THE MOMENT

"Call me Moby, no seriously, when am I going to have these babies?"

"You are the most beautiful whale I've ever seen," Gregory planted a kiss on Xenia's forehead and hoped it would make her angst despair.

Xenia's eyes became slits, "do you have a death wish, Mr. Asthon, did you just say a wh-a-le?"

Xenia could have the twins anytime soon, Gregory suggested for her to stay at the hospital, but Xenia preferred waiting in the comfort of their home. The woman had them regularly running to the car only to say it was a false alert, which was usually a little contraction due to a concentration of gas.

Xenia stamped her feet, "Gregory, I can't even wear slippers, look at how my feet are swollen. I feel bad, and you called me a whale."

"Xenia, don't worry, you'll be fitting your slippers soon."

The man tried to be reassuring, but even Gregory felt ashamed to find himself praying that Xenia would be reduced to her slender self again once the babies were born.

"You still want to marry me, right? Huh, Gregory," Xenia said as though she read in his mind.

"Of course, I want to marry you and all your pounds of weight."

Gregory took a leave from work. There was no way he would miss their children's birth. What seemed to be a hopeless dream a while back was about to become their reality.

The man didn't know how much Xenia loved him, but Gregory exploded his barometer of emotions.

"I hope I regain my body, I need my body," I swear Gregory I won't marry you if I'm not a size 8-10 or a 12 minimum for the wedding."

"Xenia, don't be ridiculous."

"I swear Gregory, I will not become a Ms.Ashton if I'm like this," Xenia ran her hands up and down on her figure.

"Mom, this one."

"Not bad."

"Dad?" Sia turned the laptop.

"No, Sia, don't show him, Gregory can't see the wedding dress."

Sia's new hobby was looking for a wedding dress. When she wasn't doing that, Sia picked things for the twins. She decorated their whole bedroom.

Xenia was happy to see how invested Sia was. Her daughter's happiness was crucial. Between the round trips, Mark, Andrew Sia had been through a lot. Now Gregory offered the stability of a home, and Xenia didn't want Sia to feel left out with all the preparations.

"Okay, I'm sorry, dad, you can't look."

"Great, so I can't see what you'll wear. Isn't that a little old fashion?"

Xenia shook her head and grabbed Gregory's hands, "no; you can't, I want The Notebook ending, so please don't jinx us."

"The notebook, what notebook?" The man asked, bewildered by the reference.

"You should Google it, dad."

Xenia got up and walked to go to the toilets, "oh, oh, I feel like this is it, guys."

Gregory didn't budge; he was used to Xenia's birth trailers and coming soon warning. Two days before, she had everyone running to the car only to unleash an A-class fart, which had them ready to dive out the windows. This time Gregory wasn't having it, but the sound of what seemed to be a leaking pouch made him jump.

"Oops, sorry, I think I've just lostㅡ."

Sia and Gregory began to run.

The little girl put on her sneakers while Xenia changed bottoms and began to breathe, "don't worry, I have everything under control."

XY+XX

Thirty minutes later, at the hospital.

"God, help me, please, what is this," Xenia wailed.

"Breathe, Xenia, breathe."

"I'm breathing, Gregory, what do you think I'm' doing," Xenia said, grabbing his t-shirt.

"Okay, Xenia, let go of my shirt. I know you are in pain, but please try to keep control."

"No, you don't know anything, this he-lㅡl."

Gregory had heard about it, he saw it in movies, but the man didn't imagine it occurred in real life. Xenia was hysterical, and suddenly she calmed down.

"Xenia, Xenia, doctor."

Doctor Edwards came immediately.

"She unconscious, why?"

"I'm not ㅡunㅡconscious, ㅡI'm just tired, ㅡGregory, I'm so exhausted."

Xenia sobbed, she suffered, but it seemed after her hysteria episode her desire to sleep was stronger.

The doctor intervened, "Ms. N'diaye, you can't fall asleep now. You need to push at the next contraction."

"I can't. I'm tired."

"Xenia, listen to me, you're strong, you can't give up here. The babies need you," Gregory said as he pushed back a strand of hair on Xenia's face.

"Gregory butㅡ."

"Ms. Ndiaye, if you don't push, we'll have to opt a cesarean."

Xenia opened her eyes, "no, no, I'm okay; I'll push."

"You can do it, Xenia," Gregory held Xenia's hand.

"Go ahead, miss N'diaye."

Xenia did as asked.

"Now, breathe, get ready to push at the next contraction."

Xenia breathed before pushing again.

"You're doing a good job; I can see the head."

Gregory leaned, wanting to see the miracle of birth.

"Gregory, don't you dare look," Xenia threatened.

"Xenia, I want to see it's our baby."

Xenia grabbed his t-shirt's collar" no, Gregory, I swear if you look, you're a dead man."

Gregory chuckled, while Xenia tried to control her breathing, " I can't believe you're threatening me in that posture."

"Believe me, Gregory, I will do much more to you if you stare at my Kangaroo pouch."

"But Xenia, it's natural, I want to see my baby come out."

Xenia sweated with horror as she remembered how Ally Wong depicted childbirth and its aftereffect in her Baby Cobra show, with twins xenia, could only imagine how wide open she was underneath.

Everyone talked about how a relationship could never be the same after a man saw how one's vagina could open up like Jaws.

"Xenia, please."

"Gregory, do you love me?" Xenia tightened her grip on Gregory's tee.

"Of course I do, here more than ever."

"Than don't look, you hear me, don't loooo whowououuu."

"Good job, miss N'diaye, there she comes," doctor Edwards said as he gently pulled the baby and gave the girl to a nurse.

Gregory heaved, unable to speak as he watched the nurse handle his daughter.

Xenia smiled, and suddenly she closed her eyes.

"Doctor, something is wrong, Xenia, Xenia," Gregory held her face.

The doctor didn't say a thing, Gregory could only deduct something was up by the way the nurses hurried and the frown on the doctor's face.

Gregory became red with panic, "what, doctor, what's wrong?"

"It seems the umbilical cord is stuck around your son."

"What, why, what's happening to Xenia and the baby?"

The doctor didn't want to alarm Gregory. He avoided telling the man the cord was around the baby's neck and that if their son wasn't delivered, soon he could die.

"We'll have to proceed to a cesarean."

"No, no, I don't," Xenia answered, eyes closed. Her voice was a whisper, Gregory knew she gave her all, the woman had no more strength.

Gregory needed to try to convince her to choose the other option, "Xenia, you did a good job. You were brave, but we need to do this otherwiseㅡ."

Seeing the stress in Gregory's eyes, Xenia simply nodded conceding to the act.

One moment of joy followed by sadness, nothing could be perfect.

XY+XX