Page 69 of Lani

I roll over and snuggle into Vinny when I feel wetness running out of me. I shoot up straight in bed. “I think my water just broke.”

Trey and Vinny jump out of bed, looking at each other in panic before running out of the room like the house is on fire.

I slide to the edge of the bed. I need some fresh clothes. Vinny runs into the room and his eyes look like they’re going to bug out of his face. “LANI!” he yells and runs to me like I’m one second from rolling over.

“You shouldn’t be up! What if you fell?” Vinny says sadly, holding onto me.

The further along I’ve gotten in my pregnancy, the more worried Vinny has gotten. He has this huge fear I’m just going to fall and get hurt.

I am huge, and I don’t just mean very pregnant. The babies are huge. When I went to the doctor last week, she estimated they were around eight pounds. So, it’s not very fun for me at the moment.

“I need to change, Vinny.” He runs to my chest and takes out a pair of leggings, along with a baggy shirt

He bends over and puts them on for me. During these last months of pregnancy I’ve found out what true love is.

I can’t shave my legs anymore. I started crying because I was majorly hormonal and I just didn’t feel pretty anymore. They begged me to tell them what was bothering me.

I told them I couldn’t reach to shave my legs anymore, and they smiled at me like it was the simplest thing in the world to them.

They sat me down in the shower, lifted my legs and shaved them for me. Then they told me the whole entire time that they didn’t care if I was hairy or not.

That shit hit different for me. I was very vulnerable in that moment. They could have laughed at me, but they didn’t. They took me seriously and considered my feelings.

Trey comes into the room carrying our bags. The car seats are already in the truck. “Ready?” he asks, his eyes on my stomach.

“I’m going to miss you being pregnant, baby.”

I rub my stomach, thinking how it’s going to be so weird not waddling like a duck anymore. “Yeah, I think I will too.” This pregnancy has been a major part of our relationship so far. I got pregnant so early in our relationship.

Vinny helps me off of the bed. He tugs my pants up and stops short when they don’t make it over my ass. I laugh and pull my pants up myself.

The walk downstairs is slow and painful because I have my first contraction on the way down.

Andy is waiting for us outside of the truck. Honestly, I think he was staying in front of the window waiting for me to go into labor.

“I called my sister! She’s on her way to the hospital now.” Andy grins, jumping up and down in excitement.

“I’ll be by later.” Andy hugs me and helps me get settled in the truck, then we are off to the hospital.

One part of me thought about doing a natural birth, but then squashed the idea when I witnessed a natural birth video of a woman screaming at the top of her lungs because the pain was horrific.

Dr. Anna is waiting outside of the hospital with a wheelchair. Vinny opens the door and lifts me out, setting me in the chair. Trey hands the keys off to someone to park the car for us while we gather our things.

The nerves set in the second I’m pushed through the doors. I’m scared…terrified, if I’m being honest.

Everyone tells you what to expect, but actually experiencing it is different. Another contraction hits me. I press my face into Trey’s hip while we’re in the elevator on the way up to our room.

When we get up there, I change into a gown. I decided to bring my own so I can be more comfortable and not have my ass sticking out for the world to see.

I get settled in the bed, getting IVs started. They put on the heart monitor for the babies so we can hear their heartbeats. I notice right off the bat that something is wrong. The babies’ heartbeats are very rapid.

The nurse rushes out to get the doctor. She stepped out while the nurses prepared me. Trey follows the nurse out to see what is happening.

“Vinny, what’s wrong?” I beg, the panic blossoming inside of me. My heart is beating so hard in my chest, I can feel it everywhere.

Another contraction hits me hard, causing the babies’ heartbeats to grow even more rapid. Andy’s sister runs into the room and looks at the monitor on the wall. “The babies are in distress. We need to do an emergent cesarean.”

“Okay,” I agree.

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