[lxcttrll]

"Well, I wouldn't say this is it, but we're definitely getting close," Cassian replied, settling on the towel Hector put under him. The contractions were painful, but Cassian breathed through them, not wanting to waste any energy screaming or thrashing around. He knew the baby would most likely be big, too.

Cassian now sat up in bed, leaning back against a pile of pillows as he endured more contractions. He'd checked his dilation, and he was eight centimeters, at the beginning of the transition stage. He couldn't seem to get comfortable, occasionally shifting his hips. Cassian doubted it would do much, knowing that the pressure on his hips would only be alleviated by delivery.

Another hour passed, and the contractions were two minutes apart, with Cassian dilated at nine centimeters. His body was covered in a thin layer of sweat, hair sticking to his forehead. His shirt was still pulled up over his belly, which had been getting lower slowly over the past hour. Suddenly, Cassian knew that he was fully dilated, letting out a small whimper and pulling his legs closer to his chest. He was almost primal as he removed his underwear, breaths coming in soft huffs.