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“Do you people not know of epidurals? Somebody give me a damn epidural!”

“Sirena, by the time it would take effect, the child would be here,” Doc said. “Had we had warning, we could have provided the procedure you speak of and you would have no pain throughout the delivery.”

“Next time tell me when you start having symptoms,” Quin chided.

“Next time? You actually think there’s going to be a next time?” Vivian demanded.

The first nurse had run out of the room when Doc asked for a scan, but was back within moments with a handheld scanner. She held the scanner and slowly guided it from Vivian’s knees to her breasts and down again until she’d taken a complete picture of Vivian and the baby inside her. When she was done, she ran into the other room again and quickly slammed in into the reader and watched as a complete picture of Vivi’s insides came up on the screen. The nurse pressed a button and the image was sent to Doc aboard Command Warship 1, while at the same time she called for a doctor to come read the results.

“You can’t be serious! Move aside and allow us entry!” Quin heard his mother exclaim.

“There will be no witnessing of the birth, mother!” Quin said angrily.

“Well, of course not. But is she well?” Eula asked.

“Yes. We are having a traditional human birth without witnesses, other than myself and the doctors and our security to keep it that way.”

“We absolutely understand. We’ll wait here.”

“Thank you,” Vivian called out weakly.

“Of course, daughter. Tell us anything you need we will see it done.”

“We’ll wait patiently right here,” Zha Tahl promised.

“We’re waiting up here, too!” Rokai shouted.

“Shut up, Rokai! Just stand and wait,” Kol could be heard scolding.

Vivian started laughing uncontrollably before her laughter turned into tears.

“What is it?” Quin asked.

“We’ve got people waiting down here, people waiting up there. Everybody’s waiting and this child is just taking its time like it’s not all about them. It’s got to be a girl.”

Quin grinned at her. “As long as it’s healthy, it doesn’t matter what it is, but a girl would be my guess, too,” Quin said.

“Why does it hurt so badly? I know contractions are meant to hurt, but damn, I think I’m coming apart inside,” she whispered to him, gripping his hand tightly.

The doctor came back over to the birthing platform at about the same time Doc had finished going through the information the nurse had sent him.

Doc sighed. “Sirena, I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I have to beg you for your trust.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing we can’t work around. But it will require you being unconscious. And it will require you being in the healing chamber afterward.”

Vivian looked up at Quin with tears in her eyes.

“What is the problem?” Quin demanded of Doc, while his eyes stayed locked with Vivian's.

“The youngling is too large to naturally exit our Sirena’s body. We’ll have to make an incision and take the baby from her womb rather than let her birth it naturally.”

Vivian took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “So, a C-section. Okay, those are not unheard of on Earth. In fact, they are commonplace.”

“I have no doubt that we can successfully work through this. The problem is that you will have to trust us Sirena. And I know how you feel about giving up control, and about medical procedures because of certain circumstances.”

Zahn moved up to stand at Vivian’s head opposite Quin, and right beside Au'revele. Rel stood beside Quin, Asl and Kail stood near the foot of the birthing platform with their backs to the bed, all of them leaving the doctors room to maneuver as necessary. “We are here, Sirena. There will be nothing to fear,” Zahn said with a growl.

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