"I wish you could go," Sharon says as she picks up Maggie's breakfast dishes and places them on the tray.
"Me, too," Maggie replies. "Anything to get out of this damn bed. I feel like I'm ready to burst."
"I know," Sharon starts.
"You do, do you?" Maggie snorts, puffing up. "And since when have you been confined to one and a half months of bed rest?"
"Ok, so I don't know, but that's no reason to bite my head off," Sharon snaps back.
"Sorry," Maggie grumbles, deflating into the pillows. "It's just so damn well frustrating being told I can't do anything. I'm allowed to get up for ten minutes every two hours to make sure that I don't get deep vein thrombosis. I have to shower in less than ten minutes. Every try to do that? I barely get washed when Dr. Hodson comes in to drag me out. And as for privacy? Pfft. Forget it."
"I know it must be so frustrating," Sharon consoles as she sits on the edge of the bed. "I know I'd be going batty after a while. But look at it this way, the babies will be here in a couple of weeks and you will finally be able to do what you want again."
"You're joking, right?" Maggie practically growls. "I'm having twins, Sharon. That's twice the work. I'm never going to be able to sleep again."
"Then you better get a head start now," Sharon suggests.
"That's all I've been doing for the past month and a half," Maggie grouses. "I eat, sleep, watch TV, read books on babies and play the occasional game of solitaire on my laptop. I'm bored. Bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored."
"Well, if you allowed more people to come up and visit you…," Sharon begins.
"You mean if I let him come in here," Maggie interrupts. "Not a chance. It's his fault I'm even here. And don't start with he loves me crap again. If he loved me, he would have never sent me away."
"Listen, we've had this discussion I think now a hundred times," Sharon states with a sigh. "So, let's just stop now before you get to the 'he's just here to take the twins away' from you part of the program and move on. Is there anything else you need before I go?"
"No, go have fun at your parent's anniversary party," Maggie grumbles, setting herself up for a good self pity party. "Tell everyone the Goodyear Blimp says 'Hi.'"
"You're not that big," Sharon consoles.
"Oh, yea?" Maggie challenges as she pulls the covers off of her legs. "Seen my ankles lately? I sure haven't. Look at that, I've got watermelons where my ankles should be. And don't even get me started on the stretch marks."
"I won't," Sharon replies, trying not to chuckle. "Grandmother, Ron, Vicki and I will be back tomorrow. See you then."
"Grandmother forgiven you yet?" Maggie asks, pulling the covers back in place.
"Not really, but since she doesn't have a driver's license and Jeff and Pat are going to be there with the new baby, she has no choice but to go with me," Sharon gloats.
"You sure sound happy about that," Maggie states in wonder.
"I am," Sharon replies. "If you can make Grandmother see that you get to run your own life, then maybe I can make her see that the rest of us are not her servants."
"Good luck," Maggie wishes. "Still, I wouldn't mind a multi-hour car ride if it meant I could get out of this bed."
"Sorry," Sharon responds as she pats Maggie's belly. "I wish you could come, but keeping those babies healthy is more important."
"Yea, I suppose," Maggie says grumpily as she goes back to her wallowing in self pity and Sharon heads for the door.
As if on cue, Dr. Hodson walks in and Sharon takes the breakfast tray out. Sharon gives the doctor a measured look that speaks volumes as they pass. Hodson sighs as she gets ready for another battle.
"Good morning, Maggie," Hodson greets cheerfully as she pulls a folder out of the nightstand. "How are you this fine morning?"
"Hmph," is all the response the doctor gets.
"Did you do your urine test this morning?" Hodson asks.
Maggie points towards the bathroom and the doctor goes in there to find a small strip of paper that has three colored spots on it. After checking it against the color chart on the bottle, she throws the strip out and returns to the bedroom to find Maggie's mood hasn't improved in the last minute.
"Well, you're sugar levels look good, now lets check your blood pressure," Hodson states as she pulls out the arm cuff.
After a couple of minutes of cutting of Maggie's blood flow to her fingers, Hodson puts the miniature torture device away and makes a couple of notations in Maggie's folder.
"You're blood pressure is still a bit higher than I like," Hodson informs Maggie. "But I think if you'd just relax a bit, you'll do better."
Hodson's only answer is a glare. Hodson ignores this and pulls out the measuring tape. With a sigh, Maggie scoots down on the bed so that the doctor can measure the immense lump that is Maggie's belly. After that, they listen to the babies' heartbeats which sound like galloping horses. Maggie relaxes a little as she hears that sound.
"Ok, the babies sound good, but you're a bit bigger than normal even for carrying twins," Hodson tells the expectant mother. "But that's not to surprising considering your lack of physical activity."
Hodson is rewarded with another glare.
"Want to see the babies?" Hodson suggests hopefully.
Maggie immediately softens and nods. Hodson smiles and pulls the ultrasound machine and a chair up to the bed. After rearranging Maggie on the pillows, squirting the all too cold gel onto her belly, Hodson puts the hand held part of the device against Maggie's tummy and starts to look around. In short order they see the babies trying to cuddle together through the membrane that separates them. With a wistful look on her face, Maggie reaches out and touches the screen. Hodson gives a disappointed sigh after a couple of minutes, turns off the machine and wipes the goop off of Maggie's all too large stomach.
"What's the matter?" Maggie asks as she starts to rearrange the pillows.
"Baby B still hasn't turned around," Hodson admits. "We're going to have to deliver them via C-section."
"But Guillermo…," Maggie starts.
"That little stunt was pulled off by Guillermo and Abe," Hodson interrupts as she cleans off the machine and puts it away. "And all they did was to push Trevor's head into the correct position. This baby is breech plus with the sibling in the way, there's just no room to maneuver. And even if I was to approve of this little adventure, you'd have to let Abe in here."
"Fine," Maggie grumbles with a defeated sigh.
"Do you have any questions?" Hodson asks.
"No," Maggie mutters.
"Ok, now I need to go down to San Francisco and set up a secure operating room for the delivery," Hodson tells her. "I should be back by lunch time. Is there anything you need?"
"Would you please close the curtains?" Maggie requests as she attempts to find a comfortable position. "I'd like to take a nap now."
"Certainly," Hodson smiles as she gets up to complete the task.
As soon as the door clicks shut, Maggie buries her face into her pillow and begins to cry heart wrenching sobs.
The doctor is met at the top of the stairs by Abe just like every morning after Maggie's examination.
"She's doing alright, but the babies are going to have to be surgically removed," the doctor tells him. "I'm going to go set up a place to have it done. She's probably a bit upset and she's already cranky from all the enforced bed rest. She's sleeping now and I don't want you disturbing her."
"I have yet to go against her wishes," Abe reminds her.
"Yet," she points out. "Just keep it that way. She seemed grumpier than normal this morning, so just leave her alone. I'll check in on her when I get back."
"Yes, doctor," he reluctantly agrees.
He watches as the doctor goes down the stairs and is met at the foot by Guillermo. They talk for a few moments and with a reluctant sigh, Hodson nods her head. She looks back up the stairs and sees Abe still there. She waves him down and he joins the other two.
"Guillermo needs to go into town for a little while, so I'm going to drop him off," Hodson states. "We trust you not to do anything stupid."
"Thanks," Abe growls before he stalks off in huff.
A short time later, Abe hears the front door close and a few moments after that a car engine starting. He heads for the kitchen, grabs a can of soda out of the fridge, gets into the pantry, pulls out his bowl of rotten eggs hidden in the back and heads for the garden room. Once he's there he peels the top off of the bowl and pops a couple of eggs into his mouth. As he's chewing, he pulls a glove off and gets ready to see more of this room's past. It's been one of the things that have helped him keep his sanity and his patience all this time.
But even watching Maggie's childhood is starting to lose its ability to calm him with the constant hostility he's been getting. When Guillermo and Cavendish aren't going at each other, they take their frustrations out on him. It doesn't help that Sharon told her grandmother off so now there's tension between those two. Dr. Hodson seems to think he's more like a trained animal than a sentient being and that he needs to be reminded to behave himself. And while Sharon hasn't been out right rude to him, she hasn't exactly been friendly either. The only one who's been nice to him has been Vicki and it's a little difficult to hold meaningful conversations with someone whose vocabulary consists of less then fifty words.
Just as Abe is reaching for the wall, the cell phone that Manning sent him goes off. Manning gave it to Abe saying it was in case they needed his advice on a case or something. Instead it's been used to harass the merman in hopes that he'll give up on his wife and return to the bureau. With a groan, Abe pulls the small device, opens it up and holds it up to his head as best he can.
"Yes, Dr. Manning, how can I help you?" Abe asks.
"If I ever become like Manning you have my permission to shoot me in the head with the Samaritan," a rough growling voice replies.
"RED!" Abe exclaims happily.
"Hey, Brother Blue, how ya doin'?" Hellboy greets, Abe can all but hear Hellboy's grin.
Abe spends the next several minutes telling his best friend exactly how he's doing.
Guillermo and Hodson turn off the road that leads to Cavendish Acres and pass a car with tinted windows parked on the side of the road, never even giving it a second glance.
"Ok, that's two cars," Margaret states. "How many people are left in the house now?"
"You know, Mom, I'm really not comfortable doing this," Steven points out for quite possible the fiftieth time. "It feels like we're stalking. It's been a couple weeks since she asked us to leave. We should abide by her wishes."
"I know, Steven," she replies. "But, damn it all, I want to meet her. I need to tell her sorry to her face, not through some stranger who may or may not have delivered the message. And we're not stalking"
"And it has nothing to do with the fact that we still don't have a Seer and there's a baby due next month," he states doubtfully.
"No, it doesn't," she replies honestly. "Come on, Steven, if the baby's a Mage we'll know sometime around its first birthday. I can wait that long. But I'm pretty sure I can't wait thirty-two more years to finally meet my granddaughter face to face. Now, please check who's left in the house."
With a resigned sigh, Steven leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. Several minutes tick by as she waits nervously. When he opens his eyes again, he has a slightly puzzled look on his face.
"She's in the house alone," he tells her. "I think. There's something weird about her reading."
"Is she sick?" she asks.
"No," he replies hesitantly. "It's more like there's more than one person in that one spot. I need to be closer to be sure. She could be, you know, being, um, intimate with someone."
"Then, maybe we should get closer," she responds. "So we can be sure."
"Fine," he grumbles as he starts the car and puts it into gear.
A short time later they're pulling up in front of the large house. Steven cuts the engine, leans back and closes his eyes again. A second later his eyes snap open again and there's a big smile on his face.
"What is it?" she asks.
"You're going to be a great-grandmother," he announces.
"I already knew that," she grumpily points out.
"How do you feel about two more great-grandkids?" he asks.
"What do you mean?" she inquires, baffled.
"I think the reason she's on bed rest is because she's having a difficult pregnancy," he replies. "She's going to have twins."
"Oh, my god," she breathes as her eyes get very wide. "Sean didn't mention that she's married. I have to see her, Steven."
"Alright, Mom, but I don't think we should stay too long," he concedes as he undoes his seatbelt and opens his door.
She nods her agreement as she follows suit. A moment later, they're at the front door that opens easily to Steven's touch despite Hodson having locked it on her way out. He points to the grand staircase and they make their way towards it.
"Sounds like everyone's been giving you a bum deal, pal," Hellboy states after hearing Abe's tale of woe. "Whatcha gonna to do about it?"
"I don't know, Red," Abe sadly replies as he finishes off his soda. "I had hoped that she would come to her senses by now."
"Pregnant women don't have any sense, Abe. They have hormones," HB points out. "Never argue or try to reason with one of them. You'll only end up feeling like shit as they break down crying."
"I guess you're…," Abe pauses as a sound that shouldn't be, is.
"Come on, Blue, say it," Hellboy teases. "I'm right."
"I think someone just broke into the house," Abe whispers. "Hold on."
Abe gets up and silently slinks through the house to the front entry way. He spots Steven and Margaret half way up the stairs trying to be as quiet as they can. Abe's not sure what to do as he softly steps up to the bottom step. Before he can decide on a plan of action Maggie's scream rips through the house and his senses.
Abe tears up the stairs, pushing past the two startled humans already there and dashes down the hall towards Maggie's room. He bursts into the darkened room and notes that Maggie's not in bed. A second later a strangled cry can be heard coming from the bathroom. Abe dashes into the bathroom completely unaware that he's being followed and finds Maggie sitting on the toilet wearing nothing more than an overly large night shirt and with her panties down around her ankles. She lets out another cry as she starts to dangerously tilt sideways.
Abe catches her before she can start to fall and she grabs a hold of his arms in a death grip. She's shaking uncontrollably while she pants and whimpers in pain. He places his still bare hand on her belly and realizes that she's gone into labor again and this time there's no stopping it. Her water's broken.
"BLUE! BLUE! WHAT'S GOING ON?" Hellboy's voice cuts through to Abe, grabbing his attention away from his wife. "WHO'S SCREAMING?"
"Maggie's gone into labor!" Abe yells back after putting the phone back up to his mouth. "Call Dr. Hodson!"
With that, Abe shuts the phone and tosses it to the side. He gently wraps his arms around Maggie and starts to try and lift her off of the toilet, but is stopped by a hand. Abe looks up at the owner of the hand and sees Steven Steele staring at him.
"What are you and what do you think you're doing with my niece?" Steven demands.
"My name's Abe, I'm Maggie's husband and I have to get her off this toilet or she's going to have the baby in it," Abe hastily replies as Maggie's grip tightens and she lets out another scream.
"What do you know about birthing babies?" Steven asks.
"Only what I've read," Abe answers. "But I am a doctor."
"Ok, you lift her up and I'll lower the lid," Steven instructs. "This baby is coming hard and fast so I don't think we're going to have time to get her into the bedroom."
"What do you know about birthing babies?" Abe asks back.
"I've birthed more foals than you can shake a stick at," Steven answers.
"Fair enough," Abe responds as he puts all of his effort into lifting his wife off of the commode.
Maggie lets out another screech as they get her situated with Steven sitting behind her on the lid of the toilet giving her support with her perched right to the edge. Abe kneels down on the floor in front of her with his knees on either side of the toilet, pulls her panties the rest of the way off and props her feet up on his thighs.
"Maggie can you put your hands on my shoulders?" he softly asks and she shakes her head 'no' as tears stream down her face. "I know you can do it," he states as he carefully peels her hands off of his arms and replaces them on top of his shoulders. "That's my girl."
He continues to talk in gentle tones as he pulls off his other glove and places his hands on her belly.
"You're almost fully dilated," Abe tells her.
"How can you tell that by just putting your hands on her stomach?" Margaret asks, startling both Maggie and Abe.
"I'll answer all of your questions later, but right now I need Maggie to concentrate on me and I need to concentrate on her," Abe tells her. "Would you please get something like a towel or a blanket to receive the babies in? I believe there are some clean towels under the sink."
Margaret complies by pulling out the entire stack of towels and grabbing the first one off of the top. Maggie screams again as she all but rips the buckles off of Abe's top and arches back into Steven.
"Maggie, calm down. I'm right here," Abe assures her when the contraction is over. "And please don't rip my top off. I didn't bring a change of clothes."
"Be glad that's all I'm trying to rip off," Maggie growls, looking him dead in the eye.
Steven and Margaret both chuckle at not only Maggie's statement, but also the fact that Abe's eyes get quite a bit bigger at her proclamation. A few more contractions and several screams later, the head starts to crown. They all talk encouragingly to her as with a couple contractions and a few pushes the baby slides out into Abe's waiting hands and the amniotic fluid splashes all over Abe's lap and the floor.
The baby takes its first breath and then lets out a wail that all but deafens. Maggie reaches down and snags the little one from Abe and holds it to her chest ignoring the blood and wetness while she talks soothingly to it. After a few moments it calms down and she finally moves the umbilical cord that's between the baby's legs to see that they have a boy.
"Hello, Mr. Dylan," Maggie whispers just before she kisses the top of his wet bald head.
Abe lays a hand on his son as a smile plays across his lips and he gives the little one a brief examination without moving his hand. Little Dylan has a blue tinge to his skin and faint stripes can be seen over his entire body.
"What are those things on the side of his neck?" asks Margaret. "And should he be that blue?"
"They're gills," Abe states in surprise. "And yes, that's his natural color."
"Are those stripes?" Steven asks.
"Just like his father," Maggie replies quietly but not looking up at Abe. "He's cold."
Abe quickly snatches the towel from Margaret's hands and wraps it around the baby. He gently places a hand unobtrusively on Maggie's tummy to gauge how the other baby is doing and quickly looks around for something to catch what's coming out. He swiftly grabs the garbage can and upends it, dumping what little is in there on the floor and barely manages to get it in place in time.
"OOH!" Maggie exclaims in surprise as Dylan's placenta is delivered into the garbage can with a wet plop.
"Maggie, we need to get ready for the next baby," Abe calmly tells his wife as he tries to pull Dylan from her arms.
"What was that I just felt?" Maggie asks in confusion, not quite ready to let go yet.
"That was Dylan's placenta," Abe answers as he continues to try and pry the baby out of her arms.
"That baby's breech," Maggie whimpers, her voice shaking. "Dr. Hodson says I need to have a C-section to get it out."
"The baby is now transverse," Abe explains. "It's half way too being headed in the correct direction. Maggie you have to let Dylan go for a little while. You'll get him back, I promise."
Maggie's eyes snap up to his and bore into him but she lets him take Dylan and hand him and the garbage can over to Margaret.
"Do you know how to turn a baby?" Steven inquires.
"In theory," Abe replies.
"Then you better let me do it," Steven suggests. "I've turned many a foal with no adverse effects to their dams."
"Do I get a say it this?" Maggie questions. "I remember Liz screaming something fierce when you and Guillermo worked on her."
"Ah, but we were pushing Trevor back while her body was trying to push him forward," Abe responds. "This time we're just trying to get this little one to go in the correct direction. Are you ready?"
"Do I get a choice?" she asks.
"Not really," he answers.
"Then go ahead," she sighs in resignation.
Abe and Steven both lay their hands on her slightly smaller tummy. Maggie can feel Steven's power flow through her to the baby and the baby starting to respond. A few minutes and some discomfort later, baby B is in position and her body starts to respond to the signals of another baby wanting to come out. Within minutes and more animalistic grunts than screams, something starts to come through.
"The placenta hasn't ruptured yet," Abe announces. "It's coming out first."
"You're going to want to put a small hole in that…," Steven starts.
Suddenly the bag of waters burst thoroughly dousing Abe in amniotic fluid.
"…or it could burst and get you completely soaked," Steven finishes, trying not to laugh.
"Thank you for the warning," Abe replies as the head crowns and he quickly wipes his goggles clear.
"You're welcome," Steven snickers.
A minute later, the baby comes out just like its brother and adding even more fluid to the floor. And just like big brother, this one lets out an ear piercing shriek. But unlike the older sibling, this one has green tinting with faded spots. Abe quickly hands this one to Maggie before she has a chance to make a move. Like last time, she talks soothing to the little one until the baby calms and the new mother can take a look at what they've got.
"Hello, Miss Morgan," Maggie whispers to the baby giving her a kiss.
"Wow, a boy and a girl," Steven admires. "Guess you won't have any trouble telling them apart."
"Especially with their coloring," the proud papa points out as he does a brief exam on this baby.
He gently lifts Maggie's feet off of his thighs and then stands up, his knees and leg muscles protesting being in that position for so long. He gets another towel and wraps it around Morgan before grabbing the next one to dry himself off with. As he's finishing that he heads into the bedroom and grabs the wastebasket from that room. He idly notes Margaret sitting with Dylan, admiring her new great-grandchild and the garbage can resting between her feet. After dumping the contents of the can with the rest of the waste, he gets it under Maggie just in time to catch Morgan's placenta.
Maggie contentedly holds Morgan and starts trying to nurse the baby while Steven happily acts as her back rest even though he's currently staring at the ceiling. Abe starts to search the bathroom for certain women's hygiene products. After coming up empty there, he goes and searches the other restrooms. He finally finds what he's looking for in the bathroom that Sharon's been using. Fairly sure Sharon won't mind sharing, Abe returns with the box of maxi pads in hand.
Abe grabs a clean set of clothes for Maggie and then he sends Steven off with Morgan after promising Maggie that she'll get her baby back. He starts the shower followed with him stripping her of the rest of her clothing and leaving his rather messy gear on. Then he helps her in the stall and carefully tries to clean her off as she leans against the wall, shaking.
"Are you alright?" he asks.
"I don't know," she whispers as tears mix with the shower water. "Are you going to take them now or do I get a little time with them before you go?"
"I'm not going to take the babies away from you, Maggie," he answers after he lifts her chin to make her look at them. "I will protect them and you with my life. I love you and will until the day they scatter my ashes out at sea. This I promise you."
"What about your wife?" she asks, choking back the sobs that want to come out. "Edith Howard."
"She's dead," Abe replies.
He gently cradles her face with his hand free hand and 'shows' her everything. He shows her his vision and then he shows her what he so obsessively found. Langdon Everett Caul was a scientist and an occult investigator from the Civil War era. He had a wife by the name of Edith Howard who died shortly after Caul disappeared.
"I'll show you the rest later," he says as he pulls his hand away.
She lets out a strangled sob just before she wraps her arms around him in a bone crushing grip. She cries into his chest and he holds her until the tears finally run out. He gently pushes her face up again and then very carefully kisses her. When no kick is forthcoming, he deepens the kiss. He kisses her like a starving man who's been given his first real meal in ages. After they part he looks into those hazel eyes and gets lost in their depths.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
"I'm the one who should be apologizing," he moans as he rests his forehead on hers.
"True," she states with an evil glint in her eye as she smiles up at him and he smiles back.
"Let's get you cleaned up so we can get back to those very cute babies of ours," he suggests.
"Ok," she quietly agrees.
For the next several minutes, they work on cleaning both of them up. Once they're done, Abe reaches out and grabs a towel and wraps her up in it. He grabs her clean panties and the box of maxis and starts to read the back of the box. She follows him out takes the panties and one of the maxis and takes care of things herself. After she dresses in maternity pants and shirt and he's dried off as best he can, they return to the bedroom. There they find Steven gathering up the last of the soiled towels and throw rugs from the bathroom, Margaret cuddling her grandson and Dr. Hodson finishing tying off Morgan's umbilical cord. Both of the trash cans with the placentas are currently waiting by the bedroom door ready to go out.
"Normally, I ask the father if he wants to cut the umbilical cord," Hodson states after glancing over her shoulder at them. "But seeing as you got to deliver them, I thought I'd take that honor."
"Maybe next birth we can switch rolls," Abe jokes and is rewarded with a death glare from his wife.
"Next time you get to be pregnant and deliver a couple of bowling balls," she snarls.
"I though I told you to stay out of her room," Hodson growls at Abe.
"But…," Abe starts, perplexed.
"I'm glad you didn't listen to doctor's orders," Hodson smiles before turning to the other two in the room. "And perhaps you two should introduce yourselves to the woman whom you just witnessed giving birth."
"Maggie, I'm not in the least bit sorry we didn't heed your wishes," the older woman begins as she stands and passes Dylan to his mother. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have witnessed this most miraculous birth. As for introductions, I am your father's mother, Margaret Steele, and the handsome gentleman over there is your mother's twin brother, Steven. Please accept our apologies for not being a part of your life sooner. If I was given a choice I would have been a part of it every step of the way. That said, I think we'll take our leave of you."
"Please stay," Maggie requests. "I think I'd like to ask you some questions and I have a feeling you have a few questions of your own. We have plenty of rooms if you wish to spend the night. We're not likely to be too disturbed since my grandmother; my other grandmother is out of town for the night."
"Yes, I believe I do have a few questions," Margaret states as she looks at Abe who's still a bit damp from the shower.
"What about Guillermo?" Steven asks.
"He should be back soon," Hodson answers as she picks Morgan off of the baby scale. "He was meeting his sister in town for lunch and was going to take a cab back here. Speaking of lunch, I should probably get that started. I hope everyone likes tuna fish."
"Tuna's fine," Maggie replies as she sits down on the bed, suddenly exhausted.
"Good," Hodson replies as she hands Morgan to Abe. "By the way, Dylan was five pounds eight ounces and eighteen inches long and Morgan was five pounds two ounces and seventeen inches long. I don't suppose you noted the time of births."
"I did," Steven says.
"Thank you, doctor," Abe mutters as he admires his daughter.
"Abe, should your gear be so wet?" Hodson asks.
"I needed to rinse it off," Abe answers, though not particularly paying attention.
"Morgan's bag of waters burst all over him," Steven informs her.
"That must have been quite the sight," Hodson snickers. "I'm sorry I missed it."
Abe settles down on the bed next to Maggie and she rests her head on his shoulder. Hodson starts to shoo the other two out when something catches her attention. She picks up a bag that had been left in the corner and looks inside.
"Maggie, what are you using to catch the blood?" Hodson asks.
"A maxi pad," Maggie answers as she cuddles with Dylan.
"One of those ultra thin ones?" Hodson questions.
"I think so," Maggie replies, finally looking up. "Why?"
"Here, you better go change that one for one of these," Hodson tells her as she hands over the bag.
Maggie opens the box inside the bag and gasps.
"They're huge," Maggie exclaims.
"Yes, but they'll do the job much better than that flimsy thing you've got on now," Hodson states.
With a groan and a wince of pain, Maggie hands Morgan over to Abe takes the bag and disappears into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she returns, the others have left and she climbs back in bed. Abe is trying to hold onto two squirming babies as they start to whimper.
"They're hungry," he tells her. "I'm afraid this is beyond my abilities."
"You're not even willing to try are you?" she teases.
"I don't have nipples," he points out.
"Sure, be logical," she jokes as she pulls up her shirt.
She takes Dylan first and tries to latch him on, but is having little success. Abe finds a book on breastfeeding and starts to read quickly. After much frustration, two wailing babies and one mommy ready to cry, Hodson comes back in carrying a bag of crushed ice.
"Here, put this between your legs," Hodson instructs as she hands Maggie the bag. "Hold on a second while I get something."
Maggie gladly takes the bag and sits on it with a sigh of relief. Hodson disappears into the closet for a second and comes back out with a 'U' shaped pillow.
"Ok, now hand Dylan back to Abe and let's get you sitting up better," Hodson instructs.
After getting Maggie in an upright position, Hodson slips the new pillow around her middle. Over the next several minutes she shows Maggie how to get the babies situated and latched on. When she's done, Maggie has a baby under each arm and latched onto each breast with Maggie's hands behind their heads holding them in place.
"Ok, great, now I just need a spotter whenever I feed the twins and I'm good," Maggie chuckles as she watches in amazement the two little bodies that used to be inside her.
"I'll gladly volunteer," Abe suggests as he wraps his arm around her shoulders.
"I accept," she replies as she rests her head on his shoulder.
With a smile, Hodson quietly leaves the happy family in peace.
Author's note: Yes, sitting on ice after giving birth is the most wonderful feeling in the world.