A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 61: Reyna

There was nothing I hated more in this world than being pregnant.

The vomiting, the aches, the contractions, everything. I felt so useless, being stuck in this bed. I wanted to be with my husband, planning the future of Rome. Not here, stuck in a bed.

I could only pray that it was a boy. Because if it was a girl, then I would have to go through all of this again to bear Jason an heir. And that was the last thing I wanted.

Piper sat next to my bed, in a chair. We were both due soon. All feelings of resentment towards her I had felt were gone. In the past month or so, I had spent a lot of time with her, and realized what an amazing person she was. I could see why Jason loved her.

Besides Piper, there was Rachel, with her daughter, whom she had named Clove. She was a nice, beautiful girl, with a great sense of humour. I remembered when she was pregnant, wallowing in grief in sadness that I could see in her eyes. But now, she had light in her green eyes again. She loved her daughter, despite who Clove's father was. I admired her for that.

I didn't realize how much I noticed the girl, until she started talking to me when Piper had started spending her entire day in Jason and I's room, her pregnant state making her barely able to move. But I realized I had noticed Rachel, for I knew she was left-handed from seeing her clean, and knew she could paint with her feet, though I didn't know how. I didn't know why I had remembered these facts about her on a subconscious level, but I had.

It scared me, in a way.

The three of us sat in silence. Piper was asleep, Rachel was playing with Clove, and I was trying to ignore the pain I was feeling in my lower back.

That was when my water broke.

Rachel shot up, and ran to get a midwife. I lay there in shock for a minute, and then a small contraction hit me, sending a shot of pain into my stomach. That was when I snapped back into reality.

The baby was coming. Now.

Rachel was back with a few midwifes quickly. The redhead sat next to me, and took my hand in hers. I could hear the a midwife tell another one to get Jason, while another one softly told me what to do. Another contraction hit me, and I yelped in pain.

It kept getting worse and worse. Every minute, a contraction hit me, more painful than the last. Piper had woken up, and had been hushed out of the room by a midwife, Clove in her arms. I was surprised that they had let Rachel stay.

Eventually, I heard a midwife say that it was time. I listened to what she said, pushing when she told me to push, breathing when she told me to breath.

It was the most painful thing I had ever experienced.

I felt like I was getting torn apart. The pain brought tears to my eyes, and I screamed until my voice was hoarse, and then some. After what felt like forever, I heard a baby's cries. Rachel squeezed my hand reassuringly.

I closed my eyes as the midwife pulled my child out of me and cut the umbilical chord, desperately praying that it was a son, that this experience was over and that I'd never have to be pregnant again.

"Congratulations," The midwife's voice had a feeling of disappointment in it that made my heart drop. "It's a girl."