I hold her hand tight as she’s wheeled into the hospital on a gurney. The ambulance crew radioed ahead, and there’s a doctor waiting for us.

“Mrs Campbell, I’m Doctor Johnson.” He smiles widely.

“Marcus?” Hayley’s voice is strained and quiet.

I stare at the doctor who’s arrived to take care of my wife.

“Hayley? I’m so sorry. I didn’t recognise you at first.”

“Doctor Marcus Johnson.” He holds his hand out for me to shake. I ignore it.

“Is there anyone else who can help her. Quickly?” I ask.

“I’m it right now.” He withdraws his hand.

“Shit.”

“Drew, let him do it.”

I fume. This is the man who nearly ruined Hayley’s career. Do I want his hands on her? No.

Do I have much choice?

No.

“Look, Mr Campbell …” Marcus says.

“Doctor Campbell. Hayley’s presenting with a class-two placental abruption, and there’s far too much blood loss already. You’d better have your shit together.”

He nods. “She’s in safe hands, I promise.”

Reluctantly, I take a step back. It sucks, but right now I don’t have a choice. Hayley and the babies’ fates are in this man’s hands whether I like it or not.

“Well, Hayley, I’m glad you married a doctor, because at least I don’t have to work out what I’m dealing with.” He grabs the ultrasound wand and lifts Hayley’s shirt. She takes a deep breath, and I walk around the other side of the bed so I can hold her hand and watch the monitor.

“Sorry, the gel will be cold.”

“It’s okay. I know.”

He squirts gel on her belly, and runs the ultrasound wand across her baby bump. Our babies are active and healthy-looking, but I know what he’s looking for because I’m looking too.

“How many weeks are you, Hayley?” he asks.

“Thirty-five.”

He meets my gaze. “Good. I think these babies are going to make their appearance really soon.”

I shift my focus back to the monitor, and he zooms in closer. The abruption is right there, and while it’s not the worst I’ve ever seen, it’s not good.

“We’ll be good, Hayley. They’ll be good. The most important thing is that the three of you are safe” I squeeze her hand.

She nods. “Whatever you two think.”

Fear is in her eyes, and I lean over. “I’ll be with you the whole way, princess.”

“Of course you will.”

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it because I think you both know exactly what’s going on, but the best course of action is an emergency C-section. Your babies stand a good chance at this stage. Time is of the essence,” Marcus says.

I nod. “I agree. But you’d better believe I’ll be watching every move you make, and if you put a foot wrong …”

He swallows.

“Drew, Marcus isn’t a bad doctor.”

My eyebrows raise at the sound of Hayley’s words. Maybe she’s right and he’s a good doctor, albeit one who chose not to listen to her.

She gives me a wan smile. “I trust him. And I know you’ll be there, watching over us.”

“You’d better believe it.”

While Hayley’s being prepped for theatre, I scrub in with Marcus. I’ll only be there watching, but I want to be as close to her as possible because I don’t trust him.

“So, what area of medicine are you in?” he asks. “You picking up the abruption saved a lot of time.”

“Obstetrics. Hayley and I live in Hamilton. We’re just up here visiting her folks.”

“And you landed here the weekend I’m on call.”

“Well, then I guess this is it.” I know my exasperation is clear in my voice, but I’d give anything for this to have happened at home where I know the hospital and the surgeons.

He nods. “I could call in another obstetrician, but the other one on call lives out west, and I don’t need to tell you that the sooner this is done, the better.”

I suck in a breath. “Let me spell this out. If you put a foot wrong in that theatre, I’ll find some way to ruin you.”

He swallows hard and nods. “I understand.”

“You owe her. Big time.”

“She’ll get the very best care.”

“She’d better. If anything happens to her …”

The man I hate, but who will hold Hayley’s life in his hands, grips my arm. “I’ve got her, Drew.”

I can do nothing more than nod and trust that he can take care of everything.

It’s weird being in an operating theatre and not being the one performing the operation.

Instead, I hold my wife’s hand. This isn’t going to be easy for her. She already needs transfusions to make up for the blood she’s lost. Recovering from this is going to be long and tough, but Hayley’s strong, and I’ll be right by her side the whole way.

“I know this isn’t what we planned, but it’s the safest way. I stroke her cheek.

She squeezes my hand. “I know. As long as the babies are safe.”

“As long as you’re safe. You’re my whole world, Hayley Campbell.”

Hayley smiles. “I still love it when you call me that.”

“You should be used to it by now. It’ll be your name for the rest of your life.” I lean over and give her a tender kiss before straightening up and checking on Doctor Johnson.

“Ready, Hayley?” he asks.

“As I’ll ever be,” she replies.

As much as I hate this guy, I can’t fault him in his work. He does everything by the book and as good a job as I’d do. It leaves me feeling grateful, and I hate that I feel that way about him.

“Baby number one.” He lifts our first child out, and emotion overwhelms me.

“Drew?” Hayley’s voice is so soft. This whole thing scares the shit out of her and rightfully so. It’s easy in this situation for things to go pear-shaped and the mother and baby to be at risk.

I peer at our baby, and grin. “He’s beautiful, Hayley. Small, but he looks perfect.”

“He?”

I grin. For all the scans she’s had, we haven’t managed to catch what gender our babies are. Not that it’s ever mattered. “We have a son.”

She squeezes my hand, and I step back to let Marcus lay the baby on her chest. Hayley sighs contentedly.

“Here comes baby two,” he says.

A little smaller, but no less perfect, appears my daughter. Tears well as I look at her in Marcus’s hands. This is everything I’ve ever wanted—the wife I adore, and our children. I’m a dad.

For a moment, it punches me in the gut that Owen never got to have this moment. If Cara and Ryan hadn’t died, he’d have been none the wiser about his child. And he missed seeing Ava come into the world.

Me? I’ll never miss a thing when it comes to my kids. And I’m so grateful for that.

“You might need to help out here, Drew.” Marcus lifts my daughter toward Hayley, laying the baby beside her brother.

Hayley’s a blubbering mess, and I’m just as bad, sniffing as I press a kiss to her hand.

“They’re here,” she whispers.

“They’re here, and they’re safe.”

With the babies covered in warm towels, we pay all our attention to them while Marcus works on completing Hayley’s surgery and stitching her up.

My family’s safe.

My family.

This moment has been coming for months, but it still seems surreal. For the rest of my life, I’ll love Hayley and our children. I always wanted a big family, but after today, this is big enough.

I’m not putting Hayley through this again.

I know the odds are against this happening twice, but the thought of losing her leaves a hole in my chest so big you could drive a truck through it.

For years, I thought I wanted a big family, but if we never have more than these two, I’ll be happy. I’m not sacrificing the love of my life for more babies.

The three people in front of me are everything.

They’re all I need.

We exit the theatre, and time stands still as I watch my wife being wheeled in one direction, our babies in another. Torn for a moment, I do the only thing I can and follow Hayley. The NICU here has a great reputation, and at this stage of gestation with the APGARs the babies got, I’m confident the children will be fine.

Hayley, on the other hand, still concerns me. By the time we left the theatre, she’d fallen asleep. Her faith in me is unwavering, but I had to swallow down my fear in there. He might have just saved her life, but Doctor Marcus Johnson is still a piece of shit as far as I’m concerned.

His hand lands on my back. “I’ve got her a private room as close to the NICU as I could. The next couple of days will be really tough as she recovers and is unable to get out of bed, but she’s strong, and I’m sure you’ll be at home with those babies really soon.”

I turn to see his smile. “The sooner the better.”

“I understand. She’s just being taken to recovery, and once we’re sure she’s ready, she’ll be moved to the ward.”

“There’s something else I need to discuss with you.”

“What’s that?”

He doesn’t see my fist coming, and I slam him right in the face. Staggering, he hits the wall.

“You did a great job in there, but I’ve been dying to do that since I discovered what you did to her.”

Holding his hand up with his other hand covering his cheek, he nods. “Drew, I—”

“You broke my girl, Johnson, and she is so strong and so good at her job. She’d have been a huge loss to the profession.”

He nods. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me who needs an apology. Just stay away from her.”

Hayley’s near the end of the corridor, and the bed turns left. I take off and follow, catching up just as the nurse turns it to take her into the room.

“You’re not supposed to be in here,” one of the nurses says.

“Tough.”

She chuckles. “I’ll go and get a chair. She’s likely to sleep for a while. The whole experience can be exhausting.”

I nod. “I’ve seen plenty of patients sleep after something so traumatic.”

“You’re a doctor?”

“An obstetrician.”

A smile spreads across her face. “Then you won’t get any argument from me about you being in here. How many patients get their own personal doctor in their room?”

She leaves to return a few moments later with a chair. It’s not the most comfortable-looking thing, but I can deal with a little discomfort if Hayley’s safe.

I pluck my phone out of my pocket. There’s a text from Sonya.

Is there any news?

She’s out of surgery and doing well. The babies are in the NICU, but they’re both healthy. Congratulations, Grandma. It’s a boy and a girl.

I can’t help but smile as I type that last part. When I first met Sonya, I thought we’d never find common ground, but now she’s as protective of me as she is of Hayley.

Stop with the grandma stuff. Let me know if you need anything and when we can visit.

Will do. I’ll stay here for the night. They won’t like it, but I’m not leaving.

Give our love to all our babies.

I look up at the ceiling with tears forming. Sonya’s just at the end of the phone, but with Hayley unconscious, I feel so alone.

My phone buzzes again.

We’re on our way.

Owen.

He said he’d come, but I wasn’t sure if he would. He has commitments now—Ginny and Ava.

Thinking about them brings a smile to my lips. He always seemed so lost, but now, he’s found with those two. He seems to be struggling a bit with fatherhood, but that’ll come in time. Especially with Ginny’s help.

I take a big breath, and Hayley stirs beside me. I’d give anything to hold her in my arms, to have our babies in this room too. But this is the deal we got, and of all people, I guess we should understand it.

Her eyes flicker open, and I smile at her as she fixes her tired gaze on me.

Leaning over, I stroke her temple. “You’re in recovery, princess.”

“The twins.”

“They’ve gone straight to the NICU. They’re so beautiful and healthy. I’m sure we’ll all be together soon.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “I want them with me. It’s so unfair.”

“Yeah, it is. And I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen. Right now, I’m just really glad the three of you are safe. You scared the shit out of me.”

“You stayed so calm.”

I plant a gentle kiss on her forehead, lingering a few seconds. “Only on the outside. I let your mother know, and I told her I’d spend the night with you.”

She smiles. “I don’t know if they’ll let you.”

“They can try and throw me out. I’m pretty sure Marcus still owes you a few favours.”

Hayley licks her lips. “He probably saved my life.”

“Maybe he did, but I figure it’s the least he can do to make sure you have everything you need.”

I lean over and give her another kiss. “Marcus said when you were ready, they’d move you to a room near the NICU. When you’re able to get out of bed, it won’t be far to see the twins.”

“I need them, Drew.”

“I know you do. And I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen as soon as I can.”

She nods. “I know you will.”

“The twins are in good hands. It’s you I’ll be hovering over. You lost a lot of blood, and you know I worry anyway.”

Hayley reaches for my hand. “I know you do. We’ll all be okay because you got us here.”

“I wish I’d got you here sooner.”

Her eyelids droop, and I can see just how much this has taken out of her.

“Get some sleep, princess. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Her breathing slows. I don’t have to tell her twice.