CHAPTER20
Andrew stood to one side of Mary as she clasped his hand in hers, her face sweaty. “Here comes another pain. It’s building.”
“Hang on, honey,” he told her.
Doctor Owen glanced up at her. “I can see the baby’s head. You’re almost done. When the pain is at its worst, I want you to push as hard as you can.”
She was exhausted. Last night at midnight, her water broke and the contractions had started. Now the sun was rising and the new day had begun. She should be up cooking her husbands breakfast before they went to the mine.
But no one was going anywhere today. They were having a baby.
The pain roiled through her and she could feel it escalating. “Oh,” she cried and then a scream ripped from her as she pushed. She pushed with all the strength left in her. She pushed until she could not push any longer.
“You’re almost done. The head is out,” the doctor cried, his voice excited. “One more big push.”
She screamed and pushed so hard, she felt like she was going to pass out and then the baby was crying and she could no longer feel the infant in her body.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor said. “A daughter.”
A daughter. Love flooded through her, and as exhausted as she felt, she tried to glance down and see her little girl.
Her husbands were crying. “Our first.”
“Oh, honey,” Andrew said. “She’s so tiny and beautiful and she has a head full of dark hair just like you.”
Just like Elizabeth.
The thought came into her mind and tears filled her eyes. “I want to name the first one.”
The two men glanced at each other.
“All right,” Andrew said. “What’s her name?”
“Elizabeth,” she said crying. “I want to name her after my sister.”
“Wait a minute,” the doctor said. “Wait, just a second.”
They all turned to the doctor and it was then that Mary felt that feeling again.
“Push, Mary, push,” the doctor cried.
She didn’t think she had any strength left in her and yet she knew she had to.
A scream ripped from her again and the doctor smiled. “Come on, you can do this. You’re having twins, Mary. Push.”
They had talked about twins, but she really hadn’t believed she was carrying two. Now she understood why the baby was always kicking. They were kicking each other trying to find more room.
Suddenly, she felt the baby swoosh from her body.
“A boy,” he cried. “You have a son as well.”
Tears welled in her eyes and she sobbed. “Two?”
“Yes, Mary, you have a son and a daughter.”
She glanced at her husbands who were staring in awe at the babies and her.
“You guys can name our son,” she said. “I named our daughter.”
Andrew glanced at Jesse. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to name him after my brother, Lucas.”
Jesse smiled. “That’s fine. I’ll get to name the next one, but good Lord, honey, if you continue having twins, we’ll be filling up the town in no time.”
She laughed and gazed at Aunt Grace who had cleaned up Elizabeth. She wrapped a blanket around her and handed her to Mary. “She’s so precious.”
“Thank you,” Mary said as she gazed down into her daughter’s eyes who looked just like her sister’s. Tears welled and streamed down her cheeks.
“Welcome home, sweetie. You’re going to have to be tough since you have a twin brother.”
Aunt Grace handed little Lucas to Andrew. “You’re so blessed.”
Andrew gazed down at his son and then at Jesse and Mary. “Our family. We have a family.”
“Yes,” Jesse said, gazing at the babies. “Love you, Mary. Thank you for making us the luckiest two men in town.”
“Yes,” Andrew said. “I love you so much and now our babies. Two at once.”
The doctor laughed. “Can’t wait to see how things are going in a week after you’re up half the night feeding and changing them. Twins always cry at the same time.”
Mary didn’t care. She glanced at her husbands and her babies and knew that leaving Charleston had been the best thing she’d ever done.
“I love you, my husbands,” she said.
* * *