Chapter Nine: Emma and Sam
It was 3 in the morning when Sam woke the others up with the news that Miyuki's water had broken in the middle of the night. As difficult as it was, the others dragged themselves out of bed and made their way to the hospital. Miyuki's contractions were becoming increasingly unbearable. The Xilians could hear her from down the hall. They reached the room shortly before the doctors did, and Miyuki was not looking well. Ozaki was present, as was Miyuki's sister, Ana, and Douglas Gordon.
"Please, stand away," the doctors told the Xilians. "We need as much space as possible."
"My son and I can help," Sam insisted. "We have experience."
Upon hearing this statement, X began to dread his part in this. He was used to helping Sam deliver Xilian children back home, but his role usually involved him subjecting his hand to strenuous compression by the mother. By X's experience, childbirth seemed to give the bearer hand strength capable of crushing metacarpals with ease. And X was not looking forward to going through that again.
"Actually, dad…" said X nervously. "I pulled a muscle in my hand the other day and I don't think this would help it heal…"
Sam looked at X with an expression that said, "How stupid do you think I am?" X groaned in exasperation and walked to right side of Miyuki's bed, opposite Ozaki. He offered her his hand and gritted his teeth, waiting for crushing sensations to begin. Sure enough, in tune with Miyuki's contractions, her grip tightened around his hand. X had to do all in his power to keep his mouth shut. He saw Sam assisting the doctors at the end of the bed and the others standing against the walls, Grover with a camera at the ready.
X's yells were beginning to rival Miyuki's screams as she held his hand in a vicegrip. Just then, Sam's expression became one of concern.
"Well," he said. "This is different."
Ozaki turned his head swiftly. "What? What's different?"
"Well," said Sam. "There appears to be more than one."
Ozaki's attempt to process this information was shortly interrupted by X.
"AAHHH!" he yelled. "MY FINGERS SHOULD NOT BEND THAT WAY!"
"Hang on, Miyuki!" Ozaki told his wife. "You're having twins!"
Miyuki's screams resembled a howling banshee.
"GREAT! 2 TIMES THE KIDS, 2 TIMES THE PAIN FOR THE BOTH OF US!" X yelled.
"Suck it up, X, and keep holding her hand!" Sam replied angrily.
"Ok, that's one of them!" said the doctor, cradling the screaming newborn in his arms. "Keep pushing! Mr. Sendjin! Hold this first one!"
"Alright," said Sam, taking the wailing infant from the doctor. "Eugggh, it's disgusting as I remember it..."
"OW, OW, OW!" yelled X through Miyuki's screams and the cracking sounds of his bones. "HURRY IT UP! OWWWWW!"
Miyuki's screams were at their pitch.
"AAAAAAUUUGGGGGHHH!"
Ozaki put his hand on his wife's sweating forehead and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "You're doing great, Miyuki! Keep pushing!"
"BUT PLEASE, LESS SQUEEZING!" X howled.
Ozaki looked at X, revolted. "X, that's disgusting!"
"I MEAN ON MY HAND, YOU IDIOT!" X shouted angrily.
"Ok, here it comes!" the doctor shouted anxiously. "Ozaki, hold it!"
A wave of pain swept over Miyuki, and her voice reflected it.
"!"
"There!" the doctor proclaimed victoriously. "You've done it, Miyuki!"
Ozaki kissed her on the forehead. "Great job, honey!"
Gordon was smiling broadly with his hand on Ana's shoulder. She was making no effort to fight back tears. Grover was taking picture after picture and even Kendra was wiping away tears.
"Yes, splendid work," said X. "Now please let go of my hand before I lose any more feeling in it."
Miyuki was still trying to resume breathing normally, but managed to say, "Sorry about that," before letting go of X's mangled hand.
"Well, doctor?" asked Ozaki, handing the crying newborn to him. "Boys? Girls? One boy? One girl?"
"Well, this one's a girl," said Sam, who was cradling the now wrapped up baby.
"And this one's a boy," said the doctor, handing him to one of the nurses to get wrapped up.
Ozaki smiled at Miyuki, who had tears in her eyes. "A boy and a girl, huh? What do you think we should name them?"
Sam handed the baby girl to Miyuki. Miyuki looked into the child's eyes and she made a quiet cooing sound. Miyuki smiled and her tears of joy landed on the baby's forehead.
"Emma. She's Emma Ana Ozaki." Miyuki said, smiling in the direction of her sister, who was crying but looked overjoyed.
Ozaki smiled. "I think that's a perfect name."
One of the nurses came back with the boy, wrapped in blankets now too.
"X," said Ozaki. "Why don't you hold your nephew?"
"Uhhh, sure," said X.
The nurse handed the baby to X. X looked at him a bit uneasily, then the baby's eyes opened, staring directly at him. X looked into the baby's eyes and felt a sudden sense of affection. Something he was not used to.
"So… what are you gonna name him?" he asked Ozaki.
Ozaki paused. "Uhhh… Miyuki?"
Miyuki laughed slightly. She knew Ozaki was horrible at naming things.
"How about…" she surveyed the room, her eyes eventually coming to Sam. "…Sam?"
There was an unusual silence in the room. Ozaki looked at Miyuki, then back to Sam.
"Err… are you sure?" he asked Miyuki. Ozaki usually went by whatever Miyuki wanted, but this time, he seemed to object.
"Yes," said Miyuki, sick and tired of Ozaki's intolerant behavior. "Sam Shinichi Ozaki. I think that's a perfect name."
Ozaki looked at Sam, who shrugged. He surveyed the room. Nobody had anything to say. Nobody dared.
"F…fine," Ozaki said finally. But his expression said, "Don't expect me to ever call him that."
Grover meekly took another picture.