Chapter Twelve: Megami Yuelynn Ackerman
(Emi's POV)
In a matter of seconds panic seemed to wash over the entire base. I placed my hand on my stomach and took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. I walked out of Levi's office and looked down the hallway, watching cadets run to their stations. "LIEUTANT ACKERMAN!" Jon yelled as Historia and Jon ran to me. Historia placed her hand on the small of my back and smiled softly. "Let's go Emi, we need to get you to safety." She calmly spoke, leading me to the nearest exit. "Where did Levi go?" I asked, my mind racing with thoughts of Levi's safety. I normally didn't worry about him when it came to killing titans. He was nicknamed 'Humanity's strongest' for a reason. Things were different now though, with Megami due soon I couldn't, without a doubt say that he would be completely focused on the titans. Jon looked down at me and smiled as they led me to the basement that was underground. In emergency situations like this, the basement was deemed the safe spot for anyone working at the base who could not defend themselves.
I felt completely useless. If I wasn't pregnant I would be on the front lines with Levi and the rest of our squad. I sighed deeply to myself as Jon opened the door to the basement. Suddenly, I felt a warm fluid travel down my legs. I stopped dead in my tracks, the warm liquid finally reaching the floor as I clenched my fists. "Fuck..." I muttered as Jon and Historia looked at me in shock. "No... Lieutenant, PLEASE tell me that is pee running down your leg." Jon's voice quickly became coated in fear as I sighed to myself. "I wish, but it seems as though my water broke..." I mumbled as I felt a contraction hit me like a wave. I winced in pain, leaning against Historia as I held my stomach in my hands. "Jon, we need to get her to the basement immediately! Once were downstairs get the medics!" Historia instructed as Jon nodded. In an instant Jon scooped me into his arms. "Cadet?!" My eyes widened in shock as Jon carried me down the stairs. "I'm sorry Lieutenant, but if I didn't do everything I could to help you the Commander would kill me with his bare hands." Jon explained as I sighed. "And how do you know that?" I questioned him as Historia giggled from behind Jon. "Commander Ackerman said that to Jon the other day, word for word." Historia stated as I rolled my eyes.
Once we reached the basement Jon rushed me over to the medics station. Historia and the other medics quickly got set up for labor and delivery as Historia turned to face Jon. "Go and alert the Commander about the Lieutenants condition. I'll stay here and assist the medics with the delivery." Historia instructed as Jon nodded and left immediately. I bit my lower lip and groaned in the pain. The intensity of the contractions increasing at an alarming rate. One of the medics held my hand and placed a damp rag over my forehead. I looked into her bright blue eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape. "Don't worry Lieutenant Ackerman, Commander Levi will be here soon and so will your baby. Both will be safe and sound, okay?" She softly spoke, doing her best to calm my anxiety. I nodded in agreement as the doctor inspected my uterus to see exactly how dilatated I was. After a few moments the doctor turned to the other nurses around her. "Okay, she is nine centimeters dilatated. Baby is in the breech position. Get the things I need to perform a External cephalic version." The doctor instructed as the nurses nodded and quickly went to complete the task set for them.
My eyes widened in fear as I looked up at the nurse. She looked down at me and squeezed my hand. "What does that mean?! What is wrong with my daughter!?" I began to panic, my breathing rapidly increasing with every passing second. The nurse rubbed the top of my head as she spoke. "Don't worry Lieutenant. That just means that the baby is upside down. The doctor will basically turn the baby into the right position by pressing on your stomach. It'll be a little uncomfortable but don't worry, you're strong. My name is Sarra, feel free to squeeze my hand as hard as you want." Her words seeming to calm me down a bit. "Sarra is right Emi, everything will be okay." Historia added as I took a deep breath and did the best I could to recollect myself. "So Lieutenant, are you and Commander Levi having a boy or a girl?" Sarra asked, trying to distract me from the intense pain. Sweat dripped down my face as I did my best to control my breathing.
"We're having a girl." I muttered as another intense contraction hit me like a ton of bricks. A loud agonizing scream escaped my lips as Historia squeezed my other hand. The doctor finally had everything she needed to preform the procedure. "Okay Lieutenant, I'm going to begin the procedure. Are you ready?" The female doctor asked me as I nodded slowly. The doctor put her palms against my stomach and pressed down hard during the next contraction. I screamed in extreme pain as I felt Megami slowly turn inside of me. I gasped for air as the doctor stopped pushing and checked my uterus again. Tears streamed down my face as I panted, trying to catch my breath. "You're doing amazing Emi. Levi would be so proud of you." Historia stated, dropping the formalities. Sarra nodded in agreement as she rubbed the back on my hand. "Historia is right. We shouldn't have expected less from someone like you Lieutenant." Sarra smiled as I did the best I could to focus on their words and not the pain.
"Give us a few moments to prepare for birth, You're ten centimeters dilatated now. Let us know when you feel like you have to push, okay?" The doctor instructed as I did my best to nod. My body felt exhausted as I tried not to fall asleep. "So Lieutenant, You said you were having a girl. Do the two of you have a name picked out yet?" Sarra asked me as I nodded. "Megami Yuelynn Ackerman." I muttered, still loving the name that Levi and I chose. "That's so cute!" Historia giggled. A few moments the doctor had everything ready for delivery, instructing us quickly on what would happen and what I should during the delivery. After what felt like the longest and most painful twenty minutes of pushing, Megami Yuelynn Ackerman was born.