She winced. The contractions were getting worse, more painful. She held her breath as the contractions came in waves, Atlas by her side, stroking down her arm.
Atlas seemed to only be half listening to Nora's stories, his eyes glued to the monitor. “Check again, Sterling?”
“Alright.” Sterling slowly lifted the blanket. “Getting ready, but not yet.”
Anna tried to ignore the prodding, but eventually stopped caring as another contraction hit, making her gasp.
Atlas smoothed down her hair, which was already covered in sweat. “Do you want anything for the pain? An epidural?”
“. . . Is that a medicine?”
“Yes. A shot that numbs you from the waist down.”
“No!” She shook her head fast. “After the chip, I . . . no.”
He squeezed her hand. “I thought so. Okay.”
Night was fast approaching, the dusk outside long gone. The clock on the wall indicated it had been almost three hours since she first arrived.Anna closed her eyes when another contraction hit, making her whole body shake.Damn, that hurts.She gripped Atlas’s hand so tight that she was happy he was made of metal. “How long does this usually take?”
“As long as it needs to,” Nora answered. “Here, I’ll tell some more stories . . .”
Time passed. The contractions were coming closer together now. She hardly got a break in between before the next wave hit. And pain, so much pain.
Atlas’s eyes were glued to the monitor, watching them there as Anna felt them in real time. “You’re almost there. Almost, Anna.”
“Bull crap,” Anna ground out between her teeth. “You said that like an hour ago.”
Atlas hooked her hair behind her ear. “I mean it this time.”
Anna side-eyed him.
“. . . You’re beautiful.” He pushed back her sweaty hair.
“Thanks.” She chuckled. “But, your standards need work.”
Atlas was right this time though. Very soon, she felt a different kind of pain. A pressure from down low as her body shook. “I think they’re coming faster?”
“Yep.” Atlas quickly smiled at her before looking back at the monitor that showed the contractions in real time. “They are.”
Very quickly after that Anna lost control, but in a different way from how the chip had made her. Only this time she felt everything. Remembered everything.And it hurt.Damn it hurt.
Atlas was behind her, rubbing circles on her back.
Her breathing changed, becoming more ragged. The pressure shifted, and she felt an urge to push. “Something is happening.”
“I bet something is.” Sterling lifted up the blanket covering her knees, causing her to squirm in place. “Yes. It’s time Anna. When you feel like you can, push.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Instinct took over. Her entire body began tensing and curling over. And it was anger that saw her through, making her yell and curse. Atlas’s eyes widened at her side as she gripped his hand even tighter, the scrapes on her palms from earlier only adding to her rage. She was mad. She was livid.
Anna was furious at the pain of childbirth, at the loss of control, but mostly because she could be mad. She wordlessly hummed, which started as the star nursery rhyme but quickly just turned into scattered notes. If the chip was still attached,she would have probably long since passed out. As it was, the room narrowed as her focus tightened. Even Atlas by her side disappeared, and it didn’t matter right then if she was on Earth. Or Mars.
Atlas was at her side, eyes focused intently. “Push, Anna!”
Bright lights overhead were all she could see, and the ceiling tiles above them. After being suppressed for a little over two weeks, her heartbeat pounded so loud that her ears rang. Everything below her waist was on fire. And she pushed, losing control as time stopped having meaning.
Finally the pain eased. A cry, thin and unsure, followed several heartbeats after.
Anna lay back, gasping for air. “Did I do it? Is she out?”
