felix felicis

VAI The huntress Vai did not buckle easily. She was not the type to shy from adversity or hard work, and she wore the weight that the world had delegated to her shoulders with dignity. Fiercely independent and finding it difficult to lean on anyone - even loved ones - she was a one woman hurricane. In every situation but this one. It was little surprise, with the above in mind, that she did not send for Phoebe until such a time when her labour was so well established that the midwife would be hard pressed to even arrive there in time. Her husband, after calling at Phoebe's door, had wisely disappeared off into the woods lest the witch crush his hand in her grip. When Phoebe did arrive, it would be to find Vervain braced against one of the counters in the kitchen of the little cabin, her wild curls tied up and out of her face, her knuckles white and a scream of agony caged behind her teeth as she rode through another contraction. She'd forgotten just how fucking terrible this part could be.

Phoebe Call the Midwife Phoebe hated when women waited until the last possible second to fetch her. Fetch her early and often was more her style. Worst case scenario she would say it was going to be a while, come back in a few hours. But at least she would know what was happening and would be able to spot warning signs early on and deal with them. Last minute calls light this had a tendency of going off the rails because if something was wrong there weren’t very many options. But when Vai’s husband came – who was a rather intimidating fellow – Phoebe gathered her things quickly, tossing the crown Frey had given her atop her own head for easy transport and rushed out. By the time she reached Vai’s house, Phoebe was panting and sweaty and tuckered out. ”I came…” she gasped for air, ”…as quick as… she gasped for air again, ”…I could!” Phoebe plopped her things unceremoniously onto the ground, catching her breathe by the time she hurried to Vai’s side. ”Alright, let’s see how you’re doing…” she said, guiding Vai to lean back against the counter just for a moment so she could do a quick exam and tie the loose fabric about her waist out of the way. As she did so she counted the time between Vai’s contractions and then checked her pulse, smiling when her exam – which only lasted a few short minutes at most – was through. ”Won’t be long now and very textbook.” Phoebe said brightly, very pleased. ”Here, this will help.” she said, placing the crown on Vai’s head, knowing it would ease the pain she felt to pleasure instead. ”How do you feel most comfortable sitting?”

VAI The huntress Phoebe's presence was an extremely welcome one, but that didn't necessarily mean that Vai noticed it at first. She had been a little busy, after all, but as the midwife drew closer and the witch was able to breathe in the break between her contractions, she managed to turn to allow the other woman to carry out her examination. "If you tell me I still have a ways to go we're going to fall out," she panted, squeezing her eyes shut and tilting her head back to try and imagine she was elsewhere. Luckily it looked as though everything was not only normal, but well on the way, though Vai felt the tell-tale tightening of another contraction just as Phoebe reached up to place the crown on her head. A crown. Of fucking flowers. "What in the hell is that supposed to d-- oh." The curses that had been about to spill from her lips faded entirely, Vai's cheeks lightly flushed, everything about her seeming to utterly relax against the counter. "Oh. Yeah. I mean... yeah, you can put that on forever if you like," she laughed breathlessly. "Mm...? I prefer to stand if I can, but put me wherever you like."

Phoebe Call the Midwife ”Oh no, far from it. I am surprised I got here before the baby did!” Phoebe laughed a little as Vai began to cuss her out but melted into putty instead. Her eyes were alight with pure delight at the sight; watching as each and every muscle in Vai’s body relaxed. She could still see them pulling with contractions, still working as they ought, but without the agony that usually came with. Frey truly was gracious and thoughtful towards those who bore the burden of bringing the next generation. ”It is a gift from Frey, to ease your pain. Be sure to visit and thank them for this gift when you’ve recovered.” Phoebe told her with a smile. The blonde midwife nodded as Vai mentioned she preferred to stand. ”Standing is good at the start but you are bound to end up with a baby falling on the floor at this rate!” she said in her chipper yet soothing way. Instead, Phoebe quickly brought over a chair, placing a cushion and blanket over it to soften it, as well as the floor just next to it. Carefully she would help Vai reposition so she leaned against the chair, squatting down on her knees. Not the loveliest of positions to be seen in but a very effective one given she had no birthing stool (she hadn’t really had time to grab it, frankly). ”Alright now, let’s get this through then, shall we? With the contractions, three…two…one…push!” Phoebe said, coaching her through with practiced ease, prepared to catch the baby which really should only take a few good pushes at that point to arrive.

VAI The huntress With the pain gone, clarity and sanity returned, and of course what Phoebe said made complete sense. It was awkwardly but with a calm that did not seem right for one in the midst of childbirth that Vai followed the midwife's instructions and got herself set up braced against the back of the chair. Her cheeks were still flushed and there was an ever building pressure that she didn't think she could ignore for much longer, but she nodded in understanding with everything Phoebe was saying. "Alright," she murmured, nodding and pressing her forehead against her arms, cheeks still flushed, pleasure and relaxation shivering through her in the place of pain. After her count and with the onset of another contraction, Vai did something rare and out of character - she did as she was told. The advantage of having done this before, even if it was a long time ago, was that her body seemed to fall into a familiar rhythm. Still, whilst pushing wasn't painful it was as exhausting as Vai remembered, and she let out a moan of relief as she finally brought her son into the world. And he bawled, just as soon as he was able.

Phoebe Call the Midwife True to her word, Vai's son was born in short succession. But that didn't mean things were over. Far from it, and in fact, one of the more dangerous parts was left. Phoebe caught the very clearly healthy baby boy with a smile, giving him a quick wipe down just to make sure his airways were clear. "Okay, Vai sit back now, hard part is over. Baby boy is here!" she said brightly. An extra set of hands would have been nice but the young midwife managed, helping Vai shift back into a sitting position before placing the screaming boy into her arms. This was an important time in the bonding process, so Phoebe fell silent for the time being, quietly cleaning and making sure Vai was as comfortable as possible. As Vai rested for a few minutes with the baby, Phoebe removed the crown from her head. Yes, she wouldn't have the benefit of it, but as Frey had said, pain was an important indicator. If things progressed too quickly now, she could cause internal damage and bleed too much. Phoebe always took extra precautions during this time, covering her hands with a moisterizing salve and gently massaging Vai's stomach over the area that her womb was. This way she could feel when the smaller contractions started up again and help ease her through the last step.

VAI The huntress The sound of his cries was all Vai needed to know he was healthy, and whatever else happened she could deal with it. He'd been born with a good set of lungs and was clearly very unimpressed with the world, and she was laughing even as happy tears pricked in the corner of her eyes. Sitting back obediently, she received the boy with a quiet and sincere murmur of thanks to Phoebe, even if she took back the flower crown seemingly just as soon as she had placed it upon her head. With the removal of the magical item, oh, but did Vai know what she had just gone through, and where there had been bliss previously, now it was marred by pain, by fatigue, by every effort it had taken to bring her son into the world. Hushing the baby and cradling him close, it didn't take long for him to settle. His bawling quietened to the odd cry, then to a quiet cooing as he was rocked for the first time by his mother. Compared to the delivery, the smaller contractions that signalled the afterbirth were nothing, and Vai glanced to Phoebe with a thoroughly content smile. "His name is Felix," she told her softly, before the look in her eyes became amused. "I'll let you take care of this, then I'll make us some tea, yeah?"

Phoebe Call the Midwife Phoebe was very pleased with how Vai progressed through the last stages of her labor, everything happening in perfect time, without a single hitch. If only she did have an apprentice, this would have been a wonderful teaching moment about how things were supposed to go! But alas, only she could revel in the perfect normalcy of the moment, cleaning and giving necessary aftercare. As it was, Phoebe was usually pretty hands off at this moment, staying quiet and only doing what was absolutely needed. A woman's body was built for this work after all, and with nothing having gone horribly astray there wasn't much for her to do. "Such a handsome name for a handsome boy." Phoebe said with a grin. Sometimes she thought people named their children such boring or unnecessarily odd things. But Felix was lovely. At the thought that Vai would be making her tea though, Phoebe laughed. "Oh no, I will be making you tea. You need your rest to recover. You'll be going straight to bed. You've done more than enough for one day." Phoebe said with an uncharacteristic firmness. No way in heck was she going to let her just waltz around, making tea and what not! Once everything was cleaned up, she would help Vai up and into bed. By now Felix had thoroughly calmed. "May I take him for just a quick, check up?" Certainly he was fine, but a quick exam would't hurt.

VAI The huntress "Mm, I thought so too," Vai mused about her son with a tired but adoring smile. She ran a finger across one of his chubby cheeks, over the soft head of dark hair he'd been born with, and laughed softly as Phoebe all but commanded her to go to bed. "It was only a jest," she promised her. "I'll not be cartwheeling for at least another week or two after this, I swear." Allowing the midwife to help her up and to the bedroom, Vai nodded and happily surrendered the newborn to her, mainly so she could get changed. Whilst Felix was checked over by Phoebe, Vai climbed into bed and sank back against the pillows, exhausted but thoroughly pleased. "Is everything alright with him? Anything I should watch out for?"

Phoebe Call the Midwife Phoebe smiled as Vervain clarified that she was joking. "I am glad to hear it. You would be surprised how many women think they will just be back to normal in a few hours." she said, shaking her head a little. Unrealistic expectations did not even begin to cover it. "But if you are cartwheeling in two weeks I will be both horrified and impressed. I'd recommend somewhere between four and six if you can resist the urge to do gymnastics." Phoebe added with a light laugh. The midwife took the boy, carrying him securely to her bag, from which she pulled out a little blue blanket - there was a pink one inside too of course because she hadn't known the sex of the child. As she had with Aoife, Phoebe checked Felix's reflexes, his eyes, his hearing, listened to him breathe and monitored his heart rate. Healthy as could be it seemed. Phoebe smiled and shook her head, returning him to his mother. "He seems very healthy to me, so as long as you keep him alive he should be set." she said with a grin. It seemed simple - don't do anything that would kill the baby - but there was definitely a learning curve for new parents. "If he has any trouble latching or if anything else seems concerning though, you send for me right away day or night."

VAI The huntress "Oh, I remember my first child far too vividly, even with it having been so long. I'm not foolhardy enough this time to try and do much more than rest and feed this one," she murmured, watching as Phoebe took Felix away for a quick check over, and she hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath until the midwife returned with her son and the news she'd been hoping for. "That's good to hear," she said, Vai smiling down at the boy as she cradled him back in her arms, tickling his plump little cheek. She nodded gently to Phoebe at her warnings and instructions. "You'll be the first person I send for, I promise," she said. Whilst she might have been fiercely independent when it came to her labour, she would take no chances with Felix now that she couldn't feel him move or kick within.