It's the little suprises which count

by Torra

"I'LL KILL YOU, SINBAD!!" Maeve screamed, her face red and sweaty.

"Now Maeve...that's just the pain talking..." Sinbad tried to sooth her, gently squeezing her hand.

"DAMN RIGHT IT'S THE PAIN TALKING!" Maeve gave his hand no such consideration as she squeezed it so hard Sinbad could have sworn she had broken at LEAST several of the smaller bones.

"Ahhh! Maeve! MAEVE! MY HAND!" he gasped, trying to pry her fingers away from his.

"THIS! IS! ALL! YOUR! FAULT!" she screamed in time with the pain.  As the contraction passed, she flopped back into the thin pallet and released her husband's hand.

Rubbing his sore appendage, Sinbad sat by her side again and tried to smile, "I seem to remember BOTH of us contributing..."

Maeve was in no mood to joke around and grabbed for the nearest hand as the next wave of pain set it. The only available hand in time was Sinbad's.... the one she had managed to miss last time. Sinbad tried to give her as much support as he could, but that wasn't easy with both his hands now feeling broken.

"Okay, Maeve...I need you to REALLY PUSH on this one!" Firouz called from the other end of the bed.

"I AM PUSHING, YOU MAD MAN!! AAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Okay, Okay, I think I see the head! It's crowning! It's crowning! Rongar! Quick, get me those cloths...and that bucket of worm water! MAKE SURE IT'S NOT TOO HOT! Come on, Maeve, you’re doing great!" the scientist/temporary mid-wife called.

Maeve let out another strained scream as she pushed. Sinbad held her sitting up, his arms around her, whispering encouragements into her ear.

"Okay, one more! ONE MORE and I can get the shoulders! Come on. On the count of three I want you to push your hardest.... One.... TWO--"

"THREE!" she screamed, cutting him off and pushing. "AAAAAHHHHHHRRRRRRNNNNN!"

"Three..." Firouz finished absently as he concentrated on bringing thenew life into the world. "Come on...the shoulders...THERE! QUICKLY, RONGAR! The cloths!!"

The large, silent Moor was at Firouz's side in a flash, wrapping the child carefully. Firouz gathered some sterile thread he had prepared, and a clean dagger, and quickly tied off and cut the umbilical cord as Rongar cleaned out the child's mouth.

Sinbad watched amazed as his child, his first child by the most wonderful woman in the world, took it's first breath and let out a deafening wail. "Well...it's certainly got your lungs, Maeve." Sinbad
kissed his wife's head...but she didn't respond.

Still sitting up, face redder then ever, sweat sticking her hair to her brow, Maeve concentrated on her breathing, "Firouz." she panted, "Shouldn't...I...be.... feeling better.... now? AAAHHHHH!!" Maeve's hands clanched Sinbad's, but this time he didn't even notice, his concern for Maeve overriding any sense of pain.

Near panicked, Firouz rushed over to Maeve. "Oh God.... Quickly Rongar! MORE RAGS!!"

"What's happening!" Sinbad demanded. "WHAT'S GOING ON!? WHAT'S WRONG!?"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Tears running down Maeve's face, she held onto Sinbad for dear life, the pain far worse this time then last.

Rongar, wailing newborn babe held gently in his arms, handed Firouz a basket of rags. Maeve pushed again and Firouz worked quickly-- --And within moments a second wail joined the first in the protest of the ship's cool air.

Maeve fell back against her bunk, exhausted. Sinbad took the wipe cloth he'd been using to mop her brow, praying that she was okay. Slowly, ever so slowly, Maeve's eyes opened and she offered Sinbad a weak smile.

"I love you." Sinbad promised in relief.

"I love you too..." she sighed.

"And these two want their parents," Firouz grinned. "Sinbad...Maeve...may I present your children..."

Events finally settled in on Sinbad as he looked up at his grinning friends, "CHILDREN!?!"

Rongar grinned and handed Sinbad one of the squirming bundles.

"That's your son...the first one to be born..." Firouz explained, and handing Maeve the other bundle, he finished, "And that's your daughter. Congratulations...twins..."

Sinbad held the awkward bundle in his arms, trying to figure out how to hold it right. The blankets stopped crying for a moment, and Sinbad moved the cloths away from a small, cherubic face. The eyes blinked several times and tried to focus for a moment, rather unsuccessfully...and begun to cry again. Sinbad rocked the child, HIS Child, in his arms, finding the knowledge of how to hold it coming naturally. Looking over to Maeve he saw her doing the exact same thing.

Rongar and Firouz crept out to the main part of the docked ship to clean up and to announce the good fortune to the rest of the crew, leaving the happy new family alone for a few precious moments. And Sinbad smiled. "You still want to kill me, Maeve?" Sinbad grinned, leaning over to carefully kiss her.

"No," She smiled. "You've given me the most precious of gifts, Sinbad...I could never kill you." An evil glimmer entered her tired eyes, "And besides...I won’t have to...you get diaper privileges for
the next few months."

Sinbad laughed, sending both babies into another fit of crying, which sent the parents into another fit of happy laughter. And the family settled down to enjoy each other's newfound company.
 

Not The End, but definitely A Beginning.

When I first started this story, it was with the soul intention of hurting Maeve and Sinbad and causing EVERYONE tons of Angst...well...as you'll see, the story got the better of me.  ::sighs::
    Torra

ps
 ENORMOUS thanks to Selynne for Beta reading and Spell checking this.  Just imagine how boring PSM would be if we didn't write fanfic, eh?
 

Disclaimer: I don't own them.  Yah, that's right!  I have shamelessly plagiarized these characters!  AND DAMN PROUD of it, too!  Ya wanna make something of it?  Huh?  Huh?  Yah...I didn't think so.....