Page 41 of Clashing Moon

“It’s totally normal for a birth without an epidural. The pain means everything’s moving along. You need to breathe, too.” I gripped his shoulder. “Think of this as another night in your kitchen. You and Elliot baked up something wonderful, and it’s about to come out of the oven. Haven’t you always told me that staying calm is your secret to success?”

“My beautiful wife did all the cooking in this case,” Caspian said. “But I get your point.”

“I’ll see how far along she is once she’s through this contraction. Can you get some ice chips for her?”

Caspian smacked his forehead. “Right. I forgot about those. God, I’m a mess.”

“It’s all right, Dad,” I said. “This is all new and scary, but you’re all going to be fine.”

“I’ll get the ice.” Caspian ran from the room.

After the contraction had subsided, I guided Elliot to lie back on the bed so I could check her progress. Mama sat on the edge of the bed, dabbing Elliot’s sweaty face with a damp cloth.

“All right, Elliot,” I said gently, positioning myself to examine her as I pulled on a pair of gloves. “Let’s see how close we are.” After a quick check, I glanced up and gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re almost fully dilated—just a little bit more to go. You’re doing amazing. I can’t believe you got this far along before calling me.”

“The birthing class went over all of it. Once they were one minute apart, we knew to call. I can do this, right?” Elliot let out a shaky breath, relief and determination mingling in her eyes.

“You’re doing it right now,” Mama said, stroking her hair. “It will all be worth it, I promise.”

Caspian burst into the room, carrying a glass of ice. “What did I miss?”

“I’m almost fully dilated,” Elliot said, giving him a tired smile. “Which means we get to meet our baby really soon.”

“Soon. Okay. Yeah. Totally ready.” Caspian shook the glass of ice. “And I’ve got these.”

Another contraction made the mother-to-be cry out in pain.

Caspian looked as though he might burst into tears. “I can’t take it.”

“Suck on one of those ice chips,” I said to my brother. “When she’s through this contraction, give her one. She’ll need a little hydration. We’re close.”

“Yeah, okay.” Caspian went to sit on the other side of his wife. When the pain had subsided, he gave her a small piece of ice and then stroked her hair. “You’re amazing, baby. So strong.”

“I’ll be glad when this part is over,” Elliot said.

The next fifteen minutes were a blur of contractions and breathing, with Caspian obsessed with serving her ice. At least it kept him busy. I’d never seen him so unsteady. I was only a little ashamed by how entertaining I found him.

I examined her again and was delighted to see she was fully dilated. “You’re at ten, Elliot. You ready?”

“I think so,” Elliot said, sounding weak.

“Let’s do this,” I said, grinning as I pulled on gloves. “Caspian, I want you to get behind her and wrap your legs on either side of her. And hold her while she pushes.”

“What? Really? Yeah, okay.”

Caspian climbed onto the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her sides. He pressed his cheek against hers, whispering words of encouragement.

“I see the baby’s head,” I said from my quarterback position. I instructed her to push as soon as the next contraction came.Seconds later, she cried out but braced herself against Caspian and bore down as instructed.

“You’ve got this, baby,” Caspian murmured.

Elliot’s face glistened from the effort. Caspian’s arms remained around her as he murmured soft words of encouragement into her ear.

“All right, Elliot,” I said, keeping my voice calm and steady. “A few more should do it.”

Elliot nodded, determination flashing in her eyes as another contraction came. She took a deep breath and bore down, her grip tightening around Caspian’s wrists. The baby’s head emerged, and this time came all the way out. “We’ve got a head, people.”

Another contraction caused Elliot’s face to contort with the effort. Caspian was right there with her.

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