New Life...

[nerdanel_the_wise]

Nerdanel whimpers, curled up on her side as she waits for her son to return with as many of their family as he could locate. She had also sent him to find Guppy.

She tenses with a particularly painful contraction. This had been going on, more or less, for the last two days. The contractions were spaced far apart for most of the labour, but now... now they were closer and she knew something was off. She was so tired. She had vomitted both attempts at meals, and she had forbidden her son to leave her side until now.

Now, though, she is exhausted, nauseous and hungry, and everything hurt.

Against her better judgement, she begins to quietly cry when the next contraction slams into her.

Comments

[namo]

Námo swallows, remembering to breathe, and reaches with a trembling hand to touch their son.

"He is... beautiful... so... perfect. Nerdanel--"

He stops, frowning, and looks to the copper-haired Elf.

"Nerdanel?" Her eyes closed, her breathing even... it looked as if she merely slept... but Elves didn't sleep with their eyes closed. "Nerdanel? Guppy, something is wrong. Gorlim, please take Gabriel from her. Nerdanel!"

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

Gorlim quickly gathers the infant into his arms, and stands up and away from Nerdanel. It's an automatic motion. He's seen enough mothers die in childbirth to know what to do. He holds the child to his chest and goes to stand next to Maglor, so that the brothers may be near each other, also.

[asar-suti.livejournal.com]

"Wrong? Something is wrong??" Asar-Suti said, all the fears he'd gone over with Maglor the other day coming back.

He let go of Nerdanel's hand and stood, instinctively going over to where Gil and Maglor were.

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy frowns a little and moves quickly to Nerdanel's head. He doesn't know about elves sleeping with their eyes open, but Námo evidently knows something.

"Nerdanel? Can you hear me?" he taps her shoulder, looking for a response. She's breathing but he checks for a pulse nonetheless. He checks for signs of a bleed, but there's nothing.

"I'm a human doctor, not elf. Do any of you know what could cause this? Námo, what made you notice she had collapsed?"

He'll get the infirmary diagnostics on her soon enough, but it would help to know what he's looking for.

[namo]

Námo also stood, gently easing her back on the bed. She was so pale...

"Her eyes are closed. If she were only sleeping, they would be half-open and unfocused. Elves do not sleep with their eyes closed. This... this is not right."

He continues to hold one of her limp hands, reaching out to her with his mind -- but he was not a Vala. Only another Elf.

"She does not answer my mind-calls, either."

[2nd-feanorian.livejournal.com]

"The infirmary is the best hope we have," Maglor said - he was a warrior, used to thinking on his feet.
"What do you think, Guppy?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"I agree with Maglor, I was just seeing if any of you knew anything."

He glances up at the others. "I won't be able to move her on my own. Do any of you know anything I should know about elves? I know she can't have human medications, is there anything else?"

[namo]

He shakes his head. "Only the medications -- I would worry if you gave her those. Until I take back my divinity, I will not be able to go into her mind or look at her spirit. When I am a Vala again, I will come to her."

Námo looks at Asar-Suti and Maglor.

"Will you please help Guppy take Nerdanel to the infirmary?"

He wanted time alone with his son and his lover before he followed.

[asar-suti.livejournal.com]

Asar-Suti picked her up easily, motioning to Maglor to take her feet.

This was one of the situations where he was glad of his divine powers.

Maglor took his mother's feet, ready to help manoeuvre her aroung the door jambs very quickly.

"Okay, we need to move fast," Maglor said. "Lead the way, Guppy!"

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy hurries to the infirmary, holding doors open for them. He turns on the nearest moniter and gets out the scanner.

[namo]

Námo watches them go, then turns his attention to Nerdanel's bed.

In a fog of worry and shock, he strips her bed, tossing the soiled sheets to the floor where they could be taken to be cleaned. Then he remade her bed before sitting on it.

He ignored the gurgling child -- his heart racing and his eyes so close to spilling their tears of worry.

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

Gorlim gives the infant his finger to suckle.

"Namo. Namo, love, come take your son so he knows you." He manages to mostly keep the tremor out of his voice.

[namo]

He blinks, looking up at Gorlim with very wide eyes.

His son.

Their son.

"Our son," he says quietly, a little roughly. He stands, and slowly walks toward Gorlim. "Our son."

He looks down into that tiny face with its bright gaze.

"Gabriel."

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

"Aye -- OUR son. But your blood, Heron."

He eases the infant into Namo's arms. "Let him suck your finger. I'll go get formula from my room. He needs to eat as soon as possible. Can you wait here for me and hold him until I'm back?"

[namo]

He nods, taking the tiny being into his arms as if made of spun glass.

While Gorlim is gone, Námo quietly talks to Gabriel, using a hot cloth to clean the child better, and when he is done with that, he dresses him in a nappy Nerdanel had on a table and a small shirt before wrapping him in a clean, thicker blanket.

She had taught him well, but his movements were unsure, unpracticed, and each sound Gabriel made had Námo checking and double-checking that all was well.

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

Gorlim is soon back with a bottle of baby formula Eilinel thoughtfully had prepared just in case, and more blankets. He helps wrap the baby more securely, muttering to him as well, and presses the bottle into Namo's hand. "Here. You feed him."

[namo]

A nervous glance to Gorlim and he offers the nipple to their son.

Which he takes immediately, eating hungrily.

Námo watches him with such rapt fascination, seeing his features in the small face topped with Nerdanel's copper fuzz...

"Oh, dove," he breathes.

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

Gorlim wraps his arms around the Vala-turned-Elf and the baby.

"He's perfect, Namo. Perfect."

[namo]

He blinks several times, leaning into Gorlim's embrace.

"He is so small, Gorlim. So very small. I never imagined..."

The Elf never imagined that he would feel this instant bond -- this need to protect and keep and... love. And he shares those thoughts with his bird, wanting him to know what Námo could not put into words.

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

Gorlim GLOWS at Namo, just GLOWS.

"I knew you'd learn," he says, a little choked. "I KNEW. You can't... NOT learn how... he's YOURS, you know? And that's.... extraordinary."

[namo]

He looks up at Gorlim.

"I could not have learned without you, Gorlim. Never belittle what part you have played in this." He kisses him softly before returning his attention to Gabriel. "Little one... ionen... oh, how I love you already. You have stolen my heart, Gabriel, and I do not think I mind in the least."

[gorlim.livejournal.com]

He leans against Namo, his hand on the infant's blankets, on knuckle lightly stroking the pale, hot cheek.

He just smiles. Just keeps smiling.

Their son.