Chapter 10

"It's not too late for that epidural, Amanda," Dr. Johansen reminded her after checking her again. "You still have a little ways to go before it's time for the big show."

Amanda shook her head, "No, thank you, Doctor. I brought both my boys into this world without medication, and I can do it again." She gritted her teeth and squeezed Lee's hand tightly as another contraction began.

Dr. Johansen waited patiently for the contraction to pass. He checked the heartbeat readouts for each of the twins and nodded. "You're doing great. The girls are tolerating the contractions fine, but I don't want to see you run out of energy halfway through. The epidural will allow you to rest before it's time to push, that's all."

"So, what you're saying is… this epidural… will just give Amanda a break from the pain for a while?" Lee confirmed.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. It will dull the pain enough to make it tolerable. She'll still feel plenty of pressure, but it won't hurt the way it does now," Dr. Johansen explained.

Amanda reached up and grabbed a fistful of Lee's shirt as she informed the room loudly, "I said no epidural, and I mean, no epidural."

Lee pried her hand loose as he assured her, "Okay, okay,… if that's what you want, then no epidural." He looked up at the doctor and asked, "How much longer do you think this is going to last?"

Dr. Johansen gave him a sympathetic smile as he stated, "Not too much longer. She's already at eight centimeters, so things could speed up." He patted Amanda's knee gently and reminded her, "You try to rest. You're going to need all the energy you have to push those girls out, remember that. I'll be back in about a half-hour to check on you again. I wouldn't be surprised if you're ready by then." He disappeared into the hallway, leaving Lee and Amanda alone once more.

In the waiting room, Francine was sitting, reading a magazine when Dotty rushed in. "Where is she? I knew today was going to be the day! I knew it!"

"Hello, Dotty. Amanda is in room three with Lee, but I don't think they're allowing anyone else in her room anymore," Francine stated, but her last statement fell on deaf ears as Dotty hurried down the hallway toward the yellow door. She pushed the door open and announced, "Amanda! I'm here now!"

Amanda, amidst another contraction, snapped, "Well, it's about time, Mother! Francine's been trying to get you all morning!"

Flustered, Dotty pressed her hand to her chest and tried to explain, "Well, when I got to the doctor's office, they ushered me into a room, and there I sat, just waiting and waiting. I poked my head out and caught the nurse after almost an hour, and she just told me the doctor was held up with an emergency but to hold tight. Well, I went back in and read all the magazines they had, and he still hadn't shown up, so I went to try again, and just as I opened the door, there he was!" Amanda didn't reply; she simply squeezed Lee's hand and groaned loudly. "Don't you want to know what he said?" Dotty questioned, oblivious to the concentrated look on Amanda's face as she tried to focus on her breathing.

"Not right now, Dotty, please," Lee shook his head. Amanda was squeezing his hand so tightly he was beginning to lose all feeling in his fingertips.

"Well," Dotty hmphed. "I can see you're a little busy right now, so I guess I'll just go and sit with Francine."

Amanda exhaled loudly when the contraction finally passed. "I'm sorry, Mother. How was your appointment?" Lee stared at her, dumbfounded.

Dotty sat on the edge of the bed and rested her hand on Amanda's arm. "Just fine, thank you. He said I'm in excellent shape for a woman my age. It's all about keeping up with your health, exercising, and eating right. Chasing the boys and Charlie around has been helping with that, too, I'm sure. But enough about me. How are you doing, Darling? Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Only during the contractions, Mother," Amanda sighed. Lee managed to wrestle his hand free from Amanda's and took a few moments to stroke at her face with the damp cloth again. "Thank you, Sweetheart," she whispered before closing her eyes.

Lee continued to wipe Amanda's face and neck gently as he stated, "Dotty, I'm glad everything is just fine, but I think Amanda needs to rest between these contractions, so if you wouldn't mind…" He let the rest of his statement hang in the air as he focused solely on Amanda.

Dotty stood, kissed Amanda's forehead, and whispered, "I love you, Darling. Like Lee said, you need your rest. I'll be right down the hall if you need me." She walked around the bed but stopped beside Lee to give him a small hug, "If you need a break, you know where to find me."

Lee grasped her hand and nodded, "Thank you, Dotty."

"Take good care of her. I know how tough this is going to be on her… I saw it with both Phillip and Jamie… I was there for both of them. She's going to need you. Trust me," Dotty explained.

"What do you mean, you were there? Joe didn't?" Lee asked.

Dotty gave him a warm smile, "Joe couldn't handle the sight of blood. The first sign of it and he was out like a light. Don't get me wrong. He tried, but when things got going… well, let's just say Amanda knew I would be there for her no matter what."

"Thanks, Dotty," Lee pressed his lips together and nodded at her revelation. He continued to caress Amanda's face lightly with the damp cloth as she rested, and Dotty disappeared into the hallway. When he heard the door click softly behind him, Lee spoke, "Amanda."

"Mmmm," she breathed. Her eyes were still closed, and she was taking slow deep breaths to calm herself before the next contraction began.

"Why didn't you tell me your mother was there when the boys were born?" he questioned softly.

Amanda's eyes fluttered open as she gave her head a slight shake, "Because I wasn't sure how you'd feel if I asked if she could be here for the girls."

"Amanda, now I feel like a heel," Lee admitted. He reached down and took her hand gently in his as he added, "If you want her to be here, just say it."

Amanda immediately gripped Lee's hand as an intense contraction began. She gritted her teeth and groaned loudly before she insisted, "If you want to chicken out now, Stetson, there's the door."

"Chicken out?" Lee stammered, shocked by the sudden change in her demeanor.

Amanda began curling her body forward slightly as the contraction continued to hit harder. Lee, unsure what to do, looked down at the strip of contraction readout paper. He noted the contraction she was having was almost off the sides of the narrow strip, whereas the secondary fetal monitors were dropping. "Amanda?" he called her name.

"What?!" she snapped uncharacteristically.

Before he could continue, Dr. Johansen appeared in the room and went immediately to the readouts. "I saw the spike at the nurse's station," he explained. "Amanda, how are you doing?" he asked.

Amanda relaxed back against the pillows and stated, "That was a rough one."

Dr. Johansen watched as Lee shook his hand as he attempted to get feeling back into his fingers and laughed. "A few more like that, and I think we're ready to get this show started."

"A few more like… you mean it gets worse?" Lee questioned. His mouth hung open, dumbfounded.

Dr. Johansen laughed loudly before he patted Lee on the shoulder. "I'll get the team ready."

"Team?" Lee stammered. Without answering, Dr. Johansen stepped into the hall and gestured at the nurses awaiting instruction. Within minutes, three nurses stepped into the room. They started preparing the examination tables, two open cribs, the two isolettes in the event they were needed, the scale, and a side table filled with miscellaneous instruments that looked more like torture devices to Lee.

Before Lee had a chance to process everything, Amanda grabbed at his hand again and growled, "I need to push… NOW!"