Post by seraaches on Jan 13, 2009 23:33:35 GMT -5
Reston was playing with the girls in the garden when Edward came rushing up. “Reston, it’s started.” The stag froze, eyes going wide and his hands stilled in the dirt beside Neviah.
Mirai pawed at his arm. “Daddy?” she asked softly. “What started, Daddy?”
Reston swallowed hard, his eyes falling upon his darling girls’ faces. He had to be strong for them. “Your. . .” He couldn’t say it.
“Reston—“ Edward’s voice held a brush of urgency, something his eyes conveyed as well, but it seemed like he didn’t want the girls to know.
“Forgive me, girls,” Reston said, his voice faint and distant. “I have to go. Stay with Edward; I’ll be back. . . as soon as I can.”
He hurried back into the building, heading unerringly to the birthing suite; he had made certain that he had a good and solid understanding of where she would be taken when Mari’s pains started. He swallowed hard and burst into a long-strided lope. He almost slid past the correct doorway. His hands caught on the doorframe and he pulled himself in.
“You can’t be in here!” A nurse tried to bar his way, but the stag simply slipped past her.
“Reston. . .” Mari’s voice was low and weary already.
The Avington quickly took hold of the paw the canine tried to offer up to him. “Just breathe, Mari, breathe in and out like we practiced.” He demonstrated for her and kept it up until she began to pant the same way.
The doctor shook his head quickly at the nurse and she frowned at the stag, but let him be. Instead she went to check the towels and water. The stag never looked at her, his eyes were steadfastly on Mari’s worn out face. The pregnancy had been telling on her; horribly wearing. She barely looked able to move. He brushed a hand across her damp forehead; someone had been kind enough to put a cool washcloth there. It was nearly dry already. Someone placed a basin of water at his side and he immediately dipped it into the water, wrung it out, and replaced it across her forehead. She sent him her sweetest smile and his heart broke.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her voice was barely there. Reston resisted the urge to throw his arms around her; if only he could have saved her from this.
“Anything, beloved,” he whispered back, leaning forward so he could touch his forehead to hers, the washcloth dampening his own green and blue fur. “Anything for you.”
“I’m tired, Reston,” she murmured. “So very—“ Her face suddenly screwed up as a contraction ripped through her body. “Reston!” She nearly screamed his name and he grabbed her paw again, turning to stare frantically towards the doctor.
“She’s started! Just like we practiced, people.” The Corvie Club ferret clapped his hands together and the nurses fell into line; they were ready.
Despite the practice and the knowledge they had about this particular pregnancy, they couldn’t seem to offset the fact that the toll on the woman’s body was so incredibly hard. Reston found his gaze torn between watching the strange babies coming out and the look of determined pain and agitation on Mari’s face. A squalling ball of furless yellow and red. A bipedal horse that caught his breath in his throat and made Mari scream as it burned her as soon as the iron rings touched air. A heavy set mat of red and yellow fur. Something with a long whip-like tail. The next had glass all over her and the spikes along her back ripped at the woman’s body as she came out, her heavy tail dropping towards the ground and only through the quick leap of a nearby nurse was the glass rose at the end saved from breaking right then. Mari’s body shuddered and went still.
“She has to push!” The doctor yelled. “Come on, Mari, push!”
Reston looked at her face and knew it didn’t matter. “She’s dead.”
“What?” the doctor snapped, finally looking away from his work to see the tears pouring down Reston’s face.
“She’s dead. She. . .” The stag had no words. She’d done the best that she could. It was over.
The Corvie let loose a series of curses and snarls that Reston was taken aback to hear. “Scalpel.”
“What? No!” Reston came to his feet, dismay and fear stark across his face.
A nurse placed it into the black-furred hand of the doctor and he moved to Mari’s stomach, shoving back the blankets swiftly.
“You can’t do that!” the Avington cried. “You can’t defile her body!”
The doctor turned to send the man a long, hard look. “Mr. Reston, either control yourself or get out. She may be dead, but some of those babies are not. She would not want them to die with her!”
Reston fell back a step and a nurse brushed him back quickly. He stood by the door as they sliced open the only woman he had ever loved. Someone bit back another curse and the scent of burnt flesh tinged the air. The nurses carefully accepted bundles from the doctor four more times and then the final baby caused a gasp of alarm.
“Steady, ladies,” the doctor soothed as he lifted up a red horse with a golden yellow horn sprouting from his forehead. “Look, he has a rank and suit. Quite the powerful baby, aren’t you? Maggie, take him and put him with the others. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
Reston stared as the people bustled around him, unaware of how Maggie flinched when she had to take the last baby, almost oblivious as someone gently pushed him out of the room where he came face to face with a red mouse with only one of his own horns. Reston stared at the Queen for a long, long time. “She’s dead.” His voice was flat; he didn’t recognize it. “You killed her. You both killed her.” He turned on his hooves and walked resolutely away. He had nothing more tying him here. He would take his girls and go home.
Mirai pawed at his arm. “Daddy?” she asked softly. “What started, Daddy?”
Reston swallowed hard, his eyes falling upon his darling girls’ faces. He had to be strong for them. “Your. . .” He couldn’t say it.
“Reston—“ Edward’s voice held a brush of urgency, something his eyes conveyed as well, but it seemed like he didn’t want the girls to know.
“Forgive me, girls,” Reston said, his voice faint and distant. “I have to go. Stay with Edward; I’ll be back. . . as soon as I can.”
He hurried back into the building, heading unerringly to the birthing suite; he had made certain that he had a good and solid understanding of where she would be taken when Mari’s pains started. He swallowed hard and burst into a long-strided lope. He almost slid past the correct doorway. His hands caught on the doorframe and he pulled himself in.
“You can’t be in here!” A nurse tried to bar his way, but the stag simply slipped past her.
“Reston. . .” Mari’s voice was low and weary already.
The Avington quickly took hold of the paw the canine tried to offer up to him. “Just breathe, Mari, breathe in and out like we practiced.” He demonstrated for her and kept it up until she began to pant the same way.
The doctor shook his head quickly at the nurse and she frowned at the stag, but let him be. Instead she went to check the towels and water. The stag never looked at her, his eyes were steadfastly on Mari’s worn out face. The pregnancy had been telling on her; horribly wearing. She barely looked able to move. He brushed a hand across her damp forehead; someone had been kind enough to put a cool washcloth there. It was nearly dry already. Someone placed a basin of water at his side and he immediately dipped it into the water, wrung it out, and replaced it across her forehead. She sent him her sweetest smile and his heart broke.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her voice was barely there. Reston resisted the urge to throw his arms around her; if only he could have saved her from this.
“Anything, beloved,” he whispered back, leaning forward so he could touch his forehead to hers, the washcloth dampening his own green and blue fur. “Anything for you.”
“I’m tired, Reston,” she murmured. “So very—“ Her face suddenly screwed up as a contraction ripped through her body. “Reston!” She nearly screamed his name and he grabbed her paw again, turning to stare frantically towards the doctor.
“She’s started! Just like we practiced, people.” The Corvie Club ferret clapped his hands together and the nurses fell into line; they were ready.
Despite the practice and the knowledge they had about this particular pregnancy, they couldn’t seem to offset the fact that the toll on the woman’s body was so incredibly hard. Reston found his gaze torn between watching the strange babies coming out and the look of determined pain and agitation on Mari’s face. A squalling ball of furless yellow and red. A bipedal horse that caught his breath in his throat and made Mari scream as it burned her as soon as the iron rings touched air. A heavy set mat of red and yellow fur. Something with a long whip-like tail. The next had glass all over her and the spikes along her back ripped at the woman’s body as she came out, her heavy tail dropping towards the ground and only through the quick leap of a nearby nurse was the glass rose at the end saved from breaking right then. Mari’s body shuddered and went still.
“She has to push!” The doctor yelled. “Come on, Mari, push!”
Reston looked at her face and knew it didn’t matter. “She’s dead.”
“What?” the doctor snapped, finally looking away from his work to see the tears pouring down Reston’s face.
“She’s dead. She. . .” The stag had no words. She’d done the best that she could. It was over.
The Corvie let loose a series of curses and snarls that Reston was taken aback to hear. “Scalpel.”
“What? No!” Reston came to his feet, dismay and fear stark across his face.
A nurse placed it into the black-furred hand of the doctor and he moved to Mari’s stomach, shoving back the blankets swiftly.
“You can’t do that!” the Avington cried. “You can’t defile her body!”
The doctor turned to send the man a long, hard look. “Mr. Reston, either control yourself or get out. She may be dead, but some of those babies are not. She would not want them to die with her!”
Reston fell back a step and a nurse brushed him back quickly. He stood by the door as they sliced open the only woman he had ever loved. Someone bit back another curse and the scent of burnt flesh tinged the air. The nurses carefully accepted bundles from the doctor four more times and then the final baby caused a gasp of alarm.
“Steady, ladies,” the doctor soothed as he lifted up a red horse with a golden yellow horn sprouting from his forehead. “Look, he has a rank and suit. Quite the powerful baby, aren’t you? Maggie, take him and put him with the others. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
Reston stared as the people bustled around him, unaware of how Maggie flinched when she had to take the last baby, almost oblivious as someone gently pushed him out of the room where he came face to face with a red mouse with only one of his own horns. Reston stared at the Queen for a long, long time. “She’s dead.” His voice was flat; he didn’t recognize it. “You killed her. You both killed her.” He turned on his hooves and walked resolutely away. He had nothing more tying him here. He would take his girls and go home.
To play with! Eee!
