“I’m here now,” I told her calmly as I washed my hands. “How long have the contractions been lasting?”
“Over a minute,” Lori informed me with a hitch to her breath.
Jessica let out a howl of pain, and I had to take a deep breath to steady my nerves. Jessica was already in the last stage of active labor. She’d progressed faster than a human woman would have and was close to delivering.
Once my hands were clean, and I was sure I wouldn’t add to her risk of infection, I went to her side.
“Lori, can you get a cool compress for Jessica’s face?”
Lori seemed grateful to have something to do and rushed to do as I asked.
I gently laid my hands on Jessica’s belly. “I can give you pain medication, but because it’s not an epidural, some of it will enter the babies’ systems.”
“No,” Jessica said through gritted teeth. “I can handle the pain. Just save my babies.”
“If you change your mind-”
“I won’t,” she spat out.
I closed my eyes and used my magic to check on her babies. The first baby was already in position and ready to come out into the world.
My heart fluttered with nerves, but I couldn’t let the others see my nervousness. Lori and Jessica needed to be assured that everything was under control.
“Okay, Jessica,” I said as Lori laid a cool compress on Jessica’s head. “We’re going to start the process, just like we talked about.”
The fae used magic to help guide the baby out of the birth canal, which was a much easier process than the one that human women used. While humans would sometimes use suction or forceps and risk harming the baby, I could gently ease the baby along as Jessica pushed.
The room filled with screaming as Jessica worked with me to give birth to her first baby. Lori murmured encouragement as we worked. At some point, two of the women from her pack came in to assist us.
It seemed like an eternity before the first baby was fully out into the world. Lori and one of the other women rushed to the baby, just as we’d planned. Jessica burst into tears as the baby let out a loud cry, but I felt a flood of relief that he was breathing well. I kept my focus on Jessica as the others quickly dried the baby and placed him, naked, on Jessica’s chest. Lori covered them both in warm towels, and Jessica looked at her son in wonder.
Skin to skin contact would help the baby’s heart rate and breathing steady. It would also let Jessica bond with her little one. I gently placed a hand on the baby, and he steadied under my touch. He seemed normal and healthy from my magical exam, and I smiled. One down, two to go.
The second baby was quicker than the first, but the third had me worried. This one was smaller than the others, and I had to work to get her into the right position to be born. I didn’t want to pull too hard on her delicate frame, so I had to gently nudge her into position. I was sweating by the time she was in place.
“Are you ready?” I asked Jessica.
She gave me a sharp nod, and we went through the process again. This time, the baby didn’t take a breath when she first came out. Her chest was still, and her face was slowly turning blue.
“No!” Jessica cried out.
I could feel the life fading from the little one, so I let go of Jessica and instead reached for the baby. The others stepped back as I positioned the baby’s head to open the airway.
“I need a bulb syringe,” I demanded.
Lori rushed to put it into my hand, and I used it to clear the baby’s nose and mouth. I used my magic to heat the air around the baby, imitating the warming station that a human physician would use. The baby gasped, but her heart rate gradually strengthened. A moment later, she let out a cry and moved her limbs.
Relief flooded through me at the sight. The little one was going to make it. I monitored her heart rate as one of the women dried the baby, but it stayed steady.
“You did it!” I told Jessica.
I expected to see her smiling at her baby, but when I turned my attention back to her, her head had fallen to the side, and her body was limp. Blood gushed between her legs, turning the white