Wednesday, December 29, 1976

Apollo had safely splashed down a couple of days ago. After debriefings and press conferences, Al was flying home. His flight was scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon. I spent the morning arranging and rearranging the festive displays in the house. I must have circled the tree ten times to make sure each individual strand of tinsel was in the best position.

I was too excited to eat lunch, but I forced myself to down a sandwich and some soup for Little One's benefit. I had wanted to meet Al at the airport, but he wouldn't hear of it. It would be too long of a drive for me, he'd said on the phone. "I'd feel better if you stayed home. Rick can pick me up." Al ignored my protests. "Don't overwork yourself," he said. "I know you. And don't cook anythingI'm taking you out tonight."

I looked at my watch. 1:30. Al's flight was scheduled to come in at 2:45. I glanced out the window and saw Sally and Rick standing on their front porch. Rick was getting ready to leave. I threw on a coat and waddled next door as quickly as my ninth month stomach would allow.

"Hi, Beth," they greeted me. Sally brushed a strand of blond hair out of her eyes before giving me a hug.

"I really appreciate this, Rick," I said. "But I still think I could do it myself."

"No way," said Rick in his Southern drawl. "Al would kill me. He practically made me sell my soul that I wouldn't let you go."

I laughed, "Okay, okay. Do me a favor, though. Give these to Al for me." I reached into my coat pocket and dropped half a dozen Hershey's Kisses into Rick's hand.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Well, I figured you'd rather have me send my kisses to Al like that."

"This is true," laughed Rick, tucking the silver wrapped chocolates into his jacket's outer pocket. "Well, I better get going. See y'all in a couple hours."

"Bye, hon. Don't eat Al's kisses," Sally warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he called as he backed the Chevy down the driveway.

"So, how are you doing, mommy?" she asked when Rick was gone.

"Pretty good. But I think I've got a little gymnast inside of me." I drew my breath in as a strong kick landed in my side.

"Beth? Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I nodded. I gasped again as a sharp pain struck. It lingered for a long moment before subsiding.

Sally led me to the porch swing. "Sit here and catch your breath."

"Must've eaten too quickly," I said lightly, as she held the swing steady for me to ease into. Actually, I was scared. The pain had almost doubled me over.

"I'll get you a glass of water." Sally disappeared into the house. I heard her moving about the kitchen. After a few minutes, she returned with a tall glass of water for me.

"Thanks, Sally," I said. I took a sip and a deep breath. "Sorry to make you go to such trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," she assured me. "Besides, I promised Al I'd look after you while he was gone."

"Just how many promises did he exact out of you two behind my back?"

"I can't tell you."

"Let me guess, he made you promise not to tell me if I asked."

"You got it."

I shook my head and laughed.

"So, do you know where he's taking you for dinner tonight?"

"Not a clue. But it's got to be relatively close. He nearly had a coronary when I said I'd pick him up at the airport."

"Well, it is a long drive."

"Oh, you're as overprotective as he is." My attempt at levity failed as the glass suddenly fell from my hand and shattered on the porch. Another sharp pain had struck, and this one was sufficient to double me over.

"Beth! What's wrong?" Sally's hand was trembling as she gripped my shoulder.

"Nothing, nothing. I, uh, I think it might be a contraction."

"A contraction? Ohmigosh, Beth, are you going into labor?"

"I think so," I nodded. I began to laugh nervously. "Al will be so disappointed. I virtually promised him he'd be back in plenty of time for the birth."

"Ha, ha," said Sally, dryly, "he still may be. You're not necessarily going to pop this kid out. My sister-in-law was in labor for over 36 hours. Do you have a bag packed?"

"Uh-uh. We thought we had a few weeks yet. I was going to put one together this weekend."

"Okay, let's go to your house. We'll pack a bag real quick and then I'll drive you to the hospital," said Sally. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and walked me next door. Once we were inside, she made me sit on the sofa.

"But I'm not helpless," I protested.

"I know," she said, handing me a pen and stationery tablet. "You're going to write a note to Rick and Al telling them what's going on so they can head straight to the hospital when they get back."

Sally had a bag packed for me before I finished the last sentence. I taped the note to the front door while she headed for the car with the bag.

"I hope you've got your keys," she said, when I turned to follow her.

I tossed the keys to her, and she hurried to unlock the door and toss the bag inside. She held her hand out toward me to help me in the car, but I'd barely made it to the car when I had another contraction and she had to help keep me upright instead. I clung to her with one hand and the open door with the other until it passed.

Sally helped me into the car as soon as I could move again. I smiled at her confident handling of the situation and only hoped I could return the favor some time.

"You hanging in there?" she asked me as we drove down the road.

"Yeah. They're still pretty far apart. I hope this means the baby's going to wait for Al."

Sally patted my hand. "Maybe it will. Listen, is there anyone I should call once we get you settled in at the hospital?"

"Um, my mom, I guess. I'll write her number down for you."

In just a few minutes, we were at the hospital. I'd never seen Sally move so fast. Within seconds, she had my bag in hand and was helping me inside.

"May I help you?" asked the receptionist.

"She's in labor," Sally said.

"Approximately when did labor begin?" the receptionist turned to me.

"This morning, I guess. I didn't really think it was anything but the baby kicking or indigestion. I guess my water must have broken while I was in the shower," I answered, a little embarrassed at my own ignorance.

"And how far apart are the contractions now?"

"About eight minutes, I think. Definitely less than ten," I said.

"Okay, please have a seat over there and fill out these forms and I'll have someone with you shortly." She handed over a clipboard and pen.

Sally and I quickly finished the forms, and she brought them back to the receptionist. I looked at my watch. It was after two o'clock. As much as I wanted the labor to be short, I prayed that the baby wouldn't come until Al arrived.

"Okay, she just called for them to bring you up to Maternity," said Sally when she returned to my side.

I nodded and caught my breath as another contraction hit. Almost as soon as it finished, an orderly appeared in front of me with a wheelchair.

The orderly brought me up to the maternity ward, where three nurses were waiting to get me settled. Before the next contraction came, they had me in bed in a hospital gown, with a glucose IV and a bracelet.

I must have been annoying Sally beyond belief, though she certainly didn't show it. Every few minutes I asked her what time it was. Around 2:30, I began to get worried. The contractions were less than five minutes apart. If Al's flight was even still on schedule, he wouldn't touch down for another fifteen minutes. Then he and Rick would need to get his bags and drive home. That could be at least 3:15. Then he'd still have to come here. And neither he nor Rick had any idea something was wrong.

"Can I get you anything, Beth?" Sally asked.

"Yes . . . Al." I was getting irritable from the seemingly ceaseless pains.

"Oh, hon." Sally brushed my hair back as she handed me a small cup of ice chips. They wouldn't let me have anything to drink, so I had to make do with letting the ice melt on my tongue.

Trying to change the subject and distract me, Sally commented, "Your mom said she'd be here early tomorrow. She's very excited."

"Did you call the airport?" I asked, ignoring her. "See if they can page Rick."

"Beth, I already tried. They're swamped. They had some sort of spill on one of the runways, and they're trying to shuffle the planes around. I don't think the President could get a page through."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear. The mess would only delay things further. Seeing the look on my face, she took my hand and tried to calm me down. She had her work cut out for her, though. I was hurting, I was scared, and I only wanted Al. To top it all off, the intervals between contractions kept shrinking. I snatched a handful of the sheets and twisted them in my fist as my breath hissed between my teeth in my attempts to deal with the pain.

A little after three, Dr. Winter, my obstetrician, came in.

"How are we doing, Beth?" she asked.

"It's getting hard to tell the space between contractions," I said.

"Okay, let me have a look," she said, snapping on a pair of sterile gloves and examining me. "Yes, you're dilating nicely. It shouldn't be too much longer." Dr. Winter tossed the gloves in the trash can and washed her hands again. She stopped by my bedside, noting my anxiousness. "What's the matter?"

"She's afraid Al won't make it back in time for the birth," Sally offered.

"Where is he?" Dr. Winter asked.

"Hopefully on his way home from the airport," I answered.

"Oh, yes, I saw the telecast Christmas Eve. You mean they didn't send him home till today? They splashed down a couple of days ago." Dr. Winter was surprised. "Don't fret, though. Al will get here as soon as he can, Beth, I'm sure of that. Don't worry. We'll take good care of you."

After she left, Sally tried to distract me by turning on the television in the room, but it was no use.

"I can't have this baby without Al here!"

Sally unsuccessfully attempted to hide a glance at her watch. Without even asking her, I knew that things were certainly being cut close. I turned my head away so she wouldn't see the hurt in my eyes.

Before long I was being wheeled into the delivery room, and still no sign of Al. I was close to tears from the pain and disappointment.

Dr. Winter leaned close. "Beth, I know you're upset that your husband isn't here, but you need to focus on delivering this baby, okay?"

I nodded, and tried to close my mind to everything around me except Dr. Winter's voice. However, I still looked longingly toward the doors as they put my feet into the stirrups and draped the green surgical blanket over my knees. I'd decided to have the baby by natural childbirth, without any drugs, but I'd counted on Al being there with me.

"Beth, in just a second I'm going to want you to push, all right? Ready? Push, Beth, push!"

I pushed and strained until Dr. Winter told me to rest. "Another couple of pushes and your baby should be here, okay, Beth?"

I nodded breathlessly and blinked my eyes furiously to dispel the tears of pain. One of the nurses wiped my forehead as I waited for the next opportunity to push.

"Okay, Beth, this may be the one. Push."

I pushed with all my might. Al, where are you? I silently screamed in my mind. The empathic crease in the nurse's eyes showed that I hadn't been as silent as I thought.

"I know, honey. It's all right." She patted my hand.

I turned my head to look toward the doors, straining to listen for Al's footsteps. My concentration quickly shifted as I was hit by another contraction, with its shooting pain and compulsion to push. Despite my attempts at Lamaze breathing, I couldn't contain my tears or the whimpering cry which emerged from my throat as the baby came closer to delivery. Perhaps foolishly, I hadn't expected it to hurt this much. I'd also planned on having my Lamaze coach with me. God, please, I want Al.

"Okay, I've got the head. One more push, Beth."

"That's…what you said…the last time," I panted. I squeezed my eyes shut from the effort, trying to block out the blinding white pain.

"Come on, Beth. You're almost there. Push!"

Using what seemed to be my last ounce of strength and emitting a primal yell, I pushed. Dr. Winter cheered as the baby cried. "Good job, Beth! It's a girl. You've got a little girl."

I craned my head to see the baby, but all I could see were masked and gowned figures huddling around her. The cries filling the delivery room assured me that she was all right.

The door to the delivery room flew open and a harried, masked figure ran in. Flustered eyes locked with mine. "Beth!" Al was at my side in a flash. He yanked his mask down and showered kisses on my face, smoothing my sweaty hair back from my forehead. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. The airport was a disaster, and then we got your note. Oh, Beth, honey, I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. Is the baby okay?"

I nodded. "She's over there. They're cleaning her up."

"She? A girl? We had a girl?" Al moved toward the group as one of the nurses came forward with the baby. She placed the crying bundle in his arms and gently pushed him back towards me.

"Buona sera, bambina. Che belleza!" Al's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at her. The baby's wailing gradually ceased. "Oh, Beth, she's beautiful." Slowly, he tilted his arms so I could see her, getting a glimpse of damp black hair before he bent to kiss me.

I smiled and met his lips, but broke off with a gasp. "What's wrong?" Al asked, alarmed. "What is it?"

"It's just the placenta delivering," said Dr. Winter, trying to calm us both.

"I don't know," I panted. "It hurts like before."

Dr. Winter quickly examined me. "Well, I'll be . . . there's another one that wants to meet mom and dad."

"Another one?" Al and I chorused. A nurse quickly took the baby from him. I couldn't believe it. Twins. But I was so tired and hurting so badly I wasn't sure I could deal with another delivery.

I felt a hand slip into mine, and I looked up into Al's face. His dark eyes radiated love and concern.

"I'm right here, Beth. Just hang on to me. You can do this, sweetheart."

I squeezed Al's hand with a crushing grip and grunted in pain when Dr. Winter told me to push. My muscles screamed in agony and tears flowed down my face from the effort I was putting my sore body through.

"Beth, honey, you're doing great." My personal cheering section soothed my forehead with his trembling, free hand.

"I can't do this again," I sobbed.

"Shhh. Yes you can. Remember your breathing. Hee-hee-hee…hee-hee-hee. Breathe, honey, and it'll all be over in a few minutes. I'm right here, Beth, look at me," Al said. He took some gauze from a nurse and gently wiped the tears and perspiration from my face. "You can do it, Beth," he repeated. "That's my girl."

I shook my head. I was doubting the wisdom of my decision to deliver without an epidural now that I had to do it all again. Once had definitely been enough, and irrational terror suddenly swept over me. "I don't think I can, Al," I panted. "It hurts so much!"

Al smiled encouragingly at me, but a tinge of regret crept across his face as he spoke. "Sweetheart, I don't think you have a choice in this. This little one wants out."

Dr. Winter drew my attention back. "Okay, Beth, let's see if we can get the head free with this push. Ready? Push!"

I cried out in anguish as I pushed. Al's encouraging voice and tender touch helped me hang on. "Okay, she's got the head, Beth. You're almost there, angel."

"Make it stop hurting, Al. Please," I begged, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Al looked extremely distressed. "I wish I could, baby."

I shook my head from side to side and tried unsuccessfully to block out the pain like I had before. I kept a death grip on Al's hand, and had to have been grinding bone against bone, but his voice remained even, calm and soothing.

With one last push that drained the final reserves of my strength, our second child was born and immediately began to cry lustily. I could barely hear Dr. Winter announce that it was another girl.

"You did it, Beth," Al leaned close and embraced me, once again showering kisses on my face. "You were wonderful, honey." His loving touch and words melted into my dreams as I nodded and smiled through my tears, then gave in to the exhaustion and left my aching body behind.

When I awoke, it was dark and I was back in the hospital room. The clock on the bedstand read 10 PM. Al was at my side, and I realized that he must have fallen asleep watching over me. His head had fallen against the mattress, and even though his grip had relaxed, he had not let go of my hand.

Glancing around the room, I noticed something catching the slight illumination. A warm smile spread across my face when I saw that it was a vase of calla lilies. I turned my head to sigh contentedly at my husband. When I'd first met him, I had introduced him to my girlfriends as Al Calla Lily, my Anglo tongue tripping over the Italian syllables of his last name and substituting the name of my favorite flower. The incident had become a private joke, and the joke in turn had become a tradition, and Al always made sure I had an abundance of the elegant ivory flowers I so dearly loved.

I tried to sit up without waking him, but he popped up like a fresh slice of toast with my first movement. "Hello, beautiful," he said. Caressing my cheek, he added, with a note of concern, "Beth, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty sore," I admitted. Gently, he helped me sit up.

"Feel up to eating anything? I can call one of the nurses," he offered.

I shook my head. "How are the babies?"

"They're fine, and they're beautiful, just like their mother."

"Healthy?"

"Yes, honey, two healthy baby girls. You were amazing, angel."

"I still can't believe it, Al. Twins." I laughed. "I can't wait to see Mom's face."

Al stroked my cheek again. "I'm happy just to see this mom's face. I missed you, Beth." He lowered his eyes and began lightly tracing his fingers along my hand. "I'm so sorry I was late, honey. You shouldn't have had to go through that alone."

I laid a finger on his lips. "It wasn't your fault. And you were there for me when I really needed you. I'm not sure I could have gotten through the second delivery without you." I laughed sheepishly. "Of course, I'm not going to lie. I was scared and I desperately wanted you. Poor Sally must think I don't appreciate her." I gasped when I remembered Sally and Rick. "Oh, Al, they're not still here, are they?"

"No, no. I sent them home after we saw the babies in the nursery. God, they're beautiful, Beth. I'll have the nurse bring them in."

Al dashed from the room before I was able to get a word out. I could hear him arguing at the nurses' station. "I don't care if it's after hours, you're going to get them and bring them down here so their mother can see them."

He came back in, the picture of innocence. "It'll just be a few minutes."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Do what?" I mimicked. "Simply manage to convince people to do what you want, that's what."

"Oh, that," Al shrugged.

"I call it your 'Calavicci Charm.' Does it work on everyone?"

"I know it works on you." Al bent to kiss me.

A muffled cough at the doorway interrupted us. "Mrs. Calavicci? Would you like to see your babies?" Two nurses wheeled the bassinets the twins were sleeping in to the side of my bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes," the head nurse glared at Al.

I stifled a giggle at the conflict brewing. As I expected, Al smiled winningly at the nurse, earning a tiny bemused smirk before she stepped out of the doorway.

Al gently picked up one of the girls and handed her to me. He picked up the other one, sat next to me on the bed, and cradled her in his arms so I could see her easily. Both of them sleepily opened their eyes and peered up at us; one small mouth opened in a wide, toothless yawn. Their dark lashes fluttered over their chocolate brown eyes. A soft fuzz of dark brown hair topped their identical heads. I looked up at Al with a smile, my heart catching in my chest with the powerful wave of love that engulfed me at the sight of my daughters.

"Oh, you were right. They're so beautiful," I said. "Hello, welcome to the world."

I loosened the blanket and looked at her, her tiny hands, fingers clenched, her elfin feet with ten perfect little toes. She was so beautiful. So was her sister. I inclined my head and studied the baby in Al's arms. Reading my thoughts, he unwrapped the blanket so I could check fingers and toes again. Satisfied, I kissed her smooth, innocent forehead.

"We had one name picked out," Al said after a moment, "but we've got two little ones."

I nodded. "It is a bit of a dilemma. I certainly don't want to give them names that start with the same letter or sound alike."

Al laughed and kissed my cheek. "I'm glad we agree on that!" He pursed his lips in thought, looking down at the younger of the twins in his arms. "Well, if it had been a boy we were going to go with Michael. How does Michele strike you?"

"Lovely. Bridget Louise and Michele," I stopped. "She needs a middle name." I studied their faces when a sudden thought struck me. "Gertrude. For your sister. Michele Gertrude."

Al's voice cracked as he repeated the name. He smiled and nodded. "I think Trudy would have liked that."

I looked down at the new lives cradled in our arms, only hours old. Each soft bundle was a little person, created from our love. Characteristics of Al mingled with bits of me, and a wave of affection washed over me as I contemplated the beautiful combination of the best of each of us. I lifted Bridget's tiny hand again, marveling at the perfection of her fingers. She took hold, tightly squeezing my finger in her miniature grasp. My eyes filled with tears and I silently vowed to do everything in my power to make our daughters the happiest little girls ever.

Al brushed his lips against my cheek. "They're a miracle, Beth. I never thought I would ever see an actual miracle."

I glanced at his face. His brown eyes, the same beautiful brown eyes duplicated in our daughters, glistened with rare tears.