Remember "TCOT Compromised Consoler" and my two additions to that? I came up with the idea of having Alexandra, Della, and Gertie pregnant at the same time.
The July predawn light crept into three bedrooms as three married couples lay entwined – sated and fast asleep after making love the night before.
Della and Perry's twin daughters, Caroline and Brenda, had just turned 7. Which Della and Perry couldn't believe. In their minds, their daughters were still tiny newborns, with Brenda being the surprise daughter that they loved no more or less than her sister Caroline.
Gertie and Paul's twins, Sarah and Matthew, were 6 with Sarah looking like her father and Matthew looking like his mother. Which made both parent's hearts swell as they loved their children equally even though Sarah proved early on that she was a Daddy's girl and Matthew was a Momma's boy.
Helen was the spitting image of her father which her parents didn't mind in the slightest as she loved her parents equally, never being one of the extremes.
Then about two months later,
"Perry, I'm not coming into the office today. I've got a doctor's appointment today. I don't know if I have the stomach flu or something else. I'll call you when I get back home." Della said before Perry left for the office. Della had been sick to her stomach for two weeks, plus she had missed two menstrual cycles at this point.
"See you when I bring the girls home from school, have a good doctor's appointment. Love you." Perry said as he hugged her before taking his daughters to school.
"'Bye, girls. Have a good day at school." Della said after she hugged Caroline and Brenda goodbye,
"'Bye, Mama." Caroline and Brenda chorused before leaving with their Daddy as Della waved before going back inside.
"After explaining what you've been through over the past two months, would you even consider having three under 10 this coming April?" Dr. Johnson asked as Della looked to her shocked,
"I'm pregnant again?" Dr. Johnson smiled with a nod,
"You're 8 – weeks pregnant. Congrats, Della!" Della smiled brightly, this time around she wasn't afraid. She was happy.
Della and Perry had talked about trying for another child over the years, but the timing never worked out, until that past July.
"When am I due?" Della asked, clearly excited.
"The week of Easter, so the 17th." Dr. Johnson answered as Della smiled. Before Della left,
"Thank you, Doctor." Dr. Johnson nodded with a smile as Della walked out to her car with a beaming smile.
When Perry brought the girls home from school,
"Mama's got some news, my darling girls. You two are going to be big sisters in April!" Della told Caroline and Brenda as Perry smiled brightly and hugged Della,
"How far along?" Della smiled,
"8 – weeks." The Mason household was a happy place that night.
At the Burger household,
"Alex, why don't you go lie down? You look exhausted." Hamilton suggested as Alexandra nodded – it had been a few days where Alexandra was looking too exhausted to go to work and Hamilton was suggesting that she head back to bed.
"Alright, Hamilton. Wake me when you bring Helen home from school."
Once Hamilton got home,
"Mmm… Oh, hi Helen." Alexandra smiled as Helen woke her up,
"Hi, Mommy." Alexandra and Helen snuggled in bed for a few minutes before Hamilton spoke up after Helen went to do homework,
"Could you possibly be pregnant again, Alex? You slept all the time when you were pregnant with Helen, at least in the beginning you did. I take it that Helen woke you up, didn't she?" Alexandra nodded but couldn't smile,
"Would you be mad if I was?" Hamilton chuckled and hugged his wife,
"No, I wouldn't. I know Helen's almost 8, but I'm willing to go through the newborn phase again if you're actually pregnant." Alexandra nodded and called her doctor's office for an appointment the next day,
"Congrats, Alexandra. You're pregnant!" Her doctor said with a smile as Alexandra couldn't help but laugh happily,
"When am I due?" Her doctor smiled,
"The week of Easter, April 17th." Alexandra left the doctor's office feeling like she was walking on air. She and Hamilton were going to have another baby, and she couldn't have been any happier.
"…So, what'd the doctor have to say Alex?" Hamilton asked as they were prepping for dinner as Alexandra giggled with a happy smile,
"We're going to have another baby the week of April 17th. I'm pregnant, Hamilton." Helen ran in giggling happily as she hugged her mother,
"I'm so excited, Mommy!" Alexandra smiled a relieved smile. She didn't have to worry about Helen being jealous of the new baby. Hamilton hugged his wife and daughter as he felt beyond blessed with where his life was at the moment.
At the Drake household, the next day.
"Gert, you should go to the doctor. You're ghostly pale, and I'm worried." Paul insisted knowing that something was up,
"Paul! I'm… Oh, god." Gertie started before she began to faint as Paul helped her on the ground before calling Della and after Della picked up,
"Mason residence. Hey, Paul. Is something wrong?" Della asked as Paul nodded,
"Della, can you call Perry and see if he can bring Sarah and Matt over to your place with Caroline and Brenda once school lets out? I've got to get Gertie to the hospital, she just fainted." Della nodded,
"Sure. I hope everything's alright." Paul sighed,
"Thanks, Della." At that, Paul hung up and helped Gertie into the car and drove to the ER and once they got situated after they drew blood to run tests,
"Congrats Mrs. Drake. You're pregnant." Gertie and Paul looked to each other before they hugged each other, laughing happily.
"When am I due?" Gertie asked,
"From the dates that you've given me, you're due the week of April 17th." Paul smiled and once they got back in the car, he kissed her passionately.
"I can't believe it. We're going to have another baby." Gertie smiled,
"I'm excited." Once they got Matthew and Sarah home,
"Matt, Sarah. Mom's got some exciting news." Gertie started as she smiled brightly,
"You're going to be big siblings come April." Sarah hugged her mother tightly as Matthew went to his and Sarah's room as Paul followed him.
"Hey, buddy. I want you to know that just because there's going to be a new baby… it doesn't mean that Mom and I don't love you any less. It just means that we're going to need help once the new baby gets here. Can we count on you and your sister to help us?" Paul asked as Matthew nodded gently, snuggling close to his father.
Gertie had pressed against the doorframe and smiled seeing Paul get Matthew on board and enthused about the new baby.
A week later as the three women met at the beach – alone,
"Della Mason, you're grinning like a Cheshire cat. Spill!" Alexandra pressed as she couldn't get over Della's smile as Della giggled,
"I'm pregnant again!" Gertie giggled,
"Me, too." Alexandra smiled and giggled as well,
"So am I." Della smiled,
"When are you guys due? I'm due the week of April 17th." Both Alexandra and Gertie chortled,
"So are we." Della laughed,
"Our babies are going to be the same age and the best of friends." The three friends hugged each other and giggled as they walked along the water talking about pregnancy experiences.
"How did Perry, Caroline, and Brenda react?" Gertie asked as Della nodded,
"They were excited. I think the girls are more excited than Perry. How'd Hamilton and Helen react, Alexandra?" Della asked as Alexandra smiled,
"Hamilton had an inkling that I was pregnant before I found out. Apparently, I slept all the time during the early pregnancy stage with Helen. He said that he wouldn't mind going through the newborn phase again, even though Helen's turning 8 in October. What about you Gertie?" Gertie smiled,
"Paul and I found out together, it was that day Perry took the twins over to his house. Apparently, I had fainted, and Paul took me to the ER, and they drew blood and ran tests. That's how I found out about my baby. Paul is being a model Dad in helping Matt to accept the new baby. Sarah was overjoyed." All three women giggled as they went about their day.
When Della got home, she saw a piece of paper on the dining room table with two columns: One labeled "Boy Names" and the other labeled "Girl Names" with a few names in each.
The boy names were: James, Perry Jr, William, Harrison.
The girl names were: Elizabeth, Katherine, Caitlyn, Leanna. Della smiled,
"I love all of the girl names, but I don't care for Harrison for a boy's name. I was thinking about Isaiah." Perry nodded,
"I love it, I knew an Isaiah growing up, we weren't friends or anything but I knew of him." Della nodded,
"And if it's a girl, her name with be Caitlyn Grace."
Alexandra walked into her house to see the exact same thing on her kitchen table, a list of boy and girl names.
Girl Names: Lily, Hannah, Grace, Faith.
Boy Names: Hamilton, George, Fred, Jason.
"I love the girl names, but I'm on the fence naming the baby after you Hamilton." Alexandra confessed as Hamilton nodded sheepishly,
"Figured I'd try." Alexandra smiled softly,
"I want to do it right; I want an original name for our baby no matter the gender although for a girl I'm drawn towards Hannah." Hamilton smiled and hugged his wife as they sat down to talk about the baby a little more.
Gertie and Paul were sitting at their kitchen table talking about baby names,
"Peyton for a girl." Gertie said as Paul looked at her,
"Where'd that come from?" Gertie nodded,
"I don't know but I've heard that name be used for a girl and I think it's super pretty." Paul nodded,
"Would you overrule naming the baby after me, if it's another boy?" Gertie shook her head,
"No, not at all."
All three pregnancies progressed normally except for Gertie.
Gertie thought she was carrying multiples again with how big her baby bump was, but technology had improved since she had the twins, and her doctor had an ultrasound machine which confirmed that she was just carrying a big baby and that it was in fact a girl.
"Oh! Feel, he's kicking!" Della said as the three friends sat on the beach as she felt her son kick as Alexandra and Gertie placed their hands on Della's baby bump and giggled as the baby kicked again,
"He's really active in there." Della smiled this wasn't the first time that baby boy had kicked for her. Alexandra and Hamilton had decided to wait until their baby was born to find out the gender. Gertie gasped as she giggled,
"Peyton's kicking now too, she senses that something exciting's happening." The three women giggled; it was late February, but the weather was nice enough for them to hang out on the beach.
On April 7th,
"Oh, ow." Gertie winced as she woke up around 4 am as Paul shot up as Gertie waited to see if another contraction was coming and when it came two minutes later,
"Take the twins to Della and Perry's. This isn't a false alarm. Peyton's coming." Once they got Gertie checked in to labor and delivery,
"OK, Gertie you're 2, almost 3, cm dilated, and these contractions aren't letting up. We're keeping you here until baby Peyton makes her appearance." Dr. Johnson said as she happened to be on call and when she knew it was Gertie that was coming in, she said that she would deliver baby Peyton and once she left to let Gertie possibly get some sleep…
"Maybe in a few hours, you'll have Peyton in your arms," Paul said with a smile as Gertie nodded,
"I'm excited."
But Paul was wrong, the few hours he'd forecasted, turned into 2 days, and at 6 am on the 9th,
"We're sorry, Gertie we have to go in for a cesarean. We're worried that Peyton's in distress with how her heart rate's reacting to your contractions." Dr. Johnson said with a sad smile, knowing that it was the last thing Gertie wanted, but her water had already broken around 3 hours prior. Gertie nodded,
"Anything to make sure that she's safe." Paul and Gertie kissed before she was wheeled to the OR and a few hours later,
"Paul, I want you to meet your daughter Peyton Louise Drake. She's perfectly healthy, 8 lb. even and 20 in long. Gertie's fine, she's still out from the anesthesia, but she'll wake up in a few minutes. I figured you'd want to meet your daughter first." Dr. Johnson cooed softly as Peyton slept away in her cot as Paul looked down at his new daughter. He picked Peyton up as the little girl slept away,
"Hey, beautiful. I know Mommy's going to go nuts once she hears me call you 'beautiful' because that's what I call her, and your big sister Sarah. Oh, Peyton. You don't know how blessed and happy you've just made me. I love you so much."
"Oh, she looks exactly like you Gertie!" Della cooed as she held Peyton in her arms, resting on her baby bump. The twins were in the waiting room with their Uncle Perry, Uncle Hamilton, Aunt Alexandra, the Mason twins and Helen.
"She's beautiful, just like her Mommy." Paul said as both women giggled softly as the twins poked their heads in and sat with Gertie on the bed as Gertie hugged her older children.
"Can I hold her?" Sarah asked immediately as Della nodded and instructed Sarah how to hold Peyton as Peyton slept away in her big sister's arms.
"Wow, Peyton's going to be an easy baby. I can tell that already." Gertie chortled as Della smiled as she placed a hand on her baby bump as she felt a kick. Matthew was looking at Peyton, who was back in her mother's arms, curiously but unwilling to hold the tiny baby.
Della and Paul looked to each other with concern as Matthew hopped off the bed and walked out as Della put her hand up as she went to talk to the new big brother.
"Hey, Matthew. Do you want to go get some ice cream with your Aunt Della?" She asked as Matthew looked up to her and nodded.
"Are you afraid that you were going to drop Peyton if you held her?" Della asked gently as they sat on a bench with their ice cream cones as Matthew nodded,
"She looks so tiny and delicate." Della nodded as they finished their ice cream and walked back to Gertie's room as Matthew snuggled with his Mom and didn't decline on holding his baby sister as Della smiled.
"What'd you say to Matthew?" Perry whispered to Della as she nodded,
"Sometimes it helps to be an older sibling yourself. I'm the oldest of two, I've got a baby sister myself." Perry nodded,
"I have a name for baby boy, Isaiah William Mason." Della beamed,
"That was going to be my choice, too."
"What're you two whispering about over there?" Paul interjected as the couple smiled knowingly,
"We've chosen our son's name. Isaiah William." Della announced with a smile as Gertie smiled,
"Such a handsome name!" It was a happy time amongst the friends.
When 1 am of April 17th hit the Mason family,
"Perry, it's time. Isaiah's coming. This isn't a false alarm." Della said as she shook Perry awake after she felt another contraction beginning to build (they were coming consistently, and she wasn't missing a single one).
Perry snapped awake and kissed Della softly before waking the twins and calling Alexandra and Hamilton to come over and watch them, and to bring Helen.
"Mmm… is Isaiah coming?" Caroline asked groggily as Perry woke her and Brenda up.
"Yes, Uncle Hamilton and Aunt Alex are coming over with Helen you can fall back to sleep when they get here." Caroline and Brenda nodded as Della walked in,
"Hey, my darling girls." Both girls got up and snuggled on the floor with her,
"Mama." Della smiled,
"Maybe in a few days, we'll bring baby Isaiah home. Daddy and I want you to know that baby Isaiah joining our family doesn't mean that we'll love either of you any less than we have. It just means we get to love you even more. Oh… hold on. *she breathes through her contraction and once it's over* Now, back to bed. Mama loves you both very much." Perry helped Della up, after Della kissed her daughter's foreheads, as Hamilton walked to the girl's room and gave them kisses on their foreheads as Caroline hugged him tightly,
"Go back to sleep, girls." He whispered as he sat in the easy chair in their room to watch over them – giving Della and Perry a nod in saying head to the hospital, I've got this. Good luck.
Once they got to the hospital,
"Della, you've got at least another day to go but you're in labor. These contractions are consistent, and things are moving." Dr. Johnson said as Della nodded gently trying to stay awake.
"Go to sleep, Della. You're going to need it." Perry said as Della nodded and they both fell back to sleep.
12 hours had passed and still no Isaiah William,
"You and Isaiah are both doing fine, Della. Neither of you are in distress, so don't worry." Dr. Johnson reassured Della with a bright smile as Perry had brought Caroline and Brenda to the hospital to spend time with them before Isaiah came,
"Alright, girls. Mama needs her rest." Perry said around half past 4 pm as the girls clung to Della before nodding as they let go,
"'Bye, Mama." They chorused as Della kissed their foreheads and hugged them,
"Maybe baby Isaiah will be here on Mama's birthday." Della said with a smile as both girls remembered,
"Ooh, that would be so cool." Brenda giggled as Della waved goodbye to them as Perry took them home and a few hours after he had gotten back after Della woke from her nap,
"How are you feeling?" He asked as Della looked to him,
"Tired. But mostly, excited. I can't wait to meet our son." Perry smiled brightly as Della grabbed his hand and cried out in pain for a stronger contraction that broke her water, the time was 10:45 pm,
"OK, now we're cooking. You're 6 cm dilated, so this shouldn't take any more than another 90 minutes and you'll be pushing. This has been the easiest labor I've had all day and that's a major compliment Della." Della smiled but it faded as another transition labor contraction began to build.
Around midnight of the 18th,
"Isaiah isn't waiting, he wants to meet us." Della groaned after Dr. Johnson checked her as she began to instinctively push with her next contraction,
"You're right, keep pushing Della!" Perry helped to hold Della up as she pushed,
"Augh!" Della cried out in pain as Dr. Johnson smiled,
"That was really good, Della!" Perry smiled,
"Happy Birthday, darling." Della giggled,
"Thank you, Perry."
Back at the Mason household,
"Hamilton! Wake up!" Alexandra shook her husband awake as she stopped mid – shake for a contraction,
"Alex… Oh, my god! I'll call Paul and Gertie and have them bring Peyton and the twins over." Alexandra nodded,
"Don't wake the girls up, they need their sleep for school today."
Back to Della and Perry,
"Oh!" Della screeched after a recent push as Dr. Johnson smiled,
"I see the head; one big push and he'll be here." Della nodded and gave a huge push and broke down crying once Dr. Johnson placed Isaiah on her chest as he began to cry,
"Hi, Isaiah William." Della cooed to the little boy on her chest as Isaiah opened his eyes and smiled at his Mama and Daddy,
"He looks exactly like you Perry." Della cooed happily after Perry kissed her,
"Oh! I completely forgot! Happy Birthday, Della!" Dr. Johnson exclaimed as she smiled sheepishly as she caught Della's exhausted smile,
"Thank you, Dr. Johnson." All of a sudden a nurse ran in,
"Dr. Johnson, an Alexandra Burger was just brought in. She's in labor too. Hurry, she's asking for you." Della looked up,
"Where are the girls?!" The nurse nodded,
"She said that Paul and Gertie brought Peyton and their older twins to your house." Della sighed with relief,
"OK, I don't need them alone. They're only 7 and Helen's only 8." Dr. Johnson nodded and once Isaiah went to be cleaned,
"Go to sleep, Della. You just delivered a baby. Our son." Perry whispered as Della fought to keep her eyes open,
"I love you." Della whispered before falling into a well – deserved peaceful slumber.
"Oh, ow!" Alexandra winced as she clung to Hamilton's hand as a contraction came.
"Something doesn't feel right, the contractions shouldn't be hurting this much." Alexandra told Dr. Johnson as she looked at the monitors and the baby's heart rate,
"We're going to continue to monitor you, and if the pain doesn't decrease or you feel sudden break out pain, we may have to go in for a cesarean. For the moment things seem to be alright but the baby's heart rate isn't taking to the contractions as I'd hoped." As Dr. Johnson was speaking Alexandra screamed in pain as Dr. Johnson saw blood once the contraction was over,
"Oh, no. Alright, we need to get her to the OR now!" Everything was a blur for both Alexandra and Hamilton within the hour,
"Hamilton, you've got a little boy. Your wife's fine, she had a placental abruption which caused the gush of blood and we're transfusing some blood to her as she lost enough for it to be an issue. Your son is also fine." Hamilton nodded,
"When can I see them?" Dr. Johnson nodded,
"In a few hours."
"Oh… Hi, little one." Hamilton cooed once he was able to see his son and hold him as a name hit him,
"Hi, Jason." Alexandra was still asleep but began to wake up as Hamilton looked to her,
"We've got a son, Alex. He looks exactly like you." Alexandra smiled and held her arms out for Jason,
"Hi, Jason." Hamilton smiled,
"Thank god you're both alright." Alexandra nodded,
"Thank Dr. Johnson, not God. I overheard what had happened when I first tried to come out of sedation, but I was still rather weak, so I went under again. I'm fine, Hamilton." Hamilton nodded as Jason squeaked softly which got his parents laughing.
"Hello." They heard behind them as they saw Perry pushing Della in a wheelchair as they saw Isaiah in her arms,
"Hi, guys." Alexandra smiled as Della was pushed closer to the bed,
"Oh, what is it?" Hamilton smiled,
"Della, Perry. Meet our son Jason." Perry smiled,
"Congrats Hamilton." Alexandra smiled,
"Oh, Isaiah's so cute!" Della smiled and once all the older siblings got to see their respective little brothers, all three women began to count their blessings as none of them believed that they would have the April they did.
I hope y'all enjoyed it.