Chapter 14
The Thornberry's go to Melbourne as their last stop before heading to the states. It is a bitterly cold fall morning with a skiff of snow that has fallen overnight. They are on the outskirts of the city so they can film some koalas and some other native animals. "So Darwin we are going to find my old koala friend," Eliza says once they stop and so she takes off before anyone can say anything.
Marianne and Nigel take off in the mini-comm. heading far away from town trying to find the same animal. "You ready for our last trip? Are you up for the challenge?" Nigel says to his wife. "Sure when have I never been up to the task?" she says. "Well…," he begins but is quickly interrupted. "Shut it," Marianne says really hoping they can find some animals soon. "Ok sorry," Nigel says wincing at her moodiness.
Eliza heads off on foot and suddenly hears Donnie chasing after her. "Aw man he is supposed to stay with Debbie. Go back Donnie! You're supposed to be with Debbie," she says frustrated that she is now stuck taking her brother along. He reaches them and starts babbling something but Eliza ignores him. "Come on let's get moving," Eliza sighs knowing that she can't return her brother to Debbie now. "So we have to bring him?" Darwin whines. "Darwin stop it besides we can use him to look in places we can't normally reach," she says as the three starts at the first tree they find that looks like koalas may live in. She holds Donnie up so he can climb up and find some koalas. He gets a top the third branch but doesn't find any so he climbs higher up and sees a whole nest of snakes that are very restless. He jumps down so quick Eliza almost misses catching him. Donnie tries to tell them what he saw but Eliza just pats him on the head like he is being cute.
He tries another tree and finds the same thing but this time he grabs one wanting to play with it. It hisses at him and so he starts swinging it around and it nearly bites him before he throws it hard on the ground. "Donnie! What in the world?" Eliza says as he jumps down shouting and pointing to the snake. "Oh," she says "this is what you saw," she says disappointed as the snake slithers around threatening them. "What's going on Eliza?" Darwin asks hanging onto Eliza as they slowly move away. "We have tried two different trees but we haven't seen any koalas," Eliza says to her friend. "Oh no! The snakes ate the koalas," Darwin screeches running. "No maybe we are just in the wrong place," she says as she hears distant thunder. "Maybe the weather has something to do with it. This is so odd they don't hibernate till winter. Fall started last month it shouldn't even be this cold. There shouldn't even be snow. Maybe that is why the Koala's are gone." Eliza says with a strange look trying to figure something out. She looks up and sees clouds forming far off in the distance. "Should we head back?" Darwin says worried. "No we got to find my friend before the storm sets in. Come on lets go to a different area! Maybe they are hiding there," Eliza says running off to another area around Melbourne.
Nigel is out under some brush looking intently for anything to make their last day memorable. He scoots underneath further and further really looking for koalas but all he sees is the occasional spider or runs into the occasional spider web. "Hey Marianne do you see anything worthwhile up there?" he says getting caught on a branch. "Nothing yet dear," she reports back looking thoroughly outside the brush. "Stupid brush!" Nigel says getting scraped on as he crawls to the edge of a bush. He sees a tiny rabbit scurrying about and nearly has it. "Quickly Marianne I found something," he says almost grabbing the creature. She gets the camera rolling but only gets the tail of the rabbit. It scurries off never to be seen again. "What have we gotten so far?" Nigel asks hoping they got something worthwhile. "Let's see," she begins " we got some faraway birds, native plants, a kangaroo speeding by, and the feet of a koala but it was a very distant shot," Marianne says looking a tad bit disappointed. "Aw honey we did great for this morning the weather looks like it could dump on us in the next thirty minutes maybe that's why we haven't had much luck today. The freak snow probably did it in for the animals," Nigel says taking the camera and letting her rest. "Yes but today we were supposed to finish with a bang and we haven't been able to catch anything worthwhile," she says trying not to be sad. "When has that ever stopped us?" he says cuddling up to her. "This freezing weather with the freak snow in April may be part of the reason," he adds again trying to make her understand. "Why did they bring us here then?" Marianne asks clearly frustrated. "Come on Marianne look at all we have accomplished maybe Melbourne was a bust but over the last four weeks we have gotten so much footage so many animals. We got almost every animal known to Australia. What do you think of that?" Nigel adds showing his wife it's not all bad. "Well when you put it that way I say we did pretty wonderful," she says trying to be upbeat but still she can't help but feel disappointed.
Eliza and Darwin are watching the storm come in but it is still a ways from them. "Hey Donnie check in there for Bim," Eliza says dragging Donnie into a tiny cave. Donnie is getting worn out by all of the shoving. He tries to protest but he is once again shoved into an unknown place that could inhabit anything. He is right a huge scary looking lizard lives in there and so he tries to drag it out but gets snapped at. He screams trying to get out of there and watches Eliza shake her head. "What is it this time?" she says dragging Donnie through the forest looking around the area. Another crackle of thunder has both Darwin and Donnie running for cover. "That sounded close," Eliza says as the two of them run around her. "Wimps," she says as she moves into another cave just in case it rains. Eliza is right only five minutes later does it start to rain and it is raining cats and dogs.
"Um Eliza how are we getting back to the commvee?" Darwin says a tad bit afraid that something terrible is going to happen. "I don't know I'm sure it will let up shortly then we can beeline back," she says as the three of them watch the weather get more and more intense. She then suddenly sees something strange almost heart stopping happen off in the distance. "Darwin are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Eliza says trying to stay calm. "Yes," he says as he stares at Eliza in horror.
Marianne and Nigel are going back to what they are doing despite the rain when suddenly they both hear the loudest thunderclap in the history of thunderclaps. Marianne gasps at what happens next. She is looking of in the distance to the east when she sees what looks like a funnel cloud snaking towards the ground about two miles away. It is picking up dirt and incredible speeds. "Nigel look over there is that what I think it is?" she says pointing in a gasp with both excitement and terror in her voice. "It certainly is dear it's a cyclone and it's headed straight for us," he says watching the monster storm. "Oh my gosh we can't survive this," she says and then she has a moment of realization. "Debbie is in the commvee! It can't hold up to this kind of storm! And Eliza she could be anywhere!" Marianne says dashing back to the mini-comm. "Way ahead of you dear," Nigel says as he jumps in and guns the gas into the ground heading as fast as he can with a killer storm only a mile and a half away. "Nigel we're not going to make its getting closer and it is huge," she says watching the growing storm gain on them.
"We are still a few miles from the commvee we are going to have to find cover and fast. I believe it will miss the commvee though," Nigel says hoping that will calm Marianne and he makes a sharp left heading into a ditch that just may save their lives. "Drat the mini-comm. won't fit," he says as they get out and make a mad dash for the ditch hoping to escape the twister. "I think we'll be safe here," he says as he helps Marianne down. He then peers over the top just in time to see the twister get ever closer and pick up some trees. "Were going to be just fine," Nigel says looking at his wife hoping that his words are helping. "Marianne are you ok?" he says watching her struggle with something. "Something's wrong, I think the baby is coming," she says as panic takes over. "What? But it's too early your only 34 weeks," Nigel says as he can't believe what he is hearing. "Yes! I'm sure!" she shouts at him as the pain gets incredibly worse. "Nigel help! He is coming now right now!" Marianne gasps trying to get him to understand. "Of course," he says helping her as his biggest fear becomes a reality.
He looks back over the ditch and see's the twister getting closer still lifting trees. "We have got to get help! I can't do this Marianne I can't," Nigel says still in shock that this is happening right now and just terrified that he has to deliver his own baby. Suddenly her water breaks gushing all over the place only to make matters worse. He grabs the radio in a rush as he watches his son inch forward with virtually no help at all. Nigel gasps at the sight of this precious baby rapidly being born. He tries the radio but nothing happens and it is all fuzzy. "Damnit the stupid radio is out!" he says not believing what he just said. He throws the radio onto the ground as he prepares to deliver his son. "What's wrong?" Marianne gasps trying not to panic even though the pain is getting insanely worse.
"The radio is out which means we are completely on our own with a tornado on top of us," Nigel says as he rips off his coat in attempt to keep his son warm. "Come on dear you can do this just a little bit further and our baby boy will be born," Nigel says practically in tears helping the baby along best he can. "I can't!" Marianne shouts not sure what is going on so without much help the baby slides out and Nigel wraps him in his coat so the baby will be warm. He uses a shoe tie to tighten the umbilical cord. He then suctions out the baby's mouth and nose so he can start breathing then the baby starts to scream and cry while being held. "Marianne meet your son," Nigel says handing him to her. He looks back over and sees that the twister is so close that now he can feel the strong wind and rain pelting him in the face. Yet he notices something it seems the storm is starting to lift but not enough to die down the wind and rain pelting him in the face.
About a minute later Marianne realizes something is terribly wrong when that horrid pain comes back stronger than ever. "Nigel something is really wrong what if something happened, is everything look okay?" she says her voice trembling as she tries to remain calm but the pain is just too intense for that now she feels she could just die. "As far as I can tell everything looks ok for someone who just had a baby," he says and as he looks closer he sees something strange happening. "Oh my gosh!" he yells unable to control his emotions and the tears fall as he realizes what is happening. "What Nigel is something wrong?" Marianne yells over the noise of the wind afraid of what he could find even though he isn't a doctor. What he says next takes her breath away. "Marianne there is another baby coming it's just sliding out," he says as he grabs his shirt to wrap the other baby in. He also grabs Marianne's jacket to wrap the baby in as well for added warmth. In tears he grabs his second baby like it is gold. He goes through the same process with this one as the first one to make sure it is ok. "Marianne it's a girl it's our baby girl can you believe it? All this time there were two," he says as he shows her their little girl screaming and crying. She gasps overwhelmed at the fact that she was unknowingly carrying twins the whole time. The whole idea overwhelms her so much she just can't hold back the tears anymore. "Nigel we have twins a boy and a girl," Marianne begins as the tears finally come as she hold both of her babies. Her baby boy and her surprise baby girl.
They look up just in time to see the twister right on top of them. It is the most beautiful sight ever. They see lightning lighting up the funnel and mini tornadoes circling around the cloud. I has a green color to it. The twister itself is starting to rise letting the wind die down and the rain has stopped. "Nigel it is so beautiful," Marianne says as Nigel hugs her tight. "Marianne this has got to be the best day of my life. The girls are going to go crazy when we tell them they have a baby sister as well," Nigel says. When the storm finally passes Nigel helps Marianne up and carefully puts her in the mini-comm. with her brand new twins. "So what are we going to name them?" Nigel says once they leave. He is so surprised the storm didn't take the mini-comm. "How about Aaron Hunter after me and Cassidee Noelle after your great-great grandmother," Marianne says choking back a sob. "Those names sound wonderful. I love you so much dear," he says. "I love you too," Marianne says holding her sleeping babies. He gives her a small kiss on her forehead as they quickly make their way home.
Once they get back to the commvee Nigel runs in a rush hoping Debbie is okay and Eliza making it home. "Girls are you okay? Where is Donnie?" Nigel says out of breath. At the sound of his name Donnie runs up and leaps into Nigel's arms. "Good come outside we have something amazing to show you," Nigel says. "Did you find a koala?" Debbie says sarcastically. "No now come on," he says keeping a hold of Donnie as the girls follow. They then see what has their father so worked up about. "The baby!" they both say running up to their mother. "Wait a minute twins?" Debbie says so confused. "Oh mommy," she says and bursts into tears. "Their names are Aaron Hunter and Cassidee Noelle," Marianne says as she lets Eliza and Debbie hold the babies. "They're so precious," Eliza says as she holds her baby brother. "Come on girls we have to get them to the hospital. Get blankets and towels to cover the babies," Nigel says as they rush inside with their brother and sister. Nigel helps get Marianne in and rushes to the hospital hoping the babies are okay.
To be continued…
