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Wetness and pain. That's all Eurydice could focus on as her eyes snapped open. The room was dark with the only light coming from the moon.
A strong pain hit her stomach and her entire body went rigid. It passed after a minute, leaving a strange ache in its wake.
Is this what labor is?
Eurydice tried to dismiss the idea. Her due date was a week and a half away, she couldn't be in labor. The wetness was probably just the baby kicking her bladder, that had happened before.
She looked over next to her and saw Orpheus sleeping soundly with his brow furrowed slightly. He had his pillow tucked under his arm and oh, how he looked so comfortable, she thought. She couldn't wake him, she wouldn't. He had been working double shifts for the past month, he was so tired.
So that's where she stayed for an hour. Every five minutes her body tensed up and she wanted to cry but didn't want to wake up Orpheus.
After an hour, she realized that this was labour. All of her friends told her this is what labor was, this had to be it.
With much hesitation, she learned over and shook her husband awake.
"'Phe." She whispered, trying not to let the pain she was feeling seep into her voice.
"Mmm?" He hummed, rubbing his face.
"I think I'm in labor."
Well, if anything was going to get him up, this was it.
He shot out of bed, eyes wide with nerves.
"Are you serious? Oh my god, your water broke, okay. Here, sit up and let me go get Persephone." His words were a scrambled mess and he fumbled with the pillows to try and make her somewhat comfortable.
Orpheus ran out of the room and got Persephone, who had moved in with them as the due date got closer, wanting to make sure she was always around, just to be safe.
Speak of the devil, the two made their way back in, Persephone tying up her hair as she walked. She turned on the light, momentarily blinding the young woman.
"Alright, let's do this, Songbird. Let me help you up, you need to get undressed on the bottom, so we can keep an eye on the baby." She said, walking over to help Eurydice stand.
Meanwhile, the boy stood in the corner, biting his nails and shaking with nerves. Persephone's eyes softened as she saw this and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Poet, go get my bag from the other room and another chair, m'kay?" She whispered.
He nodded and left the room. The older woman turned back to the bed and stripped it of its soaked duvet, leaving it bare.
"When did your water break?" She asked, trying to figure out how far along she was in the process already.
"Umm," Eurydice mumbled as she lied back down on the bed, "An hour and a half ago?"
Persephone stopped and turned to look at her with a knowing glare.
"So you're telling me that you've been in active labor for an hour and you're just now letting us know?"
She shrugged with a sheepish grin, "I didn't want to wake Orpheus, he's been working so hard, he needs sleep."
Persephone shook her head, muttering something about "these damn kids" as she began to feel around Eurydice's lower stomach, pressing gently to feel where the child was.
It was at the moment when Orpheus came back in, holding a large medical bag in one arm and chair in the other.
"Thanks sweetheart, can you put the chair right over here." She pointed to the foot of the bed and he nodded as he handed over the bag.
He walked over and sat in another chair next to the left of the bed. He grabbed his wife's hand, gently rubbing his thumb over the soft skin on the back of it.
"What do we do now?" Eurydice asked.
Persephone sat in her own chair and began to go through her bag, double checking her stock.
"Well, now we wait."
---
It had been 4 hours and every 30 minutes, Persephone examined Eurydice for any change. There had only been a small progression in this time and the sun was starting to peek through the windows.
Suddenly, the contractions became worse. Like, a lot worse.
"'Phe." Eurydice whimpered, leaning against his shoulder.
It hurt his heart so much to watch her in this much pain. He kissed the back of their intertwined hands.
"It'll be okay, love, I promise." He whispered.
The woman groaned and threw her head back, "I just want him OUT!"
Orpheus looked up at Persephone, a look of 'What do I do?' etched clearly across his face.
She mimed taking a deep breath, making sure that Eurydice couldn't see. He followed suit, refocusing his attention back to his wife.
He helped her sit back up and gently rubbed her back, the soft motions helping her to relax. After a moment, the contraction was over.
“This baby better be worth it.” She breathed before gasping sharply at another contraction.
“They will be, I promise.” Orpheus soothed but she barked at that statement.
“Easy for you say, you’re not -fuck! ” She swore.
Everyone in the room knew what it meant if they were coming this quickly.
"Eurydice, I think it's time we start pushing, yeah?" Persephone felt around her stomach and lower areas, the same routine they had done for hours.
She nodded enthusiastically, willing to do anything to make the pain stop.
"Alright, so we're gonna push for ten seconds. I want you to breath in for the first five, and out for the last five. Orpheus, you're going to help guide her breathing." She explained.
She pulled out a few scissors, rags, and something that, to Orpheus, looked like a turkey baster. Once everything was laid out to her liking, she looked up at the couple.
"Here we go."
---
"Last push, come on, I can see the head!" Persephone coached.
Sweat stuck to Eurydice's forehead, her mind was racing, her body felt like it was on fire and all she wanted to do was scream.
So that's what she did.
She screamed so loudly that they were pretty sure the gods at Olympus were aware of what was happening down on earth. It bounced off the walls and the only time it stopped was when she needed to breath.
The only constant thing she remembered was the gentle coaxing from her husband.
"C'mon, breath with me, you're doing so good, Eurydice."
She could do it. She could do it, that's what he was telling her and he's never let her down before.
With one last scream, all the pressure stopped and the room went silent.
No more screaming, no more words and, most worryingly, no crying.
"Why isn't he crying?" She asked, sitting up to look over.
All Eurydice could see was Persephone bent over, with a towel in one hand and a plastic object in the other.
Her heart stopped and her head went through everything that could be going wrong as she almost began to cry, hiding her face in Orpheus' chest.
After a moment, wails began to fill the room and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The new mother looked back up to see Persephone walking over with the squirming child.
"Had some mucus stuck in her mouth." She explained before placing the newborn on Eurydice's bare chest and began to wipe the muck off of the infant.
"Meet your new baby girl."
Looking down, she saw two big watery blue eyes blink back up at her. She wanted to commit every detail of the child to her memory.
Her tan skin, head full of dark black hair, the dimple on her right cheek that matched her husband's...
She was perfect .
Eurydice felt the bed indent as Orpheus sat next to her, speechless. Resting her head on his shoulder, the two looked down at their child with love and adoration that had never been seen.
The new family sat together for the first time, no words being spoken but instead, relishing in the moment.
"She looks just like you." Orpheus whispered, being the first one to break the silence.
"But she has your eyes." Eurydice whispered back with an airy laugh.
Persephone wiped tears from her own eyes. The boy she had raised since forever was no longer a boy, but a man. A man with a wife and, now, a child to call his own.
"I really don't want to break this up, but I have to do the gross after birth stuff now. Orpheus, can you take the little one?"
With wide eyes, he cradled her in his arms and sat in the chair. All he wanted to do, as he looked at the glowing face of his daughter, was write her a million sonnets and thousands of songs.
He ran a finger down the soft skin of her cheek, mesmerized.
Once the after birth was done and cleaned up, and Eurydice was able to lie down on clean sheets, the three of them sat and cuddled together, enjoying this new feeling of domesticity.
"And what's her full name?" Persephone asked, putting her things away.
Orpheus looked up and smiled, "Melita Lyra, Daughter of Orpheus and Eurydice.”