Saehressa knew the time had arrived. Looking down at her now wet slacks, she headed for the master bedroom, peeled of her clothes, and calmly and quickly showered.

Not until she was again dressed did she apprise Mrevan of where things stood. Saehressa preferred to give birth in a facility specifically tasked a natural approach, as opposed to the option of home or the more expansive and clinical medical centre.

When Saehressa broached the name that had come to her for their child, when she explained how the name came to her, Mrevan was very excited, immediately embracing began referring to the child to be by Llhaesa.

“Typical Mrevan” Saehressa silently remembered her partner’s easy going and accepting reaction. After all the lively discussion on what the name should be, the one that most inspired her had turned out to also be inspiring to him.

Neither of them were hurrying or worrying. First Saehressa started tidying up their home, with Mrevan quickly rushing to assist, but she shooed him away… preferring to do this as some sort of ritual to adjust her mind to the coming task which lie before her. And so they went about preparations in a matter of fact way, finally packing up things they thought might be needed. Once this was done, they jumped into their vehicle, and headed off to the birthing centre.

The difference between medical centre and birthing centre were apparent just by looking at the architecture for each building. The medical centre was expansive, seemingly going on forever, and while interesting architecturally, was still overwhelming, a take a number and wait until called sort of place.

The birthing centre by contrast was a modern facility designed to look like mid-union Arrhazonan architecture: one could feel the intended optimism just by taking time to look at the various elements that reached out and invited passers-by to stop and enjoy them.

Once through the doors, staff warmly greeted the parents to be, relieved them of their carry in baggage, guided them to where they would set up their temporary home, saw to it they had whatever might interest them in the way of refreshments.

Saehressa felt pampered, but truth be told, so did Mrevan. He was enjoying the wonderful service and attention, but also was quite careful. Their society was such that this was considered proper conduct – women waiting on men, and he hated that societal structure. His partner and soon his daughter would face this world, and in his own small way, he worked to bring about change. When there was opportunity for him to assist the staff, he reached out and lent a hand.

Arrhazon was quite advanced medically. Spending a full day in labour and in preparation for birthing was not an option for many. Saehressa would have none of this, and only permitted medical intervention if it were to prove necessary to her well being or that of her child.

As the pains drew closer together, she became less animated, more sedentary, and finally stretched out on the bed. Mrevan stayed with her throughout, stepping away only so long as to deal with his own natural processes, and then immediately scooted back to Saehressa.

One of the staffers tasked to her care came in and conducted a quick check. Saehressa dutifully raised her knees and let her legs loosely fall apart as the staffer draped a sheet over her. The staffer rendered her examination finding: Saehressa’s cervix was dilated about 7 centimetres.

‘Soon’ was the unspoken but operative word on three minds.

The staffer left the room thinking these were not new parents, for they seemed to be quite in sync with what was unfolding. “Not a very common occurrence in this facility” she silently chuckled.

Saehressa decided now was a good time for soothing that being within who would pass from the safety of her uterus to an unknowing fate. And so she began to sing, choosing a song that had been a common theme throughout her pregnancy, one the child likely well knew.

Within a couple of hours, Saehressa was pushing, and Mrevan was coaching and encouraging. First came a hairy head, leading him to gasp, but he quickly returned to his charge. Saehressa screamed and found strength within she never knew existed, giving one huge and final push. Baby Llhaesa was traumatically but lovingly welcomed into an awaiting world.

No one can foresee the future, and this is as true of parents pondering the future of their children as it is of anyone else. Sometimes we wonder what some seemingly far off time might look like. What they would see if they were looking slightly over 22 years forward, the future of this child – immediately handicapped by her birth gender – carrying the handicap of gender and an incredibly young chronological age, would be considered by many seasoned observers a likely future leader of their world.