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She clenches her teeth and bears down again. The baby slides out, and Kaikare is beside him with her pipe and twine.
Eden screams in relief as Samuel eases their daughter’s feet out. “Let me see her,” Eden cries as she slumps back. Only their daughter has not made a sound.
Samuel rubs her back. He tries not to panic. He hopes the quick labor has left their baby a little stunned. She’s limp in his arms, and he’s suddenly nauseous.
“Samuel, what’s wrong with her?” Eden rasps.
“Tamy mïta,” Kaikare directs.Tobacco mouth.
“Give her to me,” Eden wails.
If he does, the baby might not take its first breath. He has no suction equipment, and Týkire hasn’t returned with his pack of small instruments. There’s a tiny hand pump that could help. He searches the nearby shrubbery. There’s no sign of movement.
“Samuel,” Eden’s voice demands, her arms outstretched.
Samuel nods at Kaikare and holds the baby closer. Kaikare sucks in a breath through the pipe and blows smoke over the baby’s face. Their daughter lifts her arms in the startle reflex and cries a beautiful sound. Kaikare meets Samuel’s gaze, and her eyes are brimming with joy. She gives him a curt nod.
Their beautiful daughter wiggles, and a tiny scream bursts from her. He lays her on Eden’s chest. “She’s perfect like her mother.”
“You’re perfect,” Eden whispers to their daughter and kisses her cheek. Her soft cries quiet down as her mother comforts her.
While Eden gushes over their daughter, Kaikare and Samuel use the heated twine to tie off the umbilical cord, and Kaikare cuts the cord with a piranha tooth.
Panting comes from the bushes, then Týkire springs out of the forest. She hands him his box, and he scurries through it searching for his stethoscope and sphygmomanometer.
Kaikare presses lightly on Eden’s abdomen.
“Can you hold her with one arm?” Eden holds out her arm for Samuel to apply the cuff. “It’s Ularan tradition to gently press and massage your stomach to help pass your placenta. Are you okay with this?”
“Fine.” Eden is too preoccupied with their daughter to care what they are doing. As soon as he establishes her health as stable, he’ll be right by Eden’s side, cuddling them both.
“Your arm will feel tight with the pressure.” She shoots him a look, one telling him it’s nothing compared to the pain she has endured.
The reading is low.
Shit.
Emotion comprises his decision-making. His throat is tight, and his heart is racing with the realization of everything that could possibly go wrong. He’s unprepared for an emergency in an unsterile environment with limited instruments.
“Look.” The joy in Eden’s voice brings him back. Their daughter is sucking from her breast.
Their baby doesn’t suckle long. “She’s beautiful,” he purrs.
Eden stares longingly at their tiny bundle curled into a ball. She runs a finger along her spine. “I think I’m going to spend the rest of my life gazing at her.” She looks up at him, eyes twinkling. “Do you want to hold her? I know you have already held her, but you didn’t cuddle our angel.”
His heart still thumps like he’s being chased by a leopard. He is afraid to get attached to their daughter. His heart couldn’t bear losing the two loves of his life. Until he has them both safely in a hospital, his guard will remain in place.
Eden’s eyes flick over his face.
“Of course,” he whispers. Samuel lifts their tiny bundle and cradles her to his chest. He closes his eyes as a wave of emotion washes over him. He allows himself to feel the love of being a father, a partner, and having his daughter nestling close to his heart. So, this was what it was like to belong, to have your own family. His demeanor cracks, and with it, a tear of joy cascades down his cheek.
“What do you want to name her?”
Samuel can’t take his eyes from their daughter. “Rose,” he whispers. “She’s my Rose, a rare flower only found high on a tepui determined my belonging and commitment to Ulara. Our little Rose has stolen my heart, and my vision is for her, and…” he meets Eden’s gaze, “… her beautiful mother.”
Eden’s eyes hold the warmth and love that fills his heart. “Rose, it is.” Her expression changes and her brows pull tight. “Oh, what’s that?” she moans loudly, and Kaikare is there to assist with the placenta.
“Give me a minute.” Samuel carefully passes Rose back to Eden and moves so he can assess the organ for tears in its entirety. He passes the organ to Kaikare and moves to trade places with Chirké so Eden is leaning against his chest.
