A month later, Gabriella was eight months pregnant. She was ready for the babies to come. She was due in two weeks. Gabriella had been having Braxton Hicks contractions and knew the babies were going to come soon. Troy had been Gabriella's emotional support system. When she felt like she couldn't carry the babies anymore, Troy's words motivated her to keep going. Gabriella couldn't have asked for a better husband. She also had officially taken a leave of absence from her law firm until the babies were born. Gabriella was also going to Dr. A's every week now that she was closer to her due date. Everything seemed to be going as planned. One day, Troy came home from dropping off Robert at preschool and smiled when he saw Gabriella in her pajamas lying on the couch watching television.
"Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.
"Are you going anywhere else today?" Gabriella asked taking his hand in hers.
Troy shook his head.
"I have to go pick Rob up from school. But, other than that, no. Why?" Troy asked.
"Stay here with me" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's forehead.
"Don't worry baby. Nothing will happen" Troy said.
"I just worry about it" Gabriella said speaking about potentially going into labor early.
"I know. But, I'm here now. Plus, you got this. You don't need my help" Troy said.
Gabriella shook her head.
"Yes I do" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's shoulders. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's.
"Everything is going to be fine. Dr. A said that the babies are healthy and ready to go" Troy said.
"I'm just nervous" Gabriella said.
"I know. But it will happen soon" Troy said.
A couple of hours later, Robert came home from preschool. He walked over to Gabriella and hugged her.
"How was school baby?" Gabriella asked.
"Good. Mommy, did you take a nap?" Robert asked.
Gabriella smiled.
"Yeah. The babies are making me really tired" Gabriella said moving a stray hair from her son's face.
"Babies, stop making mommy tired. I want her to play with me" Robert said to Gabriella's bump.
The couple smiled.
"I don't think that's how it works, bud" Troy said.
Robert whined. Gabriella looked at Troy and shook her head. Troy looked at Robert sympathetically. He sat down on the floor so that his back was leaning against the couch that Gabriella was laying on. Troy opened his arms and Robert walked into them and sat on his lap.
"The babies are making mommy tired because they are going to come out soon" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled.
"But, I don't want them to bother mommy" Robert said.
"I know. I don't either. But, in a couple of weeks, the babies will be here and mommy will be okay" Troy said.
"When the babies are here, mommy will be awake?" Robert asked his father.
Troy smiled and nodded.
"Yeah" Troy said.
"Okay" Robert said.
Gabriella smiled. She leaned over carefully and kissed Robert's cheek.
"Thank you for taking care of me, sweetheart" Gabriella said.
"Daddy said that I'm his twin and that I take good care of you" Robert said.
Troy smiled.
"You are baby. Go play upstairs, okay?" Gabriella said.
"Okay" Robert said.
Robert hugged and kissed his mother and went upstairs. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.
"He's your son" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled and nodded. Gabriella took a deep breath and placed her hand on Troy's shoulder. Troy took Gabriella's hand.
"Breathe through it, baby" Troy said knowing that she was having a contraction.
Gabriella breathed through the contraction and then relaxed. Troy looked at Gabriella.
"You okay?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"I'm starting to feel them pressing on everything again" Gabriella said.
"We have to watch it and tell Dr. A next week" Troy said.
A couple of days later, it was the middle of the night. Gabriella groaned in her sleep and opened her eyes. She placed her hand on her expanding stomach. Another contraction. Gabriella placed her hand on Troy's shoulder. Troy woke up and instantly became concerned.
"Brie?" Troy called.
Troy heard Gabriella breathing heavily. He turned on his bedside lamp. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own. He whispered encouraging words to her. Once the contraction was over, Gabriella's body relaxed.
"Brie?" Troy called again.
Gabriella looked at Troy.
"How many have you had tonight?" Troy asked.
"Two" Gabriella said tiredly.
"Okay. In the morning, we need to call Dr. A" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Are you going to go back to sleep?" Troy asked.
"Going to try to" Gabriella said.
"Okay baby. Wake me up if you need me or if you have another one, okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"Don't be scared, sweetheart" Troy said softly.
"It's hard not to" Gabriella said.
"I know. But, think of it this way, the babies are going to be here soon" Troy said.
Gabriella shrugged. She closed her eyes and fell back asleep. The next day, Gabriella had more contractions. Troy was getting worried. He had called Dr. A and she told him to bring Gabriella in. Once Gabriella was back home, Troy kept an eye on her. That night, Gabriella woke up to another contraction. She got up and walked downstairs. Gabriella rubbed her bump in small soothing circles.
"Come on guys. Mommy needs some sleep" Gabriella said.
Gabriella heard footsteps and then the light went on in the living room. Troy walked to the couch and sat down next to Gabriella.
"What's happening?" Troy asked placing his hand on top of hers.
"Contractions" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled sympathetically.
"Are they the same as earlier?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's forehead. The couple sat downstairs for a couple of hours. Later that morning, Gabriella was making lunch for herself. Troy had been staying close to her so that he could help her if she needed him. Troy had left to go pick Robert up from school. Once Troy and Robert came home, Gabriella was washing her dish and placing it in the dishwasher.
"Hi mommy" Robert said.
"Hi baby. How was school today?" Gabriella asked.
"Good" Robert said.
Gabriella closed her eyes and grabbed the counter. She tried to breathe deeply. Gabriella felt liquid running down her leg.
"Mommy, did you just go pee?" Robert asked.
Gabriella tried to hide the pain that she was feeling from her son.
"No Rob. That means the baby is coming. Can you go get daddy?" Gabriella asked.
Robert left the room and came back with Troy.
"Brie" Troy breathed as he saw the water on the floor.
Gabriella looked at her husband and nodded.
"Call Chad" Gabriella said softly.
Troy nodded. He called Chad and asked him to pick up Rob. A couple of minutes later, Chad picked up Rob and wished Troy and Gabriella luck. Once Rob was gone, Troy looked at Gabriella.
"Let's get you to the hospital" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"Are you okay?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"I just need to get to the hospital" Gabriella said.
"Okay. Let me get your bag" Troy said.
Troy walked calmly upstairs and brought Gabriella's bag that she had packed a couple of weeks ago downstairs.
"Alright, let's go have some babies" Troy said.
Gabriella giggled but then winced. She breathed through the contraction and felt Troy rub her back. Once the contraction was over, Troy smiled sympathetically. The couple left the house and drove to the hospital. An hour later, Gabriella was hooked up to three different monitors. Two were for the babies and one was for her. Troy tried to comfort Gabriella, but nothing worked. She just cried.
"I can't do it" Gabriella cried.
"Yes you can, baby. I know you can" Troy said.
"It hurts" Gabriella said.
Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back and kissed her forehead.
"I know. I wish I could take the pain away" Troy said.
Dr. A came into the room and checked Gabriella.
"Three. You are going to be here for a while" Dr. A said.
Gabriella moaned in pain and defeat. Dr. A left the room. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly.
"I love you" Troy said softly.
Gabriella looked at him.
"I love you too. It really hurts, Troy" Gabriella said softly.
"I know sweetheart. You are doing great though" Troy said.
Hours passed and Gabriella was exhausted. She had just asked for her epidural. After Gabriella got her epidural, Troy looked at her and smiled.
"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.
"Better" Gabriella said softly.
Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"Maybe you should get a little sleep to keep your strength up" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. She fell asleep. A couple of hours later, Dr. A had just left the room. Gabriella was at seven centimeters.
"How are you feeling baby?" Troy asked.
"I want them out" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"Just a little longer" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.
Gabriella groaned.
"Are you in any pain?" Troy asked.
Gabriella shook her head.
"Okay" Troy said.
"Did you call my mom and your parents?" Gabriella asked.
"Not yet. I thought that we should call them after the babies are here since we don't know how everything is going to go" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Do you need anything?" Troy asked.
Gabriella shook her head. Troy placed a kiss on Gabriella's forehead. A few hours went by, Gabriella was ready to go. Two nurses wheeled Gabriella's hospital bed into an operating room if something went wrong with one of the twins. Troy followed behind them. Dr. A set up her equipment around the hospital bed and looked at Gabriella.
"You ready to meet these babies?" Dr. A asked.
Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and squeezed her hand to let her know that he was there.
"You ready to meet our babies?" Troy asked.
Gabriella looked at Troy and nodded nervously. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"Don't go anywhere" Gabriella said.
"I'm right here baby. I'm not leaving you" Troy said.
The nurses positioned Gabriella. Dr. A gave Gabriella instructions on what was going to happen. When the next contraction came, Gabriella started pushing. An hour and a half later, Dr. A announced that the first baby's head was out.
"Almost done, baby. Just a little more" Troy said.
Gabriella pushed and screamed. She fell back against the bed.
"I can't. I can't" Gabriella said shakily.
"Yes, you can. The baby is almost out" Dr. A said.
"Troy" Gabriella whined.
"Brie, look at me" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Troy tearfully.
"You can do this. I know you can. The two little people that we've been talking about for as long as we've been married are going to be here in a little while. You got this, Brie" Troy said.
Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at Dr. A. Dr. A smiled.
"Ready?" Dr. A asked.
Gabriella nodded and started pushing again. She screamed.
"Head's out, Gabi. Just one more push and you will meet your first twin" Dr. A said.
Troy smiled.
"One more push, babe" Troy said.
Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed hard. She felt the baby leave her body. Dr. A placed the baby on her chest. Gabriella started crying. She looked at Troy, who had started crying.
"It's a boy!" Dr. A said.
"Easton" the couple said simultaneously.
Gabriella looked down at her newborn son. She looked up at Troy. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"I love you so much, baby. Let's do it again" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled softly but then she closed her eyes.
"She's coming" Gabriella said loud enough for Dr. A to hear.
The nurse took Easton to go get checked out. Troy went back to his original place next to Gabriella. He kissed Gabriella's forehead.
"You ready to meet our daughter, Gabriella?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded her head painfully.
"Breathe, baby" Troy said.
"Gabi, on the next contraction, I want you to start pushing again" Dr. A said.
Gabriella nodded. She groaned and started pushing. Troy rubbed her back. Gabriella fell back against the bed.
"I can't do it anymore, Troy" Gabriella said breathlessly.
"Brie, you can. Just a little more and our baby girl will be here" Troy said.
"I'm so tired" Gabriella cried.
"I know, sweetie. I know. We need to get this baby out and you are the only one that can do that. I know how bad you want to meet her" Dr. A said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled.
"Let's meet our baby girl, Brie" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Dr. A and started pushing again. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella screamed and gripped Troy's hand. Troy winced.
"Head's out, Gabi. One more push" Dr. A said.
Troy smiled.
"One more push, baby" Troy said.
Gabriella gathered the last bit of energy that she had and pushed. She heard her daughter cry and fell back against the bed. Dr. A placed the baby on Gabriella's chest. Troy was in tears. Gabriella looked over at him and started crying. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"I love you so much, baby. So much" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
An hour and a half later, Gabriella was back in her hospital room. The babies were still being seen by a pediatrician. Gabriella closed her eyes. She was so tired. Gabriella felt a warm hand on her stomach. She opened her eyes slowly.
"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"I'm so tired" Gabriella said softly.
Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.
"Did you call my mom and your parents?" Gabriella asked with her eyes closed.
"Yeah. I called Chad also and told him and Tay" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"They said that they would bring Rob home when we got home" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. An hour later, a nurse came in rolling two bassinets. Gabriella opened her eyes and smiled. The nurse picked up one of the twins and placed them in Gabriella's arms. Gabriella looked down and smiled.
"Everly" Gabriella breathed.
Troy smiled. Gabriella looked at her daughter. Troy picked Easton up. Gabriella carefully moved over in the hospital bed so that Troy could lay down next to her.
"Easton" Gabriella said looking at her son.
Troy smiled. He leaned down and kissed Easton's head. Troy then kissed Everly's head.
"Two healthy twins" Troy said.
"I can't believe they are here" Gabriella said.
"Me either" Troy said.
Troy and Gabriella got acquainted with their new additions. Two days later, Gabriella and the twins were discharged from the hospital. Troy texted Chad asking him to bring Rob home in an hour so that they could get organized at home with the babies. Once they were home and settled, the doorbell rang. Gabriella was holding Easton and Troy was holding Everly. Troy walked to the door and opened it. Chad and Robert stood at the door. Troy kneeled in front of Robert.
"Rob, look who is here" Troy said.
Rob looked at Everly and smiled. Troy smiled.
"You happy?" Troy asked.
Rob nodded.
"Can I give her a kiss?" Robert asked.
Troy nodded.
"You have to be really gentle though, okay?" Troy said.
"Okay" Rob said.
Robert gently kissed his baby's sister's head. Troy carefully stood up. Chad, Troy, and Robert walked into the house. Chad smiled when he saw Gabriella holding Easton.
"Hi baby" Gabriella said.
Robert walked over to his mother and looked down at Easton.
"Mommy, is that my baby brother?" Rob asked.
Gabriella smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. His name is Easton" Gabriella said.
"Can I give him a kiss?" Robert asked.
"Yeah. But, you have to be really gentle" Gabriella said.
Robert kissed Easton's head and smiled.
"Can you believe these guys were in my tummy?" Gabriella asked.
Robert shook his head.
"It's pretty cool, huh?" Gabriella said.
Robert nodded. Everly let out a cry. Robert turned to his father and saw him bouncing Everly up and down trying to soothe her.
"Mommy, why is she crying?" Robert asked.
Gabriella smiled.
"Babies cry because they can't talk like mommy, daddy, or you can. They cry to tell us that they need or want something" Gabriella said.
"What does she want?" Robert asked.
Gabriella smiled. She kissed Robert's head softly.
"She probably needs to be fed" Gabriella said.
"I can share my snacks with her" Robert said.
Troy smiled.
"Bud, she doesn't have teeth yet. She can't chew snacks like you yet. Mommy needs to feed her" Troy explained.
"What does she eat then?" Robert asked concerned for his sister.
"She eats mommy's milk" Gabriella said.
"Mommy's milk?" Robert asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"Yeah. Little babies need milk from their mommy to help them grow up to be big and strong like you" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled at how good Gabriella was at explaining what was happening to their son.
"I can get the milk from the refrigerator" Robert said.
Troy chuckled. Gabriella glared at Troy.
"It's not as easy as it looks" Gabriella said to her husband.
Troy smiled.
"Rob, when mommy had the babies, her body gives the babies milk. They can't drink regular milk yet" Troy said.
"Oh. So special milk?" Rob asked still trying to understand.
Gabriella nodded.
"Yeah. Special milk for the babies" Troy said.
"Oh" Robert said.
"Do you understand, bud?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Robert said.
The couple smiled. The couple knew that it would take time for Robert to understand what was happening. But, they were thankful that the babies were here and healthy and loved by their big brother.