Assassin's Creed Chronos_Retribution (Ezio x OC)

11 - I Fall Apart

"Oh no," she gasped, eyes widened. "No, no, no, no—!"

She began to pull up her dress and the sheets off her legs, heart beating fast. It couldn't be, but she knew this sensation. She knew this feeling even if it had been so long since the last. And, unfortunately, she was right: her water had broken. The bed was wet, but not with urine. Pain began to form in her belly again, this time less relenting. She groaned, grasping at her bump.

"What? What is it?" the older woman inquired, rushing over. It was, perhaps, the most she'd said in the sentence since coming here.

"Oh God... the baby... is... is coming," she groaned, sweat forming as her contractions began. She let the tears come this time, her final fear coming true.

"Oh my," the woman breathed, and then raced for the door, throwing it open. "Call the doctor! She is in labor! Get the maids to bring cloth and water! Now!"

Whether the guards obeyed, Catherine didn't know, and couldn't come to care as the pain overtook her senses. That, and the terror of her reality: that her baby was coming. They were coming too soon, but there was no stopping it, and she would have no choice but to completely accept her fate. All the while, though, she prayed it was just a dream, but, as time became endless and her pain grew worse, she knew it was, very much so, real.

-O-

The pain lasted forever, but once it ended, it was as if it had not happened in the first place. She vaguely recalled both her mother and Maria saying the same thing, and could believe it had happened with Diana, but the thought was fleeting as she recovered from her endeavor. Her body was weak, glistening with sweat, and shaking from the exhaustion. Her sheets and dress were bloody, and she vaguely recalled the doctor saying she had bled too much, but she would "survive". It almost felt like a curse, but it was forgotten as she looked to the woman who had been with her from the beginning of it, now cradling the child in her arms, wrapped in a towel. A boy. He was small, but twitching and screaming, and full of life. For all her despair, she rejoiced at the sight of her son, and reached out. The woman noticed, and, sparing a glance with the Doctor, came closer. Gently, she laid the baby to his mother's chest, and she cradled him close. He wailed, as a baby would, and she kissed his brow gently.

"It's okay... I-I've got you, my darling. I've got you," she whispered, keeping her cheek pressed to his head. His cries and screaming ebbed a little, but not by much.

"Congratulations, my Lady. He has a strong set of lungs," the Doctor spoke, washing off his things and preparing to pack them.

"What of her?" the older woman inquired.

The man waved, "She will be alright. Her bleeding has stopped, thankfully. She lost quite a bit, but she will live."

"For now", was the unspoken word, but Catherine would deal with it later. Right now, she had her little boy in her arms, and, with her strength returning, she was able to sit up proper, and stroke his cheek gently. He twitched and squirmed, head moving along her breast. She shifted her dress down then, allowing the babe to find her nipple, which he sucked hungrily. They had plenty of milk to give, having swollen up over the many months, and she was glad to see him so rowdy. He would need it to grow strong, being as small as he was. He had come so early—at least a month. Maybe. Whatever the case, it was too soon, but she could do nothing about it. Not anymore. She could only give him all the nourishment she could.

"Do you have a name?" the woman asked, pulling Catherine from her thoughts. She noticed the Doctor had left, leaving them be. The redhead looked back down to her son, realizing she hadn't even considered a name yet. She and Ezio never got a chance to really discuss it. They had thought perhaps Petruccio for Diana before she was born, but it didn't feel right to call him that, even if he was small like his late Uncle. She didn't think calling him after her father would be right, either; she hadn't been close enough to him for that and no one else knew him. There was one man she could think of, though, and a sad smile appeared on her face.