Chapter 5: Laboring in Love

Yvette and Terrence took the idea of a retreat for concubines and went all out after the gathering. Less than four days later, she led Tina, Bethany, Esther and a dozen other concubines to a pod that had been set up with a comfortable lounge just inside the entrance. One of the rooms off of that proved to be a large weaving room. There were two large looms that the AI reported could generate a cloth up to six feet wide, and three smaller ones that were about two feet wide. It even had a video screen, which the AI used to show video of lessons such as stringing the loom and setting up the multiple spools necessary to generate the picture tapestriesthat Tina had talked about.

Tina had used the four days surprisingly well. She had been using a combination of the sleep trainers and some virtual reality time to learn and practice weaving and had even coaxed James into allowing her to use a wallscreen to generate a picture of what she wanted to weave. It was an amazingly touching tapestry showing a quiet pond and wood. The foreground of the tapestry was going to be dominated by a hummingbird that was about to take a quick drink from a drooping blue flower.

Maggie had also come up with an idea for a tapestry and happily brought it around to show everyone. Hers was of a meadow filled with rabbits. I remember Kitty and Brittany giggling about the subject matter, but everyone agreed that it was very appropriate for our colony.

In fact almost all of the concubines were enthusiastic about our little refuge. Bonnie and Cleo were the only two who stayed away. This was not because they disliked the place. Tyson, their owner, was doting on them and so attentive that they did not feel the need to visit.

We quickly turned a third room into a practice room for musicians and had a practice stage set up in a fourth. Janice was working on the musical idea and had about an hour-long show written out. The transitions needed work, and Claire had suggested taking a couple of popular songs and rewriting them to be about beer. I still remember the laughs from Philipe and Craig when she blushingly suggested taking the song "You Got To Have Heart" and turning it into a song about the foaming head that men liked on their beers. David saved her by not only accepting the idea, but also championing her rewrite and finding a way to write it into the show.

An Ishtarian week after the center opened, Tina was happily working on her tapestry and even had the first three inches complete. I had stopped by to watch her work and was talking.

"Is it hard?" I asked.

Tina nodded. "At lot harder than I expected. I have to remember which of the shifters to lift each time in order to control the colors of each weave."

"You worried about mistakes?"

Tina nodded again. "Very. A mistake would be nearly impossible to undo. Still I'm discovering that I love this. I can see my picture slowly develop in the threads. It's an incredible feeling to realize that people just might look at it someday and wonder who the artist was."

I gave my sister concubine a hug and looked over at Maggie, who had finally finished setting up the many spools of thread she needed. At least the AI was watching as she worked and made sure to guide her through each step. She waddled around thanks to her advanced pregnancy, but like Tina there was a happy glow about her. "I'll admit, it's nice to have this place. Although I'll be happier when I give birth."

Tina laughed. "Yeah, who would have imagined that the first two concubines to give birth would be Paula and Jillian, the schoolgirl cuddlebunnies belonging to the twins."

I thought for a moment. "Well they are two of the youngest concubines. I think I remember in high school that young women were more likely to have shorter pregnancies, although on Earth that also meant more complications and babies born with problems."

Tina paled a little. "Do you think?"

"No," I said shaking my head. I noticed a small cramp in my stomach, but ignored it. "Donna and Shawna are confident that the Confed technology will ensure no problems with the babies."

I sat down to watch Tina work. My sister concubine often moaned that she was unintelligent, but the intensity of her concentration was amazing. Each pass of the shuttle only took place after she had carefully double-checked that the previous pass had left no loose threads and that she had flipped the proper switches for each section. I must have spent an hour watching as another inch of the tapestry formed until the cramping in my stomach forced me to get up.

I had just stood and moved when Tina looked over. "Meiko? Did you..." she asked and pointed at the chair I had been sitting in. I turned and noticed that a visible puddle had been left when I stood.

"No..." I replied carefully. Just then another cramp gripped me. At least I felt the same pain that I had been thinking was a cramp for the last hour. The blood left my face as I turned to look a Tina. "Oh my god..." I said quietly. "My water must have broken and I thought it was just a cramp."

"Oh god!" Tina screamed. "AI help! What do I do?"

There was silence for a moment and then I moaned as another pain struck me. I realized it was a labor pain and clutched my stomach. Tina reached for me in a panic.

"Meiko?" James voice rang out. "The AI just said Tina called for help, and that she did it because of you."

I was gasping a bit from the power of the last surge, but managed to speak. "I think I'm in labor."

There was a moment of stunned silence. "Tina, I'll alert Donna and Shawna. If Meiko can walk, try to guide her to the medical pod. I'm on my way," James declared.

The signal cut out and Tina put her head under my left shoulder. "Come Little One. It's a bit unfair you get to be first. But I guess nature chose."

I giggled between gasps as we started to walk to the door. "James won't love you any less because you weren't first," I told her.

Tina giggled. "I know. He loves each of us so much. But for now, we need to worry about you. How is it?"

"Uncomfortable," I said as another mild pain struck.

"So is pregnancy," Tina replied. "But it's a happy feeling at the same time."

I nodded as the door opened. Just then David ran up pushing one of the birthing gurneys that Shawna and Donna had talked about.

"Speedy delivery service is here," he pronounced with a smirk.

I just gasped as he helped me up onto the gurney. Tina had stopped and was standing and staring at the gurney. "So fast."

David laughed as Shawna ran up. "Michael and I have been standing by for the last week with the gurneys. We have kept one close to this pod because we expected that this might happen."

Chapter 6 »