Every child is a poem born from the parents' hearts
The day had come; the one everyone had been waiting for. Her obstetrician had warned her that the chances of going into labor before 37 weeks were very common with multiple pregnancies; that if it happened, she shouldn't be scared, even if the girls were born a bit premature, it was to be expected.
And Deanna felt it, like a premonition, that morning. Something inside her was telling her, her body was screaming it. But she told Daniel to take the kids to school as usual and go to work, that she felt fine and it must be just another discomfort. She stayed in bed; she had a strange, uncomfortable feeling in her chest.
During those last few weeks, she rarely got up, it was very difficult for her and her husband insisted that she remain calm; that he would take care of everything around her and she should rest. She took the opportunity to finish reading that pile of books she always left halfway through, and that's what she was doing when she felt moisture soaking the sheets.
She found herself in a large puddle that had soaked her entire nightgown and suddenly a slight pressure. Without moving much, she took the phone and called him.
"What’s happening?"
"They’re coming..."
"What?"
"Our daughters are coming, Daniel..."
God! Just like when Ryan arrived and Amanda was dropping Emma off at daycare, he panicked; worse, he was desperate. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone! There was no one in the house. Who was closest? He would get there, but those minutes seemed too many, too many.
"Where are you?"
"Taking Susan to the gallery. What do you want?"
"Deanna is alone and the girls are going to be born! I’m at the office heading over there!"
Leonard didn't even hang up the phone, he ran a red light and made a U-turn in the middle of the avenue. Susan was horrified, holding on to whatever she could find.
"What are you doing?!" Susan shouted at him.
"My granddaughters are coming! Deanna is alone!"
Two of the most daring men in the world of finance, the most respected and known for the drive and determination they put into their companies; they were panicking like little kids. Exaggerated was an understatement. They had more similarities than they dared to admit and there they were running like madmen.
And yes, Leonard arrived first with Susan; it looked like the house was on fire because he burst in without looking or listening. He ran upstairs with Susan trying to catch up.
"Deanna!" he entered shouting.
She was standing, had changed her nightgown and was putting on a sweater when her father almost knocked down the door.
"What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!"
What must have gone through Leonard's mind? A mystery; surely tragic and dramatic images in the midst of agonizing pain and screams. But Deanna was as if nothing was happening, though she had a look of discomfort and a strange grimace, but none of that was happening. And he was a bit confused.
"Daniel called me saying you were about to give birth..." he said, perplexed.
"Yes, my water broke, but I’m not giving birth right now."
Susan appeared behind.
"How do you feel?"
"Uncomfortable, I have terrible pressure in my belly."
"Daniel should be arriving soon. Do you think you can go down the stairs?"
"Yes..."
"Come on, I’ll help you."
Leonard watched them move slowly and didn't know what to do, he seemed to jump from one foot to the other and move his hands.
"Take her other arm and let’s go down," Susan told him.
He was nervous, he was scared; he barely remembered when his daughters were born because all three births were scheduled C-sections, Alice would not give birth naturally, not even dead.
"Don’t be scared," Deanna told him softly.
"I’m not scared," he lied.
Daniel was the other one who made a cinematic entrance into the house; but when he saw her standing, smiling at him excitedly, he knew everything would be fine.
"How are you?"
"I’m fine, but I think it’s time to go."
"Yes, let’s go."
His arm replaced Susan and Leonard's and he guided her outside until she got in the car.
"We’ll follow you," Leonard told him.
Daniel drove a bit hurriedly, but very carefully, stopping and checking everything twice.
"They’re coming..." he said to himself, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Yes..."
Deanna held her belly and tried to hold back, but tears escaped.
"Don’t be afraid, I’m here," he tried to reassure her.
"I know..."
Deanna’s emotion was strange, almost magical. The eagerness to finally meet them was mixed a bit with anguish and bewilderment and, of course, she was scared. It was the final stretch, the last step and she would become a mother. Meanwhile, Daniel did his part; he turned those nerves and desperation into security, because he had to be the pillar of support now. He couldn't show he was unsettled; he took a deep breath and held his breath for a few moments. And there he was: Daniel Crusher, the immovable mountain.
Her doctor arrived when she was already settled in the room. It seemed that the girls were coming, but at their own pace; he told them to be patient and that they would be informed of any discomfort or eventuality. But he also informed them that, not always, but sometimes a C-section is necessary in such pregnancies; so they had to keep the possibility in mind and consider it.
Daniel took off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves, then sat next to her.
"Now we wait... We’ll do it right," Deanna told him.
"I’m just here to watch, you’ll do all the work," he responded jokingly.
"I don’t believe you..."
A quick kiss on the lips, a smile from both, and hope at its peak: that’s how their new future began.