What's Next?

We Did It

Rory began hyperventilating. "No, it's too early! I can't be having them yet!"

Jess acted quickly and calmly amidst the stress-inducing circumstances. "Rory, breathe. I'm taking you to the hospital. It's going to be okay. Just breathe." He hastily helped Rory and Haeven into the car and drove as fast, but as careful as possible.

"Lorelai, I need you and Luke to come to the hospital. Rory's having contractions." Jess said through the phone.

"Already? I thought she was only 7 months!" Lorelai seemed out of breath.

"Almost 8. She's 32 weeks."

"Okay, we're coming as soon as possible." Lorelai rushed to get Luke and they headed to the hospital.

*****

"Holy crap, Jess this hurts." Waves of contractions hit her like bullets about every 15 minutes. Rory took fast, heavy breaths.

"I know, honey. We're almost there." When Jess got to the Emergency Room drive in, he got Haeven into her stroller and found a wheelchair to roll Rory in. "We need a room." He demanded. "She's having contractions and she's only 32 weeks."

"Okay, we got her." A group of three nurses wheeled her into a room and Jess was told he had to wait in till someone was there for their child so he could see Rory.

When Lorelai and Luke came, they both seemed out of breath. "We came here as fast as we could."

"Is Rory alright?" Luke's concern seemed adamant.

"She's in the room now, can you watch Haeven so I can be with her?"

"Yes." Luke offered, taking the baby into his arms. "Luke!" She seemed happy at the trade off.

"Thank you so much." Jess went into the room to see Rory nearly passed out.

"Jess." She held a hand out to him.

He quickly grabbed it. "Stay strong, honey."

"This hurts, so bad. I'm in so much pain right now."

"I know, I know." Jess pulled back her damp hair from her sweating face.

"Okay, Mrs. Mariano. It looks like you're about 10 centimeters. It's a wonderful thing you came in when you did, these babies want out." The doctor seemed calm for such a un-calm time. "Now, I have to tell you. They will need to be transferred to NICU immediately. Being so early, we will probably need them on oxygen and/or other systems."

Rory squeezed Jess's hand, and he held back.

"Okay, it's time to push." The doctor got ready and Rory situated her legs and body. "I'm going to count down from five and you're gonna push okay?"

"Mmhm." Rory couldn't really muster out full sentences.

"5...4...3...2...1..."

"Mother of-" Rory pushed and nearly screamed.

"Okay, good. I think we can do this in two more pushes!"

"You're doing wonderful, Rory." Jess continued to comfort her.

"3...2...1."

After this countdown, Rory followed a push with a string of uniquely arranged curse words and more screaming.

The doctor's face lit up. "I see the first head!"

Rory pushed one last time and delivered the first baby girl. She was so small, her fingers were curled and she was crying, but it was the sweetest cry they'd ever heard. "Oh my goodness." Rory was completely hysterical. "She's...oh my goodness." As she delivered the second, it broke her heart to see them rushed away so fast. "Jess, our babies." The tears were streaming down her face and even Jess felt watery at the eyes.

*****

"Rory!" Lorelai and Luke came in to visit after things had calmed down. "Where are the babies?"

"In the NICU. They're premature and getting cared for." Rory wiped the tears away again. "How's my sweet Haeven holding up?"

"Momma!" The almost two year old climbed on the bed.

"Are you excited to see your baby sisters?"

Understanding the sentence, she nodded.

The nurse came with some charts. "Hello, Rory. I'm Angela. I'm sorry to say we're going to have to keep your babies in the NICU for a couple of days just to ensure everything is one hundred percent okay and they return happy and healthy. The girl with brown eyes has respiratory distress syndrome. Her lungs lack surfactant, and aren't expanding or contracting normally. Your other baby doesn't seem to be having any issues, she's just not able to store heat as well as a forty week old infant does."

Rory felt completely overwhelmed by this information. "Can I see them?" She asked through a choked voice.

"Of course." Angela lead them to a glass window that faced the inside of the NICU.

Rory was able to point them out immediately. "They're so small." She gasped. "She's too tiny for that!" She turned frantically to the nurse. "Are you sure it's safe for her to have those tubes?" Rory looked so concerned and it hurt them all.

Angela had seen this before, mothers worried for their babies. Who could blame them? "It's only helping. And it's temporary. They're both expected to make full recoveries and they look in better shape than most infants who arrive in the NICU." She gave Rory a reassuring smile. "They'll be here two days. Possibly one."

Rory took one more look at the babies and wrapped herself around Jess. "Our babies."

"Do you have names?" Angela asked.

Jess wiped under Rory's eyes to dry her fallen tears. "You want to tell them?"

"Yes, I would. She's Adley Grace Mariano." Rory pointed at the baby with blue eyes. Rory turned to Jess.

"And she's Rosalyn Leigh Mariano." Jess hugged his wife tight.

"Such beautiful names, very unuique. You guys make a wonderful family." The nurse congratulated.

"Thank you."

*****

The following two days felt like years, Rory and Jess were busy getting things completely perfect for the arrival of their twins. They turned Haeven's old room into the twins' and gave Haeven a normal bed in the extra room they had.

Haeven had been giddy the whole two days; she was ready to meet her sisters. "See baby?" She would ask every other second.

"Not quite yet, honey. Almost." They'd answer back.

But finally, the day came and everyone was excited. They finally got to hold their babies.

"Oh my goodness, Jess!" They're so precious. Rory once again found herself sobbing. Tears of joy seeped her eyes.

Jess admired the baby in his arms. "Hey, Adley. You sure have beautiful eyes, just like your mother's."

Rory looked down at Rosalyn. "And your eyes look just like your daddy's."

"Lemme see!" Haeven reached up as she wanted in on all the action.

"Okay honey, hold on. When we go home okay?" Rory strapped the babies into their car seats. "You two stay seated. Don't even think about going anywhere."

When they got home, Rory sat down with the babies. Haeven was practically tripping over her own feet in order to see her sisters.

"Sit here, Haeven." Rory motioned to the seat right beside her. "Now, Adley and Rosalyn are very fragile..it means they're small and need gentle care."

"Kay, mommy."

"Put your arms like this." Rory exampled by putting one over the other. She placed Rosalyn in ther arms, cradling the infants head in her own arms.

"Mommy, did it!" Haeven was happy at her small success.

"Good job, Haeven." Rory and Jess just took in the scene. How precious it was to see the love such a small child had for her sisters.

"You see this wonderful family we have here?" Jess pulled Rory close. "We did it."

"We sure did."