Back to us | Alexia Putellas

Hours.

The automatic doors of the hospital slid open and everything changed.

The calm we had clung to in the car disappeared the second we stepped inside. The lights were too bright, the air too clinical, every sound too sharp. It all felt too real, too fast.

"We need maternity" I said, my words tumbling over each other. "My wife is in labour. The contractions are... about ten minutes apart. Maybe less."

Ale tightened her grip on my hand as another contraction built. Her body folded slightly into mine.

"Seven, seven minutes apart" she corrected quietly through a breath.

Everything moved quickly after that. A midwife appeared, calm and steady, introducing herself as Sara while Ale focused entirely on breathing.

"You're doing well. Let's get you upstairs." Sara said, offering Ale a seat in a wheelchair.

"I want to walk... I need to keep walking" Ale refused the help.

I stayed close as we walked, one arm around her, her weight leaning into me more with every step. By the time we reached the room, she was already mid contraction again.

"Ok, let's get you settled" Sara said gently.

"I don't want to lie down" Ale shook her head, her voice tight.

"That's alright. You don't have to."

So she didn't. She stayed standing, holding onto me as the contraction climbed. I felt it in her grip, in the way her breathing changed, in the tension that ran through her whole body.

"I can't do this" she whispered.

"You are doing this" I said, bringing my forehead to hers. "Just one at a time cariño. That's it."

It eased eventually, leaving her breathless, her body heavy against mine.

The first hour passed like that.

Walking. Stopping. Breathing.

Sara checked her, her movements calm and practiced.

"You're progressing" she said with a small smile. "It's early, but everything is moving the way it should."

"How long?" Ale asked, her voice quieter now, already tired.

"It's hard to say. Labour can take time, especially with twins. But your body is  doing exactly what it needs to be doing."

Time stopped meaning anything after that.

The contractions didn't stay seven minutes apart for long. They crept closer, slowly at first, then all at once. Six minutes. Five. Closer to four now.

I started timing them without thinking, my eyes constantly flicking to the clock, to her, back to the clock again.

Another one hit.

Ale braced herself against the side of the bed this time, her head dropping forward as she breathed through it.

"In... and out" I murmured, rubbing her back.

"I told you. Stop coaching me." she managed, though her voice wavered.

"Sorry."

She shook her head slightly. "No... just... stay."

"I'm not going anywhere."

The second hour was harder.

She was still standing, still moving, but slower now. Everything took more effort. Her breaths were louder, less controlled. The pain was changing, deepening, pulling more out of her with every wave.