help too… when they’re not at work—”
“Hey, don’t worry about scheduling conflicts right now,” Janette cut in. “You have some babies who are ready to be born. I’m going to go find the nurse. And, Curt, do you want a sandwich or something?”
“That would be great, thanks so much,” Curt said, realizing he hadn’t eaten yet today.
“Great,” Janette said. “Be back soon.” She took off out the door.
Annalise chuckled. “She’s making excuses to leave us alone together,” she said.
Curt reached up and stroked her cheek gently. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Does it hurt?”
“It does, but it’s supposed to—” She sucked in a breath and squeezed his hand hard. “Ow.”
Curt looked over his shoulder, hoping that Janette had meant what she’d said about sending a nurse along. He hated to see Annalise in pain, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
“Should you have drugs for the pain?” he asked.
Annalise shook her head. “The doctor offered them to me,” she said. “But that’s not what I want. I want to be fully present when our children are born. I want to remember the first moments of their lives.”
Curt nodded. “I’m so glad I was able to be here for this,” he said. “If this had happened a year ago, there’s no way I would have been allowed to shut down a shoot for a whole day, even for the birth of my children.”
“Thank you for being a part of their lives,” Annalise said. “I can’t believe I ever thought of doing this without you.”
The door opened and a plump, smiling nurse came into the room. “How are we doing?” she asked. “How’s the pain?”
“A little worse,” Annalise said through gritted teeth.
“Let’s do a quick exam,” the nurse said.
Curt stepped out of the way so she could do what she needed to do. Annalise kept hold of his hand, though. She was brave, but Curt had the feeling she was a little bit afraid of what was to come, and he didn’t blame her.
“Your labor’s progressing quickly,” the nurse said. “I think you’re nearly there, actually.”
“Already?” Annalise asked, her eyes going wide.
“Sometimes that happens with multiples,” the nurse said, smiling. “And these ones seem in a particular hurry, probably because they’ve been in there for such a long time. They’re ready to be born. I’ll go get the doctor. You hang in there.”
She stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Annalise looked up at Curt, an expression of alarm on her face.
“Everything’s okay,” he assured her, taking her shoulders in his hands. “You can do this.”
“I don’t know—”
“You can,” he assured her. “You’re the strongest woman I know, Annalise. You were brave enough to let me into your life.”
“That was the easiest thing I ever did,” she said, letting out a hoarse laugh. “Trying to get rid of you was much harder, and I failed at that.”
“I’m glad you did.” He kissed her forehead.
She reached up and squeezed his arm. “So am I.”
The door opened and the doctor came in. “Annalise,” he said. “You about ready to become a mother?”
Curt felt her square her shoulders beneath his grip. “I’m ready,” she said.
Hours later, when Annalise was finally sleeping and Janette had gone home for the evening, Curt sat awake, surrounded by the bassinets containing his three newborn babies.
It was hard to believe that his life had changed so completely in such a short span of time. And yet, looking down at them, he could hardly believe there had been a time when he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a father. He couldn’t imagine life without these little faces.
The oldest baby, a boy, was fast asleep, his arms twitching slightly as he dreamed. Curt wondered what babies dreamed about. His son had so little experience of life. All he knew of the world was a few moments of being held in his mother’s arms.
I’d like to think he’s dreaming of Annalise.
The two younger babies, both girls, were awake and quiet, staring at the ceiling. As Curt watched, one of them waved her feet in the air and stared at them as if mesmerized.
“I know,” Curt whispered to her. “You’re fascinating, aren’t you? I can’t stop looking at you either.”
He reached into the bassinet and picked her up carefully. He didn’t want to start her crying, for fear of waking Annalise. But she settled quietly. Curt adjusted the little hat that had been placed on her head to keep her warm, allowing him to see her face better.
“Hi, baby,” he said