The Maternity & Lying-in Clinic (Rated M-NSFW, 18+)

Her cries echo through the small house as she struggles through the pain and writhes in bed. She grips her contracting belly, which has now swollen to that of a good-sized watermelon. Nearby, an old lady brings in a pot of hot water and soaks a washcloth before wringing it and wiping the young girl’s forehead. Although the elder whispers reassuring words into her ear, she is too focused on the pain and trying to breathe through it. How could this happen? Why is she in this spot? And who is responsible?

It was less than a year ago when she met him, she was freshly hired as a customer service agent and he was their trainer. From their first meeting, it was obvious he had his eye on her. But why her? She was a skinny, flat-chested petite 4’6” with thick black hair that never behaved and fair skin pockmarked by pimples and blackheads. She was also very shy and hardly had friends around her, and her go-to outfit was a simple pair of jeans, t-shirt and running shoes topped off with her signature too-large round spectacles carrying lenses that were thicker than the bottom of Coca-Cola bottles.

He was the darling on the floor, a 5’10” decent clean looking man in his early thirties who had slick well-combed hair, blemish-free complexion and a strong jaw covered in 5 o’clock shadow. He always came in wearing stylish button-down collared shirts and trim slacks with suave leather shoes. And he was a master at talking to customers, often receiving honors for being the best agent of the month and quarter prior to getting promoted.

During one difficult call, she placed her customer on hold and sought him out. As he was on his break, he helped her out and from there, they quickly connected. Soon enough, they were actively dating and within just a few months, he would make a move that would turn her world upside down.

The pains are now on top of each other as she wriggles about in the hard bed wearing a loose duster. She is covered in sweat and her eyes roll back with her panting and moaning in anguish. Every so often, a tired scream lurches from her mouth along with incoherent babble about her suffering. Despite this the old woman continues comforting her and assuring her it would all be over soon.

Her middle contracts violently, struggling to expel its fully formed contents out of her slowly spreading birth canal. Clutching the sheets in desperation, she continued wailing in pain with tears welling in her eyes. She feels so heavy, so helpless, so tortured and racked in agony. This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. This is all beyond her comprehension.

They met outside a motel just a few hours before their shift was to begin. He told her they needed to talk and she agreed to meet. Once inside the room, after much talking, he finally convinced her to take off her clothes and he did the same. They were soon making out with their naked bodies entwining each other. She quickly orgasmed and while she was lying there catching her breath with legs spread wide and her labial folds exposed, he quickly grabbed her legs and impaled her with his fully erect penis.

She found herself whimpering in pain as her virgin organs stretched causing her to bite her lip, eventually moaning in pleasure while he rhythmically pumped himself in her. Soon, she orgasmed yet again, this time more intensely than before, her toes curling and body trembling stiffly with her head thrown back and her mouth letting out a gasping shriek. Just seconds later, her boyfriend came equally hard as his back arched and he shot his hot sticky load into her.

The pressure in her pelvis has grown worse as the hours pass. Her voice has grown hoarse from all her screaming and moaning, and her normally messy hair becomes a thoroughly unkempt mass of strands all over her face, which is also streaming with tears as her body works to painfully heave the life within her out into the world.

Suddenly, with the next wave of pain, she feels the urge to empty her bowels and struggles to get up off the bed. As she nearly falls off the bed, her grandmother quickly catches her with her strong arms. She can no longer resist as she begins to bear down, grunting loudly as she does so. With the elderly lady gently encouraging her by rubbing her back and having her hang from her arms, she buries her head into her chest and pushes with the pain, noticing how surprisingly good it feels as she holds her breath.

This went on for a few weeks until she noticed her missed period. Then the nausea and vomiting came, along with odd cravings and an inability to tolerate smells that didn’t bother her before. And when she fainted while at work, she ended up in the clinic, where the nurse suggested that she undergo a pregnancy test. Another few weeks passed in denial before she took the test. The two blue lines are returned, leaving her in a state of shock and dread. And after her trainer boyfriend denied this and they argued over her not wanting an abortion, they broke up. He resigned soon after and disappeared from her life, never to be heard from again despite her repeated efforts to contact him.

Realizing her difficult situation, she contacted the only family member she fully trusted: Her 100 year old grandmother who lived several hours north on an isolated farm. After a long talk, the elderly lady invited her to visit and with her guidance, they prepared for what lay ahead. During those months, the young girl struggled with having to wear loose gowns and dresses while also facing odd looks and stares from her office mates. Her only solace at work was her humble pay and being able to get a full three months of maternity leave when she gave birth. And she tolerated the long hours on the bus to spend weekends with her trusted relative, as spending too much time alone in the small apartment she rented would drive her to madness.

Being of small stature, her belly grew immensely in the succeeding months and eventually bulged outward as if she had swallowed a whole watermelon by the time she was at full term. The backaches, the constant need to pee, the tender breasts, the mood swings, the lack of her usual energy. After going through all that over the past nine months, she wanted to be done with it all. So when she lost her mucus plug and noticed what felt like mild period cramps, she made her way to her home. And despite the pains getting worse throughout her long journey, as well as her waters breaking while in transit, she made it and now faced the next stage of her personal challenge.

She has been pushing for hours and progress was slow as her small frame struggles to birth her large baby, evidence of the father’s genetic influence on her offspring. The only thing keeping her going was her grandmother’s support, as she began to doubt her ability to survive the labor and delivery.

But soon, her baby begins to crown as the dark hair on its head becomes visible through her vaginal opening. As it continues descending further, she soon feels the dreaded “ring of fire”, as if her nethers are being set alight. To encourage her, she has been given a hand mirror and sees for herself that she is so close to having the baby.

At that moment, the young lady has a massive contraction that barely let up for several minutes. She takes a deep breath and groans loudly, pushing with all she has as the head finally emerges with fluids in tow, letting out a shriek as the widest part of the head stretched her opening to the point of tearing. She leans against a table as her grandmother quickly checks for the cord, which she manages to loop over the head.

Just as the elder manages to free the cord, the young girl is overcome by another painful waves as she grits her teeth and grunts loudly to push yet again. The baby barely moves. She pushes again. And again. And again. But nothing comes of her efforts, which leave her winded and on the verge of passing out. Her grandmother peers at the baby and sees the face flush red, a sign that its shoulder is stuck in the birth canal and both mother and child are in serious trouble.

Thinking quickly, she has her granddaughter move back to the bed despite being in a lot of pain with the head dangling from her opening. The old lady has her crunch her legs as close to her belly to help the laboring mother-to-be open up wider and allow the baby to be born. Soon, the young girl’s womb contracts anew and she bears down as hard as she can muster in her weakened state. Slowly but surely, the left shoulder emerges and stays there as she takes a breather. Pushing once more, her opening is torn even wider as it fully reveals itself.

Only the right shoulder remains before the rest of the body is born. After laboring for so long, she agonizes about being too tired to go on. But her grandmother encourages her on, reminding her she has made it this far and only a final push will end her suffering and expel the product of that encounter nine months ago into the world. Looking at her somewhat deflated belly, she shrieks through gnashed teeth as her abdominal muscles forcefully contract a final time with her womb, the right shoulder and the rest of its body sliding out with the last of her waters.

Skillfully, her grandmother rubs the 12 pound newborn until it cries then places it on the mother’s chest. Although she tells her it’s a girl, the new mother barely hears the words, staring blankly lost in a haze of thoughts as she realizes her life will never be the same again. Her body had done its part, now her mind and heart had to step in.

"Okay, and right here we have a typical birth setup in ancient Egypt. The midwives knew then, as we now know, that squatting is an ideal position for giving birth. And to facilitate delivery, aside from hanging ropes from the ceiling for support, the midwives would have the laboring woman squat on a pair of bricks for additional support, which we now know as birthing bricks. You can see here a pair of reconstructed birthing bricks as they would’ve appeared thousands of years ago. Notice the rich iconography rendered on each side of these simple unfired mud-bricks. Why, for all we know, Cleopatra herself could’ve squatted on them just like this when giving birth to her son with Julius Caesar…”

As the crowd walked on led on by the curator and tour guide, Bernice, a young girl in her early twenties stayed behind admiring the exhibit showing midwifery traditions in ancient Egypt. She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as she found the term “birth bricks” rather amusing indeed. She then felt a need to take a closer look at its unique curiosities, so after glancing around for security guards and other visitors she lifted the velvet rope and stepped quietly into the exhibit area.

Taking the birthing bricks off the pedestal, Bernice set them down then stepped on them gently and placed herself in a deep squat. To steady herself, she held onto the pedestal until she found her balance then grabbed her knees. She found the position somewhat uncomfortable and wondered how women could give birth this way. Taking a look around again, she slowly tried to ease herself up off the bricks and catch up with the rest of the tour.

But as she tried to stand up, Bernice started feeling dizzy, which forced her back to her squatting position. Trying again after a couple of minutes, she was met with an even worse fit of vertigo causing her to fall backward with her feet still on the bricks. As she struggled to get up her vision became blurry and she started hearing voices around her, in what seemed to be a frenzy of activity. She tried getting up yet again but fell back unsteadily and eventually passed out.

"Your Highness, wake up! Wake up! Come on, you're almost there! Quick, get me some hot water and clean cloths! Hurry!"

As she came to, she felt herself still in a deep squat but this time being supported by someone behind her with her arms draped around someone's legs. Her vision gradually cleared and she appeared to be in what was a large palace or temple with sunlight shining through the nearby doorway. She saw a number of women in loincloths hurriedly rushing about bringing things with them. Just in front of her was what appeared to be a long loop of cloth that hung from the ceiling. And kneeled at her front was a middle-aged woman in front of her dressed in a loincloth. She had exquisite brown skin, piercing black eyes and thin yet well-shaped lips within a heart-shaped face. And most of all, she spoke in a calm yet firm tone that got anyone's attention.

As she felt herself, she realized she was now wearing a thin fabric that was soaked in sweat. Her neck and arms felt heavy with jewelry stacked end to end. And she found herself breathing hard worn from fatigue. Her gown followed her breasts had grown significantly and were starting to leak milk, but most noticeably her belly that was now huge as if she was heavily pregnant. Before she could say a word, the woman facing her began to remove the jewelry on her neck and wrists.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"My Queen, relax. We're almost done here."

"Done? Done with wha--"

Before she could finish, Berenice began feeling what felt like the worst menstrual cramps ever. The pain caused her to moan loudly as it spread from her pelvis and lower abdomen toward her lower back. It quickly peaked and she was now squirming about in her place.

"Your Majesty, don't fight it. Help your heir be born, bear down with the pain."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Born?! But I'm not-- Hnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggh!"

"That's it, grab those ropes and keep on pushing. You can do it!"

Instinctively, Bernice grabbed the silken ropes in front of her and hung from her armpits as she continued to bear down, her face grimacing in the effort. The pressure in her pelvis persisted as her womb contracted forcefully in unison with her abdominal muscles, causing her unborn baby to descend further through the birth canal. Taking a deep breath, she went for another push before exhaling deeply and falling back on the midwife supporting her from behind.

"Very good, My Queen. Your baby is coming. It won't be long now."

"But I'm not pregnant! I'm not supposed to be pregnant! What am I doing here?"

The lead midwife stared intently into her eyes for a moment, then looked at her assistant behind her and nodded.

"Your Majesty, I'm Ashari, the royal midwife. You chose to become pregnant with the child you have with His Majesty Ptolemy XII. And now the time for the heir to be born is here, and you must help welcome it into the world."

"But I'm not from he--"

A contraction soon began welling from her womb and the pain was quickly peaking, causing her face to crumple in discomfort. She quickly grabbed the ropes and pushed again, taking a deep breath and tucking in her chin as she did so. After several seconds, she took another breath and went right back to bearing down before collapsing back on the assistant in exhaustion.

"I can't do it! It's too big! And I'm so tired!"

Ashari looked longingly at her and rubbed her inner left thigh gently as she started to speak.

"Your Majesty, whether you like it or not, you have a duty to bring forth an heir to the throne of the kingdom. The gods themselves declared childbearing to be both the most difficult and sacred task any woman can undertake, and it is now your turn as wife to the King to fulfill this task. And we, as your humble servants, are here to help. But only you can bring this child out of your womb and into the world, and you are almost done with your duty. My Queen, if your mother can do it, you surely can too."

For a moment, Bernice ruminated overwhat the midwife has said; this was soon interrupted by another contraction as she grabbed the cloth rope, took a deep breath and bore down with all her might. Ashari focused on her lips, which were finally starting to bulge and part as the head began to crown.

"That's it, Your Majesty! I can see the head, it's starting to come out. Keep pushing!"

"Oooh... Oh oh oh... Hnnnnnnnnngggggggaah!"

This contraction lasted longer than her previous ones as it peaked multiple times. Despite this, the midwives continued to provide support and cheer her on as she pushed again and again and again. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she started to feel an intense burning sensation in her vagina as the baby's head began stretching her almost to the point of tearing.

"Ooooh! Aaaaaah! It burns, it burns so bad!"

"My Queen, stop pushing. Don't push, just breathe! Breathe!"

"Hah! Ah ah ah ah... Hnnnnnnnnnnnggggggh!"

"Bernice, STOP! Blow, blow like you would a horn and let the air pass through your lips..."

"Hoooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..."

As she did so, her contracting womb gradually forced the baby out until its head had stretched her unimaginably wide, to the point the other midwives became enthralled with the sight and Ashari had to remind them to get everything else ready for the baby's arrival. As the bag of waters hadn't broken yet, the head was emerging inside the translucent sac, which drew even more attention from the midwives.

"Your Majesty, push with all you have."

"Hnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

As Berenice pushed, the shoulders began to emerge but the sac remained unbroken. She pushed again and as the rest of the body finally emerged, her waters broke and gushed all over the place. Quickly and carefully, Ashari took off the remaining sac and held the newborn upside down, slapping its buttocks until it began to cry.

"Congratulations, My Queen! You have a strong and healthy boy. And as he was born in the caul, he'll make an excellent ruler and bring even greater glory to Egypt!"

The other midwives prostrated themselves to the newborn baby and as Bernice leaned exhaused against one of the midwives, her vision became blurry and she started feeling dizzy again. The last thing she could recall before passing out were the cries of her newborn and the frantic instructions of Ashari as she worked to save her.

Bernice awoke and found herself back in the museum display, lying next to the birthing bricks she had removed from the pedestal. As she got up, she could hear the tour guide speaking so she quickly placed the birthing bricks back on the pedestal and hid behind it, so as the crowd passed she snuck in from behind and followed them toward the exit.

The 4′9″ 115 lbs lady had finally arrived at the large mansion on 115 Northrop Road. She rang the doorbell, after which she was greeted by a friendly lady. “Hi, Camille! So good you could make it on such short notice!” “Good morning, Mrs. Mann. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the kids, hope they’re doing okay.“ “Oh, please! Call me Shelley, it’s not like we don’t know each other!” “So sorry– Shelley.” “No worries, no worries at all! They’re doing great, let me call in their dad. Al! Al! ALPHONSO!” “Coming, honey! Just a minute!” After a few seconds, her husband came to the door out of breath. He held his hand up as tried to catch his breath. After a minute, with his wife looking on, he finally spoke. “Camille! It’s been so long since we saw you last!” “Yes, Mr. Mann.” “Hey, just call me Al, okay? Say, you seem pretty far along now.” “Y—-yes, Al. I’m due next week. And I need to save what I can for the baby.” “Well, it’s good you took up our offer. The wife and I won tickets to Tahiti a week ago and we’ve been struggling to find anyone to take care of our kids. We really appreciate it and Shelley and I promise to pay you well.” “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” “Think nothing of it. We’re just about packed and waiting…” They were interrupted by the beep from a car horn. “Honey, the Uber is here. Let’s go!” "Okay, I have the bags. Wait, did you leave instructions for Camille?” “Oh, right! Okay, here’s a list of numbers to call if anything comes up. And we talked over the phone about how the kids are.” “Yes, Shelley. I know just how to take care of them.” “Excellent! We’ll be back in a week and we’ve left some money on the fridge in case you need to pay for anything.” “Thank you. Oh, guess you’d both better get going.” “Yes, thank you so much, dear. Al, let’s goooooooooooooo!” “Sure thing. Take care of our kids, please.” “Will do. You both have fun now.” Despite their heavy luggage, the couple hopped into the car quickly and drove off. Rubbing her gravid belly, Camille sighed and brought her small bag of clothes and personal belongings inside with her. She knew working so close to her due date was risky, but she needed to earn money for her forthcoming baby. ***** As she lay in bed that night in the guest room, exhausted from babysitting three energetic children, she felt a hard cramp in her abdominal area. It made her sit up as it was more painful than anything she had felt before. It took over half a minute before it faded, and was more intense than the Braxton-Hicks contractions she was used to. She struggled to get up and headed for the bathroom down the hall, feeling a strong urge to pee. As she walked, another cramp took hold of her, forcing her to lean against the wall. The pain forced her to pant heavily as sweat began running down her forehead. As she focused on the pain, a small voice called to her: “Camille, are you okay?” She turned her head and saw it was Chester, the couple’s 5-year old son. As the pain faded away, she calmly approached him. “I’m okay, Chester. What’s wrong?” “I need to go to the bathroom.” Okay, let’s go. Then off to bed you go, okay?” Okay.” They walked hand in hand as she led him to the bathroom. Keeping the door open, she led him to the toilet and he lowered his pajamas to start peeing. In the meantime, Camille was hit with yet another contraction, causing her to lean on the doorframe as she grabbed her belly and started breathing in and out to get her through it. Chester noticed her as soon as he finished and tugged her dress in trying to get her attention. “Camille, are you okay?” “Hoo hoo hoo hoo… Oh god. I’m okay, Chester. Shall we get you to bed?” "Okay.” She managed to get him to the bedroom and tuck him in, but as she was leaving, another contraction caused her to fall on her knees, forcing her to lean on the bed. She bit the blanket as she tried breathing the pain away. It took almost a minute, but she was able to stand afterward. Chester then looked at her: “Maybe you should see a doctor, Camille.” “It’s okay, sweetie. Yes, I’ll call the doctor when you go to sleep. Good night.” “Good night.” She hurried out of the room and just managed to make it to the railing as yet another spasm forced her to lean hard and breathe harder. The pain was torturous as it spread around her back to the front of her belly. As she kept up her breathing, she realized that the contractions she had felt since that morning weren’t false labor pains any more. This was the real deal. ***** Camille looked at her watch tensely as she finished timing her contractions. This was definitely active labor, as her contractions were now 7-8 minutes apart and lasting 30 or so seconds long. She was now seated on the couch downstairs and it was 2:30 in the morning. She knew she had to go to the hospital, but she couldn't leave the kids home alone and she didn't know anyone who could babysit for her in a pinch. And she needed to complete her babysitting time to be paid, which would help in caring for her baby. Seeing no other option, she decided that she was going to have her baby at the Mann's residence and she could only hope that the birth would go smoothly. As quickly as her body would allow, she began laying towels across much of the living room and kitchen, stopping every now and then to lean against something when a contraction would overcome her. She also began heating water in their kettle and set it next to the couch where she figured she would give birth. By 4:00 AM, the contractions were getting far worse as they were now 3-4 minutes apart and 45 seconds long. She had now removed her underwear leaving her only in the pink dress that thinly covered her burgeoning belly and breasts. Camille found herself kneeling against the couch, with her facing the back rest and her buttocks exposed. Under her were towels that she laid, while she had clean clothes and hot water nearby. With each contraction, she would bury her face among the throw pillows to suppress her moans and screams and avoid waking the kids up. She was now starting to question the wisdom of her decision to take the babysitting offer on such short notice, as she figured she could be better attended to in a hospital or birthing center instead of relying on herself in an acquaintance's home. To avoid arousing further suspicion, her only light downstairs was the lamp next to the couch that offered a soft warm yellowish-orange glow. She also left the TV on to a news channel to further mask any noise she might make. And despite her pain, she tried her best to stay alert for the kids or anyone else who might come knocking at the door. ***** "Ooooooooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." Camille nervously looked at her phone. It was 5:00 AM and her contractions were the worst they ever were, lasting a minute long whilst on top of each other. She was furiously panting as she was taught in Lamaze class but the pain was so severe and without a coach at her side, she struggled to get through transition. "Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Ooooooooooh! Oh oh oh!" Despite this, she felt minor relief as her bag of waters finally broke, gushing onto the towels she knelt on. Streaks of blood tinged mucus were all over her inner thighs as she got closer and closer to the the next stage. ***** 5:30 AM. Camille had somehow weathered the worst of transition and the contractions finally spaced out. But she soon felt the pressure in her pelvic area intensify as she felt an undeniable urge to move her bowels. Shaky with fatigue, she tried to get up before falling back to her knees as it worsened. Finally realizing what was happening, she decided to give in and start with small brief grunts. "Hoh hoo hoo hoo... Ugh ugh ugh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo-- Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh!" Although she struggled with the first few contractions getting a feel of how to push, it actually felt surprisingly good to her knowing she was finally helping in the birth and soon got into the swing of it quickly. "Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnggggggggrrrrrrrr! Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnngggggggggaaaaaah!"   For a first-time mother, Camille was moving her baby down rather quickly as she began crowning. After the contraction faded, she got her hand mirror and leaned back enough to get a glimpse of her baby. Seeing the progress she was making, she decided to keep pushing with the next contractions. "Hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnggggggghh! Hoo hoo... Grrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnngggggh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnngggggggaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggh!" Her lips began to spread apart as the head pushed against her perineum widening into a teardrop shape. The dark hair was clearly visible, bulging outward against the thin skin of her opening and even causing her anus to bulge noticeably. But as she stopped pushing, it would retreat into her folds and be barely visible. She continued leaking amniotic fluid from her hindwaters each time she bore down. "Hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnggggggaaaaaaaaaah! Hoo hoo hoo... Gnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggh! Oh God, it huuuuuuuuurts! So baaaaaaaaaad!" By this point she managed to get the head to the point it was no longer retreating when she stopped pushing. But she faced a new challenge. "Hoo hoo hoo... Oh oh oh! Ow ow ow ow ow! It's burning, my cunt is on fire! Ow ow ow ow!" Her baby now stretched her lips grossly to a size most doctors would consider impossible. It was so huge she felt she was going to rip like a piece of paper. "Ooooooooowowowowowow! Gonna rip... Hoo hoo... Gotta ease it out... Hoo hoo hoo hoo..." She decided to squat against the couch, having read that it would greatly widen her opening and help her birth was was going to be a very large baby. "Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnggggggh! Hoo hoo hoo... That's it, baby. Hoo hoo hoo hoooooh!" As the head eased out she panted harder than ever and placed her hand on it to slow its exit and allow her to stretch. All the time she kept talking to the baby as if guiding its movements. "Hoo hoo hoo... Come on, baby... Hoo hoo hoo... Let mommy ease you out... Hoo hoo hoo... That's it, very good! Hoo hoo hoo hoo..." And with a muffled scream, she managed to birth the head. The sun was beginning to rise through the patio door and she was taken in awe for a moment as the scenery came to light. "Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnggggggggggggh! Hoo hoo hoo... Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Her womb was now working to expel the shoulders and she pushed long and hard to get them out. But despite her efforts, they wouldn't budge. She started panicking and feared the worst. Thinking quickly, she settled on all fours as she got down on the floor. As the contraction returned, she tucked her chin in and bore down with all she could muster. As she pushed, she sank her torso to the floor with her buttocks in the air. "Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggghhhhhhh!Come on, baby! Hnnnnnnnnngggggggggggh! That's it, baby, mommy needs you out!" Her pushes were finally bearing fruit as she felt the baby turn and the right shoulder beginning to emerge. "Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggh! That's it, baby! Hnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggh! Almost there! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggh!" The left shoulder soon followed and with one last gush of fluids, her baby was born as it landed on the wet towels. With the pain and pressure gone, Camille quickly picked up her baby and rubbed her gently with a dry towel, causing the baby to cry. She took off her dress and began nursing her newborn daughter. "Camille, are you okay?" The nanny looked up and saw Chester and his 3-year old sister Chloe looking at her from the steps. "Yes. I'm okay. But I'll call the doctor to be sure."

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… Ooooooooh Goooood it huuuuuuuurts!” “That’s it, keep breathing! You’re almost there, Amanda!” “Hoo hoo hoo… Why is it coming now? Hoo hoo hoo… I hate you, Lois! Hoo hoo hoo… I hate you, Jill! Hoo hoo hoo… Oooooooooooooh!” “We’re so sorry, girl. We thought you’d want to have a good time before the baby is born…” “Yeah, Lois and I only wanted you to get out. Had we known this would happen…” “Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… Too late… Hoo hoo hoo hoo… For that!” “I hate to break up your girl talk, but since Amanda is having a baby, I need you two to help here. Who among you is Lois?” “That’d be me.” “Okay, Lois. Call 9-1-1 right now, tell them we need an ambulance here. And you must be Jill?” “Y–y–yes.” “Good. Go to the concessionaire outside, ask for some clean clothes and hot water. Tell them the situation and guide them here. Now go!” “Okay. Hang in there, Amanda!” “I’m… Not… Going… Anywhere! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” “Amanda, there’s nothing we can do. Your baby is coming, I’ll need you to push soon. For now, keep on breathing when you feel a contraction. Understood?” “Hoo hoo hoo hoo… Ooooooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo…” Almost a year ago, Amanda was in her junior year of college taking up foreign studies and madly in love with Jordan, a sophomore business administration student. But after months of torrid steamy sex that got them into trouble on more than one occasion, a particularly long night of rough sex and a damaged condom led to her finding out she was pregnant. As if her heavy load for the next semester wasn’t enough, Jordan made himself scarce as soon as he learned the news and refused to answer her in any form of communication. Were it not for her good friends Jill and Lois, she would’ve likely slipped into a deeper depression and failed her subjects altogether. Upon the semester break, she broke the news to her parents, who were upset at first but soon offered their support to her in caring for the baby once it was born. She had decided to sit out the next semester until she had given birth, and confined herself to the house for fear of bringing ridicule and shame to her family. During this time, her breasts and belly grew more pronounced as her body adjusted to the baby in her womb, furthering her depression and self-loathing. "Hoo hoo hoo... I can't do this! It hurts, it hurts so much! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." "You've made it this far, your baby will be here very soon. Keep breathing!" "Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... How did I get into this mess?! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." "Now, now... Focus on your breathing, it'll be over soon." "Uhmmmmm... The ambulance is on its way." "Good... Now just wait for it outs–" "Loooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssss!" "I'm here, Amanda!" "Please don't let go of my hand. I'm scared!" "It'll be okay. I'm not going anywhere." "Good, 'cause... Ooooooooooh! Ooooooooow!" "Just keep panting and breathing, Amanda. We're almost there!" "Ooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." But after months of inviting her, Amanda finally decided she was going to celebrate one last girls' night out before giving birth. She put on a lovely deep red dress her mom had bought for her with a plunging neckline that accentuated her D cup breasts (which had grown from A cups) to the point of nearly popping out, which she covered with a satin black cardigan. Reaching up to her shins, the dress hugged her radiant curvy middle displaying it proudly. And despite concerns with her balance, she put on shiny high heeled shoes as she felt her first outing in months needed to make a splash. Jill and Lois picked her up at her house with an Uber that took them to Cilantro's, their favorite dining spot where she chowed down on a sizable meal before heading to the theater. It was after they left that she felt cramping in her abdomen, which she tied to indigestion. Because she had also been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, Amanda ignored the much smaller pains that she felt since the morning. But as they got more frequent and intense through the day, she momentarily thought of canceling the night out before eventually deciding to push through with it, for fear of jilting her closest friends. "Okay, I've got the clothes and hot water!" "Great, set them there. It looks like we're having this baby soon." "Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Heeeeeeeeey, what's happening? Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." Amanda, it looks like you're fully dilated. On the next contraction, start pushing." "Dilated? Push? What's going on?" "I think it means the baby is ready to come out and you have to help it out." "Help! What do you me-- Oooooooh! Oh, here it comes! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh!" "That's it! Lois, Jill... Support her while she's pushing." "Come on,  girl. You can do it!" "Ooooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh!" "Very good, you're starting to crown! I can see some dark hair down there!" "Oh oh oh... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggah! Oh my, oooooooooooooooooooooooh!" "If the contraction is gone, you can stop pushing. We'll do this again on the next one." It had been almost two hours since Amanda's waters broke and her labor picked up dramatically. She was exhausted and out of breath after struggling to push her first baby out into the world. She was bathed in sweat as her long wavy hair clung to her face. neck and clothes giving her a messy look. Before the paramedics arrived, Amanda was being helped by Tony, one of the performers who once served as a volunteer paramedic. And as she was stuck in the chair, their focus turned to delivering the baby and extricating her later on. But she was getting very exhausted and although the head had started to crown, it took its sweet time emerging as the baby appeared to be huge. "Okay, you're making good progress. Now push!" "Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnggggggggh! I can't! I can't I'm so tired! Just get it out of me!" "Amanda, only you can deliver this baby. You're so close!" "You've been saying that for two damn hours! Hoo hoo hoo... I can't, I can't do this!" "Yes, you can. And only once the baby is born can we get you out of your chair and bring you both to the hospital. But we need you to work with us and your body. Please." "Oooooooookaaaaaaay... Heeeeeereeeeee I gooooooooo! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh!" "That's it, you're doing it! Keep pushing!" "Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggaaaaaaaaah! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." Finally, Amanda was making progress as the head was no longer retreating when she stopped pushing. The tissues of her perineum were stretched tighter than a drum and the paramedics frantically worked to avoid her tearing by rubbing baby oil on the swollen area. As the head stretched her beyond what seemed humanly possible, she screamed in pain. "Okay, don't push! Don't push, you hear me? Let the baby's head stretch itself easy." "You want me to what?!" "Don't push, just pant and breathe. We'll tell you when you need to push, but breathe the pain away for now." "Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." "That's it, it's coming out nice and slow. You're almost done, Amanda." "Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..." "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the head is out! It's out! Boy, this baby is huge!" And there right between her legs was a huge head the size of a duckpin bowling ball, covered in dark hair and vernix. Quickly, Jill grabbed a mirror from her bag and angled it toward Amanda so she could see the huge head. She started to shed a tear as she realized her baby was on the verge of arrival. "Okay, on the next contraction, we'll give birth to the baby, okay? Are you ready?" "Yeah, I feel it now... Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggaaaaaaaah!" "That's it, left shoulder's out!" "Hnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" "Right shoulder out and here's the rest of him!" In a gush of fluid, her baby girl emerged into the hands of the paramedic, who quickly placed him on Amanda's chest while rubbing him vigorously to stimulate him to cry. As he let out his first loud wail, Amanda was sobbing uncontrollably as she now realized she was a mom and her life would never be the same again.

"While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn..."

"Hurry up already."

Mary muttered so as she felt a gnawing in her stomach during the priest’s homily. She had missed breakfast earlier this morning and was now very hungry. But she was determined to keep her Holy Communion streak alive, which she was forced to miss it because she had breakfast shortly before a mass at eight years old.

The sermon and the rest of the mass trudged along slowly but after much waiting the part she had waited for had arrived. Eagerly, she jumped out of her seat and ended up first in line. Minding her manners, Mary walked slowly with hands cupped at chest level as she prepared to receive the sacramental wafer. Due to the special nature of the Christmas Eve mass, she would also have the chance to dip it in the sacramental wine before ingesting it.

"Body of Christ..."

"Amen."

The priest, a bearded man in his forties with a receding hairline and genteel look and calm demeanor, took one of the wafers from a gold-plated bowl and gently placed it in her hands. She then faced the altar boy holding a chalice filled with the wine, which she carefully dipped her wafer in before placing it in on her tongue and returned to her seat quickly. She then knelt on the cushion in front of her pew, joined her hands and bowed her head in silent prayer. As her mind filled with prayers, the ambient noise around her was soon replaced by the voices of angels singing and as she opened her eyes and looked up, she now saw a bright light in the background that glowed against two figures. They were Elizabeth, cousin of the Mary, mother of Jesus, who was clearly pregnant and looked to be in full term, and the archangel Gabriel, resplendant with his flowing blonde hair, fair complexion and dazzling white robe. As she stared perplexed at the sight, Elizabeth then spoke:

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb..."

Mary felt troubled, but Gabriel stepped in and continued:

"Fear not, Mary, for you've found grace wth God. You shall conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, who you shall name Jesus. He shall be great, and called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of David His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And His kingdom shall never end."

Mary then spoke:

"How can this be? I mean, I don't even have a boyfriend!"

Gabriel looked at her kindly, then continued:

"The Holy Spirit shall descend upon you, and the power of the most High will overcome you. Therefore the son you will bear shall be known as the Son of God. Now, do you see your cousin Elizabeth? She conceived a son despite her advanced age, and far from being infertile she is now due to give birth. Because everything is possible with God."

As if in a trancelike state, Mary then replied,

"I am the handmaid of the Lord; let His will be done."

At that, Gabriel and Elizabeth faded away. Snapping out of her state, she now felt severe pain in her lower abdomen that came in waves. As she came to, she found herself covered in sweat and clutching her lower abdomen as the pain rippled through her. As he held onto her belly, it started to swell. And along with each swelling, her abdomen spasmed painfully causing her to yelp in pain. Those around her stared in horror at what was happening. Her v-necked tank top dress framed by a blue shawl struggled to contain her expanding midsection as it filled out with each pain she felt.

"Ooooow! Oooooooh! Ow ow ow! Ooooooooh pleeeeeeeease! Heeeelp meeee!"

She struggled to get up as her belly continued to swell past a typical full-term pregnancy. Yelping in pain, Mary managed to get to her feet and made her way toward the aisle. She felt delirious and exhausted, with her long shiny hair now clinging to her face and neck thanks to her being drenched in sweat. As she started falling to the ground, she felt strong hands catch her in the front. Shaking in pain, she looked up and saw the kindly priest who was officiating the mass earlier.

"Miss... Are you alright? What's your name?"

"M--m--Mary."

Mary, I'm Father Joe. Are you having a baby right now?"

"No no nooooooooooooooooooh! It can't be! I'm not supposed to be---"

"Yes, I didn't see your belly this swollen earlier during Communion. But that isn’t important now. Tim, Kevin! Bring her to my rectory and call 9-1-1!"

Without hesitation, the altar boys took her to a back door where the priest's quarters were. They lay her on the bed, and while one of them called for an ambulance, the other kept reassuring her.

"It's okay, Father Joe will get you to a hospital soon!"

"Oooooooow! Oooooooooooooh! Ooooooooh oooooooh! Hah! Hah! Ooooooooow! This shouldn't happen! This shouldn't be haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

After a few more minutes, Father Joe came rushing in.

“Okay, Mary. I need to check how far you’re dilated. In the meantime, I need you to blow. Pant for me. Go like ‘hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo’...”

“But it huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurts!”

“And that’ll help you get through the contractions. Now breathe with me... Hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

The priest took some hand sanitizer from his pocket and rubbed it on his hands. Gingerly, he raised her dress and pulled her panty down then checked her dilation. His face turned to amazement as he turned to the altar boys.

“It looks like she’s having the baby now. Tim, wait for the ambulance outside. Tell folks the next mass is cancelled for today. Kevin, get some clean towels from the box under the bed and prepare some hot water with the kettle.”

He then turned back to Mary, who was now writhing around in bed.

“Here’s the situation. You’re having the baby now and it seems it’ll be born before the ambulance arrives. Now I worked in Iraq as a medic before I became a priest, so I know a thing or two about medical emergencies. But I need you to trust me, okay? We’ll get you and your baby through this.”

“Ooooooooooooooh! Okay, what now?”

“On the next pain, I want you to take a breath and hold it in while grabbing your legs to spread them apart. You’ll push the baby out, understood?”

“Y--y--yes. Oh, oh, oh here it comes! It’s hurting again!”

“Now take a deep breath and hold it in. Push that baby out!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggh!”

“That’s it, take another breath and do it again!”

“Hoo hoo ooooooooh! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggaaaaaaaaah!”

“You’re doing good, I can see the head!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Gnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggh!”

“Grab your ankles and push again!”

Hoo hoo hoo.... Hnnnnnnnnnnggggggggh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

Okay, that’s it. Rest now, push on the next pain.”

As Father Joe looked on, he could see her perineum beginning to bulge with the baby’s head making it’s way out. Just then, Mary started screaming.

“Ooooooooooooooooooooow! Here it comes, here it comes again!”

“Just push like I taught you!”

“But I’m tired. I can’t do it! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“Yes, you can. You’re already pushing it out, it’s going to be here soon. Now push!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggaaaaaaaaah!”

“That’s it, one more time!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Gnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggaaaaah!”

As the priest looked on, he could see her vagina being stretched to an unbelievable size. This baby was clearly huge and to prevent her from tearing, he did his best to massage the thin skin stretching around the huge head.

“Okay, Mary! Stop pushing! Just breathe, pant like what you were doing!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“That’s it, the head is starting to come out. Just keep breathing, I’ll tell you when you need to push.”

“Oooooookaaaaaay! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

As Mary breathed and panted furiously, the massive head covered in dark hair slowly slid out until it fully emerged, followed by a gush of her waters.

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Oh my God! Ooooooooooooooh!”

“The head is out, Mary. Just relax, I’ll check for a cord. We’ll try to push it when you feel the next pain.”

He felt around the baby’s neck for a cord, which he found was loosely wrapped so he looped it over its head. As he just managed to loop it over, Mary screamed again.

“Father, I need to puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggh!”

“Okay, let’s get these shoulders out. Push again!”

“Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggaaaaaaah!”

With that, the right shoulder emerged.

“Hoo hoo hoo... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggaaaaaah!”

The left shoulder was out as well.

“Okay, Mary. Just the body now. Give it all you have!”

“Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”

The rest of the baby’s body slid out as it began to cry lustily. As Father Joe, held the baby in his arms, a bright light shone through the window and an angel appeared. As the priest stared at the white winged figure, it spoke.

“Greetings, I bring you tidings of great joy, Joseph. For in your arms is the Messiah, the hope and savior of all mankind.”

As the altar boy Kevin ran out in fear, Mary and Father Joe stared speechlessly at each other, trying to comprehend what was happening.

*This is a fan fic inspired by the CBS/ Warner Bros. Television TV sitcom The Big Bang Theory in partnership with @bryanklemm. This work is neither for profit, nor do we claim ownership to any characters or settings used in the story. The Big Bang Theory and its related indicia are property of creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, as well as CBS and Warner Bros. Television.

“Leonard, I’ve gotta push… NOOOOOOW!”

“Penny, no! Not yet!”

“But it’s coming! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh!”

“Hang on, we’re halfway to the hospital!”

“HALFWAY?! How do you know that? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnngh!”

“Google Maps says…”

“I don’t care what Google Maps says! It’s coming now! Hnnnnnnnnnnngggggh!”

“Well, you have to breathe. You’re going to have the baby in the car and we don’t know if there are any complications or what–”

“Not helping, Leonard! Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Hee hee hee hee…”

“Okay, okay… Remember that breathing we did in class, the Lamaze thing?”

“Hee hee hee… Led by that stupid hippie– Hee hee hee oooooooooooooooh!”

“Now now, remember what she taught… Breathe, pant like a dog…”

“Wait, you’re calling me a dog now?! Hee hee hee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Just do it, okay? Like this… Hoo hoo hoo hoo. Now you do it.”

“Oooooooooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…”

“That’s it, keep going Penny! We’re almost there!”

Penny placed her feet up on the dashboard as she struggled against her body’s efforts to push. The pressure in her perineum had grown dramatically as she was in a race against time to deliver her baby in the hospital. She was in a lot of pain as the contractions were crashing into each other, with one following on the heels of another.

It all began roughly ten months ago, just weeks before Leonard Hofstadter was scheduled to join an expedition to the North Sea off Northwestern Europe. They had just gotten together again recently and had been careful about their approach to each other. That was, until that fateful night when they were watching the stars above their apartment. As they looked at the stars, they began holding hands and soon found themselves gazing into each other’s eyes. They felt fireworks and soon found themselves in bed, having some of the best sex of their young lives.

Just over a month into his trip to the North Sea, Penny had begun feeling nauseated and also missed her period. Three pregnancy tests in the same night had confirmed her suspicions: She was pregnant with Leonard’s child. Trying to recall what happened, she suddenly recalled she had forgotten to get her quarterly shot of her injectable contraceptive that day. Although this distressed her a lot, consulting with her friends Bernadette and Amy helped reassure her that she was going to be fine. But what about her boyfriend? How would he take the news? Would he accept or reject it outright?

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… How much longer? Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…”

“I’m sorry, there’s a traffic jam ahead. The quickest route to the hospital and we’re going to be stuck here.”

“Hoo hoo… WHAT?! No, I’m not giving birth to our daughter…

“Uh, son.”

“WHATEVER! IN OUR CAR! You find another route to the hospital… Hoo hoo!”

“Wait, checking Waze now…”

The Waze app finally began to load and after quickly entering the destination hospital, he was given a new route.

“WELL?! Oh, here it comes again!”

“Penny, you can do this. Now breathe… Hoo hoo hoo.”

“Hoo hoo hoo… So which way… Hoo hoo hoo… Do we… Hoo hoo hoo… Go?!”

“We’re taking that offramp. It’ll take 20 minutes more, but we may still make it.”

“Hoo hoo hoo… MAY STILL MAKE IT?!”

“Hang on, Penny!”

As Leonard pumped the gas pedal, he managed to make a neckbreaking U-turn and took the offramp to the alternate route. He hoped he would be able to make it before their baby made its way into the world.

Upon his return four months later, she showed him the test results and her small but growing baby bump. Rather than reject the child, he embraced fatherhood and was determined they get married and settle into a family life soon. And with close family and friends present, they tied the knot in a simple ceremony. By this time, she was just mere weeks away from her due date and her large belly billowed from underneath the wedding gown.

In between those dates, the normally fashionable Penny’s growing midsection forced her to change her fashion tastes, eschewing her hot gowns and form-fitting dresses for stretchy shirts and yoga pants at home, while she would upgrade to blouses and leggings or jeans when she had to go out. Despite the discomforts, her pregnancy was progressing surprisingly well and their baby appeared healthy and developing normally. And while she had some out-of-this-world cravings (like her hankering for chili peppers and mango ice cream at 3:00 AM), her dutiful spouse somehow managed to get what she wanted and keep her satisfied.

In an attempt to overcome his awkwardness with kids to prepare for fatherhood, Leonard had been reading parenting books and trying to get advice from his own parents, as well as Sheldon’s mom and Penny’s dad. And he had been a constant presence at Penny’s Lamaze classes, knowing that he would eventually be called on to help her during labor.

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo… How… Much… Longer… Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

“We’re getting close, Penny. Just hang on, I mean, both of you hang on.”

“Well, the baby won’t wait… Oooh, here it comes again! Ooooooooooooooow!”

“Do the breathing! Do the breathing!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…“

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooow! Hey, that hurt!”

“Now you know how it feels!”

During her last contraction, she managed to grab his right arm and pinched him so hard that it left a bruise on his arm. Despite this, he managed to keep his focus as the hospital was finally in sight.

“We’re almost here. How are you doing?”

“Doing?! I’m in terrible pain with a baby coming out of me! Of course it hurts! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… I hate you, Leonard Leakey Hofstadter!”

“Ouch. That’s a little harsh.”

“Well, whose idea was it to go to that damn Star Trek con and bring me along anyway?! Ooooooooooooooooooh… Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

Earlier that day, Leonard was set to attend a Star Trek convention and it was an event he had waited more than a year for, with practically every major star of the franchise present that day. Despite Penny’s misgivings about attending, he convinced her to join him, even making her wear a yellow Star Trek dress with matching black boots. Her dress stretched visibly with her full-term belly as they made their way through the crowded convention, drawing the attention of plenty in attendance.

They were attending a meet-and-greet featuring actors William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, who were known for playing captains on their respective Star Trek TV series. Penny felt very uneasy as she had been feeling contractions since early that morning, although she dismissed them as the recurrent false labor pains. But now, she felt a wetness in her seat and as she looked down, she saw it was practically soaked. And now, she felt a contraction that was more painful than any of the previous ones, causing her to gasp in pain. This caught Leonard’s attention, who saw the pained expression on her face.

“Penny, are you okay?”

“No! What does it look like? I’m having the baby!”

“Oh God… Oh, oh, we’ve got to get you to the hospital!”

“No kidding, Sherlock…. Oooooooooooh!”

“That’s it, we’re leaving now.”

Leonard helped Penny up as she struggled to get off her chair. As they tried to make their way through the crowd, the sheer number of people prevented them from being able to leave. Soon, Penny was overtaken by another contraction and let out a loud moan. This got everyone’s attention, including that of the guests.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” called William.

“Oh… Uhhh… I am Leonard Hofstadter and I’m okay… But my wife is having the baby now and we need to go to the hospital now.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” says Patrick. “We’ll help you to your car, everyone let them pass!”

As the guests left their table and walked over to the couple, the throng of people began parting. They took Leonard and Penny with them as they made their way out of the venue and into the parking lot. As they rushed off to the hospital, they bid farewell to the celebrities who got them out of a tight spot.

The brakes screeched as Leonard stopped right at the emergency exit. He hurried toward the door.

“Help! My wife is in labor! She’ll have the baby any minute!”

“Leonard! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…”

“I’m here, Penny.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… Don’t leave me, okay?”

“I won’t, I promise.”

They caught sight of an orderly with a wheelchair, who helped seat Penny into it as they quickly rushed inside. As they reached the desk, he started speaking with the nurse stationed there.

“Name?”

“Penny Hofstadter.”

“Age?”

“Uhm…”

“Complaint?”

“She’s in labor…“

“How long?”

“A few hours, may–”

Just then, Penny interrupted her husband and the nurse.

“Listen to me! Hoo hoo hoo… I’m having a baby now… Hoo hoo hoo… So you’d better do something… Hoo hoo hoo… Before I wring that neck dry! Oooooooh!”

A doctor overheard the conversation and joined in.

“Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Meade here. What’s happening here?”

“My wife is in labor, she may have the baby any minute…”

“Now now, let me check on her,” as he pulled her leggings down to examine her. “Oh my, she’s already crowning. Nurse, bring her to the delivery room now.”

The nurse quietly nodded and began wheeling her toward the delivery room. Dr Meade stopped Leonard, forcing him to let go of Penny.

“We need you to change your clothes,” he said, bringing Leonard to a changing room. “When you’re done, head to the second door on the left down the hall where your wife will be.” He then left him there.

Leonard grew more nervous as he began hearing Penny’s screams of pain nearby. Steeling himself, he quickly changed into a gown and cleaned himself up, then rushed to the room. He saw Penny writhing around in a semi-seated position, naked from the waist down with her legs in stirrups. She was sweating heavily with her hair messily clinging to her face and neck. He hastened to her side just as the doctor placed himself between her legs.

“Okay, Penny. This is it. Push on the next contraction, your baby is almost here.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggh!”

“That’s it, you’re doing so well. The top of the head is out!”

“Do you hear that? The head is coming out!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo… I know… Hoo hoo hoo grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnngh!”

“Okay, now stop pushing. Just blow it away, we don’t want you to tear.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo… It burns!”

The baby’s head slowly stretched her wide as the forehead, brow, eyes, cheeks, nose, lips and chin soon made their way out. Penny was exhausted at this point, but the finish line was finally in sight.

“Now, Penny… A big push for the shoulders and the baby will be here. Are you ready?”

Penny nodded and went right to putting all her remaining energy into that last push.

“Hoo hoo hoo… Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggggggggnnnnnnnnh!”

The shoulders soon slipped free and the rest of the body followed as their baby was placed on her belly. As they finally held their loudly crying baby, tears welled from the young couple’s eyes and they exchanged their most tender kiss in so long.

“How could you do this to us? We never taught you to lie, cheat, steal or murder. And now, we’re never going to get that back, all because you fell for someone over the goddamn Internet! That’s it, you leave now! And don’t ever come back!”

As Clyde quietly walked upstairs to his room, he was left to rue a decision he had made months ago. It all began when he set up a profile on the dating site FlameFinder.com. At 25 years of age, while he had completed a college degree, he had been unlucky in finding work after graduating and as a result, lived with his parents while taking freelance artistic projects in the Atlanta area for income. He had also been hapless in love for all of his life and so, upon the advice of a friend had set up a profile on the site late last year. And as each month passed with no interested girls, he began to slip deeper and deeper into despair.

Then, just some weeks ago, he got his first potential match. It was lady named Rose, a 25 year old Chicago native. During their first meetup on chat, she had been very sweet to him and she even expressed excitement about being able to eventually have a video chat (as she claimed she didn’t have the money to upgrade her computer at the time). They talked endlessly for days at a time and before he knew it, Clyde was falling for her fast and hard. After all, her profile pic showed a slim, fair-skinned lady with jet-black hair, piercing dark eyes and sizeable cleavage, which was well beyond any expectations he had. She even mentioned her work brought her across the Atlantic as she also met up with her European contacts every few months in London (which was in a few days), and she planned on a return trip to meet him personally in Atlanta so they could have a date.

But before she was scheduled to fly back via Atlanta in the morning, she contacted him the evening before via chat. This was their conversation: “Hey, r u busy?”

“No, i’m not. Wasup?

“So sorry 2 bug u, but am on d plane back 2 the US & just found my wallet is missing. All my imprtant papers r there, IDs, cash, credit cards... Y am i so stupid?”

“Calm down, u’ll be ok. U reported this already?”

“Yeah, but 4 now i’m broke and nid show money 2 my bosses or am in big trouble. Cn u help me?”

“I don’t hv $ w/ me now, but let me see what i cn do.”

“Ok, cuz i nid $500 to sort dis out. Promise i’ll pay u bck by Friday. And if u could snd via Western Union, that’d be gr8!”

Clyde tried borrowing from his friends by contacting them but none of them could spare that amount. Then he recalled the life savings his parents kept in a jar in their closet. While he hasn’t touched it before, he know his folks always kept it filled with cash for a rainy day and they would only return tomorrow from their trip to Las Vegas. As he wanted to help her badly, he took a risk and went into their closet, spotting the large glass jar on the topmost shelf. He grabbed the nearby stepladder and reached for the jar. He could barely calculate it, but he estimated the jar to have at least $100,000 in bills alone based on its weight. He quickly pulled out $500 worth of bills, then returned the jar and stepladder to its rightful place. He got back to her quickly.

“I got $500 frm mom’s acct. Will snd via Western Union in a few, what name do i use?”

“Rose Whitehead, Chicago, IL, USA. Tnx so much, hw quickly cn u snd it?”

“Lemme see what i can do, brb.”

Clyde quickly Googled the nearest Western Union branch, which was at a convenience store four blocks away. Quickly, he locked up the house, got on his bike and pedaled like mad to the store. From there, he filled out the form, sent the money and got back home all within 15 minutes. However, when he got home, he had a look of surprise as he saw his parents pull into the driveway. He rode up to them and asked what had happened. They told him an emergency came up where they had to visit their cousin in New Orleans who was dying of lung cancer, which caused them to go earlier than planned. When they asked him where he came from, he said he had to visit a friend who needed help. He helped them bring down and unpack their things, then quickly got back to her on chat.

“There, sent via WU. Transaction no. is XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX”

“Tnx so much, will pay u Friday. Love u!!! XOXOXOXO”

She signed off soon after, and was never heard from again. Friday came and went, still no word from her. His best efforts to reach her were in vain, as it finally dawned on him what had happened. He had been scammed of $500 and he used his parent’s money to allow the crime to happen.

His mother eventually noticed that $500 was missing when she checked on it to pay for his dad’s hospital bill as he was undergoing cancer treatment. When confronted with this, Clyde broke down and admitted to everything that had happened. And although they were able to eventually cover the amount, this put a great strain on their already fragile parent-child relationship and he was finally asked to move out.

Clyde was packing his things for his departure when he decided to go up to the attic to get anything else that was his. As he walked around the dusty loft, he saw an old book cover in leather with gold lettering. Out of curiosity, he took the book cover, blew off the dust and saw that it was a drawing book that belonged to his late Grandpa Jim. As he opened it and turned each page, he was amazed by the skill of his deceased relative as it showed people in various poses. And below each pose was the name of a person written in his grandpa’s typical flourish. And then he started to notice a pattern.

On the first page was a drawing of a man who fell from a high building with the name Jack. On the next page, a man who was electrocuted with the name Andrew. And on the third page, he saw a drawing of a woman being struck by a car with the name Carla below it. Although he didn’t recognize the first two, he recalled hearing the story of his grandpa’s ex-girlfriend in college who had cheated on him with the captain of the football team. As the story went, she eventually died when a car struck her as she was leaving the parking lot. This chilled the young man to the bone. Was Grandpa Jim simply using the deaths of people as subjects for his art, or was there something more to all this?

As his parents were out for the day, he decided to do a sketch of his own. On his mind was the woman who scammed him and his parents of hard-earned money. Recalling the sexy and flirtatious pictures in her profile, he jokingly drew her struggling on the ground with an over-distended belly, with a baby emerging from between her legs. And imitating Grandpa Jim’s flourish, he then wrote her name “ROSE” in large letters. After staring intently at his quick sketch, he decided to take the drawing book with him and continued packing his things in preparation for his moving out. He was upset that he had allowed himself to be used by a scammer to rob his family, and that it had driven a wedge between him and his parents. Never again, he vowed. For now, he had to do what they wanted as punishment for his misdeed and he could only hope they would give him another chance next time.

When they finally arrived, he could only mutter a tearful “I’m sorry” to them as he boarded a taxi to the nearest bus terminal. He decided he would join his old friend in Chicago who had started an art school there and restart his messed up life. On the way to the bus terminal, he took out Grandpa Jim’s drawing book and looked intently at the sketch he had made. He hoped karma would eventually catch up to her and make her pay for her crimes. But for now, his focus was on finding opportunities elsewhere. He felt the city where the scammer who took much from him had come from could be the very same place that gave much more back to him. Quietly sighing, he drifted into a nap with the drawing book open on the page with his sketch.

Rose had just boarded a plane from Chicago to London and sat down to check her little notebook of her legal and illegal earnings. Aside from Clyde, she had scammed another five unlucky gentlemen, with one in particular netting her $10,000 after she pretended her mother was deathly ill and lacking in funds for major surgery. And to reward herself for a good week, she had purchased a stylish white dress which revealed her cleavage along with white strap-tied high heeled shoes. She was now intent on enjoying her newfound wealth on the other side of the pond, with nary a care for the victims she preyed upon.

As the plane began to settle at altitude, she started feeling an intense churning in her stomach. She bolted from her seat and scurried to the toilet, where she spent the next 15 minutes retching violently and vomiting practically everything she ate that day. After this was done, she managed to get herself cleaned up and gingerly walked back to her seat. Feeling sick, she sat down and asked for some water from the stewardess. The attendant soon returned with a glass of water, which she eagerly gulped. Figuring she had a few hours left on the flight, she took a quick nap. Rose was soon awakened to severe menstrual cramps that barely seemed to let up. As she tried stroking her belly to ease the pain, she suddenly felt it being firmer and larger than before. Taking a closer look, her belly had now swollen to that of a four-and-a-half month pregnancy, which showed an obvious bump. As the pains continued, she tried her best not to get attention from her fellow passengers by panting the pain away. But she couldn’t hide the massive swelling of her belly as the minutes passed, and she soon ballooned to six, seven, eight, nine and even ten months. Her dress struggled to contain the expansion and at this point she was now a sweaty mess with her hair all over her face and neck. Finally, her midsection stopped growing and she now had the belly of someone in her eleventh month of pregnancy, or someone carrying quintuplets. The pain seemed to ease for the moment, leaving her bewildered at the fate that had befallen her.

The short-lived respite was to be followed by a torrent of liquid gushing from her nethers as her massive bag of waters broke. The labor pains returned with a vengeance, causing her to moan and scream in pain with barely a letup in intensity and length. This drew the attention of her fellow passengers, amazed at what they were now witnessing. Despite the initial surprise, the flight attendants sprung into action and along with a doctor who happened to be on the same flight, determined she was in advanced labor and she would be giving birth soon. Her massive size forced all three flight attendants and another four passengers to help carry her to the first class section, where there were wider seats to accommodate her condition.

Rose was soon left with two of the attendants and the doctor at the rearmost section of first-class. She was screaming and groaning like crazy as her body fought to birth the baby (or babies) inside of her. She was finally crowning and seeing this, the doctor gave her the signal to start pushing.

“Okay, Rose. I need you to hold your breath for me and bear down.”

“Bear down? What do you mean-- Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!

“The doctor means you have to push, Rose.”

“I’m not supp-- Oooooooooooooh! To have... Ooooooooooooooow! A BABY!”

“You’re having a baby now, so you must help it be born!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnngggggggggghhhh! Hoo hoo hoo... Gaaaaaaaaaah!

“Okay, that’s it. Now get a breath and do it again.”

“Hoo hoo... Guyaaaaaaaaah! Hoo hoo hoo... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaah!”

“Yes, very good. The head is coming.”

“Coming? What the-- Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggh! Hoo hoo hoo!”

This continued for several agonizing hours as the massive head slowly descended and made its way out of her body. Although the doctor did his best to prevent her from tearing, the huge head forced its way out in a massive contraction and bearing down effort.

“Okay, the most difficult part is over. Now, just the shoulders need to be born and the rest of the body will follow.

“Wait, that was just THE HEAD?! Now sho-- Ooooooooooooooooooooooooow!”

“Breathe, let your body bring out the shoulders.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo.... Oooooooooooooow! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

The equally enormous shoulders soon followed as Rose struggled and writhed around trying to get the smallest amount of relief she could. After a final push, a large baby boy weighing 15 pounds was born. But just as the doctor lifted the baby boy to her, she screamed in pain. Taking a closer look, it was apparent her belly had not fully deflated yet and a second baby was on the way.

“Looks like we’re having twins today, Rose.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME? First, I’m pregnant for no reason and NOOOOOW?!”

“Yes, very good, you’re moving the second baby down well.

“Hoo hoo hoo... This is... Hoo hoo hoo... Madness!”

“And the greater madness is not to help your baby be born. Now push harder!”

“Hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggaaaaaaaaah!”

“That’s it, you’re doing good.”

However, greeting the doctor would be the baby’s feet, indicating this was going to be a more challenging breech birth. As she hollered in pain, the doctor tried to regain order.

“Okay, Rose. Listen to me. Your second baby is coming out feet first. Now we need to get him out, so I need you to focus on pushing. Are we clear?”

“Do I have a choice? Hoo hoo hoo... Here it comes, here it comes!”

“That’s it, push as hard as you can!”

“Hoo hoo... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggggh!”

“Yes, that’s it. The feet are coming out, I can see them!”

“Hoo hoo hoo... Guyaaaaaaaaaaaah! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

The feet finally slipped out of her and the rest of the body slid out until it stopped at her torso. With the next push, she managed to expel the shoulders having been stretched wide by the first twin. Now came the crucial head as any delay in the delivery, with the cord being compressed by the head and birth canal, could cause brain and spinal damage to the baby. Carefully, the doctor cradled the body into his hands and arms to support them while her body prepared to birth the head.

“Rose, this is it. You must give birth to the head quickly, so on your next contraction, give it all you have.”

“I can’t, too tired.”

“No, you can’t quit now. I’m here to help but only you can get the baby out. So you need to push for your life because this baby is counting on you to bring him into the world. Do you understand?”

Covered in sweat and exhausted from the long delivery phase, she could only nod. And as her womb contracted forcefully, she pushed with an almighty scream that could be heard throughout the aircraft. In that moment, the head was finally born and she went limp with exhaustion and a glazed look in her eyes.

“Congratulations, Rose! You have two very healthy baby boys, 15 pounds each at least!” the doctor said excitedly.

“Yes indeed, congratulations--” the stewardess trailed off as she noticed Rose wasn’t responding to anything. “Doctor, doctor!”

“Oh no, she needs to go to a hospital immediately! How far are we from the nearest airport?”

In her hazy state, Rose could barely make out the loud crying of her newborn twins and the frantic conversation of the two people who had aided her.

Clyde’s bus was parked at a bus stop and he happened to be having a quick bowl of hot soup when he heard the news, which made him turn his head toward the TV:

“And earlier today, a woman on a flight from Chicago to London gave birth to surprisingly large twins with the help of flight attendants and a doctor who happened to be on board. According to one of the attendants, the passenger Rose Whitehead didn’t appear to be pregnant when she first boarded the flight but after she was found screaming in pain, her belly had swollen to tremendous size and she had to be helped to the first class section, where she delivered two 15-pound boys. She is now in a London hospital being attended to along with her kids. In the meantime, the attendants and doctor have been hailed as heroes for their deed today and will be recognized by the airline...”

A clip of her being wheeled out of the plane managed to focus on one of the babies, who looked just like him. Having his bag with him, he took out the sketch pad and looked at his drawing of her one more time. Piecing his story he was told as a child with the news , he determined that there was truth to Grandpa Jim’s about the pad and vowed not to tell anyone before finishing his soup. As he boarded the bus, he cracked a smile knowing karma could indeed be quite an unforgiving bitch.

*This is a fan fic inspired by The CW/DC/ Warner Bros. Television TV series The Flash in partnership with @bryanklemm. This work is neither for profit, nor do we claim ownership to any characters or settings used in the story. The Flash and its related indicia are property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Television.

7:00 AM.

"Good morning, beautiful.”

Iris woke from her slumber with those words. Turning around, she saw the gentle smile of Barry as he looked at her.

“Hey, you’re up early.”

She leaned forward giving him a tender kiss. Cuddling toward him, she held him tight.

“That was so amazing.”

“Yeah, it sure was.”

“I wish we could stay in bed all day.”

“Me too. Too bad we have things to do today.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll...

Suddenly, Iris bolted from bed holding her belly and covering her mouth, and dashed for the bathroom. She knelt at the toilet and began retching rather violently. Concerned, Barry got up quickly and followed her, where he rubbed her back gently as she continued throwing up. As she continued throwing up, her caramel skin began to display an odd bluish glow that soon began to grow brighter and brighter. As she let out the loudest retch of her life, the glow became blinding and her lover had to cover his eyes to protect them. The light quickly faded and Iris was left slumped over the toilet, breathing hard and covered in sweat. Realizing this was no ordinary illness, Barry quickly called Joe and Caitlin to bring her to StarLabs for a checkup.

8:00 AM.

Iris awoke to find herself in a gurney at StarLabs. She had been hooked up to various monitors measuring every imaginable vital statistic (and a few recently discovered ones) and the heart rate monitor beeped at her steady pulse. As she opened her eyes, she saw her father Joe, her lover Barry, and Caitlin and Cisco surrounding her and looking on in concern.

“Barry, Dad... Where-- Where am I?”

“You’re in StarLabs, Iris. Barry said that while you were vomiting, he saw something unusual about you that he wanted the guys here to check out.”

“It’s okay. After speaking with Caitlin and Cisco, they agreed to have you checked.”

“Okay, so what’s happening?”

Caitlin then spoke, “Apparently, you’re pregnant. And this isn’t any ordinary pregnancy, either.”

“Wh-what’s going on? And what is ‘not ordinary’?”

“Okay, here’s what we know,” she continued, “the fact is that Barry is a meta-human. The same explosion that gave him his powers also altered other parts of his biology in other ways we never expected. And it may have altered his sperm.”

“Altered his what?”

Cisco stepped in. “What Caitlin’s trying to say is something as simple as Barry’s sperm, due to his now being a meta-human, has also been affected so it no longer is like ordinary sperm. Here, we can show you what’s happening inside of you.”

He then prepared the ultrasound probe as Caitlin gently pulled up Iris’ green dress to reveal her flat abdomen. After placing some gel, she took the probe and gently went around her abdomen. Gradually, the hazy image on the screen became clearer as the image soon revealed what appeared to be a tiny embryo in the womb. Along with the attached fetal heart rate monitor, there was a clear pulse proving clearly that Iris was indeed pregnant. There was silence as everyone was focused on the monitor, as the young couple held hands and started to shed tears at the sight. Even the veteran Joe couldn’t hold back his emotion, looking at them with a smile that could melt an iceberg.

“I hate to break up the baby shower, everyone, but we’re missing the point here,” said Caitlin. “The fact that she started glowing mysteriously and that this pregnancy seems to be progressing very rapidly is a sign that this isn’t your typical bun-in-the-oven. So we’d like to keep you, Iris, under further observation, until we can figure out what’s happening with you. Maybe a day or two here is best.”

“But I can’t stay. I have a-- Oooooooooooooh! Oooooooooooooooow! Oh! Oh!” Iris was cut off as she started to feel a growing pain in her abdomen. It felt much like her menstrual pains, but it was far worse. “Oh, oh... Ooooooooooow!” Along with the intense pain, she was starting to glow again and bright beams of light shot out from every opening in her body, even her eyes.

“Iris! Iris!” was all Barry could say as she moaned in pain and started writhing violently as her womb began to contract much like in labor pains. Hearing the commotion, Caitlin and Cisco rushed in. Instinctively, she took the ultrasound probe and after managing to get the patient steady with everyone’s help, she started scanning around the patient’s belly. To her amazement, she started to see the embryo grow significantly, growing from one-month old to two months old in a matter of a few minutes. After the contractions had died down and she had stopped glowing, Caitlin then spoke rather sternly.

“Okay, this was something I didn’t expect. Apparently, the baby she’s carrying has grown a month’s worth in just an hour. At that rate, you’ll be giving birth within the day...”

“But that’s not possible! This isn’t supposed to happen, it’s not supposed to happen like that!” as she sat up and started trying to strip the monitors from her body.

“Iris, listen to me. Since we’re not sure what it really is... Then we need to make sure that you’re monitored by Caitlin and Cisco. They’re here for a reason,” Barry said quietly as he held her hand. “They know what to do. I trust my lives with them and I think you should too, since we don’t know how this pregnancy will progress.“

“But...”

“Barry’s right,” her dad chimed in, “considering how this isn’t like how your mom carried you or Wally, we need to learn all we can about this and make sure that you-- you two are gonna be fine. Whatever you need to do can wait, but this can’t. We’re just looking out for you.”

Iris looked around at everyone, then heaved a huge sigh.

“Okay, okay. If it’ll make everyone feel better, I’ll stay. But the moment I’m good, I want to go back to what I do best.”

“And you will be, very soon. That’s a promise.”

So with that settled, Barry and Joe went to work, while Iris stayed at StarLabs with Caitlin and Cisco. She got on her laptop that Barry had gotten from their place and got to working on her report.

10:00 AM

Iris was quietly typing away at the keyboard when she felt the same pain from an hour earlier building up in duration and intensity. As she tried to Google more on Lamaze breathing, she was finally overwhelmed.

“Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Her screams of pain summoned Caitlin and Cisco, who saw her writhing in bed yet again as she was enveloped with the familiar blue-green glow. The pain radiated around her lower back and around toward her belly area, causing her intense discomfort. As she started howling in pain,

“Wait, have her do that Lamaze thing. You know, the breathing thing!”

“Seriously, Cisco?!”

“It won’t hurt. Let me get her hand.”

“Iris, it’s me, Cisco.” as he grabbed her hand. “I know it hurts so do what I do, okay? Hoo... Hoo... Hoo... Hoo...”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“That’s it, you’re doing very good. Keep going.”

While that was going on, Caitlin was probing around with the sonogram and couldn’t believe how the embryo was growing yet again. From her estimation, it was now a four month old fetus with clearly human characteristics. She breathed a sigh of relief as it seemed to be closer to a human baby than anything else.

After several minutes, the glow had finally subsided along with the contractions of her uterus. Iris was finally breathing easy, but Cisco now appeared spent.

“Thank you.”

“No, it’s nothing.“

“Are you o--”

“Yeah. yeah. I’m fine. I’ll just take care of something,” as he walked out the door.

“Is Cisco okay?”

“Yes. He’s just a bit squeamish around women giving birth,” Caitlin chuckled. “How are you feeling?”

“Those were like really bad pains, like my period cramps times ten. Uhm, is this what giving birth is like?”

“Yes, from what I’ve heard. But we’re here to help, so you don’t need to worry.”

With that, Caitlin gave Iris a hug.

”Are you feeling anything now?”

”No, not right now. Thank you.”

With that, the scientist left and Iris slowly sat herself up and brought the laptop back to her lap. She was almost done but felt a nagging sense she had forgotten something.

1:00 PM

“Caitlin! Cisco! Ooooooooooooooooooooow! Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”

“We’re here, Iris. Cisco, the breathing thing...”

“It’s Lamaze! Okay, take my hand. Now, breathe through the pain like this... Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo.“

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“That’s it, Iris. You’re doing it. Tell me what’s happening, Cait!”

“Oh my goodness. It’s really growing. The fetus is growing right now!”

Cisco managed to turn his head and in amazement saw the fetus had indeed started to grow and develop. Along with that and Iris’s other external signs, her belly grew its bump further, typical of a woman in her sixth month of pregnancy.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Oooooooooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“You’re doing good, that’s it! Keep going... Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“Hoo... How... Hoo... Much... Hoo... Longer... Hoo hoo hoo...”

Iris could finally feel the contraction starting to wind down and her breathing began to ease as she did so. Cisco could also feel it, as her iron grip on his hand had slowly loosened. But she had clearly worked up a sweat, so he gently wiped her with his handkerchief.

“I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”

3:00 PM. Iris was waiting for a taxicab at the park outside. She was now carrying the belly of an eighth month pregnancy, which was very noticeable. Despite her growing pregnancy, she had an appointment with an informant who had key documents to her massive expose on corruption involving many city officials. She had agreed to meet him at the park at 2:30 that afternoon, and she felt what he had to offer would ultimately redefine her career as a journalist.

Nervously looking at her watch, she was worried she wouldn’t make it back to StarLabs in time. Just then, she started feeling a familiar discomfort in her belly. Along with this, she glanced at her skin as she started glowing. As it all built up, the discomfort soon became too much for her to bear, as she tried leaning against a fence.

“Oooooooooooooooooow! Not now! Nooooooooooooo! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Her womb started contracting painfully as her belly started to swell even more, now to the size of a full term belly of nine months. In addition to this, her skin began glowing even brighter than before as beams of light shot out of every cavity in her body. As it intensified, she was now at the mercy of her labor pains and she soon collapsed in agony on the sidewalk. Although a few passersby approached her to try and help, they were driven away by her odd glow. As she continued writhing in pain with the transformation enveloping her body, she could only shout one thing amidst the contractions:

“BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!”

Over a few blocks away, Barry was scooting all over the city trying to find her. As he passed near the park, he heard her cry and sped toward the sound. Soon, he could see a bright glow near one of the park gates and his heart raced as he worried about how his love was doing.

Upon approaching her, he saw an amazing and agonizing sight. Iris was curled up on the sidewalk, glowing brightly all over and her massive belly now protruding from her body-hugging dress. She had her hands all over her middle, and she was drenched in sweat as her hair had started to cling to her face and neck in a rather unflattering manner. Thinking quickly, he scooped her into his arms and raced back to StarLabs.

As he sped toward their destination, he radioed ahead to Caitlin via the communicator in his headgear.

“Cait, I found her. She doesn’t seem to be doing well!”

“If I’m correct, she’s already at her ninth month and is probably in labor as well. We’ve already prepped the bed here.”

“Okay, I’m on my way. Is Joe there?”

“Barry, it’s Joe. How’s she doing?”

“Not good. From the looks of it, she’s having our baby now!”

“We’ll be here, Barry. We’ll see you.”

As their conversation ended, he could see his love crying in pain as she was gripped by ferocious contractions. She was moaning and groaning loudly while she continued to glow brightly. As they approached StarLabs, he quietly told her:

“Baby, we’re almost here. We’ll get through this and I’ll be here by your side.”

As he arrived at the command center, he was greeted by everyone. Caitlin pointed him to the gurney inside a chamber, where he quickly yet gently lay her down. He then sat at her side and firmly held her hand. In between waves of pain, Iris managed to look at him and uttered in a whisper:

“Barry, I’m scared.”

He got closer and replied, “We’re facing this together. We’ll get through this, I promise,” kissing her on her sweat-coated forehead.

6:00 PM

“Okay, Iris. I need you to push. You’re getting close,” Caitlin said.

“But I’m so tired. I can’t do it.”

“You’re having a baby. You need to help it to be born.”

“I-- I-- Oooooooooooooooh! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!”

“That’s it, you can do it.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Barry... I-- I-- Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggh!”

While Barry and Caitlin were in the monitoring room as Iris struggled to give birth, Cisco and Joe were watching from the observation post.

“She’s in a lot of a pain. I’m so worried for her,” Joe said quietly.

Cisco replied, “Me too. But I’m thinking that with Barry and Cait there, she’ll somehow do fine.”

“I know. I just wish I was the one going through all that pain instead of her.”

Back in the room, Iris was heavily coated in sweat and her hair was all over her face. She was tired from pushing for over two hours. And the glow that had been surrounding her like an aura continued to shine brightly. But finally, it seemed the end was in sight.

“Okay, Iris! I want you to blow, pant like how Cisco taught you.”

“But I want it out! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“And you’re doing just that. We need you to stretch so you don’t tear, okay?”

“Baby, you can do this. Take my hand, breathe with me. Hoo hoo hoo...”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

As she kept up her breathing, the baby’s massive head stretched the skin of her perineum as tight as a drum, threatening to tear badly. Fortunately, Cait had invented a super hydrating gel that kept that from happening. And it was now halfway out at its widest point.

“That’s it, Iris! Keep blowing, let the contractions get the baby out!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... How... Much... Longer... Hoo hoo hoo!”

“I can see the brow... Okay, here come the eyes... And there’s the cheeks... And there’s the nose!”

Via a camera built in at the foot of the bed, which was then connected to a monitor, Barry and Iris could also see their baby emerging from her vagina. Somehow, despite the size of the baby, she managed to get the head out without tearing, as the lips and chin finally made their way out.

“Oh! Oh my God! Oh... Hooooooooooooh!”

“You did great, baby! The head’s out! I’m so proud of you!” an ecstatic Barry exclaimed as he kissed her on her sweaty forehead.

“We’re not done yet, you guys. There’s still the shoulders and the rest of the bay to come. On your next contraction, I need you to push with all you’ve got, okay?”

Iris could only nod as exhaustion overcame her. But soon, she felt another contraction and she knew what she had to do. “Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggghh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!”

“That’s it, left shoulder coming out now!”

“Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggh! Hoo hoo... Guyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“And right shoulder is out! You’re so close, Iris!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggh!”

“And it’s out! It’s out! It’s a boy!”

“Five minutes to curtain, everyone! FIVE MINUTES!”

The producer’s voice blared over the speakers as the models raced feverishly to get into their wardrobes. For 19 year old Amanda, this was an especially important break as it was her first major fashion show. And it couldn’t get any bigger than the Mother Earth Fashion Day show, which was being held for the first time on the remote South Pacific island of Hakumatea, a coral atoll belonging to the archipelagic nation of Kaiuku. To bring attention to the threat of climate change, the world’s top fashion designers agreed to host a benefit fashion show annually helping bring focus to places most endangered by this threat. Due to its remoteness and unspoiled beauty, the island was selected as the venue and while many voiced concerns about how the event would ruin the sensitive environment, the producers vowed to minimize the impact and created one of the most environmentally friendly shows in history. And with an expected reach of over 1.5 billion people worldwide, the show was set to eclipse the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup in audience numbers.

To make the show even more notable, they decided to go with pregnant models this year, furthering on the Mother Earth concept of the show. And this was another boon for Amanda, as she needed the money to help finance her hospitalization and child care bills. Because of this, although her due date was yesterday, she changed this on the form to be able to take part and despite her highly gravid belly she was among the selected models to show off the year’s most notable fashion trends. As she put on her rain-forest inspired dress, she felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen, which caused her to pause for a minute as it intensified gradually before fading away. Although she pondered about the possibility of labor, she pushed it to the back of her mind knowing this was an opportunity she couldn’t miss to give herself and her child a better start. And she vowed it wouldn’t be the end of her modelling dream just yet.

Quickly, she finished putting on her dress and shoes and shuffled to the backstage area, as she took her place in line for her turn on the catwalk. As she waited her turn, she remained silent while all the other models were chatty and excited. She was now having another cramp in her lower abdomen and she breathed through it as best as she could; fortunately for her, none of the other models as they were too engrossed with their turn on the catwalk. After the pain had faded yet again, she was now just behind three other models in line. Her nervousness grew as she feared something embarrassing and possibly career-ending would happen while she was out there. Out there on the catwalk, facing the glare of photographers, reporters and editors from the world’s biggest fashion magazines, and the multitude of TV cameras broadcasting the event live, was either the opportunity or disaster of a lifetime. Knowing she wouldn’t get anything if she didn’t step out there, she took a few deep breaths to remind herself she could do it. This was her time to shine and she wasn’t going to let some cramps ruin her golden opportunity.

As she saw the model before her head back toward the entrance area, she knew it was her turn and steeled her nerves. She took her first step and stepped past the curtain, doing her best to project the confident image the moment called for. Amid the blaze of flashbulbs, rows of eyes, and cameras pointed along the ramp, she was finally in her element strolling the runway as one of the world’s elite models. But as she reached the end of the runway and prepared to turn back, she started to feel that familiar cramping in her abdomen and a look of panic soon showed on her face. Although she tried her best to continue, she was in pain as she clutched her belly and grabbed the pole at the end of the runway as she kept breathing through it. As her surprised audience looked on, she felt a gush of warm liquid from her vagina trickling down her legs. Soon, gasps from the audience rang out:

“Oh my God! Her water just broke!”

“Is she in labor?”

“Is that lady okay?”

“Somebody help her!”

At that moment, the color drained from her face as she realized what had happened. Her water had broken. She was now a wet mess. And it all took place in front of a live big-name audience and with cameras trained on her showing the event all over the world. She couldn’t move in her horror as she felt nothing but shock and embarrassment at that point. She felt mortified at the thought that her budding career in the one thing she wanted to do was finally over. And so she stood there, petrified, in pain, and unable to move.

Fortunately, she was followed by none other than Magdalena “Magda” Dickerson, who was also one of Amanda’s biggest idols growing up. Seeing what had transpired, the veteran model quickly went behind her and reassured her as best as she could in a whispering tone:

“Dear, it’s okay. Come with me, let’s go to the back. You need help. Just hold on to me.”

A starstruck Amanda nodded shyly and took her idol’s hand as they quickly headed backstage. In the haze of the moment, she could hear Magda shouting orders around the back:

“Somebody help this young lady! Klaus, take her to the tent at the back now. Everyone, focus on the show! We have an audience to worry about. So let’s go, go, go!”

As she was being walked away, Magda took one last look at her and whispered some comforting words:

“I know that look, dear. Let me tell you, your career isn’t over until you want it to be. Just hang on, it’ll be okay. I’ll have a friend attend to you soon. Now go.”

Her last memory was the backstage area being abuzz with a frenzy of even greater activity than earlier. She soon felt dizzy and passed out.

Amanda woke up to a painful contraction as she writhed in the makeshift bed. As she tried to breathe through the pain, she was met by an older lady who took her hand and tried comforting her.

“Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“You’re doing great, sweetie. That’s it, keep breathing through the pain.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”

“Very good. Now, I need to check you and see how close you are to giving birth. Are you okay with that?”

“Mmmmmmmmmmhhhhhmmmmmm.”

“Okay, you may feel my fingers around and going in your vagina. You may feel discomfort, but it’ll be over soon.”

As she looked up, she was again starstruck by who was attending to her. It was the famous French fashion designer Simone Arnaud.

“You... You... You’re Simone Arnaud! Oh, oooooooh....”

“That’s it, just keep breathing while I check on you. And yes, I am Simone.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“Very good, dear. It looks like you’re 7-8 centimeters dilated, so you’re getting close. Looks like you’re having your baby here.“

“But.. But... Wait, how do you know--”

“My dear, my father is a retired doctor... You know, the... What do you call the doctor for pregnant women... Oh, yes! Obstetrician! That’s it! Had I not gone into fashion, I’d probably be a doctor.”

I’m-- I’m so sorry...”

“Don’t be, dear! I’m here to help you have this baby. What’s your name?”

“A--A--Amanda... Oooooooooooh! Ow ow ow!”

“Okay, Amanda. Would you like to get out of bed?”

“Y--y--yes!”

“When I get you up, lean on me. Okay?”

Simone helped her young patient out of the makeshift bed and now had the pregnant model leaning on her as she kept panting and blowing through the contraction.

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Ooooooooh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“That’s it, you’re doing well, dear. Keep breathing.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“Yes, you’re doing well... You’re doing good, Amanda.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Oh, oh, oh! I-- I-- I... Hnnnnnnnnnggggggggggghhhhh!”

“Hold on, dear. I need to check if you’re fully dilated. Now blow away that contraction.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“Okay, steady, steady... Yes, it looks like you’re fully open. Your baby will be here soon!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo... Oooooooh! Whew! So that means...”

“Yes. dear. On your next contraction, you can start pushing, okay?”

“Okay. I’m scared, Simone.”

“Amanda, you’ll be fine. Just trust me and you’ll both be okay.”

“Oh, here it comes, here it comes! I’ve gotta... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmph! Oooooooooh... Hnnnnnngggggggggrrrrrrrrrrhhh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

“Good job, dear! Push again!”

“Hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggghhhhh! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmph!”

“And again!”

“Guyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Hoo hoo hoo... Hmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnh!

“Great work, Amanda! Your baby is just starting to crown.”

“Whew! Crown?!”

“It means I can see the top of the head. So how do you like to push? Are you okay in this position?”

“I... I don’t know! I just want him out!”

“We’re getting there, dear. He’ll be out soon.”

More than three hours had passed since Amanda had begun pushing her baby out. And although she had the help of fashion designer Simone Arnaud, her baby was taking its sweet time crowning and for good reason -- it turned out it was far larger than the ultrasound had suggested. As her body struggled to give birth, the young model was in a lot of pain and getting exhausted after all that pushing.

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... It burns, IT BUUUURNS!”

“Your baby is stretching your birth canal out so it can be born. Let your body push him out for you.”

“Hoo hoo hoo... I can’t! I CAAAAAAAAAAAN’T DO IT! I’M SO TIRED! I WANNA GO HOME! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Yes, you can! You’ve gotten this far and you’re now so close. Very close!”

“But it hurts... Hoo hoo hoo... IT HUUUUUURTS SOOOOO BAAAAAAAAD!”

“I know that, dear. But we can’t rush the baby out. We have to let him be born gradually or you’ll tear, or worse.”

“I can’t do it-- Oh, oh, here it comes! Here it comes!”

“Just keep breathing. Your body knows what to do. Trust it. And trust me.”

Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnngh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Grrrrrrrrrh! Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!”

“That’s it, you’re doing very good, Amanda. I’ve got you, dear.”

The very top of the head had finally emerged, stretching her painfully wide. As she continued resisting the urge to push, she could feel herself being opened up way beyond what she thought possible. Carefully, Simone guided the head as it slowly emerged. The forehead had emerged and was soon followed by the brow.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOH! I’M GONNA TEAR! I’M GONNA RIP APART!”

“You’re doing well, you’re not going to tear. I’ll make sure of that.”

“OW OW OW OW OW OW OOOOOOOOOOW! It hurts! IT REALLY HURTS!”

“I know, dear. But look, his forehead is out and so is his brow. Do you want to touch your baby?”

She managed to nod despite her discomfort, so the fashion designer guided her hand to where her baby was. As she felt is firm slippery head full of hair, she gradually opened her eyes and started to cry.

“Is... Is that.. My baby?”

“Yes, Amanda. And you’re so close to bringing him into this world. But I need you to trust your body and let it push him out, okay?”

Oooookay... Okay, here it comes. Here’s the pressure!”

“Now breathe for me, and the head should eventually slide out.”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Oooooooooh hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo...”

Soon, more of the head emerged as eyes followed. She let out a bloodcurdling scream as the nose finally appeared and then the lips. One little push later and the chin was out, completely birthing the head.

“Very good, Amanda. However, I think we may need to change position to allow those wide shoulders to pass. Let’s get you back on the bed, okay?”

“Oooookay...”

Quickly, Simone lay her patient on the bed so she was in a semi-sitting position.

“Okay, Amanda. I have a feeling that your baby’s shoulders are going to be wider than the head. So we need to spread your legs apart, when you push grab your legs and pull them apart and back. Are we clear?”

“Yes. I can’t believe he’s almost here!”

“You’ve done so well, dear. Now, on your next contraction, push as hard as you can. If you need to take a breath, do that and push again.”

“Okay, here it comes... Here it comes! Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggh!”

“That’s it, that’s it! Very good!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo... Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaah!”

“That’s it, the right shoulder is almost out! Keep going!”

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmph! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“The right shoulder is out! Just one more big push for the left, then your baby should be born.”

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Yes, both shoulders out! Now let’s birth the rest of your baby!”

“COOOOOOOOOME OOOOOOOOOUUUT BAAAAAAAAAAAABYYYYYYYY!”

With a final grunt, Amanda’s baby slid out of her vagina followed by a gush of fluid. Quickly, Simone cleared the baby’s nose and mouth before rubbing it and giving it a few good slaps. It soon cried loudly, and the fashion designer handed off her baby to the teary-eyed mother.

“Oh my God, he’s here! He’s here!”

“Yes, Amanda. You did it. I’m so proud of you!”

“Hi, little one! Mommy’s here, sweetie! Mommy’s here... Oh, wait! After what happened earlier...”

“Say no more, dear. I’ll talk to the media later. But I have one thing to ask of you...”

“Y-yeeeees?”

“I would like you to be an exclusive model for my fashion label. And we’ll make sure your baby boy is well taken care of.”

“A-are you serious?! Thank you, oh thank you so much!”

“Yes, I am. I’ve spoken with your handlers and they told me that you worked so hard to get here. So let me pay it forward.”

“Thank you very much! I don’t know what to say!”

“Just say you’re good with my offer. Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Yes. He is Simon Arnold.”