[baby preplay, dated to the 15th of May]

[onceaqueen]

Susan was finally tired of being pregnant.

With her due date just a few days away (though she'd read enough to know that babies tended to come after their due dates, especially first births), she was tired, achy, and hot, and even the loose maternity dresses from the clothes box were almost too tight for her still-expanding form. She could hardly

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[onceaqueen]

In the very small hours of the morning, Susan began to think her labour would go on forever and the baby simply would never be born. She was exhausted, for she hadn't slept at all, and hungry, as she had had nothing to eat since dinner; anything more than cautious sips of water made her violently ill. She had no more energy left for standing, much less walking, and the contractions were so close together she could barely recover from one before the next one came. Dr Chase kept assuring her she was doing fine, it was all going very well, but the longer it went on the harder it was for Susan to believe it. Her water had broken some hours before, and once it did, everything was far more painful. She had given up long ago on trying to stay quiet so as not to frighten Lucy, for it simply wasn't possible.

[dr_robchase]

Chase felt like he'd been moving constantly for the last while, between checking vitals and the baby's progress and he was readying himself for the actual push and had been sterilizing all his equipment for severing the cord, as well as had a fair amount of water ready to help clean everything up.

He'd even found something of a baby blanket that he was sure no one minded ruining, not with its orange polka-dots. And now, he just hovered by Susan's side, trying to give her all the instructions she needed as it got down to the last bit.

[onceaqueen]

Susan was only vaguely aware that Dr Chase was making things ready, that Sansa and Lucy were talking in hushed tones and busily organising the baby's things, and that Jon was by her side, holding her hand and trying to encourage and soothe her. All these things were at the edges of her consciousness, for her remaining energy was completely centered on the baby and the immense amount of effort it was taking to bring him or her into the world. When the next contraction eased, she lay back against the pillows and tried to breathe, her hair damp with sweat and sticking to her face.

[handandahalf]

By this point, Jon was feeling a little removed from his body, as though the things he was doing and saying were controlled by someone else. He was pouring so much of his energy into Susan he thought he probably wouldn't notice if the house were on fire unless someone pointed it out. Peripherally he heard the others' voices, but listened mainly for Susan's breathing, waiting for the hitch that came before she steeled herself against another cry of pain. "You're doing so well," he murmured, squeezing her hand lightly. "Gods, you're so brave," he added with a smile, his free hand stroking the hair back from her face.

[onceaqueen]

Susan felt anything but brave; indeed at that moment she was very close to saying she didn't think she could do this anymore, that it was all too much for her to handle and she wasn't up for it. But before she could say anything, there was another contraction, and with it a very definite sense that something had changed, a feeling of getting on with things and an overwhelming and irresistable urge to push. It was completely mad, she reflected later, the way that her body seemed to have taken over from her mind and was acting entirely of its own volition; she could control it no more than she could control her heartbeat. Just then, though, she wasn't thinking at all. She was doing the only thing possible, giving in to instinct, pushing with all her might. "Help me sit up," she gasped to Jon, trying to set her back against the headboard of the bed.

[handandahalf]

Jon had never seen anything stranger or more frightening than this; Susan's back arching, her eyes wide, her hands groping sightlessly at the sheets and his clothing, her breath coming fast and shallow as Jon struggled to get her upright, murmuring soothing nonsense all the while. Dr. Chase, thankfully, hung back; Jon did not think he would have taken it well to have anyone trying to help him just then, and the last thing he wanted to do was offend the man who would ultimately help bring his child into the world. Finally Susan was sitting as comfortably as she could, her hand still folded white-knuckled over Jon's, and he smoothed the hair back from her face again, giving her a small, wan smile of encouragement.

[dr_robchase]

Chase had been to enough births to know the exact process and he set himself up a lot lower, giving Susan an encouraging smile. "Okay, deep breaths between pushes," he advised, after promising that she was doing everything perfectly. "It won't be long now, Susan, you're almost there. Good big pushes are all we need now from you. That and the breathing."

[onceaqueen]

Susan didn't know how long she kept it up--it felt like hours, but it couldn't possibly have been. She had thought earlier that she was too tired to go on, but along with that urge to push came an incredible surge of energy she didn't think it possible to have. Dr Chase was calm and encouraging, keeping her updated on her progress, and Jon never left her side, never letting go of her hand. She had never been so scared and so exhilarated in her entire life, knowing her baby's birth was closer and closer.

[handandahalf]

Jon was far less exhilarated than he was scared; Dr. Chase's words of encouragement had lost all meaning to him long ago (what felt like days but what was, in truth, most likely only minutes) and he had no sense of how near he actually was to holding his child in his arms. It sounded as though things had gotten abruptly worse a minute ago, but he could see the determination renewed on Susan's face, and could only pray fervently that the worst was nearly past.

[dr_robchase]

"Okay, Susan, just give me one last huge push," Chase encouraged, angling himself and nudging her legs just the slightest bit apart so he could coax the baby out, hoping and praying he was coming head-first.

[onceaqueen]

Susan hadn't meant to shout, but when Dr Chase told her that one more push was all it would take, she couldn't help it, putting every bit of effort she could possibly manage into it. For a long moment it felt like her entire body was splitting in two, a pain so excruciating she didn't think she could stand it any longer--and then her baby was born, with a loud, indignant squall that she was certain could be heard clear across the island. She fell back against the pillows, laughing with exhaustion, and when she tried to ask if it was a boy or a girl, she was so happy that she couldn't speak.

[handandahalf]

It was over so abruptly, Susan's last yell which felt like it would go on unending, suddenly cut off, overridden by the tiny angry cry from the bundle in the doctor's arms, and Jon hardly knew where to look first. Comically, his head whipped back and forth between his wife and his child, once, twice, three times, his eyes finally settling on Dr. Chase as his arms went around Susan's shoulders and he kissed her forehead. He, too, was mute, waiting eagerly to be given the answer to a question he'd been all but burning with for months.

[dr_robchase]

There was a lot of dirty work to be done and Chase eased the baby into the blanket and began to clean him up as he severed the cord and started to clean up all of the mess, the varied things to do and he eased in and tried to do it as quickly as possible.

Eventually, there was nothing left to be done and the baby was clean (and tiny) as ever. He smiled down at Susan, easing over to present her with the little bundle. "Bet you can't believe he was ever inside you," he joked, a bit lamely.

[onceaqueen]

Susan took the baby in her arms, smiling and laughing and shaking a little with excitement. "He?" She held him close, kissing his spiky dark hair and peeking inside the blankets to look at his tiny hands and fingers and toes. "Jon, it's your son," she said, holding him in the crook of her arm close to Jon so that he could see him well. "Rickon."

Susan felt her eyes well up with tears, and Rickon was unimpressed, still squalling loudly, his face an angry red.

[handandahalf]

Jon drew closer, his cheek brushing Susan's hair as he bent to look in at his child-- his son, Rickon Qui-Gon Snow, who to Jon's admittedly biased eyes, was absolutely perfect in every imaginable way. "Oh gods, Susan," he breathed, tucking his finger under one of Rickon's tiny hands, amazed and unbelieving. "He's... he's perfect," he said, unable to find a better word for it. "Our son," he said firmly, his eyes meeting Susan's, his whole face lit up with glowing happiness.

[onceaqueen]

"Absolutely perfect," Susan breathed, even as Rickon yelled furiously, his little red face scrunched up in anger. Susan had never seen anything more beautiful in her life--not even the sight of Aslan coming to life again, silhouetted against the morning sun, was more lovely than the sight of this brand new, perfect little boy, their son, tears and all. It made her exhaustion seem very far away. "Oh, sweetheart, don't cry," she said soothingly. "It's your Mummy and Daddy, and we're so happy to see you. And your Aunt Lucy and your Aunt Sansa," she added. "Everyone's so happy to see you."

She glanced up at Jon. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked, even as she shifted their son in her arms to hand him over. "Mind his head...that's it."