Maebh stormed up the stairs with the two brothers close behind, following the sound of pained moans. Maggie lay in a bed, her head propped up, both hands clutching her swollen belly. Sweat glistened on her face, and a look of relief crossed her features upon seeing her friend's arrival.
'Mae, I'm so sorry, we–'
'You can apologise as much as you want later,' Maebh dropped the contents of her bag on the bed, and sent Coinín to fetch the supplies he had mentioned buying.
'How much blood did you lose?' she asked.
Maggie winced as another wave of pain washed over her. 'I... I don't– I woke up after midnight, when my waters broke and it's been coming and going since.'
'And the contractions?'
'Since then too.'
Maebh approached Maggie's bedside and checked her vitals with the limited equipment she had. Upon inspecting the sheets beneath her, it was evident there had indeed been some bleeding.
'Okay, Mags,' Maebh said. 'What you're experiencing is called a bloody show. It's a sign that your cervix is dilating, which means labour is progressing.'
'I've never heard of that before,' Maggie said through clenched teeth.
'It's perfectly normal, basically a mucus plug that's been in your cervix throughout your pregnancy and as your body prepares for labour, it can be released, sometimes tinged with blood.'
Maggie gripped Maebh's hand, her knuckles turning white as another contraction hit.
'What do we do now?'
'I'd like to see how far dilated you are. Could you– err remove your underwear please?'
Behind her, someone tried to smother their laughter. Maebh shot Bear a look that could kill. 'The feck are you sniggering about? Go help your brother, make yourself useful,' she waved him off.
When the women were alone in the room, Maggie removed her underwear and lifted her nightgown. Maebh donned a pair of disposable gloves, prepped them with sterile lubrication and began the cervical assessment.
'There are three stages of dilation, you're about to go into the second one, the active phase. After the last one, the delivery of the baby will take place,' Maebh said, trying to talk her through the uncomfortable process. 'How long ago did your water break again?'
'About an hour ag–' Maggie's face clouded over.
'Was that a contraction? Didn't you just have one?'
Maggie nodded, still wincing, and looked up. Her eyes widened. 'Maebh–'
At the disbelief lacing her name, Maebh reoriented her attention to her friend. 'Mags? Hey, don't cry, you silly bean,' she said. 'You're five centimetres dilated so things are progressing a bit faster than average but I am not concerned, and neither should you be. You're the picture of health and we're not foreseeing any complications. Everything is going to be alright, trust your body.'
The tears flowed freely now. 'No, that's not–'
Coinín returned and rushed to his crying wife, dropping the supplies.
Maggie sniffed. 'Coi, Mae is–'
He crawled next to her on the bed and pulled her into his chest. 'Shh, don't think about that now.'
Maebh inspected the discarded heap of supplies, pleased. The father-to-be had certainly done his research. At a box of surgical sutures, she frowned. If Maggie's water had broken just an hour ago, there should typically have been a couple more hours before she went into active labour. Her friend was dilating rapidly, and Maebh could not help her worrying about the consequences of such rapid progress.
Coinín reinstated himself. 'What do you need me to do?'
'Did you set up the birthing pool?'
'Yeah, it's in the bathroom,' Coinín said.
'Good, go clean it.'
'I already–'
'Clean it with this,' she handed him a hypochlorite bottle, gloves, a multi set of cotton cloths along with comprehensive cleaning instructions. 'And when you're done, clean it again.'
'But Magg–'
'There is nothing you can do for her now except make sure your son is born into a safe and sanitary environment– oh and don't forget to clean the shower head as well.'
The next half-hour was a whirlwind of activity as they rushed to make preparations. Maebh conducted a final inspection of the bathroom before returning to the bedroom, her mind racing.
'How many minutes between each contraction?' she asked.
'Five,' Coinín answered.
A scream skewered the room.
'Make that four,' he added.
Maebh felt Maggie's cervix and her earlier suspicions were confirmed. Having dilated centimetres in minutes, they needed to get her into the birthing pool, and fast. Running back to the bathroom, she turned on the showerhead and tested the water for the right temperature, then ran back again.
'Coinín, help me get her into the tub,' she said.
He did as asked, wrapping his arms around his wife and carrying her into the bathroom. Maebh went to follow them until Bear returned from god knows where and latched a hand around her wrist. The contact made her go rigid.
'Do you think she's going to make it?'
Maebh could not believe the idiocy of the man, and the loudness of his query with the person in question mere steps from them. She reached out and pulled his earlobe. 'You awful, awful gobshite!'
'Ouch!' He shot her a glare and raised a hand to his reddened ear. 'I've never met a woman so prone to violence.'
'You deserved it! How can you be so– so–' she hissed, pulling her wrist loose. 'Stay here and change the sheets, I want this bed spick and span.'
Naively, it had not occurred to her until then. Maggie's death loomed as an undeniable possibility. If complications were to arise, they had no access to professional equipment or emergency care, not in this weather. Maebh's lack of expertise was all they had. Their sole lifeline was the knowledge she carried in her memory, and the weight of that responsibility made her feel sick.
'Mae?'
The voice was close, snapping her back to reality. Coinín kneeled beside the tub, waiting.
'Pardon?'
He shook his head in silent mirth, eyes crinkling. 'I asked what we should do?'
'We wait, I suppose.'
'You suppose?' He repeated. 'Now is not the time for guesswork, Irish girl.'
'Should have thought about that before you trapped me into doing this!'
'Please just– both of you, zip it,' Maggie intervened with a tired groan, ending their bickering. 'How should I sit, Mae?'
'That's entirely up to you, Mags, choose the position you find most comfortable, whether that is semi-reclined, squatting, kneeling or on your hands and knees. Why don't you try them out and see what feels right?'
As Maggie experimented with different positions, wading through the water, Maebh busied herself with preparing and organising. The bathroom shrunk, and every pained moan from Maggie seemed to turn her husband a shade greener.
'Bear,' Maebh called to the doorway, catching his eye. She indicated her head towards his brother, puzzling him before understanding dawned on his face. He walked over to Coinín, murmured something in his ear, and guided him out of the bathroom. Coinín hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave. Another whispered exchange persuaded his exit.
Maebh sighed, relieved Bear was not holding a grudge over her earlier outburst. Nor was Coinín, for that matter. Sure, he seemed more flammable around his brother than usual and who could blame him? He was about to become a father. With that, she shifted gears.
'Try to stay still, Mags, I'm going to check if you've dilated any further.'
Maggie nodded, her head falling back on the towels that had been arranged as a makeshift pillow, and took deep breaths. 'Where's Coinín?' she whimpered.
'Barfing, I hope, better out than in. I will call him back when it's time to push.'
'I'm going to have my vagina ripped apart, and he's puking.'
Maebh bit her lip, watching as Maggie stilled and stiffened, trying not to arch her back as the contractions intensified, restricting her breathing. Her eyes widened, as if she sensed the moment had arrived, much faster than either had anticipated. She began to cower and sob, tears leaking from her like a broken faucet. Maebh hushed her, placing a hand on the back of her neck and massaging lightly.
'You'll be alright, Mags, remember your breathing. Inhale for three seconds, hold for three and exhale for three. Envision your little boy, in your arms before you know it.'
Coinín burst into the room, having recovered from his episode, and winced. Maggie's hand reached up weakly, her eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. He kissed her palm, shooting her a shaky grin.
'Ready for a lifetime of two Coinín's?' he whispered. 'Nod if you want to opt out.'
Maggie cracked a smile, however feeble it was.
'You're good to go, Mags,' Maebh said, looking sideways at Coinín, who met her gaze with uncertainty. 'Okay,' she continued as Maggie panted and shuddered, recognising that a contraction was about to tear through her body. 'Push on the count of three—'
'I can't!' Maggie cried out, sweat beading down her temple. 'I–I don't want to die.'
As Maebh opened her mouth to reassure her again, Coinín beat her to it. He kissed his wife tenderly, their foreheads pressed together, noses rubbing as he whispered words meant for their ears alone.
A brief pause, just as another contraction seized her spine, and Maggie clenched her teeth to endure the pain, her face twisting. She nodded.
'I'm so proud of you, Mags,' he said and gave their friend a thumbs up. Ready.
'Okay, Maggie, you fecking legend, on three, you're going to push. One...two...three—'
Shrieks made their eardrums feel as though they might implode. Maebh learned to block them out. As soon as the contraction subsided, Maggie stopped pushing, gasping for air. Maebh nodded at her encouragingly, her smile fading as she focused, and quickly plastering it back on when she saw Coinín do the same.
'You're doing so well, Mags. Now, let's do it again, okay? On the count of three. One... two... three—' Her hand brushed against something new in the water.
'The baby is almost here!' Maebh cried out.
Instantly, the demeanour of both expectant parents shifted, Maggie's especially. Her pain build to something beautiful and frightening. She straightened, knees wide, feet flat on the bottom of the pool, Coinín's hands as support bars.
'Almost there, Mags, one... two... three—'
This time, Maggie did not scream, she let out a grunt that scraped the marrow of their bones. The water had taken on the hue of pregnancy fluid and blood and Maebh could feel a rounded top – the baby's head.
With one last push, Maebh's fingertips registered new life entering the world. Laboured breathing cramped the bathroom, a pregnant pause and then, the high-pitched cry of a baby. Maggie's muscles gave out, and she slumped into her husband's embrace. Maebh placed the tiny boy on his mother's chest, who wailed and wailed, sorely regretting leaving his mother's warm womb.
Coinín let out a laugh, his voice cracking. 'A son.'
'A son,' Maggie said breathlessly.
The afterbirth was a part of the process Maebh had quietly been dreading. Draining the pool through a plastic tube, she refilled it to keep a better watch on Maggie's blood loss. She monitored Maggie's vitals for any signs of distress and found her doing remarkably well. Maggie's energy stores were empty, but her overall health appeared to be in good shape.
Check complete, Maebh transitioned the family into the next phase. She explained that she would clean the baby and ensure everything was in proper order. Retrieving the disinfected scissors, she extended them towards Coinín, who, guided by her, took on the task of cutting the umbilical cord.
Once done, Coinín handed her the scissors at a wrong angle, a lapse in concentration that resulted in the pointed end stabbing her palm. A startled gasp resounded as scarlet sprang forth, flooding the glove and trickling down her wrist. And what should have been a minor accident, became something entirely different as Coinín lost it.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,' he exclaimed, frantically searching for a clean cloth. 'I am so, so sorry,' he peeled the blood-stained glove from her hand and tried to staunch the flow, all the while receiving disordered directions from Maggie. Bottles of disinfectant toppled over as he poured the liquid onto the gash, stinging her.
Maebh burst out laughing. 'It's just a small cut, bunny, you won't be hung for it, relax, I offer you my forgiveness just this once.'
Her joke landed lightyears away and Coinín's anxiety did not subside. If anything, it took a nosedive. He tore a piece of bandage to size, shaking. Maebh mused about the adrenaline's timing – how it had chosen now, rather than during labour and birth, to spiral its host out of proportion.
As Coinín tended to her injury and wrapped her hand, she kept an eye on the baby, squirming and mewling in his mother's arms, having calmed down, a stark contrast to his sweating father.
'What do you think, blessing? Disproportionate or?' Maebh cooed at the tiny boy, 'You'll be just fine with such worrywarts for a mammy and daddy.'
The bandage was neatly tied off, a new glove placed over it and Coinín's expression softened. Maebh picked up where she left off, giving the little boy a bath at the makeshift cleaning station. With utmost care, she wiped him from the blood and the greasy white substance that clung to his little body, remnants from his tumultuous entry into the world. She cleared out his nose and mouth to ensure his airways were unobstructed and a thorough examination followed.
In a different setting, under better circumstances, the baby would have received the necessary injections, and blood would have been collected from the umbilical cord for testing. The reality was far from ideal, and Maebh could only hope she had remembered everything correctly. She fastened his first diaper, swathed him in a blanket, and placed a hat on his head. Her hands trembled ever so slightly, her confidence wavering.
How on earth had she managed this feat?
'Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes, everything seems to be just as it should,' Maebh said, returning the wee bundle to his mother's arms for skin-to-skin.
'Thank the gods,' Maggie whispered.
'He's above the ninetieth percentile too, a hefty lad. 4 kilograms to the dot, and 52 centimetres,' Maebh said, her smiling expression shifting to a sterner one. 'Promise me—swear that you'll arrange for a check-up as soon as possible. And please, keep him inside and away from other people until he's had his vaccinations.'
The new parents gave her their word. Once Maggie had delivered the placenta, Maebh washed her perspired body and helped her get dressed. Coinín carried his exhausted but content wife to the freshly made bed, where Maebh examined mother and child one last time before helping the little boy latch on for his first feed. Miraculously, despite the cyclonic pace of the birth, there was no excessive blood loss, and stitches proved unnecessary.
Bear, having wisely stayed out of their way, now poked his head around the corner and laid eyes on his newborn nephew.
'Well done, Maggie, what a handsome guy,' he praised.
A glowing Maggie flashed her brother-in-law the only genuine smile she would ever give him.
'What's his name?' Bear asked and Maebh could not believe she had forgotten to ask that very question, arguably the most important one.
'Elias,' Coinín said, his gaze locked on his son. 'Elias Kenyon Lowell.'
'Like the mountain range?' Maebh asked.
Coinín simply nodded, and took his place beside his wife, overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment as he watched his son.
'Mae,' Maggie began, her voice uneven. 'We should have never put you in this position, it wasn't fair to you, but I can't begin to express how grateful we are.'
Coinín echoed her sentiments. 'Thank you, Maebh.'
A sudden sadness crept into the room, up the walls and under the bed, charcoal clouds spelling a thunder none of them could ignore.
'I did not sign up for mushy hour,' Maebh quipped, wiping at her eyes and grabbing her friends' hands. 'There is not much I wouldn't do for you eejits, you're my best friends, but next time, let's skip over the midwifery blarney and rob a bank, alright?'
Her attempt at humour garnered a faint smile from Maggie and Coinín, but the shadow remained. Despite not grasping the source of that darkness, Maebh was determined to support her friends through it. She squeezed their hands, a napping Elias in their midst, and hoped that time would heal the unspoken wounds.