Dinner was served in the next 20 minutes, and we talked about our days and caught up on things that had happened while we passed dishes of baked rice, stewed veggies, tofu, grilled chicken, and roasted potatoes around.

"How's life teaching freshmen this semester?" Aaron asked Rob as he scooped some rice onto his plate.

"I've actually started doing some sophomore classes, so the workload is different."

"Good or bad?" Aunt Jen asked. "I've heard that it depends on what kind of professor you are. Some just assign work and let the kids fend for themselves."

"I like those kinds of professors a little more- Well, it depends on the class," I chimed in.

"At that point, you're kind of teaching yourself," Rob added.

I shrugged, then picked up the dish of tofu, "That's how I-"

I felt a sharp pain stab me in what seemed like my pelvis as I was putting some tofu onto my plate. I tried to pretend it wasn't much of anything, but then it dragged on. I set the plate of tofu down before I tried to breathe through the pain. The space between me and the table was suddenly too small, and I could barely hear the scraping against the wooden floor as I pushed my chair back. The hand on my back went unnoticed as I curled into myself, waiting for the pain to subside. Another uncurled one of mine, which gave me something to squeeze besides my own palm and fingers.

After what felt like forever, I felt more like myself again and I was able to sit up in my seat. I blinked a few times then saw my aunt and uncle running around while Rob was sitting next to me talking to them. They were saying something about the hospital and who was gonna drive.

"What's going on?" I asked my boyfriend, and he jumped slightly before he focused on my face.

Despite his panicked reaction, he seemed mostly calm and collected as he wondered, "how are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess."

I could see that he was worried by the way his lips disappeared into his mouth, but soon that expression was gone and he smiled at me.

"We're gonna go to the hospital soon. We're just figuring out who's gonna drive," he told me. Rob touched a hand to my cheek, then pressed a quick kiss to my forehead.

"Are you gonna drive," I questioned, and the quiver in my voice betrayed me.

His gaze played between my eyes before he pressed, "do you not want me to?"

I shook my head, and he seemed to get the message. My aunt came back into the room, and Rob told her how long my contraction had been. Even though they were sure, I had to wonder if this was really labour that was happening. I'd seen my fair share of movies and shows, and I knew Braxton-Hicks contractions were a possibility for me. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck in the hospital for days, or in some kind of torturous limbo at home like a ticking time bomb.

I reached out and grabbed Jen's arm before she left the room again to get her car keys. "Are you sure it's not too early?"

She shook her head, "I can't be 100% sure, but you're having twins, and you're close enough to full-term with them. I mean, you basically are, and we're not taking any chances."

Jen moved to leave again, but I held onto her.

"I think I forgot something at home," I admitted. She and Rob looked at each other, then at me.

"The delivery bag has everything-" Rob started, but I shook my head.

"I was switching some things out, and I took out the robe and my nursing bra."

Rob sighed, then asked, "do we need those?" But the question was posed more to my aunt than to me.

She was silent for a few moments, thinking. "The hospital isn't far from your house. I can go get your stuff with the kids, and Aaron will drive you to the hospital. Okay?" Aunt Jen placed a gentle hand on my knee and I nodded.

"Thank you."

"Everything is gonna be fine," she told me. Rob gave her a copy of our house keys, then she rushed out of the house with my cousins in tow.

******

I exhaled and felt my body relax as much as it could before I collapsed back into my hospital bed. Rob sat beside me in a reclinable chair, his hand firmly in mine. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, but I didn't have the energy to bother with them. It was too late, anyway, as I could feel one fall into my mouth. I shook my head to get it away when I felt a cool towel clean my face up. I jerked my head away from the wet cloth, and looked up to complain when I saw Yana standing there with my sister Britney next to her.

"Oh my God!" My tired arms reached out to hug them both. "What are you guys doing here?!"

Yana laughed, and Britney rolled her eyes.

"Do you see yourself, Olivia?" My sister gestured towards my situation. "You're having a whole set of twins, of course we're gonna be here."

Yana pulled a chair up beside the bed to sit with me, then made sure to clean up any more sweat she saw. She scanned me with concerned eyes, her mouth fixed into a frown until she was done. Rob and Britney introduced themselves to each while Yana worried over me.After that, she couldn't contain her elation.

"How are you guys doing?" Yana posed the question to me and Rob, glancing at him to make that clear.

I looked over at my boyfriend, and he had a lopsided smile on his face. His hand was red, and I felt terrible immediately when I noticed. I brushed a few stray hairs out of his face, which was also damp with sweat, so I decided to clean him up as well. He just managed to mouth a "thank you" before he took my hand and kissed its palm.

"I'm surviving," I said to Yana before I looked back at Rob.

"How long have we been here? You look exhausted, honey."

He rubbed my forearm gently and assured me, "I'm fine... It's been like four hours-"

"Four?!" I sat up a bit, then immediately regretted that when I felt an aching pain. Rob noticed and put a pillow behind my back so that my abdomen could relax.

"Aaron left to take the kids home once Jen came. I think you were sleeping. She said she'll be back with some food. She's getting you some fruit and popsicles. And I called your parents, they're flying in from Quebec City."

I nodded and, like his words were a trigger, I felt my stomach complain. I'd failed to get any food in my system at dinner, so it was no surprise.

"Aunt Jen called me when she was going to get your stuff. I literally left work, packed a bag, and drove here from Rochester. The border was so freakin' busy for whatever reason, but I just got here and saw Yana outside the room," Britney said as she filled me in on what she'd been doing in the hours I'd been here.

Yana smiled, and apologized, "I would've been here sooner, but I wanted to submit my paper so I wouldn't have it hanging over my hand during your labour. So I'm free to bother you for the weekend."

"Thanks you guys," my voice shook a little as I uttered the words. I could feel my eyes water a bit, but Britney waved her hands to keep me from crying.

"No, no, no. I've been doing well so far, stop. If you start, I will keep crying," she warned me with a grin, and I had to laugh instead.

"Did anyone call Amanda?" Rob asked, looking between the three of us women.

I stared at Yana, then Britney, and they seemed to be thinking what I was. Britney simply smiled at Rob, "you don't have to call her."

Jen came in soon after with food, at the perfect time since another wave of contractions had just passed. They were getting closer, which meant the babies would soon be here. Just thinking about that made my head spin, but I felt excited at the same time. And anxious. Very anxious.

A nurse walked into our room with a smile and checked my vitals before she checked to see how dilated I was. All the women in the room waited, but Rob grimaced a bit and I had to keep myself from laughing at him. Considering all that we'd done with each other, it was funny to me how concerned he was when someone checked my cervix.

"Okay mama," she started, "things are looking really good. You're about nine centimetres now, and your cervix is almost fully effaced. I don't think it's gonna be much longer now, so I'll have my team and the doctor set up for delivery."

She squeezed my knee, then left quickly, and I sat there in a pool of uncertainty. Rob rubbed my shoulder with one hand and squeezed my hand with his other.

"You're already the perfect mom," he whispered.

I nodded, still not making proper eye contact with him, and he didn't seem convinced. Rob smiled as he brought his forehead to mine so I had no choice but to look him in the eyes. He held both of my hands in his before he tried to get his point through my thick skull.

"No matter what happens, just know I love you. Everyone in here, and plenty of people out in the world, love you so much. You can do this. Okay?"

I sighed, but nodded for real this time. "Okay."

The birth itself was a blur as a team of nurses came in with their setup and the doctor in tow an hour later. By that point, my contractions were so close together that my body was in a constant balled up state of pain. Britney and Yana left the room, and said something about being right outside. My aunt stayed with me, supporting the process on my left side while Rob was on my right. I could barely breathe, even while Rob and the doctor reminded me to do so. Somehow the air was coming into my lungs despite all the tension I felt.

"Are... my parents-" I could barely get the words out, but Rob seemed to get what I was trying to say.

"They're 20 minutes away," he said. I looked up to see him looking at my aunt. She nodded to him, then smiled down at me.

"We're gonna do this together, hon. Okay?" My aunt told me right before the doctor asked me to push.

I didn't scream the way I'd heard women in the movies cry out, but I could sense every part of me feel like it was breaking as I pushed, and pushed, and pushed. The first baby was out and being cleaned, and I could barely open my eyes as I tried to see where they were taking her. My aunt followed my gaze, then smiled back at me.

"She's good, they're just checking her vitals."

"Okay," I sighed right before another contraction shook my whole body. With instructions coming at me from my doctor and encouragement from the two supports on either side of me, I managed to push out the next twin. Rob and I cried into each other as I fell back into the bed. My body was utterly exhausted, but my mind was solely focused on my newborn babies.

A nurse brought the oldest to me, bundled up in a yellow blanket. She squeezed her eyes together, and her mouth opened like she was gonna cry. I brushed my knuckle against her cheek, and her face relaxed almost instantly. Her hair was still a little damp, but the curls were thick and beautiful as they came together in soft clumps.

"She looks like you," Rob whispered, the emotion choking his voice just a little. He kissed our baby's nose, and we laughed as she scrunched her face up again.

Another nurse brought our second twin, and she was wrapped in a green blanket. She placed the bundle of joy in my other arm, and my aunt helped make sure both were supported. Our younger baby looked peaceful as I kissed her forehead. I could swear I saw her smile just a little before she moved her arms under the secure swaddle.

"They're beautiful," I uttered, tears blurring my vision as I looked down at the little lives we'd created. Suddenly I couldn't remember what my life felt like before they'd come into the world, and it didn't seem to matter much.

Once things had been cleaned up, everyone came back in to see the babies. Well, once the nurse that stayed to monitor me and my aunt made sure they washed and sanitized their hands. I'd never seen my sister, Britney, cry as much as she did when she laid eyes on the twins. Whatever emotions my aunt had kept to herself rushed out once my sister started crying, and she must have taken a hundred photos of all of us. Yana made sure to get some pics of her own, and let the twins know that she'd be their favourite auntie, even if not by blood. Britney made sure to correct that statement when Yana was out of earshot. My parents finally made it, and I thought my dad was gonna pass out while my mom bawled.

"Look at you," she exclaimed as she picked up the baby in yellow. She rocked the newborn gently, and I wiped a few tears away from my mom's face.

My dad picked up the baby in green and told her all about how she had our family's nose and the prosperity that came with that. "I'll bring you to some board meetings, and you can tell some of those fools how to do their jobs."

"C'mon dad," I gave him a look, and he shrugged. Rob laughed at the new grandparents, and I watched them fall in love with their first grandbabies until my body pulled me into sleep.

******

The next few hours were filled with waves of visitors and gifts. Rob made sure to keep their visits somewhat brief so that I could get some rest, and I greatly appreciated his thoughtfulness. My aunt came in and out, and she was one of the people that was always welcome. The last time she came, it was with Aaron and my cousins, who were very excited to meet their baby 'nieces.' Rob and Aaron talked on the side while my cousins stared at the babies, supervised by me and their mom.

"Oh, by the way, Liv," my aunt started.

"What's up?"

"When I went to get your stuff before, one of your friends was waiting outside. I don't know if she heard about your pregnancy, but she looked like she wanted to talk about something. I dunno," she shrugged.

I squinted as I tried to think of who she could possibly be talking about. "Friend?"

"Yeah, I think her name was Ill? Or Ib...?"

My heart fell into my stomach as I guessed, "Iz?"

My aunt nodded, "yes. Odd name, huh?"

I didn't say anything, but just looked over to where Rob was talking and laughing with my uncle.

*********

A/N

This was definitely a long one, but I think it deserved as many words as it could get. It's been a while since I last updated, but I'm tryna get a good schedule going so that you guys don't have to wait as long for chapters. This version is almost done, there are 3 more chapters left!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did don't forget to vote and comment. Let me know what you think about the characters. I have my thoughts lol.

Thank you so much my loves!

-Ruth