Ben and the Mermaids
Story by Doombeez on SoFurry
This was the first story I wrote to NOT be inspired by an RP. :)
"Alright, now, nice and easy, push for me..."
A high-pitched shriek echoed throughout the tidal pool, causing several seagulls to scatter. Another mermaid was handed up her newborn baby. Tears and thanks flowed freely, and Ben moved on. It may have been routine, but that didn't mean he was unnapreciative.
The merfolk all became fertile at the same time of the year, so invariably, a large number of them became pregnant at the same time. The young, first-time mothers often came to the warm tide pools on the southern coast to bear their young, and around this time every year, Ben had put in an appearance.
A dozen or so otrher mermaids floated around the edges of the pool, some still laboring, some nursing their young. Seeing that none of them were in active labor yet, Ben swan over to the opposite end, where a figure watched over them.
"Nice batch you've got this year, Blessed One," said Ben, as he paddled up next to her.
One mermaid sat apart from the rest, bedecked with jewelry of coral and pearls. She was quite a bit older than the rest of the girls, and also quite a bit larger around the middle.
"How many years have you been coming here?" she said, laughing a little as she idly ran her hands over her scaly belly. "Call me Dionne, please."
"What would the girls say if I wasn't showing their High Priestess some respect?" said Ben, smiling as he leaned against her.
"You're such a gentleman," said Dionne. Her gravid belly twitched a bit as she rubbed, and she winced a little.
"Oof," she added, "I think this one's father must have been part whale."
"Certainly looks it," said Ben, laying a hand on her. He felt a bit of movement inside, and quirked an eyebrow.
"Dionne," he said, "how long have you been in labor?"
She opened her mouth to say something, but Ben gave her a stern look, and she looked sheepish.
"I wasn't going to say anything," she said. "I've swam these tides a few times before...the girls need you much more than I do."
Ben sighed a bit. "May I?" he asked. At her nod, he ran his hands down her belly and squeezed gently. The baby had slipped into the birthing positon. Ben slid his hands lower, across the smooth scales of her lower body, until he found her opening. Carefully he parted her, checking it with his fingers.
"You know you're almost fully dilated?" said Ben, looking at Dionne, sounding like a teacher telling a student that they put the paints away in the wrong place. She shrugged.
"Am I?" she said. "I hardly even notice the labor paints any- ah!"
She clutched her middle as a contraction ripped through her. She blew out a long breath, and added, "Noticed that one..."
Ben was fixated on her opening; as her belly contracted, a reddish plume erupted from her, a telltale sign that it wouldn't be long. She rubbed her belly hard as it contracted again.
"Great seas," she said with a wince. "I've never...felt it come this fast before...I think...I think I have to push!"
"You should have said something," said Ben, swimming out in front of her. He took a deep breath and plunged his head beneath the rippling water to look at her. Small streaks of red streamed up from between her widening lips. Ben saw her muscles tense up, and the tip of a tail began to emerge. He surfaced for a breath.
"It's starting," said Ben. "How do you feel?"
"Hurts," she said through cleched teeth. "It's coming...fast!"
Ben took another breath and dove just in time to see her push again, her child's tail wriggling as it slowly slid out of her as the contraction subsided. With another splash of blood and birth fluids, the child was half-born, the tail and lower body sticking out. Ben surfaced again.
"It's coming fast, alright," said Ben. Dionne let out a cry in response, causing several of the girls to look over.
"It's...so...big!" she panted. "I have to push! I have to get it out!"
"Calm down!" said Ben. "You have to wait!"
Dionne either didn't hear him, or couldn't comprehend, as she screwed up her face and gave a big push. The child's body wriggled, but didn't come out. She kept pushing, her face turning red.
"Stop," said Ben, his voice turning to steel. Dionne obeyed, taking several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself.
"I know it hurts," said Ben, "but you have to wait. You don't want to tire yourself out. Think of the baby."
Dionne gave a little nod. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's never been like this before..."
"You can never tell how a birth is going to go," said Ben, rubbing her belly reassuringly. "They're all different. Now relax. Breathe deeply."
Dionne nodding, taking several deep breathes. Ben could see her gill-slits flexing as she took in air. After about a minute of this, her belly began to quake again, and she began to push.
Ben wasted no time in taking another dive. She was pushing with all her might, but progress was slow. With a great deal of care, Ben wrapped his hands around the emerging child's body, and as Dionne pushed again, gave the slighest of tugs, working in tandem with her body.
One last push was all it took, and in one final cloud of fluids, Ben emerged from the water, holding Dionne's child. He looked down at it. Since their genetalia was all internal, the layman often had difficulty sexing young merfolk. But Ben was no layman.
"You have a big, strong son," he said, passing her up to Dionne. "I think you may have been onto something with that whale thing."
Dionne laughed, taking hold of her child. It wasted no time in latching onto one swollen nipple.
"Thank you, Ben," she said. "Sorry if I worried you."
"It's okay," he replied. "Just remember that I'm here for a reason."
The two shared a hug, which was interrupted as another scream pierced the air. Ben broke the embrace to turn and look.
"Excuse me," he said with a wink. "Duty calls."