Risalda Enudo's Story

Evanne remained quiet standing near the door separating the kitchen area from the small bedroom. She watched the exchange between Rob and Juniper just like the others. She didn’t exactly know what their history was but even when she came across them in the wilderness, there was definitely something going on.

Her cheeks turned bright red when she say Noah enter the shack. He didn’t notice her in the dark corner. When his eyes didn’t immediately find hers, her heart sunk a little. She frowned when Robin introduced Noah. She heard Ginny chuckle from the bed. She guessed it must be some sort of inside joke. She stepped forward as Noah shook hands with Ginny. She watched their exchanged. She couldn’t help but wonder if it would be better if she and Noah didn’t now each other. What if they had a fresh start? Sure, it wasn’t possible but sometimes she thought it would be better that way… almost. She decided to make her presence known.

"Hey, so I guess you managed to pry yourself away from Pam?" She smirked at him. ”I hope I didn’t get you into any trouble with her. Her tone was playful, almost as if she didn’t mind causing him a little bit of trouble every now and again.

Evelyn clapped and cheered, making her mother laugh. She reached out for Noah to take her. "No, no, baby, Noah can't hold you." She told her. She tickled her daughter’s sides causing the most adorable giggles from Evelyn. She squirmed. The sounds of laughter were short lived as a screamed pierced the dry air.

Evanne immediately jumped into action, passing Evelyn off to Noah who was now closest to her. She moved around Robin and Dana to kneel beside Ginny who was grimacing in pain. ”Breathe Ginny.” She told her friend in a calm voice.

The one thing Evanne could always be credited with was being calm in the most extreme circumstances. The only time she broke was when she was in labor. She took Ginny’s hand, helping her sit up. The blankets and mattress was wet from Ginny’s water breaking. ”You and your baby are gonna be just fine. We’ll get you to Dr. Enudo.”


Evanne was finally back, just in time to grab her daughter before the knock on the door. Noah was someone she had never seen before. She smiled at him. "Hello, Mr. Ripley. It's great to finally meet you. Feel free to call me Ginny." She held out her hand so he could shake it.

She glared at her brother’s joke. ”Ha. Ha. Very funny.” She grabbed Owen’s pillow and threw it at her brother with as much force as she could manage. That was a mistake. She didn’t exactly know what happened next but she knew something was wrong.

She felt wet. Did her water just break? No, no it couldn’t have. They needed to wait until the vote. The baby could wait until then. She didn’t hear the exchanges around her after that. She knew something was wrong.

Then the worst pain imaginable ripped through her body. She heard the scream just like everyone else but she didn’t realize it came from herself until she saw everyone looking at her. And then Evanne was by her side. Ginny didn’t want to move but she let her sit her up. She didn’t hear her words. The only thing was pain. So much pain.

”Something’s wrong… I can tell.” She cried out, staring into Evanne’s eyes.

Evanne shook her head. ”No, everything is just fine, I promise. It’s just labor. You can do it. Now let’s get you up and walking. It’ll help it go faster.”

Ginny couldn’t say no to that. She let Evanne pull her too her feet even though it hurt so much. Her mother had told her about how long labor could take. If moving around made it go by faster, she’d do whatever to make it not last as long. Soon she would be staring at their child. The only thing that matter was the child.

"I need Owen."

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Evanne’s eyes met Noah’s as she helped Ginny stand. Noah. Noah take Evelyn away. Well, not away just ahead of them to the hospital. She hesitated. The only time she let Evelyn out of her sight was when she had to work and she left her at the daycare. But now, with Noah? Then again if she could trust anyone with Evelyn’s safety it was him. He was her best friend after all. But still she couldn’t give the okay until she watched Evelyn rest her head on Noah’s shoulder while looking back at her mother. Her heart squeezed. She nodded. ”Okay. We’ll be right behind you.”

The blonde pushed the worries of her daughter out of her head and focused on Ginny. ”That’s right Ginny, just move at your own pace.” She encouraged her friend, grateful to see that Robin pulled himself out of his stupor to come and join her at Ginny’s other side. Ginny needed everyone now. ”We’ll find Owen, don’t worry.” She looked at Dana. ”Check and see if anyone saw him okay?” She didn’t know if the teen would listen to her but she kept moving, not looking back.

She never let go of Ginny as she and Robin ushered her to the Med Tent. They had to go right passed Juni and Aaron. She only met their gazes for a second. She knew Juni would eventually come to check on Ginny. There was not much she could do without medical treatment. ”We’re almost there. You’re doing great.” She soothed her.

As soon as they were in the tent, Evanne slipped away from them after making sure Rob had her. She pulled back a curtain to an empty bed. ”Ris!” She called, hoping her friend would appear. ”Let’s get her on the bed.” This was directed at Rob as she came back to them. She helped ease Ginny just as she cried out from another contraction. She moved out of Rob’s way so he could take her hand. She knew he wouldn’t leave her, at least not while Owen wasn’t there. She washed her hands and put on a pair gloves before moving back to her.

Her movements were precise. She covered Ginny with a blanket and took off her undergarment for her. She disgaurded them before helping Ginny’s feet into the stirrups. She had plenty to do before Ris showed up. She inspected Ginny. She was surprised to see how far along Ginny was without feeling the contractions sooner. ”You’re 10 centimeters dilated. The baby is well on his or her way.”

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Her legs felt so heavy as Evanne tried to urge Ginny to walk. She wouldn’t be able to make it. That’s when her brother slipped his arms around her as well. They took the weight off her painful feet and ankles. They made it easier for her to move but it was still a very slow process.

” Hey, Gin. Guess the kid didn't like me making fun of his momma and decided to give me the old what fer.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at her brother’s bad joke. Her laugh turned into a groan. She could barely hear what he said as he continued. ”As long as the child is a menace to you too.” She tried to joke back.

How long had she been walking? It felt like forever. Her head was spinning. They had to stop several times when she was overcome by painful contractions. Perhaps walking was helping the labor move on. She didn’t know. She couldn’t even feel the pain in her feet or ankles now that they made it to the tent. It was just the contractions that hurt. ”Where’s Owen?” Ginny whimpered as she was eased onto the cot. She cried out as another contraction ripped through her. Was this what it felt like to die? She squeezed her brother’s hand, unknowingly digging her nails into his skin.

It had been a long time since Ginny had been embarrassed by much these days. She didn’t fight when Evanne took off her underwear then examined her to see how far along she was. Sure, she wasn’t a nurse but Evanne had explained before how many centimeters she needed to be dilated before she could start pushing.

”What? But Owen’s not here yet. I can’t start pushing!”

”He’ll be here soon, don’t worry. He won’t miss the birth of your child.” Evanne tried to assure her but how could she be so sure?

Now, Evanne wouldn’t call herself and Risalda best friends but they were civil to each other. That’s why when she practically pushed her out of the way, she was very surprised… and pissed. If it wasn’t for the serious situation, Evanne would have dragged her in the back and gave her a good one, two punch. She was very lucky that her friend needed her.

Evanne took her friend’s hand and with her other she dabbed a cool wash cloth on Ginny’s forehead. “You’re doing great. That baby is definitely gonna have you’re strength.” She told her. She was relieved to see Owen and quickly moved out of his way. She had plenty of things to do besides hold Ginny’s hand. Not that she wouldn’t do that, she just wouldn’t forgive herself if anything happened to her or the baby if she was just holding her head.

The blonde was getting the tools ready when she noticed Noah enter with Evelyn. She relaxed. She hadn’t realized she had been so nervous. Then her eyes found the bag he had brought with him. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. That was from the General Store. Her mother’s store. She glanced back and saw that Ginny was still pushing. Who knew how long it would be until the first was born.

Evanne walked over to Noah and hissed under her breathe. ”You took her to my mother?” She couldn’t help but check over Evelyn for signs that her mother had done something to her. Could you see signs for brain washing? Evelyn wouldn’t be turned against her. She sighed, pressing her back of her hand to her forehead. ”Sorry… My mom wants her… She won’t come out and say it but… she’s trying to get her I know it.” She explained to Noah. She didn’t want to be angry at him. They had been through too much as friends. He was probably the only one who would believe her. He was who she should be talking about this with. She had left everything out that involved Evelyn until now. Maybe that was something she needed to change.

She moved back to the others when she heard the screams getting louder. Ginny let out a sigh, falling back against the cot. She had gotten passed crowning. It wouldn’t be long now. She picked up a baby blanket, getting it ready for when Risalda handed the baby over.

Ginny shook her head at Risalda’s command. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready for this; especially not without her husband. But the urge to push was too great. She cried out as she bore down and pushed. Tears ran down her cheeks, though she didn’t notice. She relaxed back, breathing heavily. Everything was so foggy. Even now, in between contractions, she still felt the pain. She knew the baby wasn’t out yet. It would be an eternity until this baby was out of her. Would the baby survive? Would she?

“Owen!” Ginny gasped, when he took her hand and came into her field of vision. Even if this was the last moments of her life, at least he was there. ”You’re here!” She wasn’t able to say more because she was taken over by another contraction. She groaned, pushing as hard as she could. She squeezed both her brother and husband’s hands. They were her link to reality. They would keep her here, no matter what happened. She no longer had time to worry.

Time passed and finally a small cry broke the sounds of her panting and cries. She fell back on the cot, panting. She opened her tired eyes, trying to see what they had. Though she couldn’t see from here, it was a boy. She watched as Evanne handed the doctor several things and then handed Owen a little pair of scissors to cut the cord.

Ginny smiled at the scene and front of her. She looked at her brother, laughing through her tears. ”What did I have?”

But that’s when that little tranquility broke. While she smiled at her brother another contraction gripped her. She cried out in pain. She gasped. She sat up a little. The urge to push was overwhelming. ”There’s something wrong.”

Evanne moved over, taking her own stethoscope to listen to her belly. She looked over at Risalda. ”We’re not done. There’s another heartbeat.” She warned the doctor, putting the stethoscope around her neck. She moved over to take the baby boy from Risalda so she could clean him off and check his vitals before getting more equipment for the second baby.