[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
She knew that she hadn't peed again and that it hadn't come out of there, and
it confused and frightened her enough that she went to Gus, who was just
lying there as usual, and pointed.
Gus hadn't much experience in this himself, but he knew something had
happened, and he called for
Page 147
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Anne Marie and Tony.
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%2...20-%20Gods%20at%20the%20Well%2
0of%20Souls.TXT (126 of 157) [7/1/03 1:20:25 AM]
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%20Jack%20L%20-%20...of%20Souls%200
3%20-%20Gods%20at%20the%20Well%20of%20Souls.TXT
"Why, I believe her water's broken!" Anne Marie said happily. She turned and
looked straight into the concerned Terry's eyes. "That means the baby will
come very soon now. Not much longer. Hold on. girl! Hold on!"
That was going to be really hard, because the pains were coming back now full
force, a lot stronger and a lot more often.
"Shouldn't she be lyin' down?" a concerned Gus asked Anne Marie. "If she wants
to," the centauress replied. "Otherwise, let her stand or sit or whatever. In
one sense she's better off than in some hospitals where those stupid male
doctors don't let women stand up or sit and treat this like it's some kind of
illness. It's not an illness, it's the miracle of birth, quite natural, and
about as amazing as anything that has happened to us." Over the next few hours
the pains got even worse, and they just kept coming and coming. She was
getting to the point where she no longer cared about anything, not even the
baby. She just wanted it over with.
"Get Campos in here," Anne Marie instructed.
Tony looked at her oddly. "Campos?"
"He claimed he could deliver a baby and had before. I haven't. You certainly
haven't. And I don't want that nasty colonel within a mile of this." "But-the
way Campos thinks of her! She could kill the child!"
"She won't. I've talked to her. She thinks the child is hers. Don't argue! Get
him! Now!"
It was the most miserable, painful time of Terry's brief memory, worse than
anything, worse than dying. The pain, the exhaustion, the people yelling at
her-she began to hate them all. And it went on. and on, and on ... "Push! Now
push!" someone was telling her, and she felt as if she didn't have enough
energy to do anything else at all, but she pushed .. .
And then the girl who never said a word, never uttered much in the way of
sounds at all, screamed. Screamed with a length and depth that were almost
unbelievable and sent panicky nearby
Verionite soldiers running for their weapons. It felt as if she had passed a
stone the size of a watermelon, but now, suddenly, it was over. Somewhere off
in the distance she heard the incongruous sound of a baby crying, but then
she simply passed out.
"Santa Maria! It's a boy! A big one, too!" Campos shouted with unrestrained
glee. She carefully clipped the umbilical cord with a small clamp she'd gotten
from the Verionites, then washed off and wrapped the baby, a rough and tumble
type who clearly didn't want to be out in this weird, cold new environment at
all. Anne Marie took care of the placenta and otherwise cleaned up the mess.
"Poor dear! She's passed out, totally exhausted."
"Shouldn't wonder," Campos commented. "Twelve hours. All But here is the
result, and not a blond hair or blue eye to be seen. These are Latin features
on the child! You see? No Mister Gus with his lily-white north in him! She
laughed. "Even here, in this place and in this muddled mess, a new Campos is
born!" "Well, don't kill him by taking him all over and showing him off!" Anne
Marie scolded. "Give him to me. He should be here when she comes to, and she
will have to nurse him, considering the conditions here. You can go brag all
you want. I'll take care of things at this end."
Actually it was Tony, who had remained nearby through it all, who had the
worst reaction. She wasn't at all sure now that she wanted to have children,
not one bit.
Gus was not one to be put off by the fact that it wasn't his child. In fact,
it had never once occurred to him that it might be. He'd almost injured
Page 148
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
himself all over again when he'd heard that scream, but when he heard the
baby's cry, he'd sat back down again.
He wasn't at all sure if it was or wasn't Campos's kid, either, but he was
glad that Campos thought so. It would keep Terry safe for quite a while
longer. The fact that mother and baby were doing fine was enough for him.
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%2...20-%20Gods%20at%20the%20Well%2
0of%20Souls.TXT (127 of 157) [7/1/03 1:20:25 AM]
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]