the epidural quickly. The doctor left saying her own obstetrician would be there in the next fifteen minutes.
Then a nurse came in and monitored the babies’ heart rates and both were fine. The revolving door had the anesthesiologist next to give her the epidural. Mia tried to give a final protest, but was told it was the rule at the hospital when it came to the birth of multiples. With a sigh, Mia bent over and let the doctor do his job. Not long after that was complete and Mia calmed down, her regular doctor arrived and examined her.
“You, my dear, are ready to go to the OR!”
“Dr. Kendall, wait!” Mia called out nervously. “I just got here! How the hell am I ready? I thought I had hours …”
Ethan’s ears perked up at the panic in her voice and hurried to her side. “Mia, it’s okay. This means our boys are ready to make their appearance.”
She looked up at him and fear circled her dark brown orbs. Her fear worried the shit out of him. Why was she so afraid? He knew he had to swallow his own worries and be strong for her, but that was proving a little hard to do.
“You can do this, suga,” he said, cupping both sides of her face.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“No need to be. You have me. Luke and Allie are out there somewhere and we have a slew of doctors and nurses here to help you through this.” He kissed her forehead, but then she pulled his head down to hers and laid those sweet lips of hers on his. He held that kiss, infusing whatever strength he had into her before pulling back. “You’ve got this.”
Another contraction interrupted them. She seemed calmer with this one, but she still let her head fall back to the bed and held her large stomach.
It was then that the medical team started to wheel her to the OR. One of the nurses held him back and gave him an armful of fabric. Scrubs. “Get these on and meet me out in the hall. I’ll bring you to her.”
He nodded and quickly donned the blue garments, the hairnet, and mask, and when he arrived in the OR, Mia was in the middle of a major contraction. Beads of sweat fell down her forehead. Agony washed over her face and he wished more than anything that he could take away her pain.
Ethan didn’t understand how she could feel that now; he thought the epidural took away the pain. The nurse informed him that they turned it down so she could push.
The room was loud; activity all around. His eyes were all over the place, watching the team prepare for the birth of his sons. Ethan’s gaze landed on his wife again. Anxiety had a strong hold of her. He could see it on her beautiful, anxious face. She needed it quiet. It calmed her a little. Moving to her side, he kissed her cheek and spoke to her. “Mia, I need you to calm down, okay? There’s no need to panic.”
His eyes followed her gaze to her shaky hands. She closed her eyes and swallowed. He knew how the shaking made her feel, how it reminded her of the night her mother left her.
“What do you need, suga?”
“I’m shaking. My hands, my entire body.”
“Need to hold on?” he asked, offering his non-throwing hand. She nodded with a whimper and grasped his hand in a bone crunching hold.
“I really feel like I want to push. So much pressure!”
“Next contraction, let’s do that, all right?”
For the next several minutes, Mia pushed with her contractions. Her cries were so hard for him to hear. She didn’t get all angry with him like he’d seen in the movies. His wife was focused on doing as the doctor said. With his lips to her hair, she screamed as she pushed.
“That’s it, Mia. Baby number one has crowned. Want to feel his head?” the doctor asked. Mia smiled and gave the doctor her hand to guide between her legs.
“Oh my God! He has a lot of hair!”
Dr. Kendall chuckled. “He does!”
Ethan continued to observe, holding his wife’s hand as the doctor led her through the birth, talking to her gently, calmly. Things seemed to be going well, but when the nurse leaned in to whisper to the doctor, Ethan’s eyes locked on her and silently cursed when the nurse said that Mia’s blood pressure was rising. One sixty over ninety. Numbers she