Birthing!
You’re going on about your business when you feel a strange wetness trickling down your legs. After the initial moment of confusion, you realize the cause: your water just broke! Taking a few deep breaths to collect yourself, you call Chance and tell him the time has come. He arranges transport to a hospital. Given the state of things on Dhaal, you wind up aboard a medical ship operating under the U.G.C. embassy.
The staff proves to be very attentive — especially after word circulates that you’re a Steele — and a nurse stands by to assist you with breathing techniques and positions while keeping an eye on your condition. Chance stays with you throughout all stages of labor, catering to your every need and helping you to stay calm despite the growing discomfort. You find that having him by your side is very reassuring, and time flies by in a daze. Eventually, the contractions peak.
The nurse takes you to the delivery room, where a doctor waits to assist with the child-birthing process, making sure that the baby is in the right position and telling you when to push or relax. Chance holds your hand the entire time, whispering words of encouragement into your ear and not complaining even once when you squeeze his hand hard — which you do several times. Soon enough, the child’s head appears between your legs, gradually followed by the rest of the body.
The baby cries healthily as the nurse cleans them before wrapping them in white cloth and passing them into your arms. It’s a boy!
You take a fleeting moment to cradle the child while humming a soothing tune. Chance watches with a dorky smile on his face, the pride of fatherhood evident in his feline eyes. The twink only breaks out of the daze when you gently pass the sleeping baby into his arms, and he holds them for a moment before taking them to the crib. No sooner have you finished than the doctor gently urges you to start delivering your next child. The process repeats until all kids have been safely delivered.
When all is said and done, you’re feeling bruised and exhausted, but also deeply relieved. Your heart swells with motherly pride in knowing your children are all hale and hearty, so you take a moment to admire them. For now, it’s hard to tell their distinguishing features, since their eyes are closed and they barely have any hair, but they all bear distinctive half-kaithrit traits: feline ears and twin tails. So cute! You can barely wait to see how they’ll turn out.
Some time later, following the instructions you left when checking in, thebabies are safely tucked into space pods and sent to the Tavros nursery, where they will be well cared for while you continue your quest. You and Chance watch longingly as they go, and you make a resolution to visit them as soon as possible. The twink keeps you company in the hospital for the rest of the day while you recover, but eventually you decide to send him on his way before going to sleep.
