Erik's jaw clenched. "The midwife says the babe's positioned wrong. That it might nae…" He stopped, swallowed hard.
Ada's chest tightened with both honor and fear. Claricia had become dear to her in the months since their wedding—a friend,a confidante, the only other woman who truly understood what it meant to be caught between two worlds.
"Take me tae her, please" Ada said.
Erik led them through the door. The chamber was stifling, thick with the smell of sweat and herbs. Claricia lay propped against pillows, her dark hair plastered to her forehead, her face pale as milk. When she saw Ada, relief flooded her features.
"Thank God," Claricia gasped. "I told Erik—I told him ye'd come."
Ada moved to the bedside immediately, her healer's instincts taking over. She glanced at the midwife, a much older woman with capable hands and worried eyes.
"How is she positioned?" Ada asked.
"The babe's sideways," the midwife said quietly. "I've tried tae turn it, but it willnae budge. And the lady's strength is failin’."
Ada gently placed her hands on Claricia's swollen belly, feeling carefully. The baby's position was indeed wrong, she could feel the hard curve of his back where his head should be.
"Claricia," Ada said, meeting her friend's eyes. "I need tae try something. It will hurt, but if we dinnae turn the babe, it willnae come out safely."
"Dae whatever ye need tae dae." Claricia's hand gripped Ada's wrist with surprising strength. "Just save me baby. Promise me, if ye have tae choose, ye choose me baby."
"Stop." Ada's voice was firm. "I'll save ye both.”
Behind them, Erik made a rough sound. Magnus stepped closer to him, a silent show of support between two men who'd become brothers.
Ada worked quickly, her hands moving with the confidence of someone who'd assisted in dozens of births during her year of hiding among healers and widows.
She pressed firmly on Claricia's belly, feeling for the baby's position, searching for the right angle.
"Breathe," Ada instructed. "Deep breaths."
Claricia obeyed, her breath coming in shuddering gasps as Ada applied pressure. The baby shifted slightly—not much, but enough to give Ada hope.
"There," Ada whispered. "I can feel the head now. One more push from ye, and I think we can get it tae turn completely."
"I dinnae ken if I can," Claricia said, tears streaming down her face. "Ada, I'm so tired."
"I ken. But ye're the strongest woman I've ever met." Ada squeezed her hand. "Ye survived kidnappin’. Ye survived Duncan MacRae. Ye survived Erik bloody Thorsen." That earned a weak laugh. "Ye can survive this too."
Claricia nodded, gathering what little strength remained. Ada positioned her hands carefully, waiting for the next contraction. When it came, she pressed down hard while Claricia bore down with everything she had and cried out.
The baby turned.
Ada felt it happen, the sudden shift as the child moved into the proper position, his head finally pointing down toward the birth canal.
"The babe’s turned!" the midwife exclaimed. "Lady Ada, ye did it!"
But Ada wasn't celebrating yet. Claricia's strength was nearly gone, and the baby still had tae be born. She could see the exhaustion in her friend's face, the way her body trembled with the effort of staying conscious.
"Claricia, listen to me." Ada leaned close, her voice urgent. "The hard part is over. Yer baby is ready tae be born. But I need ye tae push with all the strength ye have left. Can ye dae that for me?"
"I'll try."
"Nae try.Dae it." Ada's voice was fierce now. "Push like yer life depends on it. Because it daes. Yer child’s life depends on it."
The next hour was a blur of commands, encouragement, and prayers whispered under her breath. Magnus stayed near the door with Erik, both men pale and tense as they listened to Claricia's labored breathing and Ada's steady instructions.
Finally—finally—Ada felt the baby's head crown.
