Beyond the Empyreal Stars

34.

34.

Odette knew Lizzie and Carson's child would be arriving at any moment, but the thought of it coming on the verge of an all-out universal war sent fear through her.

"Where is she?" Alanna yelled, panicked.

"In one of the infirmary rooms, but we've still got a few hours..."

She wasn't listening, though, like any woman wouldn't when she heard her grandchild was about to be born. As she ran from the conference room with Duke following close on her heels, Carson's eyes swept the room until they landed on her.

"Odette, she wants you, too," he waved at her. "Come on."

She walked forward on shaky legs before clutching his arm as they left the conference room. "How close?"

"Really close," he smiled, but the corners of his mouth shook. "The kid's got great timing, right? She said the contractions started yesterday afternoon just before you guys got back, but she didn't tell me until just a little while ago. Actually, she didn't even tell me. Tansy came running into to the armory as we were organizing all the supplies when her water broke."

"Is she all right, though? Sara has medicine for the pain, does she not?"

The birth of babies was pretty much identical between the Terrian and human races. She knew just how painful it was, having witnessed a few, though medication could dull it. She also knew labor and delivery could take hours, especially when it was a woman's first child.

"She's breathing through the contractions. Sara's given her medication, but it really hasn't helped much. I left to come get you guys between contractions, but she's probably had a few more since."

They were going through the common area then. Alanna and Duke were nowhere in sight, already through the infirmary entrance. Picking up their pace, they darted around the dozens of people – humans and aliens alike – with all of them looking on curiously. No doubt they noticed Duke and Alanna running it the same direction just a few moments before.

And when they finally made it to the infirmary and into one of the closed off rooms, Alanna was already fluttering over her daughter. Lizzie was propped up in the bed, wearing one of Carson's shirts, and her hair pulled up in a messy bun, though a few strands were falling across her face.

"I knew something was wrong with you yesterday," Alanna shook her head as she pushed Lizzie's hair back from her forehead. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? What can I do?"

"You want to have this baby for me?" she grinned...right before it turned into a grimace as another contraction began.

Carson immediately left Odette's side to go to Lizzie's, taking her hand as she started glaring at him through her steady breaths.

"What?" he grinned. "I was gone for five minutes. And I brought back people...and an alien! Don't say that isn't cool."

Lizzie tried to laugh, but it ended up being a moan of pain until the contraction subsided.

"Don't talk about her like that!" Lizzie scolded, smacking him upside the head.

"Yeah, I'd better stop, huh? Duke's here, too...and he'd more than likely shoot me for that."

"You're lucky," Duke snorted from the other side of Lizzie's bed as he stood behind Alanna. "I don't have my gun on me at the moment."

Odette had watched the family from the doorway of the infirmary room, trying to make herself invisible, even though they knew she was there. It wasn't until Lizzie got through her next contraction and Sara gave her more pain medication before she met Odette's eyes and held out her hand.