Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Nature, nurture or simply fate

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

William Shakespeare

Father Kaius POV

As I watched the tiny raft float out onto the lagoon I couldn’t help but remember the first time I had seen Kai. The day he had come into the world had been a morning much like this one, but my memory started out on the lagoon rather than the shoreline.

. . .

I kicked back, my boots resting on the side of the boat, relaxed as I could be I waited for my haul to arrive or the fish to bite. It probably didn’t help my case that I was within sight of the town, the fish still swim by now and then but as for the big ones they would be further out around the other side of the Ash Island.

I did not really want to go too far today or yesterday. I probably would not want to go too far tomorrow either because it could happen any day now. I had started fishing closer to home this last week the women - my wife, mother, and the old crone - reckoned the due date was any day now.

But despite fishing closer to home nothing had happened yet. Maybe I should go further out to see if that triggered the birth. A silly thought but something, anything would be better than waiting any further. Aliyah had enjoyed the majority of her pregnancy once she was past the morning sickness up till this last week when she had decided that enough was enough it was time for the baby to be born.

It wasn’t like it affected me as much as her, I still needed to catch some fish and make some money while waiting for the baby to arrive. But I was on tenterhooks after what had happened last time. It had not been easy, the first birth. Aliyah, almost too strong for Aleera to break free. The second birth . . . well that was a sorry tale we did not like to talk about at home, a sad tale without a happy ending. It had taken a long time for Aliyah to build up the courage to try again. But eventually, she had and here he sat waiting. If all went well perhaps they would try for another but if not. This could be the last time she tried.

I waited.

. . .

Suddenly I saw it, a fire flare-up on the shoreline. I had arranged for them to light a fire just in case. I mean it could be an attack or disaster but hopefully, it wouldn’t be one of those two but a third reason that my wife had finally gone into labour.

. . .

Aliyah was strong. I was sure should be fine. But I couldn’t help but worry would the baby be? What if something went wrong. I quickly dragged the net up not bothering to keep the few feeble fish I had caught and emptied the catch straight back into the lagoon rather than spend the time sorting them and keeping the best of them on board.

As quick as I could I readied the sail but there was no wind. Barely a breeze blowing and even that was going in the wrong direction anyway. Another reason why I was fishing so close to home. Quickly I put the oars into their oarlocks then dropping the blades into the water I pulled as hard as I could the boat suddenly shooting back towards the shore, skimming along the top of the water and picking up speed.

I had been sailing for many a year now and had a good rhythm and the callouses as well as the stats for strength and endurance to keep up a blistering pace back to the shoreline. I’d make it in time. I had the skills, deep pull, double scull, lower ballast, direct course. Trusting In the strength of my strokes the lightened boat and the skill to navigate without looking I lost myself in the rhythm of pulling the oars sending my boat skipping over the waves towards home, hoping to get there in time.

I hoped Aleera was okay.

I hoped the baby would be fine.

There was not much I could do there.

There was not much anyone could do, to be honest.

It was all down to Aliyah and her body. The baby, and their body now.

All I could do was be there, a witness to the terror and wonder of childbirth.

. . .

All I could do was be there.

. . .

I had to be there.

. . .

I pushed myself harder and harder until finally, I drove the boat out of the lake up onto the beach by speed and rowing alone. I jumped out and paused only long enough to drag it up a little further out of the water before I set off sprinting for home. I had never seen the need to practice this skill always planning to sail but had been forced to practice it by my father alongside my brothers. It finally came in useful now. My skill level was not particularly high but every extra second counted. All I could do was get there as quickly as I could.

I dashed up through the town people moving out of the way. No one stopped me to ask any questions - they knew I was focused on someone else right now and would not be stopping.

I ran breathlessly through the front door. To find the crone and my mother there watching over her as Aliyah ignored me completely concentrating on her breathing.

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It was at times like these that I no longer enjoyed living at the edge of the world. We had no healer, medicine man or chirurgeon on our isle or any that I knew of had ever made it out as far as the Western Isles. Now if I had heard of them I would have gone and got them to be here and damn the cost.

“Are you okay?” I gasped, “Is the baby okay? Are you having contractions?” She didn’t answer but I reached her side and held her hand flinching as she clenched my hand tight. Gods, she was a strong woman. A physical reminder of just how strong my wife actually was. I could match her in strength but she was far stronger than most women her age on the island.

Her strength had been one of the things that drew me to her though, that and her magical voice. Any melody she sang to me made me feel truly loved.

“I’m here.” I settled for a statement instead of all the questions I felt building up inside.

“I know.” her hands clenched mine once more.

. . .

“Do you think you’re close?” I asked as I finally got my breath back under control.

It had been a quick sprint through the town and a frantic scull across the lagoon and my stamina was probably quite low but I did not have time to look as I watched my wife’s face with concern. I couldn’t do anything but I wouldn’t miss a moment either.

I tried to keep a stoic face as I held her hand waiting for her to tell me how it was going. ‘Please be okay,’ I desperately thought to myself. “How’s it going darling?”

“Same as the last time you asked me,” she replied when the contractions had passed her by again. She grimaced in pain as another contraction racked her body once more.

“It will be okay.” I repeatedly reassured talking as much to myself as to her.

. . .

It was to be a long afternoon.

. . .

Three hours later the contractions were still going when they suddenly got harder, sharper and faster coming closer and closer together as the baby got closer and closer to coming out. My hand now bruised from my wife’s grip switched to the other side giving her something else to hold down on as the child once more made a move.

“Push down. Breathe. Hold it and push down harder.” The old crone just needed to be quiet. Let my wife do her work. It seemed everybody had heard by now my mother had turned up to look after Aleera and help. Aliyah’s mother had apparently died a long time ago either in childbirth or near enough as grandfather never said and refused to talk about it.

Aleera and Grandma fetched the water, the sheets and towels, all I did was stand there holding her hand. I needed to be able to do something, anything to take my mind off matters. I needed to stop worrying whether everything would be okay but it was impossible to do. She was strong, she would be okay.

But what if the baby was not, the contractions seemed so strong. Finally, the contractions grew closer and closer, a head finally breached but I wasn’t watching just holding her hand wishing her well, telling her she could do it that everything would be fine and everything would be okay as she bore us another child. The strength of this woman.

Having held in her screams till now, it was with a final shout for the baby that they were born.

“They're okay?” I asked with tears in my eyes, would they both be okay?

"He is fine." someone answered me but at the moment I could not have told you who.

I was given the small bundle of baby wrapped in a sheet before I presented him to his mother.

“Are they okay? Did they make it?” Aliyah asked as I handed her our child.

“Everything looks fine they’re well.” I calmly reassured her now that it was finally over. Aliyah relaxed into her bed and held the baby close. There were still a few contractions left to push everything out but the hard part was over and they were both alive.

. . .

As the raft burned through and sank below the waterline I realised that the hard part wasn’t over after all. I might not have been able to do more than be there at his birth but there was so much more that I could do for him now that he was here. I needed to teach him every skill that I knew. I had to protect him and to do that, I needed to get stronger too.

Filled with determination to protect my family I headed home with my wife and daughter to pack up our household to move out to the island so that I could continue doing that.

We would all need to do more, to be more.

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