Page 40 of Home Is Where the Witch Is
“Nothing’s wrong,” The midwife said, but her voice was a touch too high and a little too chipper. “I just need an extra pair of hands is all.”
The other nurse in the room took the baby over to a portable hospital bassinet and then came over. The pair of them crouched to look at the situation.
“Can you see that?” the midwife muttered under her breath to Stacey, but Rosie’s ears were tuned in with high definition.
“See what?” she asked, getting annoyed and feeling more than a little concerned.
The midwife patted her leg comfortingly. “Everything’s okay, Rosie. Just rela?—”
“Arrrrgh!” Rosie cried, as another intense contraction rolled through her belly like a huge clap of thunder.
“Rosie!” Declan’s face showed all the worry Rosie was feeling, and then some.
“Breathe, Rosie,” the midwife urged her. “Just take a nice deep breath for me. That’s the way,” she soothed when Rosie complied.
“What’s going on?” Declan demanded, his arm around his wife’s shoulders and his hand in hers.
“I’m not sure.” The midwife frowned, glancing at the nurse. “Might just have a bit of trouble delivering the placenta. It’ll be okay. Can you get the forceps?”
Rosie yelped as another contraction gripped her. She pressed her hands to her belly, straining under the pressure of the pain.
“Well I’ll be…” the midwife said.
“What?” Rosie and Declan said together, Rosie through gritted teeth.
“Give me a push, Rosie. Ready, set—go!”
Taking another breath, Rosie did as she was told as yet another contraction shot through her.
“And again,” the midwife soothed. “Just one more, and then I can take it from there. You’ve done so well. Push!”
Determined that this would be the last push, Rosie threw herself into the action with everything she had. The pressure built to an almost impossible crescendo, and then it eased off again much to her relief. The room was suddenly filled with the high-pitched sound of a crying baby… but it wasn’t coming from the direction of the bassinet.
“You also have a healthy and very stubborn little girl on your hands,” the midwife chuckled in amazement. “Congratulations.”
“Twins?” Rosie asked breathlessly. She waited for the midwife to nod in confirmation before looking up at Declan, who was staring open-mouthed at their daughter.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I thinkwe should call him Cillian after Grandpa. And her name justhasto be Lily because Mom and I are both named after plants.”
Maggie had perched on the bed next to her mother, so she had prime viewing of the babies being cuddled in each of Rosie’s arms. The pride on her face was visible for all the world to see, and she held a finger out in the hopes her baby sister would grab it, but she didn’t.
“Nah,” Gabe argued, looking at both babies appraisingly. “He’s definitely Nate. And she looks like a Prudence.”
“We might need a family vote on this,” Rosie interceded with a smile as her baby boy gave a strange sort of first hiccup. She looked at Declan. “I’m sure your parents will want to put a couple names forward too.”
“No doubt,” he grinned. “But traditional Irish names might make it hard for them at school here.”
“Fair point,” Rosie conceded. “We can talk it over with them when they visit properly.”
Cillian and Saoirse had stopped in to see the babies briefly and congratulate the rest of the family before bowing out gracefully, promising to visit in a few days once everyone had settled in properly at home. Rosie had been so grateful for their presence, but even more grateful for the way they made it exceptionally brief after what had already been a massive day of emotions.
“One thing’s for sure,” Maggie said smugly. “NowI know why I couldn’t predict the gender, Mom! There was one of each!”
“Yeah, they sure were tricky little monkeys,” Rosie agreed, thinking back on all the times the ultrasound technician had tried to see the baby’s gender on a scan. How they hadn’t managed to see twins was a mystery! “Let’s hope they don’t intend to continue that tradition now they’re born!”
A quiet voice from the doorway distracted them all.
