High Priestess

5.15

December 1, 1980

It must have been intuition that made Stevie call Lori and Chris to see if they wanted to keep their niece overnight. It had been Emlyn's idea saying she wanted to spend time with Aunt Lori at her house not just at the store so Stevie just shrugged and said okay and she called them. She wasn't working as she was literally due any day now, so all she really had to do was drop her off at Divinity, and she picked up some more crystals just for good measure. It was as soon as the door shut that Roxy cocked her head to the side and sniffed Stevie's stomach before barking and then trotting off into the livingroom to curl up on the couch. At first Stevie questioned it but then her knees buckled under her.

"Oh My God." Once it passed she just cradled the underside of her stomach and she waddled up the stairs. She was bigger this pregnancy and it had taken more of a toll on her body. She couldn't stand for that long, and she couldn't even hug Emlyn because her body just wouldn't let her. And her ankles had gotten so swollen that she rarely ever walked anymore. 

Once she got upstairs she immediately looked at Lindsey. He had been home from tour for two months but he was staying up really late writing. Stevie knew, as she'd stay up just as late with him but she knew that she had to get up and A, take care of her child, and B, go to work. 

"What?" Lindsey questions.

"I think I'm in labor." She tells him.

"You think?" Lindsey cocks an eyebrow.

"No, I kno----oh god!" She clutches at her stomach. 

"Alright, what do you want me to do, what do you need me to do?" Lindsey asks.

"I need you to...to light the candles while I make my nest again." She tells him.

"Okay, what candles do you want?" He questions.

"My Christmas ones." She explains.

"Alright, Angel." Lindsey nods.

***
She was curled up on her nest, moaning out on her left side, she had been laboring for about six hours at this point. Her contractions started at noon and it now was around dinner time and she just couldn't move. At this point, with Emlyn, she was moving around and wiggling her hips, but this time she was just laying on her left side her head on her left arm as it was held up and Lindsey was squeezing her hand.

"It'll be okay baby." Lindsey kisses her temple.

"It hurts so much worse this time and I don't know why." Stevie cries.

"I know baby, but Andrea's here and Robin's here and it's going to be okay." Lindsey states.

"I kno....AGH GOD, I need to Push. I need to push." Stevie states.

"Alright Stevie, how do you wanna push?" Andrea questions.

"Like last time. Like last time." She gets out a scream following. 

Lindsey perches himself against the side of the bed and Stevie crawls her way in between his legs and then she starts pushing upon Andrea's prompting. 

"PUSH STEVIE!"

"You've got this Angel." 

"I see her head Stevie." 

This time as the baby's head pushes through her entrance Stevie doesn't tense, she keeps going doing what her body is instinctively telling her to do, and Lindsey smiles because she was doing it, she had overcome that trauma from Crossley. 

"Haha, it's a girl." Andrea giggles placing the baby up on Stevie's chest. 

"Hi, Pheonix Marie." Stevie coos.

"You look so much like your sister, Pheonix." Lindsey chuckles his hand going to the back of the bloody baby's head. 

They admire their baby and very quickly after the Placenta is delivered and Lindsey cut the cord she shifts uncomfortably.

"What, what's wrong Stevie?" Andrea questions seeing something not right with her patient.

"I...I need to push." Stevie bites her lip.

"Push what, there's nothing left." Lindsey states.

"I don't know but I need to push. You have to take her Lindsey." Stevie demands. 

Lindsey does take her and then Andrea goes back between Stevie's legs.

"Oh my god, that's a head..." Andrea trails off.

"A what?" Lindsey gasps.

"It's twins Lindsey, she's having another baby," Andrea states as Stevie pushes as her body tells her to do.

"You're shitting me?" Lindsey states his mouth going wide.

"Not in the slightest." Andrea shakes her head going to catch the baby.

Stevie gives one more push and Andrea places the baby with a really strong cry on Stevie's chest. "It's a boy." 

"A boy?" Stevie asks slightly rolling the baby to check and when she sees his little penis and testicles she looks up at Lindsey with tears in her eyes and a slight laugh.

"We have a son Lindsey." 

"I see that, but we..." Lindsey starts.

"I'm guessing that he was just really close to his mother's back because even I couldn't pick up on his heartbeat when I got here and was checking." Andrea smiles.

"But he's okay right?" Stevie asks one hand on his little head, the other on his little legs. 

"He sounds okay, I'll have to check him out and I still have to check her out, but first let's get his placenta out." 

***

When Stevie's out of her nest and into the bed, her robe lying loosely against her body wanting to feed her babies Lindsey finally brings them over to her.

"Andrea said they are both perfectly fine and you didn't tear which is surprising because she said you'd be more likely since she had to cut you with Emlyn but you didn't so that's good no stitches for you this time." Lindsey smiles.

"Did she leave?" Stevie asks.

"She did. Robin's downstairs, she's feeding Roxy and calling our families. Did you seriously not know you were carrying twins?" 

"No, I had no clue. I mean, my pregnancy was so different. I got a little larger and there was a little bit more movement but I didn't have any inclination that I was carrying two of them. What are we going to name him?" Stevie asks.

"Well I was thinking about this and I don't know what you're going to say...well her name is Pheonix Marie which is a mythological fire breathing dragon but...I was thinking about another mythological bird...Griffin, Griffin Charles?" Lindsey asks.

"Griffin Charles Buckingham, I like it. I really do." Stevie nods taking her babies from Lindsey so she could feed them.

"Wait...what time is it...eight o'clock. Dammit." Lindsey states.

"What?" Stevie inquires.

"I was going to go get little boy things but I guess when I pick Emlyn up tomorrow I'll take her with me while you stay here and rest with the twins...I'm proud of you." Lindsey kisses her head.

"We have twins Lindsey." 

"We have twins. I got my son." He chuckles.

"What if it would've been two girls?" 

"Well then I would've been surrounded by four beautiful women and I'd have to chase boys out with a baseball bat." 

"I love you, Lindsey." 

"I love you too."