She tilted her head down and rested her cheek against her newborn. The peach fuzz on the baby's small head blotted Sabra's tears from her cheeks. "You've both been great to me. Truly. I hate to disappoint you. But you won't change my mind about this. Until they let Ronnie and me walk out of here with Daddy's promise to leave us alone, I'm staying. Besides, Doc, I trust you more than I would any doctor at a hospital my daddy sent me to."
Doc swiped his sweating forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. He looked across at Tiel, who raised her shoulders in a defeatist's shrug.
"Okay," he said reluctantly. "I'll do my best."
"I don't doubt that." Sabra winced. "Is it really bad?"
"There's nothing I can do about the bleeding from the tear. But the vaginal bleeding… Remember earlier when I told you to rest because I might have to ask you to do something for me later?"
"Um-huh."
"Well, I'd like for you to nurse Katherine."
The girl shot Tiel a stunned glance. "The nursing will cause your uterus to contract and reduce the bleeding," she explained.
Doc smiled down at Sabra. "Ready to give it a try?"
"I guess so," she replied, although she seemed unsure and embarrassed.
"I'll help you." Tiel reached for the scissors, which had been wiped clean. "Why don't I use these to clip the shoulder seams of your dress? We can pin them back afterward, but that'll keep you from having to get undressed."
"That'd be good." She seemed relieved to give over some of the decision-making to Tiel.
"I'll let you ladies have some privacy. Uh, Ms., uh, Tiel?"
Doc motioned her to stand, and they held a brief, private consultation. "Do you know anything about this?"
"Nothing. My mother stopped breast-feeding me when I was three months old. I don't remember it."
He smiled wanly. "I meant other than being on the receiving end."
"I knew what you meant. That was a joke. But the answer is stil
l no."
"Well then, of the three of you, Katherine will be the most knowledgeable. Position her correctly and she'll act on instinct. At least I hope she will. A few minutes on each breast."
"Right," Tiel said with a brisk nod.
She knelt down beside Sabra and applied the scissors to the shoulder seams of her sundress. "From now on, I suggest you start wearing tops that button up the front. Or something loose that you can lift up and drape over Katherine. One time, on a long flight to Los Angeles, I sat next to a mother with an infant. She breast-fed the baby all the way, and no one except me knew it, and I did only because she was in the seat beside me. She was completely covered the whole time."
The chatter was intentional, meant to distract Sabra and relieve her bashfulness. When she was finished ripping out the seams, Tiel peeled down one side of her bodice. "Now lower your bra strap and pull down the cup.
Here, let me hold Katherine." Sabra looked around self-consciously "No one can see," Tiel assured her.
"I know. But it feels weird."
"I'm sure it does."
When Sabra was ready, Tiel handed Katherine back to her. The newborn had been making soft, mewling noises, but the moment she felt the fullness of Sabra's breast against her cheek, her mouth began rooting for the nipple.
She found it, tried to latch on, couldn't. After several attempts, the baby began to wail. She flailed tiny fists, and her face turned red.
"Everything okay?" Doc called.
"Fine," Tiel lied.
Sabra sobbed in frustration. "I'm not doing it right.