Thirty-six hours later Cora was in a foul mood. Her contractions were now about five minutes apart and a hundred times worse than they had been when they first started. She was ready to be done with this labor. Tilly had just informed her that she had about a day to go, and Cora was not thrilled. How could this get worse?
Cora had taken a shower and put on a comfortable nightgown an hour earlier. She felt like she had wanted to clean up while she could still hold herself up in the shower. Tilly had braided her hair so that it was out of her way.
Laying down was tedious so Cora spent much of her time pacing around her bedroom. It was night and the air was cool to her feverish skin, so she spent several hours moving between her bed and leaning on the balcony railing. She felt anxious as the pain wore on her resolve to stay strong and not give in to panic.
