Page 129 of Moon's Promise

“Lie down on the bed. I want to assess how far you are dilated. Priss is going to take your blood pressure and start monitoring the baby.”

She spread a warm bath towel over Killyama and started examining her. Step by step, Larissa explained what she was doing and seeing.

“You’re in active labor.”

“I could have told you that!” Killyama yelled.

Calmly, Larissa helped her to sit up. “Everything looks good. Do you want to sit in the pool, or would you prefer—”

“I want to sit in the pool.”

“Very well. Use the bathroom before we’ll get you situated.”

After helping Killyama put on a toweling robe, Larissa waited in the bathroom while she went into the closed toilet area. She had already been instructed on how to clean herself before getting into the sanitized pool, which Priss had prepared.

When she came out, all three of them helped Killyama into the pool, making sure she was comfortable with the floating pillow as Train rubbed her back before letting her friends in.

“Damn, bitch. Where’s the baby? I was beginning to think you had her without us,” Sex Piston wisecracked as she entered the room, followed by their troop of friends. Her expression softened as she handed her a bottle of water infused with electrolytes. “How are you doing?”

Killyama raised her head. “It’s not as easy as you make it seem.”

“I told you to take the drugs. I wasn’t getting suckered into going natural. The more drugs, the better. Any regrets yet?”

“No.”

Sex Piston gave a sarcastic snort. “Wait until that big head starts popping out. We’ll see if you say the same thing.”

“Did you get all the items you wanted at the baby shower?” Larissa directed the conversation to divert Killyama’s attention away from the pain instead of focusing on it.

“Most of them,” Killyama answered.

“What didn’t you get?”

Lana arrived and had Killyama get out the pool to check her and the baby. Then Killyama decided she wanted to walk for a while and use the restroom again.

The afternoon dragged on as Killyama’s labor intensified.

The water delivery was nearly textbook perfect. Killyama’s little bundle of joy arrived to the cheers of the women anxiously waiting.

Blinking back emotional tears as Train greeted his beautiful daughter reinforced why she had become a midwife.

Priss took Train away to let him help with the baby while she and Lana helped Killyama deliver the afterbirth.

Once baby and mother were settled in bed, Lana and Priss started draining and dismantling the birthing pool.

Larissa kept an eye on the parents as she cleaned and packed the equipment they had used. When she was finished, she told Train and Killyama that she and Lana would be leaving, but Priss would be staying until morning, and she would be back then.

Train looked up from staring at the baby with gratitude on his face. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Before leaving, she shooed all of Killyama’s friends out so the new parents could enjoy some bonding time alone.

After saying goodbye to Priss, Lana and Larissa left Train’s house. There were two men standing guard outside.

Neither of them said anything until they were in Lana’s car, where they stared at each other curiously.

“I wonder what that’s about,” Lana asked as she buckled her seat belt.

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