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“It is an ancient custom of my people to watch the birth of the new royal youngling. Only those recording the birth for history would be allowed to watch.”

She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought about that, but he cut her off.

“It will not happen! No one but you and I and Au'revele,” he said, putting more of a questioning tone on Au’revele’s name, “will be here. I give you my word.”

She gritted her teeth and slowly went to her knees screaming in pain as a particularly hard contraction hit her.

Quin picked her up and placed her on the birthing bed.

Vivian clung to him, her fingers surely leaving marks on his arms as she waited for the pain to let up. The moment it did, she grabbed the pointed hornlike protrusion extending from his chin and yanked his face close to hers. “What in the entire fuckinguniverse made you think I’d be okay with a fucking audience?!” she demanded angrily.

“I didn’t. I simply didn’t think of it. Do you have any idea how many years it’s been since a royal youngling has been born? I would not ever allow it, Ehlealah! We would have addressed it all tomorrow when we came for our medical visit.”

The sound of more rushing people soon gave way to all four of Vivian’s guard crowding into the room.

“Oh, thank God! Do not, I repeat, do not allow anyone to see me give birth! I don’t care what the customs are on this planet, it’s not happening!”

“Yes, Sirena,” Rel answered ferociously, as he and Kail moved to secure the medical suite and not allow anyone else in.

“What about them?” Asl asked, gesturing at the three physicians and the three nurses that had come at the call of the original nurse, who’d run into the lead physician’s office to connect the vidcom that was coming through.

“If they’re needed, they can stay. If they’re not, they need to go,” Vivian growled out.

“If you put your legs in these supports, you can press your feet here and it will give you an aid to deal with the pain,” Au'revele said.

Vivian glanced at the supports, much like stirrups in the gynecology offices she’d been exposed to. “Do you think it will help?”

“Yes, you’ll be able to brace yourself,” Au'revele said.

Vivian nodded. “Help me,” she said.

Au'revele helped Vivian get one leg in one leg support, as Quin assisted with the other side.

The original nurse came running back into the room. “I’ve got the vidcom connected. The physician has instructed us to move the Sirena’s birthing platform into the room with the vidcom.”

“Impossible! This is the birthing room,” one doctor said.

“Out! Get out!” Vivian demanded.

“Out!” Quin bellowed.

While Vivian’s guard removed the offending physician, Quin reached out and slapped Zahn in the back of the head. “Get your head in the game, or go away and send me someone who can!” Quin snarled.

Zahn snapped into attention and seemed to grasp the fact that he’d been mentally missing for the last four or so minutes. It wasn’t his fault really. Au'revele stood there in a little silk nightie, with a matching robe tied loosely at the waist, not the least bit worried about who could and couldn’t see her, and he could definitely see her.

“Yes, Sire!” Zahn shouted back. He looked back and forth, not sure what exactly needed to be done since he’d just returned to consciousness.

“We need to move our Sirena to the office with Doc on the vidcom,” Asl said.

“Done!” Zahn said. He grabbed the end of the birthing platform and started pulling it toward the door, but then realized that Vivian’s legs were up in the air and she was in the middle of pressing her feet against the metal plates while Quin stroked her hair and tried to talk her through it.

“Here!” Au'revele said, grabbing the green cloak Quin had used to wrap Vivian in from the floor where she’d dropped it, and tossed it to Zahn.

Zahn caught it and spread it over Vivian’s legs to preserve some sense of modesty, then turned to the doctor and nurses still blocking the door and just outside of it. “Move!” he bellowed, grabbing the birthing platform and yanking it toward the door with Asl pushing the platform from his end.

As they made it through the door, the nurse who’d connected the vidcom in the office was waiting. “Here, follow me!” she exclaimed.

Zahn and Asl moved the bed-like platform quickly but efficiently through the hallways of the medical suite until they reached the large, plush office of the lead physician. The moment they entered the room, they got a look at the lay of the office and let go of the bed long enough to start shoving heavy cumbersome pieces of office furniture out of the way and against the far walls.

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