CHAPTER FIVE

The ride up there wasn't too long, but I had trouble getting comfortable. I kept having to shift in my seat, trying to relax. The babies were kicking up a storm. "Jeez," I said when there was a lull in the conversation. "I think these kids are playing soccer with my rib cage…"

"I do not miss that," Brooke said. "Let me tell you, if you ever get pregnant again and it's just one baby, it seems like nothing."

I laughed. "I do not even want to think about another baby right now."

"That's how we were for a while," Embry said.

"Yeah, like eight years," Brooke said.

"Are they excited to have another sibling?" Quil asked.

"Usually," Embry said. "Madi doesn't really want to have to share her room, but she's warming up to the idea I think."

"She'll be okay," Brooke said. "She's just a little unsure of it all right now."

"Marc could care less," Embry said. "We're not even sure he knows that Brooke is pregnant. We told them, but a lot of things go right over that kid's head."

"Hey," Quil said. "That sounds like someone else I know."

"Shut up," Embry said.

Quil chuckled. "I can't believe we are going to have babies at the same time," Quil said. "I never thought that would happen."

"None of us did," Embry said. "You guys are like… thirteen years apart."

"Which only weirds you out if you sit and think about it," I said with a laugh. "So basically, we never think about it."

"There you go," Brooke said.

"Hey though," Quil said. "Jake and Nessie are seventeen years apart, and they already have two kids."

"Wow," I said. "They even top our weirdness."

"I have a very hard time remembering that you are older than Nessie," Brooke told me.

"Ha ha," I said. "So do I."

We got to the birthing class about fifteen minutes later. The other carloads from La Push were getting there around the same time we did, and we waited in the parking lot until everyone was there.

The clinic was small, but as we walked in I could see that it was very organized. We had to sign our names in on a clipboard, and we were directed to a room toward the back of the building. When we came in, the room was basically just a carpeted floor with a white board and screen at the front of the room.

"Hi," The instructor said. "I'm Brianna." She looked to be about twenty eight, and seemed nice enough. "Go ahead and just pick a spot on the floor and take a seat. We'll get going here in a couple of minutes."

I looked at Quil, and he shrugged. We took a seat just a little off the center of the room. We both put our feet out in front of us and leaned back on our hands. When you looked at my stomach, you could just barely make out the subtle shifts it made when the babies moved. Quil put his hand on mine, and I tried to relax.

It turns out we were the only ones in the birthing class, and that made me feel a little bit better.

"Okay," Brianna said as the clock struck seven. "Welcome to your first session of birthing class. Tonight, we are going to be doing a lot of very basic things, and getting used to each other." I had to fight back the laugh inside of me. We'd been getting used to each other for fifteen years. The first half hour of the class was spent with Brianna telling us the basics of birth, and the normal progression of labor. None of it sounded unlike anything I had ever heard about, and that was comforting to me.

"So," Brianna said. "To prepare your body for labor and delivery there a few exercises you can do with your partners help. As we get farther along here, we'll start to do more specific breathing techniques and stuff, but tonight we're just going to do very general, basic coping techniques. So, I want everyone to sit up as straight as they can with their partners behind them." Quil and I assumed the position along with everyone else in the room. "Now," Brianna said. "Most doctors and midwives will ask you to push for a total of ten counts. So, to practice that, I want you guys to practice breathing in for ten counts, and then immediately breathing out for ten counts. Partners, I want you to wrap your arms just above the baby bump, and let yourself be leaned into. We are going to do this five times just as soon as everyone gets settled."

Quil wrapped his arms around me, and gave me a little squeeze. I leaned onto him, and he supported my weight easily.

This first exercise wasn't too bad. It was a little hard to get used to breathing so slowly at first, but I eventually got used to it. Plus, the more I breathed, the more the babies settled down. I would have to remember that the next time they were kicking me to death.

The rest of the class passed without much event. We did the breathing exercise three different times, and the last time Quil had to squeeze my arms. This was supposed to be teaching me how to relax through pain.

I left the class feeling more informed, and it had thankfully not been as awkward as I had anticipated.

That night, Quil and I were laying in bed talking just like we did on most nights. I was curled up against him, but I couldn't get as close as I used to be able to. He rested one of his hands on my belly and felt the babies moving around. "You know," he said, running his other hand through my hair. "I think you're beautiful."

I smiled. "Really?" I said sarcastically. "Cause I just feel fat."

We both laughed at that. "Oh no," Quil said. "You look perfect."

I smiled. "Glad you think so."

The babies really started to kick then, and I gasped as the air was knocked out of me. "Hey…" Quil said, and rubbed my belly. "Settle down in there…"

I smiled at him, and caught my breath a few minutes later. "You know," I said. "Even though I feel huge most of the time, they feel so small…" I looked down at my belly. "They're not even fully developed yet, but I can feel they're little hands and feet and elbows. They're absolutely miniscule…" I trailed off.

"I can't imagine," Quil said.

I kissed him. "Soon," I said. "Daddy will get to hold them too."

Quil leaned his head on mine. "Just a couple more weeks."

The last trimester of my pregnancy dragged on. I was huge, but Abbey kept telling me that I was under par for what a normal twin's pregnancy would look like. The Cullen's were scheduled to come down here for the births, so we would have all hands on deck. Just a couple weeks before I was due I had final exams in school, and they were awful. The tests themselves weren't that hard, but having to sit through hours of testing was extremely uncomfortable. I came home at night usually pretty cranky, but Quil was good. He was very understanding, and he tried to help me through whatever he could. I was much more relaxed once school got out though, and Quil and I started getting ready for the babies. My mom and I had been getting the nursery ready for a few weeks now. On one of the last nights of my pregnancy, Jacob and Quil put together the two bassinettes in our garage. Nessie brought the kids over, and insisted on making us dinner.

That night, Quil rubbed ice all over my swollen stomach. It was starting to really get sore from all of the kicking, and Abbey had suggested it. I hadn't had terrible false labor, but that night it was really bad. I could hardly catch my breath, and I was starting to get really freaked out. Quil held me though, and I just held on tight. The babies were both very active that night, but eventually calmed down enough for me to fall asleep.

For the last several months, the eagles had been planning on going back to their old reservation to talk to some of the tribal elders. They had had a much more difficult transformation than any of the wolves had because they hadn't any support from any of their families. Dan had told Sam that he wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen when they went back, but they wanted the wolves to be there. The morning they left I was in my thirty-ninth week of pregnancy and I felt like I was about to give birth any day.

The wolves and eagles left very early in the morning, seeing as they were running/flying to the eagle's old reservation. They were all a little nervous I think, and Quil seemed anxious when he kissed me good bye that morning. None of the girls who were pregnant were going, and I was pretty sure that most of them hadn't changed in a couple of weeks. Leah was staying home too, just because she didn't want to leave her kids home alone all day with their thirteen-year-old brother in charge.

That afternoon, after I had cleaned the whole house for the second time in the last two weeks, I went over to sit with Ashley. When I got there, Kaitlyn and Nicole were there as well. "Hey," I said as I walked in. I had been trying not to waddle, but it was getting hard not to.

"Hey," Ashley said. "Come on in."

I joined her where she was sitting on the couch. "How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"I'm actually doing pretty well," Ashley said. "Ready to go any day now though," she said.

I laughed. "Tell me about it."

The four of us talked about anything and everything. We didn't say as much about our pregnancies as we would have a few months ago. The due dates were getting a little too close for comfort.

Around seven o'clock that night, there was still no sign of the guys, so we decided to make some dinner. At least we had each other's company. At nine o'clock, we had all cleaned up and I was about to head home to take a shower. As I was saying bye and heading toward the door, something stopped me in my tracks.

A tight, painful cramping suddenly started in my lower stomach. It lasted for about a thirty seconds, and then let up. "Oh…" I said, catching my breath. "I think I just went into labor…"

"Really?" Ashley said. "Are you-" she stopped midsentence and I saw what had happened in her face. "Wow…" she said. "Uh… me too…"

Just then all four of our cell phones began to ring. "I bet I know who this is," I said. Sure enough, Brooke's name appeared on my cell phone screen. "Yes," I answered. "I just went into labor, and so did Ashley."

Brooke laughed. "Great," she said. "The Cullen's aren't supposed to be in until like midnight…" She sighed. "Oh boy."

"Hey," I said, watching Kaitlyn and Nicole. "Kaitlyn and Nicole just went into labor too."

Brooke said a swear word. "Okay," she said. "I'll call Abbey, but let's make the plan to meet at the white house in twenty minutes. Don't drive yourself if you don't think you can."

"Okay," I said, trying to stay as calm as possible as I felt the next contraction. "See you then."

I immediately called Leah. "Hey," I said. "We just went into labor."

"Shit," Leah said without hesitation.

"Can you please come get us?" I said. "Four of us are at Ashley and Wyatt's house."

"I'll be there soon," Leah said. "Lyssie called like two minutes ago and is bringing her kids over to Sue's. I'm going to go get her and then I will be right over."

A few minutes later I was slowly pulling myself out of Leah's car at the Cullen's old house. Emily pulled in right behind us with Brooke, Abbey, Kaylie and Lauren.

"Nessie is going to try and find the guys," Emily said. "And Rachel and Kim are on their way over here to help. Sue, Charlie, and Billy have all of the kids currently. Even Jenny and Nick were going over there with our kids," she told Leah.

"Good," Leah said. "I only had time to give them minimal instructions, and I feel a lot better where they're there anyway…"

"Right," Emily said. "That's why I told them to head over there."

"Okay," Abbey said, taking control of the situation as we walked up the stairs to what was previously Carlisle's office. "Right now, we need more hands…" She stopped as the next contraction hit her. She took a few deep breaths, breathing through it. "Okay," she said as the contraction eased. "Can you think of anyone else who could help out?"

Emily ran her hand through her head. "Billy and Charlie can handle the kids if they have to. Sue is an option." She sighed. "And… If all else fails… Jenny is thirteen. She could help out a little."

Abbey waved her hand. "She's all we have. I'll take her; I only need a little help anyway."

"Okay," Emily said, and she immediately pulled out her cell phone. I was starting to panic a little, we currently only had six people to deliver ten babies, and Quil wasn't here. I needed Quil.

"Nessie will find the boys," Leah said. "I know she will. And she can help. So can the other eagle girls. And if Nessie doesn't call me telling them she found them in the next hour, I'm shifting and telling them to get their butts back here now."

"Unless we have disturbingly fast labor," Kaylie said. "The Cullen's should be able to make it."

"Yes," Abbey said. "I'm just trying to plan ahead here."

The first hour of our labor was extremely stressful. Leah had gone out to try and get the boys, a few minutes ago, and we were all waiting for her anxiously to return. A couple minutes later, she was walking back up the Cullen's long backyard.

"I found them," she said. "Just about the same time Nessie did." She sighed. "They're still about an hour's run away, but they're coming as fast as they can. They said to hold on, and that they love you."

"No shit," Ashley said. She threw her hands in the air. "That's how we got into this mess."

Leah laughed. "Right…" she said.

We had all made our way down to the living room at this point, and I was standing by the window, trying to work with the contractions. "Okay guys," Abbey said. "We need to get checked to see how dilated we are. I obviously can't check myself, but I'm going to assume I'm at the same dilation you guys are."

"I'll go first," Brooke volunteered bravely. "I've done this before," she said with a smile.

"Great," Abbey said. "Do you want to do it on the couch?"

Brooke laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Oh sure," she said.

We all sat down on the long winding couch. I tried not to pay attention as Brooke got checked, knowing it would freak me out.

Leah was sitting by me, and she grabbed my hand as Abbey slowly worked her way down the line of girls. When she got to me, I squeezed Leah's hand tightly, and reminded myself that the next time I did this, Quil would probably be here.

Abbey was very fast, but it still hurt. I kept myself breathing, focusing on getting oxygen to me and the babies. I would be holding them soon…

Abbey pulled back. "Very good Claire," she said, pausing to work through a contraction, and I felt one come to me at the same time. "You're at about four centimeters," Abbey said as the contraction eased.

I sighed. Quil would be here soon. I kept repeating this to myself over and over again.

"Okay girls," Abbey said. "We're all doing just fine. Sue and Jenny will be here as soon as the little kids fall asleep, and Nessie and the boys shouldn't be far behind them," she sighed. "Walking will speed things up, but that could be a bad thing if we want to try and hold off until the Cullen's get here. I'm going to leave that up to you guys though," Abbey said.

"I think we should try to wait," Kaylie said. "At least until the boys are here."

"I agree," I said, squeezing Leah's hand again as another contraction hit me. The other girls agreed, and I stood up again, trying to work with the contraction.

As it eased up, I went back to standing by the back window, watching for any sign of the wolves. I wrapped my hands around my belly, holding onto my babies.

It's okay, I thought as they shifted. Daddy will be here soon.

The other girls were talking to each other quietly, talking about names and such. Brooke called her kids and told them everything was okay. Lyssie, Kaylie, Lauren, and Abbey all called their kids too. Leah called to talk to Nick and Lexi, and told them to take care of their siblings, and to behave for Charlie and Billy.

Sue and Jenny arrived just a few minutes before I was expecting the boys to be here. Jenny looked a little scared, but she was calm. Abbey talked to her, explaining to her what she was going to need to do. Basically, Abbey just needed her there to help her catch the baby as it was born, and to help her hold her feet back.

"Okay," Jenny said. "I think I can do that."

"Great," Abbey told her.

I went to get a glass of water, and then I used the bathroom. I kept telling myself to be calm through the contractions, and went back to watch at the big window wall. The next contraction came, and it was by far the worst one yet. It knocked the breath out of me, and made me gasp. "Oh my gosh…" I said. Leah came to stand by me, and grabbed my hand.

"Hey…" she said. "Look who's here."

I opened my eyes as the contraction eased, and saw all nine of the boys jogging out of the woods, with Nessie in the lead.

She ran through the back door and skidded to a halt. "Got 'em," she said sounding very proud of herself. I laughed in relief.

The boys came in the door next, and I could tell how worried they had been by the looks on their faces.

Quil's eyes were searching for me, and he gave me a small smile when they met. I met him for a hug, and he kissed the top of my head. "Sorry," he said.

I laughed. "No worries. We've just been having a party."

"Oh yeah," Lyssie said. "It's been great."

I felt a contraction coming again, and I linked my fingers through Quil's. "Here we go," I told him. He grabbed onto my other hand, and stood with me as I worked through the contraction. It was just as bad as the last one, but it seemed so much easier now that Quil was here. He ran his thumbs back and forth across the back of my hands, something he had done a million times before. It was extremely comforting.

I looked up at him as the contraction eased. "I was at four centimeters the last time they checked me," I told him.

"That's great," he said calmly.

"You guys are just in time for the next round," Abbey said. "I need to check you guys again. Who's first?"

"Me!" Ashley said suddenly.

"Man, girl," Abbey said. "Getting brave."

Ashley shook her head with a smile. "Oh I'm all ready now," she said. "This baby is coming out!"

Abbey laughed. "Glad you feel so ready."

This time all sixteen of us sat down on the couch. It was a little cramped, but I liked having my family all around me. I had Quil on my left side, and Kyle on my left. Seth stood over by the window, looking out. "Do your thing Abbey," he told her.

"You know," she said. "I'm giving birth here too."

"I'm aware," Seth said. "But I do not need to see what's about to go down over there."

Abbey laughed. "Okay," she said. She slowly dropped to her knees in front of Ashley. "Here we go Ash."

Wyatt had his arm around Ashley, and I turned away, looking at Quil. The rest of us were talking quietly to each other.

"How has it been?" Quil asked me.

"Well," I said. "It's been a lot like labor."

He laughed and kissed me. "Good or bad labor?"

"Abbey said it's been pretty decent," I told him. "The contractions are hard… But I'm hanging in there." The next contraction pulled through my body just then, and I winced. "Oh," I said, letting all of my air out at once. "Okay…" I said, taking a deep breath in, fighting to keep control. "This is a bad one…" I shifted slightly in my seat, trying to work through the contraction. I put my head on Quil's shoulder and he stroked my hair gently.

"Just hang in there," he told me. "Keep breathing."

I could tell that some of the other girls were having contractions if I listened closely, but I kept focused on Quil. "That's my girl," he told me. "Just keep blowing out."

I slumped against him as the contraction eased. I heard Abbey call for Seth and he came to her. I rested my head on Quil's firm chin. "That was a rough one," I said.

"You did really good," Quil said, kissing my forehead.

"Okay," Abbey said as her contraction eased. "That hurt." She looked at Brooke who was next in the line of girls to be checked. "You ready?" she asked her.

"Go ahead," Brooke said with a nod.

Abbey moved down the line until she got to me. I spread my legs, and Quil held onto me. I grabbed his hands, and breathed in deep. Abbey pulled away. "Nice job Claire," she said. "We're at six centimeters."

"Great," I said.

Abbey moved onto to Nicole. "Phew," I said. "Glad that's over."

Quil laughed. "Over halfway," he said.

I leaned on his shoulder. "They're almost here," I said. "We can hold them soon."

"I know," Quil said. "We're almost there."

"The Cullen's are on the ground," Nessie reported as she hung up the phone. "And my father is driving. They will be here in about an hour if they get through luggage fast," Nessie said.

"Thank God," Abbey said. "Cause I was starting to get worried."

"You're not supposed to say that," Kaitlyn said.

"I know," Abbey said. "Which is why it was getting so bad."

I laughed. "At least they're coming."

"Right," Abbey said. She stood up. "Alright girls," she looked at as. "Now that we know they'll be here soon, I'd like to start walking. I don't want this to last any longer than it has to."

"I'm with you," Brooke said.

We all stood up, and Quil and I started mapping out a path through the house. We were holding hands, and we had a pretty good pace. I wasn't waddling too terribly, but it was hard work not to. I did my best to keep moving through contractions, but sometimes it was all I could do to not fall to my knees. They were getting a lot worse, and I knew that my labor was coming to a peak.

Right as things were starting to get really bad, I saw headlights on the drive, and the car was going really fast. Edward skidded it to a stop in the gravel and they were getting out of the car before it had even stopped moving. Carlisle, Edward, Esme, Rosalie, Bella, and Andrea all made their way up the steps at lightning speed.

They burst through the door. "Wow," Nessie said. "That was quite an entrance."

"Hello to you too," Edward said. She gave him a hug, and then her mother next.

"Okay," Carlisle said after he gave Nessie a gentle squeeze. "What do we have here?"

"Six centimeters the last time," Abbey said. "And everyone has done really well so far."

"Perfect," Carlisle said. "Do we know who's delivering whose babies yet?"

"Just about to get to that," Abbey said. "What do you think?"

"Well," he said. "You are obviously going to need the least amount of help. So I was thinking Andrea could go with you."

"Great," Abbey said. "And Jenny can help with me too."

Carlisle looked at Jenny. "Oh my gosh," he said. "Jenny's here."

"Yeah," Emily said. "We needed hands."

"Well you will be fantastic for that," Carlisle said. "You can help me too."

Jenny smiled shyly. "Okay," she said.

"You can go with Claire?" Abbey asked Carlisle.

"That's probably best," Carlisle said.

"Okay," Abbey said. "I was thinking Rachel could go with Brooke, and Kim could go with Lyssie."

"Have there been any complications?" Carlisle asked.

"None," Abbey told him.

"Then that's fine," Carlisle agreed. "And Rosalie can help with both of those I think."

"Okay," Abbey said. "Let's put Lauren and Kaylie with Emily and Leah," she said. "And maybe Esme could help with those two?"

"Yes," Carlisle said. "And then we'll put Edward with Ashley and Bella with Nicole. Sue, do you think you can handle Kaitlyn if you have Nessie to help you?"

"Yes," Sue said.

"Okay," Carlisle said. "Then I think we're good."