Trigger warning-scary thoughts regarding death may be hard for some to read…and childbirth scenes*
February 1st
"Push, babe, push," Lucas whispered into her ear. "Boo is almost here."
She was so grateful that Lucas was there. He was a great coach, helping her breathe, holding her hand. He was a phenomenal husband and she knew as a father he would be perfect.
"One more push," the nurse told her.
Lucas gasped when he saw her, his beautiful Boo. It felt like it had taken forever to meet her but now she was here.
"I don't feel good…." Elizabeth mumbled.
Everything slowed down for Lucas. Everything was going in slow motion. The nurse handed Boo off to another nurse and then a bunch of doctors rushed in, pushing him out of the way.
"What's happening?" No, he couldn't lose her!
All he could see was blood….
Lucas sat up in bed, heart pounding and sweat soaking his t-shirt and shorts.
"Babe?" Elizabeth said. "What's wrong?"
"You, I…you're fine?"
"If being super pregnant and having swollen ankles and back pain is fine, then yes, I'm fine."
Lucas reached out and touched her belly, needing to feel Boo kick. He needed to feel Elizabeth alive and well.
"Honey?"
"I had a dream. It was hard. I…I lost you." Tears ran down his face, even though he could plainly see she was there, alive and well.
"That's all it was. I'm right here and Boo is here, sleeping I think. We are both fine."
He got up and changed his shirt and headed to the bathroom. Beth followed.
"I'm okay."
"Well I need to pee," she told him, waddling past him. He washed his face and sighed, leaning back against the sink.
She edged past to wash her hands and then she stood in front of him, reaching up to touch his cheek. "I love you, Lucas Bouchard."
"I love you too," he told her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her as close as he could. "I'm scared that I'm going to lose you."
"Babe, obviously, I hope everything is smooth sailing but I am choosing to remember that women give birth all the time and I am young and healthy. Everything should be just fine."
Lucas smiled as Boo pushed against his hand. "There you are. Hi, Boo. Daddy loves you so much. I can't wait to meet you very soon."
He moved his hands to cup her face and smiled. "You are so beautiful Beth Bouchard. I am so blessed."
…..
Lee and Rosie's house
"Ohhhhhhhhhh! Lee!" Rosie yelled from Julian's room where she had fallen asleep after reading him three story books.
"Rosie? What is it?" he asked, running in.
"I….my water broke and…ooooohhhhh, I'm having contractions."
"Alright. I'm going to go tell your dad and then we can head to the hospital." Their hospital bags had been packed for about six weeks.
"Mama? You sad?" Julian asked, touching her tears.
She wiped her cheeks and smiled, kissing his forehead. "No, Juju. I'm so happy. Its time to meet your brother and sister."
"Now?"
"Yep. Abuelo is going to watch you while Daddy and I go meet them. Then we will come home and you can meet them."
"Okay, Mama. Juju be good."
"I know you will."
She felt a shooting pain across her stomach and down her legs. "Oh gosh….." she breathed.
"Papa! Papa come!" Julian yelled, running out of his room to find Lee. "Mama have babies soon!"
She waited for the contraction to stop and then she waddled to the master to change clothes. She was damp from her water breaking and needed more comfortable clothes for sure.
Lee helped her change in between contractions while her dad watched Julian and then they headed to the hospital.
Rosie texted Elizabeth. She wanted to be there so Rosie had promised to let her know. Rosie was officially 37 weeks pregnant and the babies were a good size if you judged from Rosie's size and the doctor's prediction.
"Baby time!" she texted.
"Oh my gosh!" Elizabeth squealed.
"What? You okay?" Lucas asked, sitting up in bed.
"Rosie is having the babies. I'm going up there, honey."
She kissed him and smiled. "Love you."
"Love you."
However as she was getting dressed, she felt a gentle pop and liquid running down her legs.
"Luke!"
"Babe?" he rushed into the closet.
"My water broke."
"It did?! Holy crap!" He could barely register the words. "Um, alright," he said, taking a deep breath.
"Luke."
He stopped for a moment and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. "I'm here. I'm ready to meet Boo."
"Me too."
He had daydreamed about meeting his baby girl and it felt as if the last nine months had dragged with respect to that, but he wouldn't trade a moment of it.
"Owwww…" she cringed, rubbing her back.
He walked around behind her and using his knuckles, he applied a bit of pressure to her lower back. "Breathe, love. You got this."
She breathed nice and slow once he applied that pressure and before she knew it, the pain diminished. "Help me change?"
"I'm right here with you."
Within about twenty minutes, they were on their way to the hospital and Beth texted Rosie. "I'm on my way but so is Boo. My water broke too." Then she called her parents, telling them to catch a earlier flight if possible.
"Oh wow!" Rosie said as they pulled into the parking garage at the hospital.
"What?"
"Beth is in labor too."
"Wow."
"Right?"
About thirty minutes later and five contractions, Rosie and the twins were being monitored closely. Thankfully, both babies were head down, so as long as that stayed the same, she wanted to try to deliver them without a c-section.
"Honey Bunny, you look nervous," Rosie said, pointing out the obvious.
"I am. I'm about to be a father of twins and I'm still unemployed and we are running low on funds."
"Babe, please don't talk about money right now. We will figure it out. You know Dad said he would help us."
"I'm not borrowing money from your father, Rosemary."
"You are so stubborn. Its not like we wouldn't pay him back."
"Mixing money with family doesn't end well. I don't want to do it."
"Fine, Lee."
Her nurse walked in to check on her progress and hopefully start an epidural. "Rosemary, you are at 6 centimeters."
"Already?"
"Yeah. Do you want to try without an epidural?"
"No, are you serious?"
"Alright. I will put in the order."
'Thank you."
"I need some coffee, sweetheart. I'll be right back." He kissed the top of her head and walked out and she closed her eyes, dreading the next contraction.
"Bro," Luke said, waving to him from just down the hall. "Let's get some coffee. Beth is at a 3 so I have time and she's going to try to sleep."
Lee nodded and they walked together.
"You okay?"
"I'm scared, Luke."
"I know. Me too. I've been having nightmares."
"I'm just scared we are going to run out of money."
"I'm sorry you haven't been earning much working for Beth." Elizabeth hadn't done more than two parties in the last few months.
"Its fine. It's on me, not you."
"Lee, I can see you are stressed."
"Dude, I've sent out like a hundred resumes. I just don't know what to do and Rosie's dad offered to loan us money but that feels like I'm giving up. Like he's supporting my family, which is what I'm supposed to be doing. I took the vow six years ago, not him."
"I get where you are coming from," Lucas said.
"But…"
"No but. Its totally your and Rosie's decision."
"I want to know your opinion at least."
"I don't think you need that, Lee. You just need to pray on it. Talk to Rosie, maybe not for the next few weeks while she recovers. Just relax, take care of Rosie and Juju and your two new babies."
"Yeah. I am grateful to have time to stay home with her. Well all of them."
Lee knows he's been depressed and he's just been stewing about their situation. Rosie suggested that he take over Beth's business but he just kept coming up with reasons not to.
"Maybe I should take a marketing class. I could help Beth set up her website and If I get a degree, I could do website design."
"That's a great idea, Lee. In the meantime, what if you ran Beth's business? She doesn't want to work until Boo is at least six months old."
"I could do that. I think I really could."
"Excellent. Having a plan is good."
"It is. It really is."
"Let's get our coffee, Lee and then go meet our babies."
…..
Lee returned back to Rosie's room just as she was starting to feel pressure to push.
"Honey bunny, I think I need to push."
He pushed the button on her bed and told the nurse to hurry. Things moved very slow, yet fast at the same time.
"Wow, okay," the nurse told her, taking a peek. "I see a head. Let's get your OB in here."
"This is it," Lee whispered into her ear, kissing her temple. "Let's meet our babies."
Rosie couldn't believe it was actually happening. After five years of no success in conceiving, they finally were successful and now they were having two babies.
After about ten minutes of pushing, Catherine Elizabeth Coulter was born. They would call her Cate or Catie.
"Okay, Mama," her doc told her. "Take a bit of a breather until "baby boy" comes along. Enjoy baby girl."
Catie squawked and wiggled, exercising her lungs and pinking up nicely.
"She's gorgeous," Lee whispered, kissing his wife and daughter. "You are amazing, sweetheart. Thank you for marrying me."
Rosie touched his cheek and smiled. "Thank you for marrying me, Lee."
Down the hall
"You are at a four, dear," Molly told her.
"Only a four?"
"Yes, sometimes first babies take a while. I think maybe try to get some sleep. Its going to be a while."
"Can I walk around? Maybe that would help me get things moving."
"Sure. That's a great idea."
The nurse came in a few minutes later and helped to unhook the fetal monitor but kept the IV going. "You'll just need to hang on to the pole as you walk."
"Got it."
As they strolled, they heard a baby crying nearby and they wondered if that was one of Lee and Rosie's. "I can't wait to meet them," Beth mused. "She was excited to be an honorary aunt to the Coulter twins.
Beth tensed up and bent at the waist, moaning softly. "Ohhhhh." Lucas rubbed at her back and helped her relax to get through it.
"Breathe, honey. Keep that oxygen going to Boo. She needs it. If you don't breathe, she can't either."
She blew a breath out, knowing he was right. Then she took a breath in, slow and steady.
Lucas took her hand as she started walking again, slowly down the hallway and back again. Over and over for the next half hour.
"Guys!" Lee said from right next to them. "Come meet the twins. They're perfect. I can't believe they are here!"
Lucas and Elizabeth smiled and followed him into the room. Rosie was laying in bed, of course, two babies laying on her chest quietly but awake.
"Guys, this is Charles Lucas, or Charlie, and this is Catherine Elizabeth, or Catie."
"You named them after us? I mean with our names….wow, Rosie!" Elizabeth exclaimed before walking over to them, dragging the pole behind her.
Lucas shook Lee's hand and smiled. "Congrats, brother."
"You too. How far along is she?"
"Four. Hopefully all the walking we have been doing will help her move along faster."
"Speaking of that, we should get walking again, babe." After the word 'babe' she groaned, bending over and breathing hard. "Oh, gosh. This is a strong one."
Once the pain subsided, they hugged the Coulters and then walked out to make their way back down the hallway.
"Is it wrong that I'm jealous?" she asked quietly with a laugh.
"She's coming soon, love," he assured her. "You are almost halfway there."
"So we are sticking with Vivienne, right?"
"Yeah but I'm pretty sure, she will always be boo."
"Oh gosh," she mumbled, grabbing onto the wall and moaning. "I can't wait….for that…epidural…"
It felt like her legs and lower abdomen were on fire mixed with shooting pains down her back and around her stomach.
"You're doing awesome, honey."
"I…need to lay down. This hurts so badly."
"Okay, we will go back to our room."
Molly walked up. "How's everyone doing? Is the walk helping?"
"Can I get my epidural now?"
"I will put in the request. Let's get you back to your room."
Unfortunately, she was only at a 5. She knew she just had to be patient and that nothing was wrong, Boo just was comfy inside.
Two hours later, Lucas was starving and Elizabeth was sleeping, without pain, so he wandered down to the cafeteria. He walked in and almost walked right into his mother, step dad, sister, Nathan Grant and Elizabeth's parents.
"Wow! Hi everyone!"
"Lucas!" everyone shouted, making people turn around and watch them.
"Beth is sleeping but two hours ago she was at a 5 and a half so she's at least past halfway."
They chatted for a good half hour and then Lucas headed back in with Grace and William while the others went to sit in the waiting room.
"Lucas, something is happening," she told him, feeling pressure.
The nurse walked in and then Molly to check her right then. "Feeling pressure, Beth?" Molly asked.
"Yes, I think so."
"Yep, I see your baby's head crowning. Are you ready?"
"Yes! I'm ready."
"We are going to wait in the waiting room, dear," William said.
"If you want to stay, that's fine. Just sit over there," she pointed.
"Are you sure?"
She looked at Lucas who shrugged. He didn't have a preference.
"We are."
"Let's try to push, Beth," Molly told her. "I'll let you know when you are having a contraction and we will try."
Lucas took a breath. This was it. He was so excited and overwhelmed and amazed at everything that was happening. "You got this, Elizabeth."
"Kiss for luck?"
"You don't need luck, but I'll kiss you anyway." He leaned down and kissed her twice. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Okay, Beth, lets try to push for a count of ten."
The nurse counted and she tried but nothing happened.
"That's alright. Its a learning curve," Molly assured her. "You are going to use the same muscles that you use to go to the bathroom, alright? That's what you need to concentrate on."
"It would be easier if I could feel something."
"Nurse Sandy, turn down her epidural just a little and see if that helps."
It did the trick. Elizabeth felt more and could concentrate on pushing away that feeling of pressure.
"There's the head," Molly said a few moments later. "Your baby has lots of dark hair."
"Push, Beth," Lucas told her when the next contraction started. "Let's meet Boo."
Two pushes later, Boo was born safely, much to Lucas' relief. Those dreams didn't mean anything.
"Dad, want to tell Mom the gender?" Molly asked with a grin, holding Boo up.
Lucas looked and then paused, shock on his face. "What….Boo…how does, why…oh…"
"Lucas! You're scaring me. What's wrong?"
"Nothing…just he…Boo is a he?"
"A boy?!"
"Yes. A boy."
William and Grace were crying and laughing in the corner. Lucas sat down in a chair in shock for a moment and Elizabeth was now holding their new son, skin to skin as they dried him.
"Hi, buddy. Oh my goodness, thank you for coming out of me. You're so handsome."
Elizabeth didn't know how she could feel such immense love for someone she just met face to face but she did. She had bonded with him and kept him safe and warm and fed for 9 months and now he was in her arms, squirming and screaming. He was a part of her and now she could see him and get to know him on the outside.
"What's his name?" Molly wondered.
"We didn't agree on a boy's name. We thought he was a girl so we planned for a girl," Elizabeth admitted. A boy. Wow.
"Well, we did like Theo Martin," Lucas reminded her.
Elizabeth kissed her son's soft forehead and covered him with a blanket. "He doesn't look like a Theo."
Lucas watched as Elizabeth calmed him, rubbing his back through the blanket.
"Luke, I'm a mommy. I can't believe it."
"You're a great Mommy, Beth. Baby Boy Bouchard is blessed."