Cam rushed into the hospital room. Carolyn was standing up, holding on to the bed, panting as Kim rubbed her back. They had decided to have the twins at the base hospital because of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and Carolyn wanted her mom at the birth.
"The boys said today was the day, uh!" Cam said, walking up to the bed as her contraction ended.
"Yeah, I just am thirty-seven weeks, but they are ready to come. Janet said that she was on the way. The nurse checked me and I'm three centimeters so I have awhile." Carolyn said, then sighed.
"You are doing an amazing job, baby girl!" Kim praised and kissed Carolyn's head.
"Did the kids know you even you left the party?" Carolyn asked as Cam helped her back onto the bed.
"Lo was with me when Kim called. She wanted to come with me but Davis and Will had her distracted by the time I left and Dev was getting his face painted so it trapped him." Can explain. He pulled out his phone and showed a photo to Carolyn.
"My little butterfly will never want to wash her face." Carolyn said. She grabbed Cam's hand when another contraction started.
"Good job, baby!" Cam soothed as the contraction ended.
"Your parents are trying to get a flight here and Hank is on the way here," Kim said to Cam.
"Thank you!" Cam said.
By the time Janet got to the hospital, Carolyn's pains were stronger and contractions were longer.
"How's it going?" Janet asked as she walked into the room.
"The contractions are a minute long every three to five minutes," Carolyn said as she let out a moan.
"Let me do a quick exam!" Janet said as the contraction ended.
Carolyn held Cam's hand tightly as Janet did her exam.
"You are about five centimeters. Eighty percent effaced. Both babies' heartbeats are strong and sound good, no distress. Good job mama, you're halfway there." Janet explained as she took off her gloves.
"I want an epidural! I'm only halfway through this and feel like I want to stop." Carolyn said, tiredly.
"Ok, I'll go put in the order. It can be ready in an hour." Janet said, rubbing Carolyn's leg.
"I know it's going to slow down my labor, but I need something for the pain," Carolyn cried out as another pain came.
"Hey, you have to do what needs to be done to bring these little guys into the world." Cam soothed, stroking Carolyn's hair.
Carolyn labored for another hour when they came to give her an epidural.
"Thank God!" Carolyn said, sitting up so they could do the procedure.
Carolyn could finally rest after she got the epidural.
"I'm going to grab a coffee and call and check on the kids. Do you want anything?" Cam asked Kim, stretching his back as he stood up.
"I'll take a coffee with cream, please," Kim said, smiling.
"Sure, I'll be right back!" Cam said, and left the room.
Carolyn slept a little longer. Janet came into the room with an ultrasound machine to make sure the babies were still in the right birthing position.
"Carolyn, I want to do an ultrasound to make sure the boys are still in the right position." Janet said, trying to wake Carolyn up gently.
Carolyn opened her eyes and nodded. Cam moved to the other side of the bed to hold Carolyn's hand. Janet pulled up Carolyn's gown up and put gel on her belly. The baby's strong heartbeat filled the room.
"Well, baby A is in the right position and ready to come soon. He is very close to the birth canal. Baby B is in limbo right now. He is mostly turned down but he could flip during baby A delivery. We will have to keep a watchful eye on him," Janet explained as she shut down the machine.
"Thank you! I think the epidural is making me shaky. I know that can be a side effect." Carolyn said, her hand shaking and teeth chattering.
"I'll bring you some jello and broth to eat that might help with the shakes. Let's get you on your other side as well." Janet said.
"Thank you!" Carolyn and Cam said together as Janet left. A nurse helped Carolyn turn on her side and placed what they call a peanut ball in between her legs.
There was a knock on the door and Cam's parents and Hank walked in.
"You could get a flight fast!" Cam said, as his mom hugged him.
"Your mom has had our bags packed and been looking at flights for weeks now. She was just waiting for that phone call," Frank chuckled.
"Nothing wrong with being prepared. I just had to book the flight, and we were ready to go. Plus, we made it before the boys came," Wendy said, shrugging.
"That sounds like me before Carolyn went on bed rest. I had my bag packed ready for anything," Kim said as Hank put his arm around her waist.
"I didn't want to stop anyone's life." Carolyn said, frowning.
"You didn't stop me from doing anything. I wanted to do this," Kim assured.
"I'm the first twin grandma of my friends!" Wendy said proudly.
Carolyn labored, ate, and talked for several more hours until Darius had come in to check on her.
"How are you doing?" Darius asked, taking her hand.
"I'm ok with the epidural. Janet checked me about thirty minutes ago and I was eight centimeters so I should push soon, hopefully." Carolyn said, gently squeezing Darius' hand.
It was a few more hours later and Carolyn was finally at ten centimeters. Carolyn was in a sitting up position with stirrups. Cam would be on one side and Kim on the other. Wendy would be supporting on the side. The men waited in the waiting room. They would go get the kids so they could see the babies first. They carefully got Carolyn into place on the bed.
"Ok, Carolyn, give me a big push!" Janet said, standing at Carolyn's feet.
Carolyn took a deep breath and pushed. A nurse counted to ten a Carolyn pushed.
"Good girl!" Kim said, kissing Carolyn on the head.
Carolyn had been pushing for an hour, and the baby was finally crowned.
"I don't want to push anymore!" Carolyn whimpered when Janet told her to push.
"You're doing an amazing job, sweetheart. He's almost here," Cam assured, stroking her face.
Carolyn pushed a few more times. Suddenly, a sharp cry was heard.
"Here's your boy!" Janet said as she reached up, putting the baby on Carolyn's chest.
"Oh, my boy!" Carolyn cried as she looked down at the tiny baby in her arms. She then looked at Cam, who had tears in his eyes. Cam leaned down, kissing Carolyn and the stroked the baby's cheek. He cut the cord and the NICU team gently took the baby to examine him. Cam followed the tiny baby. He watched as they performed many tests on his tiny little boy. His brother would come soon.
Carolyn was crying as Kim and Wendy were talking to her softly, trying to get her to calm down.
"He weighs five pounds even and is sixteen inches long. His lungs sound good. His heartbeat sounds a little rapid, but he was just born. He is in good shape just want to keep him overnight in the NICU just in case anything arises," A NICU doctor explains.
"Can I hold him one more time?" Carolyn asked.
"I don't see why not!" The doctor put the baby in Cam's arms.
"Oh, buddy, you feel like I'm holding a cloud. Your brother and sister are going to be excited to meet you." Cam said, walking over to the Carolyn. He put the baby on Carolyn's chest.
"He's perfect Cam. He looks like you. I love you, angel mommy will see you soon." Carolyn cooed.
"Do you know what his name is yet?" Janet asked.
"No, I want to see his brother's face first. This might be Michael Franklin." Carolyn said, still looking down at the baby.
"I think he looks like a good mix of both of you!" Wendy said, stroking the small tuff of brown hair on the baby's head.
"I agree!" Kim said as she touched the boy's tiny hand.
They took the baby to warm him up in an incubator up in the NICU.
"Ok, Carolyn, brother wants to enter." Janet said.
Carolyn pushed for thirty minutes before Janet told her to stop.
"Something is wrong. I can feel it!" Carolyn panted.
"He is having a hard time getting around your pelvic bone. Let's try on your side to see if that makes it wider." Janet said.
"How is his heart rate?" Carolyn asked as they begin to more her to her side.
"It has dropped a little but nothing to worry about." Janet assured.
Carolyn pushed on her side for ten minutes when the baby's heartbeat flattened.
"No!" Carolyn cried.
"I think he just moved me give a second!" Janet said.
Janet moved her equipment more and a weak heartbeat came back.
"Ok, we need to get her to the OR now!" Janet demanded as the personal in the room rushed around.
"What's happening?" Cam asked quickly.
"We are going to have to do an emergency c-section. The baby is in stress." Janet explained.
"What about Carolyn? Is she in danger?" Kim asked, looking down at her sobbing daughter.
"I'm fine! They just have to get the baby out safely!" Carolyn cried. Cam didn't want to let go of her hand. It felt like this might be the last time he sees his wife.
They hurried the bed towards the elevators. Cam barely fit on the elevator with the bed and other staff.
"The procedure won't take long and then I will come out and talk to you, but you have to wait in the waiting area, Cam." Janet said.
"I want to stay with them!" Cam demanded.
"Go see our boy and then when you come back, this stinker will be here," Carolyn said, stroking his white knuckles.
They wheeled Carolyn out of the elevator and down a long hall. They stopped at a door with a big red sign.
"This is far as you go, Cameron. We will be in OR three." Janet said.
"I love you!" Carolyn said.
"I love you too!" He leaned down and kissed her.
They then wheeled Carolyn through the doors with the bright red sign saying he couldn't go in. Cam slid down the wall, pulling his knees to his chest.
A nurse got Kim and Wendy to show them to the waiting room.
"Could you go tell our husbands to step outside the other waiting room? We don't want our grandchildren to see us this upset? Their names are Frank Mitchell and Hank Landry." Wendy said, sniffing.
"Sure," the nurse said before going into the family waiting room. The nurse walked into a full waiting room.
"Can I please see Frank Landry and Hank Mitchell outside, please?" The nurse asked, trying to remember the right names.
The room chuckled as the two men stood up.
"I want to see the boys!" Lola said excitedly.
"They may want to update us, sweetheart. We'll come get you if the boys are here." Frank said.
"Come here and finish telling me about the scavenger hunt you did." Daniel said, taking Lola's hand.
Frank followed Hank out the door. It surprised them to see their weepy wives standing outside the door.
"Oh, God!" Hank said as Kim hugged him.
"What happened?" Frank asked.
"One boy was born fine, but the other was stressing out when she was pushing, so they had to do an immediate c-section. They just took her back and want us to wait in the waiting room upstairs," Wendy explained.
"Ok, we'll go wait in the waiting room. We'll just let the others wait down here. We don't want to worry the kids," Hank said, rubbing Kim's back.
"Where is Cameron?" Frank asked.
"I guess he went to the waiting room. I don't think they let him into the operating room with her," Wendy said.
When they got upstairs to the operating room area, they saw Cam still on the floor by the door they took Carolyn through.
"Cameron, let's go wait in the waiting room." Frank said held out his hand for Cam to take. It surprised Frank a little when Cam stood up and hugged him, crying. He hugged Cam tightly, stroking the back of his head.
"I'm scared for them, daddy. I can't do anything to help my wife or son!" Cam sobbed.
"You got to stay strong for them. It's ok to cry but you have to keep thinking positive for them. Everything will be alright," Frank soothed.
They walked into the waiting room. Janet entered the room shortly after. Cam jumped up quickly.
"How are they?" Cam asked quickly.
"Carolyn and the baby are fine. It was touch and go for a while, but they are doing better. Carolyn is in recovery and they took baby boy to NICU." Janet explained.
"Thank you!" Cam said, walking over and hugged her.
"Of course! I was going to do my best to get that boy out safely and make sure our girl was safe," Janet said, patting Cam on the back.
"Can we see Carolyn?" Kim asked.
"I'll have someone come get you when she wakes up. I can take you to NICU to see the boys. Lola and Dev can go in just not for very long." Janet explained.
"They would like to see the boys." Cam nodded.
They walked to the family waiting room.
"Daddy! Are the boys here?" Lola asked excitedly.
"They are, but remember they are small, so they are getting extra care, but you can visit for a few minutes. Be and speak calmly." Cam instructed.
"I will!" Lola promised.
"Can we see mom?" Devlin asked.
"You mom is in recovery right now. She had to have surgery. Someone will let us know when she wakes up." Cam explained.
"You all can't come in the NICU unit with us, but we'll bring the incubators to the window for everyone to meet the little Mitchells," Janet said, smiling at the room full of her friends.
Janet lead everyone up to the NICU. She was holding Daniel's hand. She let go of Daniel's hand and he led the others to the window to see the babies. Janet led Cam, kids and grandparents, to the NICU unit.
"Ok, go through this door and wash your hands, then a nurse will help you put on a grown and gloves. We are trying to keep out as many germs as we can." Janet said as she opened the door.
After they had on gloves and gowns, she led to an incubator. The tiny baby had wires and tubes coming from him.
"We think this is Michael Franklin." Cam said, calmly walking up to the baby.
"He has been doing well the wires and things are just monitoring him. I know it looks scary. He wouldn't take a bottle, which isn't unusual, so he has a feeding tube right now, but that's just because this little he needs calories quickly." A nurse explained. The nurse opened a small part of the incubator.
"You can touch and talk to him. He's opened his pretty eyes twice for us." The nurse said.
"Hey, buddy! You are very brave boy but you are a Mitchell so you are going to have to eat like the rest of us." Cam said as he gently stroked the boy's tummy.
"Hi Mikey, it's me Lola! I'm glad you are finally here. You need to grow. I want to hold you." Lola said, as Hank lifted her up to see the baby.
They wheeled another incubator up to them. The boy had the same wires and tubes as his brother.
"Oh, hey, Maxwell Henry!" Devlin cooed as the baby opened his eyes when he walked over.
Both of the grandfather looked at each other. They had not been told the boys' middle names. They were proud their grandsons carried their names and of the parents that chose the names for the boys.