Chapter 4: This is the mom
This is the mom
That pet the dog
That curled by the chair
That stood in the house that Flint built
When Hinawa told Flint the news that he was going to be a father, tears welled up in his eyes and his mouth opened in shock. He felt his knees start to wobble and it took so much effort to not fall down in front of his wife. He hadn't felt this happy since the day that he and Hinawa had gotten married.
"Flint, are you okay?"
He sniffed as he wiped some tears from his eyes with his handkerchief.
"I'm fine, Hinawa. I'm just….I can't believe this is happening. We're going to be parents!"
Hinawa smiled, tears starting to form in her brown eyes.
Flint pulled his wife in a loving embrace and kissed her on the head. He then picked her up around her still tiny waist and swung her around. Hinawa laughed as he spun.
"We're gonna be parents, Hinawa!"
After Hinawa made the announcement to Flint, word started to spread throughout Tazmily. Hinawa wrote a letter to her father Alec and sent it his way with the news that she was expecting. Of course, both he and the village were ecstatic over the news.
As the weeks passed, the couple received a lot of advice from villagers who had experience as parents or grandparents. The two took in every word that they heard, often with a grain of salt. Sleeping arrangements, feedings, clothing, changing diapers, every subject about babies imaginable was discussed with the expecting parents.
While the two listened to the advice that was provided, Flint allowed Hinawa to make a majority of the decisions on her own or with some discussion with him. Besides, she was the one carrying around the baby, not him. He only stepped in when she was making a brash decision, like taking the jar of pickles and putting them with oatmeal and fish at breakfast.
If there was anything that Flint was providing the most, it was support. During the early months of her pregnancy, Hinawa would rise while the morning sky was still dark and head to the bathroom that the two of them shared. As a light sleeper and early riser, Flint would also get out of bed, making it to the bathroom just as he heard the sound of vomiting from his wife. He would gently rub her shoulders and hold back her hair as she suffered through the symptoms of morning sickness. He would also provide her with water and would help her back to bed, making sure that she was comfortable before he would fall back to sleep.
"Flint?"
"Mm-hmm".
"How's the cradle coming along?"
Flint lifted his eyes from the book he was reading. Hinawa was sitting in her usual spot in the rocking chair, stitching together pieces of a quilt. She had started it right after she found out she was pregnant and was hoping to have it done before the baby came.
After the announcement, Flint had also decided to prepare for the baby. He drew up a design for a cradle and showed it to Hinawa. The look on her face was one of pure excitement, her fingers tracing the sunflower patterns that he hoped he could carve. After getting the materials he needed and starting the project, he had accidentally nicked his hand with one of the carving knives. While it wasn't a serious injury that required stitches, he decided to wait until it healed completely before trying again.
"It's coming along. How's the quilt?"
Hinawa responded with a loud sigh.
"I can't get anything done when the baby's kicking at me".
Flint got up from his chair and went to sit next to his wife. She took his hand and placed it on her swollen abdomen. At five months, the bump was noticeable and Hinawa struggled to fit into clothes, but Flint thought she still looked absolutely beautiful. Even when he would tell her, she would deny it, trying to hide herself from her husband.
"Flint, can you feel the baby kicking?"
He concentrated on feeling for the baby kicking, Hinawa's hand clasped with his over her pink dress. It took a few minutes of silence between the two before he felt it. A small flutter against Hinawa's stomach. He drew his hand back.
"Damn, that's a tough one right there".
"Flint, watch your language. The baby could hear".
Flint grinned sheepishly, apologizing for his swearing.
"Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?" Flint asked.
Hinawa sighed and picked up her quilt, attempting to work a little further.
"I don't know. I would love a little girl, but a little boy would be fine as well. As long as they are healthy," she replied.
Flint placed his bandaged hand on the hand that was sewing the quilt pieces together.
"Hey, as long as the baby has your beautiful eyes, my sweet, I'll take whatever".
Hinawa rolled her eyes at her husband's flirtatious statement. She felt unattractive due to her swollen belly, tired eyes, and aching body, but Flint always tried his best to make her feel happy.
"Okay, come on, honey. Help me up to bed".
Flint took her hand and assisted her out of the chair. She could still walk on her own, but she often had trouble getting up from a seated position. The couple made their way upstairs for the night.
By the seventh month of pregnancy, Hinawa felt like a wreck. Tessie, local mothers, and the doctor told her that during the last few months of pregnancy, everything was going to be changing. The bump that had only been slightly noticeable a few months ago was clearly visible. She felt like a duck, waddling around the house or even to complete a simple errand. Her breasts were large and full, only adding more to the extra weight she was carrying around. Sleeping normally was no longer an option, as she laid on her side, tossing and turning in an attempt to stay comfortable. The winter air outside the house provided sweet relief to her hot flashes, as she opened a window and startled Boney in the process.
The biggest change of all to Hinawa was in her mood. She was always known as a cheery woman, with a kind smile on her face and a gentle, nurturing touch to those in the village. However, from the second trimester to the third, her mood fluctuated a lot. She would be happy one moment and then break down sobbing in the next one. Flint and Hinawa had their fair share of arguments (as most married couples do), but Flint noticed how irritable she would get at him. She tried her best to keep her mood swings in check, but there were times when they would get angry at each other over small things and making both of their moods even sourer. But even with their heightened emotions, they still managed to hold on together.
The two of them were currently trying to finish their respective projects. Flint had finished constructing the crib out of pine and was working on the details. Hinawa tried her best to complete the quilt she had started months ago. The pieces were together, but the designs were not even close to being done. It didn't help that she frequently felt the baby kicking or that she would have to stand up to go to the bathroom constantly.
The only thing that both of them could do was to just wait it out, trying their best to occupy time until the day came.
It was a slightly cloudy spring day in Tazmily, with the birds singing and the flowers blooming, when Hinawa felt herself go into labor.
She cried out in pain as she grabbed onto the kitchen counter, water starting to puddle around her. Boney, napping nearby, stood up and rushed to her.
"Boney, go get Flint! Tell him that the baby's coming!"
Boney barked, heading out through the dog door to find his master.
Flint was taking care of the sheep and had heard a loud noise coming from inside the house. As he rushed towards the door, Boney came out and barked, hoping his master would understand the message.
"Boney, is it Hinawa?"
The brown dog yapped in response. It was then that Flint could hear a cry of pain from Hinawa. He breathed deeply. He knew that he had to get Tessie or the doctor to help out, but he didn't want to leave Hinawa on her own.
"Boney, can you go get help?"
Boney barked. Flint patted his scruffy head, praying that Boney could get someone to come to the house.
"Be quick, Boney!"
As the dog ran off towards the town square, Flint made it inside to find Hinawa on the ground, moaning in pain.
"Hinawa!"
"Flint, the baby's coming!"
Flint took a deep breath, trying to calm his panicked nerves. He scooped Hinawa off of the ground, carrying her bridal-style like he did when they first moved into their home. He placed her on their bed for the time being, hoping that someone else would know what to do.
He held her hand and stroked her hair as she felt her contractions, the two of them waiting for Tessie and the doctor to show up.
Within the hour, both arrived. Tessie, a woman who had plenty of experience as a midwife and had assisted many women in birthing children, shooed Flint out of the room to gather supplies. The doctor, a well-known and respected man, made sure that Hinawa was staying on track and spent more time supervising. Tessie was the one in charge, ordering Flint to bring hot water and towels and for the doctor to time the intervals between contractions.
And so, the four of them and Boney waited.
After sixteen hours of labor and the screams of Hinawa piercing to the hallway where Flint and Boney paced anxiously, Tessie called in Flint.
"Flint, hold onto her hand. The baby is ready to come out!"
Nodding with a look of fear in his eyes and a look of anguish in hers, Flint took Hinawa's sweaty hand in his. Instantly, she gripped it tight like a vice as she cried out in pain.
"Okay Hinawa, I need you to push!"
With the first push of many, the pattern continued. Flint kept silent, letting Hinawa groan out whatever words she could and the tears falling from her clenched eyes.
A cry interrupted the sounds from Hinawa.
Flint and Hinawa felt themselves fill up with excitement at the long task reaching its completion.
"Hinawa, there's another one! I need you to push more!"
With a gasp, Hinawa pushed more, and another cry rang out a few minutes after the first one. Now, the sound of two newborn babies filled the house. As Tessie wiped off the babies to give to Hinawa, Flint kissed her on the lips. He wiped the tears and sweat from her face, pushing the loose hairs from her forehead.
"Congratulations, you two! You're the proud parents of twin boys!"
Hinawa reached out her arms to welcome their two children. She brought them to her chest, cooing and whispering to them. Flint grinned at the sight of his wife and children.
"Twins? I can't believe it!" he said ecstatically.
"Me neither. That must explain why I was huge".
Flint laughed, planting another kiss on his wife's forehead.
"But we have two healthy boys and you're okay, and that's all that matters".
Hinawa continued to hold the twins as Tessie and the doctor made sure everything was okay. According to Tessie, this was her first time delivering a set of twins and was amazed that they were healthy.
"I've heard that there can be problems with delivery and afterbirth, but these two look to be okay", she told the couple.
The doctor nodded, noting that the twins were breathing fine and their heart rates were normal. He and Tessie both prescribed that Hinawa get a lot of rest and make sure to eat enough protein to make up for what was lost during delivery. Flint made a mental note to get enough eggs and meats at the market the next day in order to feed his protein-deficient wife.
As the doctor and midwife headed out the door back to the village, Tessie turned to Flint.
"Did you two have names picked out?"
"Well, we weren't really expecting twins. So, we've got nothing yet".
"Very well. Get some rest. I'll stop on by later to check on everyone".
"Okay. Thank you so much Tessie. And you too, Doc".
With those words, they headed back to the village. Flint closed the door and headed to the bedroom. He found Hinawa sound asleep, the babies cradled against her bare chest. Upon moving towards the bed, Hinawa cracked open her eyes a little bit.
Flint turned to her, telling her to go back to sleep. She attempted to keep her eyes open until her husband laid next to her in their bed, but she felt herself succumbing to sleep. Flint kissed her on the forehead and stroked her hair. She smiled as the babies breathed softly, their mouths open.
"Get some sleep, Hinawa. I'll watch over them".
She laughed gently.
"We really need to think of names. I don't want to call our babies 'them' forever".
"Okay. Now rest, dear", Flint whispered before kissing her.
With a tired smile, Hinawa fell asleep. Flint could only gaze at his wife in silent awe. She had given life to twins without knowing, and now they officially had two sons to take care of. He raked a hand through his brown hair, shaking his head in amazement. As his family slept, Flint started thinking about how quickly he could get another cradle completed.
Over the next few days, Flint and Hinawa found themselves constantly busy. The villagers came around, bringing gifts for the babies and food for the couple. Alec spent a few days at the cabin, taking care of his grandsons while his daughter and son-in-law adjusted to the unexpected arrival of twins.
Flint was able to make another cradle within a few days, working tirelessly from dawn to nightfall. Hinawa also managed to finish the quilt she had started during her pregnancy and began another one.
However, the one thing that the couple had not done yet was choose names for their twin sons. Alec threw out ideas to them, hoping that they could pick something.
"I'm not going to call my grandsons 'boy one' and 'boy two'", he mumbled to Hinawa.
"Papa, we're trying our best. But none of the names we come up with are working….", she sighed, turning back to the quilt in her lap.
"Well, you have to choose names soon".
Flint chimed in, "We know that, Alec".
About three days after Alec left and two weeks since the twins were born, Flint and Hinawa were sitting in their living room. The babies were asleep in the cradles, breathing quietly. Boney curled himself next to Hinawa's usual chair, guarding his family. Hinawa sat in her rocking chair, finishing up the last of the baby blanket, while Flint sat in the small couch across from Hinawa and watched his wife sew.
"To think we would be blessed with two children at once…"
Hinawa looked up from her work, hearing her husband's whispered words.
"I bet they'll accomplish things together that they couldn't alone", he continued.
Hinawa smiled.
"I'm sure they'll argue a lot, too", she replied. "And I can see them helping each other out when they need it".
The couple fell silent, Hinawa glancing back down to her needlework. The patterns were starting to hurt her eyes, and she needed to get up out of the chair. It felt like she had been sitting there forever.
She got up out of the rocking chair and took a few steps towards Flint. He moved over, letting Hinawa take a seat next to him. She leaned her head onto his strong shoulder, eyeing the cradles nearby. The two sat in silence, Hinawa's hair tickling Flint's chin while Flint's shoulder moved up and down with every inhale and exhale.
After a few minutes, Hinawa's eyes twinkled.
"Claus…and Lucas", she stated to Flint.
Flint stroked his short beard, considering the names that she had proposed for their babies. They definitely had a nice ring to them.
He responded, "I bet we'll mix them up a lot until they get bigger…Claus…and Lucas, huh…", he muttered. Yeah, it sounded good to him.
Hinawa turned her head to look her husband in the eye.
"How do you want them to grow up to be?"
"To be kind, just like you".
She giggled that beautiful little laugh that Flint loved so much.
"Oh. I was just going to say…to be kind, just like you!"
Flint chuckled.
"Great. Then it's decided".
He got up from his seated position, offering a hand to Hinawa. She took it gently in hers. They both walked over to the cradles, leaning over them.
"Claus", they said, each of them giving a kiss on the forehead to the baby with a small tuft of reddish hair.
"Lucas", they whispered, doing the same to the other twin, a baby with a patch of light blonde hair.
"Make us proud", Flint and Hinawa whispered.
