I smiled weakly and caressed his chest. “You are.”
The bathroom doors slid open and Xylo and Kaede bustled in carrying silver cases. Xylo used his vines to stack the baskets of soap and clear some space, then they set the cases down.
“Kaede, grab Selena a cup of Osso tea. She will need to keep hydrated and the tea will help keep her calm,” Xylo commanded.
Kaede nodded and stepped out just as the princes arrived. Xylo cracked open the cases and started arranging equipment.
“I heard it is about time for our guests of honor to arrive,” V’dim announced cheerfully.
“This will be history-making. The first interbreed offspring to be born and we are here to witness it,” Z’fir rejoiced.
A hiss escaped me as the contractions started again. I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but they seemed stronger than the last round.
“Odelm. Take her to the bench and sit behind her. Let her lean back and use you as a cushion—support her body as much as you can.” Xylo explained for the benefit of the new arrivals, “Our goal is to keep her calm and give her as much comfort as possible. Humans had natural births in warm water—it is supposed to help her body relax throughout the process of her labor.”
The room fell silent and I closed my eyes as I felt Odelm do as Xylo had asked. I lay along his body, his arms supporting my upper body, his legs along the outside of my hips—my own personal nest. His tentacles loosely wrapped around my chest and arms, stroking, trying to give comfort.
When the contractions passed, I opened my eyes just as Kaede walked in with a cup of the Osso tea Xylo had requested. Chyox and his two assistants trailed behind him. The bathroom was getting crowded. Xylo concentrated on a portable device he’d set on the counter beside the sink, preparing for what was to come.
Kaede handed the tea to Z’fir, who waded into the bath to bring it to me. Guess he didn’t want to get his black suit wet.
I snorted.
As I reached out to grab it, another wave of contractions hit, and I sucked in a pained breath. My back arched as I tried to find some way to ease the stabbing agony.
Oh Stars... I’d really thought labor couldn’t possibly be that bad. It hadn’t sounded unbearable from Xylo’s descriptions! I mean, I’d survived all the testing and painful experiments the Yaarkins had put me through, right? And I’d really expected this to be easy by comparison. I’d been wrong. So very ishing wrong. Stars began to dance before my eyes.
I heard a splash, then Xylo was in front of me, reaching for my hands, staring into my eyes, forcing me to focus.
“Breathe, Selena. Deep breath. Take one for me, please...”
I gasped, sucking in a lungful of air.
“Remember, breathe. Short, panting breaths is what I read helped. Don’t hold your breath... that’s it... in, out, in...”
I allowed Xylo’s calm voice and fathomless teal eyes to guide me as I settled back into a panting rhythm. It really did seem to help, and the contractions gradually eased. When I’d been quiet and relaxed for a few moments, Z’fir stepped forward to offer me the tea with a worried smile. I cradled the warm cup gratefully and drank it down, mouth parched from all the panting.
As Xylo headed back to his portable machine, he said, “Keep a cup of tea always to hand. Whenever she is able to drink, we need to get the Osso tea into her—both to keep her hydrated and to help keep her calm. Hopefully help a little with pain management.”
The princes and Kaede nodded to one another. Apparently, they were taking responsibility for that task. I drifted for a few blissful moments, comfortable in Odelm’s arms. He stroked my arms, my hair, rumbling soothing words. I smiled... then gasped as I was hit with another wracking wave of contractions.
Several hours passed, and I was a panting mess. Chyox had now joined us in the pool and was washing my face with cool water after each round of contractions as Odelm held me and stroked my sweaty hair. The pain had gotten worse, but there was still no sign of the labor progressing to actual delivery.
I was starting to get a little cranky, despite the calming blanket both Odelm and V’dim were keeping over the room and its increasingly worried occupants. Even Xylo had started to look twitchy as he punched at the screen in front of him.
“Xylo, isn’t there anything you can do for the pain? It’s exhausting me... and if I’m hurting now, I don’t even want to know what it’s going to feel like once I’m pushing. Please tell me you have something,” I begged.
He glanced up from his device with a worried look, studying me. “I am afraid we simply do not know what drugs humans used for pain management—or at least not how they relate to our own medications. We have not wanted to test our painkillers on you while you are pregnant. That is far too dangerous. We have scoured the Yaarkin medical records looking for any research that would indicate an option they had tested on humans. We have not been able to find anything.” Xylo’s vines waved wildly with his agitation. “How they could have experimented on humans for so many years without any information on mitigating pain... ”
I knew how—they simply hadn’t cared. Why waste time on something so irrelevant to them? I sighed. Even now the ishing frax Yaarkins were causing me harm.
“That’s it? All the studying about humans and their labor, and there’re no options? There must be something better than tea and keeping me calm! Please, Xylo...” I pleaded.
“We have tried everything I know for certain will help. There were a few references in the Earth texts to other possibilities, but they are long shots, and...” he trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
“Please Xylo! What options?”
“There were alternate texts, not medical references... they called
