As midnight approached, Mira called all three mates together.
"Contractions are two minutes apart now," she said. "Strong and regular. We're approaching transition—the phase right before active labor begins. This is when it gets difficult."
"More difficult than this?" Alex asked from where he was half-leaning, half-collapsing against Naga.
"Much more difficult," Mira said bluntly. "Transition is when most bearers lose their composure. When the pain becomes overwhelming and the body demands to push even though it's not quite time yet. It usually lasts one to two hours."
"One to two hours of worse than this," Alex repeated numbly.
"Yes," Mira confirmed. "But then—then you get to push. And pushing feels productive. It feels like you're doing something instead of just enduring. Most bearers find that easier, even though it's more physically demanding."
She looked at each mate in turn.
