Chapter Forty Eight

Trinity

It all kicked off around one o’clock when I felt a small trickle of liquid running down my leg. I was pretty sure I hadn’t wet myself, so I dialed Stephen’s number.

“Hey, doll, I miss you guys,” Stephen said over the phone.

“Hey, baby, we miss you too. Are you busy, or do you have a minute?”

“All my minutes are yours, baby. Clint and I were just talking to Dave about the idea for the third venue. What’s up?”

“Not much, babe. Just thought you’d like to know my water just broke.”

“Your what? Oh my god, today? Now? I’m coming straight home. Don’t go anywhere, baby, I’m coming to get you.”

“Calm down, babe. I don’t have contractions yet, so we have time. You make your way home safely. In the meantime, I’ll call Dr. Cater’s office and our midwife, okay?”

“I’m on my way. If anything changes, call me immediately. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

After hanging up with my husband, I called the hospital and got put through to Dr. Cater’s office. They told me to stay put and monitor the situation. The contractions started not long after.

Thankfully, my husband arrived soon after the contractions started, followed by Clint and Dave. I love our extended family, but I definitely didn’t need a circus right now. The boys understood and said they were just there to pick up the twins and take them to Clint and Mia’s for the night. They promised to keep us updated.

I thanked them both and gave them a quick hug and kiss before returning to our room while Stephen got the twins’ seats and a bag for each of them. Then they headed off with their uncles.

Stephen joined me in our room shortly after.

“What did the hospital say, baby?”

“They just said to monitor the situation and provide them regular updates, babe. And when the contractions are closer, to call and they’ll advise when to head in.”

“What can I do to help right now, babe?”

“Could you run me a hot bath, please, baby?”

I decided to take a bath as the contractions were getting stronger. I also just wanted the silence of the room. After about forty-five minutes to an hour, the contractions were stronger and more regular, and I found I was getting uncomfortable in the bath, so I crawled out.

While I was bent over trying to catch my breath, Stephen was amazing, rubbing my lower back and hips and helping me in any way he could. He fetched me the fit ball, which I tried sitting on for a while, but that didn’t help make me any more comfortable, so I went downstairs and forced myself to eat something, knowing it was going to be a long afternoon and evening.

We tried walking around our house as Stephen supported and guided me. He spent hours on our lounge rubbing my back and trying to make me comfortable, talking me through the contractions and the pain and getting me what I needed to try and make me as comfortable as possible.

The contractions were getting more and more regular and were about three to four minutes apart at this point. Considering it was only about three hours since my water broke, things were happening much quicker than I anticipated.

I dealt with the pain by resorting to breathing techniques I had learned through both my pregnancies. I also tried to talk in-between and take time to rest and conserve energy.

Stephen called the hospital again for me and advised them that my contractions were now three minutes apart, and I had one very loud one while they were on the phone to my husband, which is when they heard I could no longer talk through them. They said I should get to the hospital and grab my bags with me. As Stephen ran upstairs to get the bags, I took two painkillers to help with the pain and off we went.

I will never forget that car ride. Contractions, not enough space in the front seat, with the baby seat behind it, switching the radio in a huff and begging Stephen to slow down on those humps when in reality he was going so slowly that he was barely getting over the things! My husband has always been incredibly in tune with my emotions and when he realized I was getting a bit panicked, he got me talking about one of our favorite happy places.

“Remember that trip we took to Montego Bay, baby?”

This was a great trick, we talked about our first time together as a couple, the amazing ocean we swam in, the incredible food we ate with his friends there. By distracting me we were at the hospital before I knew it. As the midwife took us through to a room, I tried to focus on keeping myself calm and my breathing steady.

After another two hours of laboring with my husband supporting and whispering words of encouragement, I suddenly felt the urge to go to the bathroom, but when I went in, I didn’t actually want to sit or go. I remembered from my first pregnancy that this was a sign the end was getting nearer and after nearly six and a half hours I was grateful this labor wasn’t as drawn out as the first.

Finally, a midwife checked me (it was about eight o’clock at this point) and said she needed a second opinion. I was worried but I instantly felt Stephen’s strong arms around me.

“Hey, don’t go there, baby, you got this. We have this, okay? I’m right here for whatever you need.”

“Thank you, baby, I couldn’t—ahhhhhhh—do this without you.”

“Shhhh, I know. You can thank me later if you must, but right now concentrate on you, baby. Breathe deep for me, in and out. What do you need from me, baby?”

“What you’re doing is fine, babe. Just stay with me, please.”

“I promise I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

Contractions were getting strong and I felt like I was ready for pain relief and thought I could not cope with this much longer, so I knew it was getting to the end, hopefully just a few more hours! The midwife came back with Dr. Cater who checked my dilation and pulling off her gloves said,

“Okay, Trinity, you ready to push your baby out? Have you felt the urge to push?”

I got down on a birthing stool and Stephen sat behind me on the bed so I could lean back into him. It was the most wonderful, strong feeling, his strong arms holding me in that moment. We hadn’t got to experience this intimacy during our first birth, not that it took anything away from it. It took a few strong pushes with me gritting my teeth and roaring almost to send the energy down.

“~Aghhhhhhhhhhhh~ GODDDDDDDDDDD, I can’t do it anymore.”

“Yes, you can, baby. You got this, I know you do. Keep pushing for me, momma.”

Trinity - “Stephen, I swear to God, if you poke me with your dick one more time, I’m going to chop it off and beat you with it!”

Stephen - “I love you too, baby. Just remember to breathe and squeeze my hand as hard as you need to.”

I clutched his hand, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. All the while, he kept whispering words of encouragement and love into my ear.

Stephen - “You’re doing great, baby. Keep pushing.”

Dr. Cater - “Good job, Trinity. Your boy is crowning. Give me another push.”

Stephen - “Come on, baby. One big push.”

Trinity - “AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!”

With one final push, I felt the sweet relief as my baby boy entered the world. Seeing his tiny face and limbs flailing about was a moment I’d never forget.

Trinity - “Can someone clean that cottage cheese off him?”

Stephen - “Baby, calm down. They will. I love you, momma. You did great.”

Trinity - “Stephen, I want to hold my baby.”

Stephen - “I know, baby. I know. It was hard last time too, waiting to hold Livy. Just give them a moment and our boy will be with us, okay?”

I started shaking from the physical relief and the overwhelming emotions. Stephen held me tight. The moment our son was placed on my chest and stopped crying, feeling our arms wrapped around him, was indescribable. I gently kissed the top of his head as Stephen stroked his arm, which was covered in a thin layer of dark hair, just like his daddy.

Stephen - “He’s perfect, momma. I’m so proud of you, baby.”

Trinity - “I love you so much.”

The hospital staff cleaned up me and our baby boy and moved us to a private suite. We sat there, admiring our beautiful baby boy and soaking in the moment. Stephen held me close as we both looked down at our new little bundle with pure love and protection.

Stephen - “He’s perfect, baby. You’ve given me so much. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

I snuggled closer to my husband, physically exhausted but not wanting to miss a single moment. After about an hour, Stephen noticed I was starting to doze off and told me to lay down. He then took out his phone.

Stephen - “I should call the kids and let them know.”

Trinity - “Oh, I can’t wait to see their faces when they meet their little brother.”

I noticed a look of concern on Stephen’s face as he looked at his phone.

Trinity - “What’s wrong, baby?”

Stephen - “I...I don’t know, babe. I have fifteen missed calls from Benji around six o’clock tonight. I’m going to call Clint first though. I want to talk to my kids first. Benj will understand.”

I lay back and held Stephen’s hand as he dialed Clint’s number.

Clint - “Hey, how’s she doing?”

Stephen - “She’s fine, mate. Our baby boy arrived safely a little over an hour ago.”

Clint - “Congrats, man. Send my love to Trin too.”

Stephen - “Of course. But why do you sound off? What’s going on?”

Clint - “Nah, mate. Everything’s fine.”

Stephen - “Clint, don’t bullshit me. If everything’s fine, why do you sound weird and why did I get fifteen missed calls from Benji?”

Clint - “I’ve spoken to Benj. He called me when he couldn’t reach you. I told him Trin was in labor.”

Stephen - “Thanks, but that doesn’t answer my question. What’s wrong? Why was he calling?”

Clint - “Mate, I really don’t feel comfortable having this conversation with you right now. Your child was just born, for fuck’s sake.”

Hearing Clint’s refusal to tell Stephen, I decided to speak up.

Trinity - “Clint, he’s going to keep worrying until you tell him. So just spit it out so we can all move on, please.”

We heard Clint take a deep breath.

Clint - “Benji went to pick up the evidence from the locker at Union Station that Chad had. When he opened the locker, a bomb went off. He was killed instantly and two others were seriously injured.”