Page 53 of Stealing a Kilted Heart

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Knox stood by the door of the cottage, his clothes askew, his hair all over the place, his hand gripping the door handle as though it could somehow help him process the scene before him. Never before in his life had he been present for a birth and now that it was happening right in front of him, he wished it had never come to this.

How dae lasses dae this?

He, Baird, and Hamish looked in horror as Caitriona paced around the room, every now and then doubling over as she screamed in pain. She was crimson in the face, a vein popping in her forehead, and even her eyes were reddened, the small vessels there bursting. She was soaked in sweat, her tunic clinging to her back, and had it not been for Fia, Knox thought he would have long since passed out just from watching the woman.

“Everythin’ will be alright,” Fia assured her as she gathered everything she needed. Baird had already heated up jug after jug of water and there was a pile of clean cloth on the table, but Fia still flitted about the room, gathering herbs from Caitriona’s kitchen. “I’ve delivered many bairns, Caitriona. Ye can trust me.”

“Och aye, that is true,” said Knox, wishing to be helpful even in some small way. “She is a very skilled midwife.”

“Ye are?” Caitriona asked through a sob as she reached for Fia, grabbing her arm. “Tell me the truth… it’s too soon, is it nae? It isnae time yet.”

“Bairns come whenever bairns come,” was Fia’s cryptic response. “Yers wishes tae meet ye now an’ so it shall be.”

She sounded perfectly calm—at least to those who didn’t know her. Knox, though, could detect an edge of panic in her tone, one which she concealed well, giving no sign that she was concerned about Caitriona and the baby. He couldn’t help but admire her for it. Knox himself was on the verge of a breakdown and he had seen his fair share of battle in his lifetime. But a battle seemed like such a small thing compared to this; so impersonal, violence for violence’s sake. Here, the pain was coupled with life. It was oddly humbling to watch, reminding Knox once again that being a midwife was so much harder than being in battle.

In that moment, Fia was everything to Caitriona. She was a midwife, a sister, a mother. She was the only person who could take care of her, the only one who could safely bring this new life to the world.

As Fia wrapped an arm around Caitriona’s shoulders, giving her all the comfort she could, Caitriona leaned closer and whispered something in her ear, something that he, Baird, and Hamish couldn’t hear. Fia turned to glance at them, her skin just a shade paler than usual, and then looked back at Caitriona, nodding.

“Baird, perhaps ye should take Hamish tae the hut,” Fia suggested. “This is hardly a place fer a bairn tae be. But dinnae fash about yer maither, Hamish. Everythin’ will be fine an’ soon, ye’ll have a wee brother or a sister.”

Knox saw the look Baird gave Fia, but when he saw just how distressed Hamish was at seeing his mother in such pain, he was quick to nod and whisk him away, the two of them leaving the cottage. The moment the three of them were alone, Fia beckoned Knox closer, making him hold Caitriona steady.

“If I die⁠—”

“Dinnae say that,” Fia scolded her. “I told ye, everythin’ will be fine.”

“If ye truly thought so, then ye wouldnae have listened tae me an’ sent them away,” Caitriona said and by the guilt in Fia’s gaze, he knew that to be true. “I asked ye tae send them away because I ken what could happen. So if I die, tell them… tell them….”

“They already ken,” Knox said. “They dae.”

Caitriona turned her teary eyes towards him, nodding gratefully. Her hand clamped like a vice around his own, to the point where he could almost feel his bones grinding against each other, and he wondered where such a small woman could find such strength. But then again, she was in labor and that, more than anything, had to require a kind of strength he could not even begin to imagine.

“Ye’re early,” Fia confirmed. “But nae by much. I’ve delivered smaller bairns than yers an’ both maither an’ bairn were perfectly healthy. All I need from ye is tae stay calm an’ push when I tell ye. Can ye dae that?”

Caitriona nodded, the hand that wasn’t holding onto Knox coming up to wipe the sweat off her brow. Fia brought over the clean cloth and then knelt in front of Caitriona, her hand disappearing under her tunic as she frowned.

“Alright,” she said. “I can feel the head. Yer bairn’s almost here.”

“I have tae push,” Caitriona said, then immediately curled over again, a scream tearing its way past her throat.

“Nae yet!” Fia said. “Here… hold onto the back o’ the chair. Knox, come here.”

Knox looked at Fia with wide eyes, frantically shaking his head. “Nay.”

“Knox!”

“Down… there?”

“Aye, quickly!” Fia commanded and he had little choice other than to fall to his knees next to her, a wave of nausea washing over him. “Ye’ll have tae catch the bairn.”

“What?” Knox shrieked, his voice suddenly so high in pitch that at first, he didn’t even realize it belonged to him. “What dae ye mean catch the bairn? I cannae dae that!”

“O’ course ye can, dinnae be ridiculous!”

“I cannae!” Knox insisted. “How fast will the child be? What if I drop it?”