As always, these characters are not mine. And I am so excited that I only have 3 more chapters left after this one!
Winry was in her bedroom next to her husband. He was holding her hand while pushing very hard. Labor had been quick but pushing the baby out was taking a long time with almost no progress. She was feeling weak. The midwife and doctor looked down at her and went wide eyed. They looked panicked.
"What's wrong?" Winry asked breathing out.
"The baby's in a bad position. We may have to operate to get it out."
Winry and Edward looked at each other in terror. Before she knew it, the doctor had brought out a scalpel and was preparing to cut her.*
Winry woke up drenched in sweat. She looked all around. It was pitch black. Her husband lay snoring next to her with his hand on his stomach. He was dreaming peacefully.
Winry leaves the bed and heads to the bathroom. She washes her face and takes a deep breath in. She feels her swollen abdomen. The new life inside of her moving. She checks for blood in her underwear. There was none. She is relieved. Everything seems fine. Just a horrible dream.
Winry can't believe her husband convinced her to try for another boy. And she readily agreed to it! Maybe it was because she felt guilty about taking in a kitten. But here she was seven months along now. She looked down and whispered "You better be a boy with as hungry as you are making me." And then she realized that she wanted a snack and went downstairs to raid the fridge.
One month later making Winry 8 months along, Edward and Winry were at the doctor's office for Winry's check up. She lay on the exam table waiting. She rubbed her belly. "You know, Ed, it never gets old."
"Hmmm? What doesn't get old?" Edward said snapping out of his reverie.
"This feeling of it moving. I'm really enjoying it. You know why?"
"Why?"
Winry grabbed him by the collar. "Because this is the last pregnancy I will ever go through! You hear me?!
Edward nodded in fear. "Yes, definitely!" He agreed. She was eating them out of house and home. And she was very moody and tired. He was over it also. They heard a knock and Winry dropped Edward and laid back pleasantly smiling like nothing had happened.
The nurse that had taken her vitals was with the doctor when they came in. The doctor asked her if she had been feeling alright. Winry nodded but then told them she had a slight headache.
The doctor went on. "Well the reason I'm asking is because your blood pressure is high."
"Oh," said Winry who was surprised.
"I think you need to begin resting more. Are you still working?"
"Well yeah. I work until the day before I have them."
The doctor sighed. "That may need to change soon. With your blood pressure, I think you need to rest more. I'm sure your clients will understand."
Winry was shocked. She had never had this issue before. What was she going to do? She still had a few more clients to finish up before she was due.
Edward took her hand. He knew her giving up her work was going to be hard to swallow but her health was important. He squeezed her hand. "It's okay. That's why you hired an assistant. He'll take care of the clients."
The doctor took the measuring tape and laid it across her abdomen. "You're measuring large too. I think I know the issue but lets confirm it first. Let's do an X-ray to see."
The nurse helped Winry up. She made Edward stay, who was starting to panic internally and showed it by being annoyed. But in a just a few minutes Winry was back.
Edward helped her onto the exam table. They were both worried. They stayed silent and held each other's hands wondering what could be wrong.
The doctor came back after ten minutes with a developed X-ray. He placed it on the light board and the nurse shut off the lights in the room so the lightboard glowed.
The doctor explained "It's just what I thought. Here is baby number one and here is baby number two." He pointed out each baby's head as it was very visible on the X-ray.
The room was silent as the couple digested the news. Winry spoke up "Twins?! Oh my god!" Winry didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She looked at her husband who had to lean back in the chair to avoid collapsing on the floor.
Edward realized this was the reason she was so hungry all the time. She was eating for three. And maybe her mood was so temperamental because of more hormones involved.
The doctor told them that this might also cause her blood pressure to increase so she would have to be diligent about resting. They would make house visits from now on so Winry wouldn't have to walk into town.
A week later…
The doctor visits the house with the midwife. The older kids are at school while Sophie is playing with Kisa at Alphonse and Mei's home so the doctor wouldn't be interrupted. The nurse takes her urine sample and tests it a lighter. The nurse called the doctor over to see the sample and agreed with the nurse. "Mrs. Elric, it seems there is protein in your urine sample. And your blood pressure is somewhat better but still high. Have you had any visual disturbances or any worsening headaches?"
Winry looked down. "Yes, sometimes when I stand, I see spots for a few seconds and I had a nasty headache yesterday but I am feeling better today."
Edward watched as the doctor examined her and asked to see her ankles. Winry lifted the covers off. The doctor pushed on her ankles slightly. "Your ankles are a little swollen." The doctor shook his head.
Edward asked "What does that mean? Is it the blood pressure?" He wasn't sure how this was all connected.
The doctor then explained to them "All of these symptoms point to an uncommon condition called preeclampsia. We're not sure what causes it. Carrying twins seems to increase the odds of developing it as well as maternal age."
Winry scoffed "I'm not that old."
The doctor held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not saying you are but you are older than when you had your first."
Winry sighed in defeat. It was ten years ago that she had her first.
The doctor continued "I believe it's best if you go into hospital at Central where they can treat this condition better than we can."
Edward rose up. "What?! We've always had our children at home. And there was never a problem."
"You are correct but she never showed any signs of preeclampsia before. And with twins, there could be more complications in the birthing process."
Winry suddenly remembered her dream. How awful it was to so helpless. All of their lives were at stake. She had heard of preeclampsia and knew it could be deadly to both mother and infant. Edward was arguing with the doctor until Winry took his hand. "Ed?"
He looked down at her and saw how serious she was. "I think the doctor's right. I think we need to go to Central."
"Huh?" Edward was surprised. She had always enjoyed her home births.
"Preeclampsia is serious. It can be deadly. I don't want to lose them. And I'm not ready to die yet." Winry started crying. She was thinking of how sad she was when her parents died. She didn't want that for her children.
Edward kneeled down in front of her. He put his hand on top of her head. "Ok, we'll do it. We'll go to Central."
A few days later, Edward and Winry were on the train at the station. They were getting in their last goodbyes before the train left. Izumi and Sig were there to hold down the fort at their house. And then the whistle blew and the train started going forward. Edward and Winry waved happily as if they were going on a pleasant trip. When they couldn't see them anymore, Winry let it all out. The emotions came to the surface. They hadn't planned on leaving their family behind but it was necessary. Edward held her as she cried. Rubbing circles on her back. He was honestly surprised that she had kept it together for this long.
They arrived in Central and took a cab to the hospital to be checked in. Their family doctor had already arranged Winry's stay. The nurse showed them to her room which had two beds in it. The bed by the window was hers as the other one was occupied by another pregnant patient.
Edward helped her into the hospital gown behind the curtain. Winry got into her bed and the nurse took her vitals. Her blood pressure was higher than it had ever been. And she had an awful headache. And now she noticed her ankles and hands were both very swollen. The nurse would come back with her medications to help lower her blood pressure and one to prevent potential seizures.
Winry put her arms up. She couldn't even form words now. Edward read her signal and sat on her bed to hug her. He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to tell her that everything would be okay when he wasn't sure if it would. He finally got out. "I'm here for you. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."
Winry nodded. "I think we made the right decision to come here."
Edward agreed. "Yeah I think so too." He placed his hands on the twins' home. Winry was huge. She was way bigger than any of her other pregnancies and she still has a month to go before the due date.
Later that evening, the nurse informed them that Edward would have to leave due to visiting hours ending. Edward was ready to protest but swallowed his tongue. He did not like leaving her here but understood. He had been a patient before. The nurse gave them a minute to say goodbye.
Edward kissed her, the woman he loved, the mother of his children. "Bye, I'll be back first thing tomorrow. I'll be at the General's house. Call me in case you need me."
"I will. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Bye." Winry smiled as he left. She laid her head back and attempted to rest though her mind was racing through the possible horrible outcomes.
After two weeks in the hospital, Winry's blood pressure had gone down from the initial but was still high. But now even her face was swollen. She looked in the hand mirror and didn't recognize herself. She felt so deflated. And she was starting to feel worse too. Edward and Winry eventually agreed to go through the surgery to have the twins taken out, and hopefully this would cure Winry.
The morning of the surgery on March 11th, Edward insisted on brushing Winry's hair and braiding it. She didn't refuse. It felt good to have her hair taken care of. Plus braiding it would make it easier to put into a surgical cap. She felt a little bit more like herself afterwards.
The nurses came in to take Winry in a stretcher to the OR. She was moved over by a team of nurses because Winry didn't have the strength to move over. Her abdomen was huge. She was on the stretcher and looked at her husband, who was helpless at this point. The nurse got his attention and told him to say goodbye. Winry's eyes started watering at the word 'goodbye', and Edward's heart dropped. He had to remain strong though. He kissed her and said "See you later."
Winry nodded and sniffled. "I love you."
"Love you too."
The team took her away and Edward was lead to the waiting room for the OR by a nurse trying to comfort him. "Don't worry, she's in the best hands possible. We'll keep you posted."
Edward was lead to a seat and immediately lowered his head into his hands with a satchel next to him. He knew all he could do was wait.
"Is this seat taken?" Edward looked up as he recognized the voice.
"Roy? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.
Roy sat down when Edward moved his satchel. "Came to check on you, and I have to keep everyone up to date. We've got quite a wager going on the genders."
"Are you fucking kidding me? That's why you're here?!" Edward asked.
"Calm down. You know we're all worried. Figured you could use someone else here. And any excuse I can use to take a day off is always nice," Roy was trying to lighten the mood though.
Edward had more of an annoyed face so Roy's plan must have worked. At least he wasn't moping anymore.
Roy continued "So did they just take her back?"
"Yeah. The nurse will come out with updates."
"I see. So it might be a while."
Edward nodded and started to mope again.
Roy was concerned. "Is there something else going on?"
Edward hesitated. "Winry's really sick. She hasn't gotten any better since being here. And she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me."
Roy raised an eyebrow.
Edward kept going. "I convinced Winry to have another kid all because I was selfish and wanted another boy. I just didn't think it would be like this. She's always been lively and healthy. And now, she's having an operation to save her life and the twins. So much can go wrong."
"And so much can go right. The best surgeons are in there right now with her. Just keep your hopes up, okay? She's a strong woman."
Edward sighed. He could argue back but what was the point?
Roy and Edward drank coffee and waited. Talking every now and then. Roy brought up harmless conversation to try to distract Edward.
Edward then asked "So what was your bet?"
"Oh on the gender. I bet on pink for both." Roy smirked.
"Seriously?!" Edward smirked. "Well Winry definitely thinks one is boy and she's never been wrong."
"Damn it. You should have told me that before." Roy lightly punched him in the shoulder.
"Well I didn't know there'd be a wager but that shouldn't surprise me." Edward smiled finally.
A nurse came out and said "Elric?"
Edward stood up immediately. "Right here. What's going on?"
The nurse told him. "The operation was a success. The babies are doing well, and mom is waking up as we speak."
Edward breathed a sigh of relief. Roy stood up next to him. "Congrats Fullmetal. You're a father… again."
The nurse smiled at them and asked Edward "The twins are ready. Would you like to see them?"
"Yeah definitely. Can he come too?" Edward asked pointing at Roy.
"Sure, follow me."
Edward and Roy followed her to a nursery. There were two carts with a baby in each swaddled snugly in blankets. They were both awake and looking around. The nurse then told them "Congratulations, they're both boys." Edward's eyes enlarged. These two boys would have such a strong bond as brothers. He was thrilled to see if their relationship would be similar to him and Alphonse's.
"Can I hold them?" Edward asked. He hadn't been in a hospital for a birth before and wasn't sure.
"Of course. Let's get you a gown," the nurse put a white gown on him and he picked one up, and then he realized it might be difficult to pick the second one. The nurse had him sit down and brought the second one and placed him in Edward's arms.
Edward was looking at both of them already comparing them to his other children. They both had bright blonde hair like Lucy and Winry. One had blue eyes and the other surprisingly had the green eyes of his mom. 'If mom could only see this.' Edward thought. "Hey there boys. Wait til mommy sees you. She's going to be so excited." The boys looked at him as though they recognized his voice.
Edward finally looked at Roy and saw his downcast expression. He realized that Roy had lost the bet. "So you lost that much, huh? Who won?"
"Breda won. Damn it." Roy said aggravated. But he soon smiled as he saw Edward holding his twins. He came over and looked at them. "But they are cute. At least they take after Winry."
Edward didn't care. The twins were okay and his wife was too. That was all that mattered. "Yeah, they did alright. But one of them has my mom's eyes. See? They're green."
Roy looked. "That's where the green comes from."
"Hey Roy, can I ask you a favor? In my satchel there's a camera. Could you get our picture now?"
Roy got the camera and got Edward's picture with the twins.
Another nurse came in and informed them that Winry was awake and back in her room resting. And that they could all go see her. Edward had to put the twins back in their carts so they could be wheeled to Winry. At least he got to push one and Roy got to push the other. Edward came into the room followed by Roy. Winry smiled weakly at them. She was still swollen and now she was pale. She lay slightly reclined.
But Edward was happy that all three of them were alive. "Hey sweetheart. Look who we have here."
"Let me see them," Winry looked over the side of her bed.
Edward informed her "Looks like you were right again. Both of them are boys."
"Yeah, the nurse told me. Roy, what are you doing here?"
"Moral support. I figured Edward needed some company today. By the way, congratulations."
Winry said "Thank you."
Edward picked up one of the twins. "Wanna hold them?" Winry nodded. Edward handed her one of them and Roy handed her the other.
Winry's heart sang. All of the worries were released from her heart as she held them. "Hey sweet boys. I finally get to see you." Edward started positioning pillows under her elbows so she could hold them both for longer. "Look at them Ed, I think this one has your mother's eyes."
"I know. I'm glad to see that she's part of them too."
Roy looked on at the family. "So what are their names?"
Winry looked at Edward. "We have two boy names picked out. Ed, which one should be which?"
Edward looked at them and judged quietly. "Well at least we can tell them apart with their eyes. I think the one with blue eyes will be Henry, and the one with green eyes will be Hugh."
Roy sighed "Good names for two boys."
The nurse started to give instructions. "Now Mrs. Elric, you're not allowed to get out of bed today. You need to rest. Which means Dad is going to be helping more. Don't hesitate to ask me for anything. Also, are you going to be nursing them?"
"Yes though we may supplement. I've never nursed two at once."
"Well I'll show you some techniques. But let's try nursing at first so they get the most nutrients from the first meal."
Winry agreed. "Definitely, I want to give them a good beginning."
Roy told them. "I'll step out while you handle this. I gotta make some phone calls anyways."
Edward held out his hand. "Thanks for coming today."
Roy shook his hand. "Of course. Just let me know when they're done nursing and I'll come back in."
Edward and Winry agreed. Once he left, the nurse and Edward helped the twins to either of Winry's sides and had them nurse for the first time. Winry laughed as it felt ridiculous as the same time wonderful. Edward was just glad they didn't have twins the first time around and that they were more comfortable with newborns.
After nursing a few days, Winry had to have help. Edward got feed the twins also. She would nurse one while Edward fed the other and then they would swap the twins for the next feeding so that both would get the opportunity to feed. Edward was thrilled to feed the babies so young because he hadn't before. Though he wasn't thrilled that he would be handling milk more with these two. But they were worth it, and it was easier keeping them on a schedule this way.
Winry's blood pressure did come down and preeclampsia resolved after two weeks being in the hospital. She didn't feel up for traveling so they stayed with the Mustang family. And Riza and her daughter Anne Marie got to help with twins.
Edward and Winry were extremely grateful for the help and they finally went home 6 weeks after the babies were born. There was nothing like being greeted at the train station by their three children and Izumi and Sig. Alphonse, Mei, and their two children were there also. There were smiles and tears as they came off the train each carrying a baby swaddled in a blanket in a basket that Gracia had given them to help make the stay at Mustangs easier and the baskets were nice on the train too.
They made sure to have a horse and cart waiting to take Winry and the twins so she wouldn't have to walk to the home on the hill. And the cart also carried the gifts they had received while they were in Central.
The whole family helped with the twins. Even Sophie would help Edward by retrieving diapers or getting the pacifiers for him while he waited for the milk to warm up for the formula. Lucy was more hands on and would help with bathing and snuggling them. Ben was more inclined to help in the shop with the assistant though he would help with dinner. Winry wouldn't be at her full capacity for another few months but they were alive and that was all that mattered.
Author's notes: For a living, I am a radiographer. So when I was in school for it, I learned that before ultrasound, X-ray was the primary way of finding out if a woman was having twins. It was one view so not a whole lot of radiation.
Preeclampsia is also a real condition that women can develop. It can be deadly if left untreated. This is why you give a urine sample when you're pregnant to see if proteins are in it. It's pretty amazing.