Page 11 of Coming Innocent

Avery smiles as she caresses her belly, “I don’t have a preference, I just want them healthy. Logan though is hoping for girls, strangely enough. He says he wants little me’s running around the house. I’m just glad that the main rooms in the new house are done. Trying to make gender neutral rooms is not an easy task, but I think we came up with some good options when we get started.”

“Well, healthy is key. I’m sure our father was devastated to get two girls when he was hoping for a boy, luckily he got Fred the next year to make up for it,” Shirley tacks on as she takes a sip of her drink.

One of the babies kicks her bladder and Avery finds herself pushing up from the chair to use the bathroom, but as she moves to stand up a jolt of pain, unlike anything she has ever felt shoots across her abdomen and spine.

“Ah!” she cries out in pain shocking the crowd around her.

“Avery?” Nikki questions before shouting Logan’s name at the top of her lungs while placing a gentle hand on Avery’s back.

The group of men pours into the tent with panicked looks on their faces, but none as panicked as Logan’s.

“Sweetheart, is it the Braxton Hicks?”

Avery sharply inhales a gasp of air as the contraction passes.

“Something is wrong. I can feel it. Something isn’t right, Logan,” she yells as she begins to breakdown from her emotional turmoil.

Suddenly she hears Brooks taking charge and bringing forth the woman that had been sitting with Nikki’s father at dinner.

“Mr. Connelly,” he begins as she shouts over to Avery’s father, “contact Dr. Burnett and Asheville Medical. Now, Avery, tell me what’s wrong. What do you feel?”

Avery begins to breathe heavy staccato breaths as another contraction rips across her body, she braces her hands on her knees as she closes her eyes in despair.

Once the pain subsides she replies to Brooks, “I’m having severe pain across my abdomen and spine. It’s nothing like the Braxton Hicks, but the pain is sharp and concentrated on my left side.”

Brooks nods his head and looks over to Dr. Long who shakes her head once.

“Ok, I’d like to check you out with Dr. Long and we can determine if you’re in labor. There is a possibility of the placenta pulling away from the uterine wall or rupturing, but I don’t know until we get an ultrasound. Do you think you can make it to the clinic?”

She doesn’t have a chance to reply as another cramp moves across her abdomen.

“Doc, the medevac will be here in fifteen minutes, Dr. Burnett felt it was necessary. He contacted the doctor on call at Asheville.”

“Good, alright, Avery, I need you to take a few deep breaths and I am going to get Logan to help carry you into the house. Amy, can you place a clean sheet across any bed or couch we can place Avery on? And a few clean blankets in case we and up delivering?”

The crowd stands staring at Brooks until he finally turns his attention over his shoulder to address Amy directly.

“Oh, yes,” she exclaims as she clamors towards the house with Avery’s sisters trailing behind.

Logan lifts her into his arms and he follows her family as the remaining crowd continues to stare in awe until Temple shouts, “We’re going to have some babies!” which prompts the crowd to erupt in cheers.

The door to the house closes behind Cassidy and Avery feels lowered to the bed in the guest bedroom downstairs.

Logan takes a perch next to her and Amy takes a place on the other side, each grabbing one of her hands.

“I’m so scared, Logan,” Avery whisper across her shoulder.

“You’re going to do great.”

“But it’s too early! They shouldn’t be here yet.”

“Everything will be ok, Avery. I promise you,” he adds as he places a gentle kiss on her lips.

“It’s actually common for twins to come early, they run out of room. I had the boys at thirty-one weeks,” Amy adds hoping to defuse some of Avery’s fright, but as another contraction ripples across her body she can do nothing but squeeze their hands to diffuse the pain.

After the contraction passes Avery focuses on the movement on the other side of the room. Brooks directs Sydney and Everleigh towards two separate areas and places a blanket of shiny material pulled from Joseph’s fire and rescue box into each of their arms as Cassidy stands with clean white blankets in her arms to receive the babies.

“Ok, Avery, I’m going to have Dr. Long check you to see how far along you are. If we think that you’re going to deliver then we will do it here, I don’t want to wait, it could be too risky. I keep a medical bag in my car with all of the proper instruments and they’re wrapped and sterilized. You have nothing to worry about. Understand?”