Ash went pale. "Tory? Is something wrong?"
She couldn't answer. All she could do was try to breathe.
Ash looked at Tory's best friend Kim who was their lead midwife. Her features were drawn tight as she and Tory's other best friend, Pam talked in a low whisper.
"What's going on?" Ash demanded.
Kim turned to Danger. "Hon, can you go get Essie from downstairs?" Esmerelda Deveraux was another friend who was practically family. While Kim was a medical practitioner and experienced midwife, Essie was a medical doctor with an additional twelve years of experience with delivering babies at home.
Danger left immediately.
Tory screamed as the pain worsened.
Acheron's skin turned from olive to mottled blue as his panic rose. "Answer me, Kim. What's happening?" Oh yeah, the god tone came out. It was so deep a growl that it vibrated the room.
Luckily, Kim knew he was a god and she never panicked over anything. "I don't know, sweetie. I've never delivered a nonhuman infant before. I don't know if this is normal or not. That's why I want a second opinion."
"How about a third?" Menyara asked as she, Essie, and Danger spilled into the room.
Ash stood up. "Don't touch the baby, Mennie."
Menyara cocked her hip and head at his concern. Dressed in a flowing orange skirt and cream peasant blouse, she had her sisterlocks held back from her face by a striped red scarf. "Now I know you didn't just come at me with your attitude, Mr. High And Mighty Atlantean God. Believe you me, if there's one thing I know how to do it's birth nonhuman infants. Been doing it since before even your old ass was born."
"Men-"
She held up her hand, cutting him off. "You know me better than that. I would never do anything to harm your baby and I'm not about to curse or mark it. Now let me take a look and see what's going on."
Ash stood down. "I'm sorry, Mennie."
"It's all right. I know where you're coming from and I know you're stressed. But don't worry. We'll take care of it."
Ash returned to Tory's side.
Tory took his hand again and did her best not to scream out anymore. Her poor baby. From the moment she'd told him she was pregnant, he'd been terrified. He didn't say it, but she knew. His childhood had been made so violent and traumatic by those who sought to destroy him that it'd left scars inside him that not even eleven thousand years could ease.
And all because his goddess aunt had touched his skin when she delivered him.
"It's okay, baby," she said to him.
But still she saw the fear in his eyes. I can't lose you, Sota. I can't. He sent those words to her and her alone.
She smiled at him through her pain as she used the powers he'd given her to respond. I have no intention of leaving you. Ever.
"Is it supposed to do that?" Kim asked Menyara.
Menyara swallowed. "I've never seen anything like this."
"What's wrong?" Tory's heart pounded as her panic rose. For Menyara to say something like that ...
It was bad.
"We need to do a c-section." Menyara directed the others as they scrambled to make preparations.
Ash went to look, then stepped back.
Tory panicked even more. "What is it?"
"Stay calm," Apollymi said. "It's fine."
But it wasn't fine and she knew it. That fact was etched in the horror on all their faces. More pain stabbed at her.
Within minutes, they had her prepped. But when Essie went to make the cut, the blade snapped in two.
The room began to shake.
Tory screamed as the baby rolled inside her. It was as if he was angry at all of them and taking it out on her.
The midwives looked hopelessly at each other. "What do we do?"
Tory's vision dimmed. She was shaking uncontrollably.
"Do something!" Acheron shouted.
Essie swallowed. "We don't know what to do."
They couldn't take her to a hospital because of the fact that the baby wasn't human. If he were like his father and had mottled blue skin and horns, it was going to be a little difficult to explain.
Apollymi gestured to Menyara and Acheron. "Use your powers to pull it out."
Ash paled even more. "What if it damages the baby?"