Chapter 15
It felt like forever. And he was pretty certain that as the hours slid by, so did several years of his life.
The waiting room was filled to overflowing with family and her best friend.
His family had flown in as soon as they knew she was near to her delivery date.
Even her mother, the irascible Dr. Victoria Landan was present.
It was going on six hours, with the bloody doctors telling him that it was natural for such a long labor.
"It's her first pregnancy and with twins, it can be a little unpredictable. If the babies have not crowned in the next hour, we will be thinking of doing a C-section. Your wife is completely against it. Just as she is against using an epidural."
"She's been reading up on it a lot." Oscar dragged agitated fingers through his hair as he paced the length of the private waiting room. "I want it over. She's in pain."
"She's a trooper." Dr. Jane Greene said with a reassuring smile. "She's cracking jokes, which has the medical team laughing."
He shot her a cool look. "It's not comedy central. I want you to do something."
"Perhaps you can talk her into taking the drug."
"How much longer?"
"Hard to say. The babies are positioned, so it's only a matter of time."
He paced the halls, restless and unable to find comfort in any chair, his thoughts playing over every possible outcome. Every so often, someone would offer him reassurance. Her mother with a stern nod, her best friend with a gentle squeeze of his hand. But nothing truly settled his nerves.
The hours seemed to blur together, marked only by brief updates from hurried nurses and the muted hum of anxious conversation around him.
"How are we doing?" he asked as soon as he stepped back inside the room.
"Wonderful. I'm keeping the doctors and nurses entertained. They are suggesting that I take a walk. The exercise might urge our babies to make an appearance." She reached for his hands. "Walk with me."
He looked up at the doctors who nodded in approval.
"Easy." Gripping her hands, he helped her out of bed and waited for her to slide into the comfortable fuzzy slippers he had brought to the hospital.
"Where do you want to go?"
"The nursery." She responded promptly. "Macy, that girl that came in after me, had a son."
He had to force himself not to mention that the woman she was referring to had come in after her.
"Are you hurting?" He had noticed that she was running her hand up and down the small of her back the minute they started walking.
"Just a little." She leaned against him and took several deep breaths. "You can't fool me."
"I never thought I could. What specifically are you talking about?"
"You're upset." Lifting a hand, she touched the middle of his forehead. "There's a crease right here." He stopped when she gripped his arm, fingers digging through his sweater.
"Kiara."
"I'm fine. They're still too far apart. Siobhan and Sean."
"What?" He wanted to shake some sense into her and decided that if he saw the slightest indication that she was in pain, he was lifting her and taking her back to the delivery room. This was getting ridiculous.
"Our babies. Sean and Siobhan. I love those names."
They had been so rushed with work, hers and his, that they barely found the time to settle on names.
That was not exactly true, he recalled with a shake of his head.
They had been going back and forth, writing down names and discarding them until he had given up and told her she should be the one to choose.
Thankfully, up until now the pregnancy had been tolerable, with a few trips to the private clinic to check on her blood pressure. She had driven him crazy with her research into the risks connected to childbirth.
Over the last two months, she had become obsessed with keeping healthy for their babies. Her eating habit had changed drastically and even when she started craving things like ice cream and fried chicken, she had resisted the urge. Irene had to carefully vet the menu.
The nursery had to be right. The colors and schemes were ruthlessly studied and after rejecting several ideas, she had given the go ahead at the last minute. And she had ballooned out, getting bigger during the last month.
"I love them too." He guided her up the hallway, making sure to keep her clear from the people milling near the reception area. He could not keep their lives private for long but was determined not to have her labor spread all over the gossip columns. "How about we go back?" he suggested softly.
Pressing a hand to her belly, she took a deep breath. "I think it's time."
His eyes bulged as he turned to look at her. "What?"
"I think they're coming. Oh!" She gripped his arm and gritted her teeth. "My water just broke."
He did not wait to hear anything more, scooping her into his arms, he dashed the rest of the way, weaving through the hallway until they came to the delivery room.
While he was quietly freaking out, the completely amazing woman he had married calmly told the doctors that she was ready to deliver her babies.
Maeve pressed a handkerchief to her damp eyes as she stared at the latest additions to their family. "We have such beautiful grandchildren, don't we?"
"Considering how beautiful their grandmother is, I'm not surprised." Her husband was feeling emotional himself as he stared at the twins. They were not identical but had the same dense patch of dark hair lying close to the scalp and creamy complexion.
Large hazel eyes blinked at the people peering at them as if they were wondering what the fuss was all about.
They were both a little over four pounds and needed to be in an incubator for now so that their lungs could be developed.
"They're O'Sullivan's through and through." He announced stoutly. Victoria sent him a frosty look that spoke volumes.
"I would like to think that there is some Landan in them as well." She had stayed for the entire experience. Seeing them, her own flesh and blood had done something to her heart. For the first time in her life, she was in love.
These tiny bundles of exquisite joy had melted her icy heart.
"I beg your pardon there, Doctor. Of course you're right."
She mellowed enough to offer him a gracious nod. "The name is Victoria. After all, we're family."
Padric was careful not to show his extreme shock at the woman's unbending. "Well, Victoria, how about a cup of celebratory tea?"
"That would be lovely."
"You should be sleeping." He stroked her back gently, absolutely amazed by her. For a woman who had been in labor for close to eight hours and delivered two beautiful babies, she looked as if she had just taken a walk in the park.
He had never met anyone like her. She had insisted on holding the twins, calling them each by name and cradling them in her arms before reluctantly handing them over to the nurses.
"I feel great." She admitted as she snuggled against him. "They're beautiful, aren't they? But tiny." She was determined to stay positive.
He kissed the top of her head gently. "The doctors all agree that they will grow very fast. And it's good that they will only be staying in the NICU for a week. After that, we get to take them home."
"For now, we hold off on hiring a nanny. I want to bond with them."
"Of course." He brushed back the long flow of braids from her cheek. "My parents are staying for a month, and your mother has offered her services."
Lifting her head, she stared at him, a whimsical smile touching her lips. "Who knew that it had to take me delivering two babies to have her becoming human? I do believe she really loves them."
"You should see her in the nursery. She did not want to leave. She stood there staring at them as if they were the most precious things in the world."
"Well, of course they are." His wife declared stoutly. "Oh, Oscar. We did it. We made those two perfect little creatures and we're completely responsible for them."
Tilting her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers. "And we're going to make sure we don't screw it up."
She laughed shakily, her hand gripping his wrist. "Know what I discovered?"
"What is that?"
"That no amount of avid reading will do it. Yes, it's nice to drink in all the knowledge and watch all the videos about the best way to take care of our babies, but I think it's just natural born instincts that come with being parents."
"Does that mean we get a break from all the books and videos you forced me to watch?" he teased.
"Not so obsessive, but we will be reading. Most of all, we will know what to do to make those two little people whole and healthy in a broken down world. We have each other and a village. Eric and Deborah have declared themselves godparents. Did you see how they were staring at each other?"
"Kiara."
She grinned at him, moving into his arms. "I'm not too busy to play matchmaker. And they're good for each other."
"Stay out of it." He warned, kissing her firmly on the mouth.
"You know I can't."
With a resigned sigh, he gathered her close and just breathed her in.
"I can't believe how damn good you are at this." Deborah stared at her friend in amazement as she tucked the blanket securely around her daughter. The twins were three months old and were growing in leaps and bounds.
The pediatrician, one recommended by Dr. Greene, had expressed genuine surprise at how they were thriving. Aside from a few niggling ear infections, they were doing very well.
"I think I was born to be a mother." She threw a grin over her shoulder as she snapped the diaper secure at the waist. "What do you think, baby girl? Is Mama a natural or what?"
She could swear the baby smiled her approval. "I don't give a flying fig what the so-called experts say, that's a smile right there."
"I agree with you." Coming alongside her, Deborah peered at the baby. "She's so beautiful." She sighed.