Hey, guys!
So, we left off on a cliffhanger. Tony's been arrested and we'll have no more drama from him anymore – he's gone for good. Now, Annabeth and Percy are currently being driven to the hospital in a police car, about to meet their twins for the first time ever.
Thanks to all those people who have cast their final votes on what they think the genders and names will be – we're so close to finding out!
But don't worry, the story does not end here – there are still more chapters to come :)
So, remember: read, review, favourite and follow!
LilRed17 :)
The officer pulled the car up outside of the hospital, but Annabeth didn't see anything except the bright lights shining through the lids of her eyes. She breathed deeply, concentrating on keeping her breaths even and trying very hard not to scream through her teeth – she'd already done that once on the way there and the expression on Percy's face had been awful to see.
The pain was unreal – unimaginable. She'd never imagined that anything could hurt so much. It felt like a steel band was wrapped around her stomach, squeezing until she could barely breathe and all the blood rushed to her face, making her skin feel paper-thin and her veins as thick as pipes.
"Ssh," Annabeth heard Percy whisper, stroking her hair back from her forehead, like he'd done the whole way there. She kept her eyes shut tightly. "We're here now, Wise Girl. You have to get up. Come on."
"It hurts," she croaked, her voice rasping and barely audible.
"I know, baby, I know," Percy murmured, sounding anguished. "Come on, you can do it."
Gritting her teeth, she let Percy help her sit up, then he shoved his own door open and jumped out, coming around to open hers. She opened her eyes as he opened the door, squinting from the pain and the glare of the hospital lights. The officer was already standing there, waiting. As Annabeth stepped out of the car with Percy's help, he stepped forward and she slung one arm around his neck and one around Percy's.
With both of them supporting her, she clenched her jaw as a slightly lesser contraction rippled through her and they hobbled towards and into the hospital. The glare brightened as they stumbled through the doors. Annabeth blinked in the sudden light and saw the nurse at the front desk jump up, looking alarmed.
"We need a wheelchair!" Percy shouted. "Quick – my girlfriend's in labour!"
Annabeth shut her eyes as the nurse hurried back to her desk to call someone in. When she opened them again, another nurse in bright blue hospital scrubs was pushing a wheelchair towards her.
"Come on, honey, we're heading straight to the hospital room," she instructed Annabeth. "Don't forget to breathe deep, in through the nose, out through the mouth." She breathed deeply, scrunching her eyes shut and willing the twins to just hang on, as Percy filled out paperwork at the desk. The nurse turned the wheelchair around and began pushing her down the hallway. Annabeth opened her eyes again, tilting her head back. She could feel Percy hurrying alongside them.
As they entered a hospital room, the nurse put the brake on the wheelchair just inside the door. "Come on, honey, out we get. Just sit on the bed there and I'll get your hospital gown."
Annabeth sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, like she had instructed, as the nurse then said to Percy, "Head down the hall and the third door you come to should be a closet. There'll be scrubs in there. Put them on and come back as soon as you do."
"Percy," Annabeth choked out.
She felt his warm hands cover hers and she looked up to meet his sea-green eyes. "I'll be right back, I promise. I wouldn't miss this for anything."
"I love you," she breathed. "Hurry back."
"I love you, too, Annabeth." He pressed his lips against her forehead, then he was gone.
"All right," the nurse said briskly. "Annabeth, is it? Great. Let's get you out of these clothes, then you can put this gown on and we'll be set to go."
As she changed out of her clothes and into the gown, tiny black spots began to cover her vision.
"Why are there spots everywhere?" she asked, her voice stronger than it had been before.
"What?" the nurse asked, clearly puzzled. There was an undertone she couldn't quite place. "What spots?"
"The black ones," Annabeth managed, before gasping as another contraction held her in its grasp.
"Okay, we need to get you to delivery," she ordered, helping her into the wheelchair. "Now."
Annabeth closed her eyes as the nurse pushed them towards the door.
The nurse hurried her out of the room, just as Annabeth felt Percy join them. "What's going on? Is she okay?" He sounded worried.
"She's fine, but we need to get to the delivery room as fast as possible," she told him. "She's nearly at stage two." She began pushing the wheelchair faster and Annabeth tried to slow her breathing down, with little success.
"What's stage two?" Annabeth could hear a panicked edge to Percy's voice now.
"She's nearly ready to deliver and honestly, that's all you need to know right now," the nurse informed him, her tone a bit gentler. Annabeth opened her eyes just as Percy pushed open a set of double doors and the nurse wheeled her through, Percy jogging alongside her.
Another contraction hit, more painful than the last few and Annabeth cried out loud, gripping the arms of the wheelchair. The intense pain – more intense than any of the other contractions so far – forced her to shut her eyes again, but it made the black spots disappear. Why, she didn't know and at that moment, she certainly didn't care.
When Annabeth opened her eyes again, feeling spent already, the nurse had stopped the wheelchair beside a hospital bed. She and Percy helped Annabeth to stand and then get into the bed. As soon as she lay down, Annabeth felt the exhaustion wash over her, making her bones melt into a jelly-like substance and her muscles shake with the effort of staying awake and alert.
You have a job to do, she reminded herself, weakly. After that, you can sleep.
At that reminder of why they were there – their twins – Annabeth felt herself strengthen slightly and she knew, deep down, that she was going to do this. She could and was going to become a mother.
She blinked forcefully, her eyelids heavy and turned her gaze to her left, where Percy was sitting on a plastic chair, his hands steepled under his chin and his gaze fixed on her.
"Hi," Annabeth whispered, focusing solely on his face. She could feel her breathing slowing down already.
"Hey," he answered softly.
She swallowed. "I'm scared."
His eyes softened and he reached out a hand to grasp hers. "I know. I am, too. But you've been so brave, Wise Girl. I love you so much and I will love our twins just as much. I promise you, I will never let you or our children down." He leaned forwards, hovered above her face for a moment, then pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She felt her heart flutter and momentarily, she forgot where she was as she poured her love for him into the kiss.
He pulled away and Annabeth gazed at him, privately wondering how she'd gotten so lucky. A twinge of pain echoed through her body and she winced slightly, swallowing hard, which alerted her to the dryness pervading her throat and mouth.
"Can I have some water?" she asked Percy, whispering slightly.
He bit his lip and shook his head. "They said you weren't allowed water."
"When?" Annabeth frowned. "I didn't hear that."
"The nurse told me before she left," he explained. "I think you were a bit preoccupied, Wise Girl." He smiled at her and she sighed. "You can have ice chips, though."
Annabeth nodded and he pressed a little blue button she hadn't noticed until then. "What's that?" she asked, confused.
"It's the call button for the nurse," he told her.
Within minutes, the nurse who'd wheeled her in had come bustling into the room, holding a cup of ice chips. She blinked at her, momentarily nonplussed, as she took the cup from her. "How did you–"
"It's usually the first thing our patients want when they're in labour," the nurse explained, smiling. "I've been in this job for a while." Her name tag – which she hadn't noticed until then – read NURSE TORI. Annabeth returned the smile and put an ice chip in her mouth.
"Speaking of, we'd better check how far along you are." Nurse Tori went around to the foot of the bed and began reading off a small chart hanging off of it. Annabeth took the moment to glance around the room. Plain blue curtains were drawn across the one window. The floor was a mix of white linoleum squares and pale brown wood. The walls were painted a plain cream colour. On the other side of the hospital bed, about a metre away, was a small crib-like machine, with a shelf beneath it holding folded blankets, towels and soap. Against the far wall was a counter with a sink built into it. A bottle of antimicrobial soap, a nail brush, a box of sterile gloves and a box of alcohol-based sanitising wipes sat next to it.
Pain hit her stomach like a punch and Annabeth gasped out loud. The cup of ice chips fell to the bed as she doubled over, scrunching up her face in agony. She brought her knees up slightly, her toes curling into the bed, trying to diminish the pain.
Percy lurched forward, alarmed, as she clutched at her stomach, gasping desperately for breath. "Annabeth–"
"It's okay," Tori reassured him. "She'll be fine. Just let her deal with it." Annabeth felt her approach the bed and heard her say softly, "It helps if you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth."
"It's not working," she gasped, slightly panicky. Her chest and stomach were so tight – she couldn't breathe; she was going to suffocate…
The twins would die…
"Try breathing in this rhythm. In, one, two. Out, three, four," Tori suggested. Some irrational, agonised part of Annabeth wanted to slap her, but she forced herself to override those thoughts and follow her advice.
Annabeth inhaled. One, two. Exhaled. Three, four.
The first few times, she still felt shaky, but eventually, her breathing slowed enough and she was able to deal with the pain, just by focusing on those four numbers. Inhale. One, two. Exhale. Three, four.
"That's it," Tori coached her, gently. "Easy does it. And – it's over."
Annabeth took a deep breath, scrunched her eyes up tightly, then opened them to focus on Percy. He was leaning forward, one hand on the hospital blanket, his sea-green eyes worried. "That one was bad," Annabeth murmured.
"Are you okay?" Percy asked.
She nodded, slowly. "But that was worse than before." She swallowed, bracing herself for more pain, but it didn't come. Annabeth could feel it waiting though, the discomfort lancing across her chest and stomach.
"Yes," Tori murmured. Her voice came from the foot of the bed. Annabeth frowned and looked up, finding the nurse peering underneath the blanket and underneath her hospital gown. Her eyes widened and she felt her knees twitch instinctively, but just as she was about to close them, Tori replaced the blanket and stood up, her face set.
"Okay, your contractions are approximately five minutes apart," she told them, her expression serious. "I'm going to get the midwife to come in now and start preparing, because we're about a minute away from pushing."
Annabeth felt fear claw its way up her throat and stay there, cutting off her air supply. She began breathing in and out again, using the technique that Tori had taught her. Inhale. One, two. Exhale. Three, four.
"I'll be back in a minute with Cassandra, but press the call button if you need me sooner," she told them. Cassandra must be the midwife's name, Annabeth thought. Tori left the room.
Annabeth felt herself slide into a full-scale panic attack. She felt the discomfort lancing across her chest and back increase slightly and she knew she was less than two minutes away from having another contraction. Annabeth felt her hands start to shake.
"I'm so scared," she choked out, terror lacing her every word.
Percy, his face torn, reached out to grasp her hand. Annabeth felt frustration and pain combine to create a unique anger, bubbling through her veins. "Don't touch me," she hissed, yanking her hand away as the pain increased steadily. "Don't ever touch me again, don't, please, oh, God…" She felt the anger melt into fresh terror and tears prick her eyes.
Percy bit his lip and Annabeth felt guilt wash over her, combining with the terror. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He let his lip go. "What are you sorry for?" he asked, his expression softening. "I'm the one who should be apologising. I'm the reason you're in this situation."
"Yes," she whispered back, fighting the urge to scream from the increasing pain. The contraction was fast approaching. "You're the reason I've finally found a stable lifestyle. You're the reason…" She broke off, grimacing, then took a deep breath and finished, "You're the reason I'm about to give birth to our children. And the reason I'm over the moon about it."
Percy smiled, the same crooked smile that had made her first fall in love with him, though it had taken her much longer than that moment to realise it.
Pain rippled across her torso, clenching tight and Annabeth cried out, all other thoughts driven out of her head. "Distract – me," she gritted out, clamping her teeth together. "Please."
Percy looked around the room, seemingly trying to think of an idea. She felt her breaths coming harder and tried to sit up. Lying back was doing her no favours at the moment.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, alarmed. He held out both hands, torn between stopping or helping her. "What are you doing?"
"I need to sit up," Annabeth huffed. "Help me." He came forwards and placed a hand behind her back to support her as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. Once she was sitting up fine on her own, he sat in the chair again, steepling his hands under his chin and gazing at her, just like he had when she'd first opened her eyes in the delivery room. Her breathing quickened – in part because of the still-heavy pain, in part because of his beautiful gaze.
"The first time I saw you," he began, in a low tone. "I didn't even notice how beautiful you were. You had just slammed into me, you were unconscious and I knew the police were around somewhere. So I picked you up with Lucas' help and we carried you over to the side of the restaurant. You were so pale – your skin was tan, but you looked exhausted. And thin. So, so thin. But you were beautiful and I knew from that moment on that I'd protect you, always."
Annabeth took a breath. The pain was lessening slightly, but not much. "Keep talking," she murmured softly.
"The police came around, but I told them that you'd fainted from lack of food, that you hadn't eaten much that day. I didn't know if they'd gotten a good look at you in the alleyway or not, but they seemed to buy the story and went off to find Tony."
"Then you woke up," he continued, quietly. "And you were so defensive. You didn't trust me at all. I asked if you wanted to come in and at first, you said no, but when I offered you food and a place to stay, you accepted. I felt uneasy at first – I didn't know who you were, or what you were doing, being chased by Tony. Then, that first night he came back to the restaurant, when I realised you were his ex, I only felt overwhelming despair for you – and an uncontrollable anger towards him. As the weeks went by and you began to relax around me, I began to fall for you – but I didn't realise until I finally kissed you, how much you meant to me."
He paused, then opened his mouth to say more, but just then, Tori and another blonde-haired woman, who was carrying a bucket, walked in. The blonde-haired woman had her hair pulled back, hidden under a hospital cap and both were wearing blue hospital scrubs. "Okay, Annabeth, this is Cassandra, one of the hospital midwives," Tori told them, completely oblivious to the conversation she'd just interrupted. Cassandra smiled warmly at Annabeth as she walked over to the sink. Annabeth tried to smile as the contraction peaked, feeling irritated, despite knowing that the irritation was silly and that she and Percy would finish their conversation another time.
Cassandra put the bucket on the floor and began washing her hands, using the nail brush and antimicrobial soap. Blonde strands of her hair were stuck to Annabeth's face, so she reached up and tucked them behind her ears. She breathed deeply and evenly through the rest of the contraction as it came down. Finally, the steel band around her stomach had loosened enough that she turned her head to watch Cassandra prepare.
Cassandra finished washing her hands and pulled a sanitising wipe out of the box. After scrubbing her hands with it, she dumped it in the trashcan and pulled a pair of sterile gloves out of the box next to the sink.
Another contraction hit, making Annabeth feel as though the steel band was wrapping tighter and tighter around her torso, suffocating her…
"Help," she choked out, holding out a hand to Percy. "I need–" Tori and Percy both understood her meaning at the same moment and both lunged forwards to grab her under her arms, helping her to lie back on the pillows.
"Right," a new, brisk, voice interrupted. Annabeth looked up and saw Cassandra snapping a glove onto her left hand, her right hand already gloved. She had a no-nonsense look about her and her eyes were focused. "Annabeth, is it? I'm going to need you to pull the blanket up and lie back with your knees open for me."
Annabeth did as she asked, feeling blood rise to her cheeks as she pulled the blanket and the hem of her hospital gown up above her knees. Her embarrassment was forgotten as she was gripped by another contraction, the steel band tightening around her stomach until she could barely breathe. She gasped in pain and Cassandra walked around to the foot of the bed, adjusting her hospital cap. Percy stood from his chair and offered it to Tori, who smiled in thanks at him and placed it behind Cassandra, who promptly sat on it.
"Annabeth, you're at ten centimetres now, so whenever you feel the need, I'm going to need you to push for me," the midwife instructed her. Annabeth clamped her jaw down and nodded, feeling Percy grip her hand tightly from where he was standing. Sweat trickled down her temples and she closed her eyes.
"In three seconds, I'll need you to push," Cassandra told her. "One…"
Annabeth gripped Percy's hand harder.
"Two…"
She swallowed hard and set her jaw.
"Three – and push!"
And she pushed. All the blood rushed to her head and she felt sweat pouring down her face, but she kept pushing, until Cassandra finally said, "You can stop now."
She stopped, breathing heavily.
"Annabeth, we need two more pushes from you for this one," Cassandra said suddenly. At the reminder that she had two babies to deliver and was far from done, Annabeth felt exhaustion ripple through her, but forced herself to concentrate. "On three." She counted down again and Annabeth pushed, feeling her muscles shake with exertion and the pain.
"This one's a breech birth," Cassandra muttered.
Breech birth. The words echoed through her brain and Annabeth opened her eyes, suddenly scared. She focused on Cassandra. "What does that mean?"
"Annabeth, I need you to push," she ordered.
"What does that mean?" Annabeth asked, louder, her voice sounding panicked.
"A breech birth is when the baby is coming out feet first," Cassandra explained, speaking quickly. "It means that we can't actually touch the baby until its head is delivered fully, so we need you to give an extra push. I'll count down again."
Annabeth swallowed and shut her eyes.
"Three, two, one… push!"
Annabeth felt more sweat beading at her forehead and pushed as hard as she could.
"Stop."
Cassandra counted down again and Annabeth pushed. Then she told her to stop. Then she pushed again and all of a sudden, the room was very silent. She heard Cassandra murmur something and heard footsteps hurry – then silence.
Annabeth opened her eyes, her chest heaving with every breath she took, fear suddenly collecting around her heart. She focused on Cassandra's face, which was set and blank. Her hands were busy and Tori had vanished. "What – what's happening? Where's Tori?"
"Annabeth, you have a baby boy," Cassandra said gently. Annabeth felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes, but felt Percy's hand slacken around hers and knew the danger I'd sensed hadn't passed yet.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a whisper. Cassandra hesitated, but Annabeth demanded, "Tell me."
"He's not breathing properly, Tori's just gone to get another nurse." As she finished talking, Tori came hurrying back into the room with a black-haired male nurse. Immediately, Cassandra handed the baby to Tori and Annabeth saw her son for the first time. He had a shock of blonde hair and tan skin, with a blue tinge to it. He was covered in blood. But his little face – he looked like Percy. At least, he looked like a newborn version of Percy. His tiny fists and feet were moving slightly and his chest was moving up and down faintly, as though he were struggling to breathe.
My baby boy, Annabeth thought, warmth caressing her thoughts.
"He's gorgeous," she breathed, unable to help herself.
Tori took him and began cleaning him up as the male nurse came over and gently stuck a bulb syringe up his nose, sucking gently to remove any fluid.
Annabeth would have kept watching them – and her son – but she was gripped by another contraction. So painful. But this time, she was prepared – she used the breathing technique successfully and Cassandra turned back to her sharply, saying quickly, "The other one's coming."
The second twin wasn't nearly as hard as the first one had been. Halfway through the labour, Cassandra breathed, sounding relieved, "I can see the head" and Annabeth felt adrenaline pump through her blood.
I can do this, she thought, new determination fuelling her.
She pushed again and again, but only two minutes later, the cry of a newborn was piercing the air.
"What happened? Is he – is she–" Annabeth fumbled, suddenly fearful that this baby wasn't able to breathe, either.
But he didn't cry out, she remembered. He wasn't crying, he was trying to breathe. So, is he – is she…
"It's a girl," Cassandra said softly. "Annabeth, Percy – you have a boy and a girl."
Annabeth felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. They spilled over, mixing with the sweat. Both cascaded down her cheeks. As Cassandra handed the girl to Tori, having already snipped the cord, Annabeth blurted suddenly, "Is – our son – is he okay?"
Through the pain of the second labour, she'd mostly forgotten the danger he'd been in – her boy, unable to breathe properly…
"Annabeth."
She felt Percy grip her hand more tightly as Tori approached, a blue bundle in her arms and a warm smile on her face. "Here he is," she whispered, gently passing him over to Annabeth's arms, already outstretched to receive her son.
Their son.
His face was no longer tinged blue – his arms and legs were moving slightly, his little eyes were closed and he slept, his chest rising and falling at an even pace.
"He had a difficult time, little man," Tori murmured. "All that was wrong was too much fluid in his airway. But Emory and I got it out, no problems there. He's completely healthy now."
In the back of her mind, Annabeth noted that Emory must be the name of the black-haired male nurse, but her whole attention was taken up with the little person in her arms. She felt Percy kneel down beside her and his face came into her view, his sea-green eyes awed and proud. He reached out and touched his fingertips to his son's face, then smiled suddenly, biting his lip to try and contain his obvious joy.
Annabeth felt as though she were glowing with happiness, but it only increased when Tori approached her, another bundle in her arms, pale pink this time. Annabeth transferred their son to Percy, who took him gingerly, as if afraid he'd drop him.
"Support his head, like this," she said softly, carefully moving his arms until he was cradling the baby. He gazed down at the sleeping baby boy, while Tori placed their daughter in Annabeth's arms.
"I'll be just a call away if you need me," Tori told them, but they hardly heard her. Annabeth felt Percy nodding beside her, but she couldn't take her eyes off the baby girl in her arms.
If she had felt happy before, then she was positively exultant now. Their daughter wasn't sleeping like her brother; instead, her wide eyes were focused on Annabeth's face, the same shade of sea-green as Percy's. A thatch of dark hair lay upon her head. Her skin was rosy and healthy, with a tiny nose and a rosebud mouth. Her ears were tiny, her eyelashes fragile, her fingers, gripping the edge of the pink blanket, small and delicate.
"She's beautiful," Annabeth whispered, gently touching her cheek with the tip of her finger, as if to ascertain that she was real.
"They both are," Percy agreed, in a low tone. Something in his voice made Annabeth turn her head to look at him. He glanced at her, his eyes full of love. "You were amazing, Wise Girl."
Annabeth smiled slightly at him. "I love you."
"I love you too," he murmured. "And our twins."
"Speaking of," she said suddenly. "What are we going to name them?"
Percy suddenly seemed a bit unsure. She tilted her head, confused. "What is it?"
"Well," Percy began, slowly. "I was thinking Ethan and Ella."
"Ethan and Ella?" Annabeth asked, beginning to grin. "Really?"
"If you don't like them, we can think of something else…" he started, hurriedly.
"No," she interrupted him. "I like them. Actually, they're perfect." She paused, then gazed down at her daughter, whose eyelids were beginning to flutter shut.
"Ella Wendy Jackson," she whispered.
"Wendy?" Percy asked, curiously.
Annabeth blushed. "I always loved Peter Pan when I was growing up. I thought Wendy was a lovely name."
"It is," Percy reassured her. "Ella Wendy." He paused. "Ethan John?"
"In keeping with the Peter Pan theme?" she asked, starting to smile.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"I like it," she murmured, softly. "Ethan John and Ella Wendy." Her eyelids began to grow heavier. She felt Percy move from her left, around to the right side of the bed. A moment later, she felt him start to take Ella out from her arms and heard herself protesting faintly.
"It's all right," he soothed her. "I'm just putting them in the crib over there. Go to sleep, Wise Girl."
As Annabeth drifted off into the tranquil darkness, she thought she heard Percy begin singing a soft lullaby to the twins.
Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green,
When I am king, dilly dilly,
You shall be queen.
Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so.
The quiet melody lulled her into a happy sleep and her eyes fluttered shut.