Page 12

Sutton
“Ican’t believe they are actually here!” Alice cooed over Avery and Evie in the hospital bassinet. “Tell me everything!”
I smiled at Candice, who had already heard the story twice before. Then I launched into what happened. “…and then I guess the girls decided they were done being cooked in my crazy uterus. I can hardly believe that the hospital will allow us to take them home in a few days. How is that possible?”
Candice spoke from her perch on the rocking chair. “I don’t think there have ever been two more beautiful babies. You are going to be just fine.”
Despite my exhaustion, I grinned and looked back at the babies. They were so precious. I had no idea how much I would grow to love them so quickly.
“And you went into labor just outside the doctor’s office?” Alice asked.
I nodded. “Yes, my water broke, and then I had the worst pain in my back. To be honest, it felt like I had a really bad stomachache.”
“Yep,” Alice replied. “I heard the urge to poop is a sign.”
Candice muttered something about TMI, and I added, “If you think that’s bad, listen to this. I stumbled, walking back into the office. So Mark picked me up and carried me the rest of the way. I was shouting something about getting him dirty with my nasty baby juice. I may have also been begging for medicine.”
“Dear Lord, that sounds horrible.” Candice shuddered.
Alice just laughed. “Sounds mighty normal to me. Babies are a messy business.”
“Mark said that someday we will look back on this and laugh about it.”
Candice quirked a brow. “And will you?”
I shook my head. “Never. That will never happen.”
“So then they rushed you over to the emergency room?” Alice prompted.
“Yes, thankfully, we were in the same parking lot. But it felt like the contractions were coming fast and sharp because I was dilating. They gave me something for the pain, and then hour after hour, they would come in and tell me that I wasn’t dilating enough. They put an internal monitor in to check the babies’ heart rates, and when they started dipping too low, they started the c-section. Everything after that was a blur. I wish I remembered it better, but things were kind of crazy.”
Alice leaned in and whispered, “I heard you called Dr. Young, Dr. McChild.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “You’ve been talking with Mark?”
Her eyes twinkled. “And that you asked the young doctor if he knew what a vagina was because it was obvious he wasn’t looking at yours correctly.”
Candice rolled with laughter. “You did not!”
“Look, twenty-four hours is a long time to be in pain and not have a baby.”
“Some people go forty-eight hours,” Alice cut in.
“Some people are fucking heroes,” I replied snarkily.
“Mrs. Williams,” Dr. Young’s voice came from the doorway. “I see you have company.”
Candice and Alice immediately stood.
“We can leave,” Alice said hastily.
“No need,” Dr. Young added quickly. “Just came to check on you. I spoke with the nurses, and they said your dressing looks clean. Do you mind if I have a look?”
Dr. Young looked at my incision and did another glance at my charts. Before I knew it, he was on his way.
“Handsome man, that Dr. Young,” Alice said sagely. “I wonder if Katie’s single.”
“Who’s Katie?” Candice and I asked together.