Chapter 8: I-I DIDN'T HEAR THE BABY CRY!
Old Ning's apartment is nothing but a ten feet by ten feet square of comfort with a structure that seems to function as a bed in one corner and a pair of rough cooking materials in another.
Several boxes that housed his belongings sits at the third corner and the blue floor has somehow been made smooth, glassy and without dirt.
Unlike what the old man has expected to see when he sensed a broken lock, the only thing that changed in the apartment is the presence of an uninvited newcomer lying on the floor with her body slumped back against the wall and her feet wide apart.
Old Ning frowns as he looks as his 'guest'. Although her wears are simple, you could easily tell that she was from the upper parts of the Outskirts because they weren't rags.
Her face was pale with a weird blush on her right cheek but paying more attention it looks more like a left-handed slap mark.
'She's an elf..', The old man determines as he looks at her pointy ears, sharp jawline and seemingly immature features.
Her weak begging gaze that looks even more pathetic considering her light green eyes lingers on his figure with a hazy and unfocused stare with her chest heaving in a way that suggested she was having difficulties breathing.
The old man looks down to her bulging stomach that obviously carries another life as well as the wetness of the clothes and floor between her legs.
'She's in labour!..', the old man screams internally as he hurriedly turns back to lock the door.
"P-please, help.. help me".
The pregnant woman's trembling voice reaches his ears tickling a part of his conscience he had long buried.
He suddenly felt the desire to help someone without his own benefits coming first. He mind spun in circles as he felt hesitant to stretch an helping hand even in this situation.
The pregnant elf seems to have somehow sensed his hesitation even though all she sees is a blur. A drop of tear slides down her cheek as her eyelids began to flutter.
She was losing consciousness!..
Realising this, Old Ning's hesitation gets thrown out the window as he hurriedly walks to her side before lightly slapping both her cheeks to keep her awake because he knows that if she falls asleep, both her and the baby were going to wakeup in the afterlife.
"Elf, keep your eyelids open no matter what, we are getting this baby out of you..", Old Ning says with his hands on both her cheeks. The pregnant elf nods quietly with her eyelids still in a flutter.
Old Ning knows more than a thing or two about child birth as his mother was a midwife who helped countless slum-women with birth but he've never done the process by himself before. He have assisted but never has he done this by himself.
'There's a first time for everything..'
Pulling a specific box towards himself, Old Ning pulls out a small piece of smooth wood before placing it between the elf woman's teeth. He struggles but he somehow managed to move her onto the bed before long tying pieces of clothes to each side of the top frames.
He puts the other ends of the clothes in each of the woman's hands before tying her ankles in an Eagle spread position.
He tears enough of her clothes off to give him visuals of the operation and he hurriedly up to put a small quantity of neat water on his stove as well as brings out a piece of neat white napkin.
He moves over to the woman's side, takes the wood out of her mouth and then he gives her the last two things he could to make sure the process doesn't end in a tragedy. Motivation and hope.
"From what I see, you have been in labour for quite a long time, your child has been trying to see the world and his mother's face for quite the long time, any further delay and he won't be able to.."
"No,.. no", The elf woman weakly protests with tears brewing in her eyes. She pulled against her ropes with renewed energy as she looks at the old man pleadingly.
"You don't want that, neither do I. So this is what we are going to do. You are going to fight against the pain, fight against the weakness and fight for both your life and your child's life!..
"When I tell you to, you are going to push like you have never done before, you are going to give your child life and stay alive for whatever comes next, It that understood?!..", Old Ning asks with wide eyes as he looks at her face.
The elf nods with true determination on her face and the old man nods back before slipping the piece of wood back between her teeth as he goes into position for delivery.
"Push..", The man says.
"Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhh..", A muffled scream fills the room as the elf strains the ropes while pushing till the air in her lungs were depleted.
***
***A few hours later..
"Push..", Old Ning demands with his hands clasping onto the baby between her legs.
With a tired but desperate grunt with the wood between her teeth, the elven woman drags the ropes in her hands as she give one final push that finally sends the baby out and into the new world.
The elf's head falls back in utter exhaustion as she lays completely limp. Her face is even paler that it was before and now decorated with sweat, tears and snot.
Her fingers were still clasped against the ropes and her torn clothes stuck to her body because of the extreme sweat and her blonde hair looked more of a mess than a birds hair.
About to let exhaustion and relief take her deep into sleep, the elf realises that..
*PURP*, She lets her wooden gag fall from her lips before speaking with her cracked voice in utter panic.
"I- I didn't hear the child cry..", The elf says with her muscles tensing as her already weak psyche seems to be tearing down.
The old man hurriedly runs to the side of the woman's face with the blood covered child in his arms.
"Relax dear, the child is fine.." Old Ning says as he showed her the baby in his arms.
The elf looks up at her one-foot long blood covered baby who limbs moved unconsciously as his weak eyelids seemed to protest against the unfamiliar light.
The child's mother looks at her child's tiny fbu active frame with her tension suddenly deflating. She lets go of the ropes and the Old man places the baby over her chest.
She could feel his small but powerful heartbeat and a stupid smile filled with love crawls on her face.
"It's a boy and he is going to need his mother to survive..", The Old man says as elf's eyelids flutters before closing hence sending her into deep sleep with a smile still on her face.
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