Chapter 5
I couldn't believe Amy was about to have our baby. I felt both nervous and excited at the same time; I'm going to be a dad. Amy lay there; hand over her stomach and taking deep breaths. I dashed to the phone and phoned an ambulance. I could risk hurting the baby if I took her there myself, I'd go too fast.
I gave our address over the phone and had no choice but to wait. Amy was now red in the face and threw the quilt off the bed and sat up. I felt so hopeless.
"Sonic… water!" Amy gasped. I dashed downstairs and quickly filled a glass up with water. I then heard a loud scream and, filled with panic, dashed back upstairs again.
Amy's face was screwed up as her breathing became deeper and deeper, I slammed down the cup on the bedside table and grabbed hold of Amy's outstretched hand which felt surprisingly warm. She clenched her hand round mine.
"It'll be okay Ames," I said trying to comfort her. She nodded, still taking deep breaths.
"When will they get here?" Amy gasped hurriedly. It was hard to make out what she was saying.
"Soon Ames," I replied. When are they coming? Amy then released another scream.
"I think its coming early!" she shouted quickly now sweating a lot and breathing deeper.
I dashed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel and dabbed it on her forehead.
"They will be here soon," I said. As soon as I said this sirens were heard in the distance.
"They're here!" I called and dashed downstairs and threw open the front door.
Outside an ambulance was parked and two bears got out, one male, one female, both wearing paramedic outfits.
"I think its coming!" I called quickly and they followed me upstairs. They took one look at Amy then one of them glanced at me.
"She won't be able to get to the hospital in time," he informed me, sounding just as nervous as me.
"Do you mean…" my eyes widened.
"Yes, she'll have to give birth here…" The bear replied nervously. I couldn't believe it, my own child was about to be born in my own bed. I felt really happy and incredibly nervous.
The bear that spoke to me left and soon returned with a bag and took out something I couldn't see. The female bear knelt at the end of the bed and held Amy's knees.
"Okay Mrs Hedgehog you'll have to give birth here. Now on your next contraction I need you to give a push," she instructed. I was biting my nails, feeling hopeless just watching.
"Try to comfort her," the male dog whispered to me, I knelt beside Amy and held her hand.
"Come on Amy you can do this, this is our first child we're talking about!" I said. I suddenly noticed that my heart was beating fast.
Amy gave a loud scream and pushed.
"That's it Amy, come on, I love you, and you can do this!" I added, trying to encourage her.
"I can see a head!" The female nurse replied. I wanted to see it but I needed to keep Amy going.
"Come on Amy you can do it, you're very brave!" I said to her as she squeezed my hand tight and gave another loud scream.
"That's it, almost there one last push!" the nurse instructed and Amy took a deep breath and gave a third scream and pushed.
The room was suddenly filled with the sound if baby's cries as the female nurse grabbed a blanket from her bag and wrapped what I presumed were my first child, she handed it to the male bear, and I couldn't see the baby at all.
"Well done Amy. Now are you ready for the second one?" the female bear asked casually.
"Second one?" I was confused.
"Yes, the second baby's on the way," she replied in the same casual voice.
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it.
"Didn't you know you were having twins?" the nurse asked, looking at my surprised expression.
I shook my head. I had no idea there was a second child.
"Amy you knew we were having twins didn't you?" I asked her. Amy, breathing heavily, nodded.
Amy had found out she was having twins and kept it from me.
"You cheeky cow," I grinned. I couldn't be happier.
"Right, are you ready then Amy?" The nurse asked. Amy nodded and after a few more screams and pushes, a second baby arrived. I couldn't see anything though. But as soon as the second baby came out the nurse looked worried.
"It's not breathing properly," she informed us. She quickly placed a blanket round the second baby and dashed out the room.
My happiness melted away. All of a sudden I was scared. I didn't want our child to die.
"I'm sure it'll be alright Amy!" I said to her but when I glanced at her my stomach gave a nasty jolt. Amy was lying motionless.
"AMY!" I called shaking her arm but it just flopped around.
"NURSE THE NEW MUM'S UNCONSCIOUS!" the other bear called and within seconds the female nurse arrived with a stretcher which they placed Amy's apparently lifeless body on.
"She isn't gonna die is she?" I asked in a panic, tears flowing down my cheeks.
"It's hard to tell," replied the nurse as the other bear placed the first baby in the ambulance and arrived to carry the stretcher down. Soon I, Amy, and our two new babies were in the back of the ambulance. Amy was lying on the stretcher while the female nurse held the two babies as the other bear drove to the hospital. I held Amy's hand all the way.
"Please don't die…" I cried. I didn't want Amy or the second child to die.
"They should be fine but it's too early to tell," the nurse replied, handing me a tissue.
I wiped my eyes and stared at Amy's blank face, eyes shut.
"Can I...?" I gestured at the blanket in the nurses left arm, the one with the healthy baby.
The nurse nodded. She placed the baby in my hands and my heart sank. There in the blanket lay a beautiful baby boy, his tiny blue quills scratching against the blanket. He's small blue fur stroked against the blanket as it lay sleeping.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked, gesturing at the second child who was lying in the blanket in the nurse's right arm.
"It's a she and it's hard to say at this time," She replied sympathetically. It suddenly hit me that I may lose my daughter and my wife and I began crying again. I was really worried.
We soon arrived at the hospital where I was forced to wait outside a room as the two bears took Amy and the two babies inside.
After twenty minutes of waiting I was able to see them. Taking a deep breath I walked in and found a most unpleasant scene.
In an incubator at the right of the room lay my first son, sleeping and breathing quite healthily. In an incubator next to it lay a beautiful small, pink hedgehog, lying motionless with tubes attached to her nose and body. These were all hooked to a machine that was making beeping noises.
Next to that was Amy, laying motionless but appeared quite comfortable, she too had tubes attached to a machine.
I was scared, more scared then I ever felt in my life, frightened as both my wife and my new daughter hovered between life and death…