The way she'd said you'd better be prepared, it sounded as though she was planning on just staying here in his study while the entire process occurred, which was certainly not something he'd anticipated. He wasn't involved in the labor process when there were actual viable children being produced, and he certainly didn't have any desire to be privy to something so unappealing just to... what? Provide some sort of comfort? He was not a particularly comforting person. He couldn't imagine why she would want to stay here with him, unless it was just because she knew he'd prefer if she left.

As far as how long it would take, though, he didn't have any very good answer. "It... depends," he said with an uncertain shrug. "On a lot of things, from what I gather. A lot of things that can't be predicted." Much like real labor, in that sense. What he'd read had talked about all sorts of intricacies of female anatomy that he had no particular desire to become an expert in, but that was the gist of it: it depends.

"And how long it takes depends, too," he added. "If I were you, I'd retire to the bedroom for the rest of the day, or until it's over. Or a hot bath, or something."