In the darkness of the night, Josephine groaned lightly as she turned over. It was yet another sleepless night for her. No matter how much she wriggled and squirmed, she couldn't find a comfortable position. Her bump was just too big. And even then, when she did get comfortable, she was constantly being disturbed by the babies' movements. At first, she thought it was cute that they were practicing their circus act, but now she was literally tired of it all. Annoyed and a little upset, the mother-to-be lay wide awake, staring blankly at the black ceiling. She hoped it would get light soon, but as she glanced over at the digital clock, she was horrified to learn that it wasn't even midnight yet. She clucked her tongue. But then, she heard an unusual sound coming from her belly. It was a low, menacing growling sound as if she was hungry. But she wasn't. She was certain that she had eaten a snack before getting ready for bed. She was about to sit up, but her belly did another strange thing. And this time, she felt it. Something inside her popped. Frightened, Jo's sapphire eyes widened as water gushed out of her, soaking the bed sheets. Her entire body jerked in surprise. She sat up as she felt another gush.
Trembling uncontrollably, she screamed for Monty. " MONTY! MY WATER JUST BROKE!"
Tired and sleepy, Monty appeared in the doorway with his fiery red hair sticking up in all directions. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly. " What's up, sweetie?" he muttered through a deep yawn.
" M-m-my water broke!" she insisted.
" Oh," Monty replied monotonously, showing how exhausted he was. " I'll go get you another…"
He turned, intending to leave, but Jo stopped him. She had to make him understand that this wasn't a drill; that this was the real thing. She gushed again. " My water broke!" she cried shakily through her violent shivers.
Monty jerked out of his trance, blinking repeatedly as the realisation hit him hard in the face. " You mean, your baby water?" he squeaked, his eyes growing larger than ever before.
Jo gave a single nod of the head, too frightened to say any more.
Monty let out a short, sharp breath, trying to figure out what to do. " OK," he mumbled. He began pacing up and down the room, twitching his hands. " O-O-O-O-O-OK," he stuttered again. " O-OK. First thing's first…We…do…not…p-p-p-panic!" He puffed out his chest as he breathed deeply out to calm himself. He closed his eyes for a minute, but was ready to speak when he opened them. " OK. You…You go take a shower while I get your things and get the car ready," he muttered unconfidently.
Jo nodded in response. With Monty's help, she got up from the bed. She waddled down the hallway to the bathroom with a trail of water following her, where she sat on the toilet to lose more fluid. As she sat there trembling, feeling the unpleasant sensation of the liquid gushing out of her, she prayed for a safe journey for her babies to take. She didn't know if God would listen to her after she gave up on Him years earlier. But she needed those babies. And if anything happened to them, she would surely let herself die. Time dragged on and Jo lifted her huge body from the seat. She started to take her shower.
The hot water raining down on her, Jo stood there in all her vulnerabilities, shivering and trembling uncontrollably. And this involuntary act was beginning to scare her. She could barely move or speak because of it. Countless times before when she thought about her inevitable labour, she never thought she would be like this; shaking underneath the shower, experiencing severe pains. She thought she would be calm, taking control of everything, but she was truly terrified in reality. And even though she tried so hard to firmly tell herself that every mother goes through this and that it would be worth when sees her children happy and healthy, she couldn't quite shake that irrational fear of the births. She started slightly when Monty burst in, his chubby face flushed with excitement.
" Are you all right, Jo?" he asked, his voice booming so loud that it startled her. " You OK?" Jo nodded and gulped as a contraction cut through her like a knife. " Your bag's in the car. Want me to help you get dressed?"
" N-no. G-g-g-go w-wait in the c-c-c-c-car," she stammered.
In what appeared to be a trance, Jo changed clothes with a pained expression on her face as she murmured softly to herself in attempt to keep calm. Then, much like an overweight penguin from Antarctica, she carefully waddled down the stairs, where the Incredibly Deadly Viper watched her closely with worried eyes. When she reached the bottom, he slithered up the banister. She grimaced in pain as one of the babies kicked her, but she smiled sweetly at the slimy, scaly creature. She affectionately stroked the tip of his nose, which made him hiss lovingly.
" I'll be all right," she reassuringly. " The babies are on their way, so that means a little discomfort for me."
She grunted; one of the babies had kicked again. She gave a short gasp of surprise as more water gushed out. The snake made a quiet noise of worry. Jo kept moving and she rushed out of the house to Monty's old battered car on the drive. Determinedly, she pulled open the door with force and clambered into the back seat to find Monty documenting everything on his video camera. This time – with the lens cap off.
" We're just on our way to the hospital now!" he boomed cheerily. Clutching her huge belly as a contraction came, Jo made an unimpressed noise. " How're you doing, sweetie?"
" Monty. Get that thing out of my face before I break it!" she snapped, lifting her legs up on the seat.
He thought she was joking, so he chuckled heartily. " She's in labour, she doesn't know what she's saying!"
Furious and terrified, Jo snarled at him, baring all her teeth like a rabid dog. " I mean it! I don't want my labour or birth recorded, you got that?" she roared.
Monty gulped and hurriedly put the camera down on the passenger seat. " Yes, my darling. Whatever you say, my precious," he squeaked. He started to drive in silence, too afraid to say anything that would make her snap at him again. " We need to let your mother know," he muttered after a few minutes.
" Oh, yeah, I'll do that." Jo searched through her handbag for her mobile phone, pausing every now and again to wait for a contraction or another gush to pass. She dialled the number for her mother's house. " Mom? Mom?" she said into the receiver.
Gladys was in bed – as most people would be at this time of night – and she sounded almost dead to her daughter. Evidently, she had been disturbed in her sleep. " Hello?" she answered faintly, her eyes clamped shut.
" Mom? My water broke," Jo replied.
At that, Gladys shot up, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. " What?" she cried in astonishment.
" My water just broke!"
" Where are you? Are you driving?" Gladys demanded worriedly.
" It's OK. Monty's taking me to the hospital."
By now, Gladys was giggling like a small child on Christmas. " Ooh! I'm going to call your brothers right now and then I'll be there to meet you at the hospital quick as a flash. OK?" she cried, fighting the urge to bounce around her bedroom.
" All right."
" Pincus Hospital, right?"
" Yep, that's the one."
As carefully as he could, Monty turned the wheel and drove into the hospital car park. He parked near the entrance, so Jo would not have very far to walk. And as if she was made of glass, Monty helped Josephine climb out the back seat. With a trail of water following her, the couple swiftly headed towards the sliding doors, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the empty, black night. Once they met up with Jo's doctor, Dr. Esther Matheson, she was ready to have her caesarean section. Despite the fact that Monty had seen a million reptile births, he couldn't bring himself to be physically in the room with her. He was just too squeamish about blood, organs and operations. So, instead, he scribbled the words, 'The bravest person doesn't have to be the strongest' on the palm of her left hand. He would be with her through those words, even when he didn't need to be. He kissed her gently on the forehead before she was wheeled into the operating theatre, and with a sigh, he sat silently in the waiting room with Gladys. He had gotten pale by the time Jo was out of sight, and he was shaking like a leaf with anxiety and fright. And after a while, he had to put his head between his knees to stop himself from feeling dizzy and faint.
" It's going to be all right. Isn't it?" he asked Gladys worriedly in a low, breathy voice.
Gladys clucked her tongue. " Oh, hush! These doctors perform C-sections everyday! Stop being such a pansy and grow a pair, why don't you? Josephine needs you to be strong for her."
Monty leant back, heaving a deep sigh, as he pressed his head against the wall. On the opposite side of the room, he spotted a young man of twenty years – more or less – smiling at him. The man gave him a little wave, which Monty returned somewhat shyly. Subtly, Gladys nudged him on the arm to urge him to strike up a friendly conversation. But the man did it for him.
" Hey," he called. " Name's Alan."
" Hello, Alan," Monty muttered shyly. " I'm Monty."
Alan moved to a nearer seat before he cheerfully asked, " Is this your grandkid being born, then?"
Monty and Gladys looked at one another, their eyebrows raised in both annoyance and disapproval. They knew their age gap closer than Monty's was with Josie, and they certainly didn't need reminding.
" No, it's my twin babies," Monty corrected. " It's my first time becoming a dad!"
Alan blushed. " Oh, gee, I'm sorry," he mumbled, shifting awkwardly in his seat. " Well, um, congratulations, anyway. Twins; that's…That's real interesting!"
Monty smiled. " Thanks. So, um, are you becoming an older brother today, then, or…?"
Blushing violently again, Alan let out a little breathless chuckle. " No, no, no, no!" he cried, laughing. " It's my girlfriend. She's having our little girl."
His eyes shining with whimsy and wistfulness, Monty beamed from ear to ear, showing all his teeth. " My girlfriend is having a little girl. A baby boy, too."
Alan smiled that same smile. " Girls are great, aren't they?"
Monty nodded, trying to swallow that great lump in his throat. He didn't fully understand why, but the thought of being a father to a girl seemed to make his heart swell and soar. Just then, Dr. Matheson burst in, still wearing her scrubs and mask. They all gasped in surprise, and Monty leapt to his feet, desperate to know news.
" They're here!" she announced excitedly as she ripped off the mask from her face. " Dakota and Cody are here!"
Monty suppressed the urge to bounce around the room with joy. Alan pathetically applauded in the corner. Gladys grinned from ear to ear in gratitude, thanking God for blessing her daughter with two precious infants. " How are they?" he asked. " How is Jo?"
" Jo is fine. Everything went perfectly. The kids are on their way to NICU," she replied with a smile.
Monty swallowed in worry. " NICU?"
Noticing the new father's concern, Dr. Matheson gave another smile. " It's nothing to worry about. They just have a little bit of fluid in their lungs. That should clear up in a few days."
" Really?" he gulped.
" Other than that, they're quite healthy."
Gladys placed a supportive hand on Monty's shoulder. " The doctors know what they're doing. Your babies are in good hands," she whispered softly to reassure him.
Looking back at her, the old man nodded his fire-red head. " Can I see them?" he asked Matheson.
She smiled, her lips parting, though she looked slightly saddened. " Let them rest for a while. In the meantime, there's a very exhausted new mommy for you to take care of."
Unsure, Monty turned around to try and find solace in Gladys, who, in such a gentle and motherly way, wrapped her arms around him. Monty made a small, inaudible noise of surprise as he had not been prepared for a hug, but after a few short seconds, he brought his hands up to hug her in return. The two family members parted and Monty could see that tears were trickling down the old lady's cheeks.
Gladys caressed his cheek and told him in a whisper, " What're you looking at me for? You don't need me. It's your time now. Go, be there with Jo."
Monty's Adam's apple slowly slid down below his collar as he swallowed, still harbouring that doubtful expression. He was a father. He had given life to two children. It was a thought that he couldn't quite get his head around. " OK. OK, um," he breathed.
" She's waiting for you, Monty," the doctor coaxed.
Then, almost taking everyone by surprise, a wide toothy grin spread across his face, bringing a shine to his eyes. " Yeah. I'm just gonna…"
He trailed off. Nothing else had to be said. Monty replaced that expression of uncertainty with determination. His chest quickly inflated and deflated before he made the brave decision to march into the operating theatre where his children had just been born.
In this nearly-deserted room, he hoped he would be able to see the babies, but they had been presumably already moved to the NICU. Instead, there was a good-looking youngish female nurse with her chestnut hair tied in a neat bun. She was standing quietly in the corner as she completed some jejune paperwork. When she spotted Monty by the door, she muttered a brief greeting before scurrying out to leave the couple in peace. To Monty's surprise, Jo was still awake, though a bit groggy, with her now-empty belly exposed. The scientist grimaced at the sight of the incision. It looked so sore and bloody and nightmarish. But in spite of all of that, there seemed to be an air of never ending blissfulness in Jo. She had tears gathering in her wide, bleary eyes, and Monty's heart swelled to a ginormous size as he felt himself fall in love all over again. He rushed to her bedside, and this was when they shared their first kiss as mother and father. He caressed her lips, chin and cheeks with his mouth as she flung her arms around his neck, breaking down in loud sobs of great, overwhelming emotion. There were no words exchanged. There was no need for any words to be spoken. It was just one man and one woman in this entire world.
Several hours later, the sun rose up from beneath the horizon, and people started to wake up to greet the last day of June. Jo had gotten some rest, and even though she was still ungodly exhausted, she was more than eager to meet the twins. With the kind help of a porter, Jo was wheeled down to the NICU in a wheelchair with Monty skipping along beside her. Among all the other ailing babies and their families, the friendly doctor who was in charge of this department escorted them to the right place. The infants were both sleeping soundly in their cots, their little chests rising and falling as the machines attached aided their breathing. Cody was the slightly bigger baby with longer, thicker hair and more feminine features, and she twitched every so often as she slumbered. In Monty's mind, he believed her to be dreaming about Jo's safe, cosy womb and how scary this big old world appeared to be. Dakota, though two minutes older, was visibly smaller and he virtually had no hair at all. This made Jo giggle. The little boy's wrinkly bald head reminded her of her father.
After they had spent some time together as a family, Gladys came swooping in with bouquets of attractive, sweet-smelling flowers and a bunch of pink and blue balloons with "It's a Girl!" and "It's a Boy!" written on them. And Jo was shocked to find her brothers trailing behind her.
" Colin. Derek!" she gasped. She stood up to the hug them both. " What are you doing here?"
Colin scoffed. " What kind of uncles would we be if we didn't want to meet our niece and nephew?"
" Yeah," said Derek. " We didn't see you for twenty one years until a few months ago. You think we'd miss the birth of your twins?"
Their sister lowered her head, her messy blonde hair dropping down in front of her face, as she suppressed the urge to cry. " Oh, you guys! You might just be the best brothers ever!"
A mischievous, toothy grin spread across Colin's youthful face. " Well, we, uh, try our best," he muttered smugly.
" My grandbabies," Gladys whispered wistfully as she gazed lovingly at them. The only person who heard was Monty.
" Don't expect more any time soon," he joked.
Gladys chuckled. " You know, at first I didn't like the look of you," she admitted.
" Oh, thanks!" he cried sarcastically, giving a roll of his eyes.
" But now I see how happy you've made my little girl. I'm proud that you're my son-in-law. Not only because you helped create these little darlings."
Suddenly, Dakota began to stir. Aimlessly, he wriggled his tiny arms about and he made a sweet little noise as he attempted to yawn. But then, it became clear that he didn't enjoy the sight of odd-looking giants towering above him, so he let out a startling wail. The entire party jumped in unison. Calmly, Monty scooped him up and started to rock him gently back and forth. But all the noise and commotion woke Cody up, and she, too, gave the same cry as her brother did. Feeling empowered and confident, he carefully picked his little daughter up. So, he ended up having each baby tucked in each arm. The watching group all cooed. The babies soon became comfortable and ceased their horrible wailing. Jo felt the need to cry again as she watched their father soothe them back to sleep. Because he had always seemed uncertain and awkward around newborns, she often wondered throughout her pregnancy if he would ever have the courage to hold them without any cushion or pillow to support them. But now she was sure that he would be the greatest father he could be for them. To anyone else who might've been in this scene wouldn't think seeing a father hold his two children was that magnificent, but in Jo's eyes, it was a sight that she would see in the back of her mind for the rest of her days.
