Chapter 154 Complete At Last
ADRIANA
When I woke up that morning, I knew something was different. The way my body felt so heavy like there was a boulder on me but I thought being nine months pregnant does that to you.
There was a strange tightness low in my stomach too, like something coiling and uncoiling slowly, but I brushed it off, rolling to my side with a small groan as the weight of my belly followed a second later.
I went with Hazel to shop for a few baby things because the doctor said that I should try to leave the house and stretch my legs. So I went with her into the pack.
Every step felt deliberate, like my body was asking me to pay attention, but I ignored it, forcing a smile whenever Hazel said something funny, pretending everything was normal.
By the time we got there, I felt dizzy and something about my body changed. It wasn’t just discomfort anymore. It was sharp. Sudden. Deep.
I tried to call Hazel’s attention and tell her that there was something wrong with me but as I opened my mouth, it was something else that came out of another part of my body.
My water broke.
Warmth spread down my legs. The world seemed to go completely still around me.
I just stood there, not being able to move or think or speak. Hazel suddenly turned to me and ran to me. Her eyes wide with panic.
“Adriana! Why didn’t you say something? Shit! Let me get the car and get Elijah.”
I shook my head.
“The hospital is just up front. Get Elijah now.”
My voice sounded distant even to me, like it didn’t belong to my body anymore.
She nodded and walked me down the road. The contractions were coming heavily now and I was trying to balance the pain in my body while trying to make sure that I don’t drop my baby on the way to the hospital.
Each one hit harder than the last, ripping through me, stealing my breath, forcing me to stop mid-step as my fingers dug into Hazel’s arm. My vision blurred at the edges. Sweat was forming at the back of my neck despite the air.
They finally brought around a stretcher and put me on it. The moment my body touched it, another contraction tore through me and I cried out, my back arching slightly as my hands gripped the sides.
“Get Elijah, Hazel.” I pleaded as they wheeled me into the theater.
My eyes seemed to lose focus and I was no longer hearing anything. I could hear people around me but I didn’t know what they were saying until I heard Elijah’s voice and felt his hand on my face.
That touch grounded me instantly.
“Adriana baby, listen to me. You have to keep your eyes open for me okay? You can’t sleep. You have to stay awake. The baby is here now so you just have to push.”
I nodded, still very out of it and feeling weak.
My body didn’t feel like mine anymore. It felt like something else had taken over, something stronger, something that wouldn’t stop no matter how tired I was.
When I heard the command to push, I didn’t think about it twice before pushing very hard with all my might and I continued doing that until I finally felt it.
Pain exploded through me, raw and consuming, my fingers clutching at nothing as I bore down, a cry tearing out of my throat. My whole body trembled with the effort, with the pressure, with the overwhelming need to just get through it.
I felt a pressure rush out of me, I sighed heavily, giving myself a pat on the back.
Relief flooded me so suddenly it almost made me dizzy, my body going limp against the bed as I tried to catch my breath.
“There’s another one. You’re going to push on the next contraction.”
What? I didn’t even have time to process what I was being told and I pushed without thinking.
Another contraction slammed into me, harder than before, dragging a broken cry from my chest as I pushed again, my strength already slipping, my body shaking uncontrollably.
Suddenly, the room shifted.
“Wait—” one of the doctors said sharply.
There was a pause.
“Why did it stop?” another voice asked, low but tense.
I could feel it. Something wasn’t right. The pressure was there but… different.
My heart started racing, panic rising fast in my chest as I tried to focus through the haze.
“Elijah…” I whispered, my fingers twitching weakly like I was reaching for him in the dark.
“I’m here. I’m right here,” he said immediately, his voice tighter now, his hand gripping mine harder than before.
“What’s happening?” His voice broke slightly as he looked at the doctors.
“The baby's position is off. We need her to push now,” someone said quickly.
“You have to push again, Adriana,” Elijah said, his voice right by my ear now, urgent, almost desperate. “Come on baby, I know you’re tired but you have to do this. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I didn’t even have the strength to be scared properly. Everything in me felt like it was shutting down.
I pushed until I passed out.
When I finally woke up, I was in the dark. It took me a second to realize the pain was gone. The heaviness too.
I looked around me to see Elijah sitting on the chair. He was on his phone so I had to call for his attention and when he saw me, he stood up and walked over to me.
“What’s going on? How’s my baby?”
He smiled at me and kissed my forehead.
“Babies. We have babies, Addy. You gave birth to twins. You don’t know how happy you’ve made me. I love you so much.”
I had twins? How’s that possible? The doctor couldn’t see that when I went to the hospital and so I was sure it was one baby.
“Two boys?”
He nodded.
“Two boys. My boys. Leo is going to have his hands full.”
I laughed and just rested. I was so tired that I passed out again and went back to sleep.