Back to us | Alexia Putellas

Quiet.

Everything softened after that.

The noise didn't stop, the room was still moving around us, voices and footsteps and quiet instructions, but it all felt distant somehow. Like we were in the middle of it and completely separate at the same time.

Ale stayed pressed against me, her body heavy, her breaths still uneven as she tried to come back to herself.

"I can hear them" she whispered

"I know" I said softly, pressing a kiss to her temple. "They're right there"

One of the babies cried louder than the other, sharp and insistent, while the second was softer, quieter, like he was still figuring it all out.

"They're ok?" she asked quickly, her voice laced with exhaustion and worry

"They're ok" Sara reassured from somewhere just beside us. "They're both doing really well"

Ale nodded faintly, her fingers tightening around mine again, like she needed to feel something steady.

"Can I...?" she started, her voice breaking slightly. "Can I see them?"

"Of course" Sara smiled

Everything seemed to slow down then

I watched as they were brought over, tiny and impossibly small, wrapped carefully but still so new to the world it almost didn't feel real

"They're here" I breathed, more to myself than anyone else

Ale shifted slightly, wincing as she moved, but she didn't care. Not now. Not anymore

They placed the first baby onto her chest

And everything stopped

Ale let out a small, broken sound, somewhere between a sob and a laugh as her hands came up instinctively, cradling him close like she had been waiting her whole life to do it

"Oh my God..." she whispered

"He's perfect" I said, my voice barely holding together as I stared down at him

Tiny fingers
Soft cries
Eyes still squeezed shut

Real.

Completely, unbelievably real.

The second baby was placed beside him moments later, tucked just as carefully against her, and somehow it made the moment feel even bigger, even heavier with everything we had just been through

"Two" Ale breathed, tears spilling freely now as she looked between them. "We have two"

"You did that" I said softly, brushing her hair back. "You brought them here"

She shook her head slightly, overwhelmed, her gaze never leaving them

"They're so small"

"They're ours"

The louder one settled first, his cries softening as he rested against her, while the quieter one stayed close, his tiny movements gentle but constant, like he needed to remind himself where he was

Ale adjusted her hands carefully, holding them both, terrified and completely sure at the same time

"Hi, my loves" she whispered, her voice full of something I had never heard before. "Hi..."

I had never seen her like this

Completely exhausted
Completely overwhelmed
Completely in love

"You did so well" I murmured again, unable to stop myself, my hand resting against her cheek