Love Lasts Forever

drama drama with Kayla

The house is filled with the chaotic symphony of toddlers' laughter and the curious mutterings of one-year-olds. Taylor and Nico are crawling around on the floor, oblivious to the chaos of emotions swirling in their mother's heart. Demi, my spirited two-year-old, is spinning in circles in the living room, her hair flying wildly around her as she lets out peals of laughter. I'm supposed to be keeping my cool, but with each jab of pain in my belly, the chaos inside me simmers just below the surface.

"Charlie, can you please help me?" I call out, wincing as another wave of pressure builds in my abdomen. "They're climbing on the coffee table!"

I glance over to see Taylor pulling herself up, a cheeky grin on her face as she stands wobbling like a little drunk sailor.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Charlie shouts back from the kitchen, where he's frantically trying to make a snack for everybody. I hear a crash! and then his voice rises an octave, "The crackers are—"

And then it happens. A sharp burst of warmth trickles down my legs. I freeze.

"Charlie!" I scream, my voice hanging in the air like thick fog.

He pops his head out, eyes wide, "What?!"

"My water broke!"

"Okay, okay!" He dashes towards me, and in that moment, the chaos quiets for a brief second. I can feel the adrenaline rushing through me, but it's quickly cut short as the next contraction hits, and it's worse than the last two times.

"Why is this hurting so much more?!" I yell, clutching my belly and swaying back and forth. "Get the kids! We need to go!"

"I will!" he shouts, scrambling to gather the little ones. "Demi! Stay here! Taylor, Nico, let's get you in the playpen!"

"Now! Now, now, now!" I hiss, ushering them towards the playroom while he fumbles around, collecting the kids. I feel like a balloon about to pop, and I can't help but yell at him again, "Charlie! Hurry!"

"Harper, I'm trying! Just breathe!"

I ignore him and focus on my breathing, and then, suddenly, it all starts to whirl again. The frantic pandemonium picks up as Charlie rushes us to the hospital.

"Please tell me you called your mom!" I ask through gritted teeth as he maneuvers the car through the crowded streets.

"Yeah, she's meeting us there! And Cecily too!" He glances over, and all I see is panic and worry etched across his face.

"I need Cecily! You think I'll survive another minute without her?"

"I've got my sister watching the kids, empathetic genius here!" he chuckles, but I glare at him.

"Not helping," I snap, another contraction tightening my abdomen like a vice.

As we pull into the hospital, I throw my hand up to brace against the dashboard. "This isn't happening."

"It is happening, Harper! You're going to be okay!" His voice is warm and steady, even if I feel anything but.

Once we hit the delivery room, I'm almost relieved to see my mom and Charlie's mom walking in, their faces full of determination.

"Okay, you're doing great, honey!" my mom cheers. "Focus!"

"And where is Cecily?" I breathe in, ready to scream at the next surge of pain.

"She's just parking," Charlie assures me, but before I can respond, a familiar voice cuts through the air.

"Why is she here?!"

I turn my head to see Kayla, Cecily's sister-in-law, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, a frown carved across her face.

"Oh, great," I snap, eyes rolling, "Just what I need."

"She wasn't invited," my mom whispers harshly to Charlie, who looks perplexed.

"We can't ask her to leave!" he stammers.

"Why not?" Kayla sneers, marching into the room. "This is the chaos you brought upon yourself, Harper. You should've thought about that before having all these kids."

"Are you serious?" I cry, the insult combined with a surge of pain sending me spiraling. "I'm actively giving birth right now, and you're worried about my decisions?"

"Enough!" Charlie interjects, taking a step forward. "Right now, my wife needs support, not a lecture!"

Noah enters just then, grabbing Kayla by the elbow and attempting to pull her back. "Let's go, Kayla. This isn't the time."

"Don't blame me for seeing the truth," she bites, brushing him off with a huff.

"Great job, just great!" I huff, barely able to focus. "Can someone help me?!"

"Right here," my mom reassures, placing a cool cloth on my forehead. "Keep pushing, Harper. You're almost there."

"Push, babe! You got this!" Charlie says encouragingly, but I see that look of helpless worry return to his eyes as the next contraction hits, and I can't stifle the scream. "C'mon, c'mon! Just one more!"

With all the energy I can muster, I push, the room swirling in a haze between chaos and euphoria.

Just as the room shakes with life and Kayla mouths another insult, I let out one final breath—the twins arrive, and all the madness suddenly fades away.

The world feels lighter, garbled voices blending into the background, replaced only by the coos and cries of the new lives we've brought forth. And for the briefest of moments, I let myself revel in it all.

"I can't believe we did it!" Charlie murmurs, pressing his forehead against mine, utterly amazed.

And then I let the laughter spill over the tears, through all the hurt and chaos. "Can someone please tell Kayla to shut up? Because this is kind of a big deal!"