Chapter 28

It was early February. It had been a month since we all came back to school from winter break. Kindergarten Graduation was in May and I was going to miss it. I took a maternity leave, as I knew if I didn't Charlie wouldn't like it too much. He hated that I was almost always on my feet. If he had it his way he would have put me on bed rest until the babies arrived. Charlie was working at the station, and he got to go to one of their annual news events they hold every year. It was some sort of marketing ploy.

Meanwhile Bryan and I stayed home and continued to prepare his sisters' rooms. They each had their own crib. I didn't know if they would be identical or not but I still wanted to create huge differences among my girls. Therefore, everything was color coded. We still didn't have names picked out so we called them by A, B, and C. Baby A's color was purple. Baby B's color was a light blue. Baby C's color was pink. From the bedding to the toys everything was exactly the same just different in color. We didn't want one baby feeling too overwhelmed and the others neglected and vice versa. Bryan was helping me tidy of the room. He had a little dust rag and smiled up at me as he wiped the bottom of the dresser.

"Mommy?"

"Yes baby?"

"How am I to know which sister loves me the best?"

"Aww Bryan you know they'll love you just the same..."

"But Uncle Justice and Uncle Jesse are twins and Uncle Jesse likes me best."

"Bryan that's not true...they love you equally...just like Mommy and Daddy do."

Bryan looked down in deep thought.

"Will you love my sister's better than me Momma?"

I stopped cleaning and looked at Bryan. There was no way I could get on my knees to talk to him face to face. Not without Charlie's help to get me back up.

"Bryan...sweetheart...you and your sisters are my babies...I'll never love any of you more than another...but you have to understand something Bry, these babies will need a lot of looking after...like you did at one time...but together you, and me, and your Daddy will make sure they get what they need right?"

"Right!"

"That's my boy...now let's finish up dusting and we'll go out for ice cream."

"Okay!"

He began dusting a little faster. He got side tracked a few times but worked like a pro. He tried his best to dust places I couldn't reach. He was my strong supportive little helper.

"What about your powers Mommy, will sisters know?"

"I suppose one day we'll have to tell them, won't we? All done?"

"Yeah!"

"Get your shoes."

Bryan ran off to his room. I looked around the baby room. Soon it would be full of love and laughter. I turned the light out as I exited the girls' room and stepped into the hall. There was one step that lead to the back bedrooms of our new house, that when coming from the hall to the living room it was a step down. It was known as a sunken living room. It came with the house we purchased. We didn't like it too much but among the other houses we looked at it, this one was the cheapest. It was also all hard wood.

As I stepped down, I slid and fell backward on my back. I screamed. When I hit the ground my first thought was I've broken something. I did. By falling I induced my own labor and broke my own water. Bryan heard me and came running down the hall.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Bry...listen to me okay...go get my phone out of my purse...do you know where Mommy's purse is? Yeah...okay go get it for me."

Bryan left me. As I sat there I felt a strong pain in the upper part of my abdomen. I groaned.

"Bryan, baby did you find it?!"

"I can't find your purse Mommy!" He yelled back.

"Look in the kitchen hanging on the back of the chair!"

Another wave of pain. This time more intense than the first. I felt something wet between my legs. I was wearing a black maxi dress so it was easy to see what was going on. It was fluid, and blood. I closed my eyes and groaned again.

"Hurry Bry...please..."

"It's not there!"

I suddenly remembered my purse was in Charlie's truck.

"Ooooooh...that's okay baby...that's okay...I left it in Daddy's- Ahhh!"

I screamed and tensed up. It felt like my intestines were trying to come out and implode on each other. For the next hour I was on my back fighting both my contractions and the urge to push. I was afraid to move because that made everything hurt even more. And I wasn't sure I could move even if I tried. Bryan sat by the front door crying. I tried to tell him I was alright, but it was hard to do with me screaming in pain every few minutes.

"Ah!" I wailed. I then whimpered and began to breathe heavily in and out of my mouth. Charlie would be home at five. I had a few more hours to go. I didn't know if I could last that long. My forehead was covered in sweat.

"Bryan!"

Bryan came running over to me. His face was red and stained with tears.

"I...I need you to do something for me...okay...go in our bathroom...okay...you know where Mommy keeps the wash rags...wet one in cold water and bring it to me please..."

Bryan gulped and ran for our bathroom. I heard his sneakers squeak across the floor. I looked up at the ceiling I began to get dizzy. I shut my eyes and tried to stay focused on the babies.

"Here Mommy!"

I opened my eyes again. He brought me a wet rag and his Sumo Slammers bath towel. I smiled sweetly at him. I knew he also must have used his step stool just to wet the rag.

"Oh...thank you son." I stroked his cheek, and placed the rag on my head. Bryan put his towel under my legs. Despite it being his favorite he wanted me to have it.

"Do you still feel bad Mommy?"

"I do...but you've been so strong and so helpful that it's actually made me feel better...thank you son. Give me a kiss."

He kissed my cheek. He sat on his knees next to me. As I stared at him, all I could think about was just how much he reminded me of Charlie. His hair, his eyes, and now his personality.

Three hours into labor and the contractions were getting stronger. I began to cry at one point because of the pain. I couldn't do anything but lie there and take it. Bryan pulled his knees in toward him and rocked himself. It was then we heard a familiar sound. A wonderful sound. A sound so great it was like hearing it for the first time and it gave Bryan and I both a huge relief. It was Charlie's car door shutting. Bryan leapt for the door. We heard Charlie fumbling with the keys.

"Charlie!" I yelped.

"Daddy!" Bryan screamed after me.

The door came open and Bryan began screaming and crying.

"Hey buddy, what's the matter?!"

"Mommy, Daddy!" Bryan cried.

"Charlie!" I yelled out again.

Charlie came running with Bryan on his hip.

"Har...oh my God."

He put Bryan down, and got on his knees next to me. He threw his keys down and grabbed my arm.

"How long have you been this way?!"

"Five hours."

"Why didn't you call me?!"

"Because my phone is in your truck!" I snapped not meaning too. Another contraction came over me. Charlie held my upper body as it passed.

"Okay...grab me around my neck...my neck Har, my neck."

I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Help me all you can okay...ready one...two...three." Charlie grunted.

He hoisted me up to a standing position. More blood ran down my legs. As I held onto him, he attempted to grab Bryan's towel and wrap it around my lower half.

"Got it..."

"Yeah...yeah I- ah- Ah-ha! Charlie!"

I started to squat to ease the pain.

"I've got you...you got to squat...squat. I'm not letting go."

Another contraction past. Charlie helped me over to the front door a few steps at a time. As soon as we were outside I felt a strong urge to push.

"Charlie!"

"What?!"

I squeezed his arms tightly and pushed down as hard as I could. Nothing happened. I began to cry again.

"That's okay...you're okay."

He put me in the truck.

"Bry!"

Bryan came running out of the house.

"Stay with Mommy okay, I have to go get her bag and stuff...get in the car."

Bryan got in the backseat. He gave me his hand.

"Don't cry Momma, it's okay."

His words made me tear up more. He was so sweet. Charlie locked the door behind him. He had my bag in one hand and his phone in the other.

"That's right Jen...thanks." Charlie said as he got in the car.

"Bryan, you're going to Jen's...and I'm taking Mommy to the hospital." He spoke out as he buckled his seatbelt. He pulled out of the driveway and began to break all sorts of traffic laws. He sped to Jen's house and swiftly got Bryan inside. In the meantime I felt as if the babies were coming out. I shook in anticipation. I tried to think of something else other than pushing. Charlie came running back to the car after he dropped Bryan off.

"Hang in there Har."

He began to speed his way to the hospital. Charlie's hand trembled over the steering wheel.

"Babe...babe...Char."

"What?"

"Baby your hands."

Charlie sighed and at the next red light he reached in his pocket and took out a piece of candy. He rapidly stuck it in his mouth and threw the wrapper out the window.

"Ah..." I whimpered.

Charlie reached over to me and began to stroke my stomach as he drove one handed. He did this all the way to the hospital. I was taken straight back for delivery. They were afraid of my blood pressure sky rocketing so they decided on a C-section. I no longer felt any pain once they gave me some medicine. They then started the procedure.