Will She Curse While She's in Labor (Story by Me) - Part 2

Cynthia tried to take deep breaths as she waited outside in the clinic’s waiting area to be admitted inside her laying room. Labor hadn’t started yet, but she could tell from the unsettling stirring in her stomach that it was getting close; she had got here as early as she could so she could be ready when it started. It was a quiet day in the labor ward and perhaps only one other dragon was laying at the moment (it did not sound like it was going well, obviously, but at least it seemed she was about done), and Cynthia had very little to calm her nerves as she awaited the inevitable labor that laid before her.

Simo sat next to her his presence somewhat comforting to the anxiety firing all over inside her, but he could only do so much. Ruby had also offered to be here, but she had also realized that with all that had happened lately that might just make things all the more stressful. She completely understood when Cynthia told her it might be best if she just let her husband accompany her for this. Ruby promised Cynthia she’d remain close by just in case, and Cynthia couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude toward her friend.

“You okay?” Simo asked, noticing Cynthia talons tapping violently beneath her.

Cynthia nodded. She had finally opened up to Simo about all her fears and anxieties last night, and he had just listened. It had been comforting to let it out to him, but right now, her stomach was unsettled, her nerves were already all over the place, talking about it would just make it worse.

“Hey, listen,” Simo said, looking her in the eyes, “whatever you say in there, I’m not going to hold against you.”

“I know” Cynthia said, “but I don’t… I just don’t want to say those things to you.”

“And I hope you won’t,” said Simo, holding her talons tight, “But just remember, whatever happens, I love you.”

She rested her head on him, just grateful for his presence.

Pretty soon, the nurses came back to the front and led her to her room. It looked fairly comfortable, but Cynthia didn’t let that comfort her, knowing full well of the torture that would soon be happening inside these walls. There was a widow to the outside looking out to the city, but the curtains were closed - a good thing, because even on an upper floor like this she really didn’t want any dragons who happened to fly by outside to see her as she was about to be.

Inwardly, she winced, I always try to be so modest, now all these nurses are going to be seeing me as eggs come out of me in the most indecent way possible.

She shook her head. No use worrying about that, now matter how self-conscious it made her feel, what mattered was not what the process was, but how she reacted, and what she said, that was what she had to focus on.

Cynthia’s stomach twisted with anxiety, she didn’t want to do this, she wanted to go home. But she also felt the stirring of the eggs inside her and knew there was no way to keep this from happening.

“Okay,” said the Nurse, “You know how this works, right?”

Cynthia went red, “Yes, a lot of indecency, a whole lot of words concerning parts of me I’d rather not have mentioned, please, I don’t feel like talking about this, okay? Can we just let it happen and accept it as it is without using any of those…uncomfortable words to describe it.” She tried to be as polite as she could, but the thought of actually putting into words what was about to happen to her was something she did not want to hear.

The nurse nodded, “As you wish.” She collected some things, “We’ll be back in a few minutes, just settle in and try to relax, okay? I know it’s hard.”

With that, she left Cynthia and Simo alone.

Cynthia felt her stomach, “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”

Simo said nothing, they both knew the answer to that question.

Cynthia looked at him, “You know how this works, right?”

Simo gave her a “seriously” face, “Yes, well of course.” He wasn’t going to say anymore than that. “But Cynthia,” he continued gently, “it’s just the way of nature, you don’t have to feel bad about it, you know that.” He knew it’d already been said, but he felt for her, it was worth repeating.

“I know,” Cynthia said, looking away, “I’m just stressed, that’s all. I don’t…” She took a deep breath, “I don’t want to cuss.” Cynthia admitted quietly.

“I know,” said Simo going up to hug her, “I know.”

Then abruptly, Cynthia pulled back in shock.

“Cynthia?” Simo asked in concern.

“It’s starting, oh no, oh no, please-” and then a contraction shocked her. She gave a loud yelp, alerting all the nurses in the labor ward.

Her nurses came in and immediately went about trying to comfort her. Cynthia struggled to catch her breath through the pain, panic rising in her as she realized this was actually happening, the pain that she was feeling and would soon be feeling was very real. She didn’t want to think about the agony that awaited her, but she was about to feel it, so then how could she not think of it?

And so her labor had begun. Cynthia stood whimpering, hunched on all fours, pressed down, her… behind slightly raised (not the most decent position she’d ever stood in). She had no idea if this was the best position, but it was the one that suited her at the moment. Not that any position felt comfortable, but at least in this one she could stay folded over.

The pain she felt felt so indecent - how could this be happening to her? - she would never dare to say where the pain was attacking her.

But then, an unexpected sharp pain.

“My v_____!” she cried. Shock rippled through her at the realization of what she’d just said, of all the nurses standing around her knowing exactly what that word meant and how it related to her. Hot shame filled her face, but the pain was just too much. “My v_____!” Tears rolled down her face, how could she, she had never had to use such a term in her life. She was so ashamed of herself, but she was in so much pain, she just kept repeating those words over and over, “My v_____! My v_____! My v_____! My v_____!”

Then suddenly, a sharp contraction racked her, ripping the first egg free from her. “D___IT!” she screamed. The room went still, everybody looked at her. “I’m sorry!” she suddenly cried, hot shame filling her. She’d just done it. She’d just said something she’d hoped she never would. “I didn’t mean to say that! I didn’t…”

“It’s okay,” her husband said. He picked up the egg from the floor, “See, the first egg’s here, isn’t it beautiful?”

It didn’t matter though - yes, it was beautiful - but she’d just uttered a word that he would never have to use. It may have been only a mild one, but it was still a curse word, and he had no idea how lucky he was not to be in her place, all this guilt and shame that he didn’t have to feel, it made her feel so demeaned in herself.

Then suddenly the contractions began to pick up again, hammering her inside out, the pain was unbearable. Cynthia gritted her teeth, and then burst into screaming. Fortunately, no more words came out this time, just pure guttural agony, it was so intense, she couldn’t even muster a single syllable.

And so it was as the eggs made their way through her body and into the world, every once in awhile she would begin panting again, “My v_____! My v_____! My v_____! My v_____!” and then another egg would be born, and she’d scream excruciatingly, but no more real curses surfaced, she was in too much pain to care about bad words anymore. She still regretted the one mild one that came out earlier, and the shameful term she kept using even now, but as she cried her way through labor, she just wanted the pain to end, she didn’t care who heard about her “v_____” anymore, she didn’t care that the dragon who had finished having her eggs just across the hall from her and the huge group of relatives that had come to congratulate her on the delivery could certainly hear every cry Cynthia was making, she was trembling all over in her wretched body, it hurt so much.

“Are you okay?” her husband asked her.

She just shook her head and whimpered, “no.” She didn’t know how any dragon could take this.

Another contraction, “My…” This time she gritted her teeth, trying to hold back, but the pain wouldn’t cease, she couldn’t help herself, what was the point in holding back anyway, so she burst out again in another round of “My v_____! My v_____! I’m sorry, I’m sorry. My v_____! I’m sorry. My v_____! I’m sorry.” She’d just keep saying that word again and again, and why not? It humiliated her so - every dragon flying by outside could probably hear it - she never used such terms out loud, but that’s where all the agony was heading as the contractions tried to force the eggs to rip themselves out of her; who cared now if she declared it to the world? Right now it was her comfort word; it stung to hear herself saying it, but that helped to bring away some of the sting from labor, and maybe it helped distract her from using something much stronger and so awful that she’d never be able to live with herself again - she’d lived with that part of herself her whole life (once again, her husband hadn’t), she’d just never had to say it. Though perhaps she didn’t know how anyone could live with themselves knowing the pain of labor either.

And then, suddenly, she was screaming, “MY V_____! MY V_____! MY V_____!” the pain too sharp for any dragon to handle.

As her husband stood by her side, patiently listening as she cried her mantra over and over, she realized he would be spared ever having to use that term too, (he probably wouldn’t have been able to bring himself to use it if he tried; apparently, that wasn’t the case for her). Right now, it was her naughty little word, one that would exist for her and her labor alone.

Through the fog of pain, Cynthia realized at some point, her mother had come by to visit her and check on how she was doing. Cynthia, still wrapped up in her tirade, felt so ashamed to be using such a term in front of her own mother, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“I’m sorry, but it hurts,” Cynthia whimpered with tears or sweat in her eyes, she couldn’t tell “Oh my v_____ hurts!” she wailed.

Cynthia’s mother winced at hearing her daughter say that word, but she just nodded understanding, “I know sweety, I know. It happens.”

“But it shouldn’t,” Cynthia said through another whimper, she would try to refrain from using it at least while her mother was here- but then another bolt of pain ripped through her. “My v_____!” she cried.

So, throughout the remainder of her hard and painful labor of 20 eggs, Cynthia continued to scream, wail, shrieked and whatever other types of anguished cries one could make of that term over and over. Yes, it was shameful, but she was so busy on that word, she didn’t have energy to focus on any other curse words. So ironically, the most embarrassing term she could use about herself, in some way, helped her more than she could’ve ever dared to hope.

And then, finally, with one last agonizing shriek, the last egg was laid. As Cynthia took in deep breaths of recovery, the nurses stepped out of the room to give her and Simo a chance to rest a few minutes.

“I made it,” she said, breathing deeply, “and I only said one bad word.”

She still felt bad about that one slip up, but perhaps it had been mild enough to let go.

But her husband just shrugged, “Though I’m sure anyone anywhere near the clinic had quite an interesting earful of anatomical terminology if you don’t mind me saying.” He wasn’t mocking her, he was just being honest, but Cynthia still winced. She thought of all the dragons who had just probably been flying by outside who now had to associate that term and how it related to her to her voice, it did not feel like the greatest thing to happen to her dignity to say the least. Simo noticed her face. “But don’t worry, you did fine,” he assured her comfortingly.

Cynthia reluctantly sighed, apparently she’d have to admit she hadn’t been perfect, perhaps no mother could be while in labor, she like Ruby and many other dragons before her had said some things she had never thought she’d say. She had managed to keep it milder than most, but her record wasn’t entirely clean either. Ruby had managed to cope by letting it slide, Cynthia didn’t know if she’d be able to do so as well; she might very well feel the sting of her own self-betrayal for the rest of her life, but she’d managed to hold on just enough that she might be able to get past it. She’d declared aspects of herself she’d rather not mention, and she’d used one mild curse, if that was the extent of her language for her life, especially considering how much pain she’d had to live through, perhaps this was something where she could live with herself.

Simo sat there in silence for a few moments while Cynthia processed her thoughts, but then he let a sly smile cross his face, “Besides, that word you chose was quite cute, I suppose,” he said unexpectedly. “Although I do prefer the shorter variation of the term.”

“Oh stop it!” said Cynthia, hitting him in the head with a pillow.

But hey, she had ended up saying some stuff that wasn’t exactly particularly in her comfort zone, it only seemed only fair if he let himself take on some of the load of shameful talk as well, even if he could never bring himself to use the terms directly (even if what he was saying was true). Cynthia understood what he was doing, and even though he was such an annoyance right now, she did feel grateful.

By this point, another dragon had come in to lay her eggs, and as Cynthia heard her screams, she could help but feel sorry for her, while her pain was done, this other dragon’s suffering had just begun. Cynthia didn’t know where this other dragon stood on cursing, but she hoped she wasn’t one to be too hard on herself, because she wasn’t making it far, spewing words that Cynthia now knew (fortunately) she would never have to use. But such was the nature of life Cynthia guessed, one dragon would finish laying, another would begin, some dragon would be in pain while another would finally be given their relief, it was a constant cycle. No dragon could predict what another dragon would say during their delivery, some would curse like there was no tomorrow, but perhaps there were some who’d make it through without it; every dragon would have to deal with the pain in her own way.

Cynthia looked at her 20 eggs, sitting beside her, everything leading here had been hard, but at least these ones had come out of it; every one of her children who hatched from these eggs would be precious to her.

As they left the hospital loaded with all the eggs she had laid - a couple of slings and overloaded arms – the cleaning girl passed them, giving Cynthia a polite nod of approval. When they got outside, Ruby was there to greet them at the front door.

“Cynthia, you’re here, how are you?” She noticed them struggling with their loads, “Here, let me help you with that.”

She grabbed a few of the eggs from Cynthia and Simo’s arms and held them tight, “Oh, they’re so beautiful.”

Cynthia nodded, “Yeah,” she replied simply. She meant it, but she was just exhausted.

Cynthia looked at Ruby, suddenly feeling sorry again, thinking of all the words she had now said that Cynthia never would, and she felt an ache inside her for that part of their relationship that they would never again share.

A slight silence fell over Cynthia. Ruby looked back at her. Obviously the past few hours had been quite hard on her, there was no telling what she’d been through in the delivery room she knew.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said finally, “you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Cynthia nodded gratefully at Ruby, as close as they were as friends, she decided she would let this pass. What had happened had happened, they’d both lived through their deliveries as best as they could, and now it was time to let it rest in the past.

As they started walking again to head back home, Cynthia looked at Ruby, then at Simo, the two most supportive dragons in her life; grateful more than anything to have them both. “Thank you,” she said.