Parturitions, page 21
“Alright, you two need to finish drying off and hopefully someone will bring you clothes to wear soon, as I don’t think you want to spend who knows how long in that,” quipped Dr. Avery as she smiled at them.
“Sorry, we didn’t plan on coming here dressed like this,” commented Alex. “Though if I know Gido, he should arrive in the next ten minutes with clothes for everyone to change into.”
“That would be for the best,” responded Dr. Avery with a chuckle. “With all the people in swimsuits, I would bet that most people will think that someone almost drowned, or something. Now, like Nicole, you should both get comfortable as this isn’t going to be a quick process from what I can tell, as we still have six centimeters to go and that could take a few hours, or even all day. Especially as her water didn’t break, meaning that I might need to help things along a little if things look like they are going to stall. Though that is nothing to worry about right now.”
With that Alex and Sam settled into a pair of chairs that could fold out into a bed of a sort if needed, as they started to pass the time. Thankfully, Nicole’s water broke on its own when Dr. Avery went to check things out about 30 minutes after her first look, though Nicole was still only dilated at around four centimeters. Though with the water breaking, Nicole’s contractions seemed to step up one notch as she squeezed Alex’s hand during each one. Thankfully, an epidural was quickly put in place, though they hadn’t started the drugs yet. At this point, Nicole was still managing to keep a smile on her face through everything as the three of them talked about life as Nicole’s parents arrived for the first visit, carrying clothes for Sam and Alex as they did. Alex and Sam were happy to take turns slipping into the attached bathroom and changing out of their swimwear as they assumed everyone else was as well.
The Juns’ visit was only about ten minutes of Mrs. Jun fussing over Nicole and acting motherly in a way that Alex felt was alien coming from her. Still, he was happy that it seemed that she was at least putting things aside for the moment as Nicole smiled while talking between contractions. Next came Alex’s parents and then Sam’s, before Ava, Mia and Kate checked in to let them know that they were going to head back to the house to log into ED for a while to let everyone there know. During the visit, they checked if they wanted anything from home as they were planning to come back in the next few hours, but with all three go bags packed and in the SUV still, they couldn’t think of anything.
With those visits over, Dr. Avery once more checked where Nicole was and was happy to report that she was at four and a half centimeters. As she smiled about this, Alex felt a sudden strong grip on his right hand that Sam was holding as she cried out in shock, and a wet spot spread from her crotch on the pants that she had just put on as she spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“I think my water just broke!”
Alex just blinked as Dr. Avery sighed before speaking.
“Nurse, get a second bed brought in and get ready to be pulling double duty. You two really want to make me earn my paycheck. Well, at least I was already mentally ready for both of you being in labor. Alex, if you could be a dear and help her get into a gown in the bathroom, I’ll have a nurse go let all those in the waiting room know.”
“Alright, let’s get this on,” stated Alex as he was handed a hospital gown and looked at Sam who looked like she was still not registering what was happening.
It took a bit more prodding, but Alex got Sam to follow him into the bathroom where he helped her remove the sodden clothes while she blushed from embarrassment.
“I don’t know why you’re embarrassed,” stated Alex with a chuckle.
“I feel like you are helping me after peeing my pants in front of everyone,” replied Sam. “I don’t even feel any contractions yet.”
“Sam, Dr. Avery said that labors are as different as pregnancies. For all we know we could get back out there and you will deliver in the next hour while Nicole takes all night.”
“Alex, I think Nicole might hate me if that was the case.”
“She wouldn’t hate you,” replied Alex. “Be extremely envious and take advantage of it to get you to let her have extra time with me sure, but she won’t hate you.”
“Ha, yah, that sounds about right. Guess we are going to have two little ones by the end of the day,” replied Sam as she finished slipping the hospital gown on.
“Don’t go jinxing things,” quipped Alex. “Now one of you won’t deliver until after midnight.”
Sam looked scared as she held her belly thinking about being in labor for that long, as they made their way back out to the delivery room where a second bed had been brought in. Between them sat a single chair for Alex as Sam got in her bed with the help of a nurse and Alex found himself sitting between both beds with his right hand being held by Sam and his left by Nicole. This was followed by Dr. Avery checking on how Sam was progressing to find that she was only at two centimeters of dilation.
“I think I should take a picture of this and make sure every guy thinking about getting two girls pregnant at the same time sees it,” stated Dr. Avery as she stood after checking Sam. “I am going to step out for a bit and take a nap as it could be a long day. You all woke me up before I like to get up on Sundays. The nurses will come and grab me if anything changes and a doctor on staff will come check on you both at least once an hour.”
Alex wanted to stop her and ask a dozen questions that he was having trouble forming in his head, but he didn’t as he knew that she was right about needing to be at her best later. So, with a yawn, Dr. Avery left and another round of parents visiting commenced, as Mrs. Carter was beyond excited as she gushed about both Sam and Nicole delivering. On the other hand, Mr. Carter was looking at Alex with what he felt was pity while looking at the hands that each lady held tightly. Alex’s parents both seemed at a loss on how to respond, though at the news that Sam had gone into labor they apparently had joked about it being contagious. With Mrs. Bell being past the 36-week mark as well, she was looking slightly worried as it wasn’t unheard of for labor to start at that point, though she was still smiling as she visited.
Three more hours passed like that, and it officially shifted to the afternoon as Dr. Avery returned to find Nicole at five and a half centimeters and Sam was at four centimeters. Sam had also started to feel light contractions, though compared to Nicole’s it was like they didn’t exist. As time continued to pass, Alex grew more and more aware of the fact that he hadn’t gotten breakfast, but with both Sam and Nicole being told that they would not be eating until after they delivered he stayed quiet. Finally, when it was just after 2:00 PM when Sam reached five centimeters and started feeling the contractions in a way that made Nicole, who was at six centimeters, laugh as she spoke.
“Welcome to the let’s break Alex’s hand club, Sam. Be sure and let him know what it’s like.”
“I don’t see why you both have held off on the epidural,” commented Alex. “They are both in place and all you have to do is ask and the drugs will make things easier.”
“Call it wanting to experience a taste of what it means to give birth naturally,” replied Sam.
“I can still handle things at this level,” added Nicole with a smile as she squeezed Alex’s hand as another contraction came.
“Good for both of you, but I think you might break my hand at this rate, Nicole,” replied Alex.
“In all seriousness, you both should start your epidurals,” stated Dr. Avery. “Especially as there are no prizes for lasting the longest and you could go from six to ten centimeters all of a sudden, and then it will be too late and you will really learn what birth feels like without it.”
Alex sighed in relief as both Sam and Nicole looked slightly scared as they responded.
“Perhaps I should have mercy on Alex’s hand,” commented Nicole.
“Yah, I don’t need to feel too many more of those to know that they aren’t fun,” added Sam.
Just like that they both accepted the drugs finally and things seemed to slow down for Alex once more as 5:00 PM came and Sam was at seven and a half centimeters and Nicole was at eight.
“Ha, looks like I am catching up to you,” quipped Sam.
“It’s not a race,” replied Nicole.
“Just don’t have them at the same exact time,” replied Alex. “I would like a moment to breathe between each and I am sure that Dr. Avery would appreciate some time to get cleaned up in between.”
“I wouldn’t mind that, but at the rate they are going I might not get any,” commented Dr. Avery. “Also, I think it is safe to say that neither of you are the type to let things happen quickly.”
“It’s not like we want this to be taking so long,” retorted Sam. “We would much rather only need a few hours from our water breaking to delivery like Julie.”
“You misunderstand. I am not blaming you, I am just categorizing you compared to the other labors I have dealt with to anticipate how things will proceed,” responded Dr. Avery. “If things continue like this, you both will be ready to start pushing around 8:00 or 9:00 tonight and deliver an hour or two later. With you both being first-time moms, it will likely be closer to the two-hour mark and as Alex said earlier, you are both looking to deliver at the same time. So, as everything is looking good, I am going to ask one of you to delay on pushing until the other has delivered.”
“Is that safe?” asked Sam.
“Only for about two hours,” replied Dr. Avery. “Though if it hits the hour and a half mark I will have you start pushing as well. If by some chance you two still deliver together, we will just have to make do with the aid of a few nurses to take care of things.”
“I’m fine with it,” commented Nicole. “The question is, if we both fully dilate, who should delay?”
“That would be me,” stated Sam. “You started first and have had the harder time so far.”
“But you might have a quicker delivery if you go first,” responded Nicole.
“All the more reason for you to go first,” quipped Sam. “Or do you want to make everyone wait even longer?”
“Fair, though all the best things in life are worth waiting for,” replied Nicole.
“It’s great that you both are doing well enough to joke around,” interjected Alex. “But I would like you to agree clearly as I have a feeling that doing so will be much harder in the moment.”
“I think Alex is more nervous than we are now,” stated Sam with a giggle.
“I agree, though to be fair he’s not wrong. So if we reach ten centimeters at the same time you’ll delay?” asked Nicole.
“Yah, that works for me.”
With that Alex sighed as they shifted back to talking about everything and nothing as the time continued to pass slowly while Dr. Avery continued to monitor things. Alex wasn’t sure how things normally worked, but he doubted that the doctor usually spent this much time with just two patients during the time that had passed. Especially as Alex was sure that most of what she was doing, like changing out the saline bags, could be handled by the nurses who popped in from time to time. Still, he just chalked it up to the benefit of paying the extra that hiring her had cost and when 9:30 PM arrived, Alex just smiled as both Sam and Nicole hit ten centimeters. This led to Nicole starting to actively push as Alex held her hand and encouraged her, while also reassuring Sam who was starting to look uncomfortable as she held back on pushing.
Things progressed slowly with Nicole, but finally just before 11:00, the baby’s head was crowning and Dr. Avery had a nurse help Sam as Nicole started to push, while Alex found himself between both of them. A few minutes later cries could be heard as Nicole’s baby girl came into the world and Dr. Avery held her as a nurse quickly opened Nicole’s gown and after a bit of wiping, Dr. Avery placed Nicole’s baby girl directly on her chest. Alex wished that he could have simply savored this scene as the smile on Nicole’s tired face was one of the most beautiful sights that he had ever seen. It easily surpassed any of the four scenes he had been privilege to after his wives gave birth in ED and he almost felt as if he had been cheated for it. However, the grip on his other hand told Alex that it was time to turn his attention to Sam, who needed him more at the moment.
Turning his attention to Sam, he smiled as he focused on encouraging her with each push, though a few minutes later Dr. Avery was calling him over to cut the umbilical cord. Sam nodded to reassure Alex that she would be okay for a minute as he made his way over and took the scissors that he was handed and cut where he was directed. The only word that he could use to describe this experience later in life was surreal, as he honestly felt like he was on auto pilot as he carried out the action and the cord and remaining blood in it was quickly secured.
With that taken care of, Alex turned his focus to Sam as Nicole held her new baby, smiling brightly while a nurse made sure that everything was fine. As midnight approached, Sam’s baby was crowning and with a few last pushes, another cry could be heard just after the clock reached 12:00 AM. When Dr. Avery saw this, she laughed as she noted it down and quickly placed Sam’s baby girl on her now exposed chest and started a clock as Alex took in the sight of a tired Sam holding her daughter. Even with having had the privilege of seeing Nicole like this less than an hour ago, Alex didn’t feel as if its effect had lessened in the slightest as he took the scene in. A few minutes later, he once more found himself cutting an umbilical cord before it was secured as he took in both of the tired mothers and his daughters.
The following hours were full of quick tests and them being transferred to a room where they would stay for the remaining time until they were discharged. Alex found himself passing out on a chair like the one that had been in the delivery room that turned into a slim bed as his exhaustion from the events of the day caught up to him.
(*****)
June 24, 2267.
The first thought that Alex had as he woke up from sleeping outside of ED for the first time that he could remember in a long while, was about how uncomfortable the foldout chair was. The next was about what had woken him as he saw a tired Sam and Nicole both nursing their daughters as each had committed to doing so for the first few days at least. This was after discussing the benefits of the bonding, as well as the colostrum that was produced in the early stages and wanting to give their babies the extra boost that came with it. With this commitment, Alex knew that they would both only be logging in for 30 minutes to an hour at a time for the next week. With most of that simply being used to get a bit of sleep as they took a bit of time off from grinding in ED while taking care of their newborns. Seeing that Alex was awake, Nicole spoke.
“Sorry if she woke you, but she is rather fussy when she is hungry.”
“Ha, both of them are,” added Sam. “I can’t wait to be able to log in for an hour and sleep like it’s three.”
“What time is it?” asked Alex.
“Just after 5:00 AM,” replied Nicole. “Dr. Avery is due in to check on us any time to administer the nanites to our daughters.”
Alex smiled as he knew that once the umbilical cord had been secured, they had been sent for processing as the cells that were contained within would be used to create biotech nanites. These nanites were a mix of several different types and Alex had never really understood how they were made, or worked. What he did know is they aided in just about everything from fighting colds; healing damaged tissue; ensuring a disease called cancer, that had killed millions, remained an obscure existence today; and even interfacing with technology. In fact, it was only due to the nanites that would interface with the brain that anyone was able to play any full-dive VR games. While a small subset of society still opposed the use of the nanites for various reasons, such as a belief that they could be used for mind control, or weaponized if tampered with, they were in the extreme minority. It had reached the point that refusing them was the same as having to live hundreds of years in the past as most communication technology was designed to interface with them to some extent. Though there were still alternatives for most technology and procedures for removing nanites were able to be performed if one desired to do so after they turned 18.
This was because it was mandatory to have all children given nanites that combined with and altered the cells in their umbilical cord within 24 hours of birth, unless extenuating circumstances existed. While those who opposed it called it a crime against humanity and a full-scale denial of their rights as parents, the government disagreed. As was so often the case, the government decided that it was in the interest of the child to have the procedure and that not having it would put them at an extreme disadvantage. The fact that the data had shown infant mortality rates reaching less than one in 10,000, if you ignored injuries, when both mother and child had nanites, had been enough to justify this to most. Even birth defects that were normally fatal became treatable with the use of the nanites and dangerously premature births had become extremely rare as well. In the end, Alex, like so many others, had grown up with the nanites being a transparent part of their lives that were always working to keep him healthy and were the single largest reason that life expectancy was currently above 90 years. Though when Dr. Avery arrived with five syringes a few minutes after Alex had woken up, he had been surprised as she spoke.
“Good morning. I hope that you all got some sleep, though from the charts that the nurses left I think it is safe to say that only Alex had much of a chance to.”
“I would say that is about right,” commented Sam. “Though it’s fine as he couldn’t take care of their needs.”
“True. Alright, I have the nanites ready for the little ones and nanite boosters for each of you,” stated Dr. Avery.
“Wait, we get boosters?” asked Nicole.
“Ah yes, I should have gone over this with you when you first came in, but I thought the other clinic had already done so. Typically only the newborns would be getting nanites, but as part of my service I make sure that the extra nanites don’t go to waste as there is easily enough material for five shots in each umbilical cord. This is why the rich seem to stay younger for longer as these nanites can replace aging cells and extend your life expectancy by a few decades. Now, like all things, it is a game of diminishing returns and the second and third boosters don’t offer nearly as much of a benefit.”
