Arranged To Be|18+✔️

50'

Four months later

I sat up in bed, clutching my belly as a wave of pain shot through me. It was sharp, deep, and unlike anything I'd ever felt.

"Czar," I gasped, nudging him.

He didn't budge, still snoring beside me. I tried to focus on my breathing like Dr. White taught me. Another contraction hit, stronger than the last.

"Czar!" I said, louder this time.

He jerked up, eyes wide. "What? What's wrong?"

"I think I'm having real contractions. Can you get the yoga ball?"

He sprang into action, rushing to the closet and grabbing the big blue yoga ball. He placed it on the floor and held it steady as I lowered myself onto it, bouncing and shifting to ease the pressure.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" he asked.

"Not yet. I've been having them off and on for two days. They keep sending me home because my water hasn't broken."

He frowned. "How bad is it now?"

"Worse than yesterday."

I tried to ride the wave of pain, bouncing gently. Then I felt a pop and a sudden gush.

"Czar..."

He looked down. "Oh my god. Your water broke."

He helped me to the bed, grabbing the hospital bag, car keys, and whatever else he thought we might need in a panic. I could barely move with the intensity of the next contraction. It took everything I had just to shuffle to the front door.

"You're doing great, baby. Just breathe."

Getting into the car was a whole process, but we made it. Czar was speeding—cautiously but quickly—and called ahead to the hospital.

*

By the time we arrived, I was moaning through the contractions. Nurses came out with a wheelchair, got me inside, and started prepping me.

"She's 6 centimeters," one nurse said after checking me. "Let's get her epidural in now."

I begged for it through gritted teeth, and thank god they moved fast. Once the meds kicked in, I could breathe again.

Czar sat beside me, holding my hand and wiping sweat from my brow with a cold cloth.

"You're incredible," he whispered, pressing kisses to my hand.

Dr. White arrived not long after, all smiles as usual, though her voice turned serious as she checked me again.

"Alright, Mama, we're ready. Let's have these babies."

*

Czar's POV

The room transformed. Nurses suited up, monitors beeped steadily, and I was handed a mask and gloves. I stayed at Zariah's side, squeezing her hand as they got her in position.

She looked exhausted, but determined. A sheen of sweat on her brow, her chest rising and falling with each deep breath.

"I love you so much," I said.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

Dr. White nodded. "Okay, Zariah. When I say push, you push. Got it?"

She nodded.

"Push!"

Zariah's body tensed. Her grip tightened on my hand, hard enough to numb my fingers. She paused, took a breath, then pushed again.

"You're doing amazing," I said, brushing hair from her face.

"One more big push," Dr. White encouraged.

Zariah groaned, her body shaking with effort, and then, the sound we'd been waiting for: a tiny, piercing cry.

"Baby A is here. A boy," Dr. White smiled. "Would you like to cut the cord?"

I nodded, kissed Zariah's forehead, then stepped forward and cut the cord. I looked down at my son, tiny, red-faced, squirming.

He opened his eyes, brown like his mother's, and I felt the lump rise in my throat.

Then I heard Zariah cry out again.

I rushed back to her side. She was already pushing. Baby B wasn't waiting.

"Come on, baby. You're almost there," I whispered.

Two more pushes and he was out, quieter than his brother but alert. His eyes were open already, wide and curious.

"That's Baby B," Dr. White said. "Another healthy boy."

I cut the second cord and watched the nurses clean him up. Then both babies were placed on Zariah's chest.

She broke into tears.

"They have your eyes," I said, wrapping my arms around her.

She smiled through her sobs. "I always hoped they'd have yours."

"Maybe it's both. But they're perfect."

I looked down at the three of them, my entire world in one hospital bed.

"I am so lucky," I whispered, kissing her forehead. "To be blessed with you."

And I meant it with every part of me.

~*~

Oliver Andrew Kuzmitch & Owen Allen Kuzmitch have been born.