“This is from the healing springs?” Panacea asked Cronus.
He nodded. “Ensuring a healthy entrance into the world for mom and baby.”
Aww, he’d read the Titan delivery handbook.
Panacea then laid her hands on my back, softly stroking the pain that had tightened all the muscles there, and I sighed at the relief I felt. “We can't take all of your pain away,” she murmured. “It's part of the process, and therefore must be felt … sacrifice for joy, but I promise it will be worth it.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “I know. She's worth everything.” But I was curious how many children Panacea had birthed herself with no pain meds.
More soothing strokes from her power, and the pain was manageable.
Cronus got into the bath then, moving around to hold me as I breathed through the contractions that were getting closer and closer together. “You're almost fully dilated,” Panacea said after checking out my vagina. At this point nothing was weird, and I might as well invite the whole fucking world to have a look. “At least eight centimeters. You'll have to push shortly.”
“You're doing amazing,” Cronus whispered, stroking my sweaty hair off my forehead. He kissed my cheeks, my face, my nose, loving me the best he could as he held the top of my body up to keep me from drowning.
“I can't wait to see her,” I sobbed, emotions overwhelming me. “Our family … it's the best thing I've had in my life.”
My mother’s face flashed into my mind’s eye then and tears welled in my eyes. Was this how she felt when she was birthing me? This unconditional love for a being she’d never met? I wished she could be here now.
He pulled me even closer, despite the glare of Panacea as she continued to monitor the vag situation.
“You're the best thing I could ever imagine,” Cronus told me. “I love you, Maisey Parker. I think I half fell in love with you the moment I stepped out of my prison.”
I snorted, feeling almost at peace in the few seconds between the painful cramping. “You mean when you tried to throw me off the mountain?”
I tilted my head back to see Cronus’ lips twitching. “I wouldn't have let you die. Even then you were intriguing. I really had no idea how much you were going to change my life.”
“I love you tooooo!” This contraction was the worst, and I screamed my way through it, the urge to push settling low in my body.
“It's time,” I said breathlessly, sucking in air like I was drowning.
“I'll check,” Panacea said.
My growl was loud and unnatural. “No. Trust me, it's time.”
Cronus helped me change my position a little, because being on my back wasn't working for me. I got onto all fours so that I was basically squatting, facing him while my totally open vagina faced poor Panacea.
Sorry, sister.
“Most natural way to give birth,” the healer chirped, and if I wasn't so busy actually giving birth, I might have tried to drown her right then and there.
“Okay, Maisey, it's time to meet your daughter,” she said, and I focused on that truth.
I was about to meet her. All of this pain would be worth it. I'd do this every day all day if it meant I could hold my baby in my arms.
As the next contractions started, I felt Panacea behind me getting into position to help. “Whenever you feel the urge to push, Maisey…” she said.
I cried out as the wave hit, and bearing down, I pushed with all my strength, my body screaming and stretching in ways that I didn't know it could. The miracle of childbirth, of what we went through … it was indescribable.
When the urge passed, I sobbed and breathed, in and out, in and out, Cronus allowing me to dig my hands into him, no doubt leaving marks even on his indestructible skin. “You are amazing,” he said, awe in his eyes as he watched me. “I've never seen someone as strong as you.”
All women were warriors, but I appreciated his reassurance. It helped me push two more times, only to have our daughter slip free and finally enter the world. Panacea had reached for her, but on instinct I was the one who pulled her free from my body and lifted her up to rest between Cronus and me.
A split second of silence, then her cries rang out, the full head of dark hair just like her daddy's the only thing I could see through my tears. “She's perfect,” Cronus said breathlessly as I collapsed into his arms. “Stunningly perfect, just like her mom.”
“I'm a mom,” I cried, tears pouring down my cheeks. “I never knew it would be like this…”
Lifting her higher, her cries died off as we hugged her gently between us, my hand supporting her head. Turning over to lie back on Cronus, I kept her cradled to my chest. She opened her eyes and looked directly at me. She had huge blue eyes that were the exact match of mine. My heart jumped out of my body and settled into this child.
