The Experiment 2: The Journey

Hush Little Baby

Waaah sorry lampas ako sa deadline. 🙏🏻

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After Athena, RJ thought he was already well-prepared for what's going to happen when it's finally time for Dei to deliver the twins. Seeing her in that much pain again, however, just brought him back to how he was when she was giving birth to Athena - confused, panicked, and ready to pass out at any moment. And this time's actually worse.

Dei was brought to the labor room a few minutes after she was admitted to the ER. This time she was staying longer because although she was in the active stage of labor, the doctor said she wasn't fully dilated yet. They had given her a shot that put her right to sleep, and she has been going in out of her medical stupor for the last five hours.

"Baaabe..." she called weakly, the pain still evident in her voice. She had woken up again.

"Babe, I'm here," RJ said at once, and he held her hand as she threw her head back and let out another painful groan.

"It hurts so bad," she cried. "Why am I still here?"

"The doctor said you aren't fully ready yet," RJ explained, wincing, as Dei squeezed his hand so tightly again.

"What do you mean I'm not ready? I can feel the twins coming out NOW. Let them know, babe, please!"

"Mrs, Faulkerson, just relax," a nurse, who was sitting behind a desk at one corner of the room, said as she stood. "Just like what I told you the last time you woke up, your cervix has to be fully dilated to 10 cm, and it's usually 1 cm per hour. The last time I-"

"You have got to be kidding me," Dei interrupted with wild eyes. "I'M TELLING YOU, MY TWINS ARE COMING OUT NOW!"

"Hailey," RJ said, looking at the nurse pointedly.

The nurse sighed and put on a pair of sterile gloves, and then went to give Dei another internal examination.

"Oh dear, you're right," Hailey said as soon as she inserted her gloved fingers, and suddenly she began moving about inside the room, shouting instructions at the other staff in the area. The next thing RJ knew, Dei was being rolled out of the labor room and into the delivery area.

He followed them at once, his mind muddled in panic and confusion. There was already a flurry of activity inside the delivery room, and RJ just took his place beside Dei, laid the warm towel that they had given him over her forehead and allowed her to hold his hand.

She was crying and fighting at the same time and he just held her hand tight, whispering encouraging words over and over until the sound of a baby's cry echoed inside the room.

"Baby number one is out!" The doctor announced unnecessarily as the nurses cheered, and RJ looked over longingly at the little angel.

"RJaaaaaaay!" Dei cried out again.

"Alright, one more. Push, Dei, push!"

And she did, with all her might, until the cry of the second baby rang out amidst the sounds of celebration from everyone else inside the room.

"Oh my gods," Dei gasped as she weakly slumped back onto the bed.

"You did it, babe," Richard whispered, his eyes fixed on the babies. "You're amazing," he added, kissing her hand.

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"Princess, you need to eat. You barely ate last night," Rose told Athena gently as she held a spoonful of oat meal to the little one's lips.