Chapter 42: Just in Time

Randy's POV

"I can't believe it . . ." I say to myself as Monica speeds us down the highway to the airport in Albuquerque as fast as legally possible. Even though I've gotten over most of the initial shock I felt back at the hotel when I first received the news, it was still something I couldn't easily wrap my head around. To think, I just saw Amanda leave in a taxi for the airport just this morning and now I have to rush to the airport to catch a flight back home so I could be there for when she gives birth . . . What luck huh? "It's already happening . . . Amanda's finally giving birth."

"Yeah . . . it's crazy when you think about it," Monica tells me as she shakes her head. "When did you say the proposed due date was again?"

"Sometime from early to mid-December," I tell her with a shake of my head. "But I guess it's not the case now, since she's in labor now and it's barely mid-November."

"I guess those twins are a bit impatient then," says Monica as she lets out a small chuckle. ". . . Aw, just like they're father."

"Just shut up and focus on driving will ya?" I say with as I look out the window. "The faster you drive, the faster we'll get to the airport."

"Don't worry; from this point, we're still about seven miles from the airport," she tells me in reassurance, but it doesn't reassure me one bit. "We'll be there soon Randy, so don't talk to me about driving faster. I'd rather we get there in one piece than in a mangled heap."

"Hmm . . . why didn't I convince you to let me drive again?" I say with a shake of my head as she drives us past a slow minivan.

"Because when you drive in response to an emergency, you tend to drive a little recklessly," she tells me with a shake of her head. "And when I say recklessly, I mean completely psychotic recklessly. . . No wonder 'Manda barely lets you drive her Camaro."

"Don't remind me . . ." I say with a shake of my head as she passes a large 14-wheeler on our left. "My twins . . . they're at least a month early."

"Like I said: They're a little impatient, just like they're like their father," she tells me with a small grin. "Wait a minute . . . shouldn't you be calling your director or someone involved with the movie to tell them that you'll be a little MIA for the next few days. You wouldn't want them waiting for hours wondering where the hell you could be, do you?"

"Nah . . . I'll text the director right now," I tell her as I quickly take out my phone. After finishing the quick text and sending it on its way, I look up to see that we were already on an exit ramp heading off the freeway. "We're close?"

"We're close . . ." says Monica as she shakes her head. "See the sign. Albuquerque International Sunport is just less than a mile away, but I have to turn off at another exit to return the car to its rental place."

"How long will that take?" I ask her as I raise an eyebrow.

"Just a few more minutes . . ." she tells me with a shrug. "The rental place is just on your left, so just be patient."

"I didn't even know there were direct flights from Albuquerque to St. Louis . . ." I tell her with a shake of my head as she drives us onto another exit ramp.

"They don't have direct flights to St. Louis all year long Randy," she quickly tells me as she drives us into the rental place's parking lot. "They have seasonal flights between the two cities, but the only airline that goes along the route is Southwest Airlines."

"So, they're basically the only airline we can actually depend on to get us on a direct flight back home?" I ask her with a small groan as I shake my head.

"Basically . . ." Monica tells me with an exasperated look on her face as she parks the car into the closest available parking spot. "Hopefully we don't encounter any problems along the way."

"Trust me . . ." said Randy as he shook his head. "That's what I'm banking on at the moment."

Normal POV

After Monica returned the keys to the rental place's main kiosk, she and the Viper got on an airport shuttle to get to the airport's main terminal. Once they reached the terminal, their faces turned grim when they noticed a whole bunch of disgruntled looking passengers standing around before the long line of ticket desks, complete with a group of tired looking ticket agents at the helm.

"This . . . this doesn't look good." said Randy as he shook his head. "What if the flight's delayed?"

"Then there's nothing we can do about that . . ." said Monica as they stepped onto the sidewalk. "Let's just hope that's not the case. . . C'mon, let's go talk to one of the clerks at the desks. They must know what's going on."

"Fine . . ." said Randy as a scowl started to form on his face.

"And Randy . . ." said Monica as she patted him on the shoulder to get his attention. ". . . Let me do the talking alright? When you start getting frustrated, you tend to . . . lash out at people."

"I don't lash out at . . ." said Randy as he began to argue with her accusation, but once he started to really think about it, he quickly changed his tune. "Yeah, you're right, I do tend to lash out at people when I'm frustrated . . . You can handle the talking. I'll keep my mouth shut, or I'll at least attempt to. . ."

"That's all I needed to hear . . ." said the younger twin as she shot him a wolfish grin. The two entered the terminal and quickly made a beeline toward the only ticket clerk that didn't have a long line of angry passengers in front of him. When the clerk looked up to see the two wrestlers in front of him, his eyes widened in shock as he soon realized who they were. "Hello . . . I know you must have been hearing this same kind of question throughout the night, but I was just wondering if the St. Louis flight was going to be leaving tonight as scheduled."

"I'm sorry ma'am. I wish I can tell you otherwise . . ." said the clerk, his nervousness starting to show slightly as he looked at the two popular wrestlers. "There's a big storm coming in to St. Louis tonight that stretches all the way to Chicago. All flights coming into those two cities, Springfield, and any airport in between have either been canceled or is experiencing long delays."

"Is there any alternative we can go on?" asked Monica as she shot the clerk a hopeful look. "You see, my twin sister, who also happens to be the girlfriend of my friend here, is in labor right now as we speak, and we really want to be there for her. Is there anything you can do for us?"

"Well . . . you have one other option," said the clerk as he began to type across his keyboard quickly. "Kansas City is completely clear of any rainfall tonight and there is one flight that goes there tonight that leaves in less than two hours. There're still a few seats on that one."

"Kansas City to St Louis is at least a four hour drive . . ." said Monica as she turned to Randy. "It's doable enough . . . That's basically our best option now, Randy."

"Then we might as well take it because I doubt the direct flight we'll get us there any sooner at this rate . . ." said Randy as he looked at the crowd behind him. "Just book it Monica. We have nothing else to lose."

"Alright . . ." said Monica as she shook her head before returning her attention to the clerk in front of her. She quickly took out one of her credit cards and handed it to the clerk. "We'll take two tickets . . ."

"Alright then . . ." said the clerk as he took the card and quickly began to type at his computer keyboard. While he was doing that, Randy took out his phone and started to look through his contacts list, which instantly got the aunt of his twins' attention.

"Who are you calling now?" asked Monica as she looked at the Viper from over her shoulder.

"Anyone that I could get a hold of who's with 'Manda right now," answered Randy as he tapped his thumb on Becky's number. "One of us has to tell the family that we'll be a little late to the party."

"Good call, good call . . ." said Monica as the clerk handed her their tickets and her credit card. "C'mon, we're holding the line up."

Randy and Monica made their way away from the ticket counter and toward the escalators that led toward the security checkpoint. Along the way, the Viper managed to get into contact with his sister, who sounded a lot calmer than when she called earlier.

"Hello Randy, this is your sister speaking . . ." said Becky as her voice sounded more serene. "How may I help you on this fine night?"

"Becky, listen up . . ." said Randy as he and Monica stepped onto the escalator. "It's going to be a while before Monica and I get back to the rest of you. The only direct flight to St. Louis from Albuquerque has been delayed due to the storm coming your way, so Monica and I have decided to get on a flight to Kansas City and drive the rest of the way."

"Wait a minute . . . Let me do the math . . ." said Becky as her voice sounded thoughtful. "From Albuquerque to Kansas City is a good two hour flight. Add that to the four hours of driving you two will have to do to get here from Kansas City and you got yourself at least six hours of travel time to get through brother."

"How's Amanda doing?" asked the Viper as his voice sounded slightly worried. "Is she doing alright?"

"She's doing fine . . ." said Becky, which helped to ease her brother's worries just a bit. "She says the contractions are a pain in the ass, but she's getting through it."

"I figured she would say something like that . . ." said Randy as he let out a soft chuckle. "Is there any way I can talk to her right now?"

"The doctor wants her to focus on timing her contractions, but since the labor is still in its' early stages, I'll ask to see if a phone call will be okay . . . Just give me a second," said Becky. As Randy and Monica got off the escalator, the Viper could hear some people speaking in the background, which included some of his relatives and the twins' relatives. "Alright, the doctor is allowing it, but you got to make it quick."

"I'll try . . ." said Randy as he Monica dragged him over to the side of the corridor so that the two wouldn't block traffic. He waited for a few seconds before he heard a frustrated sounding 'hello' echo out from the receiver, a wave of relief coming over his body as he heard his mate's voice for the first time in hours. "Hey baby! How's it going? Are you doing okay?"

"Contractions are a freaking bitch!" said Amanda before she let out a sharp groan. "Randy, did you know that contractions during labor for a pregnant vampire are more intense than the contractions for a human, because I didn't know that!"

"I thought my mom and Sam told you all you needed to know about pregnancy and childbirth." said Randy as he managed to let out a small chuckle.

"I guess they decided to leave that piece of information out of the lesson plan . . ." said Amanda, who sounded a little pissed at the thought. "Look Randy, the doctors say that at the rate my contractions are going already, there is a growing possibility that I may give birth sooner than they originally expected."

"Really?" Randy asked as his eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?"

"They say it's a growing possibility. They're not certain of it yet . . ." said Amanda as another contraction hit her. Randy could only cringe his face a little at the sound of his mate's sharp hiss. He knew his mate was in a great deal of pain, especially since it was her first round with childbirth, and now he had to face the possibility that he may not be there for when the twins were born.

"Babe, I may not get there in time for the birth, but trust me when I say I'm right there with you in spirit okay?" said Randy, his voice almost pleading as he checked the time on his watch.

"I know babe, I know . . ." said Amanda as her voice sounded understanding. "Just get back to me in one piece okay? I'd rather you get back to me safely than in a mangled heap."

"Huh . . . your sister told me something similar to that less than an hour ago . . ." said Randy as he let out a small chuckle. Monica, who was still listening to the whole exchange quite clearly, let out a small chuckle herself at her sister's remark. "Look babe . . . your sister and I'll try to get to you and the others as fast as we can. You can count on that . . ."

"I'm taking your word for it . . ." said Amanda as she let out a small chuckle. "Babe, the doctor says I should get off the phone now."

"Oh okay . . ." said Randy as he brought his freehand to his chin. "The only things I have left to say to you are that I love you so, so much and I'm sorry you have to go through contractions that are a pain in the ass."

"Aw . . . I love you too Randy!" said Amanda as her voice went a little sappy. "Tell Monica I said hi!"

"I will babe . . . I will. We'll see you in a few hours. Bye!" said Randy as he finally hung up the phone. He looked up to see Monica staring at the board that showed all the arrivals and departures. "Sorry, there wasn't enough time for you to talk with your sister."

"That's alright . . . I can talk to her later," said Monica as she pointed to the board. "We're in luck Randy. Apparently, the flight we're booked on is going to leave 15 minutes earlier than expected. It's boarding right now."

"That is a stroke of luck! Let's get moving then shall we?" asked Randy as he grabbed Monica by the arm and began to drag her down the corridor. "I am not going to miss the birth of my children, and as one of their aunts, you're not missing it either."

"Aw . . . who knew the Viper was so caring," said Monica as she let a small smile come across her lips. The Viper only shot her a small look in return as the two made their way to catch their flight, hoping that they would make it in time for the delivery.

Hours later

"Where did you say this place was again Monica?" asked Randy as he drove the rental they were in onto an exit ramp that led into a more residential area of the city of St. Louis. The flight they had gone on landed a full twenty minutes earlier than originally planned and with the Viper at the wheel, they cut their driving time by practically a third. What was even more miraculous was the fact that they were never stopped by state troopers or city police even once, although the Viper did speculate in the back of his mind that that miracle involved his passenger and her psychic abilities.

"Becky texted me that it should be another two miles down this road. Once we reach the part of the road where all the houses make way for parks, we're supposed to turn on the first road to our left. Willoughby St. is the name, so we have to look out for that." explained Monica as she looked at the sun as it fully emerged from behind the horizon. "And Randy, remember; Amanda wants you to come back to her in one piece, not in a mangled heap."

"Don't remind me . . ." said Randy as he kept his eyes glued on the road. "I know, I know what she said. . . . Besides, I know it's you that's been stopping the police from stopping us on our way here. There's no way that we could have made that drive from Kansas City to here without being stopped by the cops with the way I've been driving these past few hours."

"Okay . . . So I may have used some psychic manipulation in order to make sure that the good law enforcement of the good state of Missouri didn't stop us on our way to the clinic," said Monica as she raised her hands guiltily. "But can you blame me? You're not the only one who wants to get there before 'Manda gives birth. I want to get there as quick as I can just as much as you do, and if that means using my powers to get my way, then so be it."

"Hmm . . . that doesn't sound like you Monica . . ." said Randy as he let a small smirk come across his face.

"Well . . . this is an exception . . ." said the twin as she adjusted her fedora. "A very special exception . . ."

The next few minutes were filled with silence as the two kept their eyes on the road. Once they drove past the houses and into a patch of road that was covered by grass, the two quickly figured that they were passing through the parks. They both looked left until, both of their faces going to full on relief mode once they reached Willoughby St.

"Alright, we're on the street . . ." said the Viper as he turned the car onto the street in question. "What's next Monica?"

"Well, we just continue on this road until we see an egg white colored four story building," said the werewolf as she looked at the text message on her phone. "It should be the first building that we see."

"Uh huh . . ." said Randy as he looked up to see a building fitting Monica's description starting to peek out from behind some tall trees. "FOUND IT!"

"Good . . . I'm going to text Becky to tell her we made it. She'll probably come meet us herself at the entrance or send someone else . . ." said Monica as she looked up to see the building. "Randy, the parking lot is just up ahead . . . Try to park the car before you rush in to see 'Manda okay?"

"I'm not that impatient . . ." said Randy as he turned the car into the clinic's parking lot, the building now practically a stone's throw away. He instantly spotted a n empty spot next to her father's truck and quickly parked in it before anyone else could, cutting the engine as soon as he did. "See . . . I parked the car before rushing in. . . Now can I rush in?"

"Yes . . . you can rush in," said Monica, the Viper instantly unbuckling his seatbelt and opening his door as soon as the werewolf said yes. "Try not to scare some of the staff members while you're in there!"

"I'll try!" called Randy as he ran over to the entrance, without even closing his driver side door first. He opened the door and turned to his left to see his brother walking over to him from down the hallway, relief flooding his face as approached his younger sibling. "Where is she?"

"Third floor; I'll show you the way . . ." said Nate as he began to back track his steps. "And seriously bro, you're not even going to greet me properly? I haven't seen you in days and this is how you treat me?"

"Bro, shut up and show me the way!" said Randy as Monica quickly ran over to them. "We had to rush to get here dammit!"

"Has Amanda given birth yet?" asked the younger twin as the three made their way to the staircase, with Nate leading the way of course.

"I was making my way to meet with you guys when I overheard one of the doctors say that Amanda was fully dilated now," said Nate as the three climbed up the stairs, the news startling Randy and Monica to the bone. Monica ended up lagging behind as the two vampire brothers made their way up the three flights of stairs in mere seconds thanks to their speed. They entered the hallway to see their family and the twins' family all gathered around the last room down the hallway. "Hey guys . . . Guess who's here!"

"Randy!" said Elaine as the two brothers ran over to them. "You finally made it!"

"Yeah . . . luckily," said Randy as Monica quickly jogged over to them. "How come we can't hear any noise from inside?"

"All the rooms in this place are completely soundproof . . . convenient huh?" said Becky as she crossed her arms, just as one of the nurses poked her head from out the door. Now that the door was open, they could all hear Amanda's strained moaning and the doctor and nurses encouraging her to push, which only helped to raise the Viper's anxiety level. "Oh hey doc, the mate of your patient is finally here."

"Good . . . Come inside sir!" ordered the nurse as she turned to Randy. The nurse moved out of the way to let the Viper in, the man quickly stopping where he stood when he looked at the scene before him. He could see all the strain on his Amanda's face as she lay in bed, listening to the female doctor's words of encouragement as she pushed as hard as she could. The doc was in front of the spread open lower half of the Anaconda's body, partially draped by her bed sheets, ready to receive the incoming twins as the remaining nurses in the room did various tasks that were supposed to ensure a safe and proper delivery of the snake couple's new additions.

"Randy . . ."

It was Amanda's voice's that finally broke the Viper out of his shock. He looked up to see Amanda staring right at him, a look of relief coming over her face as she let her lips form into a small smirk.

"You made it . . ." she breathed as Randy quickly went over to her side. 'You finally made it . . ."

"Yeah . . . and just in time too . . ." said Randy as he kissed her slightly sweaty forehead. "I would go ahead and talk about why I was almost late, but I'll save that for later . . . You need to focus on delivering our girls babe . . ."

"Alright . . . but I'm going to clutch your hand in a death grip if I'm going to do this . . ." said Amanda as she managed a small chuckle. "I'll need all the support I can get."

"Break my hand if you have to babe . . ." said Randy as he weaved the fingers of his left hand with her right, his eyes looking squarely into hers. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise . . . Now push!"

The next few minutes, the clinic room was filled with the sounds of Randy and the doctor's encouraging words and Amanda's strained grunts and moans as she continued to push like her life depended on it. As the process dragged on, Randy began to wince at the pain he felt in his hand, which was slowly being broken each time Amanda tightened her grip, but he didn't really care. Inwardly, he was just happy that he made it in the nick of time and elated to see his two children come into the world.

Eventually, all of the moaning and pushing and pain were rewarded as the cries of one of their girls began to echo out the room. Amanda's eyes popped wide open as soon as she heard the sounds of her daughter's voice for the first time. She looked to see the doctor and a nurse at the end of her bed, but due to the positioning of her bed sheet, she couldn't really see anything for herself. She didn't have to wait that long to see what happened as soon enough, the doctor handed their first bundle of joy over to the arms of a waiting nurse so that she could get cleaned up.

"She's beautiful . . ." whispered Amanda as a big smile came across her face.

"Yeah . . . she is. C'mon, we are her parents after all . . ." said Randy as he looked at her with a big grin. "But it's not over yet babe . . . You still have one more girl to deliver."

"Oh right . . ." said Amanda as she turned to look at the waiting doctor. Once the doctor nodded her head, the Anaconda began to push again. Only eight minutes passes before the second girl finally came into the world.

"You did it baby . . ." said Randy as the two watched as another nurse took their second child away to get cleaned up. "You did it . . ."

"No babe . . . we did it," said Amanda as a tired smile came across her face. "It's finally over . . . "

"Yeah . . . Congrats babe, you are no longer pregnant," said Randy as he kissed her sweaty forehead. "I'm gotten so used to seeing you pregnant these last few months that it's going to take me a while to get used to the fact that you aren't carrying our two little munchkins in your gut anymore."

"Look at my wrestling videos . . ." retorted Amanda as she let out a small chuckle. "You'll get used to seeing me skinny again in no time."

"Even after grueling childbirth, you still manage to hold on to your sarcastic wit," said Randy as he pecked her on the lips. "How do you manage to do it?"

"Sometimes . . . I don't even know that answer myself." said Amanda as she shook her head.

"Excuse me," said a redheaded nurse as she approached the two with one of their girls in her arms, now wrapped in a light pink blanket to boot. "I think it's the time you two formally met your daughters."

"Oh . . . thank you," said Randy as the nurse gently transported the child from her arms to his. Another nurse soon came up behind her with the other twin in her arms. She ended up gently passing over the child to Amanda's waiting arms. "Aw man . . . they're so beautiful."

"Words can't even describe what I'm feeling right now . . ." said Amanda as she looked down at the baby in her arms, her eyes starting to sting with tears. "This one's eyes are similar to yours Randy."

"Yeah . . . but this one's eyes are similar to your babe . . ." said Randy as he couldn't help but let a big grin come over his face like the proud father he was. "And you know what . . . the baby in my arms . . . her hair is a little straighter than the baby in yours.

"Yeah . . . this baby definitely has my kind of hair on her head." said Amanda as she let out a soft chuckle. "Isn't that right Gabriella?"

"I think she likes that name . . ." said Randy as Gabriella's face brightened up just a little, which earned her another smile from the proud parents. "If she likes that name, then she'll keep it . . . Which means her sister here will be known as Daniela from this moment onward. Isn't that right Daniela?"

Daniela ended up responding to that with a few gurgling noises, which gained a soft chuckle from Randy in return.

"Oh . . . I can't wait for the family to see them . . ." said Amanda as she looked at her mate. "I just feel like the luckiest person in the world right now."

"Babe . . . it's been a crazy year, but today . . ." said Randy as he shot Amanda one of his signature smirks. "This is definitely my favorite day of the year, hands down. . . . I never wanted to be anywhere else but here, with you, and our girls. . . . This is a great day for our families, and I would never exchange it for anything else. Nothing at all."

"You really know how to say something sappy that just gets to me don't you . . . but then again it may be my hormones acting crazy again." said Amanda as a tear fell down her face.

"Yeah . . . I don't think it's the hormones . . ." said Randy as he began to lean his face closer to hers. "I love you 'Manda."

"I love you too Randy . . ." said Amanda as she welcomed his kiss, their little girls making little sounds in their arms as they did.

Please review and happy Christmas Eve!