felt her watching and looked up, then smiled at the pair of them. It still shocked him to see them there; his wife and his tiny son, when he had been so close to losing them both. "Are you both all right? Do you need anything?"

"We're fine." Her voice was soft as Tumaril finished and began to snooze quietly against her. She fastened her bodice and leaned against her husband. "I don't think we need anything."

Last updated on the August 6th 2015

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How It Was