Another contraction surged through her, forcing her to bite down on her lip. The pain was so intense Lorena could barely breathe. She desperately wanted to focus on something, anything to distract herself from it. But every time she closed her eyes, the pain came like a thousand arrows, piercing straight through every sensory nerve in her body.

"Aishh, I told you not to bite your lip!" Natsha snapped, her brows knitting tightly together.

"Here! If you have to bite, then bite!" Natsha thrust the soft space between her thumb and index finger toward Lorena's mouth.

Lorena didn't hesitate. She bit down hard.

"AHHHHHHH!" Natsha's sharp scream echoed through one corner of the hospital, startling even the staff on duty.

Lorena's body trembled uncontrollably, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She could no longer tell whether those tears were purely physiological or born of emotion.

She laughed breathlessly even as the next contraction rippled through her.

A doctor rushed in from outside, her expression frozen in confusion at the scene before her.

Natsha rubbed the hand now marked with deep teeth impressions.

"It's nothing!" Natsha said, forcing the words through the pain.

Though still slightly bewildered, the doctor nodded in understanding and quickly left.

"Who told you to bite that hard?" Natsha complained.

"You..." Lorena whispered.

She kept shifting positions, finally wrapping her arms around Natsha's neck, using her as support as she struggled to stand. Her forehead rested against Natsha's shoulder.

Another contraction hit. Lorena tensed, and Natsha began massaging slow circles into her lower back.

No matter the position, the pain never disappeared. Only its intensity changed.

//////////////////////

She was moved into the delivery room.

Natsha had never seen her like this. So wracked with pain, and she never could have imagined Lorena in such a state.

She wiped the sweat continuously streaming down Lorena's forehead. All she could offer was her arm, letting Lorena decide what to do with it. Claw, tear, bite, anything.

Two hours passed, until the first cry of a new "member" finally rang out.

Lorena was completely exhausted. Her body was soaked through.

///////////////////////////////

Natsha stared at the infant lying in the cradle, her thoughts drifting far away.

The vibration of a phone in her pocket pulled her back to reality. She turned off the alarm, then returned to the bedside, gently patting Lorena's shoulder.

"Hey!" She called softly.

Lorena slowly opened her heavy lidded eyes and leaned against her as she sat up. Spoonful after spoonful of thin porridge was fed to her, and she swallowed it down mechanically. She had no appetite at that moment, food of any kind meant nothing to her.

Once she finished eating, Natsha helped her into the bathroom. The nurse had insisted, she had to.

Lorena lowered herself down slowly, the mild stinging sensation making her frown. She rested her forehead against Natsha's stomach.

Natsha, on that day, finally realized something.

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Author's note: Almost there!:)))