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Nona floated in the air, her long grey hair drifting around her face in the weightless environment of Skylab-84. Her draped, translucent coat flowed around her like a ghostly veil. Her hands were pressed against the wall, trying to anchor herself in place as she assessed her situation.

Unable to move, and completely weightless. Her heart raced as Nona tried to calm herself and think through her options.

Nona took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. She needed to assess the conditions inside the space station.

But her concentration was interrupted by a sudden wave of pain as she felt the first contraction of her labour.

Her mind raced as she tried to balance the urgency of her situation with the need to stay calm and focused. She needed to figure out what was happening, but she couldn't ignore the growing pressure in her abdomen.

She pushed off from the wall, slowly drifting through the air as she approached the control room. All instrument panels were turned off. She scanned for any possible readings, tried to make sense of any data, and zero. She was isolated in space.

She tries to find a way to connect the radio signal from the space station to Earth Pi, hoping to call for help. But as she looked around, she realized the radio equipment was also turned off. Panic set in as she realized she was completely alone and cut off from any communication with Earth Pi.

The contractions grew stronger and more frequent. Nona knew that she didn't have much time. She removed her ring from her annular and switched the FM to AM frequency. Another violent contraction made her almost lose grip on her wedding ring.

Desperately, Nona tried to focus on switching the radio frequency, her hand shaking with the intensity of the pain. She knew that she needed to get through to anyone on Earth. Anyone who could help her and her unborn baby.

She could feel herself about to pass out. Nona's vision began to blur as the pain overwhelmed her. She struggled to keep her focus on the little ring's switch, but her hand slipped, and she dropped it. It floated away from her, a tiny glint of gold disappearing into the darkness of Skylab-84.

Feeling defeated and alone, Nona's mind raced with fear and desperation. She knew she needed to take action, to try something, try anything, to save herself and her baby.

With one final burst of strength, Nona managed to grasp her ring back. It would send a signal out into the vast expanse of space, hoping that someone would hear her call for help.

As she waited, gasping for breath and clutching her abdomen, Nona knew that every moment counted. She couldn't give up, not when she was so close to bringing new life into the world. But her eyes were too heavy and finally closed.

After what felt like an eternity, a voice crackled through the static on the speakers. 'Nona, Nona, can you hear me?'

Relief flooded through Nona's body, but she could not talk. She had no more strength left.

'Baby, my love, please answer.'

'Eske...'

'We are doing everything we can to bring you home.'

'Baby, it hurts. I can't do this.'

There was silence for several moments before Eske replied, his words tinged with concern: 'I know, my love, just hang on.'

Nona drifted with the lights flickered above her, their dim glow barely illuminating the emptiness surrounding her.

Another contraction came, making Nona gasp. A drop of blood floated above her cheek. There was nothing else she could do. She was losing consciousness again. With all the will she could muster, she reached out with her free hand towards the control panel. 'Eske, she is coming.'

'Yes, yes, don't worry, Nona. We're right here beside you. You've got this.'

'Baby, I can't hold it anymore. I'm hurting her.,' said Nona.

A tear drifted from Nona's eye.

'Just breathe, my love,' whispered Eske. 'Robert is almost here, and he can help us. Maybe you can hold a little longer.'

Nona's head slumped forward, her mouth hanging open. As she passed out, another contraction wracked her body.

'Where the fuck is Robert?'; yelled Eske from the other side.

'Nona. Nona? Nona, you need to wake up.'

Nona opened her heavy lids: 'I'm here.'; she mumbled faintly.

'Good, now listen carefully, Nona. Robert is here because this next bit might be tricky.'; Eske said:

'Robert?'

'Hey, Mum, how are you?'; Robert paused: 'That was very foolish to ask.'

Nona smiled weakly.

'You're going to have to trust me, Nona. And we will make this the easiest way possible for you, okay? Are you up to the challenge, Mum?'

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'Yeah...'

'So, first thing first, I need you to touch your belly and tell me where the baby's head is. It should be at your lower abdomen.'; Robert explained.

'Okay, I am touching my stomach.'; Nona pushed back the draped stained fabric with blood, of her coat and pressed gently over her skin: 'It's on my left side. I think her feet are on the lower side.'

'Shit!'; Robert's voice crackled through the radio: 'Nona, we need to perform a C-section, but we must do it carefully. I need you to remain calm and follow my instructions closely. Can you do that, Mum?'

Nona nodded. 'I can try.'

'Great! So let's begin...'; Robert began his instructions: 'Okay, Nona, I need you to locate the medical kit. It should be in a compartment marked with a red cross. Do you see it?' Robert asked. 'Or sometimes they are like green boxes. Usually, they are on the wall or under a desk... did you find anything?'

Nona floated through the air, looking around for the compartment. As she searched, she felt another sharp contraction, forcing her to stop moving.

'No, I found nothing.'

'Well, then look harder. It has to be there somewhere. If not, we'll improvise.'; Robert replied calmly.

'Okay, I'm still searching.'; Nona said.

'Look along the walls until you see a door labelled "Emergency". That's probably it.'; Robert instructed.

Nona continued her search, floating slowly across the floor. Then suddenly, she spotted a small door labelled Emergency. She grabbed the handle and pulled open the hatch. 'I think I see it. Yes, I found it!'; she replied.

Inside, she saw two metal cabinets. One was filled with various medical supplies, while the other contained surgical tools.

'Excellent, Nona!'; Robert urged her forward: 'Good job, Mum! Now, open the kit and locate the scalpel, the clamps, and the suture. Do you see them?'; Robert instructed.

Nona fumbled through the kit, searching for the items: 'Yes, I found them.'; she replied.

'Excellent, now take the scalpel and make a small incision just above your pubic bone, being careful not to cut too deep.'; Robert said.

Nona complied, cutting a thin line in her flesh. But as soon the blade cut her skin, it healed itself rapidly. She repeated the process many times, each time having to start anew. After a few minutes, she gave up. She was exhausted by the pain: 'It's healing too fast.'

She had no reply from the other side. She could hear nervous chattering being one of the voices Eske.

'Nona, I cannot recommend the following procedure as a doctor. It will be completely up to you, but the baby cannot remain inside you. You may risk infection or worse, and the same for the baby girl.'; Robert warned.

'Just tell me what to do. I have taken worse things out of myself. A baby cannot the worse than that..., it's my baby.'

'Very well, Nona, then here goes:' Robert began, he spoke slowly and deliberately: As you do the incision take the clamps and use them to pull apart the incision.' Robert instructed. 'Once you have an opening, use one of your hands to pull away the skin.'

'Okay..., okay, I can do that.'; Nona agreed.

'Nona?'; Eske's voice resonated through the speaker. 'Baby, you can do this. I know you can. You're not alone.'

'Don't look.'; Nona whispered.

Nona stabbed herself with the scalpel, but not deep enough. As soon as she made a small cut, she pieced it with two fingers and held the skin with one of the clamps. Nona bit her lower lip hard, almost feeling the taste of blood. She didn't want Eske to hear her. She repeated the process using four clamps, but Nona could feel her skin contracting, fighting against the pressure. Her body shook, and breathing gave her a burning sensation in her nostrils: 'Now..., now..., what do I do..., Robert?'

'Okay, Nona. Now, make another incision, this time along the midline of the uterus. Make it long enough to allow the baby to pass through.'; Robert said.

'I don't have more clamps.'; Nona cried.

'Do what you must. Just make sure the wound doesn't heal before the baby does.'; Robert said.

'Okay..., okay, I can do this..., I can do this'; she felt her lids heavy again and fought to keep her eyes wide open. She explored her insides to understand how her baby girl was positioning and find a gap between the little one's knees and feet. Nona stabbed her again. She dropped the scalpel and ripped her uterus.

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This time Nona didn't hold herself. She screamed her lung off once, then twice, until it was interrupted by the cry of a baby born in space. Yet, the adrenaline rush was over. Nona's lungs were burning, her eyes closed, and the only sound that could be heard from space was the cry of a newborn girl.

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