Stork is coming in for a landing

[Aileana DiRossi]

Aileana was normally an early riser, but there was something about that particular late winter day that made her rise even earlier before dawn. The babe growing in her belly was normally very active at night, and as she drew closer to her due date, which at this point could be anytime according to the midwife, she found her baby was even more active. She often joked it was going to come out running from how often it kicked and moved in her.

That morning in particular though, she awoke what almost felt like a cramping in her lower back. Thinking it was just regular back pain, she tried to ignore it, but found she couldn’t go back to sleep. She decided to go for a walk that morning, seeing if it would help stretch her out, and the cramping went away, only to come back again on her way back to the tavern. The sun was starting to rise, and she decided to start the day. Unstacking stools and chairs, prepping for breakfast, the works. She found that working helped distract her from the slight discomfort she was experiencing here and there, and when she was asked how she was feeling she merely said she was fine, as she didn’t think much of it.

That is until it started to get a bit more frequent and a more intense feeling of pain happened around lunch time. Since she was due at any time, Rox and Roman were limiting her activity to the bare minimum, meaning she helped at the bar now most of the time, sitting on a stool. Not really a lot of help or fun, but at least she was able to talk to people. When there was a sharp feeling of pain that lasted only a few moments, she leaned her forearm on top of the bar, and winced as she leaned forward, rubbing a hand over her lower back until the feeling passed.

Roxanne Abernathy Leo Sommers

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne was beginning to worry about her newest friend--Ailee was working herself awfully hard for a woman who was due to go into labor any day. She'd started to scold her more than once, but realized she'd be a bit of a hypocrite, seeing as Roman and James had threatened to tie her to a chair to get her to sit down and relax when she was pregnant with Dottie. Speaking of which…

"Dottie, will you get Auntie Ailee another glass of lemonade?" she called to the little girl, who happily hopped up from her sewing practice and hurried into the kitchen to do as her mother asked.

Roxanne grinned and patted her friend on the shoulder.

"Doin' okay, Mama?" she asked gently, although her smile vanished when she saw that Ailee's skirts were wet.

"Ailee…? Did something happen just now? Have you been having pains all morning?" she asked urgently.

[Aileana DiRossi]

Aileana was gritting her teeth at the moment, a wave of discomfort flowing through her, taking steady breaths as she worked through the pain, before it went away. She was starting to become nervous. She’d been able to hide her discomfort most of the morning, but the last hour it was getting harder to ignore as the small whimper had escaped through her. Was something wrong with the baby?

She glanced up at Rox with a slow sigh, and attempted to smile at her. “Just a bit of lower back pain, I’m fine.” She told her. “It’s been coming and going all morning. I might have just overworked myself yesterday.” She said. It had to be the explanation right? Though this time when the cramping like sensation had started, it lasted longer than the other times and was getting far more frequent, and painful. Maybe it wasn’t just lower back pain, but something else?

It wasn’t the time to just blow things off, she knew this, but also didn’t know if she was ready for it to be that time yet. The urgency in Rox’s voice had her blue eyes looking down. Seeing the wetness of her skirts. She didn’t think she’d pee’d herself but it certainly felt like it. She was starting to panic, and it showed on her face. Her eyes going wide. She’d seen enough horse delivers, and knew from her mother how labor worked, but she’d never experienced it for herself.

Until now.

The realization of it all donned just as another wave of pain, more intense then all the others had her leaning forward with groan. Her arms wrapping around her large belly. “I-it’s happening. I think the baby’s coming.” She confessed as she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on her breathing through the current contraction.

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne's eyes widened, at first, but her surprise was soon replaced by determination. She'd been waiting for this, and she wasn't about to panic for no good reason. They could handle this. She straightened up and cupped her hands around her mouth in a makeshift megaphone. The voice that was about to come out of her petite form would startle any of the patrons who hadn't hung around here for a while.

"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE OUT! MEDICAL EMERGENCY. WE'RE CLOSING. CHUG YOUR DRINK IF YOU CAN DO IT FAST AND THEN SCOOT!"

A few customers jumped at the sound, but thankfully they followed her instructions easily enough. Or at least, all of them did save one familiar figure who was coming towards the two women instead of walking away.

[Leo Sommers]

Leo had just been entering the Sparrow when the owner began bellowing at the top of her lungs. He stopped in his tracks to listen, but as soon as he spotted who was having the medical emergency, he was jumping back into action without hesitation. Right next to Roxanne sat Aileana DiRossi, the pregnant woman he'd been keeping an eye on. In fact, the reason he'd come to the tavern in the first place.

He crossed the room and was opposite them in seconds. "It's time, I assume?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The bartender nodded back at him.

"Stay with Ailee, I'm going to get some supplies." Roxanne ordered, sounding more like a military officer than a bartender. Leo's bewilderment showed for a moment around his eyes, but he soon regained his composure and turned to Aileana.

"We should get you situated. Give me a moment." He turned away from the counter to get two of the benches from a long table and pushed the seats together to form a trough shape where they'd be able to lay Aileana down. He snagged the mismatched cushions from a variety of chairs around the room and added those as well, creating a decent spot for her. She might be there a while, he wasn't about to have her lay down on the hard wood benches themselves.

With that done, he crossed behind the bar and went to her side, offering his arm to hold onto. "Are you able to walk over?"

[Aileana DiRossi]

Aileana wasn’t paying much attention to the rest of the world at that moment, trying desperately not to panic at the realization her baby was going to be coming into the world, as her body responded to the contractions. Is this what the horses felt? She knew it could last for hours, and first borns were rather difficult, but Rox had assured her she’d be alright.

She heard a familiar voice that wasn’t Roxanne’s and those blue, frightened eyes opened up as she took a a deep breath to see Leo standing there. What was he doing there? She knew he was coming around frequently, but she’d never expected him to be there when the baby came. She supposed that’s what friends did though right?

She worked on taking slow breaths as Rox left to get supplies and she watched Leo go move to benches together. “We’re doing it here?” She asked in a panic. Though, she supposed she really didn’t have a choice. The baby was coming no matter where she was. Leo moved quick and efficiently as he set up a little spot for her and then was making his way back to her.

“I-I think so.” She said taking his arm with one hand as she raised up from the stool. She was continuing her slowly breaths as she walked foreword. Taking slow steps while she had a moment of reprieve from the contractions. She let Leo help her sit down on the cushions, and she looked up at him. “Leo?” She said his name quietly. “I’m scared.” She admitted. She hadn’t been prepared for what this name would really bring and it was a terrifying realization that she was about to bring a life into the world. Another part of Aileana’s brain was worried about the fact she was a smaller woman, and if she’d be able to bring the baby into the world. “What if something happens?” She asked him.

[Leo Sommers]

He guided her slowly to the makeshift bed, patient despite the anxiety that was making his heart race. He'd never been present at a birth, let alone been acting as the midwife. He was glad Roxanne was around, seeing as she'd done this herself not that long ago. The situation revived another emotion, too, a festering resentment toward the ex-husband that Ailee had fled when coming to Aralore. How could that twisted farce of a man live with himself knowing that he'd forced his wife, someone he had sworn to love and cherish the rest of her life, off into the maw of an unforgiving world? She should have her family around her to face this momentous occasion, not a collection of misfits. And yet, this collection of misfits...hadn't they adopted her, treated her as their own family? Wasn't that the beauty of Aralore?

"Leo?"

Aileana's voice snapped him sharply out of his reverie, and he turned attentively to her.

"I'm scared. [...] What if something happens?"

A surprisingly gentle smile replaced Leo's normally gruff exterior. He liked Aileana, genuinely; she was a sweet woman, too kind for her own good, truly. He didn't want to add any extra concerns to her already heaping plate. If her ex-husband wouldn't be here to ease her fears, then Leo would do it himself.

"It's alright to be afraid--being brave is facing the fear. Going forward in spite of it." He patted the top of her head affectionately. "Be brave, little bird. We'll get through this."

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne returned with a bundle of towels in the crook of one arm and a cauldron of hot water in the opposite hand. Even her mouth was carrying something--she'd shoved the leather handle of the first aid pack into her mouth when she ran out of hands. She set it all on a nearby table and dragged it closer.

"Alright, Ailee, baby, this is about to get real up close and personal. I don't mean to make it weird but it's gotta get done," she declared, putting her hands on her hips.

"Lee, you better go ahead and pull up a chair to sit by her head, you're on Mama duty. I'll worry about the baby bits." She pointed at the chair, then turned back to Ailee with a wicked grin. "Lee's gonna give you his hand, and you're gonna hold onto it. And when you have to push, and it hurts like hell, you're gonna squeeze that hand til Leo hurts just as bad."

The sailor looked a bit perturbed, but he followed Rox's instructions and pulled over the chair to sit next to Alieana and offer her his hand.

The bartender pulled a chair up by Ailee's waist for herself, and if Ailee didn't argue, she'd position herself right where she needed to be for baby catching.

"Alright, team, let's get to work!"