Chapter 15
"I want to schedule a c-section." Gabriella states a month later with Sam, Jo and Gordo gathered in Lizzie's hospital room.
"What?" Gordo asks shocked.
"She's only 8 months pregnant." Jo insists.
Gabriella nods, "I know. But we never expected Lizzie to carry to term. We gave her the steroids to make sure that the babies lungs and other internal organs would be fully developed, and they are."
"But don't we want to wait for as long as possible before delivering?" Sam asks.
"I really don't want to put anymore unnecessary stress on Lizzie's body, the longer she goes into this pregnancy the more stress that is going to be put on her body."
"When are you scheduling it for?" Lizzie had been waiting anxiously for the birth of the triplets, but now she was suddenly afraid.
"Two weeks from today, 8 and a half months along very safe for a baby to be born. I really think this is safest for Lizzie and will be safe for the babies as well."
Lizzie squeezes Gordo's hand, "everything's going to go all right, right?" Lizzie asks.
Gabriella nods, "I promise I will do everything in my power to make this go as smoothly as possible."
Lizzie nods, "so two weeks from today?"
Gabriella nods, "it'll be all right Lizzie, don't worry about it."
Two hours later Lizzie was worrying about it, her parents and Gordo had left and instead Miranda, Ethan and Larry were there. "I'm going to be a nervous wreck the next two weeks." Lizzie states tapping her fingers on the bedpost.
"You have to calm down Lizzie," Miranda insists, "this can't be good for the babies."
Leaning her head back Lizzie tries to force the tears away, "I'm scared Miranda, I mean I obviously knew that I would eventually have to give birth to three babies. But now I don't know if I can do it."
Miranda shoots a look at Ethan and Larry and they seem to get the point because they quickly excuse themselves. "What's going on Lizzie?"
"I'm not mentally ready for this Miranda, I'm a wimp when it comes to pain. I can't go through this. And I'm just a teenager, so many things can go wrong, you know? What happens if something happens to me? Or one of the babies? I just..." By this time Lizzie has tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Whoa, Lizzie calm down, OK. This is going to be all right, you have two weeks to get used to the idea of having these babies." After Miranda's words Lizzie doubles over, "are you all right?"
Lizzie waves her off, "it's all right, I've been having minor contractions for like three weeks now, Gabriella says they are normal."
But within 10 minutes Lizzie realized that the contractions were more than just normal and Larry was sent out to find a nurse quickly and possibly his mother and 25 minutes after that Gabriella announced that Lizzie was, in fact, in labor.
"What's going to happen?" Lizzie asks fearfully grabbing onto Ethan and Miranda's hands.
"We are going to deliver them." Gabriella responds.
"But Gordo isn't here, and neither is my Mom, I need someone here." Lizzie is on the verge of tears.
"All right Lizzie, don't worry about it, I'm sure Larry, Miranda and Ethan can get a hold of them. And while they do that I am going to get you over to the delivery room so that we can be ready for when they decide to come, all right?"
Lizzie nods and turning to her friends she whispers, "hurry."
Lizzie was well on her way to delivering the babies when Gordo rushes into the delivery room, "I'm sorry they couldn't get a hold of me at work."
"It took you long enough!" Lizzie glares at her best friend and the guy she was about to have a baby with.
Gordo quickly rushes over to Lizzie and she holds out her hand and he quickly grabs it questioning, "how much longer?"
It really wasn't much longer, for the birth of three babies it went fairly quickly, all in all a total of six hours with the first baby being born around 1 in the morning her sister following her 4 minutes later and 7 minutes later the youngest, a boy was born. Lizzie has tears streaming down her face and her head rests against the cushions in exhaustion while they clean the three babies.
"They are beautiful." Gabriella states as she walks over to check on Lizzie.
"How big are they?" Lizzie asks.
"The first little girl weighs the most at 3 pounds 12 ounces, the last little boy is 3 pounds 9 ounces, and the middle little girl is the smallest she weighs 3 pounds exactly."
Worry immediately creases both Lizzie and Gordo's faces as Gordo asks, "will she be all right?"
Gabriella smiles at the concerned parents, "3 pounds 12 ounces is very average for a triplet and while the smallest is a little under birth weight, I'm not to concerned, their cries are strong and they all seemed to be very healthy."
"Really?" Lizzie asks tears welling in her eyes. "Can we hold them?"
"Of course." Gabriella nods and three nurses appear setting two pink blanketed babies in Lizzie's waiting arms and a small blue bundle in Gordo's.
Hours later, once Lizzie had rested and everyone else has gotten some sleep they all crowded in the private hospital room they had stuck Lizzie in. "You guys can't stay long." Gabriella states eyeing the eight people in the room.
"Have you decided on names?" Melina asks.
Lizzie nods, "in age order you have...Hannah Grace, Lily Virgina and finally Michael Alexander."
"I love them." Miranda grins down at Lily who lays asleep in her arms.
"When are they going to release you?" Matt asks.
"Gabriella says I can probably go home tomorrow and the babies can come home the day after that."
"You don't think they need further observation?" Jo questions.
Gabriella shakes her head, "from all the tests we have done they are very health, small, but very healthy."
"So all that lying around and being lazy was good for something." Matt announces.
Lizzie glares good naturedly at her brother, "you just wait until I get out of this hospital bed and you are going to get it."
"All right as much as I hate to say this, if you all want Lizzie to be out of the hospital as soon as possible you have to let her get her rest the babies as well. Although you can always go see them in the nursery, but I am kicking you out of Lizzie's room. Besides this is probably going to be the only good sleep Lizzie will get for a long time."
"I want to schedule a c-section." Gabriella states a month later with Sam, Jo and Gordo gathered in Lizzie's hospital room.
"What?" Gordo asks shocked.
"She's only 8 months pregnant." Jo insists.
Gabriella nods, "I know. But we never expected Lizzie to carry to term. We gave her the steroids to make sure that the babies lungs and other internal organs would be fully developed, and they are."
"But don't we want to wait for as long as possible before delivering?" Sam asks.
"I really don't want to put anymore unnecessary stress on Lizzie's body, the longer she goes into this pregnancy the more stress that is going to be put on her body."
"When are you scheduling it for?" Lizzie had been waiting anxiously for the birth of the triplets, but now she was suddenly afraid.
"Two weeks from today, 8 and a half months along very safe for a baby to be born. I really think this is safest for Lizzie and will be safe for the babies as well."
Lizzie squeezes Gordo's hand, "everything's going to go all right, right?" Lizzie asks.
Gabriella nods, "I promise I will do everything in my power to make this go as smoothly as possible."
Lizzie nods, "so two weeks from today?"
Gabriella nods, "it'll be all right Lizzie, don't worry about it."
Two hours later Lizzie was worrying about it, her parents and Gordo had left and instead Miranda, Ethan and Larry were there. "I'm going to be a nervous wreck the next two weeks." Lizzie states tapping her fingers on the bedpost.
"You have to calm down Lizzie," Miranda insists, "this can't be good for the babies."
Leaning her head back Lizzie tries to force the tears away, "I'm scared Miranda, I mean I obviously knew that I would eventually have to give birth to three babies. But now I don't know if I can do it."
Miranda shoots a look at Ethan and Larry and they seem to get the point because they quickly excuse themselves. "What's going on Lizzie?"
"I'm not mentally ready for this Miranda, I'm a wimp when it comes to pain. I can't go through this. And I'm just a teenager, so many things can go wrong, you know? What happens if something happens to me? Or one of the babies? I just..." By this time Lizzie has tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Whoa, Lizzie calm down, OK. This is going to be all right, you have two weeks to get used to the idea of having these babies." After Miranda's words Lizzie doubles over, "are you all right?"
Lizzie waves her off, "it's all right, I've been having minor contractions for like three weeks now, Gabriella says they are normal."
But within 10 minutes Lizzie realized that the contractions were more than just normal and Larry was sent out to find a nurse quickly and possibly his mother and 25 minutes after that Gabriella announced that Lizzie was, in fact, in labor.
"What's going to happen?" Lizzie asks fearfully grabbing onto Ethan and Miranda's hands.
"We are going to deliver them." Gabriella responds.
"But Gordo isn't here, and neither is my Mom, I need someone here." Lizzie is on the verge of tears.
"All right Lizzie, don't worry about it, I'm sure Larry, Miranda and Ethan can get a hold of them. And while they do that I am going to get you over to the delivery room so that we can be ready for when they decide to come, all right?"
Lizzie nods and turning to her friends she whispers, "hurry."
Lizzie was well on her way to delivering the babies when Gordo rushes into the delivery room, "I'm sorry they couldn't get a hold of me at work."
"It took you long enough!" Lizzie glares at her best friend and the guy she was about to have a baby with.
Gordo quickly rushes over to Lizzie and she holds out her hand and he quickly grabs it questioning, "how much longer?"
It really wasn't much longer, for the birth of three babies it went fairly quickly, all in all a total of six hours with the first baby being born around 1 in the morning her sister following her 4 minutes later and 7 minutes later the youngest, a boy was born. Lizzie has tears streaming down her face and her head rests against the cushions in exhaustion while they clean the three babies.
"They are beautiful." Gabriella states as she walks over to check on Lizzie.
"How big are they?" Lizzie asks.
"The first little girl weighs the most at 3 pounds 12 ounces, the last little boy is 3 pounds 9 ounces, and the middle little girl is the smallest she weighs 3 pounds exactly."
Worry immediately creases both Lizzie and Gordo's faces as Gordo asks, "will she be all right?"
Gabriella smiles at the concerned parents, "3 pounds 12 ounces is very average for a triplet and while the smallest is a little under birth weight, I'm not to concerned, their cries are strong and they all seemed to be very healthy."
"Really?" Lizzie asks tears welling in her eyes. "Can we hold them?"
"Of course." Gabriella nods and three nurses appear setting two pink blanketed babies in Lizzie's waiting arms and a small blue bundle in Gordo's.
Hours later, once Lizzie had rested and everyone else has gotten some sleep they all crowded in the private hospital room they had stuck Lizzie in. "You guys can't stay long." Gabriella states eyeing the eight people in the room.
"Have you decided on names?" Melina asks.
Lizzie nods, "in age order you have...Hannah Grace, Lily Virgina and finally Michael Alexander."
"I love them." Miranda grins down at Lily who lays asleep in her arms.
"When are they going to release you?" Matt asks.
"Gabriella says I can probably go home tomorrow and the babies can come home the day after that."
"You don't think they need further observation?" Jo questions.
Gabriella shakes her head, "from all the tests we have done they are very health, small, but very healthy."
"So all that lying around and being lazy was good for something." Matt announces.
Lizzie glares good naturedly at her brother, "you just wait until I get out of this hospital bed and you are going to get it."
"All right as much as I hate to say this, if you all want Lizzie to be out of the hospital as soon as possible you have to let her get her rest the babies as well. Although you can always go see them in the nursery, but I am kicking you out of Lizzie's room. Besides this is probably going to be the only good sleep Lizzie will get for a long time."