Chapter 28
July 26th
He's right… the contractions start in at 1 am and slowly close to 5 minutes apart by 8am. Danny laying with her as she tries to rest as best as she can until they are 5 minutes apart.
Danny getting the go bag and watching as she moves towards the car slowly. He hadn't actually thought about this part… he had missed labor with Linda. Her sister and Erin stepping in to be there with her.
The trip to the hospital is relatively easy,
"Did you tell the boys?"
"Shit… I'll text them."
"Okay…' she gets signed in, settled in her room and watches as Danny settles their stuff on the couch.
"How are you doing?"
"It's gonna be a long few hours." Maria says evenly as she gives him a small smile.
"Yes it is…"
He lays behind her, rubbing a hand over her back and listening to her hum through contractions that seem to drag on longer and longer. The nurses and doctor checking in but leaving them mostly alone as they worked together to get through towards the end.
"Do you need anything?" He asks softly, hating that he can't really do anything but be here.
"Just this…' she whispers as she hums through another contraction, tears leaking out of her eyes 'I feel like I need to push…" he hits the button. The nurse and doctor back in the room.
"How are you doing Maria?" She's in the middle of a contraction, chin tucked down and breathing hard as Danny rubbed her arm, whispering words to her. "Looks like you might be ready there… are you comfortable the way you are or do you want to rotate…'
She's got a death grip on Danny's arm, keeping him tucked up behind her and doesn't answer.
"Okay… you can stay that way… Dad we're going to move the bed around you a bit okay, just stay put and keep doing what you're doing."
Maria focuses on breathing and Danny's soft voice in her ear, at times keeping the slow 4 count in her ear and during the down time just talking to her. Whispering nonsense she doesn't tune into. Knows he's talking for the both of them.
"Alright Maria, we're gonna pull your leg up and put it in the holder okay but you don't have to stay this way. If you decide you need to move at anytime… we will move you." Dr. Yoli waits until she hears Maria's soft hum.
"She can deliver on her side?" Danny asks softly,
"She can deliver anyway she feels the best. I'm flexible. Right now… everything looks great. She can push when she's ready."
It takes forever and no time at all once she gets to the pushing stage. Danny breathing with her as the doctor talks to them both.
"Alright Dad… move your legs back just a bit for me." They have laid a blanket over his legs to try and protect him from the mess and he lifts up to watch as the Doctor moves around. "Good job Maria… just one more push when you feel it okay."
Maria hums quickly and Danny shifts as the doctor and nurses both coach her through the final stage until baby A is born screaming into the world.
"It's a girl!" They both are crying, "Good set of lungs Maria… she looks great. Head full of hair." The doctor and nurse do some juggling act to get the baby up beside the bed near Maria's arms. Both of them crying as they look at their daughter.
"Okay… the contractions should stop for a few minutes… try and rest and we will get going on baby two okay?" Dr. Yoli says softly, watching as they both nod.
"Do I need to cut the cord?"
"In a couple of minutes… remember delaying to get as much into baby as possible."
"Right right…' he says, pressing a kiss against Maria's shoulder before her cheek 'you did great." He doesn't say anything as she starts crying again,
"I'm getting you all messy."
"Well that's how I got you into this…' that gets a startled laugh out of everyone, Maria tilting to meet the kiss. 'Look at that."
"She's beautiful."
Danny cuts the cord when the doctor says too, watching as they help Maria get the baby as close as possible to her. "Well take her to be measured as soon as the contractions start back up."
"Okay…'
It's only about 5 minutes later when Danny feels the muscles beneath his hand contract, Maria sucking in a hard breath… the nurse lifting the baby and moving her to the nearby bed.
"Okay… here we go."
The second delivery goes faster, Dr. Yoli coaching her through the faster and harder contractions before giving another wide smile. "Another girl!" Both of them are crying all over again. Maria urging him from the bed so he can hold his daughter for the first time as she holds the second baby.
Maria's eyes are locked on him as he carefully lifts the baby out of the bed, cradling her in his arms as he walks back to her bed. Staring down at the brown eyes of his daughter that were all his wife, smiling as he lets his thumb brush across the babies cheek.
"You have some very anxious people out in the waiting room." A nurse says softly… smiling as neither one of them look away from the baby's in their arms. Obviously completely in love.
"Tell them mom and baby are healthy… and we will be out in a minute…"
"Baby?" The nurse questions, gets two tired but shit eating grins.
"Baby…'
"Alrighty then… baby it is."
"You didn't tell them?" Dr Yoli says softly as she attends to the final part of the birth.
"We were going to but then… we were only a couple of weeks away and decided… this is gonna be the only time we can do this." The doctor laughs. "So we didn't."
"This is gonna be great."
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