Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

[Caz]

She shook her head, then reassured him with a gentle punch to the shoulder, which was somewhat disconcerting as Freeman all but towered over her.

"Nope! Not once in my goddamn life, but guess what: it's a perfectly natural procedure, women have been doing it for thousands of years, and I'm sure--"

Her pep talk was interrupted as Lisbeth let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Get her pants off and get me a sheet," Melanie said.

[Pcm979]

Mike did as he was asked, wordlessly handing her a smock of some description and a pair of surgical gloves.

"I know some in theory." He babbled. "I've scrounged up some tongs in case the baby gets stuck, scissors to cut the cord if its wrapped around its neck..."

[Josh]

He slapped Joachim on the back. "You're fixing to be an uncle, pal. We'll have to scrounge you up some cigars."

[Caz]

"Not scissors," Melanie said, "if you cut the cord while there's still pressure in the birth canal, that's like cutting the main artery. They could both bleed to death in seconds." Her speech was subdued as she spoke to him, so as to keep the new mother from throwing another panicked fit.

As they managed to get her clothes mostly removed, having to resort to cutting the underwear as Lisbeth kicked her legs frantically, clinging to Joachim like a drowning man.

"It's okay," he told her over and over, "like the doctor said, women been doing this for thousands of years and they didn't even have beds to do it in..."

Melanie didn't bother correcting him about her qualifications, only prepared her bed with haste as Sherry wandered off elsewhere, face blanched. She looked to Petro, drug him along with her.

"Stuff like that makes me fuckin' nauseous," the girl said.

[Josh]

He let Sherry drag him away, chuckling. "It's a beautiful and natural thing, kiddo. New life, and the real reason why we're fighting."

Once they were away from the scene, he passed her a smoke and lit up one of his own, inhaling and exhaling a deeply satisfied drag.

"And life goes on. It's a great thing," he waxed poetic.

[Caz]

"Fucking weirdo," Sherry said, taking the smoke anyhow and taking a deep, DEEP drag. She could handle mangled guts, but for some reason childbirth was on a separate plane of gory.

[Pcm979]

Mike stared at Mel blankly for a second. "Fuck, you're right. I'm not thinking." He snapped the gloves and smock on and calmed himself.

[Josh]

He smirked at her, raising a bemused eyebrow. "Y'know, sooner or later you're gonna have a little sib to watch out for. Mel and I have been talking."

[Caz]

Sherry stared at Petro with the look of a woman who'd just been punched in the gut.

"You're fucking kidding me," she said. "After all we talked about? About you an' marriage an' having kids and stuff?"

She wept inwardly for his masculinity. But at the same time, she was reminded of back when she'd first spoke with him about his relationship with Melanie... about how happy they made each other, how it was much more than simply fucking because it had been a while.

Which reminded her of when Jaycee had said the same thing.

"Need a drink," she said dumbly, sitting down upon a bench.

Meanwhile, Melanie was setting to work, having instructed Mike that his role would be mainly that of a safeguard, in case Lisbeth panicked again and Melanie wasn't able to keep her down. Which wouldn't be surprising, as Melanie was easily a third of the woman's size.

[Pcm979]

Mike settled into his role with no small relief. Being thrown off the deep end, so to speak, was amazingly disconcerting.

[Josh]

He pulled out a flask and passed it over to Sherry, sitting down next to her.

"Never wanted to have a kid with any of my exes," he admitted, taking a drag on his cigarette. "I knew it'd be a disaster. But her... she's... different. It's different. I... fuck, I want her to have my kids." He had a tone of wonder in his voice, as if this was a rather bizarre event.

[Caz]

Well, for Petro, it was a rather wondrous event. Sherry took a long swig of the flask, then shook her head.

"The times they are a-changin'," she mused. "But... if you really think she's 'the one'... you were right when you were talking up on the roof with me... when you said that we may not get another chance."

Melanie looked to Mike, and as Joachim assisted Lisbeth, holding her hands and telling her that everything was fine, she said to Mike in a hushed voice:

"Everyone living right now is a passive vector for this infection... so we're facing the chance that every fucking child born in this town won't have our initial immunity to it..."

[Pcm979]

"I worked with it." He whispered back. "As long as it hasn't mutated too much, the kid should be healthy. Very, very healthy."

[Josh]

"Not just that," he pointed out. "It's a new start for all of us. We're making our own world now. Even if this ends tomorrow, and they magically fix everything and let us go, we all get new lives out of this. This is our chance."

[Caz]

"I hope you're right," Melanie said, "because this could be me in a few months... fuck."

Sherry, meanwhile, was only half-listening to Petro. Lisbeth's crying had reached a feverish level, and she was bucking like a goddamn bronco. Fortunately, Mike wasn't required to help quite yet, as Joachim was managing to keep her relatively still as far as the vital areas went.

"Okay, ma'am," Melanie said, "this is the worst it's going to get, all right? Nowhere to go but up from here..."

If the woman heard her, she didn't give any sign.

[Josh]

He wrapped an arm around Sherry. First birth in the mall. Let it go well and be an omen for the future.

[Caz]

"Okay," Melanie said to Mike, gesturing between the woman's legs. "As soon as you can see more than just the crown of the head---ehm, that, right there--I'm going to tell her to push as hard as she can and while I keep her in position you're going to have to---err, catch it, I guess."

Lisbeth screamed and Melanie leaned forward, keeping her hands on the woman's knees.

"I'm counting on you, Mike!" she said.

As the worst of the shrill screams reached them outside the infirmary, Sherry visibly paled.

"And you're gonna put your woman through that on purpose?"

[Josh]

"Hey, if there was an easier way to do it, I'd be all for it," he said.

[Caz]

"If Mike wants this shit, I'll fucking invent one," she grumbled.

[Pcm979]

Mike got into position, heart racing. "Okay. Now. Now!" He stuttered, hoping to hell and back that they were going to get a hefty dose of Beginner's Luck.

[Josh]

He suddenly got her in a quick little headlock and ruffled her hair vigorously. "Hey, grandkids! It's about time!" he said with a laugh.

[Caz]

"Okay, as hard as you fucking can," Melanie reminded their patient as Joachim held his sister's hands. A few more tense moments of frantic screaming and a hell of a lot more thrashing, and then the woman let out a final shriek, her body going rigid.

And suddenly, it was over. Melanie couldn't see between her legs from her current angle and she looked to Mike.

[Caz]

"Mike can have your fucking grandkids!" Sherry whined, squirming in his arms and finally landing a good stomp to his foot in order to wriggle free.

[Pcm979]

Mike staggered backwards a bit, winded beyond words. From his arms came a harsh crying sound...

[Josh]

"OW!" he said, incongruously laughing at the same time. "I bet his family has a propensity for twins, too..."