Chapter 189: The Birth

Chapter 189: The Birth
Sierra's POV

The contractions started at three in the morning. I felt the first one squeeze around my belly like a tight hug. Not painful yet. Just pressure. I lay still in the dark counting seconds. Sixty seconds. Then it stopped. I waited. Ten minutes later another one came. This was it. The twins were coming.

I shook Adrian's shoulder gently. "Adrian. Wake up." He shot up like someone fired a gun. His eyes were wild in the darkness. 

"What? What's wrong?" I couldn't help but smile. "The babies are coming. We need to go to the hospital." 

He threw the covers off so fast they landed on the floor. "Now? Right now? Okay. Okay. I'll get the bag. You stay here. Don't move. Should you move? Can you walk?" 

I grabbed his hand. "Adrian. Breathe. We have time. The contractions are ten minutes apart."

He nodded but I could see panic in his eyes. We'd practiced this. Talked about it. Planned for it but now that it was real he looked terrified. 

Another contraction hit. Stronger this time. I breathed through it like Dr. Hayes taught me. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Adrian watched me like I might break. 

"Does it hurt?" I shook my head. "Not yet. But it will." He helped me stand. My belly felt enormous. Ready to release the two lives growing inside.

We woke Maria on the way out. 

"It's time?" I nodded. "Please take care of Alexander?" 

She was already moving toward his room. "Of course. Go. Call me when they're here."

The drive to the hospital felt longer than it was. Every bump in the road made me wince. 

"You're doing great." I told him. He laughed but it sounded strained. "I'm not the one having babies." 

Another contraction came. Five minutes apart now. I gripped the door handle and breathed. Counted to sixty. Let it pass. "This is different from Alexander." 

The hospital was quiet at this hour. The nurse at the front desk smiled when she saw my belly. 

"Twins?" I nodded. She moved fast. Got me into a wheelchair. Adrian walked beside me holding my hand. 

Dr. Hayes arrived thirty minutes later. She checked me and smiled. "You're five centimeters already. These babies are ready." 

I felt relief wash over me. With Alexander we had to perform an emergency CS but this was faster and easier. 

Dr. Hayes had earlier contemplated another CS but wanted us to give this a go and if there’s any complications we’ll move on to getting the CS done.

The contractions got stronger and closer together. I squeezed Adrian's hand so hard I thought I might break his fingers. He didn't complain, just whispered encouragement. 

"You're so strong Sierra. You're amazing. I love you." Adrian said, holding my hands.

At nine thirty Dr. Hayes said the words I'd been waiting for. "It's time to push." Adrian stood up. His face was pale but determined. 

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." The first push burned. The second one too but I could feel Baby A moving down, getting ready to enter the world. 

"One more big push." Dr. Hayes said. I bore down with everything I had then I heard it. A cry. Strong, loud and perfect.

"It's a boy." Dr. Hayes held him up. Tiny, red and screaming. 

Adrian's eyes filled with tears. "Our son." They placed him on my chest. Warm, sticky and mine. He stopped crying the second he felt my heartbeat. His little eyes blinked open. Dark like Adrian's. "Hi baby." I whispered. "Hi sweet boy." Adrian touched his tiny hand. His finger looked huge next to our son's fingers. "He's perfect."

But there wasn't time to rest. Baby B was coming. The contractions started again, stronger now. Dr. Hayes checked. "She's ready. One or two pushes and we'll have your daughter." 

I looked at Adrian. "Ready to meet her?" He nodded. The nurse took our son and wrapped him in a blanket. Then I pushed. Once. Twice and she was here.

The second cry joined the first. Higher pitched. Softer but just as strong. "It's a girl." Dr. Hayes was smiling. "A beautiful baby girl." 

They placed her on my chest next to where her brother had been. She was smaller. Her hair was dark like mine. Her mouth opened in a tiny yawn. "Our daughter." Adrian's voice broke. "Our baby girl." I looked up at him. Tears ran down his face. "We did it.”

The next hour passed in a blur. They cleaned the babies. Weighed them. Measured them. Our son was six pounds two ounces. Our daughter was five pounds eight ounces. Both healthy and perfect. 

The nurses brought them back wrapped in blue and pink blankets. I held our daughter. Adrian held our son. We just stared at them. These two tiny humans we made together.

"Have you chosen names?" The nurse asked. We looked at each other. We'd talked about names for months but could never decide. Now looking at them the names just came. 

"Ethan." Adrian said softly. "His name is Ethan." I looked at our daughter. Her little face so peaceful. "And Esme. Her name is Esme." The nurse wrote it down. Ethan and Esme. 

Maria arrived an hour later with Alexander. He toddled into the room on wobbly legs. His eyes went wide when he saw the babies. 

"Baby?" He pointed. I smiled. "Yes sweetie. These are your baby brother and sister. This is Ethan." Adrian held him closer so Alexander could see. "And this is Esme." I lowered her so he could touch her tiny hand. 

He was so gentle. Softer than I'd ever seen him. "My baby." He whispered. My heart broke open.

That afternoon Lena came. She brought flowers and balloons and so much love. Lena cried when she held Esme. "She looks just like you, Sierra and Ethan looks just like his father." 

Adrian stood behind me. His arms around my shoulders. We watched our family gather around our children. This was everything, our moment right here.

That night after everyone left it was just us. Adrian sat in the chair holding both babies. One in each arm. I watched from the bed. My body was tired but my heart was so full.

Sleep came in short bursts that night. The twins woke every two hours to eat. Esme was a quiet eater while Ethan was loud and demanding. Already their personalities were showing. Adrian changed diapers, brought me water and held whichever baby wasn't feeding. We worked as a team. Moving around each other like a dance we'd practiced our whole lives.

Dawn broke on our first full day as a family of five. The sunrise painted the room gold. 

I sat in the hospital bed with Esme in my arms. Adrian had Ethan. Alexander was asleep in the cot the nurses brought in. The world felt new, clean and full of possibility. 

"We're going to be okay." I said. Adrian looked at me. "Better than okay. We're going to be amazing."