Chapter Twenty: Finally!

"Chris! Wake up!" Manny said, shaking her boyfriend.

"Wh-what?" he asked sleepily.

"My water just broke," she said calmly.

"That's great Manny, but I'm tired." He rolled over and closed his eyes.

"The babies are coming now!" she yelled in his ear. He jumped up and was instantly awake.

"Let's go! We have to go to the Birthing Center!" he screamed at her.

"Listen to me. If you panic, everything will go wrong. You are going to go upstairs and wake up Heather and Jason. I am going to get my bag and go sit in the car, and I will call Dr. Murray and tell her I'm on my way," she explained.

"Ok, got it." Chris said and headed over to the stairs.

"You might want to put some pants on first," Manny pointed out, laughing.

"Pants, right." He put his jeans on and ran up the stairs.

"I guess I should have asked him to help me up first," Manny mumbled to herself. She was struggling to get up. After a couple of minutes, she made it and walked up the stairs. Her bag for the hospital was in the closet by the front door. She grabbed that, put a jacket on, and got into Chris' car. About five minutes later, Heather and Chris came out of the house. Heather rode with them to the hospital.

"Jason's going to wait until the kids wake up, get them all dressed, then go to the Birthing Center so they can be there when the babies are born," she explained to Manny.

"I forgot to call Dr. Murray!" Manny said suddenly.

"Already did it," Heather said.

"Thanks."

"We're here!" Chris yelled a little too loudly. Manny jumped and then screamed, clutching her stomach.

"The first contraction is the worst one. Now you'll know what to expect," Heather told her. She helped Manny out of the car. "Chris, can you go get a wheelchair for her?" Without answering, he hurried inside and brought a wheelchair back out. Manny got into it and Chris wheeled her inside. They took the elevator to the second floor and went into the waiting room.

"Paige! What are you doing here?" Manny asked when she saw her.

"My water broke! I'm having the baby!" Paige screamed, having a contraction.

"So am I! I can't believe this. Hi Marco," she said, as if noticing him for the first time. "Where's your mom?"

"She had to go back home to get my bag. We kinda forgot it," Paige said. "Where's the doctor?" she asked Marco.

"I just talked to her, she's almost here, don't worry," he answered.

"I'm right here, and I can see I'll be busy tonight," Dr. Murray said smiling. "Three babies to deliver. This should be interesting. Follow me, and I'll put you two in rooms next to each other." She walked through the glass doors, and everyone followed.

"Dr. Murray! Don't forget which room I need to be in!" Manny yelled.

"I haven't forgotten. Are you sure that's what you want to do?" she asked.

"I'm sure." Manny replied.

"Okay, this is your room Manny, and Paige, this one is yours," she said, pointing to each room. "You two can visit with each other for a little while, until Manny is ready for the water," she said, and walked away to talk get a few nurses. Chris and Marco brought Manny and Paige into Manny's room. Heather brought her bag in and sat it down on a chair. Manny lay down in her bed, and Marco fixed the chair that converted into a bed so Paige could lie down too.

"Manny, what was Dr. Murray talking…Ahhhh contraction!" Paige yelled. When it was over, she finished her sentence, "talking about?"

"I decided to have a water birth," Manny told her.

"What? Why?" Paige asked.

"The next room over has a Jacuzzi in it. I'll sit in that and relax until it's time for the babies to come. They'll turn off the jets and I'll have them. It's more comfortable, reduces pressure, gives me less pain, and gives the babies more oxygen," she explained.

"Um, what if they breathe in before they get out of the water?" Marco asked.

"They won't. When the babies are in the womb, they are already in water. So, when they are coming from water, into water. They won't take a breath until they are above the surface." When she finished telling Marco, she had another contraction and grabbed Chris' hand.

"Ow! Don't break my hand Manny!" he yelled.

"Sorry."

"Ok ladies, I need to change into these gowns and then I'll check to see how far along you are," Dr. Murray said, handing them hospital gowns. They both changed and then the doctor returned. She checked Manny first. "You are only two centimeters dilated. In a minute you can go get in the tub. Paige was next. "And only three for you," she told her.

For the next three hours, the girls walked around the Birthing Center. They saw a few babies in the nursery, but most of them were in the rooms with their mothers. Around five a.m., they heard a song play over the intercom.

"That means that a baby was just born," Manny told Paige.

"Aw, that's so cute!" she said. Heather went to Manny's room to call Jason and see if he would be there soon. Dr. Murray approached the girls in the hallway.

"Why don't you two go back to Manny's room and I'll check you again," she said. They both returned to where they were laying before, but Dr. Murray became busy with another patient. She didn't return to the room until two hours later. Dr. Murray checked them for the third time since they had gotten there. "Manny, you're five centimeters."

"Only five! But we've been here five hours and I'm only halfway through!" she complained.

"Labor tends to take awhile," Dr. Murray told her. "The good news is that you can get into the tub now. It will make everything easier for you." Manny changed into the top part of her bikini and wrapped a towel around her waist. She didn't put any bottoms on since she would be having the baby in the water. Chris went with her into the spa room but Heather went to the waiting room. She had just gotten a call from Jason that they were there.

"Well, Paige, you should go back to your room now," Dr. Murray told her. "You're already nine centimeters."

"I am?" she asked, both excited and scared at the same time. "Can I at least have my epidural when I get there?"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Dr. Murray told her.

"What?" Paige yelled. She had another contraction then, and Marco wheeled her into her own room, where her mother was asleep in a chair. "Mom! Wake up! I'm having the baby really soon!" she yelled. Her mother jumped awake and prepared to help in any way she could. However, Paige waited longer than she thought she would have to.

"How long can one centimeter take?" she complained. "It's been an hour already! I got here at two in the morning and now it's eight!"

"You know Paige, your labor is going very quickly since it's your first one. Some can last up to three or four days. You've only been here six hours," Dr. Murray told her.

"Well, then I guess I should be grateful. But, I'm getting really impatient. Can you check again?" she asked.

"Give me a few minutes. I'm going to check on Manny and then I'll be right back," Dr. Murray told her, leaving the room.

"Great. Five minutes with doctors usually turns into hours," Paige said, rolling her eyes.


In the spa room, Manny was asleep. Chris had been sitting in a chair next to her the entire time. Heather and Jason were taking turns going in to see how she was doing. Manny felt much better as soon as she got into the water. She had fallen asleep only ten minutes later.

"How's she doing?" Dr. Murray asked Chris.

"Good I guess. She really relaxed as soon as she got in, and she's been sleeping for awhile now," he told her.

"Well, I'm afraid I have to wake her up so I can see how far she's come in the past hour," she said. "Manny, wake up, I have to check you now," she whispered.

"What?" Manny said, opening her eyes. She yawned and stretched.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

"So much better," she answered. "Paige definitely should have done this."

"I'm going to check you now and see how dilated you are," she informed Manny.

"Okay," Manny said, and relaxed.

"I've got some good news. Your labor is progressing much faster now."

"How many centimeters?" Chris asked.

"You are ready to have these babies. You're ten centimeters dilated. They must really want to get out," Dr. Murray said.

"Really? This is so exciting!" Manny squealed. "Chris! We're going to have kids soon!" Chris smiled and grabbed her hand.

"I love you Manny," he said, but on the inside, he was praying that the twins would be his.

"I love you too," she said back, and kissed him on the lips.

"I'll be right back, don't start without me," Dr. Murray joked. She left the room for a few minutes and came back with a nurse who was wheeling two little beds in for the babies. When everything was all set up, the doctor went over to the side of the Jacuzzi and turned off the water jets. Chris knelt down on the other side. "Okay Manny, when you feel a contraction coming, I want you to bear down and push as hard as you can, just like you learned in Lamaze Class," she instructed.

"Well, that's happening right about now…" she said and started to push. Chris began to count for her.

"One, two, three, four…"

"Ahhh!" Manny screamed over his voice.

"Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." She stopped pushing on ten. The same process was repeated three more times. By then Manny was crying and already exhausted.

"Manny I want you to reach down. Feel that?" Dr. Murray asked.

"Yes…"

"That's your baby's head," she told her. "Now, I want you to push again, but this time, give me a smaller one. I'll help guide the baby's head out." Manny pushed as soon as the next contraction came. "Okay Manny, one more, and the baby will be out. This one has to be small too." With one more push, the baby was delivered and pulled out of the water by Dr. Murray. "It's a girl!" she announced. She let the baby float on the water's surface while Chris cut the umbilical cord. "You can hold her for a minute, but then you need to get the next one out." Dr. Murray placed Manny's daughter on her chest.

"She's so tiny and so beautiful," Manny said, crying. "Oh honey, mommy loves you so much," she told her baby. She had stopped crying the minute Manny held her. Chris got one look at her and began to cry as well.

"Chris, you can hand her to the nurse, we've got another one coming," Dr. Murray instructed. Slowly, Chris picked her up and placed her in the nurse's arms. She was brought over to the side, weighed, and measured. "Okay now Manny, same thing as before," Dr. Murray told her.

Once again, Manny pushed, and the second baby came out faster than the first. "It's a boy!" Dr. Murray announced, as he was pulled out of the water. Chris cut the cord again, and the baby was handed over to Manny. There were more tears, and after a few minutes, he was taken to be measured as well.

"Your daughter was born at 8:20 a.m. She weighs five pounds, five ounces, and is eighteen inches long. Your son was born at 8:22 a.m., weighs five pounds, five ounces, and is also eighteen inches," the nurse told Manny. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you so much!" Manny said, in tears. Chris was still crying too. He was standing over their beds.

"They're beautiful Manny," he whispered.

"Let's get you out of there and dried off. You need to rest now," Dr. Murray told her. "You can go to sleep as soon as you deliver the placentas." Chris helped Manny out of the tub and she dried herself off. She leaned on his shoulder and he led her back to her room, where she changed into a hospital gown. She then lay down on her bed, exhausted.

Ten minutes later, after she delivered the placentas, Manny was holding both of her babies, one in each arm. Chris was able to go outside the room and push the button that played the song that a baby was born. He pushed it twice, and then went out to the waiting room to announce the news. He found everyone who attended the baby shower sitting and waiting, even Joey and Caitlin.

"Manny just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and a baby boy. They are both completely healthy," he announced. Everyone cheered. "Paige will deliver soon. Anyone who would like to see the babies can go, but you have to go about three at a time. The only exception is that the Daniels' can all go in right now," he explained. He led them all down to the room. Jason and Heather held the babies, and the boys got to hold them with help.

"What are their names?" Jason asked.

"Well, Manny picked out the first names, and I chose the middle names. It was really easy," Chris said.

"And…?" Heather asked.

"Meet Lily Adila and Lucas Wade," Manny proudly announced.

"Those names are perfect," Jason said, and Heather agreed. They stayed for a few more minutes, and more and more people came to see the twins in small groups. It was nine fifteen a.m. when everyone had seen them and the Daniels all came back in to stay for awhile. A little less than ten minutes later, they could all hear crying from the next room, and then the song played over the intercom. Paige's baby had just been born.

"It's a girl!" they heard Dr. Murray yell. She was born at 9:22 a.m., exactly one hour after Lucas. When Paige was finished with all of her labor and the baby was measured, Marco pushed her over to Manny's room in her wheelchair, and she was holding her daughter.

"Everyone, meet Avery Grace," she said proudly.

"Paige, she's beautiful," Manny told her.

"Thanks. And I'm so happy that she doesn't look like her father at all," she said.

"This is Lucas Wade and Lily Adila," Manny said, introducing Paige to the twins. They were fast asleep. Paige and Manny were both very tired, and only visited for a few minutes. Manny fell asleep about ten minutes after Paige went back to her room. Everyone went in shifts to see Avery, and then all went home except for Chris, Marco, and Dylan.