Jojo had been waiting impatiently for his mother to co and tell him that he could co out now. But he had been waiting for a long, long ti, and there was no voice that ca from his mother.
Jojo had heard a maid giving birth in the palace before, and her scream was heard across the entire palace, so he was forced to stay awake until dawn.
He also rembered his conversation with his mother during that ti:
’Mommy, why is she screaming like that? Is she really alright?’
’She is not alright, Jojo. When a woman is giving birth, her life is at stake, and she could die while giving birth.’
’That’s so scary, Mommy. Why would she want to get pregnant if it will hurt her?’
Jojo rembered how his mother gave such a sweet smile and replied;
’Because mothers would do anything to save their children. Just like how I’d do anything to save you, Jojo.’
At that ti, Jojo didn’t really pay it any mind because his mother always said that she’d do anything to protect him, and she did.
However, now he wondered if his mother was just so strong that she didn’t scream at all, or if it was so painful that she couldn’t even scream.
Jojo liked to believe that it was easy for his mother, because she had always been a strong woman despite her frail stature.
However, the boy was also reminded of how his mother had fainted for a long ti, and had only woken up because of his loud wail.
After a long ti had passed, Jojo couldn’t sit still much longer and finally decided to check on his mother.
He left the hut and ran towards his mother, only to realize that his mother was covered with leaves from the waist down, and her face looked even paler than before.
Jojo’s heart sank when he saw this, and with his little legs, he ran as fast as he could towards his mother, "MOMMY!"
Sisi was already wagering with all her life right now. Every push she made felt like she could slip away and die the next second. This was her first labor, but she also knew this would be her last, because no matter how positive and tough she was, this was a pain that nobody should ever feel in their lives.
Her grandmother kept telling her that she could already see the head of the child, but the pain tripled after that, and it felt genuinely impossible to push further.
She was constantly slipping into the limbo no matter how hard she tried to stay awake, but it was her son’s voice for the second ti that woke her up.
"MOMMY!"
Sisi opened her eyes again and turned her head to her son who was running towards her. Jojo’s eyes were glistening with tears, and it didn’t take long for him to shed his tears again.
Sisi couldn’t help but smile whenever she saw Jojo crying, because he often cried for the most random things.
His heart was too soft that he’d shed tears whenever soone else cried. In fact, he cried when he saw a maid crying over accidentally knocking the food ant to be served for him.
Jojo was so endearing that Sisi couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if Jojo could stay a cute kid forever.
But he would grow up eventually, and Sisi hoped that Jojo would be a strong and responsible king in the future—a good man who wouldn’t hurt others for no good reason despite having the power to do so.
A responsible son for his father, and a caring brother for his little sibling.
"Mommy, are you in pain?" Jojo asked while holding his mother’s arm. "Mommy, please don’t die. Jojo loves you a lot. Jojo loves you too much, Mommy!"
Hearing Jojo’s chatter actually made her feel stronger. Maybe it was a ntal fortitude that forced her not to show too much pain in front of her son.
Thus, she continued pushing the baby out while trying her best to maintain a smile in front of Jojo.
"Dearest, keep pushing!" Grandma said while checking over and over under the leaves blanket. There was finally movent, and it was obvious that Jojo needed to be here to support his mother during her labor.
"I... am... okay... Jojo," Sisi said while trying to catch her breath. "It’s late at night... a boy needs to... rest... or he won’t grow... tall..."
"Mommy, I will be here until the baby is out! You must stay awake, okay? Or I will cry really hard!"
Sisi chuckled weakly. She lifted her hand and patted Jojo’s head, all while pushing the baby out.
"Jojo... can you... promise Mommy sothing?"
"Un!"
"Promise that... you will love your baby sibling..."
"Of course, Mommy!" Jojo nodded without hesitation. "I will be good! I will protect my sibling!"
"And... promise that... you will... grow up... healthy..."
"Un! I will be bigger than Daddy, and then... then I will hunt buffalo for you, Daddy, and my sibling every day!"
Sisi felt that her life began to slip away slowly. But she maintained her clarity, and it was the last push of her life to deliver the baby safely.
"Just a little more, dearest!" Grandma said while trying to hold the baby that was already halfway out.
Sisi knew her ti was near, so she continued patting Jojo with her trembling hand and asked,"Jojo... can you... promise again?"
"Un!"
"Tell... tell your father to love the baby... no matter what," Sisi said while her gaze had already turned dark. She couldn’t see anything, but the feeling of pushing the baby out and talking to Jojo kept her awake for the last ti.
"Tell Kael to... raise the baby with love... the baby... the baby is innocent..." Sisi said.
And with that last sentence, she finally made her last push, and the baby was successfully delivered.
"Uweehh... uwehhh..."
Sisi could hear her baby crying out loud. She had a proud smile for the last ti before shedding her tears and muttering:
"Mommy loves you... my... baby..."
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