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#Post#: 646--------------------------------------------------
[Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: insert name Date: February 7, 2020, 6:11 am
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A hot August day in the suburbs. Mom and Dad were gone on the
second of what would become weekly date nights. The new house
was the kind of place that the Hamptons had always dreamed of.
The kind of place that when they were children there was no
chance of ever living in. A nice neighborhood. A white
neighborhood.
To Dwain, this had meant little. All he knew is that he had to
go to a new school soon, and make new friends. He'd never been
good at that, but that meant he wasn't leaving many friends
behind. He sat under the blistering Sun reading *Pet Semetary*
and tried not to worry.
A loud panicked scream came from inside. Rebecca. The book fell
to the floor, forgotten in an instant, and Dwain was running
inside.
Other nosies followed the scream, getting clearer as he went in.
Someone was breathing heavily and grunting in pain, someone else
repeating empty support phrases 'You can do it', 'I'm here for
you', and noises of startlement and disgust.
Dwain barely managed to contain a shocked scream of his own when
he burst into the living room and saw his mother's vagina taking
up half the TV screen. The oran was wet and bloody, and gaping
wide as something within was being pushed out.
Rebecca would later explain she'd thought some pictures of Dwain
as a baby might be cute, not to mention something to tease him
about. She'd found the tape while sorting through the still
packed boxes, and the prospect that it would have the birth
itself had never occurred to her. Why would Dad film that?
Decades later the unexpected sight of naked, bleeding biology no
longer disturbs Hampton. He takes comfort remembering the family
gathered around his mother in this time.
He has his own family, such that it is, gathered around Kimbria.
No doctors are present, save himself, but two fleshworkers are
more than enough to guarantee a safe birth. Toge offered to
simply pull the child out on his own, but Kimbria didn't want
that. She wants a natural birth.
Moniuqe is by her mother's side, clutching her hand. She's only
a few years older than Rebeeca was when she found the tape, but
there is none of her aunt's squeamishness. She is struggling
underneath her bravado. Dwain can see it on her face. The old
trauma of her pregnancy and labour, of the dead child, made
fresh in this moment. Still, she is there.
And Rebecca is there, no longer the child so appalled by the
process of birth.
So why does Dwain feel so alone? Why are the King's hands so
cold under the latex gloves?
This should be on the roof, he thinks. Under the stars, within
the womb of his kingdom, where the world would be watching.
Where they would be watching. This is the birth of a prince. The
beginning of a new era. The world should know it. The cosmos
should bend itself to gaze upon it.
Instead, Kimbria has insisted it be in the home. Away from all
the magick. Separate. And the cosmos has allowed this.
How can something so important to Dwain be ignored by the world?
#Post#: 647--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: PlebeianTyrant Date: February 7, 2020, 1:57 pm
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OOC
Is there a midwife? Or is Dwain acting in that capacity? Because
he no longer has the training for that. Also, how fast into
labor is Kimbri? Still in the waiting around while contractions
build up speed? Or are we at fully dilated cervix and pushing?
Just want to know where she's at right now. Also what year is it
and what month? I can't remember.
#Post#: 648--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: insert name Date: February 9, 2020, 4:16 am
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Maryam Patel preferred the term دایہ
(Daya) to midwife or doula. In truth she preferred 'Doctor' but
that ship had sailed. She'd lost her license, and with it her
job at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility, for some
rather questionable use of her access and resources. In all
likelihood she would have been tried for murder if the Facility
hadn't been media shy about it. As it was none of the drug
trafficking charges stuck enough to put her on the other side of
the bars, even if it got her disbarred.
Kimbria had met her through the friend of a friend, at the time
unaware of the drama behind her. She had learnt it all later,
but by then it didn't matter. Kimbria had decided to trust her,
and accusations of criminality were hardly going to change that.
So here she was, a stranger to the realm, in Hampton's castle,
guiding his son into the world. Someone outside his power and
command standing in the heart of his life, and taking control of
it.
It was emasculating, to say the least.
But, she was there, calmly and carefully guiding the horror that
is a natural human birth. Instead of screaming curses Kimbria
was repeating an Urdu mantra. Kimbria had selected it herself,
the words meaning 'A new story begins.' Speaking it in another
language made her think about the sounds, focus on the meaning,
rather than simply repeat it. A distraction that was still on
topic.
"ایک نئی
کہانی شروع
ہوئی۔
ایک نئی
کہانی شروع
ہوئی۔
ایک نئی
کہانی شروع
ہوئی۔..."
#Post#: 649--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: PlebeianTyrant Date: February 9, 2020, 9:44 am
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Dwaine stood next to Kimbria holding her hand or rubbing her
back to provide any small comfort he could. His demeanor was
calm, reassuring. His smile seemed effortless and his words were
smooth rivers of encouragement.
However, his mind was racing. It was full of terrible gut
wrenching thoughts. "What if something goes wrong? What if the
baby's deformed? What if someone attacks us right now?" He would
spare small glances towards the front door of the house from the
living room where they had situated the birthing pool. Dougan's
mountainous presence near the entrance assuaged his fears a
little, but the thoughts kept leaking through. Like termites
chewing through a home's foundation.
#Post#: 650--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: insert name Date: February 10, 2020, 1:50 am
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[quote]Helplessness 4 Check.[/quote]
Toge and Douggan grew evidently uneasy when blood reddened the
water. Their eyes watched it with a confused mix of respect and
fear. The transaction of bodily destruction to work miracles was
nothing new to them, but was this the power of self destruction
or the allowance of destruction by another? It was a place of
philosophical uncertainty.
Patel kept calm as she coaxed the child out. She spoke in a
clam, clear voice and described what was happening, good and
bad. The worst part was a long tense few minutes after the
child's head emerged, but his shoulder trapped the rest of him
in the canal. Patel had to hold the head and make sure he could
breathe while simultaneously working the shoulder out of its
place.
In the end, though, the child came out and Hampton was given the
honor of cutting the chord.
[quote]So, I'm mostly emphasizing how mundane this is, but is
there something symbolic or ritualistic Hampton does
here?[/quote]
#Post#: 651--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: PlebeianTyrant Date: February 10, 2020, 8:02 am
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OOC
I know you dont have the background to know this, but babies
don't breathe until they are fully out of the birth canal.
That's why they aren't screaming bloody murder the moment their
head pops out. That's why they get rubbed super vigorously right
after they're pulled out of mom. Which would be why the midwife
wouldn't need to somehow hold a babysitter head up out of water,
but also need to have the mother bear down.
IC
The King waits patiently for his prince to be born. This is a
moment dedicated to Another, and he is not selfish. His time
will come.
When Dwaine sees his son pulled from Kimbria's laboring body and
placed on her naked, heaving chest he feels a tension release in
his chest. His vision blurred as tears came to his eyes, making
his wife and infant son a dark brown hazy smudge. Leaning in, he
embraced the both of them, kissing Kimbria on the forehead and
whispering "You did it." To her. The placenta was eventually
delivered while Dwaine held his son and showed him to Monique
and Rebecca. As per his request, it was wrapped in plastic along
with the umbilical cord and stored for later.
As the king and queen held each other Dougan dipped his hand in
the birthing pool. A swirling mixture of the king's, queen's,
and now the prince's fluids. He wiped a line of it across his
brow, right along the thin horizontal scar that was his symbolic
brand of loyalty to his king. Then, using a small Tupperware
container, he collected some of the fluid for later. A potent
collection of symbols to be sure.
#Post#: 652--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: insert name Date: February 10, 2020, 12:43 pm
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[quote]I know babies don't normally breath while coming out, but
I thought if it was delayed, or the head came out when the rest
hadn't, they might start trying. My bad.
Also:
For some reason in my old character sheet for you the name is
Dwain. I rather think Dwaine is correct, though.[/quote]
Toge cried at the end of it all, and also looked at Douggan like
he was a freak for collecting the fluids.
David came out healthy and fell to exhaustion in proper course.
Patel ran a few basic tests, shinning lights in his eye and
testing reaction and all that, but insisted, not for the first
time, they get him properly screened at hospital. within the
first week. She wasn't equipped for blood tests, for a start.
There was one thing however.
After a few hours, while the child was still fast asleep in the
arms of his exhausted parents, Patel clapped her hands together
quite loudly, near David's head. The child did not stir.
"I was afraid of that," Patel said. "You'll need proper testing
done, but based on my preliminaries and the lack of reaction to
that sudden, loud noise I think David might have some hearing
issues."
Kimbria looked from her perfect, slumbering son to Patel, and
back again. It took a few repetitions of this before the words
seemed to reach some kind of sense in her head. "You mean he's
deaf?"
"He might be," Patel clarified, "And even if so it might not be
permanent, but you definitely want his hearing screened."
#Post#: 653--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: PlebeianTyrant Date: February 10, 2020, 2:06 pm
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OOC
Dougan is the creature Toge made. Serves him right. Take that
Isolation 1 check.
IC
The King looks to the Rod and Worm, This pettiness is beneath
you.
Dwaine stroked the top of David Alexander Hampton's head. So
soft and delicate. "We'll be sure to get him checked. Thank
you." He said to Patel in the genuine voice he could muster. He
turned back to Kimbria, "Don't worry about it. Nowadays there
are all kinds of ways to help him if he is deaf. Everything will
be fine, I'll see to it. Monique, do you want to hold him?"
Dougan mind began to race the moment he heard that there could
be wrong with David's hearing. He started going through his
mental list of all the body parts that affect hearing. His cold
blue eyes stared at the infant from afar, considering options.
#Post#: 654--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: insert name Date: February 13, 2020, 12:11 pm
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Monique took the child in her trembling arms. She held him close
and kissed his forehead. She smiles down at him and tried to say
hello, but somehow only a sob came out. For a moment, Hampton
did could no longer see son; the place was taken by the corpse
of his late granddaughter. Monique began to shake. Her eyes
closed to the rush of tears. She clutched David close with hands
seizing tight. Her knuckles turned pale. The baby woke, and the
siblings began to wail together. Monique collapsed to her knees,
pressing David into her. Most people would not have recognized
the noise Monique was making as human anymore, but Hampton knew
it well. It was a noise that had haunted him in the dark hours
for years after he first heard it from the mother he had to tell
he killed her son.
Patel, exhausted from her own work, stared in confusion. She
made a move as though to intervene, but hesitated, too
uncertain. Kimbria reaches to her daughter, but isn't in a
position to stand right now. Toge was still crying, but now his
fists were also clenched.
Hampton, of course, is there for his daughter.
OOC
Not everyone makes their checks.
For clarity: The baby's not in direct danger of being dropped or
anything. Monique is holding him too closely, which is presently
more uncomfortable than harmful to him... probably.
#Post#: 655--------------------------------------------------
Re: [Detroit] Sonrise: Dr. Hampton
By: PlebeianTyrant Date: February 21, 2020, 9:30 am
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With soft words and a firm grip Hampton coaxes Monique to let go
of the baby. Raising an open hand, he gestures at everyone to
give her some room. Once he has David in his grasp again he
wraps an arm around Monique's heaving shoulders. "I know you
miss her. More than anything. These small, gentle lives are the
most precious to us. We must cherish them. Protect them from any
harm we can. But I also know how impossible that can be. We all
do our best in this world. So let's love each other for as long
as we have each other." Then Hampton kisses Monique on the
forehead and holds her tight.
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