Chapter 32 #2
“He didn’t want the babies coming into the world without their father married to their mother. When it became possible for him to prevent that, he did. He’s been like a cat on a hot tin roof hoping you wouldn’t deliver early.”
Andi smiled at the image, knowing patience wasn’t Jack’s strong suit.
“We’ll run out of time if we keep gabbing. Let’s get you dressed and ready.”
Andi put her hand on her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s arm. “I have no doubt you moved heaven and earth to help him like you always do. Thank you for everything.”
“It was my pleasure. Come see the dress I found for you—they won’t even be able to tell you’re pregnant.”
Andi howled with laughter.
She floated through a dream as she married Jack on the south veranda, which had been converted to a magical setting for the wedding.
Jamie once again served as Jack’s best man, and Frannie stood with Andi.
Before they took their vows, they asked the girls to come up next to Andi, and Jack extended a hand to Eric, who’d put on a tie for the occasion.
The only thing that detracted from an otherwise spectacular day was the grinding pain in Andi’s back, which was becoming harder to ignore.
After the ceremony, the band Jack had hired called Kate up to sing with them. Jack sat with an arm around Andi to watch Kate perform with a live band. She sang “Bless the Broken Road,” and by the time she reached the chorus, the bride and groom were mopping up tears.
The wedding guests cheered as the band played the final notes of the song. Kate was so polished and professional when she turned to applaud the band that Andi clutched Jack’s hand when she saw him watching in amazement.
He told Andi he would ask for only one dance that day and sang along to “The Way You Look Tonight,” changing “tonight” to “today.”
When she reached up to kiss him a gush of wetness between her legs made her gasp.
“Honey, what is it?”
“I think my water broke.”
“Are you sure?”
She looked down at the puddle around her feet and then back up at him, nodding.
“Okay, come on, I’ll tell Jamie to keep things going here. No need to break up the party,” Jack said as he spirited her off the dance floor.
But before they could make their getaway, Andi bent in half with a contraction that left her unable to move or breathe. She’d no sooner gotten through that one when another hit her.
“Jack,” she panted, already resisting the urge to push. “I don’t think we have time to get to the hospital.”
Frannie helped Jack get Andi upstairs while Jamie asked everyone to continue enjoying the party.
“Looks like we might be offering two events for the price of one today,” Jamie said to nervous laughter from the wedding guests.
“Oh my God, I need to push,” Andi said, overwhelmed by the sensation.
Jack gave Frannie a panicked look.
“Maybe there’s a doctor in the hotel,” Frannie said.
The minute they got Andi into bed, Jack called down to the front desk and asked them to see if they could find a doctor. He also called Dr. Abbott, who assured him she was on her way but would be thirty minutes or more.
“Hurry,” Jack said and turned back to Andi, who cried out as another contraction ripped through her. Between contractions, Jack and Frannie helped her out of her wedding dress and into a nightgown.
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” Andi said, blinking back tears. “I ruined our wedding.”
“Don’t be sorry, honey. I’m just glad we got the first part taken care of in time.” He kissed her as another contraction hit.
She bit back the urge to push. “I can’t wait any longer.”
A knock on the door sent Frannie flying across the room. She returned with a young couple. “We’re in luck.” Frannie introduced Mark and Julie Patterson.
“I’m a cardiology resident, and my wife is a labor and delivery nurse,” Mark said, shaking hands with Jack, who was weak with relief to be getting some qualified assistance. “We’re here on our honeymoon and heard you could use some help.”
Andi nodded when Julie asked if she could examine her.
“You’re crowning, Andi. Are you ready to push?”
“I’ve been trying not to for half an hour. I should tell you I had a C-section seven years ago.”
“Looks like we don’t have time for anything other than the good old-fashioned way, so on the next contraction, let’s give it a push.” Julie gave Frannie and Jack instructions on how they could help.
John Joseph Harrington IV came into the world ten minutes later, followed eight minutes later by his identical twin brother, Robert Franklin Harrington. They named the boys for their father and grandfathers but would call them Johnny and Robby.
Both babies let out lusty cries, and Julie estimated them to be a very healthy six pounds each, even though they’d arrived a month early.
Dr. Abbott rushed into the room five minutes after Robby was born, shocked to see the babies had already arrived and everyone seemed to be doing fine. “I missed it?”
“We work fast around here,” Jack said as he held Andi and brushed at tears.
Mark and Julie left promising to check on the new family later. Jack and Andi thanked them profusely for their help, and Andi promised to comp their stay at the hotel.
When Dr. Abbott cleared everyone from the room so she could examine Andi, Jack took the babies to the hallway, where an anxious group of grandparents and siblings waited to meet their new family members.
A few minutes later, Dr. Abbott came out to tell Jack he could take the babies to their mother.
Andi rested against the pile of pillows, her eyes bright with excitement.
Jack sat next to her, handed Johnny to her, and kept Robby for himself.
“Dr. Abbott said I was probably in labor all night and didn’t recognize it because the pain was in my back,” she said with a sheepish grin. “The back pain was nothing new, so I ignored it.”
“No wonder it happened so fast. But I’m glad we didn’t have time to get you to the hospital and our sons were born in our hotel, which, I might add, is home sweet home until we find a house for this brood of ours.” He leaned over to kiss her. “You were amazing, Andi. I’m so proud of you.”
Caressing his face, she was flooded with relief that he was back to stay and hers to keep. She had two new rings on her left hand and two new babies to prove it.
“I woke up today with three kids, and now I have six,” he said, gazing down at Robby. Both babies had caps of shiny black hair.
“I had one, and now I have six.”
“Okay, you win,” he said, and they laughed. “I have sons.”
“Three of them. Do you remember what Dr. Abbott said about identical twins?”
“A stroke of sheer luck,” he recalled. “You hear that, boys? You’re a stroke of sheer luck—just like your mother was for me.”
She tugged him close enough to kiss. “I love you, Jack.”
“I love you, too, but I have one question for you,” he said with a devilish gleam in his eye.
“What’s that?” she asked, amused by him.
“How will we ever explain to these boys that they were born on our wedding day?”
“As soon as I figure out how it all happened, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
They laughed while the babies slept in their arms.
Thank you for reading Treading Water.