Harvey had kept his promise.
The day after her consultation with her fiancé, the redhead had woken up slowly seeing the lawyer getting dressed in front of the mirror before he glanced at her through the reflection with an adorable smile.
«Hey»whispered Donna.
«Hey baby, how did you sleep?»
«Good, but not enough»
«What time do you start at the hospital?»
«Noon»
«And what time do you finish?»
«Eight»
«I'll pick you up, then»chuckled the lawyer.
«Thank you, honey»
«Hey, Donna»
«Hum?»moaned the redhead with her eyes still closed.
«I was serious yesterday»
«I know, and I'm serious about marriage too. We both have busy lives, and if we start trying for a baby, I know us, we're never going to get marriedif I get pregnant first »
«You're right, but I want us to start trying for a baby as soon as possible, and if you want us to get married before then, then we have to find a common datesoon »
«Alright»
Seeing him sit on the bed next to her, she smiled at his impatience as she waited for him to give his first findings while looking at their merged calendar on his phone.
«Honey, you're going to wrinkle your suit»
«Well, you just have to avoid jumping on me»chuckled Harvey.
«Jesus»snorted the redhead.
«You have a free slot Tuesday morning»
«I'm on call Monday, I'm going to be knackered when I turn back home Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning?»
«I have a meeting with Jessica and an investor. Thursday afternoon? You finish your consultations at four? I can negotiate for a slot in court at five»
«Alright»
«Alright»repeated Harvey excitedly.
«So we're getting married Thursday, like in five days?»
«Apparently»
«I can't wait»murmured Donna.
«Urgh, don't talk to me about it. What do you have planned for Friday morning?»
«Consultation from ten o'clock, why?»
«Because baby, I'm going to bang you so hard to put a mini us inside you that you'll need to recover from your night after that»whispered the lawyer as he placed open mouthed kisses on her back.
«Alright, stop. You're going to be late»giggled Donna as she rolled and looked at him.
«You're right. See you, baby, I love you»
«I love you too»
As he placed one last kiss on her lips, he left their apartment quickly while Donna was torn between the excitement of finally being married to Harvey and the emotion of seeing how much he wanted to become a father and share a child with her. Quickly, Thursday arrived, and the couple got married in half an hour in front of the judge with only Mike and Rachel present as witnesses. It was nothing crazy, but yet, they were so happy to be already legally married, both crying when saying I do, waiting for the religious ceremony planned two months later in the presence of their families and where they had been able to take time off to then go on their honeymoon right after. So when she had arrived at the altar, on her father's arm, in her white dress, hugging her barely eight weeks slightly swollen belly, Harvey cried again, seeing the love of his life approaching him. Right after the ceremony, they had left for a week in Fiji before returning and resuming their lives: Harvey in court and Donna in the hospital, the only difference being that they were preparing for the arrival of their baby.
«A girl, Donna»
«You're happy?»
«I couldn't be happier»muttered Harvey as he kissed her passionately, their tears mixing on their lips in the gynecologist room.
The pregnancy went wonderfully, and Harvey was even crazier about his wife and their baby, seeing her belly grow every day, feeling the kicks of his daughter under his lips when he kissed her stomach. As the due date approached, Harvey became more and more panicked, while Donna — who was a doctor — was not at all stressed by the situation as she continued to live like she used to, baby or not baby. At thirty-nine weeks pregnant, while she was in the OR busy performing a triple coronary bypass, the discussions between doctor and assistant were interrupted by the sound of a puddle on the ground while all eyes were focused on the redhead as Harold started to stutter.
«Um, Doctor Paulsen.. your water just broke»
«I know»
«Should I call your husband?»
«Not now, as soon as I'm done with the patient»
«But Doctor Paulsen, you —»
«Gunderson. I said not now»
Without a word, she continued the intervention for another forty five minutes while starting to have stronger contractions. Once her patient was dressed back and about to leave the OR, Donna hurried to sit down, moaning in pain, holding her belly, while asking for her phone to finally call her husband. Barely twenty minutes later, Harvey arrived at the hospital out of breath, where his wife was already in the room, the advantage of working four floors below. At the end, the delivery was quite complicated, and the fact that Donna had waited too long — too busy with her operation — that her epidural hadn't worked and the redhead had suffered martyrdom to bring their daughter to the world. But the moment the midwife placed the little girl against her chest, Donna cried while Harvey felt the tears running down his cheeks without stopping, way too obsessed with the redhead and the mini version of herself.
«Thank you»
«You're welcome, honey»muttered Donna as she kissed him when he was holding the baby in his arms a few hours later.
Life together with a baby had been incredible, and the two new parents were so happy, spending every moment of their free time taking care of their daughter. Since the birth, the couple was even more in love than before — as if it were possible — as Donna was seeing the lawyer being an amazing father, happy and peaceful, finally in his place after years of feeling like an orphan without a family, and Harvey realizing that the redhead was not only his wife but also the one who had suffered for hours just to give birth to this thing as precious as his child. It was then without much surprise that Donna found herself one evening in her office after her consultations, her baby in her arms waiting for her husband, a pregnancy test on the desk, and her best friend looking at her with a shocked look.
«Donna»
«I know»
«Again?»
«Apparently»
«Aren't you on pill?»
«I am, yeah»
«So how?»
«I think I'm very fertile, and my husband, very efficient»
«Aida is six months old, Donna»
«I know»
«He knows?»
«Not yet»
«How do you think he's going to take it?»whispered the brunette.
«Rach, we're talking about Harvey. Of course he'll take it well, he'll be very happy even. He's crazy about Aida, he'll be crazy about this baby too»
«Yeah, but Donna. You're a surgeon, he's a lawyer, you already have full schedules and dedicate a lot of your time to your child, so two babies…»
«I know, it's going to be a challenge, but it'll be fine»
The least we can say is that it was a challenge, but it was so worth it. As Donna had expected, as soon as the lawyer had learned about their second child, he had cried again, thanking his wife over and over again while alternating between kissing her lips and her stomach. If Aida's pregnancy had been easy and pleasant, it was not at all the case for the second. The redhead had been sick for a long time and all day, resulting from the morning sickness not stopping until the middle of the second trimester, and if the first delivery had been almost at term, Donna had panicked when one morning, at thirty-two weeks pregnant, she had contractions and loss of blood. Immediately, she had gone up to the obstetrics floor, where they had called her husband, who had arrived panicked just like her at the idea that they were going to lose their second child — their second little girl. In the end, they had managed to stop the contractions and the bleeding, the baby in full health, while Donna had to stop working and stay at home as much as possible to try to induce labor as late as possible. So even if she hated being inactive, she did what was necessary for the health of their daughter.
«I'm bored»
«I know, but look, I brought you something»
«Strawberry tart? Oh my god, honey, I love you so much»
«I know»snorted the lawyer.
«But you have to stop feeding me, I'm gonna be huge if I eat that much and not move»
«You're perfect, stop»
After having a snack in bed with her husband and their thirteen-month-old baby in Harvey's arms with her bottle of milk, the couple had ended their evening like that, just the three of them — well, four with the little girl boxing in Donna's belly — enjoying their time together. If things had gotten back to normal, when Donna was thirty-eight weeks pregnant, she woke her husband up in the middle of the night to tell him it was time.
«What? Now?»
«Yes, now»
«But Donna, you're only thirty-seven weeks pregnant»
«Well, Aida wanted to go out at thirty-nine, that's how it is, your children are impatient. Look at that, not even born yet, and it's already sister competition»
So in the middle of the night, the couple had called Rachel to take care of Aida while they both ran to the hospital, where, barely five hours later, their second daughter was born slightly prematurely but in perfect health: Isa.
«Oh my god, look at her»
«She is beautiful, Donna, and she looks so much like Aida»
«Yeah, sorry daddy, but I think this one won't be the one that looks like you either»
«I don't care, as long as they look like you, that's all I want»
«I love you»
«I love you too, honey»
Four days later, the parents were back home with their two babies, and from that moment on, that's when the real sport began. Quickly, the two adults had to find an organization that would allow them to mix daycare, preschool, consultation at the hospital, surgery, being on call, business meetings, clients, trial, and some time as a couple, and even if it seemed impossible, they always managed it. Today thought, they had the feeling of doing nothing but running. Now aged four and five, the two little redheads were little girls with a lot of energy, who, like their parents, had busy schedules too. As it was now noon, Mike saw Harvey from afar running in his three-piece suit through the lobby of the firm.
«Hey brother, where are you going?»shouted the younger lawyer.
«The girls have ballet»yelled Harvey.
In less than five seconds, he had run from his office to the elevator before starting his run again in the underground parking lot to his car and driving to the school where he first picked up Aida.
«Daddy!»
«Hey baby — How was her day?»
«It was good, she didn't eat it all, so I left the rest in her lunch box, and don't forget the parents' meeting tonight»
«We'll be there. Thanks a lot, Miss Valentine — let's get Isa now, right baby?»
As the little girl smiled, he walked quickly to the upper floor where he saw his second daughter running towards him.
«Daddy!»
«Hey my second baby — Nothing to report?»
«No, everything is fine. Her shoes are in her locker»
«Thank you very much»
Immediately, he placed Isa on the small bench to put her shoes back on before taking them both against him and walking quickly to the car, wanting to avoid wasting time with their little legs. Barely in the huge dark grey SUV, he strapped them into their car seats to drive to the dance academy, where he hurried into the locker room to change their clothes into their two pale pink tutus and cover them with kisses.
«Babies, mommy's coming to pick you up, but I'll see you later, okay?»
«Okay»
«I love you both»
«We love you too»
After one last kiss, Harvey left the car in the parking lot before calling a taxi and speeding towards the courthouse. Meanwhile, Donna looked at the time and hurried to take off her white coat before gathering all her things and whispering to herself.
«Shit shit shit»
Once ready, with her designer bag bought by her husband on her shoulder, she ran into the hallway of the hospital consultations department, hearing one of her assistants shout from the secretary's office.
«Doctor Paulsen, don't forget, you have an surgery scheduled at three»
«I'll be there»yelled Donna back.
Quickly, she ran outside, where she hailed a taxi that took her directly to the dance academy, where she watched the end of the dance class as she saw her two babies doing their best pirouettes. If the majority of the adults present were stay-at-home mothers who had time to spend the whole class watching their daughters, for Donna unfortunately, she only had time to see the end, but while the two little girls turned around with a huge smile on their faces when they saw their mother, the redhead felt less guilty. As soon as the teachers announced the end of the class, they ran as fast as they could on their little legs to throw themselves into Donna's arms, who welcomed them in her arms, crouching down, to cover them with kisses.
«Mommy!»
«Hey my babies»
Alright, she had thirty five minutes before she had to be at the hospital, so after quickly getting them dressed while they were talking non stop about their day, she stopped by the bakery next to the academy to grab something before picking up the car Harvey had left, settling the two little girls in their carseat and driving to the hospital.
«Babies, mommy has a surgery, but you will stay in the observation room until I finish, and daddy will join you as soon as he's done. Alright?»
«Alright»replied the two little girls.
Barely at the hospital parking lot, she grabbed the bag of pastries she had put next to her, took the bag she had prepared the day before in the trunk, before unbuckling the seat belts, taking the two little girls out of the car, taking Isa in her arms, grabbing Aida's hand, and moving forward through the corridors of the hospital.
«Are we going to the bubble, mommy?»
«Soon baby»
While she had sat the two little girls on the bench in the locker room, she quickly changed from her street clothes into scrubs while they chatted together, Donna laughing at the nickname the girls had given to the OR observation room because of all those windows. Once completely ready, she took the two little girls' hands before taking them to the bubble. She sat them down on the seats, positioned the tray table in front of them, before placing an iced tea and a pastry in front of each of them and squatting down in front of them.
«Hey my babies, mommy is just over there. I want you to stay calm, I'll hurry up. I put all the necessary toys in the bag, there are your Barbies and the coloring books. Okay?»
«Okay»smiled the two little girls.
Immediately, she kissed the two little girls before closing the door behind her, running to the operating room below and starting to wash her hands in the airlock before dressing sterilely and approaching her already sleeping patient while listening to the debrief of the operation, glancing at the two little redheads who were still eating their snacks calmly while waving at her. Barely half an hour into the operation, Donna peeked in their direction to see them lying on the floor in the observation room, chatting and busy coloring, as she continued her surgery while one of her interns muttered.
«Doctor Paulsen?»
«Yes?»
«You let your daughters watch a surgery? I mean, they're littles, and there's organs, blood, and all that on the screens. Don't they have nightmares or something?»
«Oh, they don't care. And even then, their mother is a surgeon, blood and stuff don't do anything to them, they grew up with that. Aida was practically born in an OR while I was doing a triple coronary bypass and watched her first operation with her father here in the observation room at just six months old while waiting for me to be done. As for Isa, I tourniqueted a man in the ER while I had her strapped in her baby carrier on my chest when she was only three months old while I was supposed to go home. So now seeing a ventricular resection is nothing to them»chuckled Donna.
As the intern was about to answer, the OR's speaker activated, and Donna heard her daughter's high-pitched voice echoing through the room, as she couldn't help but chuckle.
«Mommy?»
«Yes, my baby?»
«When is daddy coming?»
«Wait a second — What time is it?»muttered the redhead as she continued to focus on her surgery.
«Three forty five»replied a nurse.
« In about twenty minutes, baby »
«What's twenty minutes, mommy?»
«One Sofia the First episode»
«Alright»
After that, the little girl went back lying next to her sister to continue playing Barbie with her while Donna giggled and whispered.
« When did she even learn to use the intercom? »
For another quarter of an hour she continued to operate while continuing to glance in the direction of the little girls just to be sure that they were calm. And as she looked for the umpteenth time, she saw the door open, followed by her husband entering the observation room and the two little girls jumping into his arms. As both of them were hanging around his neck, she heard the intercom turn on and his deep voice echoed through the room, giving her chills.
«Hey»
«Hey honey, how did it go?»
«I win»
«As usual»snorted Donna, her gaze still focused on her patient.
«Yeah. How long do you think you'll be done?»
«Twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes, I think»
«Alright»
«The spare keys to my office are in Aida's bag. If you want, you can wait for me there, I'll join you later»
«Yeah, I think I'll go over there, I still have some work to do. Have they had their snacks yet?»
«Yep. I got you something too, in the pink bag»
«You're perfect. Alright, see you later»
«See you, honey»
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harvey collect all their stuff, put everything in the bag, and throw away the empty cups before picking up the two girls against him and going over to the intercom to activate it again.
«Baby?»
«Yeah?»
«You're so hot in your scrub»
«Oh my God»snorted Donna as her intern chocked on his own saliva.
Her husband had no shame, and the redhead had been able to discover that as soon as he flirted with her when they met, so the fact that he dared to say this kind of thing in front of an entire operating room with its staff didn't even surprise her. Harvey was like that: crazy about his wife, a real flirt, and unapologetic, but she loved it. Once the three specters left, Donna refocused on her patient before finishing her operation, taking off her blouse and checking the time before starting to run through the corridors of the hospital once again to her office, where she found Harvey sitting at her desk, a little girl on each knee as they were drawing and chatting as Harvey replied to them while working on his computer. As soon as Donna closed the door, the two mini redheads ran towards her while she covered them with kisses and then kissed Harvey softly on the lips.
«Hey honey. How much time do we have left?»
«They should be at Rachel and Mike's in thirty minutes»
«Alright. Did you bring my clothes?»
«Yeah, I put everything in your closet»
«Thanks»
As she locked the door, she grabbed the clothes from the closet before removing her scrubs to find herself in her underwear in her office while Harvey looked at her lustfully and Donna snorted at her behavior.
«Don't ever think about it»
Ten minutes later, she was dressed, put some makeup on, and done her hair as the two of them walked quickly to the car to head to Rachel and Mike's house, their daughters against them. After thanking their best friends and covering their children with kisses, the two of them quickly headed to school before arriving right on time when all the other parents were already present in the room. After almost two hours of presentation, the Specter listened attentively before chatting a little with the teachers and a few parents, then leaving the school to go back to their best friends and pick up the two little girls already asleep in their pajamas. But while they each had one of their kids in their arms and Donna opened the door to their condo, the redhead heard her husband sighed.
«God, this day was endless»
«I'm so happy to be home»
«Me too»
As they entered the master bedroom and put the two little girls asleep on their beds, they quickly took their showers in turn before falling back on the mattress next to them and staring at the ceiling silently as Donna whispered.
«That was quit a day..I just want to sleep»
«Yeah, me too»
«Do you want to take the kids to bed?»
«Do you mind if they stayed here with us?»
«No, it's okay»chuckled Donna, seeing her husband exhausted.
«Perfect. Alright, let's just sleep»
Without even waiting for a response from Donna, he leaned over to reach the switch and plunged the room into darkness. For a few seconds, they rearranged to find themselves under the sheets, Harvey with Aida pressed against him while Isa was snuggled against Donna. Barely lying down, the lawyer barely had the courage to raise his head, lean over to tenderly kiss his wife, and murmur against her lips.
«Good night, baby»
«'Night honey»
In less than five minutes, all four of them were sound asleep after this exhausting day. The couple knew that, with their jobs, a family life was going to be complicated, and even if some days, they were exhausted from running, they had no regrets. Together, they had created two wonders that they loved with all their hearts and who loved them just as much, and even if they were not the first parents present at the exit of the school, not the ones who could attend the entirety of dance classes or share a snack with them every day, each time they jumped into their arms, laughed, or called them mommy and daddy with so much love, they had no regrets.
They wouldn't change their lives for anything in the world.
Their lives were perfect.