"I may be older than you, but I'm not old enough to be called elder. For whatever you are doing for this, I'm 15." I told the three preteen sin front of me.
The three of them nodded their heads and Coran left the room, through the only door. I walked to the door and opened it. Then turned around and looked back into the room. It took me only a second more to realize there was no bathroom in the house, not that I needed one at the moment, just that i realized it.
I looked back outside and there were mostly men wandering around, a young girl around my age was resting next to a stone oven. It appeared to be a communal kitchen. I walked over and could easily smell the fragrance of apples being baked, it made my mouth water.
The girl reached into the oven and pulled out a small piece of pork roast and while it was still resting on the wooden spatula, slid it into a piece of flatbread, and handed it to me. I took a bite, it was good, but was missing something it was obviously fresh, and there was no hint of salt, I looked at the grass next to the oven and realized the grass, was wild onions. I reached down and ripped a few apart, and laid them on my piece of pork. The girl looked at me strangely as I bit into my food again.
"Jesse, why did you eat weeds?" The green eyed girl asked me.
"Before I answer, can I get your name?"
"Leann, first wife of Buck." She answered. It seems women appear to be in charge, but still identify themselves by their husband's name.
"Well, Leann, this weed is actually wild onions. It's a spice, and it changes the flavor of the meat; more when it's cooked into it." I explained when her face failed to show that she understood.
I finished off the rest of what I was given when I heard a blood curdling scream from the south of the village. The men and the few women around me started tearing up, while everyone mumbled over and over: "may she be stronger than her mother."
It toke me a few seconds to get Leann out of her mumbling stupor to be able to ask what was going on.
"My best friend is giving birth, we may loose her before the day is out."
"Have confidence in your village's midwives." I replied, trying to comfort her.
"Jesse, what's that word mean?" She looked at me in confusion.
"What word?"
"Midwives."
"It's a name given to women that help others in bearing their children." As I answered her I became more and more panick stricken. "Leann, show me where she is at. You can come straight back to your food."
Leann stood up and motioned for me to follow her. As I followed behind her I started looking around for things I would need, keeping mental notes of where everything was, for when I sent for it. A good water source is the only thing I don't see, but there are several clay bowls that I will need. The screams weren't coming at the moment, but I knew this was going to be a long day for this poor woman.
"That door goes to Jennifer's house." Leann said, I willing to approach a y further.
"Leann, if you truly want Jennifer to live to see tomorrow, find Coran, tell her I need two clay bowls filled with water that has been boiled, and as many white rags she can find brought here. There is a lot more that I need, but I have time to get them. I don't have time to get what I'm asking of her." As I finished, Leann's expression changed from disparity to hope.
Not knowing what a midwife was, this change was understandable. I quickly made my way back through the village and collected the things I needed, I even found what I needed to make a small flame. Without better facilities, this poor woman is going to need stitches, and I'm not going to be responsible for an infection if I know I can prevent it.
I look down at my pants and realize that Gina had said she made them. I ran to the house j woke up in, they were both still there, sitting in the same mumbling stupor I had to pull Leann out of.
"Gina! You made these pants right?"
"Yes."
"Good! Go get your finest and sharpest needle, and your best and finest thread. Then ask Leann where I am at." She sat confused for a moment, "are you just going to sulk around when your needle and thread can save a life?" That got her moving.
"Cassie, do you have anything around that can numb your body, that isn't alcohol or fermented?"
"Yes?" She questioned.
"Good. Grab as much as you can, and Coke find me. The cook, Leann knows where it is.". Another scream could be heard even through the felled-log walls around us. "We have to hurry. Every minute you three wait is anothe minute that woman doesn't have."
The two women dashed out of the house before I could turn around. By the time I got to Jennifer's house again two elderly women stood by the door. They looked toward me with a small glint of hope in their eyes.
"Leann said you were going to try and help this young woman survive this." One of them said.
"I aim to. I don't know much about your culture, so pardon anything I do wrong beyond those doors, but if I can save her life, I'm willing to do almost anything to try." I paused for a moment, "I would appreciate your help on the other side, as well as teach you what I'm going to do."
"Young man, I was the last woman in this tribe to survive childbirth. If I can give any of these young ones, to include your young wives any hope of survival, I'll take it." She looked at the woman next to her and nodded. "And as far as wrongdoing, we won't speak of anything that happens inside."
"Good. The first step is to get her husband out. His panic can cause more problems than it will help. Second we have to get her to agree with this. If she doesn't want help, I can't help her." Just as I finished talking Coran walked up and started directing people on where to set things down, and the two elders walked into the house, and escorted a man out, it was the man who told me I had been asleep for over six hundred years. I walked up to him and rested my hand on his shoulder.
"When I'm from, women come out of this almost every time. I'm rushed, and don't have everything I need, but my goal is to walk out of that door carrying your child, and your wife still alive. I hope for all of your sakes, I don't fail."
"Why are you doing this, Jesse?" Coran asked.
"Because nobody else can, and the survival of this village depends on it."
"People are not supposed to help with things on the day of their birth. It's a time to reflect for us." The man said to me. I looked him I the eyes and leaned a little closer to him.
"Well then, isn't it good for you and your wife Jennifer that I have slept for a long time, and don't mind if my reflection must be done on another day. Fate does not wait for men, we can only take what she gives us. Today is Independence Day, and today, I'm going to do anything and everything to make sure those two survive, and I'm going to teach the two in there, and these three how to do it." As I finished Gina and Cassie approached, and the man nodded as his young wife screamed again, the men of the village having heard what I was plannin werenow close by. I looked at the three men that looked like they were in charge, one being Coran's father. "You three," I pointed, " no man is to enter this house until I come out." I point to the man I had just been talking to, "I don't care what you have to do to this man, short of killing him, but he is not to speak until I come out with his child in hand. I'll explain it later."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
With that I turned and walked into a battleground unlike any I had ever fantasized about.
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Greta, the last woman to survive childbirth, and Gina's mother was helping the new man, and my daughter to keep Jennifer alive. The old myths talk about how women used to never die from bearing children. And now this man comes out of the ground, and says he can help. Who am I to argue with the man my beautiful Cassie chose.
Cassie chose, I never thought she would choose, only one woman in my lifetime ever had: Greta. She could still bear another child, but as is our rule, a woman who survives once has the choice of when or if they go through it again. Greta gave us Leann, and then three year later chose to give us Gina. After that her husband has never asked it of her again.
Keeping Greg quiet has turned out to be quite simple, I took him to the house we built for Cassie's future husband, so I guess we took him to Jesse's house. We aren't letting him out.
Coran has come out a few times with towels that were once white, now pink with blood. Is Jennifer going to be okay? I've seen warriors loose less blood and die from it. The sun is on the sun is on the edge of the horizon, the screaming seems to have finally stopped.
Cassie stepped out of the house, and looked around. She spotted me and walked over.
"Father, bring Greg here. Jesse wishes to hand the child to the father personally."
"Is Jennifer alive? Is the child a boy or girl?"
"Father, it's been a long day, none of us have rested since Jesse woke up, and Jesse wants Greg to hear the news first. I may not like ceremony, because t I married him on his birthday, so I will do my duty and obey this request of his, as I see no fault in only saying things once. Now go get Greg."
My daughter stood up to me. The amount of pride in my heart at this moment has never been higher, j signal two people to bring the new father over. After a few minutes he arrives, and looks at Cassie for a moment, she pointed to a spot next to the door and told him to stand there. When the door opened I realized that it was so he couldn't look in.
We would all learn what the fates have brought us together.
Coran stepped through the door, followed by Greta, Greta had a white towel in her hands, it was moving, I almost cried at the sight of a new baby among us. The rest of the women filed out and stood away from the door, and it opened a little further.
And there stood my new son, supporting Jennifer. Gina set a chair in front of the door, and we all watched as Jennifer sat in the chair. Jesse leaned over and whispered something to her.
And then I realized the towel in her hands was moving too. Jesse then took the bundle from Greta and called to Greg.
"Young sir," he said, making a show of it. "I hand you now, a son." Cheers went up around the town and Jese motioned for quiet. "Greg, today was a hard day on your young wife; please don't be mad at her for not choosing a name for your son. Could you pleas hand the little one back to Greta." Greg did as he was asked, picking up on Jesse's formal tone. He then hands Greg two towels.
"Greg I am sorry, on this day, with a heavy heart that I pass to you two daughters." Jesse said almost in tears. This had indeed been a hard day for Jennifer, three children, and two didn't make it, both precious daughters. Jesse took the two bundles from him after a moment and passed them to Gina and Cassie. The two girls walked away. We all knew why, but it was still hard to watch. When they came back empty handed, Jesse spoke again.
"Greg, again I am sorry, your wife has had a harrowing day, may I present to you and the village your eldest daughter, and firstborn. Your wife has chosen the name of today to name your daughter." The whole village was quiet. Jennifer had survived childbirth of four children in one day. No one spoke, and we just listened. "Greg, today is July forth, in the year of our lord three thousand seven hundred fifty-five. And here is your daughter, Independence."
I don't know what age he used to announce her birthday, but we all understood that he was also announcing a new era. Our village has a second Matron, and a young one at that.
"Greg, it will take Jennifer a while to recover, I have asked Greta how to word this, but until she recovers, she will not be able to perform her wifely duties. I will need to check her once a week to make sure everything is okay. If I can't check her there is still the possibility of loosing her. As a husband, do not neglect her, but also know it will be a while before she is back to her old self."
Greg nodded while Independence laid in his arms. Leann standing next to her best friend; there isn't a dry eye left in the Village.
As Jesse walked away from the two, I saw a tear fall from his eyes, but unlike the rest of us, his tears were only of sadness.
As he got to the edge of the crowd, I heard him speak, no that's not the right word. His voice made music, sing! That's the right word. I heard him sing
"Oh won't you bury me at sea,
And I'll sleep where the world can't reach,
Drift out where no-one sees me go.
Feel my shadow, clinging on your footprints,
Feel the coldest air biting on your neck,
The morning's frozen, the world 'as grown
Much older tonight.
A torch in hand, and looking for God.
Oh won't you bury me at sea,
And I'll sleep where the world can't reach,
Drift out where no-one sees me go.
These days I wait for my fate,
But I know how it feels to be awake."
After the song, the man left us there. Coran ran after him, I think he took it hard that those two didn't make it. After a few minutes Cassie and Gina left the group as well. They all went to their house.
I'm glad I didn't have to force her. And with that man around, she just might have a chance.
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A/N: a little longer than I planned for this one. I will have to go back through it again to find errors, as I did this one on mobile.
Thanks for reading/following
~Tink