Athena
"What kind of sick joke is this?" Sebastian growled. "She can't even breathe, and you're asking her to push? Is this another one of your schemes to put her through even more suffering? Listen, Tristan, why don't you just leave? You've already succeeded, then just go."
"Look, I'm not lying. I know I should be the last person you'd trust, but if you want to save her, this is the only way. It had always been this way."
"Do you expect me to believe that? You're the one who brought my mate and child to this condition. And now, you suddenly change your mind and say you're willing to show a sick way to save her?"
"I don't know why I'm doing this, okay?" Tristan shouted. "I still don't know if I'm supposed to save your mate and child and give you a happily ever after when you've ruined hundreds of lives, including the one I loved. I'm not even sure if I won't regret my decision if I save her... but," his voice dropped low, "I don't know if I'll be able to forgive myself if she dies because of me."
Sebastian looked at him, confused and worried. He couldn't seem to fathom what was going on.
However, it felt like Tristan wasn't lying. I didn't have an explanation for why I felt that way, but it was just a feeling—maybe one that showed me hope when death was just a few steps away. I could see the tunnel, but there was no light at the end of it, no hope.
But I couldn't feel the scratches of claws anymore. It might have been because my body was going numb, but the rapid flutters were still there, and I could feel them.
"So, let me assist, okay? Before I change my mind, let me do it," Tristan heaved a sigh, trembling, perhaps due to the loss of blood or his internal emotional conflict, which showed on his face.
Sebastian remained silent, his eyes fixed on me. He knew that, regardless of whether this attempt was right or not, the only other outcome was death.
Tristan approached me, cradling his injured hand with the other, as he knelt down.
"Sebastian, I can't use my hand. You have to help me," he implored. "You have to push her belly from up here."
Sebastian's hands trembled as he slowly placed them on the upper part of my belly.
"Athena, you have to push," Tristan urged.
"I... I can't," I choked out. "I just can't do it."
"If you want to hold your child in your hands and live a good life, you have to do it. This motherfucker can't do it all alone. He might die soon in agony, and your child would be left alone," he said. "So push."
Suppressing a groan, Tristan let his injured hand rest on his thigh and stroked my hair. "Push, Athena. You can do it."
Holding it all in, I pushed, the searing pain cutting through every vein in my body.
"This hurts too much..." I sobbed, "I can't."
"You have to," Tristan insisted, his gaze snapping at Sebastian, "What the hell are you doing there? I told you, you have to help her push."
He hurriedly followed his instruction, applying pressure. "Athena, love, you have to push. It'll be over soon."
Grabbing onto his arm as tightly as I could, I pushed once again. This time, I felt it—It was working. The pain was subsiding; however, the moment I stopped pushing, it came back threefold compared to the previous amount.
God, I didn't even have the strength to keep pushing continuously. Darkness was already shrouding the corners of my eyes.
Could I even make it through? Could I even do it?
"You can do it, Athena," Tristan said, "Push again. I can see the baby coming, his head, it's close."
Screaming in pain that felt like it reached deep into my bones, all for the hope of seeing my baby at least once before I died, I pushed again. Sebastian helped me, applying gentle pressure without hurting me or my baby.
"Yes, yes-yes," Tristan encouraged. "It's working. Just a little bit more, Athena. Hold on a little longer."
"It hurts so much," I cried, pushing once more while Sebastian kept encouraging me to hang on. Just a bit more, and it will be over soon.
My body burned, and every cell was zapped with pain. It was excruciating, knowing no bounds. It felt as if someone was cutting every limb of my body, digging my heart out, and replacing the oxygen in my lungs with fire.
"Love, you can do it. Let us reach the end together," Sebastian murmured. "Push, Athena. Push."
And then, I pushed one last time, knowing that this was the last one I was capable of because all the energy in my body was long gone.
"There you go...." Tristan's voice broke through, followed by a soft, subtle cry that echoed through the room—the cry of a baby.
Tears slid down my cheeks, prompted by the sound.
Darkness began to shroud my vision.
No. No. No.
I wanted to see him once. Just once.
But then, I saw it, cradled in Tristan's chest with one hand—a baby. My baby boy. His small cries that filled the air seemed like a dream. He was here.
It was a shame that I'd never get to hear them again.
"Here's your boy, Athena," He handed my baby to me. I cradled him to my chest, still connected through that one cord; he was a part of me.
I couldn't make out Sebastian's expression, but I could feel that he was in awe, almost too shocked to utter a word.
"My baby," Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I kissed his cheeks, his soft cries slowly started fading.
"The little man protected you, Athena," Tristan spoke up, a melancholic smile on his face. "Look at his hands. He fisted them. He didn't let his claws be the reason for his mother's death."
My eyes glanced at my baby's tiny hands, clenched into fists.
A tear rolled down my cheek as the world around me started to blur and darken. Maybe these were my last moments...
I gently opened his hand, kissing his tiny palm, which now had small cuts from his own claws. "Thank you, my baby boy. Always know that Mama loved you a lot."
And then everything faded into oblivion. The last thing I heard was Sebastian calling my name loudly, followed by the gasp of a familiar woman.
So this was the end... but a beautiful one indeed.