AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nurse, here is number two. The hidden one,” Dr. Peterson tried to joke. Everyone chuckled, but Carter just turned to look at his other daughter as she was brought over to the team to be looked over. Both babies were then brought over for them to see, and Zahara and Carter cried at their precious daughters and kissed their hands before they were placed in the incubator.
“I love you,” Carter said, his voice filled with emotion. He was now a husband and thanks to Zahara, a father. He felt such joy.
“I love you too,” Zahara said, her voice sounding weak. He frowned. He turned when the doctor raised himself over the sheet and looked at both of them. “Zahara, you did well, and the team are taking care of the twins. I will just—”
Carter suddenly heard beeping sounds, and one of the attending doctors said, “She is crashing, doctor.”
He looked down to see Zahara’s eyes closed, as if she was sleeping. His head was screaming no, no, no!
He was swiftly ushered out of the operating room and found himself numbly staring around in the waiting room as they worked on Zahara. He was growing cold inside when he suddenly felt a warm hand on his.
“Son, she will be okay. You yourself said that Dr. Peterson is the best, and he will not let anything happen to Zahara or the girls.”
“You have to have faith in her and your love,” his mother added. “Don’t succumb to the panic; your girls need you, and so does Zahara.”
He stared over at his mother, his eyes blurry from the stress and worry, and the guilt. “This would not be happening to her if I had just left her alone,” he whispered.
He felt a hard thumb on his shoulder. “Snap out of it. You are already burying her before you know anything. This is not good for you, son.”
He looked around the room at everyone in there waiting with him. He was surrounded by people that loved them both, and they were worried about her and him.
His mother was right, he needed to snap out of it and have faith in his wife. He took a deep breath and stood up. “Anyone for coffee?”
As he was about to take a step, Dr. Peterson came into the waiting room, searching for him. Once he spotted Carter, the doctor walked over with a grim look on his face.
“Carter, your wife is out of surgery. Did she complain about any pain in her legs or hips?”
Carter shook his head no.
“No? Okay, it looks like she developed a blood clot that travelled to her lungs. But we got it, and she is resting peacefully.”
Carter felt such a rush of relief and happiness.
“She will need to be monitored in the hospital in case of more clotting, and we’ve put her on blood thinners. But she will be okay.”
“Thank God,” Carter heard his mother murmur and his family responding the same way. His felt his siblings and father alongside him as the doctor spoke and could feel them giving him their strength and support.
“Can I see her?” Carter asked.
“Yes, you can go in and see your wife and daughters. They are in the room with her and the nurses.”
He didn’t wait for the doctor to finish before striding away. He heard his mother say, “I am calling Lily with the good news. They were waiting at the airport.”
Carter hurried down the busy corridor and took the escalator to take him to his wife and daughters.
When her reached her room, he went straight over to his wife and ran his gaze over her, making sure that what the doctor had said was true. She was okay and sleeping soundly. He heard her light snore and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her. Wanting to crawl into the bed and just hold her, he instead took her hand and kissed it before forcing himself to step away and go and check on his daughters.
He stared in admiration at his little girls sleeping, both their lips bunched up in a pout. They were pale and had tufts of black hair on their heads. They looked so small to him. He felt a fierce urge to snatch them out of the incubators and take them home, where he could protect and care for them. But they were not ready yet, so he had to settle for just gazing at his pride and joy. He couldn’t wait to see what they would look like as they gained weight. Judging by the colour of their nails, they would be slightly darker than the colour they were now. Their eyes were closed, so he didn’t know what colour they were yet. He hoped hazel, just like their mother.
He heard a groan and moved away from the babies to check on Zahara, but he saw that she was still sleeping.
He sat down in a chair and let the tears fall. They were tears of sorrow for the guilt and loss he had with Delilah, but also tears of joy for his second chance at love with Zahara and his children. She had been right; she was the flame that lit his soul, and whatever happened, he was going to cherish every moment with her and the children. Because life was meant to be lived and loved; you never knew what would happen.
He leaned forward, his forehead against the side of hers, and he whispered in her ear, “I love you so much Zahara. You scared the living shit out of me. Don’t you do that again. You are my joy, and I can’t wait for you to get out of the hospital so we can continue our journey together.”
She sighed, and he felt her fingers in his hair, lightly caressing his scalp.
“I love you too. For the rest of our lives, baby, till infinity.”
