AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Meanwhile, Grodd was in charge of helping Serenity get into position. Serenity had been sleeping naked, which was convenient—no clothing to remove. Following Alyx’s instructions, Grodd gently laid Serenity out on her back atop their fur bedding. Then the big ukkur kneeled behind Serenity, cradling her head against his lap. He stroked her sweat-damp hair away from her face and purred to comfort her. Meanwhile, Alyx pressed her ear to different locations on Serenity’s big round belly, listening.
“I’m scared,” Serenity admitted between contractions. In truth, that was an understatement. She was fucking terrified. The thought of giving birth was anxiety-inducing on its own. However, back on Earth, this procedure would be taking place in a hospital. Not here. Serenity was about to give birth in a cave.
“You’re going to be fine,” Alyx told her. “We’re going to get through this together, okay?”
Serenity nodded.
Soon the other two ukkur returned with the items Alyx had requested, and the woman set to work.
Serenity’s contractions were coming closer and closer together now, giving her barely any respite in between. She felt feverish. Her body was greasy with sweat. She was grateful for Jagga, who mopped her forehead and upper body with a cloth soaked in cool water.
When the contractions got especially painful, Hruk gave her a carved softwood stick to bite down on. He took her hand, and Serenity squeezed him with all her might—her dark and steadfast protector.
Meanwhile, Alyx kept watch over everything, palpating Serenity’s belly, listening, inspecting between her legs.
“The baby’s about ready to come out,” the woman announced.
Serenity wasn’t sure how the hell Alyx knew that, but almost as soon as the words had been uttered, she felt something shift inside. There was an expansive sensation as her cervix dilated and an intense, instinctive compulsion to push.
Alyx read all of these signals.
“Push, Serenity,” she said. “Push!”
Serenity clenched her jaw, and her teeth sank deep into the softwood biting stick. She grunted like an animal, tightened the inner muscles of her abdomen, and pushed hard.
Nothing seemed to happen.
“Breathe,” Alyx instructed, her voice calm and businesslike. “Don’t forget to breathe. Through your nose. Good. Now, push again. Hard.”
Again Serenity pushed with all of her strength.
Still nothing.
Panic fluttered in her heart. Was something wrong?
But Alyx’s calm demeanor immediately set her at ease. So did the presence of the three strong ukkur warriors surrounding her and supporting her.
“Again,” Alyx said. “Deep breath. Good. Now…push!“
Serenity squeezed Hruk’s hand hard. She grunted around her biting stick and bore down with all of her inner muscles.
This time, she felt it.
The weight of the baby shifted inside her. Something round and bulky pushed through her dilated cervix. It was the baby’s head moving from her womb into her birth canal.
“I can feel it,” Serenity mumbled around her biting stick. “It’s moving.”
“Good,” Alyx said. “Good. Keep pushing. And don’t forget to breathe.” Then, in the ukkur language, she said something to Grodd. “You can help her too, big guy. Help her push. Like this, see? Gently, gently…”
Alyx demonstrated by pushing firmly but not too hard on the top of Serenity’s bulging belly.
Grodd did exactly as instructed. He was so connected with Serenity, their bodies and spirits were so perfectly in tune, that he synchronized his pushing with hers. It helped a lot.
Slowly but surely, the baby was moving.
Serenity was unsure exactly how long the entire process took, but it felt like hours. The pressure in her pelvis was immense. The pain was excruciating. But she never gave up. She continued pushing, coached by the calm and zen-like Alyx. And through it all, her mates were there supporting her. Hruk was there, providing a hand to squeeze and murmuring soothing words of encouragement. Jagga wiped her brow with cool water, providing some small measure of comfort. Grodd gently helped her push. Serenity couldn’t have done this without them.
At last, she felt something between her open thighs.
