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Hera grabbed Sabine’s arm, forcing her down until they were both lying in the tall grass. They kept perfectly still as the TIE fighters and troop transports sped ever them, heading for the factory where Sabine’s charges had just gone off. Without needing to look, she felt Sabine relax beside her as the Imperials passed them by.
Once the Imperials were out of sight, Sabine quickly got back to her feet. Hera followed suit, taking Sabine’s offered hand as anther contraction gripped her. She staggered to her feet, pressing a hand to her lower back. They were getting closer together. If they didn’t get back to the base soon, things were about to get… interesting was one way to put it.
“Come on,” she said, trying to keep the strain out of her voice. “We should get moving.”
Sabine nodded as they took off again. They were far enough away from the factory that they didn’t have to run for it like they had before. Still, they kept a quick pace, weaving their way through grasses that reached their shoulders. With every mile that they covered, the contractions grew closer and closer together. Hera gritted her teeth and kept moving through each one. Better for Sabine to let her have it when they reached the Phantom than have Sabine insist they stop and call for an extraction that could take hours.
Or so Hera thought.
Within an hour, her plan was shot to hell by a contraction so powerful she was forced to stop in her tracks. This time, she couldn’t hold back the groan that rose up in her throat. Everything, even just standing, suddenly took so much more effort than it had just seconds ago.
“You okay?” Sabine asked.
Hera nodded, her face screwing up as the contraction reached its peak. When it finally passed, she shut her eyes for a second, panting sharply.
“Hera,” Sabine said, trepidation in her voice. “Was that what I think it was?”
“Yeah,” Hera said. There was no point in trying to hide it anymore. “I’m in labor.”
“How long?”
“Since just after we got to the factory.”
“Hera!”
“I’m fine, Sabine,” Hera insisted. “But we have to get back to the base quick. I don’t think I have that long.”
“I don’t like this,” Sabine muttered. “But you’re right. Let’s at least make it to the tree line before we call for help.”
Hera nodded, but said nothing, instead saving her energy for the task of getting to the extraction point. They were supposed to maintain comm silence for the duration of the mission, and she intended to do so unless they truly couldn’t avoid it. The sooner they reached the place where Zeb was supposed to meet them with the Phantom, the sooner she would be in a safe place to have this baby.
But the longer they walked, the stronger the contractions became. By the time they reached the trees, the pain was almost unbearable, radiating up Hera’s spine and making her legs feel like they would collapse under her at any second.
As another wave of pain crashed over her, Hera instinctively grabbed hold of a low tree branch. Biting her lower lip, she leaned all her weight on the tree as she fought to hold in a groan.
Just hang in there, she thought, not sure whether she was encouraging herself or her baby. Just a little longer.
“You okay?” Sabine asked. Even through the haze of pain, Hera could practically see the nervous energy radiating from the younger woman.
“Yeah,” Hera said breathlessly as the pain finally ebbed away. She leaned her forehead against the tree, focusing on the rough feeling of the bark against her skin. “I just – I just need to rest for a second.”
But she didn’t get a second. The words had barely left her mouth when pain seized her again, wringing her out like a wet rag. This time, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out, a loud groan rising up from her chest, reverberating through her lungs until it twisted out of her throat in a scream. As the pain crested and began to fade, Hera was left gasping for breath, only able to stay on her feet by clinging to the tree branch.
“Hera –”
She cut the other girl off by quickly shaking her head.
“I just – I need quiet for a – just for a second.”
She tried to slow her breathing, but she couldn’t. Bark dug into her palms as she clung to the branch, panting as she felt her muscles start to tighten again.
No, she thought. Not here, not here.
She clenched her jaw, trying to muffle the yell that she couldn’t hold back.
“Are they supposed to be coming this fast?” Sabine asked.
Hera shook her head, though she had no idea of the real answer. She couldn’t keep track of how many seconds or minutes or anything were passing. But it felt too fast. Too much.
“I don’t… I don’t feel so good,” she mumbled. She felt sick to her stomach. Pressure was steadily building at the base of her spine, making her feel like it was about to snap.
“Screw comm silence,” Sabine said. “I’m calling Zeb and Chopper.”
Hera didn’t argue. She couldn’t keep moving in this state.
“I don’t think he’ll get here in time,” Hera gasped, forcing the words out in one frantic breath. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. The baby was coming now, while they were struck out here in the woods. Alone, with no help for miles. Kriff, she’d been so stupid, coming on this mission.
“I don’t know what to do,” Sabine said.
“I’ll talk you through –” Hera’s words were cut off by a yell as another contraction gripped her body. There was no way she’d be able to talk Sabine through tying her shoes right now, let alone delivering a baby.
“Just don’t drop him,” she said breathlessly.
“Okay,” Sabine said quietly, seeming to talk more to herself than to Hera. “Okay. We can do this.”
Hera could feel Sabine’s hands hesitate before the girl grasped her waistband and gently tugged it down. Hera hadn’t fit into her usual flight suit for months, which at least made all of this easier. Fewer straps and zippers to undo.
Hera gasped sharply as she felt the warning of another contraction about to start.
“Okay, just… just push with this next one,” Sabine said. She was clearly guessing, and Hera wasn’t anywhere near the right state of mind to figure out if she was right or not.
As the contraction rose to its peak, Hera gritted her teeth and pushed. Her scream was muffled by her clenched jaw. She felt like she was being split in two, her very bones cracking under the pressure of it.
“Great,” Sabine said. Her voice was shaking, and though Hera wasn’t looking at her, she was sure the girl was going pale. “You’re doing great. Everything looks fine. Just get ready to push again.”
Hera shook her head. She couldn’t do it. She kriffing couldn’t. Why had she decided to go through with this?
Somehow, she managed it anyway. Like something had possessed her and was determined to drag her through this process whether she had the strength for it or not. This time, when she pushed, she could feel something move, sinking lower.
“Kriff,” Sabine muttered. “Okay. I – I can see the head.”
“Already?” Hera gasped. Her head was spinning with the effort of just getting the word out.
“Yeah,” Sabine said. Hera heard the girl shifting behind her. “I’ve got my jacket off. I can wrap him in it. I think –”
Hera didn’t hear another word Sabine said as another contraction started, this one so intense she felt it in her bones. She gritted her teeth and pushed with every scrap of strength she had left. The movement inside her grew stronger, shifting and then quickly falling away.
Suddenly, she felt as if she’d been separated in two. Like a piece of her had been abruptly cut out and taken away.
“He’s out,” Sabine said, sounding just as stunned as Hera felt. “I’ve got him. But he’s…”
“Is he okay?” Hera asked. “He’s not crying. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Sabine said. “He’s just… the sac didn’t break, is all.”
Slowly, her arms shaking, Hera let go of the branch that she’d been clinging to and braced her hands against the tree’s trunk. She turned her head, looking back just in time to see Sabine with her knife drawn, carefully piercing the caul. Hera winced, even though she knew the baby wouldn’t feel it. Fluid spilled from it as Sabine pulled it away, releasing the baby from what had been his home for the past nine months.
He started crying as soon as the cool air hit him. Hera wanted to grab hold of him, to cling to him and never let go. She barely felt the next contraction, expelling the placenta quickly.
Hera was shaking, everything suddenly becoming overwhelming as she crashed back into herself. Somewhere high above her, she heard the rush of a ship’s engines swooping over them. Looking up, she saw the Phantom flying just over the treetops, toward the edge of the forest. Sabine followed her gaze, an expression of pure relief crossing her face as she saw what Hera did.
“It’s about kriffing time.”
Hera shifted anxiously in the bed. Her arms were too empty. She needed Jacen back. If she wasn’t holding him within the next five minutes, she was going to lose it.
Luckily, it was quicker than that. A moment later, the medic turned back to her and gently placed Jacen in her arms. He squirmed and gently kicked as she laid him on her chest, his head tucked under her collarbone. Within a few seconds, he’d settled down, his tiny eyes closing.
“He’s so cute,” Sabine said, her voice barely more than a whisper, afraid to startle Jacen. “Especially now that he’s all clean.”
“He is,” Hera said, keeping her voice even quieter so her chest wouldn’t move too much. “I can’t believe I actually did that.”
“Yeah,” Sabine said, just as stunned as Hera was. “That’s pretty crazy, isn’t it?”
Before Hera could respond, the curtain around the bed was pulled away. Kanan appeared, rushing to her side.
“I got here as soon as I could,” he said. “Are you okay?”
“We’re fine,” Hera told him. “Thanks to Sabine.”
“More like thanks to Zeb for getting there before I had a panic attack,” Sabine said.
“He’s asleep now,” Hera told him. “But you can hold him when he wakes up if you want.”
Kanan hesitated for a moment. Hera could tell he wanted to say yes, but something was holding him back.
“It’s alright,” Kanan said finally. “He’s your kid.”
Not for the first time since she’d told Kanan about the baby, Hera felt a small pang of guilt. She knew the position this put Kanan in, and she knew it was difficult for him. He was a Jedi. They weren’t supposed to have children. The two of them had spoken about it months ago. Jacen could grow up knowing who his father was, and Kanan would be there in every way possible, but in the end, he would always be Hera’s son first.
“I know this isn’t gonna be normal,” Hera said. “But he is your kid, too. Even if being a Jedi needs to come first.”
Kanan put his hand on her shoulder; the only way he could touch her that wouldn’t disturb the finally sleeping baby.
“I’m just glad you’re both okay.”
Hera leaned her head gently against his arm. Now that she knew they were safe, she was suddenly more exhausted than she’d ever been in her life. She could practically feel Kanan’s smile as he squeezed her shoulder tightly.
“You should get some sleep, too, you know,” he said softly.
“Yeah,” Hera mumbled, not needing to be told twice. Her eyelids were heavy enough she could barely keep them open. Finally, she let them fall and drifted off, secure in the knowledge that for now, her whole family was safe.