ways_infirmary | (no subject)

And Hank, hearing ehr, rushes to her.

"Shufti? what's--? "

Then he nods.

"Ahhhh, Looks liek it is beginning. Come on, let's get you in a a bed."

He comes to her and gently puts hie arm around her shoulders, supporting her and stearing her towards a nearby bed.

"I think it already started. The pain keeps getting worse."

Right on cue, she chooses this convenient moment for her waters to break. She holds onto him.

"Where's all that coming from?"

"The baby is fiormed slowly in a sack in your body. When it is about time for birth, the sack breaks. There is liquid in there and the liquid is what comes out."

He gently lifts her and places her on the bed, one hand snapping buttons on the monitor even as he closes a privacy curtain around them.

"How often is the pain coming?"

"It's coming more often, since last night. About every ten minutes now."

She shivers.

"Last night it was more like bad backache."

He nods.

"Okay, sounds like it is defintiely time to get you ready. I want you to lay on your back or your side, whichever is most comfortable for you. "

he gets two blankets and settles one over her upper body and the other over her feet, leaving her waist and legs uncovered.

She wraps the blanket around her, curling onto her side.

"Is there any way to find Mal and Amanda? They want to be here when it's ready to come out."

He watches her and the scanners. He doesnt want to move too fast. She is human but from another world, so he is movign with deliberation. All the scans come back human normal though so he sighs and nods, relieved.

"I can send a note to them. Just a minute."

He begins to write a note even as he summons Aesclepius.

"Please give this to Bar for Maladict and Amanda. Thank you."

he tips the wait rat who scurries off.

"Okay. Now it isnt time to push yet. So do your best to relax. You need to decide if you want tio give birth natural or with the help of painkillers to help ease your pain."

"Thanks."

She tries to relax a little, but curled up is more comfortable for the moment.

"What's the advantages of each? And which is better for the baby?"

He smiles as he draws up a tall chair at the end of the bed and nods to her.

"If you choose to use painkillers, it will allow you to concentrate on the pressure aspect of your feelings. And In birth that is important, as it is a good indicator of when and how hard to push. However, many women choose natural, feeling as if they have an aspect of pride to prove something by dealing with the pain and also feeling as if using drugs would be less honest and less true to the birthing process."

He draws a breath.

"However, medically, I can tell you that if you want a painkiller, we should give it to you now, otherwise it will be too late. And the painkillers mostly make you feel less pain, but they do not bring any other benefits. And some of them will make you feel somewhat sick. You can do it without, but it is your choice. There is another option in that I can use a machine that will block the pain sensations and nothing else. It will not cause sickness not ill effects."

Shufti thinks about it for a moment. She doesn't like the sound of the machine for some reason. But at the same time, can't really see how you can possibly give birth dishonestly.

"Please can I have the painkiller?"

Hank nods and prepares a hypospray of Dysulomanyte 3. He smiles gently to her and comes oaround to her side.

"I will inject it against your lower back, okay? This wont hurt, but it will feel funny for a minute, and then the painkiller should take effect."

He presses the hypospray home, and hears it hiss as it delivers it's load of medicine.

"Ooh, it tickles."

She looks up at Hank, relaxing a little as the pain dulls.

"Does it matter that the baby's only at thirty seven weeks?"

He smiles gently at her.

"Babies often have a mind of their own as to when to be born. And babies are usualy born somewhere between 36 and 41 weeks. So 37 is within the safe zone and I will be keeping a close eye on your vitals and the baby's as well."

he smiles at her.

"It will be okay."

She looks down a bit towards her legs.

"Keeping an eye on my vitals? What are they doing?"

She returns the smile a little. "Thanks, I hope it will." A look of worry. "Sally said I might give birth to a bat, that's not true is it?"

"Vitals are the readings that tell me how you are healthwise. Breathing, blood, and body are all monitored. This tells me how you are doing and helps me make sure nothing goes wrong."

He eyes her at that.

"A bat? No. You will give birth to a human, either male or female, baby."

"Oh thank goodness. I was quite worried for a moment. I mean I'd still have grown to love it I guess."

She shifts a little.

"Nuggan's dead now. So if you need to make pictures of the baby you can."

"Oh? what hapenned?"

He nods and makes a mental note to ask her about the sin marks as well.

"I can if you wish, but my scanner can use tech far beyiond simple imaging and thus it isnt neccesary."

"I don't know, but the whole country's converting to Om, who's another god, and apparently he told his priests to tell us that Nuggan is definitely dead. I think gods die if people stop believing in them."

She smiles a little. "That would be nice. I got a bit scared last time and didn't get a very good look."

Hank nods and taps a few buttons on the monitor, then on the larger screen on it a fuzzy image comes to life. It shows the baby in the womb moving slightly, and fuzzy still. He points to various parts of the body and grins.

"The baby looks very healthy."

"Thanks. Don't tell me what sex it is." she says with a grin.

She reaches out to touch the screen.

"Why is the baby upside down?"

He smiles back.

"I wont."

Then.

"It has to do with the way the baby is born. He or she needs to be in just the right position to come out right. So far the baby looks fine and everything seems to be just right."

She smiles. "I'm glad. I was worried when it was small, but as long as it's not too small, it'll grow."

"It will be fine. With a mother as good as you, it cannot be anything less. And you will have friends, including me, to help you."

he smiles at her.

She smiles nervously.

"Thanks. Molly's been teaching me how to look after babies."

Hank smiles, tapping the scanner to keep it running full diagnosctic on her.

"Really? I am sure she will be quite helpful then. have you made many friends here?"