Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy)

by Domenico, Jennifer

  I laugh. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “I won’t hold it against you considering your present situation.” He watches the monitor. “Did that hurt?”

  “What?”

  “You just had a sizable contraction.”

  “Did I? Can’t feel a thing.” I laugh. “Thank you, God. I never want to feel anything like that again.”

  After about thirty minutes, Dr. Warner comes in the room and takes another look. “I would say we have just a few minutes before we need to get you pushing. We don’t like to drag things out so the babies don’t experience any distress. How do you feel?”

  “There’s some pressure in between my legs.”

  “To be expected,” she says.

  “Is there anything I can do, doctor?” Enzo asks.

  “Yep, stand here, hold her hand, tell her she’s beautiful, and get ready to meet your children.” The doctor smiles.

  She checks me one more time and smiles. “Alright, we’re ready to go. Ava, sit up just a little. It will make pushing more comfortable.”

  I scoot up in the bed and mentally try to prepare myself for what’s about to come.

  “Ava, take three deep breaths, then bear down for me as long as you can,” Dr. Warner says.

  I take one, two, three deep breaths and push as hard as I can. I can’t feel anything except a strange sensation of pressure. I look up. “Was that right?”

  “Yes. Now do it again.”

  Enzo holds my hand and wipes my forehead with a cool cloth. I bear down again, pushing for as long as I can. This goes on for a long time, at least from what I can tell.

  “Ava, one more time, don’t let go until I say. One of the babies is ready. One more push.”

  I take a deep breath and push.

  “Keep pushing…keep pushing…don’t stop, don’t stop…that’s it… a little bit longer.”

  I push for what seems like days. The strangest sensation occurs and I can’t help but push down a little bit more.

  “I have the baby. Enzo, come here and look at your first child,” Dr. Warner says.

  A moment later, I hear the sweet sounds of a newborn crying. I sit up to look at what’s going on. There lying on the bed beneath me is a little pink, squirmy newborn. The joy I feel right now is truly indescribable.

  “Do you want to cut the cord?” The doctor hands Enzo a pair of scissors. I watch him snip the cord, and the nurses whisk the baby away to be cleaned up.

  “Is it a boy or a girl?” I ask.

  “A girl, Ava. We have a daughter,” Enzo says, barely containing his tears.

  “We still have one more baby in there, not ready to come out yet. Let’s wait a few and you can rest,” Dr. Warner says.

  I watch the nurses clean my baby. I can’t believe I have a baby and another one still inside. Enzo stands next to me, planting kisses on my forehead and whispering, ‘Ti amo’.

  Without warning, I feel a sharp pain in my back. Should I be feeling that already? Maybe it’s time for a little more of the anti-pain juice.

  “Doctor, I’m starting to feel a lot of pain again.”

  She looks at the monitor. “It’s okay, the epidural we gave you was very light. Let me check the baby.”

  She examines me once more but looks up with a frown on her face. “You’re not progressing with the second baby the way you should. I’d like to avoid a caesarian if we can, but if he doesn’t come soon, we may have no choice.”

  “Ow, it’s really hurting again.” I say. “Can we do something?”

  “Just a moment. Nurse?”

  I don’t like the look on the doctor’s face. I feel a lot of pain and it feels a lot different than it felt before the epidural. Enzo hovers over me, his eyes shifting from me to the doctor to our little girl over at the nurse’s table.

  “Enzo, I need to speak with you.”

  Again? Why are they always whispering? Why can’t I hear what’s going on. Another sharp pain shoots through me, causing me to cry out.

  “Dr. Warner. We need you over here,” a nurse calls out, her voice sounding urgent.

  Dr. Warner rushes over to me, with Enzo closely behind. Enzo gasps as he gets closer and the doctor immediately puts her gloves on and does something between my legs.

  “Ava, I need you to push. Now.”

  “It hurts.”

  “I know it hurts, but listen to me, breath and push.”

  Enzo stands helpless, his eyes locked on what’s happening between my legs.

  “Enzo, please, come here.” I reach for him and he’s quickly by my side. “What’s happening?” I ask.

  “The baby is coming.” His voice is soft. “There’s so much blood.”

  “Blood? Is that normal?” I ask.

  “Push, Ava. Focus. I need you to push.” I hear the doctor.

  I don’t feel right. My head hurts, my entire body hurts. I blink several times as the room becomes blurry. Oh God, what’s happening? This isn’t right. It’s not right.

  “What’s happening, Enzo?” I try to grab his arm but he moves away.

  “Enzo, we need you to leave. Nurse, we need to prepare for surgery.”

  I hear the words but they sound a million miles away.

  “Enzo, you need to leave.” The doctor’s voice is frantic. “We’re losing her.”

  “Oh, God, Ava… don’t leave me…please don’t leave me.”

  “Enzo, please!”

  “Ava, I love you.”

  It’s the last thing I hear before I see a nurse hovering over me placing a mask over my face. No, stop…my babies…Enzo.

  “AVA, SWEETIE. OPEN your eyes.”

  I blink several times, taking in the bright lights surrounding me. I focus on the face looking down at me.

  “Mom?” My throat is scratchy and sore.

  “Hi.” She smiles. She looks like an angel.

  “Enzo?”

  “He’ll be right here. He has a surprise for you.” She strokes my hand.

  I try to move but pain shoots through me. I look around to see that I’m hooked up to a bunch of machines.

  “Where are my babies?”

  “Right here.”

  I stretch my neck to see Enzo walking up behind my mom, carrying two little blanketed bundles. Babies!

  “Meet your daughter and your son,” he says, tilting the babies so I can see them.

  “A boy and a girl?” Tears stream down my face. I’ve never seen more beautiful faces in my life.

  “They’re so beautiful, Enzo. Oh my God… our babies.” I reach out and touch both of them as they sleep gently in their father’s arms.

  “Are they healthy?” I ask.

  “Perfectly.” He smiles.

  Dr. Warner knocks on the door. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course,” Enzo says.

  “Glad to see you’re up. How are you feeling?” she asks.

  “Like I got hit by a freight train.” I try a smile.

  “Well, you did go through a lot.”

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “The second baby was stuck. Your cervix hemorrhaged and we had to do an emergency cesarean to get him out and get you stitched up.”

  “Am I okay?”

  “Yes. It was a mild rupture, thankfully. You’ll be sore, but you’ll make a full recovery. We’ll keep you here for a few days to make sure there’s no infection and that your incision heals. In the meantime, you can have visitors and care for your babies.”

  “I’ll go get your father and your friends,” my mom says.

  “Thanks, mom.”

  “We need names for these precious bundles, amore. We never reached a decision,” Enzo says, and carefully lays a baby into my arms.

  I look down at my little girl’s face. She sucks on her bottom lip and I feel as though I might explode with love for her. I didn’t even know I could feel love this intense. It’s a completely different feeling than with Enzo and me.

  “She’s so pretty,” I say. “I want to name her Bella b
ecause that’s what she is.”

  “Bella what?”

  “Bella Francesca.”

  “Bella Francesca Milano. I love it. And your son, signora?”

  “Have you given any more thought to my suggestion? It’s perfect and I really love it.”

  He smiles at me and gazes down at our sweet son. “I have thought about it and I love it too. We’ll go with your choice.”

  “Really? You mean it?”

  “I do mean it.”

  I look up to see our friends and family gathering in the room, congratulating us and cooing over the babies.

  “Well, tell us the names,” Cassie says.

  Enzo squeezes next to me. “You tell them, amore.”

  “Everyone, meet our daughter, Bella Francesca.” I look up and Francesca bursts into tears.

  “And your son?” Cassie asks.

  “Vincenzo Edward,” I say. My dad’s face lights up.

  “Bella and Vincenzo? How adorable,” Gabby says.

  Enzo smiles and kisses my forehead as the babies get passed around. “You scared the hell out of me, Ava,” he says.

  “Not intentionally, trust me.”

  “You and these babies are everything to me. You’ve made me an unbelievably happy man. I will spend every moment of the rest of my life trying to give you the same amount of joy you’ve given me.”

  “I know.”

  Enzo kisses me tenderly on the lips. “I love you, Ava.”

  “I love you too, my prince.”

  I look around the room at all my loved ones. My life is more incredible than I could have ever imagined. The lows have been worth it to get to this astounding moment of joy. I know what it feels like to be loved, cherished, and respected. I have the love of an amazing man. I lie back in my bed and enjoy all of this.

  “You did good, girl. Those babies are super cute,” Cassie says, leaning against my hospital bed. “Moving to the surface of the sun was a good move.” She laughs.

  “I’d say so. It’s not that bad, you just have to stay out of the direct heat.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’s nice to feel the warmth of the sun all year round,” she says.

  I look up at her and smile. “It’s the best feeling ever.”

  “ENZO?” I CALL out from the bedroom of our villa.

  He walks into the room, buttoning the top of his tuxedo shirt. “Yes, amore?”

  “Can you zip my dress please? I can’t quite reach it.” I wiggle in an attempt to reach the zipper.

  Enzo chuckles. “Of course. Let me help you.” He zips my dress, but lingers, wrapping his arms around my waist. I twist my face around to receive a tender kiss on my lips. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to let you go now that I’ve got you in my arms.”

  Giggling, I try to twist away, but he holds me tight. “We’ll be late, tesoro.”

  “So?” His lips crawl up my neck, causing me to murmur.

  “So? We’re in the wedding.”

  He looks up at me, his eyes twinkling in the afternoon Tuscan sun. “Very true. Later?”

  “Of course. As soon as we make it through six hours of wedding celebrations and get the babies to bed. That is assuming I can keep my eyes open long enough.”

  “I don’t need your eyes open. Just your mouth and your body.”

  “So dirty,” I tease.

  “All my thoughts about your body are.”

  Smoothing my hands over my dress, I glance at my reflection in the floor length mirror nearby. “Well there certainly is more of me. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this version of me.”

  “This version of you is just as desirable as the previous version. More so even. This body gave me Bella and Vincenzo.”

  “There’s more where they came from,” I say and laugh.

  “I do hope.” He pulls me close again. “Motherhood suits you. I knew you would be incredible.”

  “I have help and I have you.” Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull Enzo in for a kiss. “I’m looking forward to tonight. It’s been a long time coming, no?”

  “Yes, it reminds me of our day. The good parts anyway.”

  “All of it was good. We became one that day.”

  “Kiss me again, signora.”

  “As you wish.” We start to kiss again, but are interrupted by the joyous sounds of our babies running into our room.

  “Mamma! Papa!” little Bella calls out, giggling excitedly. Maximus bounds down the hallway after her as Vincenzo does his best to ride the dog. They run around our legs nearly knocking us over until Enzo bends down and scoops up our little girl.

  Maximus looks confused which allows me to grab Vincenzo and swing him around. His sweet laughter fills my ears.

  “Mi scusi signora,” the nanny bursts into the room looking concerned. “Mi dispiace. I bambini corrono veloce.”

  “Lo sai, signora. Tutto posto,” I say, using my Italian skills as best I can. Our nanny speaks perfectly good English, but usually insists on Italian. At this point, I’m not sure my children actually understand English. “The babies are just excited. It’s their first trip to Italy,” I rub my nose against Vincenzo’s cheek. He responds by rubbing my face with his little hand. He’s so sweet, just like his papa.

  I look over at Bella who kicks and wiggles in her dad’s arms until he puts her down. Then she takes off giggling and screaming down the hall again, our tired nanny chasing after her. Enzo looks at me and smiles. “That child is full of energy.”

  “Most children are. Do you think the nanny can handle them, Enzo?”

  “She’s fine. They are normally so calm at home. They’re just over excited right now.”

  “So am I. Shall we go?”

  “Yes. Andiamo.”

  We walk into the living room and kiss our babies goodbye. Enzo explains in his lovely Italian that we’ll be back in a few hours. The nanny has wisely given both children a snack and they sit happily and quietly at the small children’s table set up in the living room. Vincenzo always looks a bit concerned when we leave, his father’s protective streak showing in him, while Bella is carefree. I can just imagine her when she’s older waving her hands dismissively at us while Vincenzo lectures us on safety.

  I grab a shawl and my clutch bag as Enzo holds the door open for me. We don’t have to drive to get to the wedding location since it’s on our property in the back. I’ve spent all day helping to set up for this event with about 100 other people. It took all of us to get it exactly how the bride wants it. I know she’ll be happy when she sees it.

  I can’t wait to see her. She’s waited a long time for this day and it took the better part of a year to organize it all. Between this wedding and building our house, it’s been busy. I wrap my arm through Enzo’s.

  “I’m so excited everyone from America could come out for this.”

  “So am I, but who would miss this party?”

  “True. We do know how to throw a party, don’t we?”

  “That we do.” He kisses my cheek. “Are you sad we didn’t get married in Italy?”

  “Sometimes. It’s so beautiful and perfect here. I loved our wedding too, though.”

  “Well, we live here now. We can have all the parties you want and in a few years we could always renew our vows.”

  “We could, but I don’t need our vows renewed. They are as clear and as strong as they were the day we said them, no?”

  “Oh yes, my love. Very much so.”

  Gazing into Enzo’s eyes, I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the love I feel for him. Weddings only make me feel it even more.

  “So this is our fourth wedding in the past two years, right?” I ask.

  “Yes, it seems we started a trend.”

  Laughing, I respond, “We always do.”

  We stand on our back porch for a moment looking out over the set up. It’s lovely and perfect. I glance over to the guest house where I know the bride is, then my eyes shift across the yard to the nervous groom.

  “I hope we have enough
time to clean all of this up before Tuesday when the Architectural Digest people get here,” I say.

  “We will. We’ll have plenty of help. Are you nervous? It’s your first design interview.”

  “No, not nervous.” I look up at him and smile. “Okay, a bit, but mostly I just want to do a good job and make an interesting interview.”

  “You will my love. I’m excited for you. You are getting the recognition you deserve.”

  “Thanks to you and Francesca kicking me out of the nest.”

  Enzo bends down to kiss me just as we hear a loud commotion from the guest house. All I can hear from here are women’s excited voices.

  “I better go see what’s happening,” I say.

  “Yes, I’ll go calm the groom.” As I start to walk away, Enzo grabs my hand and pulls me back, kissing me sweetly. “I love you, Ava.”

  “I know, Enzo, and I love you.”

  “See you soon.”

  “Yes.”

  I walk briskly across the yard to the guest house and open the door to see far too many women in such a small space. The scene is chaotic and the bride is obviously close to her breaking point. She looks up at me and her eyes beg me to help.

  “Signore!” I say, and clap my hands together. Everyone looks up at me. “Could I have a moment with the bride please?” I say in Italian.

  The women glance around at each other, then quietly file out of the room into the kitchen. I sit down and take the bride’s hand in mine.

  “Are you holding up okay, Checca?”

  “These women are driving me crazy. I have the makeup, the hair, the dress, fuss, fuss, fuss. I just need a moment to think and they won’t stop talking.”

  “You look stunning. Are you excited?”

  She smiles and her face lights up. “Yes, I’m very excited. Today, I become a wife. Just like you.”

  “Yes, just like me. It’s going to be a wonderful day. I’m sure of it.”

  “Yes, of course. Where are Cassie and Gabby?”

  “Outside taking a walk. They get overwhelmed by the language barrier.”

  “I can imagine.” Francesca looks around the room. “How long will you stay in Italia this time?”

  “I think we’re going to be here a while. There is much work to be done on the hotels plus it’s so disruptive to the babies and the dog. At least six months, perhaps a year. I actually prefer it here.”