"Hey, Mama, Cass is ready to…oh my God. Are you okay?" Morgan asked as he stepped into her office, finding her doubled over in pain. "What's happening?"
"I don't know, Derek. I-I think I'm in labor, but it's too soon. They're not supposed to come yet." She groaned in pain once and he frantically helped her to the sofa.
"Hotch, Reid, Emily! Anyone! Come quickly!" he screamed, trying to hold her while not panicking. "Help!"
Cass ran into the room first and gasped. "Penelope! What do you need me to do?"
"Call Dr. Liggett, please. Oh!" She grabbed at her stomach once more, curling up into Morgan.
"Penny, is it the babies?" Reid asked as he knelt down next to her, pushing the hair back from her face. She nodded and he kissed her forehead gently. "I'll call Erin." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number, chewing his lip anxiously.
"Penelope, Dr. Liggett says you need to get to the hospital now. She and a NICU team will be waiting for you in the emergency room at Washington Memorial. She said not to delay." Reid and Morgan nodded, helping Penelope to her feet.
"Cass, stay here and tell anyone who asks where we've gone. I'll call you when we have answers," Hotch said, standing behind Penelope, his hand out to catch her should she fall. Penelope doubled over in pain again. "Penelope, sweetie, hang on. We'll get you to the hospital in time, I swear."
She tried to nod and found herself crying once more. "Please, just make sure my babies are okay." She turned to Aaron and held out her hand. He took hold of it and she squeezed tightly, fear gripping her heart. "Erin?"
"She's on her way and will meet us at the hospital." They were moving quickly and every eye was on them as they walked in a well-formed unit. "We'll take one of the SUVs, so we can all ride together." She nodded and felt herself black out for just a moment. "I promise we'll hurry," Reid whispered.
Morgan helped her into the vehicle and then got in the driver's seat, while the others piled in. Morgan turned on the lights and siren as he peeled out of the garage. Reid wrapped his arm around Penelope and she leaned into his touch. "Reid, what are the statistics?"
"I am not telling you that. It will just worry you too much, and you need to stay positive right now," he responded, stroking her hair tenderly. She began to sob then, quietly. She knew when Reid wouldn't tell her something it usually ended badly. His grip around her shoulders tightened and he said lowly, "Go faster, Morgan."
Morgan nodded and gripped the wheel tighter, his knuckles turning color. Finally, they arrived at the hospital and were greeted by Dr. Liggett. She helped Reid and Hotch safely transfer Penelope onto a gurney. "I'm sorry, from here on out, only Ms. Strauss can be with her. There's a waiting room nearby, just ask one of the nurses to show you."
They nodded, and one by one kissed Penelope. "I'll go to the chapel and light a candle for you and the babies," Morgan said, trying not to cry.
"Thank you, Sugar," she whispered as she was wheeled away from them. She looked around for Erin, desperate to see her face, hear her voice. "Erin?" she said weakly.
"Right here, my sweet peacock. I won't leave your side, I promise." She bent and kissed Penelope's forehead, tears pooling in her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"What for? You didn't do anything wrong. Remember, there's magic in you, my love, and I know everything will be all right." She smiled down at her and then sat on the stool one of the nurses had brought in. "Now, we have to do your breathing, to calm you down a little before the babies come."
Penelope nodded and leaned in to Erin's gentle touch, drawing off the strength she exuded. As she watched, the nurse pulled off her shoes and tights, setting them aside, and then putting her legs up in stirrups. Dr. Liggett covered her with a blanket and then took a look at how things were progressing.
"You are almost fully dilated, Penelope. These babies are coming and I can't stop them."
"Will they be okay?"
"They're six weeks early, so I won't promise everything will be perfect, but I've delivered twins earlier than this that have made it. So there's room for cautious optimism in this less than ideal situation."
Penelope nodded and then grimaced as another contraction hit her. Erin held onto her hand, coaching her through it. "That one felt weird," she gasped out when it was over, looking up at Erin in concern.
"Weird how?"
"It was longer than the others, and it just felt different."
"Your water just broke, Penelope. The pains from here on out will be longer and stronger. I'm sorry, but there's no time to give you an epidural," Dr. Liggett said, patting her hand gently. The doctor was right, and Penelope bore down when told to, holding tightly to Erin's hand. "All right, here's the head on the first baby. Push, Penelope." She pushed hard and soon heard a weak cry fill the room. "It's a girl, ladies," Dr. Liggett said before handing her over to another doctor.
Penelope nodded slightly and bore down once more, a primal scream erupting from her as she felt the other baby move lower, into her birth canal. The minutes seemed to stretch into hours as she struggled to bring their son into the world. "It's a boy," Dr. Liggett announced as Penelope fell back against the bed, struggling to keep her composure as she pushed out the placenta.
Erin's grip on her hand tightened as the doctors wheeled their children out. "When can we see our children?" Erin asked, her voice thick with tears.
"As soon as they're stabilized, I'm sure. Now, let's get you up to a room. I want to keep you here overnight, Penelope, to monitor anything that might come up. But they looked perfect, though small." Penelope nodded, pulling Erin closer to her as she did so. An orderly came and wheeled her out of the room, Erin never leaving her side.
"Mom! Penelope!" Paul called out once they were in the hallway. "I brought the go bag," he said breathlessly as he thrust the duffle bag at Erin. "How are they? What's going on?"
"We don't know yet, honey. The doctors have to check them out since they're so early. It's only July first, they weren't supposed to be here until August twelfth or later."
"May I come with you? I-I don't want to lost sight of you guys again." Penelope nodded and he fell in step with the orderly as they went to a bank of elevators. They rode up to the seventh floor and Penelope was wheeled into a private room. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked, looking down at her anxiously.
"Will you bring the team up here? I want to get Penelope freshened up a little, and it would be kind of awkward with you here," Erin said as she smiled at her son. He nodded and hugged her before leaving the room. "Sit up, Penny. Let's get these sweat soaked clothes off you." Erin made quick work of the buttons on Penelope's shirt, slipping it off her shoulders and then taking off her bra. "I'll be right back," she whispered as she jogged to the bathroom. Erin came back moments later with a wet washcloth and washed off Penelope's body, kissing her shoulder gently.
Erin pulled out a soft nightgown and helped Penelope into it, and then unzipped her skirt, slipping it off her body before washing her legs clean of blood and sweat. Penelope adjusted the nightgown to cover herself and then reached up to Erin. "I want to hold you, Erin. I feel like I'm about to shatter."
She nodded and hugged her close, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Our babies will be fine, I can feel it in my heart. I don't know if the outfits we brought will fit them, though."
Someone knocked at the door and then came in. "Hello, Ms. Garcia. I'm Mary Lynn and I'll be your nurse for today. Dr. Liggett will be by in a little bit to give you an update on your twins. Until then, I have some paperwork for you to fill out," the young woman said as she handed over a thin sheaf of papers before leaving them alone once more.
"Oh, it's the birth certificates. Who do you want to be mother for?" Penelope asked.
"What?"
"Well, there's only a mother and a father space on here, so I figured we could split the duties. I'll be mother to Alan, you to Elinor? Or will it be the other way around?"
"Sounds perfect to me. I rather like the notion of fathering a son," she replied with a small smirk. Penelope laughed at her expression, her heart feeling somewhat lighter.
"Hey, Baby Girl, have they let you see the twins yet?" Morgan asked as he followed Paul into the room, flanked by the others.
"Not yet, Sugar. The nurse said Dr. Liggett would be along shortly and let us know."
"And here I am. Your babies are small, but healthy. Alan weighs in at four pounds, nine ounces, while Elinor weighs three pounds fifteen ounces. You made it to thirty six weeks, so they were only one week away from being in the 'normal' threshold. I spoke with their doctor in the NICU, and he'd like to keep them here for a week or two, monitoring their progress." She smiled at Erin and Penelope. "I'm keeping you here overnight, but so far, your vitals look good."
"And can we go see them?"
"Of course, but only a few people at a time. The NICU is on the eighth floor, and you'll have to be buzzed in. If you aren't with Erin or Penelope," she said, addressing the others, "then you won't be able to visit them. They run a tight ship here, all right?" Everyone nodded and she left, taking the paperwork to file.
"We can see the babies later," Aaron said. "Let's let the new mothers see their children first. You look beautiful, Penelope," he said softly as he kissed her cheek.
"If you don't mind, I'll stay here for a little bit," Reid said suddenly, focusing only on Hotch, who nodded after a moment. He led the rest of the team out, leaving Paul and Reid behind.
"So, are you the father?" he asked, looking sidelong at the other man.
"If you mean that my DNA is half theirs, then yes. But, your mom and Penelope will be their parents. I'm just Uncle Spencer." He looked at Erin and Penelope expectantly. "Though I would like to see them before I go, if you don't mind."
Penelope nodded and held out her hand. Erin helped her up and then dug a robe out of the go bag. Penelope threw it on and then took Erin's outstretched arm, letting her lead them out of the room. "Paul, where are the elevators again?" Erin asked and he pointed down the hall. Once one the elevator, Paul pressed the eight button and soon they were on their way up. Instinctively, Penelope turned into Erin, wrapping her arm around her waist. "Do these still bother you, my peacock?"
"A little. I thought that would go away once I'd given birth. But at least that gives me an excuse to be close to you."
"Oh my gosh, really? Mushy talk now?" Paul groaned, rolling his eyes at them.
"When you fall in love, and hard, then you'll understand," Reid responded, blushing slightly. "The love your mom and Penelope share happens only once in a lifetime, if at all."
"Whatever, mushy talk is still, ugh, mushy. Besides, won't somebody think of the babies?" Penelope burst out laughing, hanging onto Erin. The doors opened and they stepped out.
Penelope stopped a passing nurse. "Excuse me, but my babies are up here. Alan and Elinor Strauss? They're in the NICU."
"Right this way, Ma'am." She led them to a secure door and punched in a pass code. "If you need to see them and there's not one of us around, just push the buzzer on the keypad." She went up to the nurse's station and asked a question, then came back to them. "They're in room four," she said with a bright smile.
"Is that good?" Erin asked.
"Very. We have five rooms – one's the most critical, with five being almost ready to go home."
"That's wonderful, thank you for easing our hearts a little," Penelope said, clasping Erin's hand tightly. "Thank you for helping us." She moved in the direction the nurse had pointed, tugging Erin along with her.
"Penelope, wait for us," Reid said, lagging a few steps behind the women. Penelope looked over her shoulder and shook her head, moving faster instead.
Stepping inside room four, Penelope looked around at the eight incubators. Finally, she spotted her babies and made a beeline for them. A nurse was standing near them, making notes on their charts. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. May we hold our babies?" Penelope asked softly, looking down at her children who looked so small, there, amongst the medical paraphernalia.
The nurse looked up at her and Erin. "Certainly. If you'll take a seat in the rocking chairs, I'll bring them to you." They did as told and soon each was holding a baby. "When you're done holding them, put them back in their incubators."
Penelope felt a wave of love wash over her as she stared down at Elinor. "Spencer, I think she'll have your nose."
"Alan looks to have my coloring," Erin whispered, smiling down at their son. They all took turns holding the babies and though it was hard to do, they went back down to Penelope's room a few hours later. "Paul, I want you to tell Karen and Annie the news when you get home. I'll be staying the night with Penelope and managed to forget my phone in the rush to get here. Oh, and drop Dr. Reid off at the Academy; I highly doubt Agent Morgan waited for him."
"Yes, Mom." He kissed her cheek and then hugged Penelope, quickly kissing her cheek. "They're really cute. I think I'm going to miss them when I'm at MSU."
"That's what FaceTime is for. You are going to have the most bitchin' computer system, my almost stepson." She sighed and frowned a little. "Though it might have to wait a little until we find out how the twins are doing."
"I'm okay with that. The babies come first, since they need more care. Let's go, Dr. Reid."
As soon as the door closed, Penelope held her arms up to Erin, bursting into tears the moment her arms were around her. "What's wrong, my sweet peacock?"
"They're so tiny. I know the nurse said they're doing okay, and they looked okay, but Erin, oh Erin, they're so tiny."
"Babies are small, usually, twins more so." Erin kissed Penelope's forehead and sat down on the bed. "And they're not on oxygen, which means their lungs are strong enough to survive."
Penelope curled up into Erin. "You always know the right thing to say, my love. Would you mind terribly if I went to sleep now? I'm suddenly exhausted."
"After the day you've had, I find it hard to believe you're still awake." Erin ran her fingers through Penelope's hair, and Penelope leaned into the touch, falling quickly asleep.