The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited)

Chapter Eleven

"Wait." Coinín awoke from whatever haze he'd been stuck in. "If the baby opens his mouth, he will drown..."

"Don't worry, babies are born with a dive reflex. This causes them to swallow any liquid rather than inhale it. Therefor, they can't drown as long as I ensure his head reaches the surface at around the same time as the rest of his body does."

With that being said, Maebh brought all the supplies to the bathtub and got to work. Every nook and cranny was cleaned, no surface left untouched. Just in case, she repeated the process twice before deeming it safe.

Re-approaching the others, she watched Maggie taking deep breaths, her eyes squeezed shut.

"How many minutes between each contraction?" Maebh asked.

"Five." Bear answered before anyone else could.

A scream pierced the room.

"Make that four minutes." he added.

Maebh peeked under Maggie's dress and her earlier suspicions were confirmed. Having dilated over 3 centimetres in the past 15 minutes, they needed to get her into the bathtub, and fast. Running back, she turned on the tap and held her hand under the stream until she felt satisfied with the temperature.

"Coinín? Please help her get into the tub." Maebh said. "Make sure she sits with her back in an upright position and put some clean towels behind her back and on the rim for comfort."

Coinín took his wife into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. Maebh went to follow them until Bear latched his fingers around her wrist. The sudden contact made her go rigid.

"Do you think she's going to die?"

Maebh couldn't believe the idiocy of the man. She reached out and smacked him on his shoulder. He gave her a nasty glare and raised a hand to rub the sore spot.

"I've never met a woman so prone to violence.."

"You deserved it! Maggie is sitting right there! How can you be so– so... ugh!" she whisper-shouted, pulling her wrist loose and hasting towards the tub.

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind until then. Maggie. Dead. It was a real possibility. They had no professional equipment or emergency number they could call. Maebh had no experience, and she was a slave to the knowledge that rested in her memory.

"Mae?"

The voice was close and jolted her back down to earth. Glancing up at Coinín, who was sitting on his knees beside the tub. He looked like he was waiting for something.

"What?"

He shook his head in silent mirth, eyes crinkling. "I asked what we should do now?"

She scanned everyone's faces. "I don't know, we wait I suppose."

"You suppose?" He repeated. "This is no time for mindless guessing, Irish girl!"

"Should have considered that before you trapped me into doing this!"

"Please just.." Maggie sighed, silencing the bickering pair. "Both of you, zip it."

Trying to keep busy, Maebh fetched the supplies and gave them another thorough wash by the sink.

With all three of them in the room and Maggie in the bathtub, the bathroom was crowded. And with every scream, her husband looked paler, possibly even green.

"Bear," Maebh said. His eyes met hers quickly. She nodded towards his brother and he looked confused for a moment as he glanced over, then comprehension dawned on his face. Walking up to him, he murmured something into Coinín's ear before taking his shoulders in the cradle of one long arm and leading him from the bathroom. His brother looked reluctant to leave, wincing at the cries Maggie screamed out, but after another whisper from Bear, he exited the room.