[Log] I Am /Never/ Having Kids
Who: Jaemyn (NPC), Jenna, M'yr, Reighley, Vargan (NPC)
When: Day 11, Month 4, Turn 9
Where: Infirmary, Fort Weyr
What: Reighley gets back to Fort just in time to help Jenna give birth.
Infirmary
This large cavern, used for healing both humans and dragons, is large enough to hold several dragons comfortably. Now, however, a number of the stone couches have been converted into partioned cubicles in which human patients can recuperate from illnesses or wounds, if they're too weak to return to their weyr, hold or crafthall. One end of the room, nearest the door to the living cavern, is lined with additional cots. A large, white circle, with a purple caduceus in the center has been painted on one wall. Another wall has been painted white. The rest have been left their natural cavern color. A sink with hot and cold running taps is mounted on the wall next to the doorway to the south. Covering half of the eastern wall are several cabinets with glass fronts and storage drawers. Looking in the cabinets you can see a vast collection of herbs and medicines used by the Healers.
Contents:
Niyath
M'yr
Soldreth
Jenna
First Aid Basket
Obvious exits:
Bowl Living Cavern
M'yr's whole body arches, stiff as the trunk of their tallest trees! His arms clutch Jenna tightly, forgetting to be gentle with her, as he yelps, "You. Will. Not!" There is no color in this Weyrleader's face now, ghostly white, drained, even within his anger. Looking like he's going to faint any second, he turns those frantic eyes toward her. Luckily it's the back of her head or he just might frighten her worse than she might already be. "You better get over HERE and birth my SON! Or you'll never see the light of a Fortian sky EVER again!"
Jenna, for her part, is ignoring all this, doubled up again and pushing through another contraction. When it eases, she pants, leaning back into M'yr's tight embrace, "Why isn't.. coming out?" she leans her head against M'yr's shoulder, "Something's wrong?" A pause and then she says tiredly, "Niyath, stop. It's just." Another pause and she digests what her queen is saying. "Stuck. It's stuck. The baby's stuck." She rouses a bit and then says, "Well, get it un stuck!"
Reighley's classes at the healer hall have kept her away for the last day or so, and while it's not exactly her shift with the Weyrhealer when she gets back, she can't resist stopping by for a few minutes--especially when, the closer she gets, the louder the noise gets, all the fuss being sent up from there. She hurries on into the infirmary, but when she gets there, she shies up, pausing, staring at the scene frozenly. "Stuck?" she repeats the last word she hears blankly.
Soldreth initiates yet another bronze drive-by, swiping Niyath's side with his own to push her away from the immediate area. Firm, determined, he uses his bulk to lean against her as much as is needed, intending to move them both out of the healer's way. He rumbles, snorts, butts with his muzzle, the bronze's certainly not happy with this gold.
Niyath rumbles at Soldreth, tail lashing and knocking over a screen behind her. She does allow him to get her out of the way, though it's clear there will be hell to pay if this goes south.
Vargan all but yells at the journeyman, "Out, out!" He spies Reighley and puts her to work, "Apprentice, sterilize all this equipment for me. bring it over to her bed on the cart when you're done." Muttering under his breath about 'bedside manner' and 'idiot', the healer approaches Jenna and M'yr again, "Weyrleaders - yes, the queen is right, the baby is stuck. Weyrwoman, just relax through the next few contractions. Don't push. We're going to see if we can't get in there and ease the baby past the pelvic bone." To M'yr he says, "Support her, because this is going to hurt." And once again, it's a good thing M'yr can't see past that drape over Jenna's knees. Her yelp this time is more pronounced.
M'yr's accellerated to where it's not just his hand that's shaking but his entire body, and yes, he's still drained of any coloration in his face, offering a ghostly appearance to Reighley as she enters. Glaring at whatever moves, especially Vargan, he holds onto Jenna from his position behind her, a hand stroking her cheek back toward her hair several times, his attempt at being reassuring. "Everything's under control, Hon. It's all under conTROL!" Coupled with his last word, her yelp twines with his to create a very loud sound. Through clenched teeth, M'yr hisses at Vargan, "Do that to her again and YOU DIE!"
Jenna is trying her best to relax as hands go places hands are not meant to go. "Stopit. bad as Niyath." This is apparently to M'yr, though she grunts as her abdomen ripples again.
"Stuck," Reighley repeats again, eyes widening. Then, straightening, she nods, offering Vargan a sharp nod. "Yes, sir." And, regaining her wits, she scurries over to the equipment, biting her lower lip as she starts methodically washing each item off and then laying it out on the cart. She's as quick as she can be and still be thorough, shortly sliding the cart over to Jenna's bedside. Her lips purse worriedly as she observes the goldrider, but all the yelling going on has her cringing until finally, shooting M'yr a brow-furrowed look, she asks, "Do you have to yell, too?"
Vargan ignores M'yr. Apparently he has experience dealing with hysterical fathers. Soon he draws back blood slimed hands and shakes his head. "I can't reach it with my hands. Reighley, we need the forceps." He casts a glance at the apprentice, quickly assessing her and making sure she's not going to faint on him. "Long thin metal tongs," he points to the right item on the cart before leaning up to speak to Jenna. "Weyrwoman, the baby is stuck. It needs a little help getting out through your pelvic bone. We're going to pull it out and down some, until I can reach in with my hands to help it, okay?"
M'yr snaps his mouth shut, lips pursed so tightly they are hardly visible, mirrored by sable eyes that also turn to slits. "Shut up, Reighley." is flashed off toward the apprentice, his attention turning back to Jenna when the next contraction comes. "You're gonna do... what?!?! You'll smash his head! No. That's not good. There has to be another way. No." Head shakes are strong, deliberate. Pointing to Vargan, he jabs his finger in the air to him. "You /make/ this happen. NOW."
Jenna gathers wits and strength enough to command: "M'yr. Shut. Up. I can't get it out. Let him try." She nods to Vargan. "I want it out. Just get it out." Oddly, Niyath has quieted down, now that someone knows what the problem is and is trying to fix it.
"Forceps," chirps Reighley as she reaches over to grab the forceps and offer them to Vargan. She gives M'yr a look that's positively hateful, and turns to ignoring him in favor of hovering beside Vargan.
And it's a good thing that sheet partially blocks M'yr's view. Forceps should not be viewed by paniced fathers. Vargan takes charge, working deftly. Niyath fixes her eyes on Jenna and the goldrider abruptly relaxes. "Oh. That's so much better, Niyath. Thank you." A few long, tense moments, and then the forceps clatter down onto the tray. Vargan starts lecturing coolly to Reighley, "And I've got the head now - can't feel a cord around the neck, that's a small blessing. A half turn now..." A bit louder he says to Jenna, "Alright, Weyrwoman, the next contraction, I want you to push hard." To Reighley he says, "That should deliver out to the shoulders, then a second push and the babe should slide on out. Be ready to clamp the cord. We'll let the Weyrleader cut it." Softer so that only his apprentice can hear, "If he hasn't shoved us both between by then."
M'yr gulps. Loud. "Forc.. what? Do what?" he mutters, flickering his focus from the healer to the apprentice, then to the cloth that's covering Jenna's bottom. "Where?" He blinks several times, trying to keep his eyes in focus. How did there get to be two of everyone?? "Cut.. uhm.. what...?!?"
"Oughta shove /him/ there," Reighley mutters back, apparently not the forgiving sort. She still doesn't look at M'yr, only watches Vargan raptly, nodding quickly.
Soldreth's turn to be concerned with his 'mate to bring waddling steps closer to the cot where his head bends down to whuffle nice, warm, phosphorescently perfumed air downward onto at least M'yr if not those nearby. Croons come next, then a warble, as he tries to soothe one very harried Weyrleader.
Jenna doubles up and pushes, teeth clenched. Vargan cautions her, "Wait, hold it there, hold it there," as he rapidly suctions eyes, mouth and nose. The head is out, eyes closed, little face a bit squashed from its ordeal, and two pressure marks to each side of the temples from the forceps. Jenna pants obediantly though she grits out, "Hurry, Vargan, /Hurry!/"
M'yr can only grip Jenna and peer at the goings-on down below, at least the cloth that's wobbling and jerking about as the work progresses. Glancing upward at the bronze head that's close to his, he sucks in a breath, coughs, the gulps in a matter of seconds. "She can't wait!" he adds to Jenna's plea, then leans to the side to try and catch sight of the little one's arrival.
Vargan, gives the go ahead as the next contraction pushes shoulders out, and another push by Jenna slides the rest of the little boy on out with a huge sigh of relief. Niyath's bugle is deafening in the small space, almost drowning out Vargan's instruction to Reighley on how to clamp off the cord. As of yet, the infant has made no cry, though as the (relatively) cold air hits him, dark eyes open wide in comical surprise.
Reighley cringes again at the roaring, though she restrains the impulse to cover her ears with her hands by nodding sharply again to Vargan. She follows his instructions quickly, biting her lower lip again as she clamps off the cord and then shoots a look between the healer and mother.
M'yr just about faints as he envisions the first viewing of his new son. "Whoa....." is hissed, his own matching dark eyes as wide as the little babe's. "Jen... look... He's... so little..." Amazement, shock, a range of emotions flood his face, the Gold's bugle making no impact on this moment. "And his hair.. just like yours..."
Jenna slumps exhaustedly against M'yr. "It's a boy? I don't hear him crying. Why isn't he crying?"
Vargan suctions out a few more bits, provoking a cry from the newborn, before placing it on Jenna's belly and offering out the scissors to M'yr. "Weyrleader, if you'd cut between the clamps? - And Reighley, there are some swaddling clothes in the warmer over there," he nods in the direction, as he assures Jenna, "He's fine, Weyrwoman. None the worse for his dawdling to get here. What's his name going to be?" He looks between the two parents.
"Yes, sir," Reighley answers as she studies Jenna and the baby a moment more and then turns, trotting over to the warmer and gathering up the things there. Tucking the stack into her arms, she trundles back over to sit them down on the cart and turn back to baby-watching, fascinated.
M'yr cuddles her close to his chest, long arms surrounding Jenna protectively. "Yeah, it's a boy." he whispers into her ear as his head lowers to place a tender kiss on her cheek. "You did amazingly well, simply amazi.." Words cut off by the offer of the scissors, he hesitates, taking them but they dangle loosely in his hand. Giving the healer and Reighley a blank look, he shifts his attention to the cord.
Jenna reaches out to examine fingers and toes, counting them as she answers, "Jaemyn." the newborn is squalling with that kitteny sound, clearly protesting this whole naked and outside the warm womb thing. Not to mention daddy attacking him with scissors. "Oh good, he's crying." She gives reighley a tired smile, "When'd you get here?"
"Jaemyn, that's pretty," Reighley says, edging closer to Jenna with a half-smile--notably on the opposite side of the bed from M'yr. She leaves the dealing with him to Vargan, kind girl that she is. "A while ago," she answers with a shrug. "When everybody was yelling about it--him--being stuck. I sterilized everything. And handed Vargan stuff, and clamped the cord," the girl says proudly.
M'yr cascades at least ten kisses upon Jenna's hair, neck, cheek.. wherever he can stretch his neck while maintaining an eyelock on little Jaemyn. "Jaemyn. We talked about him before he was even born, and who would think when he was finally here, he'd completely match the name we picked! Heya, Jaemyn, welcome to Fort Weyr!" Confidence restored, at least for now, he *snip*s the cord with gusto. "There! You're officially with us now!" Beaming, he turns that bright smile to the healer and even Reighley.
Vargan whisks the baby away for a moment, swaddling him tightly so that only his little face peeks out. Amazingly, he stops howling at once. Then it's back to Jenna for his first meal. As Vargan's busy with the baby, Jenna looks at Reighley, riding on post-delivery endorphins, "You did a great job. I'm /so/ tired. Are there any ice chips left, Reighley?" And M'yr's kisses get amused tolerance. "Good thing you didn't kill the healer there, love."
Reighley, in that spiteful way women have, continues ignoring M'yr, even as she grins at Jenna and turns away, peeking about for the ice chips. When she finds them, she picks up the cup and offers it to Jenna with another grin. "Here you go. He's really cute--and /he/ doesn't yell much, either, that's so nice." Beam.
M'yr laughs, the agony of the birthing forgotten as he beholds their son. Fingertips advancing toward the babe, he gingerly touches that tiny cheek, stroking it to feel the softness. Sol's head, their draconic umbrella, bobs above, once again offering assorted croons and warbles to delight the newly arrived boy. In kinship with his lifemate, he even offers a few to Niyath. "Shards. Oh shards. He's incredible." is muttered, the women forgotten in the light of one so small.
Jenna takes some ice chips and then offers the cup back with a tiredly murmured thanks before she settles to working out this whole breastfeeding thing. It's not as easy as it looks, nor is it as effortless as the old aunties would have you believe. Niyath sinks down near Jenna, not as googly eyed over Jaemyn, just relieved her rider is now comfortable.
"I am /never/ having kids," Reighley decides abruptly, her nose wrinkling as she watches Jenna and Jaemyn.
M'yr readjusts himself to provide a better chest-pillow for Jenna and Jaemyn. Taking his eyes off of him seems to be impossible in these moments. He tickes, creates silly faces, even sticks out his tongue, not caring if it brings about a response. Sighing deeply, he hugs Jenna close, again leaving a light kiss on her cheek. "I am so happy. /Thank you/, Jenna. Thank you so much."