Birth

"Unlike you I don't feel anything when our lord takes control. Just the fatigue when I get back control. I don't remember anything after the flash you showed me. How you are able to stand after meeting with our lord for so long and not being a messenger is beyond me."

Bella took in a sharp breath and placed her hand on her side. "Just a kick, I think." Bella was smiling and talking to Isa. Whose worried look didn't help my on edge feeling.

"What is wrong, Isa?" Bella had already been shaking her head and waving me away.

Isa looked up from Bella and bit her lip, "Any other man I would say it is women's business and tell him to stay out of it, but him I think we should bring in." Bella nodded at Isa to continue. I was able to see both of them from the doorway, "None of the women here have ever been mother's."

I sat down on the bench, she said that like it should be clear that is a problem. I didn't want to dismiss anything she thought was a problem but I didn't understand. "I know that, I didn't know it would be a problem though."

Bella turned her forced smile on me, "It isn't Isa is just being protective, it is just kicking anyway."

The other women in the room were frowning at Bella as she rubbed her side again. Isa looked back over at me and her frown did not lessened, "We are all sisters, and we have seen mother's give birth before but from what I can find out, none have coached a birth. I hadn't looked into it until last week when Bella started to complain of the baby moving more."

Travis hissed between his teeth so I looked at him, "I didn't think about it at the main house the sisters take care of each other, men aren't allowed anywhere near. I have helped welp sheep, it isn't as straightforward as it might seem, a good coach increases the odds of survival."

"Hum," I stood up and walked around to Bella. She didn't pull away as I placed my hand on her shoulder. I let my senses run over what made her and the baby inside. I watched the whole thing contract and then relax. Bella tried not to wince in pain. "Do babies always ride head down? I seem to remember It facing up a few days ago."

The women all spoke at once, "You are in labor." I let the women push me out of their way as they all started talking to Bella at once. I shook my head like I had been punched, I was getting tired.

"Enough," I created a shield over me, Isa and Bella pushing everyone else back a few steps and closing off the noise. Bella looked at me with relief but I could feel her and Isa's worry. "Bella, what do you want to do? I could send the brothers to fetch one of the main house sitters."

Bella opened her mouth to speak then gritted her teeth for a moment before answering, "I doubt there is enough time if I am in labor already. Can you take me up to my room?"

"Easily, I dont think a room full of novices will help though."

Bella was breathing a bit harder, "I agree, but I think with your sight you might be more useful then you might like. With you and Isa I know I can do this."

"Alright, I am going to lift you now." With my arms under her and her clinging to the front of my shirt it could see some of the details of what was going on. It would have been more help if I knew what I was looking at, or for.

As I started up the stairs I felt something pop, and liquid rush down around my feet, Isa put a hand on my back, "Don't worry love that should happen. We need to get her somewhere clean."

Isa kept me focused and helped explain what I needed to see. She kept me from being overwhelmed by so much new information. Yet I still didn't remember much of what happened. All I knew for sure was at sunset my first living daughter greeted the world with an indignant cry of displeasure and her mother was smiling and happy to see her.

I resolved to put more time into learning about bodies and how they work. Next time I won't be so ignorant. I was lucky, and I didn't need the smile and pat from Isa to know that I was lucky and there was much more that could have gone wrong that I didn't even know about.

Bella was up with the sun, taking care of the new wiggling baby girl. I tried to get her to take it easy but she told me to help or leave them alone. So I did what any correctly willful ignorant man does, I jumped right in and started making otherwise smilingly simple chores harder. But my wives just shook their heads at me and put up with it.

I think they put up with it because they could see how tired I still was and knew that as soon as they could trick me into resting I would be asleep again, and they were right. I didn't even make it out the door to breakfast.