Generations: The Long Game

The Twins

TW: life and death situations/ED

The nurses knocked at the door again and wheeled in two bassinets. One of the nurses handed Charlotte a gown. "The doctor recommended that you do skin on skin contact. It will help them to bond and is beneficial for them and yourself." Charlotte just nodded and the nurses left.

Reece stepped out so Char could put the gown on. While in the hallway he called Marjorie. "Hello, gorgeous. We don't really have an update on Mia yet. No, not yet. They just brought the twins in. It nearly broke me, Marjorie. I know. I know. I am. I love you too."

Autumn opened the door, and he rejoined them. Charlotte had put the gown on with the opening in the front. She was sitting in the chair with a baby snuggled to either side of her chest and the gown wrapped around their little naked bodies. She was whispering to them and crying. The sight was hard to look at. Reece couldn't bare to see his friend hurting, but there was no one to hit. No one to throw down the stairs. No one to shout at. No where to put that energy, so he just slumped in defeat and despair.

Charlotte's hand trembled as she held their sons. Their sons. She felt better holding them, but she wouldn't be at ease until she saw Mia. If she saw Mia. She whispered to them as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Hello, beautiful boys, I am your mummy. Your mum is fighting very hard to come back to us."

Hours past and they still had not heard anything about Mia. Anxiety was running amok between the three adults in the room. The babies sensing that energy were fussy and crying. Autumn had had enough. "I will be right back," she said and slipped out the door.

At the nurses' station she inquired about speaking to the doctor in charge of Mia's case. The response lit a fire in her belly, and she tried to still herself. She marched to the elevator and pressed the button. She stepped out on to the floor and headed the direction the sign pointed to. When she arrived, she spotted him right away. She was holding her fist so tight that her knuckles were white.

"Excuse me, you took care of my sister earlier today, and before you say anything I would advise you to be quiet. While you are sat here having your tea, my sister-in-law is sat upstairs holding on to two babies for dear life because she fears they may very well be the last bit of my sister she has left in the world. Meanwhile you are sat here with not a care in the world. We are waiting for news of my sister. Information you have, but you decide to catch a fucking bIte first?" She was vibrating inside at this point. "I am gonna need you to go in there and give us the information we need. Now. Because if you don't I am going to give you a throttling." She grabbed his collar and dragged him to the elevator.

He entered the room looking sheepish. "Mrs Robert's, your wife is in intensive care. We were able to stop the bleeding, but we did have to give her a transfusion. She went into cardiac arrest because of the blood loss. She is stable now. She is going to be in pain and will need more time than normal to recover. If all the tests come back okay and she continues as she is now, she and the babies should be able to go home in a few days." Charlotte's heart leapt. She was alive.

Charlotte's hand trembled as she grabbed the handle to enter Mia's room. She entered the room but couldn't bare to look at Mia just yet. She had spent the last several hours in suspended animation. She walked to her bedside with her eyes to the floor. She was afraid to look at her. She was afraid not to look at her. She screwed up her courage and looked into her loves face. Mia was asleep, but she was pale, and her eyes were sunken. Charlotte focused on the rise and fall of her beautiful red heads chest. She burst into tears and put her head down into Mia's lap taking care not to touch her stomach.

Mia awoke at the change in pressure on her legs. Her fingers wrapped themselves into Charlotte's hair. "Sweetheart don't cry." Her voice was raspier than usual. "I am here. I am still here with you."

Charlotte looked up and cupped Mia's face. "I thought I had lost you. I couldn't bare it." Mia soothed her and soon the sobs stopped. All she wanted to do was hold her, but she felt so tender and maybe even a little bit fragile. "Char, the twins? Have you seen them? Are they alright?"

"Yes, love, they are all set up in the room you were in on the maternity ward. They are with Reece and Autumn. Sorscha and Winter are on their way in as well. They are beautiful, love."

Without another word Mia hit the call bell. When the nurse arrived, Mia told her that she wanted to be moved back to the maternity ward with her children. She was aware of the risks and didn't care. She wanted to be with her babies. As fragile as she was, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Within the hour they were wheeling Mia back into the room.

She looked around the room. Reece moved the two bassinets nearer to her. Charlotte was right. They were beautiful. Her heart swelled with love for them. The same love she felt for the girls the moment she met them. She ached to hold them, but also feared hurting them. They were so tiny.

"Sweetheart, have you told them their names?"

Charlotte froze. "No, love, I was waiting for you."

Mia looked up and saw the pain in Char's eyes. She hadn't named them because she couldn't bare the idea of doing it without Mia.

Reece. Autumn, Winter and Sorscha stood around her bed, and she could see all the emotions that they had felt that day. It was a little daunting, but it also reminded her that she had a family now. Tears started to stream down her face. She pointed at the baby in the bassinet nearest her and said, "that one is Aki. Char found the name and we both fell in love with it. It is Japanese for Autumn."

A smile spread across Autumn's face. She now had two little ones named after her, and the pride swelled in her chest.

Mia pointed to the other bassinet. "That one is called Carson. For Carly. She will probably never know how much she helped me to bring him into this world." All their minds went to the very dark time when Mia had stopped eating during her pregnancy. It was all hands on deck, but Carly and Reece had been the ones to get through to her.

Mia looked at Reece. "Reecy, we didn't forget you. This one" She place a loving hand on Char's bump. "Will be called Reed."