Rhiannon's POV
"Lover!" I yelled from the bedroom, he was out helping Jake cook for the baby shower guests that would be arriving soon. I heard the patter of his feet rapidly approaching the door,
"Are you ok?" he asked immediately, coming over and touching my belly. It was November and I was 7 months pregnant, which made Sloan 6 months.
"I'm fine babe, I just need help with my dress and shoes if you would" I asked sweetly, I knew the answer. Josh had been the most attentive man I'd ever met the past months. Always checking in, doing things, making sure I was comfortable. He was unbelievably excited about our babies due dates getting closer and closer. I know they always talk about moms 'nesting' but Josh had been doing more than me. He was so excited about getting the nursery ready and getting everything in order before they arrived. I was glad we'd be getting some more furniture and things for him to organize and build at the shower today, he was running out of things to do.
"Of course beautiful, wait till you see how cute it is out there." He said going behind me to zip my dress. "Kenzi did an excellent job with the theme we chose, shes out there telling Sam and Danny where to put decorations" He giggled.
"I can't wait to see it!" I said looking into the mirror. I had worn a dark blue dress that hugged my curves and showed off my belly. Josh walked me over and sat me down on the bed, kneeling down to put on my shoes for me. "Actually, I don't think I want to wear shoes." I sighed, "My feet hurt."
"Fine with me, this is your party after all." He said standing, "You look just as amazing either way" He kissed me gently,
"This is our party. They are your babies too after all" I replied as I brushed come unruly curls from his face as he grinned. I winced and Josh quickly put his hand on my belly, "She is still kicking more when she hears you, I think she's mad you haven't sang to her today" I said. Josh leaned down to my stomach resting his hand on it still,
"Listen little one, I promise I will sing to you later, but you gotta stop kicking your mama ok?" He said softly and kissed my belly. "And don't you worry I will give you a foot rub too" he said as he stood back up and kissed my cheek.
"You are an angel sent from above" I said playfully as I pulled him closer and kissed all over his face as he laughed.
"Oh stop," he blushed, "I just love taking care of the both of you. We should probably get out there before people start arriving."
"You know you didn't have to make such a fuss over me right?" I asked, referring to the party, he turned and caressed my face,
"And you know I wanted to, you deserve everything today, especially after everything we have been through, this is a reason to celebrate" He said glancing down at my belly. I nodded softly and he gave me a smile before taking my hand and leading us into the kitchen of our home. A home that soon would be filled with 3 little ones. I gasped as I saw how beautiful the decorations where. The theme we had chosen was the same as the nursery 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars'. It fit with me and Josh so well, and they were going to be little stars, no matter what they did in life. I looked at the dark blue, gold and silver color scheme decorations. Silver and gold moons and stars hanging from the ceiling and a cute little photo background. I felt a huge smile on my face as I looked over to Josh who was watching my reaction with nothing but love in his eyes.
"It's so beautiful!" I said loudly. Danny, Sam, Jake, Sloan, and Kenzi all turned around, not aware of my presence until I spoke.
"I'm so glad you love it!" Kenzi said, running over and hugging me. I made my rounds, walking around and welcoming everyone. I finally made my way over to Sloan. Bless that woman for going through this for me and Josh. Her belly was exceptionally bigger than mine, and I watched as she tried to wrangle Reed and River from her seat
"Jacob!" She said once they were out of her reach, "Control your children, they're being heathens"
"They are your children too woman" He laughed as he made his way over,
"I got it" Sam said coming over and scooping them up, "Lets go outside and burn off some energy" He said playfully carrying them to the back yard.
"How are you feeling?" I breathed out as I settled next to Sloan,
"I'm good, they are really active all the time which can get uncomfortable" She admitted,
"I know, tell me about it" I laughed, and she joined me.
"Have you and Josh decided on names yet?" She asked,
"Oh actually, one second." I paused scanning the room, "Josh!" I said to get his attention from across the room. He dismissed himself from the conversation he was having and walked over.
"Did you need something my dear?" He asked,
"No thank you, I think now is a good time to have that conversation with Sloan and Jake" I said, he knew what I meant and waved Jake over.
"What conversation?" Sloan asked with a curious look on her face, Jake stood next to Josh and asked what was going on.
"Josh and I are forever thankful that you two are doing this for us," I said trying to hold back tears, damn these hormones. "And we were wondering if you would name one of the babies." I said with a smile,
"We only had a boy and a girl name picked, so if you could name our other little girl we would love it" Josh said putting his hand on my shoulder. Jake and Sloan looked at each other and nodded,
"We would be honored to name her," Sloan said, leaning over to hug me. "We can't wait to see you two be parents"
"We can't wait to be parents" Josh said squeezing my shoulder gently. The rest of the day went by smoothly. Josh's parents showed up and were ecstatic to see me and Sloan with our growing bellies. They loved us both so much. That night Sloan and I watched as the boys built all of the cribs and a changing table. I watched Josh beam with excitement as he looked through all the baby clothes we had received. He'd hold them up for me to see and make comments about little sayings or designs on the onesies. That night after everyone was gone I got out of the shower, opting to put on a oversized tshirt and shorts. I groaned as I crawled into bed next to Josh who put his book down and moved to the end of the bed. He took my feet into his lap and started massaging them. I sighed deeply as I layed back on the pillows.
"Did you have a good time today baby?" He asked, looking up to me,
"I did, I'm excited to see what name Jake and Sloan pick for baby girl 2." I said as I rubbed my belly.
"Me too, hopefully it's nothing too insane" Josh giggled, "I trust in Sloan though, Jake is questionable." He finished rubbing my feet and crawled next to my belly. He lifted my shirt over it and grabbed the lotion off of the nightstand. He put some in his hand, warming it before starting to spread it on my belly, and singing. I watched with a dazed grin. He did this every night and it always calmed down Aurora. She could be kicking and moving around and she'd quickly start to slow down when she heard Josh sing. Sometimes I'd fall asleep too, his voice was angelic. Once he was done singing he kissed my belly and then pulled my shirt back over it. I grabbed my pregnancy pillow and arranged myself, Josh laying behind me and cuddling against me.
"I love you so much" I said softly, knowing if I thought too much about it I'd cry.
"I love you too," He replied, nuzzling against my neck.
****2 month time jump****
Josh's POV
I looked at the countdown on my phone. Rhiannon's due date was 2 days away now. The closer it got the more nervousness came into my excitement. Rhiannon was over being pregnant and was so ready to meet her baby, and the others once Sloan delivered as well. I walked into the living room where she was sitting on the couch, Billie curled up on her belly.
"These braxton hicks contractions are no joke" She said as she held her side. They had started a few days ago and Sloan had assured us it wasn't labor yet, so we skipped the trip to the hospital.
"I'm sorry they are so uncomfortable, but you are handling them really well." I said as I sat next to her, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Actually," She smirked, "I am kind of hungry" She batted her eyelashes at me,
"Let me guess," I said playfully, feigning annoyance "You want a chicken tender basket from that place around the corner." She bit her bottom lip and nodded. That had been a regular on her menu in the last month of the pregnancy, so I knew that was what she'd want.
"Would you?" She asked with her best puppy dog eyes, like she needed them to get me to do anything for her.
"Anything for you, you know that" I kissed her forehead and grabbed my jacket and keys, "I'll be right back, don't start our show until I am" I pointed a finger at her in warning.
"I won't" She giggled, "Thank you, love you!" I heard as I closed the door. I drove to the little diner and sighed as I saw the long line through the window. I knew if I came home empty handed it wouldn't go well. I laughed at the thought, she had been a little more hot headed the last few months. I parked the car and headed inside. I waited in line for a long time before they finally took my order and then I went over and sat down. After about 15 more minutes they called my number and I grabbed the food. I went back to the car and made the drive home. I walked in the door and realized immediately that Rhiannon had changed clothes.
"You, are amazing" She said as I handed her the bag, giving me a kiss on the cheek. She walked over and sat at the kitchen island as she started to eat. I walked to go to the bathroom and saw her previous pants on the ground, and they were wet. I hurried back to the kitchen,
"Rhiannon, why did you change pants?" I asked as she put a fry in her mouth,
"Oh, I think my water broke while you were gone," She said nonchalantly as my mouth fell open. "At first I thought I peed myself" She laughed
"What are we doing here then?!" I paused, my thoughts racing, "We need to go!" I walked over to move her food, she smacked my hand,
"You're going to lose a hand if you touch my food again Kiszka" She said glaring at me, taking another bite of a chicken strip.
"Are you insane? Don't answer that I know the answer," I said holding my forehead, she laughed, "Will you at least eat on the way in the car?"
"Fine," she sighed, "I'll go get the hospital bag"
"No, you stay put. I'll get it" I hurried off to the nursery when my phone rang. I looked and saw that it was Jake. I quickly answered
"Hey, whats up I was just about to call-" I started but he cut me off,
"Sloan is in labor, we are about to head to the hospital" He said quickly, I could her rustling in the background, I felt my stomach turn. "Just meet us there, bring the baby bags"
"You're kidding." Was all I could manage as I grabbed the bags,
"Josh why would I joke about this," He said back annoyed
"Rhiannon's water just broke too." I laughed, out of nervousness more than humor.
"What!" He laughed, "Of course this would happen, we will see you there" He hung up the phone and I hurried back into the kitchen where she was still sitting peacefully.
"Ok, so...don't freak out, but Sloan just went into labor too." I said as I placed the bags down, bringing over her shoes.
"WHAT! We have to get to the hospital!" She shouted, trying to get up quickly
"Rhiannon YOU are in labor!" I said, "We have to put you first, I will keep in close contact with Jake I promise." She nodded and then I saw her face go white,
"Oh my gosh this is happening, 3 newborns" She said sitting back in her seat, "I'm not ready" I could hear the panic starting to form in her voice as tears formed in her eyes,
"Hey, look at me" I said sweetly caressing her face, "You are going to be the best mom. There is going to be a learning curve of course for both of us, but we can do it together, and we have the best support system around us. I know it's scary, but you're the bravest person I know, you're going to do great." I said leaning my forehead against hers, she nodded nudging her nose against mine before kissing me. "Now, can we please go to the hospital, I do not want to deliver this baby in our house." She laughed and nodded again as she stood up. I ran the bags out to the car and then quickly installed the 2 extra car seats. Thank god I had struggled enough with the first one I knew how to get these in quickly. I went back in and helped Rhiannon out and into her seat. We got to the hospital and were walking in when we saw Jake and Sloan also walking in.
"Fancy seeing you here" Jake laughed as we approached each other. "Are you ready for this?" He looked to me
"More than ready, we have been waiting for this for so long." I held Rhiannon's hand tighter as she smiled at me
"Happy to help," Sloan said, "But can we please get inside so I can have drugs" We all laughed and walked inside. We got rooms right next to each other. I helped Rhiannon get changed into the gown she had brought and helped her into the bed. I dimmed the lights and put on her bluetooth speaker. She had decided that she wanted to have a natural birth, and as much as I hated the thought of her doing this without pain medication I knew it was important to her.
"I'm going to make sure Jake and Sloan have everything they need, I'll be right back ok?" I asked,
"I'll be here" She said, "Hurry back before the next contraction." I nodded and hurried out of the room. I walked into the next room and saw Sloan in the bed and Jake next to her,
"Everything good here?" I asked,
"Yes, the surgeon just came in and talked to me, I'm having my c-section sometime in the next few hours." Sloan said with a smile, "That means you'll be meeting your babies soon" I felt tears in my eyes as I walked over
"Can I hug you?" I asked sheepishly, she nodded and I wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I will never be able to thank you enough for this" I said, a tear running down my face,
"You and her of all people deserve it," She replied, "Now get back in there with her, Jake will come get you if anything changes." Jake gave me a reassuring look as I walked back into Rhiannon's room. I walked back in and she had a wince on her face as she held her stomach. I hurried over and took her hand, petting her hair,
"Remember your breathing baby, like we learned in the birthing class" I said as she squeezed my hand. She nodded, closing her eyes as she started doing the breathing techniques. I watched in awe over the next hour as she handled each contraction with ease. Periodically a nurse would come in and check her progress and if she was ready to start pushing, and every time I'd hold my breath. It had been 4 hours and she was apparently progressing quickly for a first time mom. The nurse came in to check and I waited for her to speak,
"Well, it looks like it's almost time to push, I'll be right back with the doctor" she smiled as she walked out. Rhiannon looked at me with a shocked face, her breathing going faster.
"Go check on them one more time please?" She said,
"Are you sure?" I asked
"Yes, just hurry" She breathed out. I frantically hurried to Sloan's room, not wanting to miss a single thing with Rhiannon. I saw a room full of people and Jake in a blue gown,
"I was just about to come tell you, they are taking her back for the c-section" Jake said, "Are you ok?" He asked, probably referring to the look on my face
"Rhiannon is about to push I can't be there for both I-" I said, stuttering through my words,
"Josh," Jake put his hands on my shoulders, "Breathe. I will be with Sloan the whole times, I won't let anything happen to her or your babies ok? Go be with Rhiannon." I nodded and took a breath,
"I love you brother," I said, pulling him into a hug,
"I love you too." He replied, "Next time I see you, you'll be a dad!" He shouted as he followed after Sloan, "Congratulations!" I smiled as I ran back into Rhinannon's room. Just as I walked in the Doctor and a team of nurses also walked in. I could see the fear in Rhiannon's eyes, I also saw some of it melt away when she saw me. I calmly walked over, knowing she would feed off of my energy.
"You ready to meet our little one?" I asked softly in her ear, kissing her temple. She nodded and I pushed some of her sweat soaked hair from her face. The doctor situated himself at the end of her bed,
"Ok Rhiannon, it's time to start pushing." He said, Rhiannon nodded and started pushing whenever the doctor would instruct her too. She had been pushing for w while,I could tell she was getting tired and flustered as she started to cry,
"You're doing so good mama, you're so strong, keep going," I said as she looked to me,
"I can't, I'm so tired" She said as her head fell back against the pillow,
"I know you can do it baby, just a few more pushes" I encouraged her, She took a deep breath before looking back to the doctor and nodding that she was ready to push again. A few minutes later after a few more pushes I heard a small cry,
"Here she is!" She doctor said lifting her up, "Are you going to cut the cord dad?" He asked me and I nodded. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, she was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I stepped over and cut where they told me to. I looked back to Rhiannon was looking at her with barely open eyes and a dazed smile. The team quickly took her off to be seen by the pediatrician. I walked back over to Rhiannon,
"She is so beautiful love, you did such an amazing job." I kissed her as she smiled, Both of us were crying at this point. My strong, fearless, loving Rhiannon. She closed her eyes as the doctors finished cleaning her and the bed.
"You should probably let her rest, she pushed for a long time. If you want to go check on your surrogate I will stay with your wife" the nurse said quietly, I looked to Rhiannon, not wanting to leave her. "She is stable, and I'll be here" She reassured me. I thanked her before walking next door. I knocked softly, and Jake stepped into the hall,
"Sloan is sleeping." he whispered as he softly closed the door behind him, "The babies are both healthy, and Josh they are perfect." He hugged me again, "They are in the nursery, how is Rhiannon?" I was beaming when I heard the babies were healthy,
"She's asleep, she is truly amazing, I don't see how they go through this" I admitted and Jake shook his head in agreement.
"Do you want me to tell you the name me and Sloan picked, before you meet her?" He asked and I felt my heart swell,
"Absolutely" I answered. He told me and I told him how much I loved it and that I would see them later. I went back into Rhiannon's room and she was sleeping peacefully.
"If you want to take a quick nap it will be a while before they bring the babies in, you'll need it." the nurse said, "Your babies are all healthy and your wife is stable and has monitors keeping us notified if anything happens, its safe to sleep."
"I think I might take you up on that." It was now like 3am and I was exhausted. There was a small cot that had been brought in and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. A few hours I was woken by a small knock on the door. I looked to see 2 nurses bringing in 3 of the little hospital cribs they rolled the babies around in. I quickly got up, going over to gently wake Rhiannon.
"Rhiannon" I said softly, she groaned as she opened her eyes. She looked at me and smiled and I couldn't help but smile back, "Our babies are here to meet us" I said as they got closer. Her eyes lit up and she turned to them. "Oh no, I only have 2 arms, how am I supposed to hold all 3?" I said and everyone laughed,
"I think I can manage to hold one or two of them also babe" Rhiannon said as she peeked over. They were all tightly swaddled and wearing tiny blue or pink hats. "Oh my gosh, they are all so tiny!" She said as she swooned over them. She turned to me with tears in her eyes, "Josh, these are our babies"
"I know, how did we get so lucky?" I replied as I kissed her temple,
"Are you ready to hold them?" The nurses asked,
"Absolutely" we replied in unison. First she handed Rhianon Aurora, and Rhiannon and I were both sobbing messes at this point. Then she handed Rhiannon our other little girl. I smiled at the sight of them in her arms, she was looking at them with so much love in her eyes. The nurse handed me our little boy next. I started crying even harder once he was finally in my arms. I sat on the end of the bed facing Rhiannon as we looked at our babies. We just cried and looked at them for what seemed like forever. This was everything we had wanted for so long.
"They are all so perfect" She finally spoke,
"They are aren't they" I said quietly.
"Wanna trade?" she asked, and I nodded. We place them on the bed and I grabbed the girls. Aurora's hat fell off and I gasped,
"Blonde hair!" I said as I saw it, I quickly but carefully reached over and pulled off the other two's hats. The other little girl had the same blonde hair, but once I pulled off my little boys hat I burst into laughter "Red hair" we both giggled as Rhiannon gently ran her hand over it. We put their little hats back on to keep them warm. A few hours passed and I could hear Sam and Danny in the next room, everyone had come to meet them but was waiting for me to come give them the 'ok' to walk in. After getting permission from Rhiannon I invited everyone in. Jake wheeled in Sloan in a wheelchair, and Sam and Danny followed behind. They had both brought gifts and placed them on the counter by the door.
"Ok, is everyone ready for the introductions?" I asked with a toothy grin, so proud to show my family my babies. Everyone laughed at my theatrics and nodded. I walked over to the cribs, "This, is Aurora Lynn Kiszka" I said, walking over and handing her to Sloan. Everyone crowded and looked at how cute she was. I walked back over to the cribs, "This, is Prudence Ruth Kiszka, Pru for short" I said, handing her to Jake. A smile formed on his face as he looked at her. "And last but definitely not least, we have Denver Michael Kiszka" I said, handing him to Sam. "And before anyone gives me shit for naming him with my middle name, Rhiannon insisted" I added. I sat on the bed with Rhiannon. She leaned her head on my chest as we watched everyone admire our perfect little babies. I felt tears coming to my eyes for the hundredth time that day as I looked down to her, she looked back at me, and she was in the same state of emotion as me.
"I love you, and I love our little family." I whispered under everyone else's chatter.
"I love you too" she kissed me before leaning back against me. I couldn't fight the toothy grin on my face as I held her tight.