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On the twelfth hour on the first day of October 1989, forty-three people around the world gave birth.
This was unusual only in the fact that none of these people had been pregnant when the day first began.
Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, just so happened to be one of those people.
In his office, working on a new business plan, Reginald Hargreeves grunted in discomfort as his stomach shifted.
He felt his clothes becoming tight, which made him frown and look down at himself. His vest and dress shirt stretched as his stomach began to grow.
Reginald stumbled back in shock. He stood still, looking as his abdomen grew larger and larger. The buttons on his vest popped off, hitting the numerous displays he had in the room.
His stomach stopped expanding, and he stood there perplexed. His shirt was straining at the seams, ready to burst open any minute. He shook off his blazer and the remainder of his vest to properly examine the protruding mass.
Lifting his shirt, so it was resting above his stomach, he laid a hesitant hand on it. He jolted back when he felt movement from inside his large abdomen.
But before he could go any further, a pain-riddled cramp ripped through him, making him gasp aloud, and he clutched his stomach.
Within minutes of the pain, he felt a gush of fluids escape him and splash loudly on the hardwood floor.
His knees almost buckled, and he gripped the desk as a sharp pain hit him. He panted through the pain but was quickly hit with another.
“Pogo!” he shouted and waited for his companion to appear while he suffered multiple shots of pain.
Pogo calmly entered the study but stopped in his tracks as he saw Reginald bent over the table and his stomach the size of a basketball.
He quickly rushed over and hovered beside the man, “Sir? What’s happening?” Pogo asked him frantically.
Before Reginald could answer, a hard pain shot through him, and he groaned, his hands whitening against his grip on the desk.
He felt something drop within him, and he unconsciously spread his legs wide.
Pogo took note of the gesture, and his eyes widened in realisation. He quickly began to undo Reginald’s belt and pulled his trousers and boxers down, surprised that the man didn’t put up a fuss.
Reginald had sweat beading along his forehead and sliding down the sides of his face. He breathed out slowly as he lowered himself into a half squat, still clutching the table.
He felt a great sense of pressure and an incredible urge to push. So that’s what he did. He braced himself, tucked his chin to his chest and bore down.
Pogo stepped behind him and waited for the child to appear, which would, unfortunately, take some time as the baby seemed stubborn.
Reginald closed his eyes and panted heavily in between contractions. They were fast and quick, hardly giving him time to catch his breath.
He felt a contraction coming and pushed along with it, a loud moan escaping him as he felt the child move down.
He lowered himself more, his legs almost touching the floor. Pogo moved with him and stared at his friend's opening, which was red and puckered.
A contraction surprised him, and he yelped, a hand coming down to cup his pregnant belly. He threw his head back and pushed, the baby pressing against his entrance.
He pushed again as another contraction struck him. The baby’s head made a brief appearance before slipping back inside once he stopped pushing, making the man groan.
He sucked in a breath, clenched his eyes shut and pushed. He pushed and pushed, only for the baby to slide back in once he stopped.
Another contraction hit, making him instinctively bear down. The head began emerging agonisingly slowly, and he let out a wail as the head finally started crowning.
Pogo looked on in shock as his friend let his guard down, he knew childbirth wasn’t easy, but he never expected Reginald to make such sounds.
The tip of the baby's head was now visible for Pogo to see. A shock of brown hair covered the child’s head.
Reginald breathed shallowly, the immense burning feeling as the baby crowned left him in agony.
He pushed hard when he felt another contraction, and his stomach tightened. The baby stayed in place, and no matter how hard Reginald tried, the baby wouldn’t budge.
He was growing tired, and his legs had begun to shake. Pogo observed him with worry. Reginald was resting his head against the cold wood of the desk, his breathing erratic.
“Sir?” Pogo began, “It may be best if we moved to your bedroom.”
Reginald turned his head and glanced at him, “I’m perfectly fine here,” he said breathlessly.
“The child isn’t moving, sir. I believe it would benefit you both as you’re growing tired.”
Reginald stayed silent as he pushed again, and still, the baby hadn’t moved. He sighed and dropped his head, “Very well,” he said in defeat.
Pogo removed his shoes, trousers and boxers to make it easier for Reginald to walk. Pogo gently helped him up, and Reginald gripped tightly onto the chimp.
They slowly made their way out of the study, Reginald cupping his stomach with one hand while the other was holding Pogo’s arm.
They had to stop multiple times as Reginald rode out his contractions, leaning against the wall as he pushed as hard as he could.
Finally, they reached the bedroom, and Pogo helped him to the bed. Reginald laid on his back and collapsed against the soft pillows.
He rubbed his stomach unconsciously and heavily breathed in and out. His face was wet with sweat, beads continuously rolling down his face.
Pogo raised Reginald's legs, so they were bent, and he sat between them. The baby’s head was still showing, yet they hadn’t moved an inch during their walk.
Pogo wasn’t sure what to do. He had never encountered a person giving birth before. He had no idea if something was wrong or not.
A deep groan escaped Reginald as a contraction hit him, and he pushed. His feet dug into the bed, and he clenched his hands into fists around the sheets.
He slumped back against the pillows once the pain had passed. He felt weak. He never expected to bear a child one day, and he was wholly unprepared for such a thing.
Pogo glanced at his watch and noticed that it had been an hour since Reginald began pushing, and the baby was still stuck.
“You need to push hard, sir,” Pogo said in a calming voice.
Reginald shot him a withering glare, “What do you think I’m doing? Sitting around drinking tea?” he said sarcastically before moaning when a contraction hit.
He clutched the side of his stomach and sucked in a deep breath, pressing his chin to his chest, and pushed with all his might.
Very slowly, the baby inched forward before coming to a halt. Reginald continued to push long after the contraction ended, but it made no difference.
Reginald grunted as he sat up. He shifted to his side and pushed himself to his hands and knees. Pogo watched as Reginald held tightly onto the headboard and spread his legs wide.
He arched his back and pushed, a loud wail escaping him as he did. The burning sensation grew tenfold as the baby stayed where they were.
He dropped his head and was met with the sight of his enormous stomach. He scowled at it as another contraction hit him forcefully.
He didn’t bother holding back his shouts as the contractions hit. He let out guttural screams at the pain, not caring that Pogo was standing there.
He dropped carelessly onto his side, not having the energy to hold himself up anymore. He caressed his stomach and pushed onto it, letting out a groan as he was met with pain.
Another contraction hit, and he ignored it as best he could. Struggling against the urge to bear down, he breathed deeply through them.
Then the most painful contraction he had felt struck him, and he shrieked. Not being able to hold back, he pushed, putting all his effort into it.
Pogo hurried over and lifted his leg high, giving the baby more space to come out. The baby slowly began to move out, its head emerging slowly. It stopped at its widest point, and Reginald sagged as the contraction ended.
He barely caught his breath when another pain struck. He buried his face in the sheets and cried out as they didn’t move.
He was exhausted. The baby should have been out by now, but they kept getting stuck.
He slowly and gently moved, leaning against the pillows again. He bent his legs and held his thighs, bringing his legs up to his chest, and spread them wide.
He stayed in that position until the next contraction came. He let his head fall back against the pillows as he waited, and he panted hard as that seemed the only way he could breathe.
Reginald looked at Pogo and saw him staring between his legs at the baby’s head. He wished he was on that side of things, watching instead of being in pain as he brought a child into the world.
He sucked in a breath and pushed with the contraction. He growled and put all his might into the push, only to end up with nothing.
He was beginning to hate this baby for causing him such immense pain. A baby that he unexpectedly became pregnant with.
“It appears they’re stuck again, sir,” Pogo said to the labouring man. Reginald scoffed and rolled his eyes at the information he already knew.
He wasn’t sure how long he laid there for, his legs splayed in the air as he attempted to push out his child.
He was losing his strength as time went on, weakened by the energy he wasted.
He dropped his legs and sat up, slowly moving towards the edge of the bed. He grasped the nightstand, putting all his weight on it as he stood.
He crouched into a squat and let his head fall against his chest. Gripping the nightstand in one hand and the bedsheet in another, he bore down.
Letting out a guttural scream as he tried to push the baby out. Much to his relief, the baby moved, the head just shy of being born.
He reached down between his legs and felt a wet hard mass at his opening. He let his hand rest there for several seconds before pulling away.
Another contraction, and he pushed. He was moaning as the rest of the head passed through. He let his head drop back, and his breathing picked up speed.
“Well done, sir,” Pogo crowed from his position in front of his friend.
“How long?” Reginald asked him, gasping for breath.
Pogo looked at his watch, “Almost three and a half hours, sir,”
Reginald let out a weak laugh. He’d been pushing for almost four hours, and they still weren’t here.
He massaged his swollen abdomen and let out a half-content sigh. The pain had eased up tremendously now that the head had been born.
He eased himself up, keeping his legs spread, so he didn’t hurt the baby’s head, and resituated himself back onto his comfortable bed.
“You’re almost finished, sir,” Pogo told him, a slight smile coming onto his face.
Reginald hummed and dropped his head back against the pillows. He continued to rub his hands along his stomach, finding comfort in it.
Just as he was relaxing, a contraction struck him hard, making him groan in surprise. Pogo readied himself between Reginald’s bent legs while Reginald began pushing again.
He shouted and slammed his hand against the nightstand as the baby stayed put. He wanted this baby out, but they didn’t want to cooperate with him.
“Just breathe, sir,” Pogo said calmly, “They’ll come when they’re ready.”
“They should be ready now!” he screamed as a contraction hit. Bearing down, he felt the slightest movement coming from the baby, but not enough to please him.
He moved back onto his side and gripped his stomach. Pogo again lifted his leg, resting it on his shoulder, as he waited for the rest of the baby to emerge.
Feeling a contraction coming on, he braced himself and pushed. His chin dug into his chest as he screamed when the shoulders began appearing. Push after push; he felt each shoulder pop out.
He lay there panting and sweaty. He was almost done. His child was almost here.
“I think one more push will do, sir,” Pogo said happily, giving him a soft smile that he didn’t return.
Reginald nodded and waited for the inevitable pain. He didn’t have to wait long, and a contraction struck him hard. He wailed as he pushed.
With one last big push, the baby slid out of him, a gush of fluids swiftly following. Reginald collapsed back against the pillows breathing hard.
He had heard that when babies are born, they cry, so when he didn’t hear his child crying, he glanced up and saw Pogo holding a lifeless baby in his arms.
For the first time in his life, Reginald felt sadness. He stared at his still child as his heart broke.
He held his arms out, and Pogo obliged, placing the baby in his father's arms. Reginald stared at his son. The blue-tinged skin and non-moving chest felt like a knife drove itself into him.
He gently rubbed the baby’s soft cheek and kissed the crown of his head. All that hard work, and he got nothing in return.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Pogo said, sadness and grief filling his voice.
Reginald didn’t acknowledge him, his focus entirely on his dead son. A little boy. His little boy.
He didn’t realise tears had filled his eyes until they slid down his face and dropped onto the baby’s head. He cradled the baby to his chest and let out the most gut-wrenching sobs.
Pogo watched as his friend grieved for his son. He wished he could do something to help, but there was nothing he could do.
Reginald swiftly delivered the placenta, hardly noticing as it left his body. Pogo changed the bed sheets and let his friend lay back down, his son cradled in his arms.
Pogo was about to leave to give Reginald privacy when he heard it. He quickly turned his head towards the pair and noticed Reginald’s eyes had widened. He looked up, and the two stared at each other as a baby’s cry broke the silence.
Pogo rushed over and saw the previously dead newborn squirming around in his father's arms. “My goodness,” Pogo said in awe. “He was dead for an hour. How on earth is he alive?” Pogo questioned.
Reginald stared at his son, “I don’t care,” he said wetly, “He’s alive, and that’s what matters.” He kissed his son and let his head rest against the baby.
Pogo smiled at the two, “You’ll need to think of a name for him,” he said, admiring the little boy.
“Klaus,” Reginald said, staring into the bright green eyes of his son, “His name is Klaus.”
Later that night, as Pogo left the father and son, he heard on the news of multiple men and women worldwide becoming pregnant instantaneously.
He would let Reginald know in the morning about the strange occurrence that happened. But for now, he’ll let them rest.