Birth of The Single Child

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The Valentines have been staying with the Hortons for a few of months now. They had fallen into a great routine and the picture books kept piling up. They had done so many great things all getting back in touch with nature. They had gone hiking and taught the kids how to farm. They didn't want the kids to fall behind in their studies so they home schooled them. They started them with the alphabet and numbers. They sat them down and pulled out their old learning plugs. The kids placed the stickers on their foreheads and it brought them to a virtual classroom and a holographic teacher starts to show them how to use sketch pins. They picked up the pin and she shows them how to hold them. A piece of paper is produced in front of them and they do their best to draw the letters and numbers that are on the board in front of them. There drawings are then displayed in front of the class and the teacher critiques them. After three hours their class was over. They quickly snatched their stickers off and ran for lunch it had been the same for the past month and a half. Their airmanship is getting better with each lesson.

The children were eating lunch and Barbara was drinking a glass of water while rubbing her stomach. Their son was being very active today. As she took another sip of water allowing the crisp cool liquid to relax her and her child. There was a sharp pain that shot through her and made her choke on her water. She coughed trying to get the water out of her throat. Taking a small sip of water helped guide the water down the correct pipe. Getting her breath back she tells the kids she is fine so that they could go back to enjoying their lunch. After the kids finished their lunch she took them to the art room for them to finger paint. This room is like a blank canvas. Whatever color you think of that is the color that your hand paints. Once you are done the room strips it's outer layer and shrinks it to the size of a large canvas and places it in the cube labeled with your name. A helpbot brings in a chair for Barbara to sit on while she watches the kids as they all picked a wall. This room creates extra walls if needed, depending on how many people step into the room. Watching the kids enjoy themselves gives her a little flashback of her being a child and playing in the painting room of her childhood home.

The bittersweet moments were interrupted by another lingering pain that's shook her with such ferocity that it brought tears to her eyes. The triplets ran to her and asked what was wrong they were all speaking at the same time and she was having difficulty focusing as another wave of pain hit her. She breathed deeply and was able to get out a small get your father. Samantha ran as quickly as she her little feet would carry her to carry out her mother's request. Sebastian and Jalen tried to help her up by her shoulders and Seth grabbed both hands and pulled her to help her get to her feet. Jasmine was behind her trying to push her to her feet. They managed to get her to standing and they helped her walk towards the couch to sit down. Before they could make it water trickled down her legs making a puddle on the hardwood floors beneath her feet. The kids jumped away with a loud ewww. And a couple of mommy you peed on yourself and a couple of your mommy peed on herself reached her ears as yet another contraction ripped through her. When the pain passed she laughed at the innocence of the kids and stopped laughing almost immediately as another shock of pain crashed into her this one causing fat tears to fall down her eyes. They were getting closer together and she knew that she was in labor. Her husband hit the corner just as the contraction ended. He scooped her up and yelled out for Valery. As if she had been prepared for this Valery rushed in followed by a medical bed and a couple of helperbots. John placed her on the bed and they rushed to the hospital room that was built in the home.

The triplets were crying thinking something was wrong with their mommy. James comes in and squats until he is eye level with them with and places a bright smile on his face. Samantha spoke first, "Hhow ccould you be so happy and our mommy is hur and peed on herself. She must be very embars, she sniffled as she stumbled over her words. Her brothers nodded in agreement behind the sassy three year old. James advised them that their mom didn't pee herself and that she was not embarrassed. They gave him the most adorable confused faces and he laughs causing their confusion to quickly be replaced with anger. He was laughing and their mommy was hurt this did not sit well with them. He finally sobered up and advised them that their little brother was on his way into the world. The smiles that they gave him was one of the utmost happiness. He took a mental picture making sure that this memory was definitely documented he knew John and Barbara would not want to have missed it.

Exhaustion, sweat, hunger, thirst, pain all of these things were what Barbara was feeling all at the same time but not necessarily in that order. Valery advised her to push again for the millionth time since her labor started 4 hours ago. "If you tell me to push any other time outside of this room ever again I will strangle you," Barbara growled to everyone in the room right before she bared down and clenched her teeth while giving another push. John has tears in his eyes still not able to grasp the words need to describe the beauty of child birth even though this was the fourth time for them. He was taking a mental video for Barbara and the kids when they got older. After Barbara's last push the shoulders are out. The baby rips her and with a strangled cry from Barbara and one last push the new baby boy was born. Barbara slumped down to relax but started to panic when she didn't hear a cry. She saw Valery pass the newborn to his father and his eyes lit up and filled with the love only a father can share with his son. Valery stitched Barbara back causing slight pinches of pain but nothing like what she had just endured. After Valery stitches her up she took the baby to the cleaning station and got him cleaned up. She then weighed and measured him eight pounds, five ounces and right at twenty-one inches. He was easily the biggest baby born in centuries. Not having to share the womb definitely gave him the space he need to grow. Valery advised the Valentines that he is the size of both of her twins combined which they all laughed about. All of this was done with a silent baby in her arms. Barbara's concern takes over all other senses and she finally asks what is wrong and why he wasn't crying. Valery splashes a little cool water on the newborn to get the last remnants of blood from under his neck and the wail that the parents were waiting on resonated clearly throughout the room. The helpbots lowered Barbara's legs keeping them slightly separated knowing it was going to be tender for a while and covered her bottom half back up. Valery bounced the crying baby as she walked towards the anxious mother. She laid him in Barbara's awaiting arms. And the baby boy's wails quieted down he looks up at her with an almost knowing look. A look of recognition passed his features and he completely stopped crying. Seth's little head poked into the room and upon seeing his little brother he ran to the side of the bed where the baby was most visible. He jumped on the lowered stool, that Valery had sat in to deliver the baby, and it raised to bed level giving him an eye full of the baby his mother now cradled further into her chest. His eyes filled with love and adoration. The words that left his mouth melted his parents' hearts. He said, " So now I'm a big brother. Wow this is so cool. Imma be the bestest big brother ever I promise you won't ever get hurt." He then leans over and kisses his brother's forehead and his mommy's cheek as he looks back at his brother he is greeted with a wide toothless smile. He jumps down and scrambles to the door to go tell his siblings that their little brother was here. He stopped right as he came in contact with the door. He turns around and asks what his brother's name would be. Barbara looked down at the wide eyed child and whispered , "your name will be Ezekiel James Valentine. But we will call you zeke for short." She looks up at her patiently waiting son and repeats what she just said to Ezekiel. Seth grins at her, "Ezekiel.... I like it okay see you later zeke."

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