Chapter 239

Justin’s POV

Never in my life had a day passed so excruciatingly slowly. Helen and I watch TV. We played card games. We discussed nothing at length. We spoke to the anesthesiologist. We talked to the doctor. We worked with the witch practitioner.

In between all these visits, Helen took little cat naps. And the hours ticked by, feeling like a day had passed for each one. It was at Dr. Peterson’s lunchtime visit that the first signs of something wrong began to materialize. Dr. Peterson looked at the readouts on the machines attached to Helen, a frown pulling her brows together.

“What is it?” I demanded.

She gave her head a shake. “Nothing too serious, yet. But it looks like Baby B isn’t thriving with the contractions. The baby’s under some stress. So we’re going to keep an eye on it. If this gets any worse, we’ll go in for a C-section.”

She did a quick physical exam of Helen and gave Helen’s hand a pat. “Right now, it’s nothing to be alarmed about, just a little bit of concern. I’ll be back in half an hour to check. If there hasn’t been any improvement, then we’ll get you scheduled for the C-section.”

Randy’s POV

I knocked on the door to Helen’s hospital room, and Justin invited me in. I entered, holding up the bag of teriyaki takeout.

“I believe someone ordered a meal,” I said.

Both Justin and Helen held shushing fingers to their lips. On either side of Helen’s head sat a warming bed containing one of the twins. I hurried over, peeking inside each of them.

One warming bed contained a tiny little girl, not that I would have been able to tell that without the pink name tag since her face was rather squished and red, and the only hair on her head was a little puff of dark brown fuzz. The name tag identified the girl as Aurora.

“Like the northern lights,” I whispered. “And you’re just as amazingly beautiful.”

The other bed contained a sleeping boy identified by a blue name tag. His read Luke. I didn’t need a witched help reading magic to tell that Luke was the Huntsman’s child. Where the little girl’s puff of fuzz exactly matched Justin’s dark brown hair, the little boy was nearly bald except for the downiest coating of pale blond fuzz.

Neither Helen nor Justin had hair that color. It could only have come from the Huntsman.

I let out an internal sigh of relief. At least the Huntsman’s child was a boy, as I’d hoped. That would make life a little easier for the poor thing. But now wasn’t the time to discuss such matters.

I gave Helen an indulgent smile. “They’re both beautiful,” I said, meaning it.

She smiled back. “They are, aren’t they?”

“Congratulations to both of you,” I added.

Justin took the takeout from me and pulled over a rolling tray, setting the food out for him and Helen. “Thank you for picking something up for us,” he said. “Nothing on the hospital menu looking particularly good.”

“Anytime,” I answered. “Are you more relaxed now, Justin?”

He laughed quietly. “Yes, I think I can finally relax.”

Tiny baby Aurora snuffled and then let out a cry. Justin grinned at me. “I relaxed just in time for us to get no rest.”

A moment later, the baby broke into heartbreaking wails.

Helen pointed Justin toward the bassinet with the crying baby. “You want to bring her here so that I can feed her, please?”

Helen switched her focus, glancing up at me. “Will it bother you If I feed the baby while you’re here?”

I shook my head. “Not a chance. Remember what you and Justin put me through before? I think I can handle you breastfeeding a newborn. Do what you need to do.”

Helen reached her arms for the baby that Justin handed her. “Thank you,” she said to him. Then she looked back at me. “My C-section incision is quite sore. Though, thank goodness I’m still in the hospital because I have a feeling that drugs are doing a lot to keep me from feeling all of the abuse. But it’s much easier to have Justin get the baby for me.”

I turned away from the bed while she pulled aside the top of her hospital gown.

After a minute of making adjustments with the baby, she said, “Okay, you can turn around now.”

When I turned back, the little girl was tucked carefully against her chest, making the most adorable snuffling noises while she suckled. I’d never really seen a baby nursing up close.

“She sounds really happy,” I commented.

“Well, I enjoy myself while I’m there,” Justin muttered.

Helen threw a rolled washcloth at his head. “Don’t be disgusting. I’m feeding a baby. It’s nothing weird.”

“I know. I know,” he said.

I internalized a smile. It was good to see them teasing one another. “You got a boy and a girl,” I commented. “It’s a fun way to start a family with one of each.”

“It is,” Justin agreed.

Before Helen had even finished suckling one child, the other started screaming in his crib. Helen giggled, but I could see the exhaustion behind her eyes.

“Already?” she murmured. “At least they got their timing together.”

Justin moved to switch the babies out, and I took that as my cue to leave. “I should let you guys focus on the babies,” I said. “Are they keeping you overnight?”

Helen nodded.

“Then I’ll come back, and I’ll see you tomorrow. If you need more takeout, just call me.”

“Thank you. I’d like that,” she said.

I went to the head of the bed and bent, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. “You did good, Mama,” I complimented.

When I ducked out of the room, Emily waited in the hall. “Is everything all right in there?” she asked.

“Looks like it to me. Both of the babies woke up and wanted to be fed. Those are gonna be two tired parents later.”

“Well, that’s the nature of having twins,” she agreed. “But they’ll manage. And if they’re struggling, they can hire a nanny for help. There are plenty of parents who aren’t wealthy enough to be able to afford that sort of luxury. They have to deal with twins or sometimes even larger multiples all on their own, and they do fine.”

She gave me a reassuring smile. “If Helen and Justin needed to, they could parent twins on their own, but they don’t have to force themselves. So, they’re lucky.”

I nodded. “What time do you get off?”

“Not for a couple more hours, but if you’re not in a hurry, she said I could take a dinner break.”

“Since it’s going to be your dinner break, did you want me to take you somewhere?”

She shook her head. “No, I was thinking more that you could join me in my office. I have my dinner with me.”

“But I don’t have anything to eat.”

She winked at me. “Who said anything about eating? I simply thought maybe we could get off for my dinner break.”

“Oh! That’s what we’re doing? Well, I could definitely get on board with that.”

I hurried after Emily, already excited by the idea of doing it with a doctor in her office at the hospital. The scenario seemed so naughty, like something from a book or a dirty movie. It was like role-playing to the next level. When we got to her office, she closed the blinds on the window which faced into the hall, then locked the door after putting the out to lunch sign outside.