Seven | Part Three of Goodbye, Emmi

Crushed

Something wasn't right, I knew it from the second I went into labor.
"Colette?" I heard a nurse frantically say.
"Colette!" Shay's voice yelled. "Do something!" He yelled at a nurse. And then everything went white.

My eyes flickered. I woke up with nurses surrounding me, and Shay and the kids standing with them.
"My babies! Where are my babies?" I screamed.
"Colette, we had to give you an emergency C-Section. You're baby girl almost died. She is on life support." A nurse nonchalantly said.
I burst into tears. "Shay?" I whispered. He leaned over me, a tear dripping down his cheek. "It's Quinn. She had the cord wrapped around her neck." He stuttered. "She wasn't breathing for three and a half minutes. They got her breathing, but it's not looking well. Juliette is okay, she's perfectly healthy." He tried to smile.
I felt like I was dreaming. My precious baby girl didn't deserve this. She never did anything wrong, she is perfect.
"Miss Butler, I know this is hard, but we are trying our absolute hardest. She isn't breathing on her own, but our hopes are to get her to a point of stability with the ventilator. Would you like to see Juliette?"
"God, yes." I cried, realizing I haven't seen my girls, and I delivered them hours ago. Well, I didn't deliver them, per say.
Shay came slowly in, a tiny swaddle in his arms.
"Meet your mommy, Juliette." He smiled as he handed my daughter to me.
"She didn't even cry when we held her." Emmi smiled.
"She's perfect." A tear rolled down my cheek, realizing how lucky I am to have at least one healthy baby.
Her eyes were a radiant green, with little tufts of blonde hair poking out her head.
I nursed her while the girls told me how much they loved their new sisters.
"How you girls doing?" I said, implying to Quinn.
"Daddy helped us. He told us God would keep her safe wherever she is, and that sometimes He sends babies back to be angels." Avia's eyes were red from crying. I was still in shock, I knew that once the surrealism died down, I would be a mess. I might lose my daughter before she even had a chance at life.
"Did I pass out?" I asked as Juliette continued to nurse.
"You did. They ended up performing a C-Section right after." Shay explained. "I had Kayli take the kids out in the hall, I didn't want them to see you or the babies in pain."
"I love you." I said as tears broke through my eyelids. "I'm so glad you are here for me."
"I would never leave you, not when I have my daughter's life on the line." He squeezed my hand. "We're gonna make it, Colette. Whether we suffer or not, we are gonna be ok. This is a trial we have to face, it was meant to happen for a reason. No child suffers without a purpose, God knows Quinn's fate."
"I know. It's just so hard. I feel like I could've done something. I feel like I didn't do everything I possibly could to save her from harm." I cried.
"Colette, this would've happened no matter what you did, ate, said, or whatever. The cord got wrapped around when you started labor, the nurse said twins have that risk. None of this is your fault. The doctors are doing everything in there hands to save her. She is breathing, that is already a a miracle."
"But she's not even breathing on her own!" I sobbed. "I just want to see her."
"They can't allow anyone to see her, believe me I fought for us to at least look at her. The doctors are with her." Shay said, obviously upset that he can't hold her yet.
I turned to Gavin, Emmi, and Avia.
"I'm so lucky to have you guys. I love you so much." I hugged my kids. "Do Brock and Daxton have any clue?" I asked.
"I think they are already in bed. They know you were having the babies, but that's it." Kayli said. "Casey's been texting me."
I felt relieved that the boys didn't hear the news without us.
Juliette shifted away from my chest, feeling full.
"Hi, baby girl." I kissed her. "Hi sweetie." My heart exploded with love for my little daughter as I watched her eyes slowly open.
"She looks like you, Mom." Gavin smiled.
I looked down at my fighter, starting to drift off to sleep in my arms. No matter how crushed we were at the realization that we might go home with only one new baby, we also know that we are lucky to even go home with any. This could've happened to both of them, or all of our kids. But it didn't. We love all seven children, whether or not we always have seven children to tuck in at night.