"Got it." Ilima takes the toy gratefully, moving onto the new pad he has. The toy will keep him preoccupied for a good hour, the larger size well-loved. He gets off a few times, almost not wanting to stop, but doing so when there's intense pain. He removes the toy and doubles over as one of many contractions hits.

He doesn't know what to do, but he remains mostly calm. He Ming will be back. He gets as comfortable as he can. The contractions are far apart (for now), though they'll gradually get closer and closer. By the time He Ming gets back, his water's probably broke. Thank goodness for the pad.