by Marie Force
“Since when?”
“About an hour, since right after we arrived. Is Victoria here?”
“She is. Do you want me to get her?”
“Yeah, and hurry up about it.” The last thing Maddie wanted to do was anything to disrupt Mallory’s day, but her baby girls apparently had other plans. She was terrified about them arriving early. They were supposed to be in Providence long before the due date, not once again on a remote island, and once again without electricity. She forced herself to remain calm, to not give in to the hysteria bubbling just below the surface.
Tiffany returned with Victoria and without Addie.
“Did your water break?” Vic asked.
“Not yet, but for the last hour, I’ve been having contractions that I thought were Braxton Hicks, but they’re eight minutes apart.”
“I need to get you inside and examine you. Do you think you could walk?”
“I can do it.”
Victoria and Tiffany helped her up.
“Be careful, Tiff,” Maddie said to her sister, who was also pregnant.
“I’m fine,” Tiffany said. “Don’t worry about me.”
Maddie whimpered when another contraction made it so she couldn’t move.
“That was only six minutes after the last one,” Tiffany said.
Time seemed to slow down at that point as others on the lawn began to notice something was going on. Maddie happened to look up and catch the exact moment when her husband realized something was wrong. The stricken look on his face told the story for both of them. This couldn’t be happening again.
Victoria and Tiffany got Maddie up the stairs and into a main floor sitting room.
“I don’t have gloves,” Victoria said.
“It’s fine,” Maddie said.
“Let me go wash my hands before I touch you.”
When she returned, Victoria performed a quick exam and discovered Maddie was fully effaced and six centimeters dilated. “Holy crap. You don’t mess around.”
“What’s happening?” Mac asked when he came into the room, his face ashen from shock and dismay.
“I think we’re going to have some babies today,” Victoria said.
“No,” Mac said, shaking his head. “It’s too soon.”
“The babies seem to have other ideas, and it’s not at all unusual for twins to arrive early,” Vic said. “Tiffany, go get your husband. Tell him to hurry.”
While Maddie contended with another contraction, Mac rushed to her side, dropping to his knees beside the sofa where she was stretched out. “I’m so sorry,” she said as tears rolled down her face. “This came out of nowhere. I was fine earlier.” But when she thought about it, her belly had felt tight for days, her back had been aching worse than usual and she’d been nauseated. Perhaps she’d been in labor without realizing it.
“Stop,” he said. “Don’t be sorry. You and I don’t know any other way to have babies except the crazy way.” He kissed her and brushed away her tears. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”
She appreciated him making an effort to stay calm for her when he was probably losing his shit on the inside.
Blaine came into the room, consulted with Victoria and made the decision to call for the life flight helicopter to get Maddie to Providence, in case neonatal intensive care was required for the babies. With the power out on the island, they didn’t want to take any chances.
Just hearing those words, neonatal intensive care, was enough to spike the expectant parents’ combined anxiety.
The next few minutes were a blur of activity and people and contractions and tears and then finally the roar of the helicopter as it landed on the lawn adjacent to where the wedding had just been held.
As soon as she and Mac were loaded on the chopper, the overwhelming need to push became impossible to stop. The first of their twin girls was born as the chopper lifted off from Gansett Island. Her sister followed twelve minutes later as they approached the landing pad at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence.
The medics on the chopper told them the girls were small but breathing on their own, which was a huge relief, even if there were still other concerns.
Maddie was exhausted after giving birth to the twins and couldn’t seem to stop crying from the powerful wallop of emotion and the whiplash from how it’d happened. So much for the calm, rational, well-orchestrated delivery they’d planned. If there was any silver lining to the babies coming early, perhaps it was that they wouldn’t have to be separated from Thomas.
“Are you all right?” Maddie asked Mac.
“I can’t believe you’re asking me that. You’re the one who just gave birth to twins on a helicopter.”
“I know how these crazy births freak you out.”
“The only thing I care about is that you and the girls are okay. And the good news is, this is the last crazy birth we’ll ever have.”
“Snip, snip,” Maddie said, referring to the vasectomy he was scheduled to have in September.
“After this, I’m actually looking forward to the snip,” Mac said.
“Go with the girls,” Maddie said when they landed. “Stay with them until you know how they are and then come find me.”
He bent to kiss her. “You’re amazing every day, but today in particular. I love you so much. Thank you for all our children.” And then he was gone in a rush of action that had the babies being whisked off the chopper in a flurry of movement and people and urgency that had her anxiety flaring again.
As Maddie was taken off the helicopter, she prayed their babies would be okay.
Mac was in a state of disbelief. One minute he’d been telling his son that he had to be quiet for a few more minutes, and the next he noticed something happening with Maddie. The realization had left him briefly frozen in shock before he shook it off, passed his kids to his parents and ran for his wife.
The episode reminded him too much of the night Hailey was born in the middle of a tropical storm, on an island, in a power failure, with the only doctor off-island—or so they’d thought until Janey remembered her ex-fiancé, Dr. David Lawrence, was in town. That time, David had come to the rescue. Today, the helicopter had saved them.
If you’d told him that morning he’d be at Women & Infants, separated from Maddie and waiting to hear that his daughters were okay, he wouldn’t have believed it. But nothing in his life with Maddie had ever been predictable, so why should this be?
He paced in the hallway outside the NICU, his phone chiming with texts from worried friends and family on the island, and waited impatiently for news about the babies. He took only one call, from his father.
“Hey.”
“How are you holding up, son?”
“I’ll be better when we know how the babies are.”
“They were already born?”
“On the helicopter.”
“Holy shit. Is Maddie okay?”
“She seems fine. She was incredible, as always. We’re just waiting to hear how the babies are. They’re a month early…”
“I know, but we have to have faith that they’re going to be all right.”
“Hope so.”
“Let me know the minute you hear anything, and I’ll keep everyone else in the loop.”
“Will do. Tell Mallory and Quinn we’re sorry for disrupting their day.”
“Don’t give it another thought. She already said they’re thrilled to share their birthday and their wedding day with the twins. Everyone just wants to hear that the girls and Maddie are fine.”
“I’ll be in touch as soon as I know anything more.”
“We’ll be waiting to hear, and don’t worry about the kids. Mom, Francine and Tiffany have them covered. Ned and I are helping, too.”
“As long as you and Ned are on the job, they’re in good hands.”
“That’s what I say, too!”
Leave it to his dad to make him laugh, even when he was stressed. “Love you, Pop.”
“Love you, too, son.
Tell Maddie we’re thinking of her and the girls and that we already love them.”
“Will do.”
Mac waited another hour, pacing from one end of the small room to the other a thousand times before a nurse came to find him.
“Mr. McCarthy?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to see your daughters?”
“Yes, please, and if possible, I’d like to know how my wife is doing.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
Mac followed her into a room where he was provided a gown, mask, gloves and even booties to put over his shoes. When he was ready, she led him into a large room full of incubators and beeping machines. The girls were in side-by-side incubators, hooked to numerous machines and monitors, a sight that completely overwhelmed him.
“Are they…”
“They’re doing remarkably well,” the nurse told him. “Baby number one is just over five pounds, and her Apgar scores are good. Baby number two is four pounds, six ounces. Her scores aren’t quite as good, but it’s nothing to worry about. We want to keep them here for observation for at least forty-eight hours to monitor their oxygenation and other vitals.”
“So, they’re going to be all right?”
“They’re going to be just fine. Do they have names?”
Filled with relief, Mac nodded. “The older of the two is Emma Linda, and her sister is Evelyn Francine.”
“Those are beautiful names. I’ll make a note on the charts.”
Mac stared down at two perfect little faces. “They’re named for their grandmothers and great-grandmothers.”
“They appear to be identical.”
He wiped away tears that were equal parts relief, joy and love. For the fifth and sixth time, counting the son they’d lost, he was amazed by how his heart expanded to make room for more people to love. Identical twins. He and Maddie had read about how identical twins were truly a miracle, whereas fraternal twins tended to run in families.
For the longest time, he stared down at their two miracles until the nurse returned with news about Maddie.
“I spoke to the charge nurse on her floor, and she’s doing well but receiving a transfusion, as she lost quite a bit of blood after the birth. She’s in room four twelve if you want to go check on her.”
“Thank you so much. Would it be okay if I took some photos of the babies for their mother and the rest of our family?”
“Of course.”
Mac focused the camera on his phone on their cute little faces and got two good photos that didn’t include any of the wires or monitors. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“We’ll be here.”
Outside the NICU, he removed the protective gear and stuffed it into a garbage can before making his way to the elevator and the fourth floor, anxious to get to Maddie and see for himself that she was really okay. He came off the elevator and went straight to the nurses’ station. “I’m looking for room four twelve. Madeline McCarthy?”
“Third door on the left.”
“Thank you.” He went into the room, which she had to herself, at least for now. Maddie was asleep, but all he could see was how pale she was. A bag of blood hung from the IV pole, along with other bags of medication. Mac sat next to her bed and covered her cold hand with his. He watched her sleep for a long time before she finally stirred, opening her eyes and turning to him.
“How are they?”
“They’re beautiful.” He found the photos he’d taken and showed them to her.
Maddie stared at the little faces, going back and forth between the two pictures.
“The nurse said they’re doing great. Emma is just over five pounds, and Evelyn is four pounds, six ounces. They’re breathing independently, and their scores were mostly good. She said they also appear to be identical.”
“Which means they’ll be working against us as soon as they realize their power.”
“Damn, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I had a lot of time on bed rest to think about what it’ll be like to have three teenage girls at the same time. I may require medication to get through that.”
“We’ll get you whatever you need.”
“I’m so relieved to hear they’re doing well. I was so scared because they were early. Now that I know they’re okay, I can start to celebrate never being pregnant again. I’ve had enough of bed rest, lounge chairs, sore boobs and watching other people take care of my kids. This is a big moment for me, the end of an era.”
“The team and I couldn’t be prouder of our amazing captain. She’s done some great work these last few years.” He leaned over the bed rail to kiss her. “But honestly, Madeline, on a freaking helicopter?”
She laughed. “I had to top Janey having Viv on the ferry.”
“Well played, my love. You know that topping Janey is a blood sport in the McCarthy family.”
“I do know that, and I took one for the team by having the babies on the chopper. You have to admit, it makes for a good story.”
“I’ll only admit that I’m glad it’s over and the three of you are okay. That’s all that matters. Can I send a picture of the girls and their names to the family?”
“Please do. They must be going crazy with worry.”
“I talked to my dad a while ago and told him the babies had been born and that all is well.”
“I hope you asked him to apologize to Mallory and Quinn for us, too.”
“He said no apology necessary. She already said how cool it is that she and Quinn will be sharing their big birthday and anniversary with their nieces.”
“That is cool.”
“He also said that the kids are fine with them and your parents and Tiffany.”
“That’s good. I hope they weren’t too traumatized by the whole thing.”
“I’m sure they’re fine with everyone telling them not to worry.” He kissed the back of her hand, being careful to avoid the IV needle. “You know what else is kind of cool about having the babies early?”
“Gee, I can only imagine…”
Waggling his brows and smiling, he said, “We’re six weeks closer to you know what.”
“‘You know what’ isn’t happening until that thing gets snipped, so while we’re here, maybe you ought to move up your appointment if you’re hoping to get back in the saddle any time soon.”
“He really hates it when you call him a thing,” Mac said, affecting a pout.
“Tell him to stop being a baby and get himself snipped. No snippy, no nookie.”
“All right, all right, I hear you. You don’t need to enjoy this so much.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been pregnant for most of the time we’ve been married. You’re damn right I’m going to enjoy this, and I fully expect you’ll milk it for all it’s worth and be a great big baby over it.”
“They’re gonna take a knife to my junk. How do you expect me to feel?”
“I just pushed two pumpkins through my hoo-ha. I win. Today and every day. So, if you’re looking for sympathy for what will be a tiny little scab on your pee-pee,” she said, using Thomas’s word for penis, “you’re gonna have to look elsewhere.”
“I had no idea I was married to such a mean and nasty woman.”
Maddie lost it laughing and then winced from the pain. “You know exactly who you’re married to.”
“Yes, I do, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything, even when she’s being mean to my pee-pee.”
“Tell him I’ll make it up to him, after the snip.”
“Ohhh, he just stood up to cheer that news. He can’t wait. He’s missed you.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t take much to make him stand up and cheer.”
“Not when you’re around, and especially when he’s had to be on his best behavior for months.”
“Oh, the sacrifices he’s made.”
“Glad you recognize them.”
“I do recognize them. Thanks for all you did to get me through this
pregnancy. I know it wasn’t easy on any of us.”
“Please don’t thank me. You’re the wonder woman of this story. Thank you for my two perfect little girls.”
“Let me see the pictures again.”
They spent the rest of the day talking to Thomas and Hailey on the phone, napping, looking at pictures, checking on the babies, exchanging texts with family and friends and giving thanks for their perfect, complete family.
Chapter 38
After they got the good news from Mac in Providence, Ned went looking for Francine and found her in one of the stylish little rooms on the Chesterfield’s first floor. She was sitting with baby Mac, who’d been frightened by the helicopter and had been inconsolable after his parents left. The baby was asleep in his grandmother’s arms, and Francine was singing softly to the little guy while he slept.
Ned leaned against the doorframe and watched her with the baby. She was such a wonderful grandmother, and it gave him pleasure to see her with the kids. She’d told him how much she’d missed with her daughters because she’d had to work so much to support them after her jackass husband left. It also gave him pleasure to know that because of his years of house flipping, she’d never have to work another day in her life. She could devote herself to her daughters and their seven grandchildren, with an eighth one on the way.
He pushed off the doorway and went to join her on the sofa, taking pains not to jostle the baby. For a guy who’d never had kids of his own, Ned had become rather adept around babies and little ones.
“Have you heard anything?” Francine asked, her brows furrowed with worry.
“Big Mac talked ta Mac.” Ned kept his voice down so he wouldn’t disturb little Mac. “Emma Linda and Evelyn Francine were born on the chopper.”
“Oh my Lord! Are they all right?”
“The babies are small but healthy, and they’re keeping ’em in the NICU fer at least forty-eight hours to keep an eye on ’em.”
“And Maddie?”
“Mac said she lost some blood durin’ the delivery, so they’re givin’ her a transfusion. But otherwise, she’s fine.”
“Thank goodness,” she said, exhaling a deep sigh of relief.
Ned pulled out his phone to show her the photos Mac had sent. “This beauty is our Emma, and this little doll is Evelyn, named in part for her Grandma Francine.”