Woven Fates - The War

Birth Day

Trigger warning” Infant loss / stillbirth

Isabella woke late, much later than she had intended. Sergio had closed the curtains against the bright light to let her sleep as long as she needed to. She smiled, thinking of him. He was a wonderful partner and father. She never could have believed she could be so lucky.

She tried to sit up, but her stomach felt heavy. She lay back down for a moment to clear her head. It occurred to her that she wasn’t feeling quite right. As the sleep fog lifted she realised she had a tightening in her stomach.

“Serge?” She cried out. “Serge!”

She could hear footsteps running up the hallway but they sounded to light to be Sergio’s.

“Bella, are you ok?” Miranda asked, as she sat down next to Isabella on the bed. “Sergio went through to the Village with the men.”

Isabella took a deep breath as another small surge of pain ripped through her. She nodded her head as she continued to breathe.

Miranda smiled. “Planning on having a baby today huh?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning to.” Isabella shrugged.

“This will be the first time I can be here to support you.” Miranda smiled as she reached out to squeeze Isabella’s hand. “Just let me alert everyone ok. It’s very early stages but we need to make sure they are aware.”

Isabella nodded. “Is Olive here?” She asked quietly.

“She is, yes.” Miranda replied.

Isabella relaxed back into her bed, closing her eyes as Miranda left the room. As she laid there it occurred to her, she should have a bath. If the baby did come today, she wouldn’t get a chance until it had arrived.

She got up and waddled her way over to the bathroom and began to fill the bath. Not to warm, but warm enough to relax her aching body. This baby had felt bigger, her stomach had certainly been bigger this time. It had taken a toll on her body, more so than in the past.

When the bath was full, she awkwardly climbed in. She had been relying on Sergio to help her in and out lately and it was harder without him there. She felt her body tense again as she tried to relax into the water. She laid her head back and again closed her eyes when she heard her bedroom door open and close.

“I’m in here.” She called out.

Olive opened the door and walked in. There was no sense of shame in the woman who had birthed both her children seeing her naked.

“I hear your body is preparing for the baby to come.” Olive smiled.

Isabella grimaced as another wave of pain hit her. Olive moved closer to the bath. Isabella didn’t miss the look that crossed her face for a couple of seconds before she recovered.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Isabella, I don’t want you to feel panicked but you’re bleeding. This baby may need to come today, one way or another.” Olive smiled calmly.

“I want Serge.” Isabella cried pitifully. “Please, I need Serge here.”

“You will need Serge here Isabella, but not yet. The men should be back in a couple of hours. It is important that Serge is there so he can report if he sees any of the traitors near Hadley’s castle.”

Isabella nodded.

“Stay where you are for now Bella, try to keep your body still. We don’t want this little one to rush its way out.” Olive smiled.

“Is Miranda there? Sometimes she can send her energy through my body to help me relax.” Isabella asked.

“She is right in the bedroom. I’ll get her for you.” Olive smiled as she walked into the bedroom. Moments later they both returned.

Miranda took a stool and sat behind Isabella, putting her hands on her shoulders. She began to let her energy flow through her sister, helping her relax. As her energy reached the baby she looked up at Olive with concern.

“Is that helping Bella?” Miranda asked.

“Mmmm.” Isabella smiled slightly before the next contraction rolled through her body.

Miranda noticed the blood in the bath and looked worriedly at Olive.

“Bella, can I feel that belly of yours? Let’s see if the baby is in the right position.”

Isabella nodded at Olive as she leaned forward and began to feel Isabella’s stomach. Something was wrong but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She couldn’t feel the babies outline properly.

“Somethings wrong, isn’t it?” Isabella cried.

“Bella, I need you to stay calm. There’s a big difference between wrong and not quite right.” Olive smiled.

“Ohh!” Miranda cried. “It’s twins!”

Sabrina lay curled up on her bed. Her baby was ready to make an appearance, but Olive wasn’t there. She breathed her way through another contraction as she called out to Elijah.

“Go to Uncle Serge and see who is there. Mummy needs some help.” She said quietly.

“Is it the baby?” Elijah asked.

“Yes it is.” Sabrina smiled.

Elijah ran out the door and to the house next door. He banged on the door until someone answered.

“Aunty Eva, my mum is having her baby.” Elijah cried out.

“Ok, its ok Elijah. I will come over and help.” Eva promised.

“Where is Nanny Olive?” He asked with fear in his voice.

“Nanny Olive is visiting the Fae Kingdom. I will try to get someone to go fetch her.” Eva smiled as she took out a heavy cloak and covered herself for the short walk to Sabrina’s house.

Eva walked into Sabrina’s bedroom to find her on her knees, bent over a stack of pillows.

“Sabrina, you have done this before and I haven’t, but if you can talk me through it I can help you.” Eva smiled.

Sabrina nodded as she cried out in pain. “I need Olive!” She gasped as the pain began to subside.

“Well you have me. Olive isn’t here.” Eva shrugged. “Can you tell me what point you are at?”

“I don’t know! I need Carlos.” Sabrina screamed.

“Sabrina, only you can bring Carlos here. I can’t do portals remember.” Eva smiled.

Sabrina nodded as another wave of pain hit her. She opened a portal expecting that Carlos might see it and know she needed him.

“I’m going to need to go through. Where does this lead?” Eva asked.

“His bedroom.” Sabrina gasped as another contraction washed over her.

“You breathe, I’ll be right back.” Eva smiled as she covered herself in the cloak and walked through the portal. She stopped on the other side and let her eyes adjust to the dark. He was on his bed asleep.

“Carlos.” Eva called out. “Carlos, Sabrina needs you.” She didn’t want to get to close to his sleeping form, she knew vampires could be dangerous when woken up.

Eva turned as Carlos bedroom door opened and a man and a woman walked in.

“Who are you?” The woman hissed.

“Please, I have been sent by Sabrina. She is in labour, their child is on its way.”

“The woman nodded and went to the side of the bed where Carlos slept.

“Boss, wake up. Your woman needs you.” She said with distaste.

Eva was surprised by the woman’s tone and even more so that she didn’t seem afraid to speak that way in front of Carlos.

Carlos woke with a start and a low growl.

“Boss, it’s Enya. Go to your woman, she needs you.” The woman said quickly.

Carlos looked around the room to see Eva and the portal open. He hastily got up and dressed before walking through the portal with Eva in tow.

“Isabella, you must breathe.” Olive spoke quietly and much more calmly than she felt. She could see Isabella was struggling to deliver the first baby. It had been hours since Miranda had first called her and everything had been prepared. They were routinely draining and refilling the bath because Isabella was to scared to move without Sergio there.

“I need Serge.” Isabella sobbed.

“Bella, we can help you move to the bed. We are strong enough to do that.” Miranda smiled as she held her sisters hand.

“I can’t do this without him.” Isabella cried.

“You’re speaking to the person who birthed both her children without her partner, and I am telling you, you can do this.” Miranda said quietly.

“No, it hurts to bad. Oh please Miranda stop the pain.” Isabella begged.

“There is no reward without pain Bella. We must get this done.” Olive said firmly.

Miranda stood on one side of Isabella and Olive stood on the other. They looked at each other and then put their arms under Isabella’s, pulling her up. Their timing was terrible as she was seized with another contraction.

“I can’t do this; I can’t do it without Serge!” Isabella screamed.

Miranda and Olive walked her over to the bed and helped her on. She rolled onto her side, sobbing uncontrollably.

“The meeting will be finished soon, and Sergio will come back to you Bella.” Miranda said quietly, trying to comfort her sister.

“Let’s have another feel of that belly hey?” Olive said as they helped Bella roll onto her back.

Miranda brushed her hair from her face as Olive felt her stomach.

“I can’t, I can’t make head nor tail of what belongs to who.” Olive said quietly.

“What about Everly and Merridy?” Miranda asked.

“I’ll be back in a moment.” Olive promised as she walked out the door.

Olive walked through the castle until she found the other wives out in the garden.

“Everly, Bella is in labour but there seems to be two babies and they seem to be stuck.” Olive said quietly.

“Can we get her to the Medical Centre birthing suite?” Everly asked, jumping up and following Olive back inside.

“I can contact Will for a portal.” Esmeralda offered.

Olive nodded as the mounted the stairs.

Esmeralda mind linked Will immediately. He had taken Wyatt with him in case he missed something but now he sent Wyatt back to open a portal for Isabella. They had kept it to themselves so as not to distract anyone else listening to the talk at the meeting.

Wyatt appeared and opened the portal to the Medical centre for them, immediately returning to the meeting once they were safely there.”

Sabrina screamed in agony as she bore down time and again, trying to deliver this baby. No matter what she did it would not move. There had been no progress for hours.

“We need Olive.” Eva said quietly to Carlos.

“Neither of us can get her until dark Eva.” Carlos said helplessly. “We have at least two hours to go.”

“She may not have two hours.” Eva replied, standing up and putting on her cloak.

“Eva you can’t, it’s to dangerous.” Carlos cried out.

“So is us birthing this baby with no knowledge of how.” Eva replied as she headed for the door.

Carlos sighed as he sat next to Sabrina on the bed, holding her hand as she lay quietly. She had lost so much blood and Carlos was fighting to control himself, although it was made somewhat easier by the foul stench of the demon blood. She was so pale against the white bed linen, now stained with her blood. She was sweating and her breathing was shallow.

Carlos stood up to go to the bathroom and find a face cloth. He wet it and returned to the bedroom to find Clara standing beside the bed sobbing quietly.

“Is my mummy going to die?” Clara whispered.

“No, she is not.” Carlos smiled. “You must let us deal with this now ok. Mummy is just ready to have her baby.

“Daddy, her heart is slowing, I can hear it.” Clara said quietly.

Eva raced through the woods, desperately trying to keep the cloak closed to the sun. It was not so bad in the denser woods but out in the fields was torture.

She finally reached the outside barrier of the Fae castle, the point which she could not pass.

She saw children playing with a large pack of big white dogs out in a field.

“Children!” She called out as the dogs came running towards her barking.

Moments later Laura and Amelia appeared.

“Eva, what are you doing here? It isn’t safe for you to be here.” Amelia said.

“Eva, move over to your right, there’s a tree there that can shield you from the sun.” Laura added.

Eva nodded and moved to her right until she felt the shade from the tree.

“Thankyou, that makes it easier.” Eva smiled. “I come in search of Olive. It is urgent, Sabrina went into labour hours ago but the baby appears to be stuck. I fear she will die if Olive does not come quickly. I’m sorry, I know you were all spending family time together.” Eva said quickly as she caught her breath.

“Not at all Eva, we’re glad you came, only Bella is also in labour with twins and the babies are stuck. Olive and Miranda have taken her through to the Medical Centre at the Community to use the birthing suite there.”

“It is just Carlos and I and neither of us know what to do.” Eva sobbed.

Amelia opened the mind link she still had with Esmeralda and asked her to join them. Moments later Esmeralda appeared.

“Eva?” Esmeralda asked, looking at Laura and Amelia.

“Em, your mother is in labour and is in distress. Olive is in the human world assisting with Bella.” Amelia began.

“I will go.” Esmeralda said quietly. I will ask Wyatt for a portal. Give me a moment.”

Esmeralda moved away to open a mind link with Wyatt and Will. She came back moments later and shortly after Wyatt appeared.

“What is it with you women today, this meeting is important.” He said as he opened a portal for his mother and one on the other side to help Eva get home. He then opened one for himself and disappeared again.

When Esmeralda and Eva arrived, Eva led the way to Sabrina’s house. When they reached the bedroom, Carlos was holding Sabrina and sobbing uncontrollably.

“Carlos, I am Esmeralda. Please step aside.” She said as she stood over her mother, her hands on her stomach. Warm light flowed from her hands and into Sabrina’s stomach.

“We have minutes to deliver this baby.” She whispered as she removed her hands. She looked at the bed, the white linen now almost completely crimson with Sabrina’s blood.

Sabrina was unconscious and there was no way she could push.

“We’re going to have to do this the hard way. Eva, I need you to push her legs back.” Esmeralda instructed. Eva moved to hold her legs.

“I can see the babies head.” Esmeralda cried. She drew on every last bit of strength she had and used her magic to move the baby. She saw it’s little head pop out and then its shoulders. It was pale and made no movement.

“Oh no.” Esmeralda whispered as she pulled, bringing the baby out the rest of the way. She put her hand to the babies mouth and closed her eyes, using her magic to will life into the baby.

She cleaned its mouth and tried to make sure the airways were clear but the baby had no signs of life. She cut the umbilical cord with scissors Eva had fetched and wrapped it in a blanket.

Carlos looked down at Sabrina, tears streaming down her face.

“Carlos, we are losing mother. You must turn her.” Esmeralda said quietly.

“No, she does not want that. She has never wanted that.” Carlos sobbed.

“Then she will die.” Esmeralda replied quietly. “I am sorry.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if Olive were here!” Carlos roared.

“You have minutes to make a decision.” Esmeralda sighed.

Carlos looked at Sabrina, he could hear her heart slowing. With an unholy roar he bent down and punctured her neck, drawing on what little blood she had left before cutting open his wrist with his fang and dropping the blood into her partially open mouth.

“Go before she wakes.” Carlos said quietly.

“Carlos, I truly am sorry.” Esmeralda bowed her head before linking with Wyatt to have a portal opened.

As the portal closed behind her Sabrina began to stir.

She opened her eyes and caught sight of her child born sleeping. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall and then she opened them suddenly.

“Carlos, what did you do?” She whispered.