Page 63 of Briggs
Dr. King nodded. “Let me back the magic off just a bit,” he said. His hand was green for a second, and then he was moving me again. I felt more now, but I still couldn’t actuallyfeelanything. There seemed to be a lot more movement now though. “Just a moment more,” Dr. King said, but I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself.
“Do you want to see our beautiful little girl?” Briggs asked as he came over to stand beside my shoulder. He knelt down, placing the baby in front of my line of sight. She was clean and now wrapped in a purple blanket that I knew we had in our nursery.
“Hello, Willow,” I whispered as I reached out to her cheek to touch it. It was downy soft and warm, and when I touched it, she immediately stopped crying. “Hey there, little one. Are you the one that’s been kicking my liver, or was that your sister?”
There was a second loud cry, this one from Willow’s twin. “And it’s safe to say that both of their lungs are fully developed.” Dr. King placed the baby on the other side of me on the bed. “Briggs, if you want to hand the first twin to Todd and take the second while I deal with the afterbirth and get him closed up, that would be helpful.”
“Of course.” Briggs carefully placed Willow on my chest, and I gently wrapped my arms around her. This was so much different than carrying her inside me. Briggs was back moments later, holding a slowly quieting Wrenley, who was wrapped in pink.
“How are we ever going to tell them apart?” I asked.
“We’ll just have to make sure that Willow is in purple and Wrenley is in pink,” Briggs suggested.
“They’re babies, and although they are tiny, they’re very healthy,” Dr. King said. “You can put an adjustable bracelet with their names on them on their ankles. They won’t notice them, and they won’t be in the way. Lots of parents of multiples choose to keep their babies straight in such a manner.”
“We should look into that,” I whispered. Briggs was holding Wrenley close so I could see her. I reached out, touching her tiny little nose. “How is it that she and her sister were just inside me? Where was there room?”
Briggs smiled at me. “You looked incredibly pregnant, sweetheart. I’m surprised you weren’t more uncomfortable than you were.”
“Not to interrupt,” Dr. King said. “But you are all closed up. The placenta looked good, and it’s all been removed. I used magic to close your omega line since I had to open it a bit more.”
“Thank you, Dr. King,” I said. “And I’m sorry to get you up in the middle of the night.” I looked around the room. “What time is it anyway?”
“It’s just after two in the morning,” Dr. King said. “The babies’ official times of birth are 1:58 and 2:01.”
“Really?” I asked, suddenly feeling emotional again. When would that end? I was certainly ready to be at least a bit back to my old self. “I’m so sorry. I really did wake you up in the middle of the night.”
Dr. King smiled. “It truly is not an issue, Todd. It happens frequently.” Dr. King moved closer, and when he took the baby from Briggs, I was a bit surprised. That was, until he placed her at the foot of the bed and then did the same for Willow. “They will both be returned in just a moment. But I thought you might like to sit up a little? At least for a bit. I most certainly recommend the two of you go back to sleep. The babies are going to fall asleep soon and will most likely stay that way for the next few hours. After that, it’s going to be a blur of diapers, bottles, and crying.” Dr. King had Briggs help me sit up onto a pair of pillows that he’d placed behind me, and I sighed at how comfortable I was.
“I hate to bother you,” I said, “but is it possible to get something to rinse my mouth out with? I really want to brush my teeth, but I know I can’t walk yet.”
“I’ll help with that in just a few,” Dr. King said. He looked over at Briggs. “Do you have a bassinet for in here?”
Briggs nodded and pointed to the corner of the room. We’d been told by many that we needed one for our bedroom and most likely one for the living room as well. We’d opted for a mini crib for downstairs and a bassinet for up here. Briggs went to the corner, and after bringing it to my side of the bed, he placed it where I could simply look over into it and check on the girls.
“Good,” Dr. King said. “I won’t suggest you not cuddle with them, because you absolutely should. It’s important to bond with your babies. But you should also make sure you get somerest. Your lives are now not your own. You will have to see to your daughters and all of their needs.”
Briggs carefully placed a purple bundle in the bassinet before he did the same for the pink-wrapped baby. “What do I need to do?” Briggs asked.
“Take care of your mate and daughters. Help him every chance you can. He’s going to feel better come morning after some sleep, but he’s also going to need to know he can count on you to be the second parent.”
“I can do that,” Briggs said.
I was so busy staring at our beautiful daughters that I wasn’t paying too much attention to what was going on beyond our new little arrivals. Both had quieted down and had their eyes closed. Were they sleeping? Did I need to do anything for them at the moment? They were so little, yet I’d been so uncomfortable. How?
“Do you have any questions, Todd?” Dr. King asked, his face suddenly coming into view. I blinked a few times to focus on the doctor and my boss and realized he was leaning down to get into my line of sight.
“Hi, Dr. King,” I said with a smile.
He grinned back. “Hello, Todd. Do you have questions?”
I took a deep breath. “They’re so small. But I was so uncomfortable. How?”
Dr. King chuckled quietly. “Because there were two of them in there. Combined, they weigh over ten pounds. Willow, was it? In the purple?” I nodded. “She’s five pounds, four ounces. Her sister, Wrenley, is five pounds and two ounces. So combined, that’s a ten-pound six-ounce baby. That’s a lot for someone your size.”
I smiled, suddenly very sleepy. “I did good,” I said absently, looking back at the babies.
“Yes, you did,” Dr. King said. “Here, rinse and spit. It’ll help with the taste in your mouth.”
