One Night of Pain

Sonic's POV

I could smell the sweat soaking his fur and the hospital gown he wore. I could smell the chemical smell of the hospital itself and the different kinds of liquid pooling in the small plastic tub beneath us aswell as the towel on the floor.
His body was shaking all over underneath my touch. His lips quivered and the cloth he was pulling on for support dug uncomfortably into his skin from all the twists he had put in it. His every fiber tensed up and relaxed, pain running its course through his system. The movement inside of him was erratic and constant.
His whines and cries filled my ears, the advice and guidance from the woman sitting in front of us lost within the sound. He drowned out even my own thoughts.
My senses seemed to be ten times as strong right now and yet I felt like none of this was actually registering in my mind, like this wasn't actually happening.
"Sonic, stop ignoring me!" I don't know what snapped me out of it. Either it was the screeching voice that I never knew could grow that high or it was the bone shattering grip on my knee.
"I'm not ignoring you, Babe, I'm right here." I tried to comfort him, my lover, but it did little to ease the pain.
Shadow cried out as he pushed again, working along with the contraction. He couldn't help tighten his grip on my knee and the makeshift rope. It's only because he isn't at his full strenght that he didn't break a bone in my body.
We've been together for a couple of years now. For six even! And we've been married for four of them. Shadow actually told me he was pregnant during our annual Christmas party and back then he was already 9 weeks far.
We had parties with the entire group, but as Shadow wasn't such a fan of loud and crowdy activities, we held our own private ones aswell. Shadow had done some brainstorming with Rouge about ways to tell me, but eventually got convinced to go with the cute way by ordering a custom-made undershirt for a baby with the text 'A gift to open in nine months time' written on it and giving it to me as a wrapped present on our own private Christmas Eve.
It wasn't his style at all, but he was just glad to get the message across.
After all of those nine wild months were over, he was giving birth to our very first. After suffering for hours, a whole day and half a night even, from contractions, his water had finally broken and he was dilated enough to start pushing, the urge to do so irresistible.
But it wasn't on a bed that he was pushing.
Nope, he was sitting on a chair.
It was apparently a chair meant for this kind of stuff, a 'birthing chair', and I guess the weird form of the seat itself was a giveaway. You could only sit on it properly with your legs spread and the weird shape still allowed enough space for the baby to leave.
It still came as a surprise to me when Shadow asked for this. His reason was because he wanted gravity to help out.
I was sitting on my own seat behind him, providing support and acting like the missing back of his chair. He was between my legs, his back pressing against my chest whenever he needed a rest, his head free to lay on my shoulder. My hands were on his swollen belly and our kid was wildly kicking inside as if panicking.
There was a small blue tub beneath him between his spread legs and feet that had caught the amniotic fluid and blood escaping him as he pushed, but not all of it ended up neatly in there and that's why there was also a soaked towel under the tub.
That spot was all dirty and slippery now. I bet the janitor will hate cleaning this up.
There was also this cloth that hung from this pole. It was supposed to give Shadow support and comfort as he sat here, hunched over and pushing.
"Sonic, it hurts. It hurts so bad!" Shadow had never really properly prepared himself for the kind of pain he was enduring right now. He had seen some videos, sure, but always claimed that, as the Ultimate Lifeform, he was above feeling such pain.
Welp, this is one hell of a wake-up call for him.
"I know it hurts, Shad, but you heard what the lady said. The baby's crowning, you're almost there!" Or that's what I think she said at least, couldn't really hear her over Shadow's cries.
As the doctor nodded when I looked at her, I was glad to know that I'm right.
"This damn baby is tearing me apart!" He shouted and I don't envy him. I don't even want to imagine what having an orifice stretched wide enough to fit a baby's head through must feel like.
Amy told me that we should record the birth of our baby and capture that precious moment forever. A nurse was eager to do it for us, but I don't think I'd want to know what he looks like down there with our baby crowning.
"I hate this! Next time you're carrying the baby!" He growled, pushing again when another contraction came along.
"Where would I do that, Babe? In my bladder? I don't exactly have the right tools for the heavy lifting." I tried to keep the mood light, tried to make him laugh.
"And soon you'll lack the tools to put another one in me!" Shadow did not appreciate it.
"Er, well, you're doing great, Babe." Was the only reply I could come up with after such a threat.
"Don't call me 'Babe'!" He whined as he pushed again and I figured that maybe he'd like me to shut up for a little while as he concentrates on getting our baby to leave him.
Shadow's hand left my knee to settle on his belly too, stroking it. His head turned to nuzzle his muzzle against mine. My words may not be doing him any good, but at least physical affection seemed to do the trick.
"The head is almost out, keep pushing." The doctor, finally audible for once, told Shadow as she sat there crouched on the floor, ready to catch our baby at any given moment.
"...Sonic..." Shadow panted as he needed my comfort. He was so visibly tired. This labour was draining him more than he thought possible.
"You heard her, you're almost there. Just a bit longer." I kept my hands on his pregnant belly and pecked a kiss on his temple and shoulder.
With one last cry from him, the baby's head left him and soon enough the rest of the body did too, caught safe and sound by the doctor's capable hands. A long moan of relief left my lover and he let his head reel back as the pain faded away to be replaced by a numb throbbing.
"You did it, Shad! You brought a kid into the world!" I praised him and kissed him full on the lips while the baby started crying, its airways freed by the doctor.
Weither it was because of all the emotions, the remnants of pain, seeing our baby for the very first time after these nine long months, or maybe even a combination of all three, Shadow just let his tears go freely and sobbed while I just stared at the crying and moving mess of blood and fur in the doctor's arms while the nurse helped tie the umbilical cord off.
I was speechless. I couldn't stay a single word as I just stared at it.
Well... Her.
"Congratulations, it's a daughter." The doctor told us as she cut the umbilical cord.
"It's a girl." A wide smile spread across my muzzle and I watched the crying baby as the doctor stood up.
We had choosen to not know our baby's gender until she was born, but geez! A little girl. Shadow had given me a daughter!
"Can I hold her?" He asked, the pain he suffered for hours just moments ago already forgotten.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to wait for a moment. I'll get her cleaned and do a routine examination on her. Meanwhile the nurse will help you take care of the afterbirth and help you get clean aswell." She answered and I could hear a barely audible whine leave my mate.
I wasn't sure weither that was because of his disappointment or because of a softer contraction as his afterbirth came.
"Can you follow her?" Always naturally a bit on the paranoid side, Shadow couldn't help but look to me for this request.
"Sure." I just couldn't deny him this request and got up from my seat, realising just how numb my behind turned out to be from all this sitting.
Turns out the doctor didn't need to go very far. She just went to the next room to clean my daughter's airways, eyes and ears before bathing her and I even got to help!
She taught me at what temperature the water needed to be, how little water there needed to be, how to hold her, where we needed to be careful, ... It felt great to hold her for the first time, someone this small and new, while knowing that I was the one to father her with the hedgehog who I've looked to as the one for me these past couple of years.
I was a hero, I've handled plenty of kids before, even newborn ones, but this one felt so different, so delicate. With one hand to keep her head up and out of the water, for the first time I wasn't sure what to do. She was quiet as she had stopped crying a little while back and I think she was sleeping already. It seemed like a relaxing experience to her.
As I cleaned her through the doctor's instructions, she became more visible to me. I noticed that we shared the same colour of fur on both our bodies and muzzle. The tips of her quills, which were similar to mine, were black. And so where her hands and wrists. She didn't have a peach belly, though, or a chest fur.
She was just beautiful. There were no other words to describe her!
After her bath she was weighed and measured and then we could finally return to her mother, who was waiting anxiously for us. The doctor and nurse left, giving me some time alone with my daughter and mate.
Shadow was already sitting in bed again, taken care off and just fine. When I came walking into the room with our daughter in my arms, he immediatly reached out, dying to finally hold her.
Such a bright smile that I wasn't used to seeing from him even now appeared on his muzzle when I could finally lay my daughter in his arms. He had carried her for nine months, but this was the first time he could actually hold her. In an instant he became emotional all over again.
"She's beautiful." Shadow stated as he held her, stroking her chubby cheek as she yawned.
I can see the wonder in his eyes, the disbelieve. Just like me, he couldn't wrap his head around what had happened today, to be the one to have carried and pushed this whole new living being out.
"She looks so much like you." He couldn't help but notice all of the blue on her fur. Once she opens her eyes, we could see who's eye colour she inherited.
I sat down on the edge of the bed to join him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to pull him closer. He let his head rest on my shoulder and pulled the covers over my lap.
"Can you stay with us for tonight? There's enough room in this bed for both of us." Shadow wanted this night to last, so he hoped that I would stay with him, even though we weren't exactly sure if that was allowed.
But screw rules, right?
"Sure." I was all for sharing this bed with him and kicked off my shoes before crawling a little further in bed with him while he moved a little more to the side.
When I could rest my back and head on the pillow and the elivated top part of the bed, Shadow let his head rest on my chest and sighed in content.
He was tired, but so happy.
His gaze moved back to our newborn daughter and I couldn't help but do the same.
She was sleeping so vastly. Like a bomb could go off and she wouldn't even hear it.
"My body is aching all over the place, but damn, she was worth it." Shadow looked down on her in adoration, though it was clear to me that it was a little difficult for him to sit or even lie like this.
I shared his feelings for her, though. I can't take my eyes off of her either.
I still can't believe we made someone like her.
Watching Shadow grow and change these past nine months was already exciting, but to actually have her with us and sleeping in Shadow's arms, that was a whole new experience.
"Do you want to hold Blue?" Her mother asked, noticing that I was dying to have her in my arms again.
"Of... Wait, what?" I asked in surprise. 'Blue'?
"Sorry, I was just trying out a name for her. I was called after my black fur, you were called after your speed, so I tried to name her for her blue fur. I wanted to hear what it sounded like." Shadow explained, his eyes up to gaze at me.
I see, that makes sense.
So Blue, huh?
Heh, I kinda like the sound of that. I think I'm gonna go with it.
"Anyway, I'd love to hold Blue." No way I could refuse an offer like that!
Shadow, smiling as I agreed to the name, carefully handed our daughter over to me and I was so happy to be holding her again. She yawned and her small hands flexed. This moment was real, but I still can't shake this sense of disbelieve.
"You'll be a great father." Shadow stated as he watched his mate and daughter. He was lying on his side now, his head still rest on my shoulder.
I could see his eyes drooping. He wanted to sleep and rest up for what would without a doubt be some very sleepless months, but at the same time he didn't want to doze off just yet.
He wanted to be the one to wake up for her every night to make sure I had my energy for when Eggman decided to attack. He had quite G.U.N for now, so he could focus on our kid. That way he could catch up on sleep whenever he wanted.
"And you'll be a great mom, but right now you should sleep. I'll watch over both of you, okay?" I could also see that he was trying to fight his exhaustion, trying to stay awake and keep on stroking our little girl's cheek as she slept soundlessly in my arms.
He whined in protest, much too tired to actually say something.
"Shad, I mean it. Get some sleep, you need it." I told him and placed a kiss on his lips. Finally he seemed to agree.
"Okay." He told me and sunk a bit deeper under the covers as he tried to find a comfortable position to lie in, which was impossible with his currently aching lower body.
I helped by pulling the blanket over his shoulder and pretty soon he was no longer with us.
"Night, Shad." I told him and looked back at my daughter.
To my surprise I noticed that her eyes were open and she had these deep jade green eyes. Looks like she inherited that from me too!
"Hey, Blue. It's nice to see you awake and all, but we should let momma Shad have some sleep before he feeds you. 'Kay?" I asked her, though she didn't understand a word that I said.
And then she started crying and I had to call for a nurse to help Shadow learn how to nurse a baby.
Yup, she was going to be a handfull.