I wasn’t sure at first, because I had woken up to pee. There was nothing abnormal about that, because I did it five or six times a night, but this time, when I went to stand up from the toilet there was a surge of pain — real ass, hot, excruciating pain — radiating from my pelvis to my back, and then, when I tried to move… another gush of liquid.
But I’d already peed.
I was ready to write it off as sciatic pain, a symptom of being late in my third trimester with twins, but then another gush of liquid made me think twice. In other words… shit got real.
Just as I made it to Nixon’s sleeping form, spread awkwardly over the pull out couch, another contraction wracked my body and I fell clumsily to my knees, shooting my arms out for balance so I wouldn’t land on my stomach. Already feeling weak from the pain, I closed the distance to get to Nixon, and reached up, grabbed whatever I could and squeezed to counter-balance the agony.
“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, goddamn, baby, you’re cutting off my circulation.” Was the first thing I heard when I came out of that contraction, fifty-two seconds later. “Baby… tell me what’s happening.”
Immediately, tears that had nothing to do with the physical pain sprang to my eyes. “Babies coming. My water just broke, but it’s too soon. Their little lungs and stuff, they need more time to develop, and—“
“Baby… baby,” Nixon said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Be easy. Relax, if you can. Dr. Morris told us this, remember? That twins come a little early sometimes. Everything is okay. How much time between contractions?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“Just think, how long ago was the one before the one you just had.”
Ugh.
“I don’t know… seven minutes? Maybe? Not ten…longer than five.”
Nixon nodded. “Okay… let’s call Dr. Morris then.”
He pulled his phone from the charger and got on the floor with me, massaging my aching back as he waited to speak to the Dr. A few moments later, another contraction hit, and I tuned him out as he answered her questions, focusing instead breathing my way through the pain.
We were already at the hospital, already admitted because I’d gone into labor earlier that morning then… just stalled.
I was grateful for that stall.
I just wanted the babies to be as healthy as they could possibly be. Livid didn’t even begin to describe how I felt when Dr. Morris told me they wouldn’t stop the labor, because they were “full” term. Technically.
But… I had to just breathe. If they said it was fine… it was fine. That’s what I had to believe. I couldn’t… I couldn’t think about Noah. I couldn’t focus on that. I had to breathe, because if I freaked out… I would miss it again. I missed the labor process the first time, and I didn’t want that again. Not for me, and not for Nix.
Breathe.
“Baby, let me help you up onto the bed.”
I nodded, holding on to Nix for balance as he helped me to my feet, then onto the bed, where I laid back just in time for another contraction. I grabbed Nixon’s arms, tugging him close as pain enveloped me again.
“Ahh, shit. Charlie, I think you’re breaking my skin.”
I didn’t let him go until the pain passed. Nixon stepped away as soon as he could, scowling as he rubbed his arm. “Who are you?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Fucking… maternity ward Barbie, with the kung fu grip?”
“You did this to me. You can take a little pain, don’t be a baby.”
Nixon playfully poked out his lip, then pulled a chair up beside the bed. “I’m messing with you baby. Squeeze away.”
“Uh-huh. What did Dr. Morris say?”
“A nurse is gonna bring some pads and stuff for the bed, and for us to call back if your contractions hit four or five minutes apart.”
“Four or five? Which one?”
He drew his eyebrow up further. “Four… or five. Shit, I don’t know, I’m telling you what she said.”
“I knew I should have let my mother stay instead of you.”
Nixon scoffed. “What, so she could show you the most fashionable labor positions?”
I laughed, then closed my eyes as Nixon pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“You look so beautiful right now.”
Opening my eyes, I fixed him with a scowl. “Negro, I just saw myself in the mirror in the bathroom, and it was not cute. Stop lying.”
“I’m not,” he chuckled. “No, you don’t look polished, but… you’re about to have my babies soon. So… you look beautiful. Don’t fight it, just embrace it.”
Smiling, I reached to stroke his beard. “Thank you, Nix.”
“You’re welcome. And something else… baby, your titties… I’ve been trying not to say anything but they are… like two big creamy toasted marshmallows. So plush, and soft, and—“
“Nix!”
“What? I just wanna bite you right now, girl. You look sexy in your little fancy custom maternity gown. Cleavage all out.”
“Would you stop?” I giggled, swatting his hand away as he reached for one of the ties on my kimono-style gown.
“For what? I’m saying… you’re turning me on right now… but I guess we can’t do anything now that your water is broken, huh?”
I raised an eyebrow. “No, I would think not.”
“Damn,” he muttered, leaning back. The nurse came in to change the bedding, and put down padding, and as soon as she left, Nixon leaned forward again, with a little grin on his face. “Hey… I wonder what it’s gonna be like down there… once you’ve pushed two babies out.”
I laughed. “Are you worried it’ll be loose or something, Nix? I’ll get a vaginal rejuvenation if it is.”
“You’ll get a what?” he asked, tipping his head to the side.
“A vaginal rejuvenation. They go down there, and it’s like a little surgery, where—“
“Wait a minute, hell no,” Nix said, his face drawn into a frown. “I’m good on this vaginal rejuvenation shit. Leave my pussy alone.”
“Your pussy?”
Nixon licked his lips, then smiled. “Yeah… mine.”
I sucked my teeth. “Whatever. Last I checked, I was the one with the vagina.”
“That’s not what you were saying the other night. Oh my God Nix. Beat it up Nix. It’s yours Nix. This pus—“
“Will you stop,” I gasped, mortified as I glanced toward the door of the hospital room. “One of those nurses could have been walking in and overheard!”
He shrugged. “I don’t care. Let the world know, I’ll tear it up. That’s probably how your water—“
Shit.
Nixon’s words got lost in static as another contraction took hold, and before I could say anything, I felt one of his hands in mine, the other rubbing my back.
“Just breathe, baby,” he encouraged in a low, soothing voice that I latched on to, focusing on his loving words to get me through the contraction.
When it passed, he smiled at me, then wiped my forehead.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
He sat down next to me, on the edge of the bed, drawing me against his chest. A few minutes later, another contraction came. Once it was done, Nix lowered his face to mine.
“That’s only three minutes baby…”
I nodded, then found the strength to return his smile. “Yeah… show time.”
later.
What the hell did I walk in on?
That was my first thought upon entering our apartment over the restaurant, which was clean when I left, but now looked like a miniature baby bomb had gone off, leaving behind stray diapers, pacifiers, breasts pads, and a laundry basket full of onesies.
I’d only been gone long enough to grab a new box of baby wipes from the store.
I stepped further in, looking around for Nixon and/or my babies. I spotted them in the middle of the living room, contained in a makeshift fortress of the couch, chair, loveseat, and all of the pillows. Nixon was in t
he middle of the floor, and seven month old Mackenzie and Micah were crawling all over him.
My baby girl grinned up at me, then turned back to Nixon, smacking him in the face like she was playing a drum. Baby boy Micah just watched, and daddy didn’t move. Right when I was about to grow concerned, Nixon suddenly sat up with a fierce growl, and both babies screamed and laughed as they took off, crawling across the floor to get away from him.
“Is this what you’ve been doing all day?” I asked, pretending to scowl as I reached for Mackenzie, who was motioning for me to pick her up.
Nixon smiled. “Of course not, baby. I’ve been working on something else too. Watch.”
I lifted an eyebrow as he began creating a beat with his hands on the floor, with Micah mimicking his moves beside him. He made a sound with his mouth like he was scratching a record, then turned to my baby… who blew a spit bubble, then laughed.
In my arms, Mackenzie blew a spit bubble too, sprinkling my face before she lifted her chubby little hands in a clumsy applause for her brother. “Nix…”
“What?” he shrugged. “A man can’t teach his babies to beatbox?”
Both babies turned to look at me, their expressions serious as if they knew what was happening. I rolled my eyes at Nixon, then earned a giggle from Mackenzie by kissing her chubby cheek.
Nixon brought Micah to me, tossing him in the air before holding him up to get his kiss. Then, he stepped over the pillows, wrapping an arm around me to get a kiss for himself.
“My mother will be here in like… ten minutes to get the kids.” I murmured against his lips. “What do you wanna do once they’re gone with grandma?”
Nixon grinned, reaching down to slide his free hand over my ass. “I wanna do what we did to make these babies.”
I giggled, letting out a playful scream as I dodged his attempt for a second grope, then put Mackenzie back down in their circle. While Nix watched the twins, I made sure they had plenty of pumped breast milk, clothes, diapers, and full instructions for everything.
Right on time, my mother knocked on the door, with Morgan — carrying Viv and Carter’s baby girl Bellamy — in tow. Behind them was… Lorenzo. I lifted an eyebrow, but neither Nix nor I said anything about that, just handed their grandbabies off to them and locked the door.
As soon as we were alone, I collapsed into a chair with a heavy sigh.
“What’s with all the heavy sighing, woman?” Nix asked, kneeling in front of me and undoing the button and zipper of my jeans.
“Nothing really,” I said, lifting my hips so he could slide the pants off. “Just wondering if we can go back to bed already.”
Nixon chuckled. “Baby… it’s ten o’clock in the morning.”
“What’s your point?” I moaned as he kissed the inside of my knee, then began making his way up my thigh.
“My point,” he said, skipping to my other leg, “Is that if we start now… we could technically have sex all day, without having to stop to change a diaper, or breastfeed, or any of that.”
I smiled. “Well… Mr. Graham… I think I like the sound of that.”
“Well… Mrs. Graham.” He looked up at me with a grin. “Sounds like we’ve got a plan.”
— the end —
I would love you know what you thought about Charlie and Nixon’s story! You can share with me by leaving a review, visiting me at my website http://www.BeingMrsJones.com/ (you can email me there from the contact page), liking my Facebook page, at https://www.Facebook.com/BeingMrsJones or connecting with me on Twitter, at @BeingMrsJones.
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Other titles by Christina Jones:
Standalone Titles:
Love and Other Things
The Trouble With Love
Friends & Lovers:
Finding Forever
Chasing Commitment
Strictly Professional:
Strictly Professional
Unfinished Business
Serendipitous Love:
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love — Roman and Simone’s story
Didn’t Mean To Love You – Carter & Viv’s story
Fall In Love Again – Charlie & Nixon’s story
If You Can:
Catch Me If You Can
Coming Soon:
Book 2 of the “If You Can” series, Release Me If You Can
Fall In Love Again (Serendipitous Love Book 3) Page 24
