Author's Note: Thanks again for following along with this story. I'm going to take this opportunity to post the rest of the story now since I finally managed to get around a computer error that has been preventing me from accessing the Internet. I hope you enjoy the ending.
Once they returned home they began getting ready for impending parenthood and quickly discovered that this might be the hardest thing they'd ever done. First, they couldn't believe the amount of stuff they needed for the babies. They had completed entire missions with less equipment. Second, when Adam started assembling the cribs and other baby items, he kept ending up with extra pieces.
"I don't understand why there are no words on these directions, Jaz."
She looked at the included assembly sheet, "They gave you pictures which I guess they thought were better than words."
"They were wrong," he said in disgust.
He looked around him at the extra pieces and then at the cribs he'd assembled which certainly didn't look safe enough for the babies.
"Would you want to put our kids in those?"
Jaz gave the cribs a jaundiced eye from her spot in the rocking chair. Fortunately it had come fully assembled.
"We could probably make them work but I guess when it comes to the babies we shouldn't improvise," Jaz decided.
"No, we shouldn't. Let's see if Preach can drive here later tonight after his meeting at the DIA. Hopefully he can see where I went wrong."
They were lucky that Preach said he could stop by but he didn't mention he'd be bringing the peanut gallery with him. Both Amir and McG had plenty to say about the state of the cribs and the other items he'd assembled. There was much jeering, but by the time they left, Jaz was glowing and every item looked exactly as it was supposed to look. Later that evening they climbed onto the bed and Jaz snuggled into his side as much as her belly bump would allow.
"Adam, I think we're as ready as we're ever going to be."
"I know. We have a good plan in place and just need to execute it."
Jaz chuckled, "The last two pieces of the plan will be here soon. Probably sooner than we expect."
Adam took those words to heart and became quite the worry wart as the end of the pregnancy approached. Jaz found the whole situation to be entertaining. She'd never seen Adam so rattled and it helped her keep her own anxiety at bay.
When her schedule was cut to part-time, they began staying in the DIA provided apartment Monday to Wednesday for talks on-site before returning to their cabin for the rest of the week. For unexpected tasks that couldn't be handled remotely, a helicopter was dispatched to pick Adam up from the small local airfield near their cabin.
Their cabin was their beloved retreat but it wasn't long before Adam had declared it too remote for his peace of mind. Jaz gave in and agreed that they could relocate back to the apartment full time until after the babies were born. She figured she could last six weeks back in DC. After all, Adam's fears were valid. He was concerned the babies might need more care than the community hospital close to their cabin could provide. He wanted a level III NICU in the same hospital where she would deliver just in case it was needed. Now they were just trying to fill up the days while they waited for the babies to arrive. McG had flown into DC the day before and the rest of their friends were coming in a couple weeks. No one wanted to miss the birth and they couldn't wait to see if Adam survived the experience. Bets had already been placed that Jaz was going to hurt him at some point in the process.
Jaz made breakfast while McG sat at the table, and teased her about her arms being too short, since her huge stomach kept blocking her access to the counter. In retaliation, Jaz threatened to feed only Adam and he shut his mouth. Breakfast was a fun meal as McG caught them up on his recent activities. Jaz was always amazed by how many things he participated in when they had downtime. Once they'd finished all the food Jaz had assembled, the guys handled the clean up while she walked down the hallway to take a shower and get dressed. Something that took much longer than it used to.
Once they were alone, McG turned the conversation back to Jaz.
"How's she really feeling?"
"Like she's been pregnant for 18 months. She can't sleep on her stomach or her back anymore, anything bigger than small meals make her sick to her stomach, she has to go to the bathroom no less than two times an hour, and she can't take a flight of stairs without being short of breath at the end."
"Okay, that sounds like it sucks. She's cute though. Not an ounce of extra weight on her anywhere. She just looks like she swallowed a beach ball."
"Don't let her hear you say that or you'll be banned from the house. She actually made me sleep at a hotel when I said it."
"You actually did?," McG asked incredulously.
"Not really. I drove down the road from the cabin, parked the car, and stayed in it instead."
"All night?!"
"I made her cry, McG. I felt like a total heel. She was so upset and I could tell that the beach ball comment was the straw that broke the camel's back. I told her I loved her, and would give her some space, but would be back first thing in the morning. It wasn't my finest hour."
"Sounds bad. How long did it take you to get yourself out of the dog house?"
"Things were much better the next morning. I apologized for upsetting her and she admitted she hadn't slept all night because she knew she had overreacted."
"Pregnancy hormones have to suck for her. Her normally focused emotions are probably all over the place, huh?"
"No kidding. A week ago she was crying over a Hallmark commercial but she was so angry that she was crying over something so "stupid". Her words, not mine. I was lucky she didn't put a bullet in the TV," he recalled with a grin.
"Sounds like good times in the Dalton household."
"Yes, indeed. We'll have lots to reminisce about in the future. I'm actually trying to keep her on an even keel because she's still really nervous about whether she'll be able to handle the kids."
"Really? She's great with kids."
"I know but the traumas of her childhood make her anxious. She wants to be better than her parents, which shouldn't be hard, but she's setting such a high bar that she scares herself. I think once the babies come, and she has a chance to do some hands on care, she'll be able to settle down and realize she'll excel at this task just like any other task she's taken on."
"Sounds like a good thing that we're going around to see some of the sites today."
"Yes, it'll be a good distraction, but remember that you'll have to shorten your stride and we can't walk too far in one chunk."
They heard the bathroom door close behind Jaz and looked up to see her heading in their direction. Something about her posture alerted Adam that things were going awry. The hair on the back of his neck stood up a second before she stopped and leaned against the wall. He was on his feet before she even opened her mouth.
"McG," her shaky voice echoed in the hall a second before they watched a gush of fluid appear on the hardwood floor.
"Call an ambulance, Adam," McG called over his shoulder as he hustled to her.
"Everything's going to be fine, Jaz," he reassured, "I'm going to put my arm around your waist and we'll walk over to the couch so you can settle in and wait for the paramedics."
They'd only gone a few steps when she stopped. McG looked down at her and watched as what little color left in her face drained away.
"Something's happening," she groaned as she bent over clutching her stomach.
"Okay, Jaz, Everything is okay. Breathe in and out just like you learned in your class. Remember that this is natural. Scary but natural," McG reminded her.
She nodded her head hesitantly and took another step before stopping again, "I think I need to push," she whispered.
Adam froze in the doorway where he had just finished the phone call to 911. McG watched the man turn paler than he'd ever seen him. So much for being cool under fire. Jaz was terrified too so he took charge.
"Adam, get my bag and some towels. Jaz, I'm going to come behind you and help lower you down to the floor, okay?"
Jaz nodded while she focused on her breathing. She was shaking from pain and fear so he took a second to brush her hair away from her face and reassure her, "I've got this, Jaz. I've delivered babies before and I read up on twin deliveries just for extra knowledge."
He saw his words sink in and Jaz took a deep breath and tried to relax as much as the situation would allow. He settled her on the floor and reached under her dress to pull her underwear off. No wonder she felt like she needed to push. He was looking at a head of dark hair. Adam came running in next to him and dropped his bag and the towels.
"Prop her up against you Adam and hold her hand. You're about to become parents," he said with a big grin.
He rapidly unpacked his bag to have all the supplies he might need handy. He didn't think Jaz or the babies were going to wait for him.
"Okay, Jaz. I'm ready. Go ahead and start pushing. Adam, count to ten for her."
While Adam looked nervous, his voice was calm and soothing. Jaz followed his count, rested between contractions, and on the fourth push the baby came out screaming. He held the little one up for them to see announcing, "It's a boy!"
Jaz looked over for a few seconds as McG wrapped the baby before closing her eyes and groaning in pain. She was sweating heavily from the intense pain as she worked to deliver the babies. McG checked and saw the second head was already in place and that Jaz was bearing down without any instruction. Clearly she was already an expert at birthing. The second baby took a few more pushes but entered the world screaming just as loudly.
"It's a girl!" McG announced.
Jaz started crying and tears tracked down Adam's face as well. McG couldn't prevent some of his own tears from escaping. Assisting with childbirth was one of his favorite things but he'd never thought he'd have the experience that the three of them had just gone through.
The paramedics arrived as he was helping Adam cut the cords and bundle the babies. The paramedics took over with the afterbirth and ultimately moved Jaz onto a stretcher. Adam hovered close by McG and the babies, "Are they okay? They're so early."
"Six weeks isn't terribly early. The biggest concerns are infection, staying warm, and being able to eat on their own. They're breathing just fine. Everything went as well as could be expected. Faster than any of us expected but well."
After one more quick exam of the babies, McG handed Adam his son and then picked up their baby girl, "We're going to place them skin to skin against Jaz's chest and cover her with a blanket. It'll help them stay warm and it'll be good for Jaz to have them close."
They walked to the gurney were a tired and worried Jaz was trying to rest but still looked anxious. McG rushed to reassure her, "They look great, Jaz. Nice work. You're going to hold them against your chest for the trip to the hospital. It'll make them feel safe and keep them warm."
She nodded and they got the babies settled against her. Adam kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears.
"Are you okay, Jaz?"
"A little overwhelmed. This wasn't the plan."
"I know but we improvised successfully. We're really lucky McG was here. Can you imagine if it had been just the two of us?"
Jaz smiled at the thought. She was sure he would have gotten them both through it. He would have been a mess on the inside but she had no doubt he would have been her rock.
"Jaz, look over here. I've got Preach and Amir up on Skype."
McG angled the phone so she and the babies' heads were in the shot.
"Sorry, guys, the babies didn't want to wait for you," she told them.
Amir and Preach were talking over each other excitedly but she gathered they were moving their plane tickets to the next available flights. She looked forward to seeing them but was distracted by the babies moving around on her chest. By the time she paid attention to her surroundings, she was in the back of the ambulance and the phone call was long over. Adam was looking at her from his seat near the head of the bed and had a bemused look on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"If someone had told me a year ago that on this date, my wife Jaz Khan-Dalton, would bless me with two babies I would have sent them for a head scan."
"Yet here we are doing the family thing," she said looking at her munchkins.
"Who would have thought?," he marveled as he brushed his hand reverently over the babies' tiny heads.
Jaz closed her eyes for a second to rest them but ultimately fell asleep. When they arrived at the hospital she woke long enough for the staff to examine her and the babies. The pediatrician confirmed that McG was right to be confident that the babies were fine. They were early but they were big enough to stay warm on their own and were eating from bottles. No stay in the NICU was needed. She closed her eyes again at Adam and McG's encouragement and got her first solid rest in three weeks.
When she next opened her eyes it was the next morning and the view in front of her was precious. McG, Preach, and Amir were sound asleep on the couch and Preach and Amir were each holding a baby who was also sleeping. Adam leaned close to her and whispered, "I already got a picture."
She smiled at him and waved him over to get their kids. She wanted to hold their babies now that she didn't feel so shocky. The men didn't even notice as Adam took them and placed a baby in each of Jaz's arms before kissing her.
"I love you, Jaz."
"I love you more than you'll ever understand," she told him choking back tears.
The next two days were spent introducing the babies to everyone that mattered in their lives. When the baby announcement went out introducing Elijah and Emily Dalton, "Our Family" was at the top of the card in big letters. The picture of the three sleeping men and two sleeping babies was featured prominently as were pictures of Hannah, Noah, and Patricia all holding them for the first time.
As the years passed, Adam and Jaz looked back wondering how they could have ever thought they weren't going to do the family thing. They'd been so sure it wouldn't be in the cards for either of them let alone the two of them together. They'd been blessed beyond measure.