MADDIE POV
"Maddie, get off the phone we have to watch this," Olivia whined from next to me.
"No, leave me alone." I pushed her away. "Sorry about that, Justin."
"How are things going today?"
"Fine. I can't move and I feel like I'm about to pop, but it's fine."
"We won't have to wait too much longer."
"I'm ready."
We had been at the lake house for a week now. Justin and the boys had just left after another fun weekend. I missed them all terribly. I understood why I needed to be here, but I wished Justin would stop working and just stay with me. I never said anything, though, because I didn't want to sound like a child.
"I might be able to come up a little early this week," Justin said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. In fact, this might be my last week of work. I need to take paternity leave so I can help you out."
"That's much appreciated."
"Ask him if he's bought more cribs yet," Olivia whispered.
"Tell her that everything's ready in the penthouse for when you come back."
"He's got it covered."
"I even had the nursery painted."
"What does it look like?"
"You'll just have to wait until you get here," he teased.
"Maddie, get off the phone!" Bridget shouted. "We have to watch this video."
"Okay, Justin, I'll have to call you back later."
"Before you go to bed."
"Alright. I love you."
"Love you too, Maddie. Have fun." The line went dead.
"You two talk on the phone entirely too much," Bridget complained, eating from her bag of chips.
"You're all driving me crazy."
This place had become like a sorority house over the past few days. Jaxon was our only mediator, because Katy Nana refused to get in the middle of out petty fights. Between my pregnancy hormones and Bridget's permanent bitchy attitude, there was always a fight erupting over something. Olivia got tired of it and would just start shouting because we were. We would fight and then five seconds later, hug it out. It was infuriating.
"Ladies, please." Jaxon sat between us on the couch. "We just need to watch this movie that the doctor gave us and then we can all go to our separate corners."
"I hate you," I snapped at Bridget.
"Maddie, stop it," Jaxon warned. "We're not going to have a repeat of yesterday."
"Olivia started it," Bridget complained.
"You pushed her down the stairs!"
"Accidentally."
Katy Nana came into the room. "I'm off to the grocery store. I have everyone's list. Anything else?"
"I need tampons," Olivia said quickly.
Jaxon groaned.
"Noted." Katy Nana wrote it down. "I shall be back shortly." She left the house, flanked by three bodyguards.
It was like Fort Knox in here. I wasn't sure how much security was around, but it was a lot. I quickly found out that we were on a small island, in the middle of the lake. The only way in or out was by boat or the small bridge, which no one used. It stayed closed. There was another family who had a house here, but they were mysteriously gone now. I hadn't met anyone since being here, which was okay, but I was starting to feel claustrophobic.
Bodyguards continuously walked around the island, patrolling with guns. Then there were more in boats, circling all day and all night. Tall flood lights would illuminate the skies once the sun went down, and if a civilian even dared to jump in the lake from across the water, a siren would blare to alert everyone. This was all Justin's doing.
"So tonight's movie of choice is The Wonderful Miracle of Birth," Jaxon read the DVD cover. "Well, that sounds nice."
"You've obviously never seen one of these videos before." Olivia clicked the remote.
"Wait, I don't think I want to watch this." I shuddered, just thinking about the images that might appear.
"Maddie, you need to watch it," Bridget said.
The medical documentary started. I had never really thought about the pain that I might have giving birth, because I didn't want to dwell on that. Thousands of women have babies every day. If they could do it, so could I. That was my main thought so I could keep myself sane. This video shattered that to pieces.
"Oh, my God!" Jaxon covered his eyes as we watched the second birthing. This one was more up close than the first and with a ten pound baby; the images weren't pretty. There was so much blood.
"This is kind of intense." Olivia didn't seem fazed at all. She seemed entranced, as was Bridget. I was just shocked.
"This can't be real," I said. "How does... it stretch like that?"
"I can't..." Jaxon looked green. "Why do I have to watch this?"
"Because when Jane has a baby ten years from now, you need to be informed." Olivia pinned him to the couch with her mighty, small person strength.
At this point in the birth the baby was crowning.
"Holy shit!" Jaxon cried.
The lady was screaming so loudly, the medical voiceover almost couldn't be heard. I tried to make mental notes about what I was seeing.
"You giving birth without drugs?" Bridget asked me.
"Hell, no," I said adamantly. "Especially not after watching this. I need as many drugs as possible."
"I read about a woman who gave birth in a pool. Maybe you could try that," Olivia suggested.
"I just want a normal birth. Nothing fancy. Let's keep it as simple as possible."
"Sweet Lord." Jaxon hurled into the empty trash can by his side as the bloody baby fell out of its mother.
"Men are so sensitive." Olivia rolled her eyes. "After all the shooting and killing you do, you can't watch this?"
"This is torture," he replied. "Why would anyone want to go through this hell?"
"It's beautiful."
"I'm never having a child," he argued.
"Why, because it's so much work for the man?" Bridget punched his arm. "You get to fuck, and then sit back for nine months while we get fat. Then you get to just watch."
"We have to deal with your bitch attitudes."
I sucked on the popsicle in my mouth, trying to cool down. I had been having really bad cramps all day, and I didn't particularly feel all that comfortable sitting here watching this kind of movie.
"Gross." Jaxon almost threw up again as we witnessed a C-section. It looked brutal.
Another hour went by and the blood just kept gushing onscreen. It was rather graphic, and I didn't think I was prepared to watch woman after woman scream in agony, but I didn't move a muscle. I knew I had to watch this. I still wasn't scared to give birth, because I knew I would have Justin there. Plus, I planned on being medicated until I couldn't feel my lower half.
We had to turn the movie off when Jaxon threw up for the fifth time. I didn't think he had anything left in him. My cramps got progressively worse, but still didn't feel like anything more than gas. I just felt so uncomfortable nowadays.
That night, Katy Nana made us all a large feast of some kind of chicken. I wasn't sure what it was, but it tasted delicious. She was the best cook in the world and anyone who contested that, just didn't know good food.
I took a shower and called Justin before I went to bed.
"How was the movie?"
"Jaxon almost passed out multiple times," I laughed.
"Sounds wonderful. How do you think I'll handle it? I still haven't watched my tape."
"You should do that. It's kind of vulgar. You need to prepare yourself."
We talked about our days. It sounded like he was super busy, and I knew he was stressed out, but he tried to act like nothing was wrong.
"Are you marking off the days?"
I stood in front of the large wall calendar and placed an 'x' through September 10th.
"Hey, my birthday is in three days," I said suddenly.
He chuckled, "I was wondering when you'd figure that out."
"You didn't remind me?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
"I didn't even realize it."
"Your mother will be here later in the week, and I'll just drive her up when I come. She's very excited. She called me three times today."
"Oh, really? About what?" I climbed back into bed.
"About what I should be doing in preparation."
"And she's yet to call me once. Unbelievable."
"Well, I'll let you get some rest. It's way past your bedtime."
"I'm not a child."
"Goodnight, Maddie."
"Goodnight. I miss you, Justin."
"I miss you too. Now go to bed."
When my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I woke with a start, my cramps suddenly too much to bare. I had felt them throughout the night, but was didn't think anything of them until now. My abdomen hurt so much, I almost couldn't breathe.
I became more and more coherent as the pain worsened. I started to wonder what the hell was going on and couldn't think of a viable theory until I felt the slow trickle of liquid roll down my thigh. I almost thought I was peeing myself, but my bladder wasn't relieved.
I pushed myself up against the headboard. "What the hell was that?"
I ripped the sheets off of me and turned on the bedside lamp. The light blue sheets were stained with clear liquid. I was sticky and felt sick for some reason.
I let out a deep breath and assessed the situation calmly.
My water just broke.
"My water just broke." I must have said it fifty times before it set in. "No, that can't be. I still have five weeks. That's a long time."
"Babies, what are you doing to me?" I lifted up my shirt to see my stomach. It all looked the same, but the kicks were low in my abdomen and they were very active tonight.
I scooted out of bed. I moved inch by inch, trying not to jostle myself too much. I was surprisingly calm on the outside, but I wanted to cry and scream.
I waddled, slowly and deliberately, down the hall to Jaxon's room. I opened his door and went into his dark room. His snoring was so loud I thought the walls were shaking. We had only been here a week, and the place was already a mess. There were discarded boxers on the floor and a stench of staleness was in the air. It smelled like... a teenager. Gross.
Francis lifted his head as I got closer to the bed.
"Jaxon," I whispered. He didn't move.
Francis licked his chops, waking up further, trying to figure out why I was in his room.
"Jaxon," I said louder. By this time, I was at the bedside. I started to push him. Unlike Justin, Jaxon slept like a log and couldn't be woken by simple tactics.
"Hey!" I yelled and pounded a fist on his bare chest. I almost lost my balance and I grabbed the bedpost to stabilize myself.
Jaxon jerked awake and sat straight up, pulling a gun from underneath his pillow. "Who is it?"
"Were you going to shoot me?" I asked angrily.
"Maddie? Is that you?"
"Who else did you think it was?"
"I don't know." He rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong with you? Why are you in here?"
"My water broke."
He looked at me strangely for a couple of seconds. "I'm confused."
"My water just broke," I repeated slowly. "I'm in labor."
"You're what?" He shot clear across the bed and almost fell out of the other side, pushing Francis with him.
"Calm down. I'm not in any pain, but need to go to the hospital"
"Oh, God. Justin going to kill me." He got out of bed and began to pace. "You're in labor. But you still have..." He started to count off of his fingers.
"Five weeks, I know."
"Okay, let's just stay calm and collected."
"I am calm."
"Don't argue with me, Maddie." Jaxon became frantic and rushed to my side. "Here, sit down." He almost pushed me on the bed.
"We don't have anything ready. I'm not ready," I told him.
"Don't cry. Everything's going to be okay."
"I'm not crying."
"Yes, you are." He wiped my face. "Alright, I'll handle everything. Just do your breathing."
"Right." I inhaled and exhaled in rhythm.
Jaxon went out into the hallway, "Thunderbirds are go! Thunderbirds are go! This is not a drill!"
Francis snuggled up to me just as I contracted. It wasn't too painful, but it certainly hurt. My stomach tightened up and felt like a severe case of cramps that had a vice grip on my insides.
"Ouch." I held my stomach.
A second later, Bridget bolted into the room, in a skimpy night gown and disheveled sex hair. She looked stunning.
"Maddie! What the hell is going on?"
"I just had a contraction."
"Are you sure it's a real one? It could just be Braxton Hicks."
"No. My water broke too."
"Oh," her eyes went wide, "well this is good, right?"
"No! I'm five weeks early! Is that healthy?"
"Shit. I don't know."
Olivia burst through the door, her usual whirlwind, dramatic self. "I'm here!"
"Has someone called Justin?" I asked.
"We don't have time for that. We need to get you to the hospital," Jaxon insisted. There was a flurry of hands that attacked me and tried to help me stand up.
Katy Nana was there in the hallway, wrapping me in a blanket. "All is going to be well, Mrs. Maddie."
There was a lot of talking, and it was happening so fast. My brain was going a mile a minute, but my first thought was to call Justin. I needed to hear his voice.
I couldn't step into the SUV that was situated in front of the house. Amun lifted me up gently, but it still scared the shit out of me. Jaxon was already behind the wheel, ready to take off. Bridget and Olivia were in the back.
"I'm going to be fine," Jaxon said to himself as he drove down the dirt road towards the bridge that was being lowered like we lived in some kind of medieval castle.
"You'll be fine?" I screeched.
"I think it's safe to say that she's scared," Olivia said. "I called the hospital, and they said to just pull up front."
"They don't even know who I am." I sobbed a little. "Do they have my medical records? Is the doctor any good? This wasn't in the plans!"
"She's getting hysterical," Bridget commented. "Has someone called Justin?"
Jaxon started to dial the number on the keypad phone that was connected to the car. Justin didn't pick up on the first couple of rings, and since it was three in the morning, I didn't expect him to be awake. Finally, on the second try, a groggy voice answered.
"Hello? Who the hell is this?"
Four voices talked at once, trying to explain the situation.
"Hold the fuck up! I can't understand anyone."
"Justin, this is Jaxon. We have a problem."
"Okay, I'm listening."
"Maddie's in labor. Her water broke, and we're on our way to the hospital. There are about fifty security cars behind us, and we're fifteen minutes away."
"Um..." For the first time in his life, I think he was speechless.
"I'm fine, Justin. I promise I am," I said. "Please just get here as soon as you can."
"Wait, so this is really happening?"
My second contraction hit just as quickly as the last, but was a little more forceful this time.
"Oh," I huffed in pain.
"Maddie, are you okay?" Jaxon swerved on the road.
"I'm timing them." Bridget flailed a stopwatch in the backseat.
"Maddie, I'm coming. Don't worry!" Justin was off the phone, and I suspected tumbling out of bed.
"How do you feel?" Olivia stuck a video camera in my face. "This is being documented for later. Smile!"
"Leave me alone." I pushed her away.
The drive to the hospital was the longest in my life. I continued my breathing, but with each second the pain increased just a little.
"How you doing, Maddie?" Jaxon kept asking.
"Don't talk." I was mad at him, at Olivia, at Bridget, at everyone. Justin, being the meticulous planner that he was, had a set schedule for my due date. Things were prearranged and rehearsed hundreds of times. Every minute and second had detailed instructions. That had all gone out the window.
"What if the babies aren't ready yet?" I asked.
"Oh, they're ready," Jaxon scoffed. "Obviously."
"No, they aren't. It's too early." I held my stomach. "I can't do this. I can't."
"Maddie, pull yourself together," Bridget snapped. "You're having these babies whether you like it or not."
"No, I can't."
Jaxon halted in front of the hospital. The town had a population of five thousand, so the place was small, almost smaller than the hospital in Thorp. I didn't like this one bit. What if something went wrong and Justin wasn't here? I couldn't have these babies without him.
I was in a wheelchair within seconds, being pushed up a ramp and into the hospital as another contraction hit.
"Mrs. Bieber, I'm Dr. Martin." An older, small man held out his hand.
"Oh, hi." I shook it. "Are you going to be delivering my babies?"
"Yes, ma'am. Your husband has already set things up."
"Really? When did that happen?"
"A couple weeks ago. He just wanted to be prepared."
Always thinking ahead...
"I'm going to take good care of you," Dr. Martin assured me. "I hear you're early."
"Five weeks. Is that healthy?"
"I'm not sure yet."
That didn't sound too assuring. A sob erupted from my throat.
"Don't you start, Maddie," Jaxon scolded. "We don't have time for more tears."
The hospital only had one floor, and I was rushed inside, down the hall, and around a corner to a section that was dimly lit with no one around.
"Where's Justin?" I grunted. "He needs to be here... now!"
"He's on his way. I just got off the phone with him." Olivia ran alongside, camera in hand.
There was a room set up that I guessed was for me, and it looked like one of those places that used to hold an MRI machine. It wasn't anything like the normal maternity room. It had a large bed with the standard hospital sheets and blankets and machines that I was dreading being hooked up to. Against the far wall was a station that I recognized as a baby cleaning station for after the twins were born and needed to be washed off.
There were chairs against another wall and a fridge in the corner next to the private bathroom.
"This is nice." Bridget walked around.
"Um, who are all these people?" Dr. Martin asked.
The room had since filled with not only Olivia, Bridget, and Jaxon, but about five bodyguards. They looked so out of place and confused.
"Hey, everyone out!" Jaxon commanded, pushing them through the door.
The next half hour was very strange. I had never been in labor before, so I didn't know how this was supposed to go.
I was given a hospital gown that Bridget helped me change into, and then laid down in the bed while the doctor hooked me up to all kinds of machines. Olivia stayed outside, trying to call Justin. As luck would have it, his phone ran out of battery.
Dr. Martin had a difficult time trying to get in touch with the hospital at Northwestern to obtain my medical records. My doctor wasn't on-call tonight, so they had to track him down at home. They finally got my stuff faxed over so that Dr. Martin could review them. He kept sucking on his teeth and shaking his head. Finally, Jaxon got fed up with it.
"So, what's the verdict?" He tapped his foot.
"Well," Dr. Martin scratched his chin, "you're early. We already knew that, but..."
"But what?" I tried to sit up.
"Let's just see with the ultrasound." He smiled tightly.
I lied on the bed during ten minutes of silence as he ran the paddle of the ultrasound machine over my swollen stomach. He was making faces and talking to himself in a voice that was too low for me to hear. The man was driving me crazy.
"The girl looks fine." He circled one baby on the monitor. "She's healthy and looks pretty developed even at this stage."
"What does that mean?" Jaxon asked.
"Twins usually come early because of the limited space in the womb. They can be smaller, as a result; not always, but most times. It all depends on the mother, really. Your son, on the other hand, seems like he's not done growing. I don't like what I see."
"Is something wrong?" I was getting worried.
"They're both coming out, very soon from the looks of it, but he's not ready. His lungs, especially, need a little while longer. But thankfully, there are ways of dealing with that once he's here."
"No. He has to stay in if he's not ready." I clamped my legs together in a stupid effort to shove the babies back up.
"There's nothing we can do about that, Mrs. Bieber." Dr. Martin wiped the goo from my stomach. "Would you like me to have the nurses keep trying your husband? From the looks of things, he doesn't have long."
I nodded, dumbfounded and silent.
"He's going to be here, Maddie." Jaxon held my hand. "I promise you."
"Are you sure?"
Jaxon nodded, but I could see the worry in his eyes.
I just laid back into the pillows and prayed that Justin got his ass here in time.
Thirty minutes passed, two more centimeters along, and it hurt like hell. I was given some wonderful drugs that helped, but only minutely. Justin somehow got a phone and called me right away. I cried our entire conversation after he revealed he was about three hours away. He wouldn't make it in time, but I didn't tell him that. Justin then proceeded to scream at Dr. Martin that if anything should happen to me, he would lose his medical license and end up at the bottom of some lake. Scaring my doctor was not the tactic I wanted to take.
"You'll be fine." Jaxon was the only one allowed in the room. Justin's orders.
"You have to stop stressing me out."
"I might not make it, Maddie. I'm just admitting that right now." He shoved some ice chips in my mouth, haphazardly and only half paying attention.
"Sit down and shut up," I ordered.
"If I see blood, I might pass out. Where is that no good husband of yours?" Jaxon checked out of the window. "I can't do this."
"Fine. Then get out and we'll have someone else be the godfather."
He looked at me with a blank stare. "Godfather? Me? Really?"
"We were talking about it." I did my Lamaze breathing, "Nothing was final. We thought we had more time."
"I'll do it! I'll be the best godfather in the world, I swear." Jaxon was suddenly gung-ho about the impending birth and became very supportive.
More waiting, another centimeter.
"How are you doing, Mrs. Bieber?" Dr. Martin checked on me every so often.
"Great," I gritted through my teeth.
"Well, we should almost be ready to go."
"No, we have to wait."
"Maddie, we do have time."
I was sobbing and couldn't stop. How could I do this without Justin? He needed to be here.
"Mrs. Bieber, I can't understand you. Please stop crying. This isn't good for the babies."
My horrible sounding tears were drowned out by the whirl of helicopter propellers. The whole building shook slightly, as if it was going to be lifted off of the ground. I looked up to the ceiling and smiled.
"Justin!" I said, overjoyed.
A nurse rushed into the room. "Sir, there's a private helicopter landing on the roof. What should I do? Do you want me to call the police?"
"No, that would be Mr. Bieber." Dr. Martin quickly left.
"He's here." I grabbed Jaxon by his shirt and hugged him. "He's here. He made it."
"Maddie, your drugs are making you incredibly strong. I can't breathe."
"Sorry." I let him go and held my breath.
The door banged open and a haggard looking Justin walked towards the bed with a bad limp. He was in boxers and a plain white t-shirt, his normal sleepwear.
"Oh, my God. What's wrong with you?" I squeaked.
"My back is killing me, and now the doctor says I have something wrong with my leg. I don't know." He took my hand. "Are you okay? What's going on? How many centimeters are you? Where is that fucking doctor?"
"Justin, you're stressing her out." Jaxon pulled him away from me. "She's fine. The babies are fine. Well, the boy needs to grow more, but Dr. Martin said he'll be alright."
"What's wrong with my boy?" Justin's voice cracked.
"He's just a little small," I assured him. "The doctor was saying something about steroid shots or... I'm not really sure."
"I'll take care of this." Justin stomped out of the room with his left leg looking a little stiff.
_____________________________________________________________________________
More waiting. More painful noises from me. But this time, my husband was there to freak out along with me.
"Oh, shit." Justin moved to my side. "This is all happening so fast," he muttered.
"Mr. Bieber, why don't you go get some ice chips and take a walk. You look like you're about to pass out," Dr. Martin suggested as he took off his gloves.
"No, I can't leave Maddie," he responded.
"I'll be fine. Just don't go too far." I patted his arm.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, we have everything under control."
"Okay, but I'll be back in ten minutes. I just need some fresh air." He kissed my forehead, and then slowly left the room.
Things happened very quickly within the next hour. I dilated another two centimeters, bringing my grand total to eight. The contractions came more frequently and more painfully but still nothing that would make me scream to the high heavens like I thought I would be doing by now. The one thing that didn't change was Justin's reaction to all of this. He acted like he was going into labor, and I swear he was eating my ice chips, even though I never caught him.
Justin called Rebecca to let her know what was going on. By the time the phone conversation ended, she was crying at the prospect of meeting her grandbabies and booked the first flight to Chicago.
"Justin, calm down," I hissed as another contraction hit.
"I can't help it," he said as he made his fourth circuit around the room in a minute.
It didn't take that long for me to realize that labor was just as horrible as I thought it would be.
"Holy shit," I panted as the contraction hit and then left. That was my most painful one yet.
Justin held my hand and looked as pale as ever, but he wasn't going anywhere.
"Isn't there some drugs or something you can give her?" Justin yelled at a nurse.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you wanted to do a natural birth." She smiled sweetly.
Stop smiling!
"Hell, no. Load me up," I whined and laid back into the pillows.
"Maddie, you're about to break my hand," he complained.
"I don't want to hear it, Justin."
The nurse put something in my IV. The relief was instantaneous.
"Thank, God." I laid back and Justin dabbed my head with a wet cloth.
"You're doing great, sweetheart," he assured me.
"I hate you," I said seriously.
It only took five minutes, and then it was time.
Dr. Martin told me the contractions were coming every 15 seconds and that I was 10 centimeters dilated. The first baby was in position to come out.
"This is really happening," Justin said to himself.
"You're damn right it's happening," I growled. "This is all your fault."
"What did I do?"
"Just get out."
Dr. Martin chuckled. "She'll be back to normal once this is all over."
"Like hell I will!"
"Alright Mrs. Maddie, this is going to come fast so I need you to pay attention," Dr. Martin said quickly.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"You did such a great job, Maddie." Justin smoothed the hair out of my sweaty face.
"Can I see them?" I asked, my voice harsh and hoarse.
A nurse brought my daughter over to me, who was wrapped in a soft pink blanket.
Sophia was so cute. She had a small tussle of dark brown hair on the top of her small head that matched mine perfectly. Her skin was as smooth as butter, and I almost didn't want to touch her because she was so fragile. It was pale and kind of shriveled, like all newborns. I couldn't see her eyes because they were closed, but she was moving around and making the sweetest sounds imaginable. She looked exactly like me.
"She's the most beautiful thing in the world," I sobbed. "I love her so much."
I was still feeling the effects of the drugs, plus added exhaustion, so I was sure I sounded like a fool, but I didn't care. I meant every word.
"We need to give her a middle name." Justin took her from me, cradling her in his arms. It was such a precious sight, and I wished I had a camera. He adapted to her small body perfectly, not an ounce of hesitation or doubt.
"Since when did you learn how to be so fatherly?" I dried my tears with the edge of my blanket.
"I... I don't know." He smiled down at Sophia. "I want to name her Verena, after the saint."
"I've never heard of her."
"She's one of those obscure saints who did good deeds under the radar. I've just always liked the name."
"Sophia Verena Bieber." I took her back from Justin. "She's so wonderful."
"And you, young man, need a strong name." Justin took our boy from one of the nurses. He was small, but had a lot of attitude.
Justin sat on the bed next to me, holding him delicately. His eyes were opened and were that bluish-grey of all babies. I was wondering what color they would be as he grew older. My brown, or Justin's gold? He had a small patch of dark hair just like Sophia's. He was looking around the room with wide eyes and sucking on his hands. I almost didn't even want to stop to blink.
"You can name him anything you want. Just not Bartholomew." I said.
"Alright, then." Justin thought for a second. "Roman."
"Roman?"
"Roman Telemachus Bieber."
"Tel-em-a-chus?" I repeated slowly.
"My favorite character from The Odyssey. Sounds Greek, but is actually Italian. Son of Odysseus and Penelope."
"You're such a nerd." I had to smile. His thought process was ridiculous.
"Roman was Pattie's youngest brother's name. Do you like it?"
"I think it's perfect."
He leaned in close to Roman's face. "Do you like it, little one? You'll have to live up to that name. I expect amazing things from you."
"He's active." I laughed as Roman flailed his fists around and stretched his tiny body.
"I think I did quite well for my old age." Dr. Martin wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "It might be time for me to retire."
"Thank you so much for helping me." I said, "I'm sorry for being such a bitch."
"You weren't bad at all, Mrs. Bieber. And I was happy to assist you."
I hugged Sophia close to me and felt her soft skin against mine.
"Should we show the family?" I asked Justin.
"No, let's let them wait a little bit. You need some rest, anyway."
"I'm not tired." I was like a child on Christmas Eve, not wanting to sleep for fear that I might miss something.
"Mr. Bieber, I'm going to need to steal this one from you." Dr. Martin said, taking Roman before handing him to a nurse.
"Where's he going?" I sat up.
"Don't worry, he just needs a little extra care in the incubator. You can visit him if you'd like in bit, but I don't want him to struggle for too long."
"Is he in pain?" Justin cracked his fingers.
"No, he's just having a hard time taking full breaths. It's nothing to worry about. This is common with early births."
"How long does he have to stay in there?"
"Well, it all depends. I'll be monitoring him for a few days and we'll go from there. Usually, about four weeks, though. Just to be sure. We're also going to be administering steroid shots soon so that his lungs can develop a little more. I'll give you all the details later. Right now, you just need to rest."
"Thank you, doctor." Justin shook his hand.
"He'll be down the hall if you would like to visit."
Dr. Martin left the room. It was just me, Justin, and Sophia.
"He's going to be fine, right?" I heard the trepidation in my voice.
"He'll be perfect." Justin kissed my forehead, "Go to sleep."
He took Sophia from me and she started to come alive, moving around and cooing.
I tried to stay awake, but I had little energy left to even hold him eyes open. It didn't take long for me to drift off, dreaming about my newborn babies.