Labor of Love
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Darwin walked groggily into the living room, toothbrush half hanging out of his mouth. While he’d been moments away from falling asleep, he’d noticed the kitchen light on from under the bedroom door and suddenly remembered he’d forgotten to turn the dishwasher on after loading it. He shuffled past Daph, who was bent over something on the couch, and rounded the corner lazily into the kitchen. He kneed the dishwasher door closed all the way, then thumbed the button to start the wash cycle. Instead of going back into the bathroom, he held the toothbrush in his mouth and finished brushing his teeth over the kitchen sink, spitting it out as directly onto the drain as he could aim. Darwin straightened up and stared lazily at the wall behind the sink, his ears twitching. He yawned minty-fresh breath into the air and shuffled back out of the kitchen.

One of his long ears caught the sound of a door shutting. Daph huffed as quickly as her pregnant body could move across the floor with a handful of towels toward the couch. As she neared it, she caught sight of Darwin in the doorway and stood frozen under his gaze.
“Uhh...hey,” he said, curiously. “...Are you okay?”
“Yeah!” Daph said, a little too loud to come off as calm. “Nah, it’s...I’m good! It’s cool! I jutht thpilled a drink and I didn’t want it to thtain or nothin’.” She dropped the towels and grunted as she bent over as far as she could over her belly, reaching down to towel off the spilled liquid from the cushion.
“I can do that,” Darwin said, putting his toothbrush back in his mouth and holding out his hands for a towel as he approached.

“No,” Daph said, forcefully. “Uh...Nah, no, it’th fine. I got it. Go to bed, you’re tired. I feel bad about-” Daph stopped, her eyes growing wide as she stared somewhere past Darwin’s hip. She brought a hand to her belly, prodding it with her hand and feeling over its surface. Her eye twitched slightly as she gritted her teeth for a few seconds, then sighed quietly.
“Oh,” she said to herself. “Oh….Oooohhh.”
“...Daph?” Darwin asked, taking the toothbrush out of his mouth.
“Heh...hehehehehe...” Daph chuckled, as if Darwin wasn’t there. She glanced up and smiled, awkwardly. “Okay, tho what I thought what happened wath that I jutht pissed on your couch and I didn’t want you to know that,” she said softly. She squatted slightly and dabbed a finger to her inner thigh, bringing it up wet. She stared at it with the same half-smile on her face, then glanced at Darwin, her tail twitching.

“Yeah, okay,” Daph said, nodding. “Yeah. My water jutht broke, dude.”
Darwin paused, like the moment after being pricked with a needle before it began to bleed. He froze in place, toothbrush gripped in his hand like he was trying to snap it in half, before the wave of panic overcame him.
“What,” he said, flatly. His tail stood straight on end as his heart began to pound against his chest. “What?!” he shouted, staggering in place. He stammered a few times, grabbing the hair on the top of his head, before finally saying, “Are-are-are you s-sure?”
Before Daph could answer, her eyes went wide again and she gripped her belly through her tank top, closing her eyes and wincing.
“Yep,” she groaned, loudly. “Pretty...pretty mother fuckin’ sure, dude.”
In the commotion, Georgia had woken from her half-sleep and groggily walked outside in her pajamas.
“What’s going on?” she grumbled, more frustrated than alarmed.
“Lilly’th makin’ her ethcape,” Daph said, holding up her wet hand. Georgia, still half-asleep, shook her head and shrugged.
“I don’t know what that’s supposed to-”
“Her water broke!” Darwin shouted, his blood running cold and hot at the same time.
“What. What. What?” Georgia exclaimed, instantly waking up. She shook her head and glanced between Daph and her husband. “Now? Right now?”

“Right fuckin’ now, dude!” Daph shouted, shuffling carefully around the couch with her legs spread out to keep the amniotic fluid from soaking even more into her sweatpants.
“You aren’t due for another week and a half!” Darwin screamed, gripping his ears in his fists.
“Well tell that to your fuckin’ daughter, okay?” Daph shouted back. She leaned against the far wall of the apartment and took deep, controlled breaths while soothingly rubbing her hands over her stomach.
“But your mom!” Darwin continued to argue. “She-She-She-She said that you probably wouldn’t...you wouldn’t...”
“Okay, look,” Daph said calmly, holding out her hand. “You ain’t learned yet that you gotta lithten to maybe half the shit my mom actually sayth.”
“Not the time,” Georgia shouted, her voice cutting through the tension like broken glass. She pointed to Darwin. “Get dressed. We need to go now.” She pointed at Daph with the same authority. “Put on some shoes and just stay calm. Don’t push yet. Keep breathing.”
“On it,” Daph said, giving a thumbs-up and grimacing through another contraction.

Georgia followed Darwin into the bedroom, throwing her own pair of winter shoes on and a jacket over her pajamas. Darwin panicked, pacing in place in the middle of the room. Before she even bent down to tie her boots, she reached forward and grabbed a fistful of Darwin’s tail, yanking it back to get his attention. As tall as he was, Georgia pulled him down to eye-level and held him there.
“Stay. Calm.” Georgia said, her ER instincts kicking in after years of dormancy. “Everything will be fine if we stay calm.” She held him for long moment, staring into his eyes. Her vision softened and she smiled warmly. Letting go of Darwin’s collar and tail, she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. “...We’re going to get our baby.”
Darwin blinked, the moment of calm overtaking him. He smiled, despite his fear.
“Okay,” he nodded. “Okay. Okay. I’m ready.”
The two of them ran in a flurry around the bedroom, grabbing anything and everything they thought they’d need for the trip to the hospital. More then once they ran headlong into one another before ignoring it and continuing on.

“Thith ain’t getting eathier with time, goddamn it!” Daph shouted from the living room.
“We’re coming! We’re ready!” Georgia shouted, exiting the bedroom with Darwin not far behind. Daph stood next to the doorway with a new pair of pants on, her usual ratty tank top, a New York Yankees baseball cap, and a down jacket. One hand clutched her belly for solidarity while the other held a grocery bag.
“What is that?” Georgia pointed to the bag.
“It’th my shit,” Daph said, holding it up.
“Why didn’t you- Nevermind,” Georgia said, shaking her head violently. Stepping past Daph, she opened the door and held it open. “Go ahead,” she said, gesturing to her pregnant friend. “I’ll be right behind you.”
The three of them piled out in the hallway, with Daph slowly leading the way as she waddled uncomfortably down toward the elevators. Darwin and Georgia followed closely behind, both at the ready to catch her if she tripped.
“Fuck,” Daph said, stopping. “How the fuck are we gonna get to the fuckin’ hothpital?”
“Subway,” Georgia said, before Darwin could answer. She nudged Daph forward and added, “Keep walking.”
“Thubway?” Daph shouted, glancing over her shoulder as she walked. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”
“It’s 1:45 on a Sunday night,” Georgia said. “We won’t be finding any cabs.”
“Fuck that, call one. I ain’t ridin’ on the goddamn train while I’m in fuckin’ labor, dude.”
“Take too long,” Georgia snapped. “Subway is the fastest way.”
“The closest thtop is three blockth from the hothpital! I’m gonna walk the baby out before I fuckin’ get there! A cab would take us to the front fuckin’ door!”

“What is wrong with you two?” Darwin interjected. “Call an ambulance.”
Georgia and Daph glanced at Darwin simultaneously.
“Do you have any idea how much a ride in an ambulance costs?” Georgia asked, incredulously.
“Thomebody grew up a rich kid...”” Daph snickered before another contraction hit her. “Ow...”
Down the hall, down the elevator, and out the front door, the three of them found themselves standing on the nighttime sidewalk, staring down an empty street.
“Subway entrance is this way,” Georgia said, starting to walk.
“Yeah, okay, fuckin’ sure,” Daph argued. “Maybe if we run into thothe break dancing kidth, one of em can kick Lilly outta me!”
“This is our best option!” Georgia shouted.
“I don’t care, you ain’t gonna fit my fat, pregnant ass onto the subway if-”

“Taxi! Taxi taxi taxi taxi taxi taxi!” Darwin shouted, pointing up the street. A yellow cab with its light conveniently on rounded the far away corner at a leisurely pace. Daph spun around and pointed to Georgia.
“You! Go thtop it!”
“What!?”
“The cabth always thtop for small women! Do it!”
Georgia rolled her eyes and walked a few feet into the street, holding out her hand and waving it frantically. After a few seconds of baited breath, the three of them sighed when the taxi turned on its blinker and rolled to a stop in front of them.
The driver was a scruffy looking jack-russel wearing a Red Sox baseball cap. At the sight of it, Georgia quickly snatched the Yankees hat from Daph’s head and threw it as far as she could behind them.
“Hey, what the fuck?”
“Thank you so much for stopping!” Georgia chirped happily, opening the door and climbing inside. “You’re literally a life saver.”

“Sure, sure,” the cab driver said in a heavy Boston accent, chewing on a toothpick. “Where you headed?”
“Lenox Hill Hospital. As fast as you possibly can,” Georgia said, helping Darwin pull Daph in. She breathed quickly and sharply as she fell into the middle seat. She leaned back with her hands around her belly and sighed.
“Fuck...that wath a big one,” she mumbled.
Darwin quickly clambered inside, adjusting his glasses, and slammed the door shut. He was the only one to put his seatbelt on. The driver paused, glanced in the back seat through the rear view mirror, then turned around to stare wide-eyed at Daph, looking her up and down.
“Whoa, hold the fuck up,” the cabby said, glancing at Georgia. He pulled out his toothpick and pointed to Daph with it. “Is this bitch pregnant?”
“Wh- Yes!” Georgia said, incredulously. “She’s in labor. It’s why we’re going to the hospital!”
“Nah. Na-ah. No way,” the driver said, shaking his head virulently. He leaned over and popped open the door next to Darwin, pushing it all the way out. “I ain’t havin’ no bitch give birth in the back of my fuckin’ cab. Find another.”
“Wh- What?” Georgia shouted, staring at the driver. “You- You can’t be serious!”
“Yknow who’s gotta clean all that shit up when she gets all that shit all over my seats?” The driver jabbed a thumb into his chest. “Me. I don’t let people puke in here and I don’t let people give no fuckin’ birth in here, neither. Go bother somebody else.”

“You...you goddamn psychopath!” Georgia screamed, kicking the floor of the car. “She’s going to have a baby for Christ’s sake!”
“Yeah? Well I gotta fuckin’ heart condition, lady. I can’t handle that kinda pressure. Now get outta my cab.”
“Just...please...” Darwin said, leaning forward and gripping the seat. “Sir...make an exception… just this once...she’ll...she’ll hold it in?”
“I did make an exception,” the driver said, holding up a finger. “Once. Yknow what happened? I spent three days cleanin’ up fuckin’ slime outta my back seat. Uh-uh. Not again.”
The driver put both hands on the wheel and stared straight ahead, putting the toothpick back in his mouth. Georgia and Darwin glanced at one another. With a defeated look in his eye, Darwin shook his head and stepped a paw out of the cab.
“Wait,” Daph said, grabbing him. She winced as another contraction washed over her, but she held it together. Leaning down, she just barely reached her grocery bag of ‘her shit.’ Reaching inside, she pulled out a small, new wallet that neither Darwin nor Georgia had ever seen. Holding her fingers on either side of her front teeth, she blew an impressively loud whistle at the driver.

“Yo!” she shouted. “Take a look at thith, you son of a bitch.” To the shock of everyone in the car, including the driver, Daph pulled out a folded handful of fifty dollar bills and held them up to the rear-view mirror.
“Half a grand sayth you can get us to the hothpital before I have to thqueeze thith little fucker out all over your back seat,” Daph scowled. She fanned out the bills to show the transfixed driver. “Every time I get a contraction, I take one away.” Daph sniffed, then folded the money back into her palm. “Whaddaya thay?”
The driver paused for just a moment before slamming his seatbelt on and hitting the gas so hard the car door on Darwin’s side slammed shut with the momentum.

Darwin sighed in relief, letting his head fall against the back of his seat. Daph continued her slow, relaxed breathing, tucking the money into her jacket pocket. She rested her hands over her belly as it rose and fell slowly with her breathing.
“Are you alright?” Georgia asked softly.
“I think tho,” Daph nodded. “I...I wath getting those ‘Braxton Hickth’ lately but...thethe are a lot more intenthe...”
“You’re doing fine, just keep calm. You can do this,” Georgia said reassuringly. Daph turned and smirked at her.
“Shit, I know that,” Daph said, confidently. Georgia smiled back, her friend’s bravado calming her own nerves.
After swerving around slow-moving cars and other cabs, the driver took a sharp corner without even hitting the break, causing the Daph and Georgia to slide into one another while Darwin remained in place by his seatbelt.
“Hey!” Darwin shouted in protest. “Slow down! Be careful!”
“Don’t listen to him!” Daph yelled, wincing in pain. “You keep doin’ what you’re doin’!” She clenched her teeth and balled up her fists over her belly. Georgia took one of Daph’s hands, squeezing it comfortingly to let her know she was there. After a few seconds of silent straining, Daph gasped as the contraction abated, shaking her head and exhaling sharply.
“Fuck...” she breathed. “That wath a big one...”

In front of them, the driver glanced over his shoulder in alarm, catching Daph’s eye.
“That one didn’t count,” Daph reassured him. “You’ll thtill get your money if you punch it.”
He nodded wordlessly, then turned back to the road.
“...Why did you bring all that money?” Georgia whispered.
“Ya never know who you’re gonna have to bribe, yknow?” Daph shrugged. Settling more comfortably in her seat, Daph reached behind her and into the plastic bag, retrieving her Kindle and setting it atop her stomach. She flipped on a light in the back seat and turned the e-reader on to read one of her pregnancy books, flipping all the way to the last chapter on labor.
“...Yo,” the driver said, glancing into the back seat as he saw the light turn on. “...Is that a Kindle?”
“Yeah,” Daph nodded, holding it up for him to see.
“I always wanted one a those,” he nodded. “I read a lotta military books, yknow what I mean? Lotta true crime and shit. And, uh, yknow,” he shrugged, then added in a quieter voice, “...some poetry, too.”
“You get me to the hothpital in time, you can buy one for yourthelf,” Daph said, patting her pocket full of cash. She turned to her Kindle and began scanning through the pages of labor, with Darwin and Georgia glancing over her shoulder.

“Wait,” Darwin said, pointing to a bullet point on the page. “It says there that we’re supposed to wait at least 12 hours after your water breaks.”
“That’th only if contractionth haven’t thtarted yet,” Daph explained. “Trust me, they thtarted.”
“All this is telling you to do is relax,” Georgia said, scrolling through the pages. She sat back, chewing on her finger nervously. “Maybe we should have just waited at home for a little while...”
“Look, I can relax all I goddamn want in the hothpital with fuckin’ doctorth and shit around,” Daph argued. “I can tell, Lilly ith comin’ out tonight. I can feel it.”
“Well, Daph, I am a doctor,” Georgia shrugged.
“And how many babieth have you delivered?” Daph said, raising an eyebrow.
“...I mean, the point is that you wouldn’t be totally helpless or anything even if we did go back-”
Daph suddenly clenched her teeth and groaned at another contraction. She shook her head.
“Let’th finish thith once we’re at the hothpital,” Daph grunted. Once it passed, she sighed, leaning back in her seat. The fatigue was starting to get to her. “Hey! You’re down to 450, now!” she yelled to the driver.

“Hey, I’m breakin’ every goddamn law in the fuckin’ state of New York just to get you there on time, alright?”
“Then why the fuck ain’t we-” Daph stopped as the cab passed through an intersection and she caught a glimpse of the street signs. Her jaw dropped open and she threw her arms out. “What the fuck are you doin’ on 1st Avenue!?”
“There ain’t as much traffic here! I’m gonna cross over when we get to 77th-”
“Don’t fuckin’ do that! Get onto Park Ave right now!”
“There’s too much traffic on Park! Besides, there’s too many stoplights! This is faster.”
“There ain’t traffic on Park! Not thith late at night! You drove us all the fuckin’ way over onto 1st jutht cauthe you thought-”
“Hey, you don’t like the way I do my fuckin’ job, then you can fuckin’ walk, a’ight?”
“Daph, you need to relax,” Georgia reminded her. Daph made a dissatisfied ‘tch’, then folded her arms grumpily.
“Maybe we shoulda taken the thubway...” she grumbled.

After a few more minutes that felt like an eternity, the cabbie took another few sharp turns that nearly scrambled the passengers in the back seat. Then, all of a sudden, they found themselves skidding to a stop outside the front entrance of the Lenox Hill Hosptial.
“Oh, oh fuck!” Daph said, glancing out the window. “We’re...we’re here!”
“See? What did I fuckin’ tell ya?” the driver said, leaning over the front seat and smirking at Daph. “1st is fuckin empty on weekends.”
“I thtill think we shoulda started on-” Daph winced as another contraction hit her. “Nngh...Nevermind.” Daph pulled out the balled-up fifties in her pocket and slapped them into the driver’s hand. “You’re a fuckin’ lifethaver, dude. What’th your name?”
“Name’s Micky,” the driver said, happily pocketing the money.
“Rad. I’m gonna name the fuckin’ baby after you,” Daph said, sliding toward the open door Georgia held open for her.
“Wh...What? For real?!” the driver asked, excitedly. Daph paused right on the edge of the seat.
“...No, not really.”
Not waiting around for the protest of the driver, Daph hefted her sore, heavy body out of the cab with Darwin and Georgia’s help. She stretched, her tank top riding up over her stomach, and sighed.
“I can’t wait ‘til I can move around again,” she said. Glancing between the two worried parents, she grinned excitedly. “Alright. Let’th hit it.”

Darwin and Georgia followed Daph inside the sliding doors of the hospital. She felt another contraction, stopping in place to ride it out.
“I’m...I’m okay, I’m okay,” she nodded, standing up straight once it had passed. “...We should probably get a room thoon, though,” Daph said, sounding worried. “I think she’th thtarting to move...down.”
At that, Darwin let go of Daph and jogged ahead to the reception desk. Behind it, the receptionist was busy talking on the phone and jotting down information on a notepad.
“Yes, sir, we take most forms of insurance,” the disinterested mouse woman said. “...No, I don’t know if we can take two for a single patient...No sir, I’ll have to check with my supervisor about that.”
“Excuse me,” Darwin said, gripping the desk like he was going to rip it out of the ground. “Excuse me, ma’am.” The receptionist held up a finger to Darwin, still talking on the phone.
“...No sir, I’m not sure if we take out-of-country insurance...I don’t know that provider…I’ll have to check that with our records, but that department isn’t open until the morning.”
“Ma’am,” Darwin hissed, desperately. “Please.”

The woman turned to Darwin, with one hand over the receiver, and shot him a look before turning back to her computer screen. Darwin ground his teeth together, his blood pressure reaching its peak.
“...You could try calling back in the morning...Yes sir, our insurance department. They open at 9AM on Mondays and take calls through most of the day...Yes sir, on our website.”
Daph and Georgia walked up beside Darwin, who was desperately pulling on his ears and waiting for the receptionist to get off the phone. Daph glanced between the woman and Darwin, then balled up her fist and slammed it down onto the desk with the force of a brick. The sound jolted the woman out of her dazed expression as she turned to stare at Daph.

“YO!” Daph screamed at the top of her lungs. “I’M. IN. FUCKING. LABOR.”
The receptionist blinked, her ears twitching, then pulled the phone back to her ear.
“Sir, I need to put you on hold,” she said quickly before dropping it to the desk. She stood up and smoothed out her shirt and crossed over to the computer. Catching sight of Daph’s belly, she stared at her wide-eyed and picked up a phone next to her. “Why didn’t you go to the Emergency Room entrance!?”
“No time!” Georgia said. “Get us a room as soon as you can. My name’s Georgia Middleson, I work in the physical therapy department here.”
“We have a patient here in labor,” the receptionist said into the phone. She paused, then glanced up at Daph. “How long have you had contractions, honey?”
“Bout...45 minuteth?” Daph said. “They ain’t thlowin’ down, neither.”
“Her water broke at the apartment. We got here as fast as we could.”

“They say her water’s already broken,” the receptionist said into the phone. She listened, nodded a few times, then said ‘Okay’ and hung up. “They’ll be down in just a moment. Stay as relaxed as you can.”
“I’m workin’ on it,” Daph nodded.
“One of you will need to stay and fill out information.”
“I’ll do it,” Darwin quickly said.
“No, I will,” Georgia protested, grabbing a pen from behind the desk. “I work here, I can get it done faster.”
“But I can stay-”
“No buts, I’ll take care of it,” Georgia said. She reached over and took her husband’s hand. “Just take care of Daph, okay?”

“Who the fuck sayth I need to be taken care of?” Daph interjected before having another contraction that she groaned through. Darwin glanced at his wife for a single moment before taking Daph by the shoulders and leading her over to the nearest set of benches.
“You’re okay, just keep breathing,” he said, walking her forward gently. “Stay relaxed.”
“You talkin’ to me or yourthelf?” Daph said, groaning as she waddled slowly beside him.
“Maybe you should save your energy for the birth instead of being a smartass.”
“Nah dude,” Daph said, chuckling. “That shit’th in my blood.”
They made to the benches, where Darwin took a seat and held out his arm to help Daph into hers. She stood up straight and shook her head.
“Nah, I’m cool,” she said. She threw her arms over her head and pulled on them from the elbows to stretch them out. “I wanna get warmed up firtht.”
“Warmed up?” Darwin repeated, watching Daph stretch out her legs while holding onto the back of the bench.
“You alwayth gotta thtretch before a workout, dude,” Daph explained, taking deep breaths while holding her position for a few seconds. “Otherwise, you’re gonna fuckin’ hurt yourthelf.”
“Well...I mean...” Darwin stammered. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to stretch the muscles you’ll be using for giving birth.”

“Not true!” Daph said, standing up and gesturing to her belly. “It’th mostly abdominal muscleth that do the pushing, while you can stretch out and prepare the vaginal muscleth through kegals!” She set her jaw and flexed muscles somewhere between her legs. He cleared his throat and blushed, batting his tail awkwardly.
In what seemed like no time at all, a group of three nurses came rushing out of a nearby elevator, pushing a wheelchair. They stopped right near the two of them next to the bench.
“Are you the patient in labor, ma’am?” One of them asked Daph.
“Nah, not me,” she said, sarcastically, then gestured to Darwin. “I think he’th having contractionth, though.”
“Daph, just get in the wheelchair,” Darwin said, wearily.
“Hey, can I walk inthtead?” Daph asked the nurse, shaking out one of her legs. “I wanna get all limbered up.”
“Daph...please...” Darwin begged, gesturing to the chair. Daph was getting ready to argue, but another contraction hit her and she clenched her stomach uncomfortably.
“Alright….Okay...wheelchair...thankth….” Daph groaned, gingerly lowering herself into the chair. Once she was in, the nurses wheeled her around and pushed her as quickly as they could safely move toward the elevator.
“I’ll text you which room we’re in,” Darwin whispered to Georgia as they passed, unable to stay and wait for a response.

From the elevator to the sixth floor, it took all the energy in Darwin’s long legs to keep up with the experienced nurses, who navigated the winding halls of the maternity ward as quickly as they could push the wheelchair. In a matter of minutes, the group skidded to a halt outside an open room.
“Fancy,” Daph noted as she pushed herself out of the chair. As they entered the room, one of the nurses handed her a folded medical gown in a plastic bag and gestured to the bathroom in the corner.
“You’ll need to get changed into this as soon as you can,” she said. “Let us know if you need any help.”
Daph nodded and winked as she waddled into the bathroom.
Darwin paced in place next to the bed while the nurses set up clean sheets and adjusted it to the right height. While Daph was still in the bathroom, a group of more nurses and a tall, deep-voiced panther walked into the room, all wearing scrubs and face masks. The panther approached Darwin and spoke calmly.
“Mr. Middleson? I’m Doctor Merrick, I’ll be the obstetrician this evening helping with your wife.”
“Oh, she’s not my wife,” Darwin clarified. He cocked his head to the side, then asked, “Wait, we were supposed to see Dr. Hartsfield. Tara Hartsfield? She was our obstetrician.”
“Dr. Hartsfield is off until next week, I’m afraid,” Merrick said, clasping his gloved hands together. “I know how it is, you put your trust in your doctor and it’s hard to adjust to someone else. But Tara and I have worked together for many years and I’m equally as qualified as she is. You won’t have anything to worry about, I promise you.”
“Um...okay...Sure,” Darwin nodded, trying to convince himself.

In split second of silence, the sound of the toilet flushing caught the room off guard. In an instant, Daphodille slammed open the bathroom door, wearing nothing but her medical gown, and stepped out into the room. She clapped her hands together and yelled what sounded like a powerful battle-cry.
“ARE YOU MOTHER FUCKIN’ READY?” She yelled to no one in particular. “LET’TH GET PUMPED. I’M READY, ARE YOU READY?” She waddled over to Darwin and flexed her arms, yelling up into his face. “LET’S GO, ARE YOU PUMPED? I WANNA HEAR YOU SCREAM!”
“…Um,” Darwin blinked, glancing around the room for assistance. Daph yelled one more time before she clapped her hands again and stepped back.
“Jutht getting mythelf psyched up, yknow?” Daph said, grinning toothily. She punched her fist into her hand and flexed her muscles to get her adrenaline flowing. “Al-RIGHT! Let’th fuckin DO THITH SHIT!”

“Uh...” Merrick said, “well, I uh…can’t fault your enthusiasm.” He stepped forward and patted the bed. “Can you get up here yourself, Ms. Westinfold?”
“I dunno, let’th thee,” Daph said. She walked to bed, gripped the sides, and barely managed to clamber atop the mattress on her own.
“If you can put your legs up in these, that’d be great,” the doctor said, referring to the leg stirrups that the nurses had just finished setting up.
“I’m lucky I ain’t that modest, I guess,” Daph shrugged, leaning back and spreading her legs apart as the nurses helped her rest them in the stirrups, giving the nurses and doctor a clear view between her thighs.
“Um...doctor?” a nurse said to Merrick, trying in vain to push aside Daph’s tail as it brushed against her face.
“Oh, right,” the doctor said, gesturing to the bottom of the bed. “There’s a tail restraint down there.” The nurse crouched under the bed and unlatched a padded restraint on the bedframe between Daph’s legs. She pulled her tail back and tied it in place to keep it out of the way.
“Damn, that’th pretty fancy, too,” Daph said, pulling her tail lightly against the strap. She furrowed her brow and glanced up at Merrick. “Wait, ‘doctor?’ Where’th Tara?”

“She’s not here,” Darwin explained. “But Dr. Merrick is just as qualified. He’ll take care of you.”
“Dr. Merrick?” Daph said, glancing up at the panther and frowning. “Well...I guess I ain’t got a choice, do I? Take care of me, doc. Thith ith a firtht time for me, yknow?”
“You’re in good hands, Ms. Westinfold.” He set down the clipboard in his hand and walked around to the foot of bed. Turning on a hanging light, he pushed back Daph’s medical gown in order to get a clearer look between her legs. She jumped slightly as she felt a pair of warm fingers pull apart her sex to look more clearly in her birth canal.
“How long ago did your water break?” the doctor asked.
“Like an hour ago,” Daph said, trying to crane her neck to look over the mound of belly in her way. She felt an impatient jab from Lilly up into her ribs. “C’mon dude, be patient in there,” Daph added, whispering to her stomach.
“You’re already about seven to nine centimeters dilated,” the doctor explained. “From the looks of this, you’ve probably been in labor for the past few days.”
“...What, for real?” Daph blinked.
“Did you notice any pains? Any contractions before tonight?”
“I guess, but I thought they wath just, like, Braxton Hickth or whatever.”
“Braxton Hicks are supposed to feel like small pinches,” the doctor explained. “Not full contractions.”
“...Oh,” Daph said, before chuckling to herself. “I mean, they didn’t hurt, tho I figured it wath okay, yknow?” She shrugged, grinning.

“You’re lucky you got here in time,” Dr. Merrick said, standing up straight. “You’re only a few more contractions away from being able to push, I’d say.”
“Oh fuck, really?” Daph said, nodding. “Alright, cool. I’ve been wantin’ to all night, but I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Just let us know when you feel another-”
“Mmmf...I think I got a live one, doc,” Daph winced, clenching her fists on the bed. She grit her teeth and threw her head back as another contraction slowly crept into her. The cramp in her belly felt stronger than ever, as if her body had been waiting for her to finally get to the hospital for her labor to begin in earnest. She let out a pained sound as the cramp spread over her entire body, stopping between her legs. She could barely feel the nurses and doctor prodding at her sex. She managed to ride it out and fell back to the bed, panting.

“H-Holy fuck...” Daph breathed. “That...that wath a fuckin big one...”
“You’re almost ready,” the doctor said. “I think you’ll be ready to start pushing with the next contraction.”
“What, already?” Daph said. “But we jutht fuckin’ got here.”
“And you’re almost ready to give birth,” Merrick said. “I think you’ve got a very impatient baby on your hands.”
“Fuckin’ apparently,” she sighed. Daph glanced up at Darwin. “I’m gonna blame you for that one.”
The two of them waited with medical staff, trying to stay as calm as possible. The tension in the room was rising steadily as the nurses and doctors continued to prepare. Over the course of the next few minutes, Daph calm demeanor began to slowly fall away as the reality crept into her.

This is it, she thought, her mind reeling. This is happening. Right now. I’m about to give birth.
She glanced up at Darwin, finding him on his phone across the room, his tail bobbing back and forth anxiously. She did the same with her own, but found she couldn’t move it very easily with it tied under the bed. Daph’s heart began to beat faster, her breathing speeding up. She felt what must have been the worst kind of performance anxiety. Daph wished Georgia was there, more than anything, to bring the sense of calm to the situation that she knew she couldn’t give herself.
Deep in her body, she felt it. It was coming, building up from deep in her muscles, a preliminary tightness along her back.
“Okay...” Daph nodded, holding her belly with both hands. “Okay, thith ith it. There’th another one coming.”
“Alright,” the doctor said, taking place to monitor between Daph’s legs. “When you feel like you need to, I want you to push as hard as you can with your stomach muscles.” He said. “Are you ready?”
“I...I think...I don’t...” Daph glanced up at Darwin, pleadingly. “Where ith…”
“I texted her the room number,” he said, closing his phone. “But she hasn’t responded.”
“I don’t...Should I wait?” Daph asked, starting to panic as she felt the contraction growing stronger by the second. “Should I wait for her? I dunno.”
“No, don’t wait,” doctor said, forcefully. “When you feel it, you need to push.”

“Okay...okay...” Daph nodded, setting her jaw. When the contraction finally reached its peak, when cramping pressure was too much for her to handle anymore, she grabbed two fistfuls of the bedsheet and pushed as hard as she could. Spittle fell from her mouth as she groaned, flexing her entire body to push against the contraction with all her strength. Just as she started to feel ridiculous, she felt a tiny shift somewhere deep down in her belly. It was nearly indiscernible, but she could tell: something had moved.
Daph fell back onto the bed, taking deep, filling breaths as the contraction ebbed away like the tide, leaving her muscles tingling from the effort. In a very abstract way, it wasn’t dissimilar to lifting weights, just with muscles she didn’t even know she had.
“Wath...wath that good?” She breathed, trying to look over her belly. “Did I do that right?”
“You did excellent,” the doctor said, smiling behind his mask. “Get ready. Your contractions will be coming faster than before and you’re going to need to push even harder.”
“Okay,” Daph nodded. A nurse stepped into view beside her.
“We can give you some drugs for the pain, if it’s too much,” she said. Daph thought for a moment, then clenched her teeth and sat up straighter.
“Nah,” she said. “I got thith.”
“Um...Daph,” Darwin said, leaning. “Are you sure?”
“Like I thaid,” Daph said, determined. “I. Got. Thith.”
“No one is going to think you’re weak if you need help with-” Darwin began, but Daph shook her head and glared at him.
“That’th not true,” she said, coldly. “I will.”

Daph took a deep breath and sighed, resigning herself to stay strong. As afraid as she was without Georgia there, she knew this was something she had to do. She needed to see it through until the very end.
“...I’m going to go look for her,” Darwin said, checking his phone. He nodded to Daph. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Okay,” Daph nodded. “It’th not like there’th anything important goin’ on right now.”
“Ha. Ha,” Darwin mocked before he quickly scurried out of the door and down the hallway.
She felt another contraction coming on and settled into the bed. Daph caught the eye of the doctor and nodded, wordlessly. The pressure built up inside of her, nearly ready to burst out, and she held onto the bars on the side of the bed. She took a few deep breathes, getting ready to exert herself.

Suddenly, right before Daph began to push, the door to the room flung open with Georgia speeding inside, winded but with a bright smile on her face. Daph wanted a moment to sigh in relief, but her body had other plans. As her contraction fully took hold of her, she clenched her teeth and pushed, acting on exactly what nature was telling her to do.
“Who are you?” Dr. Merrick said, in his deep voice, staring daggers at Georgia. “You can’t come in here!”
“No, wait, please, I’m with-” Georgia began before two of the nurses began to gently but firmly push her toward the door.
“No one but family allowed,” one of the nurses said. “Ma’am, you need to leave. You need to leave, right now.”
“Wait, no, just hang on,” Georgia pleaded, trying to stand her ground but not fight against the nurses. “I need to explain.”
“You can’t be in here, ma’am,” the doctor shouted.
Daph, still in the middle of pushing through her contraction, tried to speak, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a strained, painful shout. She felt the same shifting sensation inside of her, something very very large moving through her at a painfully slow pace.
“Nnnnn...gaaahh...No….” Daph tried to speak, but couldn’t through the strain of the contraction.
“Please, please, just let me explain!” Georgia shouted, tears in her eyes as she was nearly forced out of the delivery room.
“I don’t have time for this...” Doctor Merrick grumbled. He stood up from between Daph’s legs and marched over to the doorway, looming over Georgia.

Daph frantically glanced around, trying to do something, but could barely think through the birthing pains that wracked her body. At the last second, she spied a cheap, clear vase of fake flowers sitting on the table next to the bed. In a flash, she grabbed hold of it and spiked it onto the hard ground, shattering the thin plastic with a loud crack. Merrick and the nurses paused just long enough in the disturbance for the wave of Daph’s contraction to begin to subside.
“FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! SHE STAYTH! SHE FUCKING STAYTH!” Daph screamed, pointing at Georgia while glaring daggers at the doctor. “SHE STAYTH OR I FUCKING WALK, GOD DAMN IT! LET HER STAY!”
“We can’t let anyone but family-”
“FUCK YOU! SHE IS FAMILY!” Daph yelled, glaring at Merrick.

His dark eyes, face unreadable beneath the mask, glanced between the two squirrels. He sighed, then stepped aside and opened the door.
“Fine,” he grumbled, padding back to his stool next to the foot of the bed. Georgia, her eyes wide, scurried next to Daph and ginned, taking her hand.
“I’m sorry, I had to fill out so much paperwork and I didn’t know which room to go to because I forgot my phone and I had to go back down to the receptionist so she could tell me,” she stammered breathlessly. “How are you? How’s Lilly?” She rested a hand over Daph’s belly.
“Thtill in there,” Daph breathed. “But if I do my job right, not for much longer.”
“Have they told you to push yet?”
“Oh yeah,” Daph chuckled. “I’ve been pushin’ alright.”
“Good! That’s good!” Georgia smiled, brushing Daph’s hair out of her face. “We’ll be right here with you, don’t worry. You’re doing great.”
“Don’t...don’t tell me what I already know,” Daph said, grinning wearily.

Behind them, the door flung open again with Darwin slipping back into the room, completely out of breath. As soon as he and Georgia caught eye with one another, they bounded forward and embraced each other, like they hadn’t met in years.
“Do you know her, Mr. Middleson?” the doctor asked, authoritatively.
“What?” Darwin said. “Yes. This is my wife.”
Merrick blinked, glancing between them in confusion.
“Daphodille is our surrogate, doctor,” Georgia explained.
“...I….oh...” Merrick cleared his throat and composed himself. “I...I wasn’t...I didn’t know that.”
“Tara knew that...” Daph grumbled from on her back. She sat up, quickly motioning for the doctor. “Fuck, fuck, okay, here cometh another one.”

Merrick sat back in his seat while Georgia and Darwin rushed to Daph’s side. She held out her hand for Georgia to take, gripping it instead of the side of the bed, and clenched her teeth to push again. Daph roared as she pushed harder than she ever had in her life, bearing down her entire body to push the what felt like an impossibly huge baby through her birth canal.
“C’mon Daph...just keep going...” Georgia said, encouraging her while trying not to wince as the squirrels strong hands clenched like a vice around her fingers. “You can do it! I know you can, you’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever met!”
“Don’t give up,” Darwin said, leaning over his wife. Daph turned to look at them, pushing harder and harder with each second. Then as soon as it arrived, the contraction faded. Daph fell back onto the mattress, panting.
“That...” Daph breathed, pointing up at the two parents. “That...that ain’t gonna work.”
“What?”
“You gotta...you gotta be mean,” Daph said. “Louder. Like you’re thpotting me. Like I’m workin’ out.” She nodded. “That’th how I get motivated. I jutht gotta get pissed off enough that I work harder. That’th how I exercithe.”
“You...you want us to...” Georgia glanced at Darwin, then shrugged. “I mean...we can try.”
“It’ll help me...” Daph breathed. Her eyes widened and she propped herself up on her elbows. “Okay, here’th your chance!” As Daph pushed, Georgia and Darwin glanced awkwardly at one another, unsure of what to say.
“Uhh...Y-You loser!” Darwin yelled out. “You call that pushing? Even...Even my grandmother could do better than that!”
“Louder,” Daph groaned. “Meaner.”

“WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT, YOU LITTLE PANSY?” Georgia suddenly screamed, a surprisingly powerful shout coming out of the little squirrel. “YOU’RE GONNA PUSH LIKE THAT, YOU PUSSY? YOU DON’T DESERVE TO REPRODUCE YOU FUCKING WASTE OF SPACE. LET ME SEE YOU WORK, YOU LITTLE RODENT!”
Surprisingly, the verbal abuse seemed to work. Daph’s face contorted into a scowl and she was able to push harder and stronger with the reverse-motivation from her friends.
“Y-YOU THINK YOU CAN HAVE A BABY WITH THAT KIND OF EFFORT?” Darwin joined in, clenching his fists. “YOU DON’T DESERVE TO HAVE OUR KID! PUSH HARDER!”

This went on for at least an hour, Daph pushing herself unassisted through the pain of labor with nothing but her friends to back her up. She gritted her teeth and pushed, harder and harder each time, feeling the baby moving down through her, inch by inch, closer to the exit. In between contractions, she practiced kegals, trying to make herself ready for when Lilly finally crowned.

Nearly exhausted, Daph fell to the bed after a contraction, her head swimming, her eyes glassy. She felt a metallic ringing in her head, signaling that she was about to pass out. In her last few seconds of consciousness, she caught sight of Georgia, starring terrified at her.

Do it for her, Daph thought to herself.
Her eyes drifted over to Darwin, hand against the wall like he was having trouble standing on his feet.
Do it for them, Daph thought to herself.
Turning over, she looked at her belly, imagining the little girl she’d spent so long growing inside of her, stuck in her birth canal, terrified, wanting nothing but to exist in the same world as the parents who loved her so much.
Do it for her.

Daph clenched her teeth, dredging a surge of strength from somewhere deep inside of her, and began to push. The contraction was strong, insurmountably powerful, but she was stronger. Instead of riding it out, she pushed through the birthing pains, pushed through the strain, pushed through cramps, and pushed through her own fear.
Something gave way. Something inside her lurched forward and slid against her sex, spreading it apart. With one more push, she felt something spread her lips apart.
The delivery room fell silent other than the sound of a small, gurgling, high-pitched voice wailing out from between Daph’s legs. Her eyes opened wide, staring at the ceiling, shock preventing her fatigue from taking her into sleep.
“Holy fuck,” she said, listening to the crying coming from between her legs. “Oh...oh my god...fuck, fuck, shit…” She listened to the sound of the baby she’d held inside her for so long, taking her first breaths of the sterilized hospital air. Georgia and Darwin listened to their daughter crying, completely transfixed at the sound, tears welling in their eyes.
“That’th...that’th her...” Daph said to herself, chuckling. “That’th Lilly...that’th fuckin’ Lilly...” She laughed again, her voice mingling with that of the baby she was halfway through giving birth to, the two sounds remarkably similar.

Newly energized, Daph felt another contraction hit her, but powerfully screamed as she pushed past it. She felt soft, experienced hands around her labia, pushing her folds aside to delicately take hold of the baby. Once her shoulders were clear, Dr. Merrick firmly pulled the baby in tandem with Daph’s contractions.

In a single instant, the baby was out. Lilly was born.

The doctor held the tiny, wailing, oak-brown squirrel in his hands, umbilical cord still trailing into the Daph. A nurse caught her in a clean towel, wrapping her up as her small hands grasped impotently at the air. Her long tail, still hairless, was curled up next to her. Once the nurse clamped closed the umbilical cord, she snipped it with a pair of sterile scissors, then passed on the baby to Darwin.
He stared down at the little squirming bundle in his hands, blinking, before tears rolled down his eyes. He handed Lilly over to Georgia and stumbled near to the wall, crying in joy and nearly unable to stand. Georgia looked over the scrunched face of her daughter, chubby and full and healthy and perfect. She felt the moment stick in her mind, knowing deep down that she’d never forget that sight for the rest of her life.
“Look...” Georgia said, bringing over the baby to Daph’s end of the bed. “Look...Daph...you...you did it.” She grinned, tears flowing down her face. “It’s Lilly.”
Daph looked over, blinking wearily, then grinned.
“Cool,” she mumbled. “I’m a...godmother...” She glanced up at Georgia. “Tho...did I do good?”
“Yes,” Georgia smiled. “You did great.”

“Fuck yeah,” Daph said, raising a fist into the air. She reached over and bumped it against Georgia’s knuckles. Then, after pausing, she reached over and tapped her fist gently to the back of one of Lilly’s tiny hands.
“Okay...” Daph said, blinking. “I think I’m gonna take a nap now...” She flashed a thumbs-up to Georgia before turning over and falling asleep.
Georgia's stepped back from the nurses and doctor as they checked on Daph, looking down that the baby in her arms. In a private moment, without anyone else to see, Lilly slowly opened her eyes, looking up at her mother.

Against all odds, and in contrast with the dark fur around them, Lilly’s eyes were a bright, clear, and solid blue.
*****************************************************************************************************

A few days later, after visiting a restless and impatient Daph in the hospital, Georgia walked down the hall toward the room with the newborns. She went to the large window looking over the many babies of a thousand colors and species, and found Lilly in the middle, wriggling on her back in a pink onesie. Catching sight of one of the nurses, Georgia motioned her closer and pointed her toward the door.

After explaining her request, the nurse nodded and took the pair of scissors into the back. After washing them with sterilizing soap, she carefully and gingerly stood over Lilly and clipped a tuft of fur from her body, then carried it back to Georgia. After thanking the nurse, she stood to the side and opened the her mother’s locket from around her neck. There, alongside the identical strands of blonde fur, she tucked Lilly’s into the other side, pinning them in place.

Georgia sighed, satisfied, then closed the locket. Glancing up to take one last look at her baby, she slipped the locket back under her shirt and padded off silently down the hospital hallway.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Index