"Nice to meet you, Alisha.I'm Eve."She starts wheeling me inside."Don't worry, nine out of ten soon-to-be fathers react this way."
We chat until another contraction hits.I grip the wheelchair arms, cursing."Oh, fuck!FUCK!Please tell me this won't get worse?"
Eve squeezes my shoulder, coaching me through breathing."You're doing really well, Alisha."
On the third floor, Eve speaks with a colleague about directing Cole to the right room, then wheels me down the hallway.When she pushes open a door on the left, I nearly cry seeing a bed.
"Want to lie down?"
I nod gratefully."Can we remove my leggings first?They're soaked."
"Of course."
Once I'm settled on the bed, I let my head fall back."This is better."Moments later, the door opens and Doctor Johnson enters with Cole right behind her.My husband immediately comes to my side, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"Hello," the doctor says warmly."So today's the day.Ready to meet your twins?"
"I'm ready," Cole says, though his nervous smile says otherwise.
"Let's see how far along you are."
I send up silent prayers during the examination.
"More good news - you're five centimeters."
Eve hooks me to fetal monitors for the babies' heartbeats and checks my blood pressure.Cole holds my hand the entire time, watching every move they make with laser focus.The doctor prepares the ultrasound to check the babies' positions.
"You're a lucky woman.They're both head down."She pauses."You're sure about no epidural?"
I nod firmly."Yes, but can I have laughing gas?"
"Absolutely."
Cole squeezes my hand, and I smile up at him.We'd discussed this thoroughly - ever since David drugged me, the idea of not feeling part of my body triggers anxiety.I need to be in control.The doctor understood completely and explained all alternatives, leading to my choice of gas.
"Now we wait for full dilation.Call me when she hits ten centimeters or if anything changes," she tells Eve before leaving.
The next hour is pure hell.My fingers dig into Cole's flesh with each contraction while I suck desperately on the gas.When he dares to smile during one particularly brutal wave, I snap.
"Why are you smiling?I'm in goddamn labor!And it hurts like hell!"
His eyebrows shoot up."I'm—"
A vicious contraction cuts him off as I cry out."Oh, get these babies out, Bulldozer.I can't do this.I—"
"Alex, look at me."His commanding tone catches my attention."I've said it before - you can do this, sweetheart.You're the strongest woman I've ever met.If anyone can deliver twins, it's you."
Looking into those intense blue eyes, I feel my panic subside as the contraction eases."This is so hard."
Eve and another nurse check on us regularly, monitoring the babies while Cole replaces the cool cloth on my forehead between contractions.After another excruciating half hour, the pain waves speed up until I'm nearly delirious.Suddenly, intense pressure builds, and my body starts pushing on its own.
"I can't stop it," I gasp.
Eve checks quickly."Wonderful - you're fully dilated."
Doctor Johnson returns with another nurse within minutes.She checks the monitors before addressing us.
"Okay, Alisha, you're doing amazing.With the next contraction, I want you to push.Cole, if Alisha agrees, you can support her by holding one leg behind her knee, bringing it to her chest.It helps open the birth canal."
