Boy Next Door

Happy Birthday

March 3rd

"This is the worst birthday ever," Camila groaned in pain as she clutched her large stomach. She was laying on their bed as yet another contraction pulsed through her body. Quinn, who was also sitting on the bed with her, scooted over closer to her mom and gently rubbed her baby bump.

"S'okay mama," her squeaky voice cooed. Although the two year old was worried when she first saw her mom's face twist in pain, they assured her that it just meant her siblings were coming soon. That seemed to make her feel a lot better about the whole situation. 

"I know it may feel like the worst birthday now," Shawn said as he ended the call he had been on and pulled his cell phone away from his ear. "But I have a feeling you'll be singing a different tune when our two newest bundles of joy are here to celebrate with us." Shawn joined his wife and oldest daughter on the bed. Their youngest daughter, Cleo, cooed in his arms and looked up at her dad with her bright brown eyes. She was only a few months old and already had a head full of short, chestnut colored curls to match her dad's. "Everybody is on their way. You ready for this?"

"Yes," Camila whined. "I don't wanna be pregnant anymore." Shawn couldn't help but empathize. He had worried about how miserable she might be during her third trimester with the twins remembering how many nights she spent crying in his lap when she was nearing the end of her pregnancy with Quinn. 

"What do you need me to do to make you more comfortable? How can I help?" he asked. Camila sighed and sniffled. 

"Can you play me something?" Shawn smiled at her request before leaning over and kissing her cheek. 

"I'd be happy to." He handed Cleo to Camila before standing up and grabbing his guitar from the corner of their bedroom. "Any special requests?" he asked as he sat back down on the bed. 

"No," she said quietly. "I just wanna listen to you." He started carefully plucking at the strings of his guitar before quietly singing out the lyrics to a song Camila recognized as one of her favorites: Can't Imagine. He only stopped singing when the doorbell rang. 

"I'm gonna go get that." He kissed her forehead and set his guitar back against the wall before quickly making his way down the stairs. He opened their front door to see Dr. Mandujano and their doula, a middle-aged woman named Janet, standing on their front porch. "Hey guys," he answered, his voice still somewhat quiet out of habit. "Come on in."

"How's mama?" Dr. Mandujano asked. 

"She's definitely in pain, but she's doing a good job at handling it. She's upstairs in our bedroom."

"Where are we setting up the tub at?" Janet inquired. 

"Right there," Shawn pointed at the large empty, open space between their dining room and living room. "I've also called both my mother and Camila's mother. Camila asked for both of them to be here for the birth. Both of them should be here soon — Sinu doesn't live far and my parents' hotel is just a couple minutes away." Shawn and Dr. Mandujano made their way upstairs while Janet worked on carrying all of their stuff into the house and setting up the inflatable tub. "Mila, baby," Shawn said as he walked into their bedroom with their doctor trailing behind him. "Janet and Dr. Mandujano are here."

"I see that," Camila giggled. "How are you today?"

"I should be asking you that!" Dr. Mandujano laughed. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she shrugged. "I'm already starting to wish this was more like my labor with Quinn though. It was unplanned and messy but at least it was quick." Shawn laughed, recalling the memory of delivering their firstborn daughter himself in the bathroom of their little apartment. He heard voices coming from downstairs and stepped out of the room for a moment to see both Sinu and Karen chatting with Janet.