Dollybigmomma is my beautiful beta.
Home is Wherever You Are and Phantom Scars are both on sale for .99. Get them while you can. In Love with a Stranger will be available there as well in the next two days. I hope you check it out. Our penname is Rose Von Barnsley.
Chapter 21: Stumbling Stork
It was about an hour later that Bella figured out she was in labor. Her backache went from sharp pain every fifteen minutes to every ten. I saw her look at the clock every time a pain hit, and after the fourth glance, she told me she thought she was in labor. I grabbed her bag, and we went to the car.
"Wait, before we leave, I need to call my mom," she said.
I wasn't sure if I should tell her I'd already called her or not. They'd be on the road already, and cell reception wasn't always good. I watched as she tried twice, getting voicemail both times.
"I can't do this. I can't go into labor without my mom," she said, on the verge of tears.
"She's on her way," I said, rubbing her back. "Come on, we need to go."
"You think she's on her way?" she asked confused.
"I called her about an hour ago. You kept rubbing your back, making me worry. I timed it, and it happened every fifteen minutes. She said she was coming then."
"Why didn't you say anything, when you thought I was in labor?" she snapped.
"I didn't know if you were or not. I didn't know why you were rubbing your back. You may have been having pains, or you may have just been sore. She'd told me to leave it up to you to figure out what was going on. You'd know better than anyone," I answered, hoping to stay out of trouble. I really didn't want to fight with her just before she went to the hospital. Childbirth was supposed to be natural, but so much could go wrong. I kept telling myself she'd be fine. Women had babies every day with no problems. There was nothing that would happen that the doctor wouldn't be able to fix…
Often times, I'd wonder how I'd come to be in the position I was in. It was just nine months ago that things had changed between Bella and I, but I didn't realize how much it had. I hadn't believed I was in love with her at first. I'd liked her, and I'd enjoyed her company. I missed her when she was gone. I loved how she felt next to me and the silly way she mixed her sugar in her tea. Her expressions were commonplace in my mind, and I'd imagine them when I spoke to her on the phone. She was somehow everywhere I went. I'd never realized it, until the moment I was afraid I was going to lose her, that she meant everything to me.
My life was not playing out like I'd planned. It hadn't been for a while. The twins were a huge surprise, but Bella herself being in my life was something I hadn't expected. She'd just sort of happened. Then there was the pregnancy that wasn't supposed to be, which turned into twins and a wedding. I hadn't ever really felt railroaded, just led in the direction I was floating. I'd never complained about our plans our how our life was unfolding, but I hadn't thought it was what I really wanted, until I realized I might not get it at all.
I was supposed to be the father to twins. I was supposed to be married to a wonderful woman who loved me. As far as I knew, she did. I was supposed to be getting my Master's degree and hold a respectable job. I was supposed to be a family man. That was what I was supposed to grow up to be. But at this moment, I was scared. I was terrified I wouldn't be any of those things. I'd been shaky on taking on those roles before, but now I'd do anything to fight for the title of husband and father. Now, unfortunately, all I could do was wait.
The doctor had been nervous about not scheduling a C-section for when she hit thirty-eight weeks. That was prime delivery time for twins. Ours were in position for a natural birth, though. It wasn't common and seemed to be a good option at the time. The doctors were surprised she'd carried the twins so late, and even went so far as to second guess their conception time. Twins were supposed to be smaller, and easier to deliver vaginally than a single baby. That was what Bella had said to me.
She'd done so much research on delivering twins, she could've been an obstetrician herself. I wished I'd paid closer attention to all the articles she'd told me about. Maybe I would've seen something or been able to do something different. I should've done my own damn research, like she'd asked me to do four weeks ago, so I could've insisted she get the damn C-section at thirty-eight weeks. I should've put my foot down. Now I was left pacing the waiting room.
Her mother was praying in the corner, with tears streaming down her face, her father sitting stoically. I wanted to hit him, so he'd hit me. I was so mad at myself. If she died, it'd be on me. I was the one who'd gotten her pregnant, I was the one who'd end up killing her.
I crumbled to the floor and released a gut-wrenching cry. I couldn't lose her. I just couldn't. My father wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to the couch. "It's my fault, it's all my fault, if she dies, it's my fault," I mumbled through tears.
My mother tried calming me, but I couldn't stop the emotional breakdown I was having. Bella was too important to me. I couldn't lose her. God help me, I'd survive losing the children, but I couldn't lose her. I gripped my wedding ring and turned it on my finger, trying to keep busy, but it wasn't enough to keep my focus. I needed my wife.
It'd been two hours since the doctors had looked at each other worriedly, and the crowded room became even more crowded. I knew it was bad, when they were calling for blood transfusions. I was quickly ushered out before my son was born. He was in the birth canal, but hadn't fully descended. Something was wrong. Bella lost consciousness just before I was led out of the room. She didn't know I was gone. I should've been in there with her. I'd promised I'd be with her when the kids were born.
A doctor walked in from the other side of the room, and I wondered if I'd been watching the wrong door this whole time.
"For the Cullen twins?" he asked.
My mother and Renee jumped up. Charlie stayed put, and my father helped me to my feet. "Yes, that's us," my mother answered eagerly, waiting for answers.
The doctor waited until I was closer, before he began to speak. "I want to first say that I think both twins will make full recoveries."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Your son's shoulder will take time to heal, but other than his cast…"
"What happened?" I shouted at him.
"Please, forgive my son. He was rushed out of the room. They didn't explain to him what was going on," my father said.
The doctor's eyes lit up with understanding. "I suppose there wasn't time for explanations once they realized what'd happened."
"WHAT HAPPENED?" I shouted again.
"Your son is large for a twin. Most don't cross seven pounds, but yours was nearly eight, and your daughter was a hefty seven pounds even. Your wife has small hips. It wasn't seen as an issue, because it was thought small twins would fit through, no problem. Your son has broad shoulders and wedged one arm up by his head. This may have actually helped him descend as far as he did, but he became stuck, and your daughter kept him wedged in place, so they couldn't back him out of the canal.
"The real danger happened when his placenta started to detach. It was a partial detachment, so he wasn't completely deprived of oxygen. Honestly, Sir, it's a miracle it hung on the way it did. That's not usually what happens.
"The amount of blood that was being lost after each contraction and the way his heartbeat was slowing, as well as your wife's, signaled what was happening. They needed to find a way to slow your wife's contractions. They were coming hard and fast, wedging your son a little tighter each time and causing his placenta to detach a little more. That caused your wife to start hemorrhaging. His extraction was less than conventional, when he was physically pulled out of the canal, dislocating his extended arm and breaking his collarbone. Your daughter was quick to follow, preventing them from stopping the hemorrhaging caused by your son. She was delivered in perfect health, and your son will recover fully."
"But what about my wife?"
"I'm sorry, Sir, I'm the pediatrician. You'll have to wait until the obstetrician is finished with her to know those details. Would you like to see your children?" he asked. I looked at the doors and then to him. I didn't want to risk missing the doctor.
"No, after I get word on my wife, I'll come down. I can't leave yet. I need to know she's okay," I said, fighting back tears. I didn't know a lot of medical jargon, but hemorrhaging was something I did know, and it was bad.
"Would you like me to go check on the children?" my mother asked.
I nodded yes. Someone should be with them.
I paced and prayed like never before. I couldn't lose my wife. My life might not have unfolded like I'd thought it would, but I'd give anything to keep it the way it was.
It was another twenty minutes later that the two doctors who'd been attending my wife came out. They looked haggard and stressed, making me worry even more.
"Mr. Cullen, your wife is in recovery. I'm happy to say, I believe she'll make a full recovery. She'd lost a lot of blood, but we gave her a few transfusions and was able to stabilize her enough and save her uterus. That was what was taking us so long. Your son's placenta began to detach before he was born, but only on the edge on one side. The other side had grown into the uterine wall and refused to release, causing the excessive blood loss. We had to go in after it to remove it. Unfortunately, we had to wait until after your daughter was born, which exacerbated the excessive blood loss. We do believe Mrs. Cullen will make a full recovery, though. She isn't awake at the moment, but that's to be expected. We're watching her and expect her to wake shortly."
My body sagged in relief. My wife was going to be fine. I was taken to her, where she was still out. I kissed her lips softly, and her eyes fluttered. "The babies?" she asked.
"They're going to be fine. Our son decided to give us some trouble, but everyone is going to be fine," I said, fighting off grateful tears.
"What's wrong?" she asked worried.
"I was so scared I was going to lose you. They rushed me out of the room, and then it was two hours before they told me what was going on. I almost lost you, baby. I almost lost you, and I don't ever want that to happen again," I said, sobbing into her shoulder.
There was a light knock on the door. "Mrs. Cullen, would you like to meet your babies?" a nurse asked.
"Yes, please," Bella answered eagerly.
I helped her sit up, and two little clear bassinettes were wheeled in. We both gasped, when we looked at our son. He was bruised, and his face was swollen. Both little arms were strapped down tightly.
"He'll be fine with time. He was stuck good, but he's breathing well and shows no signs of oxygen deprivation," she said, carefully brushing some of his peach fuzz on his head.
"They had to pull him out. There wasn't time, he wouldn't have made it if they didn't act fast," I explained to Bella.
Our little girl had her mother's dark hair and was perfect. She was a tiny little thing. I was nervous about picking up my sleeping son. I didn't want to disturb him or cause him any pain. My daughter started to fuss, but settled down in her mother's arms.
I sagged in relief in the bed next to my wife. We'd made it. We'd survived. I was a husband and a father, and I couldn't have been happier.