Elizabeth grunted as both twins simultaneously pressed their feet hard against her stomach. It was the very end of June. She still had a little over a month to go in the pregnancy, and she wasn't sure how much more her body could stretch. Placing a hand over her stomach, she spoke gently to her girls. "Kicking isn't very nice, you know," she said, a little smile tugging at her lips. "I know you girls are cramped in there, but it won't be much longer."
She looked up to see Nathan leaning against the kitchen wall, arms crossed and a big smile on his face. "What?" she asked, rubbing her very large belly.
"I was just thinking how beautiful you look this morning," Nathan said, coming toward her and giving her a kiss.
Elizabeth chuckled. "I feel like a beached whale, but I'm glad you still think I'm beautiful."
Nathan ran a hand tenderly through her hair. "You're more beautiful to me now than ever before, sweetheart," he said. His eyes told her he meant it.
She was sitting there in her pajamas, hair ruffled and face still puffy from sleep, and he thought she was beautiful. Elizabeth couldn't help herself; she stood and nestled into Nathan's arms. It was getting harder to truly be close to him; her stomach got in the way. But that didn't stop her from holding him as close as possible. "I love you, Nathan," she said against his chest.
Nathan lifted her chin, pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. By the time he pulled back, Elizabeth was thoroughly breathless. She leaned against his chest once more, waiting for her heart rate to return to normal.
"I'm pretty sure the fact that you can make me feel this way while I'm eight months pregnant is something of a miracle," she said, gasping lightly.
Nathan chuckled, pressing his lips to her neck next. Elizabeth tilted her head back, giving him better access to her throat. He slowly made his way up to her jaw, then over her cheeks, and finally back to her lips. They shared deep, passionate kisses, their hands freely roaming each other's bodies.
Elizabeth loved being married to Nathan. She loved the passion they shared, the intimacy, the new ways of exploring each other. She loved getting lost in his kisses. She missed their lovemaking, but over the past month it had become increasingly uncomfortable for her, so they had decided to abstain for the remainder of her pregnancy and until she was healed from the birthing process.
Nathan pulled away first, clearing his throat. "Okay...I think it's time to start getting ready for work." He was clearly rattled, but he smiled at her gently. "And in case it wasn't abundantly clear, I love you more than life itself, Mrs. Grant. I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you as my wife."
Elizabeth felt sudden tears spring to her eyes. She was used to these mood swings that had come with her pregnancy, and she let the tears fall down her cheeks. Nathan smoothed them away carefully. "These are good tears, I hope," he said with his crooked smile.
"Very good tears," Elizabeth said, smiling up at him. "And I feel the same way about you."
He kissed her once more, softly this time, then framed her face in his hands. "Would you like me to make you breakfast?" he asked.
She laughed. "Didn't you just say it's time to get ready for work?"
"I did, but breakfast is an important part of that," he said with a wink. "What sounds good this morning?"
"Honestly? Maybe just some toast and fruit," Elizabeth admitted. "I'm not feeling very hungry."
"One light breakfast coming up," Nathan said. "Do you want to get ready for your shift while I get this prepared?"
She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Nathan. That sounds lovely." She had one more week at the hospital before she went on maternity leave, and when she came back afterward she was only scheduled for eight hours a week. Soon her full time job would be mothering their twins, and she had to admit she was looking forward to that.
She dressed in her scrubs, then went about getting her hair brushed and braided. After washing her face, she felt a strong, unfamiliar pain in her stomach. Gasping, she gripped the sink with gritted teeth. The pain soon passed, and she felt like she could breathe again. She stood for several minutes, wondering if that had been a contraction. She knew early births were common with twins. When nothing further happened, she made her way to the kitchen.
"Right in time," Nathan said, sliding a plate of buttered toast and mixed berries in front of her, complete with a cup of peppermint tea.
Elizabeth smiled. "This looks perfect. Thank you, sweetheart." She noticed he had made a simple breakfast for himself as well, and they began eating.
"So, how many babies are you caring for today?" Nathan asked, taking a bite of his toast.
"There should only be three," Elizabeth replied. "We're low, which is a good thing." She tried to complete her thought, but another pain gripped her. She let out a small cry, hunching over.
"Elizabeth?" Nathan was at her side in a second, kneeling next to her. "What is it?"
She took short, shallow breaths, waiting for the pain to pass. When it did, she sunk against Nathan. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But it feels like what I imagine contractions would be."
"What?" Nathan said, his eyes widening. He stood, taking her hand and pulling her up. "We're going to the hospital. Now."
Elizabeth raised her brows as he tugged her toward the door. "Nathan, we don't know if that's what these are. It could be false contractions too."
"Nevertheless, we're going to see Carson. Better safe than sorry."
"If it makes you feel better," Elizabeth said, thinking this was unnecessary. Even if these were contractions, they were far enough apart that the hospital shouldn't be necessary.
"It does make me feel better," he said, opening her car door and settling her inside. Elizabeth was fine on the drive to the hospital, but as Nathan helped her from the car, another contraction seized her. She cried out, holding tight to Nathan's hand. Her husband's face was white. Once the contraction passed, he hurried her into the hospital.
Within ten minutes, they were in an examination room with Carson. He did his check, then nodded at them. "These are real contractions. The babies will be coming soon, though how soon is anyone's guess. Elizabeth's water hasn't broken, and she's only just beginning to dilate. It could be a week, or it could be tomorrow." He sat back. "You could go home if you want, but once these contractions start to happen a few minutes apart, you'll know it's time to come back."
Elizabeth looked at Nathan. "I am not sitting here in the hospital until I'm in active labor," she said, seeing the look on his face.
Nathan sighed. "Fine. We'll go back home. But I will be keeping a close eye on you."
Elizabeth smiled, knowing his protective instincts were kicking in. "That's fine," she said. Standing, she smiled at Carson. "Thank you," she said. "Please alleviate my husband's fears, if you don't mind. I'll be outside while you talk."
She sat in a chair in the waiting room, knowing Carson would go through his own experience of Faith giving birth. A few minutes later, Nathan came into the room, raising a brow. "I suppose you think I'm calmer now?" he asked wryly.
Elizabeth laughed. "I don't know, are you?" Before he could answer, another contraction started, making Elizabeth suck in her breath. Nathan sat beside her, rubbing her back until the pain stopped.
"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not calmer. I'm going to be a nervous wreck until these babies are born."
Getting her breath back, Elizabeth gave a single chuckle. "You and me both."
Nathan woke early the next morning to Elizabeth prodding his back. He turned to look at her, then sat bolt upright. Her face was white and damp from sweat, her breathing labored. "I...think we need...to go...to the hospital," she gasped.
He vaulted out of the bed, quickly changing into day clothes. "How far apart are the contractions?" he asked, helping her out of bed.
"Three minutes," she said, groaning as another one hit her. She doubled over, crying out in pain. Nathan's heart clenched. He hated seeing her in pain, and he hated even more that he could do nothing to ease it.
The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. Nathan knew he was breaking the speed limit by a lot, but thankfully there were no other cars on the road this early in the morning. They made it in record time, and he ushered Elizabeth into the emergency room. She was taken to the maternity ward, where a doctor checked her and confirmed that she was indeed in labor. As he did so, Elizabeth's water broke.
The next several hours were the longest of Nathan's life. Elizabeth's cries of pain smote his heart, and he knew the most painful part was yet to come for her. He gripped her hand, smoothing her hair from her face. "I wish I could take away your pain," he whispered, his heart constricting.
Elizabeth was gasping, but she managed to smile at him. "I know you would if it were possible, Nathan," she said, before another contraction seized her. She writhed in pain.
Carson came into the room to examine Elizabeth. He looked up when he had finished. "You're fully dilated, Elizabeth," he said. "It's almost time to start pushing."
"Okay," she said weakly, holding onto Nathan's hand.
"You got this, sweetheart," he said, pressing a kiss to her damp forehead. She nodded, looking a little scared.
"This is going to hurt," she whimpered.
He nodded. "For a short time, Elizabeth. And then it'll pass."
She swallowed with a nod, then cried out again.
Carson sat on a stool at the end of the bed. "Push, Elizabeth. Push hard."
She did, bearing down with a loud cry. When the contraction ended, she slumped back against the bed, panting. Soon another one came, and she pushed again.
"Great job, Elizabeth," Carson said encouragingly. "I can see the head."
"I can feel the head!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Oooohh, here comes another one." She held Nathan's hand in a vice grip as she bore down, pushing as hard as she could.
"One more push should do it," Carson said, readying himself to catch the baby. "One...two...three...push!"
Elizabeth pushed, letting out a loud yell as the baby's head crowned. Seconds later, their daughter made her appearance, crying at the top of her lungs.
Nathan stared in awe at the tiny child, her little arms flailing as Carson handed her to a nurse for cleaning. "Arianna," he said softly, smiling at Elizabeth.
She laughed in her relief and joy. "Our little girl." Her eyes widened as she realized she wasn't done. "Oh my...there's another one in there…I have to do that again!"
Nathan smoothed her hair once more as Carson shook his head. "The second baby is significantly easier than the first," he said. "This one won't hurt as much."
Elizabeth raised a brow. "As much?"
Carson smiled sympathetically. "I wish I could say there's no pain, but I would be lying."
"I guess...oooohh!" The process started again, and within two minutes Cecilia was born. Elizabeth leaned against the pillows as their newborn was whisked away to join her sister, nearly crying in her relief. "It's over," she said, her throat working.
Nathan leaned down to kiss her. "You did an amazing job, love," he said softly. "You just birthed our precious daughters."
Carson prodded Elizabeth's stomach gently as lighter contractions eventually brought out the afterbirth. The nurse came over, smiling. "Meet your children," she said, handing one baby to Nathan and the other to Elizabeth.
Nathan felt a lump grow in his throat as he looked into the eyes of his newborn daughter. He was holding Arianna. Her eyes were surprisingly alert for an infant. He looked down to see that Cecilia was already sleeping in Elizabeth's arms.
"They're perfect," he whispered. "Absolutely perfect."
Elizabeth was looking at Cecilia in awe, and she looked over to get a better glimpse of Arianna. "Our babies," she said in wonder. "They're beautiful."
They sat there together for several minutes, taking in the joy of knowing their girls for the first time in person. Elizabeth seemed to have forgotten all about the pain and hardship of labor and delivery; she was completely enthralled with their children. So was Nathan. He hadn't known this kind of happiness could exist, but as he held his daughter in his arms, he knew that the happiness was just beginning.
