Page 64 of Destined for Eternity
“I hope you can handle it,” she said as another contraction came. The pain rocked her body, bringing tears to her eyes. “Count to ten for me.”
Cori took a deep breath and started to push.
“One, two, three, four…” Melena began, going too fast.
Cori was too busy pushing to tell the sensor she needed to say the numbers more slowly. Only after the contraction passed could she lie back for a moment and explain the intricacies of counting during labor.
“Oh, okay,” the sensor said, gulping. She had a lot more confidence when facing an enemy. “Maybe I should have watched a few YouTube videos of this first.”
“I think with the next push you might get the child’s head out,” Kerbasi said, glancing up at her from over the sheet. He looked half demonic himself, rather than angel, but at that moment she trusted him to help her through her labor. Never before had she seen anyone more determined to get something right.
“Okay, next contraction.” Cori felt her uterus tighten and pushed for all she was worth while Melena counted—correctly this time. It hurt so badly she thought she’d explode. A ring of fire ran through her opening just as the head passed through and slipped out.
“Well done,” Kerbasi said, grinning widely. “Now you must push very hard again to get the rest of this child out.”
Cori sucked in several gulps of air before the next contraction came. The pain roared through her, and she just wanted it to end. Melena had to remind her to push.
“You’ve got this,” the sensor said. “It’s time to meet that baby.”
She bore down and pushed with all her might. It burned as the infant’s body slipped between her legs and into Kerbasi’s waiting hands. She waited, expecting a loud cry, but there was no sound.
“Oh, God. What do I do?” the guardian asked, panic in his eyes. “The baby doesn’t look right.”
“Clean out the mouth!” Cori instructed, leaning upward to get a better view.
His eyes widened. “How?”
“Scoop it with your finger,” she said, struggling to hold herself up but frantic to save her baby. Her body was too weak to do more. “Melena, give him the bulb syringe to clear the nose. Then grab the towels and a pair of scissors.” Cori had made sure everything was sterilized and ready to go when she first arrived at Mel’s house.
“Oh, right.” The sensor shook herself out of her shock and grabbed the items. While Kerbasi scooped the mouth, she worked on the nose and ears. Cori continued instructions on how to cut the umbilical cord and tie if off until Heidi could clamp it properly. Still, the baby didn’t cry.
The guardian turned the child over and patted its back. “Breathe, little one. Please breathe.”
No sound.
Tears were running down Cori’s cheeks. It was over two weeks early, which wouldn’t be bad for a nine-month pregnancy, but her gestation period had been much shorter. Maybe it had been too soon for the baby to survive on its own.
Then something occurred to her. “Melena, when my water broke, was it clear?”
“No.” The sensor shook her head, eyes frantic. “It was a little green.”
Why hadn’t Cori thought to ask that before? “The baby might have breathed in some of the meconium.”
“Some what?”
“It’s what they call the baby’s first poop.” She looked at Kerbasi. “Is there any way you can clear it from the baby’s lungs?”
“I don’t know.” He gave her a bewildered look. “But I will try.”
“Please. You have to.”
“I need my hands free for this. You must take her,” he told Melena, holding out the child.
“Her?” Cori asked.
He nodded. “My apologies. You had a girl.”
There was no time for smiling or congratulations just yet. The guardian put his hands on the baby’s chest and closed his eyes. His brows drew together. For long minutes, they waited while he attempted to do something he’d never heard of before.
