Birth
"Give me an epidural!" Phoebe yelled. "It freaking hurts, it really freaking hurts!"
"Sorry, it's too late for that, Miss Abbott, they're coming, they're on their way now!" Dr Lai replied, holding his hands out, in front of Phoebe's crotch, like he were about to catch a rugby ball.
"Alright, now push! Push, Phoebe, push!" the doctor commanded.
Phoebe screamed to high heaven, as the twins made their way out of her body. She clutched tightly onto Lily and Frank's hands, almost crushing them to smithereens. God, giving birth was mind-blowingly painful, she had never faced such a side-splitting pain!
"Push, Phoebe, push! Okay, the first twin is out! A beautiful baby girl!" Dr Lai announced.
The nurse passed the baby to Lily. Cradling the small sticky child, Lily cooed, "Welcome to the world, little Ursula."
"Okay, Phoebe, the next one is coming. Push! I need you to push!" the doctor ordered.
Phoebe pushed and pushed with all her might, yelling at the shocking pain. And then finally, the second child was out, and Frank and Lily were now proud parents of two beautiful baby girls. The nurse passed baby Phoebe Buffay to Frank.
Phoebe Abbott threw her head back against the pillow, "Oh thank God that's over!" she sighed. Phoebe looked wistfully at the twin girls.
"Hey, you guys, can I have just, like, a second alone with the babies?" Phoebe asked.
Frank and Lily gently placed the girls in Phoebe's arms, and stepped out of the room. Phoebe watched her twins sadly, speaking to them in a soft confidential voice.
"So, here you are. Seems like yesterday I was weeping at Tame the Tigress, with a little blue stick in my hand. Everyone said labour was the hardest thing I'd have to do, but they were wrong, this is. Well I had the most fun with you guys, I wish I could take you home and see you every day. But alright, I'll settle for being your favourite aunt," Phoebe whispered, tears brimming her eyes.
Little did Phoebe know that in 29 years, her newborn daughter would be sitting in this very maternity ward, saying goodbye to the children that lived within her. It's funny how life repeats itself in a cyclic fashion throughout the generations. Planting a kiss on Phoebe and Ursula's foreheads, she beckoned Frank and Lily to come in. She was ready to give her daughters away. It simply felt right.
"Promise me you'll always take care of them," Phoebe whispered.
"We promise," Frank and Lily replied sincerely.
And with the birth of Phoebe and Ursula, we can begin to discover the mystery surrounding Lily's failure to keep her promise. For, you see, the breakdown of Lily's life began with the birth of these girls.