frost tonight."
Samuel nodded, and when Nick came back from loading the bucket of embers into the burner on the back of the van, Samuel was standing bundled up in all the clothes he'd had on earlier, packing the generator parts into his tool box.
"Ready?” Nick asked, and Samuel nodded.
They drove out to the camp in silence, Samuel in the front beside Nick, Talgerit hanging over the seats from the back of the van, and when the guardian rock finally loomed up through the darkness, Talgerit said, “Just drive on through, they're expecting us."
At the camp, Nick left Samuel sliding out of the van, grabbed his medical kit from the back and ducked into the humpy where firelight spilled out from under a blanket draped across the entrance.
Girdagan was on all fours, grunting while one of the older women, Lilli, rubbed her back. The humpy was warm, with a fire near the back wall, and another firepit, that had been allowed to go out, in the middle.
"How are you feeling?” Nick asked Girdagan, kneeling down beside her, stethoscope in his hands.
She grimaced and Lilli wiped the sweat from her face. “Hurts, Dr. Nick,” Girdagan gasped.
"I'm going to check the baby's heart,” Nick said, and he ran a hand over her belly, then pressed the stethoscope against the ridge of the baby's back.
"Baby's in a good position,” he said a moment later. “And its heart is strong and fast. Now, this will hurt a bit."
He took his coat off and pushed his jumper sleeves up, then felt down low on Girdagan's belly, in around the pubic bone. Only an idiot would check dilation internally in a shack with a mud floor, and Nick wasn't an idiot, so he waited for the contraction to ease, then pushed hard, sliding fingers across the curve of the baby's head, through the front of Girdagan's abdomen.
There, about two thirds of the way down the curve, was the ridge of flesh that was the cervix. Girdagan was about seven centimetres dilated, and was leaking copious amounts of amniotic fluid, pale yellow and smelling of new life.
Girdagan groaned, and the next contraction began, and Nick took his hand away before either Lilli or Girdagan hit him.
"That's really good,” he said. “Not too much longer, and it'll be time to start pushing.” Talgerit was right, the baby wanted to be born.
The cold crept in around the blanket, and Girdagan's moans and grunts became louder, but she and the baby were coping well, so Nick left the morphine injection in his bag.
Ed and the other elders looked in then disappeared, and the baby's heart rate stayed fast, only dipping slightly with a contraction, coming up again quickly afterwards. Birthing was not a community event, so Girdagan had no audience.
When the ridge of flesh was halfway down the baby's skull, to its ears, Nick and Lilli helped Girdagan move so she was squatting over the ashes of the extinguished fire. Nick poured alcohol from a big bottle over his hands and Lilli's, and rubbed a cloth soaked in alcohol over Girdagan's hands, too.
Between the alcohol and the sterile ashes, the baby would have a clean entrance to the world.
Lilli held Girdagan from behind, arms wrapped securely around her chest, and each contraction and push brought the baby closer and closer. When it crowned, Nick was vaguely aware of a generator chugging away briefly in the background.
He guided Girdagan's hands down to her baby's head, and she smiled at him, eyes wide, mouth falling open with delight. It did the trick, making her let go of her pelvic floor, and the baby's head eased out, supported by both Girdagan's and Nick's hands.
Quick slide of fingers around the baby's shoulder, to make sure the cord wasn't trapped, and Nick said, “Push now, Girdagan."
She did, and the baby slithered out, slippery and limp. Nick cleared the baby's mouth and nose quickly, using a small suction bulb. The baby cried, sharp and high and thin in the cold night air.
Nick had brought a clean cut-up blanket with him, and he wrapped the baby
Samuel nodded, and when Nick came back from loading the bucket of embers into the burner on the back of the van, Samuel was standing bundled up in all the clothes he'd had on earlier, packing the generator parts into his tool box.
"Ready?” Nick asked, and Samuel nodded.
They drove out to the camp in silence, Samuel in the front beside Nick, Talgerit hanging over the seats from the back of the van, and when the guardian rock finally loomed up through the darkness, Talgerit said, “Just drive on through, they're expecting us."
At the camp, Nick left Samuel sliding out of the van, grabbed his medical kit from the back and ducked into the humpy where firelight spilled out from under a blanket draped across the entrance.
Girdagan was on all fours, grunting while one of the older women, Lilli, rubbed her back. The humpy was warm, with a fire near the back wall, and another firepit, that had been allowed to go out, in the middle.
"How are you feeling?” Nick asked Girdagan, kneeling down beside her, stethoscope in his hands.
She grimaced and Lilli wiped the sweat from her face. “Hurts, Dr. Nick,” Girdagan gasped.
"I'm going to check the baby's heart,” Nick said, and he ran a hand over her belly, then pressed the stethoscope against the ridge of the baby's back.
"Baby's in a good position,” he said a moment later. “And its heart is strong and fast. Now, this will hurt a bit."
He took his coat off and pushed his jumper sleeves up, then felt down low on Girdagan's belly, in around the pubic bone. Only an idiot would check dilation internally in a shack with a mud floor, and Nick wasn't an idiot, so he waited for the contraction to ease, then pushed hard, sliding fingers across the curve of the baby's head, through the front of Girdagan's abdomen.
There, about two thirds of the way down the curve, was the ridge of flesh that was the cervix. Girdagan was about seven centimetres dilated, and was leaking copious amounts of amniotic fluid, pale yellow and smelling of new life.
Girdagan groaned, and the next contraction began, and Nick took his hand away before either Lilli or Girdagan hit him.
"That's really good,” he said. “Not too much longer, and it'll be time to start pushing.” Talgerit was right, the baby wanted to be born.
The cold crept in around the blanket, and Girdagan's moans and grunts became louder, but she and the baby were coping well, so Nick left the morphine injection in his bag.
Ed and the other elders looked in then disappeared, and the baby's heart rate stayed fast, only dipping slightly with a contraction, coming up again quickly afterwards. Birthing was not a community event, so Girdagan had no audience.
When the ridge of flesh was halfway down the baby's skull, to its ears, Nick and Lilli helped Girdagan move so she was squatting over the ashes of the extinguished fire. Nick poured alcohol from a big bottle over his hands and Lilli's, and rubbed a cloth soaked in alcohol over Girdagan's hands, too.
Between the alcohol and the sterile ashes, the baby would have a clean entrance to the world.
Lilli held Girdagan from behind, arms wrapped securely around her chest, and each contraction and push brought the baby closer and closer. When it crowned, Nick was vaguely aware of a generator chugging away briefly in the background.
He guided Girdagan's hands down to her baby's head, and she smiled at him, eyes wide, mouth falling open with delight. It did the trick, making her let go of her pelvic floor, and the baby's head eased out, supported by both Girdagan's and Nick's hands.
Quick slide of fingers around the baby's shoulder, to make sure the cord wasn't trapped, and Nick said, “Push now, Girdagan."
She did, and the baby slithered out, slippery and limp. Nick cleared the baby's mouth and nose quickly, using a small suction bulb. The baby cried, sharp and high and thin in the cold night air.
Nick had brought a clean cut-up blanket with him, and he wrapped the baby
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