Chapter 20

"Happy Birthday, Carlos," Stephanie whispered into his ear.

"Morning, Babe. How are you feeling today?" he asked, his voice was thick from sleep.

"Like I'm ready to give birth. My contractions are ten minutes apart," Stephanie replied. "Valerie and Ben have a little girl. Lisa was born at 0212 today."

"Heh heh. You guessed right," Carlos replied.

Stephanie shrugged. "Not really. Valerie had Angie and Mary Alice a week early too. I merely played the odds," she stated. "I'm more surprised I made it to thirty-nine weeks."

"You followed the doctor's orders, Babe. I must say not having sex for four weeks has been torture," he said. "We have to wait for another six after you give birth."

"There are ways around it, you know. We could do other things that don't involve penetration," Stephanie reminded him. "More or less the same as we've done for the past four weeks. We should tell Jayden and Julie before I give birth."

Ranger nodded before climbing out of bed. He pulled Stephanie towards the washroom to shower. She couldn't get out of bed or off chairs without assistance. Ranger washed her carefully before cleaning himself. After he rinsed off, he grabbed a towel to wrap around Stephanie before getting one to place around his hips. He dried Stephanie's body as she brushed her hair.

"When did you learn to braid?" Stephanie asked. Ranger stood behind Stephanie at the sink to French braid her hair at the sides. "Didn't you think it was something your wife should have known?"

"I have sisters. You've met them," Ranger replied. "Celia and Marie got me to braid their hair all the time. I got the braids tighter than mama and Isabel."

"The next time I see them, I'll have to remember to say thanks," Stephanie joked. Ranger finished the last braid and wrapped an elastic around the end.

Swatting her ass, he said, "Come on, I'll help you get dressed." He checked his watch and smiled. "Still ten minutes apart."

"When I gave birth to Jayden, I got stuck at ten minutes apart for hours. Maybe this time would be the same," she suggested. Her pregnancy may have been different from Jayden's, but everything else was identical. She couldn't tolerate pasta sauce or the smell of bacon.

Julie and Jayden were eating breakfast in the kitchen when Stephanie arrived. "Morning, mom, dad," they greeted.

"Good morning, babies. I see you made me breakfast," Stephanie said. She sat at the table to eat the scrambled eggs and toast. Stephanie smiled when she noticed the birthday breakfast the children prepared for Carlos.

His bagel was perfectly toasted. The coffee was strong and black. Jayden had cooked turkey sausage. "Happy birthday, Dad," they chimed.

"Thank you. Your mother's in labour," he announced.

"We're going to see the baby today?" Julie asked. She was excited.

"Yes. There's something else you need to know," Ranger replied. He told the children the news they had carefully concealed. They were ecstatic. It would be a matter of time for everyone to learn the details. Ranger and Stephanie had agreed they would not have more children after this delivery.

"Your aunt Valerie gave birth to a girl early this morning. We can visit them after lunch," Stephanie announced. "I'd have to get to the hospital anyway."

"What's her name?" Jayden asked.

"Lisa Janette. They named her after Ben's mother and sister," Stephanie replied. Stephanie couldn't wait to announce the name of her child. She couldn't wait to be finished with the pregnancy.

Her feet and back ached. Stephanie relaxed on the couch until it was time to leave. Carlos rubbed her back and feet to release the pain. "They are six minutes apart," Carlos announced. I'll get the kids situated. He left Stephanie on the couch to wait.

While asking the children to get ready, Carlos lets Batman out into the yard to do his business. He texted Woody, asking him to check on the pup. Carlos filled Shadow's dish with fresh food and water. He went searching for the rarely seen feline. "I can't find Shadow," Carlos said as he entered the living room.

"That's okay. She's comfortable for now," Stephanie said as she scratched behind Shadow's ears. "Shadow decided to visit while Batman was in the yard."

Carlos shook his head before grabbing Stephanie's shoes. He kneeled to slip them onto her feet. Her ankles swelled slightly from the pregnancy. "Find Batman, Shadow," Carlos said as he moved the cat to the floor. She stretched, arching her back, before searching for her canine friend.

Stephanie giggled as a thought entered her mind.

Ranger lifted an eyebrow. She grabbed her phone to call Lester. "Hey, beautiful," Lester greeted.

"Hi, Les. I had a thought you'd appreciate. Ranger had just removed Shadow from my belly. When he placed her on the floor, he told Shadow to find Batman. At first, I thought Ranger was a cat whisperer," Stephanie said.

"Nah. Ranger's a pussy whisperer," Lester said before laughing.

Stephanie laughed with her friend before she shouted, "Crap."

"Steph? What's wrong?" Lester asked.

Ranger grabbed the phone. "Her water broke," he said before hanging up. He lifted his wife from the couch to carry her to the car. "Jayden, unlock the car. Your mother's water broke."

Jayden grabbed the keys while Julie ran to the linen cupboard to grab a thick blanket and towels for Stephanie to sit on. They had everything ready when Ranger put Stephanie into the back seat. Jayden sat beside his mother while Julie took the front. "I forgot to lock the door," Julie stated.

He used the Bluetooth connection to ask Rangeman to lock the door. Julie relaxed when Junior confirmed the house got locked and the alarm engaged. "Stephanie's in labour, and her water broke on the couch," Ranger announced.

"HUA," Junior said before ending the call. Jayden knew the mess would get cleaned up by one of his uncles or Ella. They took care of each other like a large, loving family.

"Dad, I've been thinking. Do you mind if I join the Army when I'm eighteen?" Jayden asked.

"Sweetie," Stephanie panted between contractions. "It's your decision. Your father and I will support your choice."

"I'm proud of you, son. My only advice is to make time for your family. Don't lose sight of the important people in your life," Ranger stated. He touched Julie's hand and added, "Learn from my mistakes."

Lester, Tank, Bobby and Hector patiently waited at the hospital for the Manoso clan to arrive. "Stop pacing," Bobby snapped at Lester. "You're making me anxious."

"Shut up, Brown. Make yourself useful and grab a wheelchair for Steph," Lester retorted. Bobby found a nurse to explain their friend was in labour and on her way to the hospital. She let Bobby grab a wheelchair to wait by the door.

A few minutes later, Ranger pulled into the emergency drop-off area at the hospital. Tank opened the SUV door when Ranger put the car in park. Tank gently lifted Stephanie from the backseat and placed her on the chair. "I got your shirt wet," Stephanie moaned.

"Doesn't matter, Little Girl," he replied. He took Ranger's place in the driver's seat as Jayden and Julie exited the car. The group entered the hospital, where the nurse redirected to the maternity ward.

Bobby entered Stephanie's vitals on a chart as the nurse read out the numbers. "Thanks for helping, Bobby. We're a little short-staffed today," Wendy said. She took the clipboard from Bobby and added her initials to the document. "I've called Dr. Manning. She's delivering another baby at the moment."

"Thank you," Ranger stated.

Lester removed his book from his pocket. "Stephanie was right about Valerie. Lisa weighed 6 lbs 9 oz and was born on August 12th in the early morning. I wonder if she's right about your baby, Ranger," he stated.

Ranger read the entries for Stephanie. He knew she was mostly wrong. The men liked to gamble on everything. Ranger didn't prevent them from having fun, but he never participated either. He noticed Hal's entry and grinned internally. Ranger leaned down to whisper, "Hal knows."

Wendy kicked everyone out of the room to help Stephanie remove her wet clothes and change into a hospital gown. "I know it's not comfortable. You only have to wear it until the baby is born," Wendy stated.

"My husband packed comfortable clothes for me to wear. I understand the hospital has policies to follow," Stephanie said. "However, I'll change out of this awful gown the first second I can."

Wendy smiled before saying, "Your sister, Valerie, said the same thing. Her husband, Ben, helped her change into a nightgown after she gave birth."

"Would it be possible to put us in a room together?" Stephanie asked.

"I believe Valerie made the same request." Wendy got Stephanie to lay back to examine her. "You're seven centimetres dilated. I imagine we'll be seeing the baby soon."

Jayden and Julie patiently waited for the nurse to let them enter the room. When she waved them inside the room, Julie grabbed Ranger's hand to pull him inside. They gathered around Stephanie to wait for the doctor to arrive.

Stephanie had to wait for the anesthesiologist to arrive for the epidermal. She didn't want to give birth without the assistance of pain medication. The doctor arrived to administer the epidermal. Julie held Stephanie's hand, asking her to concentrate on her. Jayden quietly talked to Ranger while they waited for the doctor to finish.

Dr. Manning entered the room when the nurse announced Stephanie had fully dilated. "Jay, Jules, I won't ask you to leave if you wish to stay, but it's your choice," Stephanie said.

"Mom, if you don't mind, I think we'll wait with our uncles. Giving birth is private," Jayden said. "Dad will get us when it's time."

"Okay," Stephanie replied. The kids kissed her cheek before leaving the room.

"Are you ready?" Manning asked.

"As ready as I can be," Stephanie answered.

A few hours later, Dr. Manning had announced, "Here is your son, Mr. Manoso." She placed the boy in Ranger's left arm.

Ranger kissed the boy's forehead before passing him to Wendy. She took him to the table to weigh and measure. Wendy placed him in the bed beside his sister. "You have beautiful children," Wendy said.

"Thank you," Stephanie replied. "Carlos, can you get the children?" He used his phone to text them, not willing to leave his babies. "How much do they weigh?"

"Your son weighs 5 lbs 7 oz and your daughter 5 lbs," Wendy replied.

Stephanie grinned. "Do you think Lester would give me brownie points for getting their total birth weight correct?"

Lester entered the room as Stephanie asked her question. "Total birth weight? What does that mean?" Stephanie motioned her arm to the babies' bed. Lester looked at the two babies. "Well, I'll be damned."

"What are their names?" Bobby asked as he picked up the boy. Hector had shoved Lester out of the way to grab the girl.

Stephanie looked at Ranger. He twitched his lip and nodded. "Our daughter's name is Philomena Rosa," Stephanie replied.

"Our son's name is Frances Carlos," Ranger added.

Julie stood beside Bobby and touched the baby's face. "Hi, Frankie. I'm your big sister, Julie. You have an older brother named Jayden."

Jayden smiled at Julie. "Technically, Frankie has two older sisters. Mena was born half an hour before him," Jayden said. Julie rolled her eyes. "I'm teasing you, sis." He ruffled Julie's hair. She smacked him in the gut before going to meet her sister.

Lester groaned when he read the book to see who won the baby pool. "Stephanie won the bet for Valerie. But Hal won the bet for Stephanie. How did he figure out you were having twins?" Lester asked Ranger.

He shrugged. "Hal is observant. He probably noticed the way Babe rubbed her abdomen," Ranger stated.

Hal piped up, "The day we walked in the park with Valerie. Hector touched Stephanie's stomach to feel the baby move. She shifted her hand lower. I assumed she got him to feel the second baby too."

Hector refused to pass Mena to the other men. "I'm sorry, but we're going to give the twins a bath while the porter moves Stephanie to her room," Wendy said as she entered the room. She took the babies from Tank and Hector to place them back in their bed. "You're welcome to watch." Bobby and Hector followed Wendy as she rolled the bed out of the room.

"Are we in the presidential suite?" Stephanie asked as the porter wheeled her into the room with Valerie.

"I asked the same question," Valerie said as she giggled. Angie and Mary Alice sat on the bed beside Valerie, watching her nurse Lisa.

"What did you have, Aunt Stephie?" Mary Alice asked.

"A boy and a girl," she replied. "The nurse is bathing them right now."

"Twins?" Angie asked. "Does that mean we could have twins? I heard it's genetic."

"You read too much," Valerie joked. "Yes, sweetie. There's a chance you could have twins."

Jayden and Julie entered the room and got Angie and Mary Alice to get food in the cafeteria. He had money from Ranger to buy food and drinks. "I have money," he said when Ben opened his wallet.

After the children left the room, Valerie said, "Ben and I asked Manny and Junior to be godfathers to Lisa. I hope you don't mind."

"Val, it's your decision. Carlos and I are asking Hector and Lester to be Philomena's godfathers and Bobby and Tank to be Frankie's godfathers," Stephanie said. The sisters agreed they had made the best decision.

Ranger entered the room to help Stephanie go to the washroom. He got her changed into the pyjamas he packed in her bag. Stephanie didn't plan to nurse the babies, so she wore loose pants and one of Ranger's shirts.