In the Middle of the Night

By Donna and Ev

The residents of Lorna Doone had just gone to sleep when suddenly Connor bolted upright, reaching automatically for the sword he kept nearby as he felt the presence of another immortal approaching the house. Beside him, Katherine stirred in her sleep but did not wake, which was a good sign that it was someone that she knew at least.  Even so, the Highlander did not relax until he heard the familiar sound of a hoot owl call drift through the open window. "It's Wolf," he said as he slid out of the bed to look out the window.  On the other side of the sleeping Katherine, a now equally wide awake and alert John Clayton nodded. Sure enough, mounted on a paint Indian pony in the middle of their yard was Wolf MacLeod, who told him that they needed the midwife out at the Singing Creek Camp. Apparently Dyani, who was expecting twins in September, was showing signs of being in early labor.

John sat up, rubbing Katherine’s back as she moved restlessly in her sleep.  He listened to Connor and Wolf, then turned to Katherine and gently kissed her shoulder.  "Wake up.  Dyani needs you."  He looked up at Connor.  "I can drive her there.  You drove last time." 

Connor nodded and helped the still rather sleepy Katherine up and out of bed. She was due any day now herself, and they didn't let her go anywhere alone anymore. After John pulled on a pair of pants, he took the short cut by jumping headfirst out the window and then swinging off a tree branch to the ground, landing easily in the thick grass on his bare feet. He trotted off to the barn with Wolf and set to work harnessing the horse to the buggy while Connor helped Katherine get her dressed and get her things together.  John remembered, once he had everything ready, that she preferred that he wear boots.  He found a pair she had placed in the buggy for him and smiled. 

Boots were one thing. A shirt was another. It as a warm summer night anyways! A few minutes later, they were on their way to Camp. Connor watched them disappear into the darkness, unable to quite shake the feeling that he should be going with her. But John and Wolf were more than capable of protecting her, so he turned and went back inside the house.

Once they arrived at the Camp, Katherine checked Dyani out, and gave her some special herbs in a tea to help stop the contractions. She then gave instructions that she was to stay in bed for a couple of weeks so that the twins would have the opportunity to mature more before their birth.

By this time, it was well into the night. Trapper, Wolf and the others tried to talk Katherine into staying in the Camp for the rest of it, but she said as she held her own distended belly with one hand that she wanted to go home to her own bed. John looked at her oddly, remembering how insistent she had been about delivering Doireann in her own home, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was in early labor as he helped her back up into the buggy. If she was, she wasn’t about to tell him!

Meanwhile, back at one of the boarding houses in town, Ev was tossing and turning in the hot sticky weather.  For about the fifteenth time she grumbled to herself, rolled over yet again, and punched at her pillow.  "Damn, I miss air conditioning."

There was a sudden noise out in the hallway that made both Ev and Rayden sit up.  "What was that?"  Ev turned to him to find out for her.

"Aidan,"  Rayden sighed.  "He's gotten out again.  I'll catch him."  He rose gracefully from the bed and tiptoed out into the hall and down the stairs.  There, halfway down, clinging to the rail, as he hovered a little above it, was his son.  The last time he had gotten through the mesh on the top of his crib, he had gone to the kitchen and played with the pots and pans.  Rayden chuckled and gathered the child into his arms.  "Back to bed, little one." Like most babies his age, Aidan was crawling all over the place, but he had just recently discovered he could also levitate out of his crib if he wanted out bad enough!

As he tucked his son back in, his thoughts wandered to Katherine, who had delivered him.  Rayden really liked her a lot, especially after the petite midwife had figured out on her own that he wasn’t exactly what he pretended to be. He cast his thoughts outward and discovered her out in her buggy somewhere between the Indian camp and Waneta’s farm.  John was with her and didn't know what to do.  She was also now in active labor! Shortly after leaving the Camp, her water had broken and her contractions had increased dramatically in intensity and frequency.  John was doing his best to get them at least to Waneta’s place, but he had to stop the buggy every time Katherine had another contraction.

Rayden had to help them! He disappeared in a shower of sparks and reappeared in the woods near where the buggy was stopped.  He gently made John pass out momentarily so that he would not see him there, and then with a wink and a smile of encouragement to Katherine, transported the buggy, horse and all, to the edge of Waneta's farmyard, which hadn’t been that far away.  Just as Rayden disappeared, he allowed John to wake. The Lord of the Jungle shook his head to clear it. He didn’t even try to figure out the magical way they had managed to get to the farm.  He was just glad they were there. John now felt more certain of himself, with help available within eyesight! 

Rayden watched from a distance, where John couldn't see until he saw John climb down and go to the door of the house.  He waited until the door was opened, then disappeared in a shower of sparks and returned to Ev. 

A rather sleepy looking Hudson Santeek had opened the door, Waneta standing right behind him. Before John even had time to tell them what was going on, they both rushed to the buggy where Katherine was trying to breathe through another labor pain.

Waneta held her hand and talked to her through the contraction, then insisted that Hudson and John carry her inside. "What were you doing outside in the middle of the night in this condition?" 

"Midwife call," Kat sighed, wincing as she was gently laid down onto a bed. "Hudson, can you run and get Connor for me? And then ride into town and get one of the Doctors?"

Hudson smiled.  "All right.  Don't worry.  I have a good horse."  He pulled a pair of boots on, kissed Waneta, and was out the door. 

"Ever help deliver a baby?" Kat asked Waneta with a tired smile after she sent John back outside for her birthing bag.

"I've helped with some of the women in the camp.  And I delivered my own.  With a little help from Hudson."  She smiled.  "Are you that close, do you think?" 

Kat wasn't able to answer. Another contraction started and she had to focus all her attention on breathing to keep from being overwhelmed with the pain of labor.

Waneta timed the contraction and helped her stay calm and focused until it ended.  "Here, let's get you more comfortable and maybe I should check to see how far you are? " 

Katherine shook her head. "I need you to get some things ready first." She didn't want to worry anyone, but she was a bit surprised about how fast her labor was going, now that it had actually begun in earnest!

"All right.  Just tell me what you need.  I know you don't do things quite the same way as at the camp."  She glanced at John, who was kneeling on the floor next to the bed to be as close as he could to Katherine.  "At least you have one of your men here," she said with a smile. 

 "Yes," Katherine said, smiling at John, who responded with a series of soft hoo hoo sounds of concern. She reached out and ran her fingers through his long hair, assuring him that everything was just fine.

"I'm sure Hudson will be back with Connor and a doctor very soon.  What would you like me to do first?" Waneta asked.

Katherine explained what she wanted taken out of the bag, and what other things she wanted out so that they would be ready for the birth. No sooner had all that been done, than they heard the sound of galloping up to the house. "What took him so long?" Katherine grumbled as she started to feel the first urge to push. “Tell him to get his butt in here right away!”

"Oh good!"  Waneta jumped up and ran to answer the door.  "Connor!  You're just in time, I think!  Did you happen to hear the doctor coming?" 

Connor shook his head "Hudson rode off to get one after he told me what was going on. I dropped Doireann off at Carol's and then I came as fast as I could." Crossing to Kat's side, he gave her a hug and a kiss.

"About time," the laboring woman said sternly. “You get to play catch now! I don’t think the doctor is going to make it in time!” She then gave in to her urge to push. “

Waneta did the best she could to help keep Katherine focused while trying to stay calm herself.  "You seem to be going fast!  How fast was it when you had your first one?" 

"Took awhile to push her out," Kat panted as the contraction ended. "I think this one is smaller though. Could be why things have speeded up a bit."

"Also because this is your second."  Waneta checked again to be sure there were some clean towels and blankets ready for the baby and some clean water for washing.  Everything was ready.  "Well, I'm ready, if you are." 

"Good," Katherine said through gritted teeth. "Because I think it's coming now!"

Waneta and Connor bumped heads as they both tried to get into position at the same time. She watched, remembering how it felt pushing out her own baby just a few months ago.  "I can see the top of the head!  You're almost there!" 

Katherine bore down again, and this time, the head was delivered. Connor moved aside to let Waneta ease the baby's shoulders out, watching in awe. This one belonged to either him or to John, not that who the father actually was really made any difference since they both had identical DNA.

Waneta carefully held the slippery baby as she slid out, wrapping her in a clean towel before placing her into Katherine’s waiting arms.  "It's a girl!  A beautiful baby girl." 

"Hee hee," Connor chuckled as he kissed Kat's damp forehead. "Told you!"

Waneta started gently cleaning the baby while Kat held her.  "Do you have a name in mind?"  She chuckled as the baby made a face at the feel of the towel cleaning the fluids off her little hands. 

"Nara," Kat said with a tired but pleased smile. "It means *happy*."

"That's a pretty name.  I think it suits her."  Waneta smiled as she handed the squirming baby to Katherine to nurse.  "I wonder when Hudson will be back?" 

John cocked his head, listening.  “They are riding up now,” he said. “I can hear them.”

Hudson and the doctor came into the house a few moments later. He checked both mother and child out and found them both healthy. After he gave Kat a scolding for not turning her midwife duties over to someone else, they all left the new mother and child to rest, while they went to enjoy the hearty breakfast that Waneta was making for them all!