Page 27 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)

Marinah

It seemed like hours passed.

“You’re doing great,” Axel assured me.

“That’s because it isn’t you doing this,” I grumbled between gasps while King assisted me as I walked from one side of the room to the other.

“You are correct. None of us would be here if childbirth was the man’s job.”

Everything hurt, and there was no possible way I could smile, much less laugh.

“No one told me it would hurt like this,” I said.

“That’s one of the miraculous things about childbirth. Once the baby is born, the pain becomes a distant memory.”

Another contraction hit. Without King, I would have fallen to the floor.

“I’ll never forget this pain,” I said in a raspy voice.

Time passed until the contractions became one long pain without end. I gripped King's hand, squeezing hard as the wave continued. It squeezed my lower back in an all-consuming vise then wrapped around my abdomen.

"It’s getting worse," I gasped, focusing on slow, steady breaths I'd practiced, trying to ride the peak that was now steady torture without end.

“You don’t have long now,” Axel said. “I’m going to check you again.”

The seemingly endless contraction receded a small bit, leaving me momentarily breathless.

"Ten centimeters!" Axel announced, a bright, triumphant note in his voice. "And fully effaced. It’s time to push."

A surge of adrenaline, mixed with a healthy dose of terror, flooded me. This felt monumental. King squeezed my hand, leaning in to whisper, "You've got this.”

"Okay, Marinah," Axel's voice coaxed. "Next contraction, you push. Take a big breath at the start, hold it, and bear down."

The next contraction rolled in, a monstrous wave I couldn't escape. I took a ragged, deep breath, held it, and bore down with everything I had. Every muscle in my core screamed in protest, but a primal urge took over. I could feel the immense pressure and a raw burning sensation between my legs.

"Good, good push! Keep going, I can see the head!"

King remained a rock beside me, holding me steady in a squat position. He offered quiet encouragement, reminding me to breathe deeply between pushes.

After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few intense pushes, Axel suddenly exclaimed, "Okay, Marinah, one more big push! You're almost there! I need a good push for the shoulders!"

I bore down, a guttural cry tearing from my throat, fueled by sheer exhaustion and the fierce desire to meet my child. There was a final, stretching burn, a sensation of immense release, and then—

Axel lifted the baby and placed it into King’s arm. King’s other arm stayed around me.

A small but powerful cry filled the room.

My baby. My perfect, squalling baby, who looked so tiny with his father holding him. Tears blurred my vision as I took in the details of the wrinkled face, dark wet hair, eyes squeezed shut. I glanced at King. Tears streamed down his face as he stared in wonder at the child we created.

Axel gently nudged my belly. "Just a few more pushes for the placenta, Marinah. You're doing great." It felt like a minor aftershock compared to the earthquake that had just passed.

A few minutes later, King handed the baby back to Axel and assisted me to the hospital bed.

I lay back, and Axel placed the baby on my chest. I listened to the tiny whimpers.

The room was a bubble of warmth filled with a sense of peace.

The pain was already a distant echo, replaced by an overwhelming, primal love.

“You have a daughter,” Axel said.

A daughter. I hadn’t even cared. I leaned down and kissed her blood-smeared head before looking up at King.

“I knew it was a girl,” he said with cocky assuredness. “A beautiful, perfect baby girl.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I love you. I love you both.”

I couldn’t stop the tears. I’d been so worried, even before the shit that went down at the shipyard. I’d stayed busy so I didn’t have time to think about the what-ifs. They encroached every time I had a quiet moment. And now she was here. Our miracle.

I glanced around the room. Axel had left us alone. That reassured me more than anything that our baby was okay.

“I don’t want to let her go,” I said, looking at her tiny body.

She began crying again and I brought her to my chest. Her little mouth turned to my warmth with the cutest of lip movements. I adjusted her to my breast. She struggled a bit, and I remembered what Missy had told me. With a little help, she began sucking. Nothing had ever felt so right in the world.

“You’re beautiful,” King whispered.

Five minutes later, Maylin stuck her head into the room. “Axel wanted me to assist getting the baby cleaned and you too, Marinah. I also wish to meet your daughter.”

I smiled at her as she walked closer. She looked better, but I could tell she was putting on a show for us. She had insisted on working even though Axel argued that she should rest for a day or two. The island was full of stubborn women.

“The announcement hasn’t been made. That is for the father. I will make sure both mother and baby are clean and comfortable.”

King leaned down and kissed my lips. “They can wait,” he said.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “Inform the guard and give us about thirty minutes. I love you.”

He leaned lower and kissed the baby’s head. He stood and looked at me. “Our princess is perfect.”

“Yes, she is.”