The Mother gives the gift of life,

[lifeisnotasong]

When Sansa woke, it was pitch dark outside and she'd been so deeply asleep it took her some time to realise what had woken her. She snuggled into her blankets and a moment later had an answer when a pain rippled through her abdomen. Oh, she thought, that again. She reluctantly sat up and tried to remind herself that she had read false labour

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[lifeisnotasong]

Once Robb has left and Sansa had woken near on everyone else and been helped upstairs, which took some time in her utter panic, the pains seem worse and closer together. She wants to get in bed and curl in on herself and wish this away, to make it two weeks from now so she does not have to fret about the baby being early on top of everything else. She doesn't though, she changes out of the stained nightgown. (Foolish as this is, there will only be more mess, she knows that.) She sits in the rocking chair dizziness making standing seem unappealing. She eyed the books again though of course it was far too late to be reading up on anything. It was happening now. In between pains she felt strange and detached like it was happening to someone else. Then it happened again and it was made unbelievably clear it was. Then Lady poked her head in the door and Sansa felt strangely relieved. "Where have you been?" she said. Though if Lady had followed Robb did that mean the doctor was here. Sansa heard footsteps on the stairs and struggled to force herself out of the chair.

[onceaqueen]

"Sansa?" Susan asked, poking her head round the door just behind Lady. "Lady came and woke me, she was very persistent, so I came straight away. Is it the baby?" She'd been told so downstairs, but she asked anyway.

[lifeisnotasong]

Lady looks smugly between them as if to say look what I remembered. Sansa feels foolish and relieved at the sight of her friend, she'd been so panicky when she told Robb to get a doctor she hadn't thought to ask anyone to get Susan. "Yes," she said. "And it's definite this time."

[onceaqueen]

"Oh my goodness," said Susan, making a huge effort to contain her excitement. It was difficult, for she was both worried because it was a little early and excited that they'd all get to finally meet Sansa's child, but everything she'd read had told her Sansa would need someone calm and steady with her. "Your father said Robb's gone for the doctor. Is there anything you need until they get back?"

[lifeisnotasong]

Sansa hugs herself and shakes her head. "No," she said. "I don't need anything but I'm very glad you're here." She'll feel better again when the doctors are here, like she isn't doing it alone. Though on some level she is because it's something that only she can do and that frightens her. She reaches for Susan's hand and tells herself at least two weeks early is better than three.

[onceaqueen]

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Susan reassured her, squeezing her hand. "Just think, you're going to have your baby, your son or daughter. And you've a whole house full of people looking out for you. It's going to be just fine."

[lifeisnotasong]

Sansa hopes so and it helps to have someone say it. A son or a daughter, she repeats to herself. "The wolves woke everyone," she said. "I didn't mean too." She knows she likely would have anyway. She can barely hold her tongue when the pains come now.

[onceaqueen]

"Maybe they know best," said Susan, and added, "Lady had Shadow worked into such a frenzy that I could have been asleep by an island trick and still have waked. I'm glad she did, though, because I wouldn't have known otherwise." The only wolf that wasn't waking everyone with noise was Ghost, who never made a sound anyway but had definitely had his hackles up when Susan had passed him outside.

[lifeisnotasong]

Sansa smiles momentarily distracted honestly it's not hard to work Shadow into a frenzy really. "You would have known," she insisted, "I would have sent Robb out again," Sansa admits, "but I thought perhaps the doctors first." He did have further to go for them after all."

[onceaqueen]

"Definitely the doctors, first," said Susan, who wasn't offended at all. "The compound is a lot further away from here than I am, and they're the ones who know what to do. I'm just here for moral support."