“JUST ONE MORE PUSH,” E begs.
We’re in a labor and delivery room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. I wasn’t due for another two weeks but started spotting this morning and having lived through tragedy, I’m extremely cautious. The minute I told E what I saw he yanked me out to the car, as gently as he could in his panicked state. And even though my safety was his main priority, I think he broke every speed law known to man and kept wishing he’d get pulled over so we could get a police escort.
He called my obstetrician, Dr. Liu, on the way.
“Don’t panic, she’ll be fine,” he told him, but E was still beside himself.
“Why is he always so fucking calm!” he bellowed.
Dr. Liu delivered Alex and was supposed to deliver Ean and Alyssa’s baby. He also sees Heather and Riley, so I’m very confident everything’s going to be okay. Dr. Liu is a great man and an amazing doctor. He’s always joking around and makes everyone feel confident and relaxed even when that’s the last thing you think you could feel.
Even though I am a sweaty mess, E keeps telling me how beautiful I am and how proud he is of me.
“Just one more push!” he tells me again.
“STOP SAYING THAT!” I shout, squeezing all the feeling out of his hand.
“Let’s meet Hope and Allie,” he says, gently toweling the sweat that’s dripping off my forehead.
This is my first vaginal birth. Chloe was delivered through an emergency cesarean section; she was breach and the cord was wrapped around her neck. Dr. Liu said I could have a VBAC if the conditions that were present with Chloe weren’t present with the twins and the last ultrasound proved they weren’t, thank God!
“You’ve said that too!” I grunt out.
We knew the babies were both girls and wanted to name one of them in honor of Alyssa so we decided to name our firstborn Allie. “I hope they look just like you,” I said once we agreed on Allie’s name and E lit up.
“Hope!” he exclaimed.
“Hope?” I asked, having no idea what he was talking about.
“Hope!” he exclaimed again. “That is the name of our second-born!”
Hope.
“Dee!” he said emphatically. “We gave each other hope when we had none. That’s the perfect name!”
I couldn’t agree more. “It’s perfect!” I told him. “Hope it is.”
It was decided. Allie for the baby that comes out first and Hope for the second.
“There are my godbabies!” Lysee announces as she rushes to my bed. Josh, Justin, Chance, Kyle, Riley, Luke, Beverly, Rodger, Heather, and Jerry all follow her in. She rushes to me and tenderly grabs Allie out of my arms.
“Mine!” Josh rushes over like a mad man but then, just as gently, takes Allie out of Lysee’s arms and sits to cradle her.
“Hey! We made two of them,” I laugh.
“Come to your uncle Josh, my sweet magnolia,” Josh drawls, kissing Allie on her forehead.
There are two babies and they’re both fighting over one. That is so Josh and Lysee.
“Josh has Allie,” I tell everyone. The most important people in our lives are in the room with us right now. “And E is holding Hope.”
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Beverly asks while taking Hope from E’s arms.
“Perfect,” I answer looking up at E who’s beaming with pride and love. I love seeing him this happy.
“She’s just beautiful,” Heather gushes looking down at Hope lying in Beverly’s arms before taking Allie out of Josh’s arms and sitting to coo to her newest grandchild.
“Mom,” E announces. “You’re holding Allie Simone Adams-Montgomery.”
We took my dad’s name, Simon, and made it Allie’s middle name, adding an “E” at the end to make it feminine.
“And Beverly,” he continues. “You’re holding Hope Alexandra Adams-Montgomery.”
We used Alex’s name and changed Alexander to Alexandra to make it feminine.
The girls are beautiful. Identical twins, each with a full head of dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that already shine with mirth. They have little button noses and full pouty lips. Both are healthy! Allie was born nine minutes before Hope. And Allie is six pounds two ounces while Hope weighs in at five pounds ten ounces.
“Today’s their birthday!” E says. “So we all need to wish them a happy birthday.” At that, he starts singing “Happy Birthday” to them and everyone joins in.
“I’m loving this!” Lysee cheers after the song comes to an end.
We’re all sitting around in my private room, enjoying the babies, when Justin’s phone rings.
“Justin here,” he answers, without a care in the world.
“Wait…WHAT?!” he shouts jumping out of his seat. His voice full of panic.
Justin turns white as a ghost and visibly starts to shake. E races over to him and grabs the phone as it starts to slip out of his limp hand.
Oh my God! Something is horribly wrong.
Everyone jumps to their feet and Lysee rushes to Justin’s side while E quietly talks to whoever’s on the other end of the line.
“Hold on,” he tells the caller and lowers the phone down to his side. “Austin House is on fire.”
Lysee’s hand flies to her mouth as she gasps while words of disbelief reverberate throughout the room.
E quietly listens, his scowl deepening as anger and fear cloud his previously joy-filled eyes. “Okay, we’re on our way!” he says and hangs up. He then turns to us. “They say it was one of the husbands of one of the new families that just moved in.” He takes a pained breath and continues. “He torched the shelter.”
“Fuck…” Justin whispers in disbelief.
“It’s bad,” E tells everyone, grasping the back of his neck, his tell. “The police are there now. He was in the building demanding they go with him. They refused and he went ballistic. He screamed they would all ‘burn in hell,’ and ran out. Not five minutes later, they heard glass break as they watched the front of the building become engulfed in flames. They’ve managed to get everyone out of the building but…it’s bad.”
“That’s their home and now they have nowhere else to go,” Justin says through his tears.
E turns to look at me, his eyes pained and pleading.
“Go,” I tell him.
His shoulders sag with relief. I know how torn up he is.
“Beverly and Heather will stay here with me. It’s okay, babe,” I reassure him. “You need to be there.”
E comes over and gives me a quick kiss on the lips, a silent thank you. He places one kiss on Hope’s forehead, one on Allie’s, and rushes out of the room.
Heather, Beverly, and I all sit in silence as we watch them leave.
Please, God. Please let everything be okay.