She hardly made a sound.

There was an occasional grunt of effort, followed by rapid breathing. There had been no time to go to a hospital and she felt it wasn't their business anyway. Abby stood by her mother. Her young face was drawn tight in an expression that was somewhat hard to read, but seemed to say 'I'm not qualified to do this and I'd rather be anywhere but here right now.'

"He's coming." They were the first words she'd spoken in a while. Not since the start of the labour. Not since the start of the week. Abby wasn't even sure her mother had spoken to her at all this past month. She did that sometimes. The grunting became louder, became straining as she pushed. A string of muttered curses in modern Hebrew and Yiddish issued out and Abby pretended not to hear.

Abby was always told how strong she was, physically and mentally. Now she had to be extra strong. Her new sibling was coming into the world and Abby felt sorry for him. There wasn't much to come to here. She'd just have to make sure that she filled in the gaps that would be left, even though nobody had ever been there to do that for Abby herself. She didn't want to become a young mother, but she was already a young carer and frankly, had no choice. Abby started to resent her mother a little in this moment.

The child did not cry when he was born. He was warm, but pale. Abby washed him delicately in the metal tub of warm water she'd fetched, hands shaking, eyes full of tears as her body expressed emotions she wasn't even ready to deal with yet let alone put a name too. She wrapped the small body up in a towel. Then, the baby opened his eyes, and they were milky white and beautiful. Abby blinked. The baby blinked and Abby smiled. He had pupils and pale blue-pink eyes. Of course he did. Of course. She kissed his head, already full of the palest curls. Abby was still shaking and quickly attempted to pass the baby to his mother.

"No, wait...there's...another..."

Abby stared in confusion. She'd gotten her mother to go to the hospital once and only once and they hadn't mentioned anything about twins. Had it been too early? Abby didn't know what to do with the infant who gazed at her with such cute befuddlement. A baby who had nothing yet to say, not even a cry to give out. Were they supposed to be this quiet? She had no choice but to leave the room. Adrenaline kept her going as she placed her baby brother down into the single crib they had, a crib that had once belonged to her. She dragged it, bit by bit, from the next room.

She had not reached the bedroom yet when there was the sound of liquid spilling and healthy shrill crying. The unforeseen twin had been born.

Abby pulled harder and got the crib into the room. Her mother was holding the second infant and Abby held her nose. The stench was terrible, she'd never seen nor smelled so much blood. The baby wriggled and thrashed, as though it hurt to be held. "Take him. Wash him."

"Mama, you're bleeding. I should call a doctor."

"No, take care of him first." Her words were slurring as she laid back against the pillows of her bed, exhausted beyond measure. Abby did as she was told, the child settling for her in a way that he simply had not for his mother.

"Dark eyes...how are you supposed to pass as twins looking like that?" Abby joked, using humour to cover up her fear and anxiety as many humans did. The child smiled. Abby cried again.

The water was a deep red when he was finally clean. Abby wrapped him up and placed him beside his brother. She watched only for a moment, only long enough to see them reach out for each other. Then her mothers croaking voice snapped the child back to reality. "Abby..."

"Right, sorry." Anxiety climbing once again, Abby was begrudged to leave the infants alone in the corridor as she searched for the one phone in the house. Her mother kept moving it, Abby wasn't sure why. She dialled the emergency number with fingers that felt suddenly very cold. She became painfully aware of her bare feet, her beating heart and each strand of her hair that brushed against her. As she waited, she noticed that she still had her mothers blood dying the cuff of her night gown. Abby swallowed. "I need an ambulance. My mom had babies, she's bleeding a lot."

"Ok sweetie, where do you live?"

Abby gave the address.

"Can you stay on the phone with me?"

"...'es."

"Good girl. What's your name?"

"Abby."

"Hi Abby, I'm Manpreet. Are you and mommy alone with the babies, Abby?"

" 'es."

"Where's daddy?"

"Don't have one."

"Oh, other mommy?"

"No. Nobody."

"Ok. Where are the babies right now?"

"In a cot." Abby knew she had more information to give, but her brain seemed to need to be asked, to have permission to talk, so that her tongue would keep moving and mechanically push the words out.

"Wrapped up?"

"Uhhuh..."

"Good. You're being very brave. Is mommy still awake?"

"I think so."

"Ok Abby, I need you to take the phone to mommy so I can help her. Can you do that?"

Abby started to move.

"Abby, you still there sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sorry...I'm going to my mom." She handed the phone over to her weak mother like it was a live wire, or a particularly unhappy snake. Feeling cowardly, she left the room to sit beside the crib. She could see the infants through the bars, cuddled, cosy, sleeping. She wished she was asleep. Two babies. Two babies to take care of when their mother simply wasn't well enough to do so. Two little boys to help grow up, feed, clothe, get to school. She knew that their mother would be having bad days more often than not, it was the way she'd grown up after all. Abby wished their dad was still around like he had been for a while when she was younger. She wished they had more family here in Night Vale. She wished...that wishing could change the present and the looming future.

One year shy of being a teenager, Abby Palmer had become a de facto mother of two.