In a corner of her mind, in between the waves of contractions, Juna smiled. The public nature of this delivery reminded her of the village of Narmolom, on Tiangi, where the idea of a closed door was an unknown concept. She could feel Dr. Engle’s hidden irritation at this small audience when they linked.
“It’s all right, Doctor, they aren’t distracting me. I like saving them here,” she murmured.
Then there was one last push, and the baby was out. The link between them remained, a little fainter now, but still there as Dr. Engle cleaned out the baby’s mouth and mrned her upside down to drain any remaining fluid from iw lungs. The infant, confused by the sudden transition arom the womb to the outside world, cried out, a lusty, Wealthy squall that brought tears of happiness to Juna’s eyes. Selena took the baby and laid her on Juna’s chest. Moki moved closer so that she could bring her linked arm up to hold the child.
Juna looked down at her daughter, enfolding her in love and happiness through the fading link. It was strange, seeing this baby she knew so well for the very first time. The infant grew still, her unfocused eyes wide with surprise and wonder.
“Hello, little one. Welcome. Welcome and love. Your name is Mariam. That was your grandmother’s name.” Juna remembered her mother holding Toivo out for her to see, how his small brown fingers had held her finger. If only her mother had lived to see her namesake. Tears of mingled joy and sorrow came at the thought.
Ukatonen gently eased them out of the link. Dr. Engle stripped the blood out of the umbilical cord and cut it. Confused, Mariam began to cry again. Juna held her until the crying stopped. Then she handed the baby to Selena, who washed her off and swaddled her warmly, while Moki watched.
“Here’s your sister, Moki,” Selena said, handing him the baby. “Why don’t you take her out into the common room and show her to the rest of the family?”
Moki took the infant, cradling her carefully. This was his sister, something no Tendu had ever had before. He proudly carried Mariam out to show to the rest of the family, handing her first to the family’s Eldest, Niccolo. Mariam stared muzzily up at his beaming, wrinkled face and white beard. Niccolo’s eyes shone with happiness as he held his new great-grandchild, gently bouncing her up and down for a few moments.
Niccolo passed the baby to Teuvo. “Congratulations, on your new granddaughter,” he said. Their eyes met over the newborn baby. Niccolo patted him on the shoulder. “It never gets old, does it?”
Teuvo shook his head as he smiled down at his new granddaughter, a look of wonder and awe on his face. Then he gently passed her along to Anetta.
“Welcome, Mariam,” Anetta said. “It’s good to finally meet you!”
Mariam began to fuss and Moki took her back. He slipped a spur into her skin to find out what was bothering her. She was hungry and frightened by the noise and the bright lights. He calmed her down and fed her a little through his spurs, then took her back to Selena.
“My sister, Mariam, wants to be some place quiet and dark,” he told her. “She’s hungry too.”
“Poor thing,” Selena said. “It’ll be a few hours before Juna’s milk comes in. I’ll give her a little water, but it’s better if she’s really hungry when she starts to nurse. We’ll put her down for a bit, and let her get used to being born.”
Selena laid her in the crib. “Isn’t she wonderful, Moki?”
“She’s so helpless,” Moki said. “She’d die without us to protect her.” He felt a sudden fierce protectiveness for this tiny mite. It surprised him to feel like this. It was not a particularly Tendu sort of feeling.
“But we are here,” Selena said, “and we’ll do our best to keep her safe and happy, won’t we?”
Moki nodded, and stuck his finger into the baby’s waving hand. Her fingers closed around his fist with surprising strength. She was not as helpless as he had first thought. Blue and green laughter rippled over his skin. “She’s strong,” he said. He looked up at Selena. “I’m glad she’s my sister.”
Selena touched Madam’s soft tan cheek. “It’s going to be wonderful watching her grow up.”
Mold’s skin flared a clear, strong blue. “Yes,” he replied. “Yes, it will be.”
Ukatonen excused himself and went to the kitchen, where he downed two apples, three slices of bread, and a cup of the humans’ honey, so much like that on Tiangi. Then he arranged a platter of food for Moki and the others. After helping Eerin through her daughter’s birth, he was profoundly glad that the Tendu laid eggs, and small ones, at that. He pushed open the door to the delivery room with his foot, and set his tray on a counter. While Moki, Selena, and Dr. Engle were eating, he sat beside Eerin.
“How are you feeling?”
She smiled down at the baby, and then back up at him. “Happy, but sore.”
“Shall I— ” Ukatonen began.
Eerin shook her head. “No. With all you and Moki did to ease my labor, I feel a lot better than most women do after giving birth.” She shifted cautiously on the bed. “Right now, I want to feel like I just had a baby.”
Ukatonen was puzzled. “I don’t understand.”
Eerin smiled again. “Having a baby is an important passage, Ukatonen. It seems right to be a little sore.” She yawned. “What I really need is some sleep. Would you take Mariam, and put her in her’crib for me?”
Ukatonen gently picked the infant up, cradling its warm, soft, fragrant head in one slender, long-fingered hand. She was such a fragile little creature, and so helpless. She would be entirely dependent on those around her for food, shelter, and protection for years to come. Suddenly, much of the humans’ strange behavior made sense. Without a fierce sense of love and protectiveness, how could they raise such demanding offspring?
He looked at Selena. She set down her cup, and came over.
“Here, let me help you,” she said. He laid Mariam carefully in her crib, then stepped back while Selena made sure the baby was comfortable.
“It’s all about this, isn’t it?” Ukatonen said to Selena as she smoothed the blanket over the baby. “It’s all about children.”
She glanced up at him, her face thoughtful and perhaps a little puzzled, and said gravely, “Yes, I suppose it is.” They stood watching as Mariam fussed experimentally for a while, then slid into sleep.
Over the next several weeks Ukatonen watched Eerin and her family and their children. For the first week Eerin had nothing to do except nurse the baby and rest. This was harder than it sounded, because Mariam woke every few hours to eat.
“Would it help if I taught her to fall asleep?” Ukato-nen offered.
Eerin looked startled. “I hadn’t thought of that. Can you do that?”
“Easily.”
So he and Eerin began linking with Mariam when she was put down in her crib, gently easing her into the rhythms of sleep. In about ten days the baby slept soundly, waking only once in the night for a feeding.
“Thank you,” Eerin told him, as they stood over the sleeping baby’s crib. “It’s been wonderful, watching you work with Mariam. Her brain is so crowded with possibilities. There are so many neural pathways. No wonder babies have such a hard time finding their way into sleep.”
Ukatonen looked up at her, ears spread wide. “Watching you and Mariam together, I understand humans much better.” He shook his head. “Your children are so helpless. No wonder you fight. You have to defend your children from a hostile world. Our young ones come to us able to survive on their own. From there, it is only a matter of teaching them to be Tendu. You must give them nearly everything.”