16 and having twins!

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Matthew

' Do you want to go and see Anna? She's still unconscious but is doing much better,' Dr Quinn asked. It had been a week since the girls were born, both girls were little fighters. There had been some complications with Erica during her first night, so she was put on oxygen but Chloe was a trouper like her mum. Due to the nature of their birth and the fact that they were born during the gestational period of seven months, instead of nine, they were kept in for observation but everything seemed dandy.

I nodded as I followed her towards Anna's room. They still hadn't found the route of the issue that occurred during labour but they had said that the strain on Anna's body had caused exceptional stress and her falling into a coma was her body's way of reacting. She was out of the woods though, the resus team were no longer on call as although she was still heavily dosed on IV fluid and weak morphine, to counteract the pain of the caesarean, she was doing well. 'The girls can't come, I'm afraid, as their immune system is just picking up, and Anna's is so weak that it may not fight off any infections that the twins may have,' Dr Quinn explained. I nodded as I kissed the Chloe goodbye on her little forehead, and stroking Erica's wispy hair through the incubator where she now lay. They had to stay in a nursery, where specialised nurses could watch over them, and treat them, but I was allowed to stay with them during the day, only leaving them at night.

'You go,' Cheryl smiled, taking a seat as she arrived with her coffee from the cafe. 'I'll sit with Chloe and Erica and then we can swap,' she finished, taking a swig as she passed me my bottled Evian water.

'Thank you Cheryl, so much. I appreciate it,' I smiled, following Dr Quinn towards where Anna lay, on Elizabeth Ward Bay three. She was surrounded by the elderly, or very thin, pale people. She didn't belong there. My heart broke seeing her look so weak, yet so strong - fighting to get better for her children.

A few of the fellow patients lay mumbling to themselves, or talking in gobbledegook to their deceased parents - the drugs clearly affecting them, not Anna. Anna lay in a tranquil state, her dyed blonde hair splayed out on the pristine, yet creased, pillow - a stark contrast. She looked peaceful, yet beautiful. She was wired up, oxygen wires around her nose and ears and IV fluids being pumped into her inner elbow.

'I'll leave you for now, the doctor may be coming round soon,' Dr Quinn smiled as she turned to leave. I gave her a nod of thanks before taking Anna's small, now thin, hand in my own for my benefit more than hers. I longed for the physical contact, whether she knew it or not. For now there was peace, when she woke up and I told her the news that may break, but for now, she was peaceful and totally unaware of my heartbreak.

'I'm so proud of you,' I whispered, kissing her ghostly pale forehead. 'Our girls are beautiful, like their mummy, but they want to see you and to have that skin to skin contact. We're all so worried about you, baby, wake up. Please,' I cried, lowering my head to rest on her hospital bed, my hair resting on the outline of her thinning figure in the sheets.

I must've nodded off in that position, due to lack of sleep at home and in hospital, as what seemed like only a few moments later, I was awoken by a male doctor, telling me to leave as visiting hours were over. It was ten pm. I'd been asleep for nine hours. Mumbling an apology, I kissed her dry, chapped lips before turning to walk away, internally promising to visit her as soon as I could. Walking away from the love of my life was the hardest thing I could ever do, leaving her in such a vulnerable, unforgiving state of vegetation, the only saving grace was the fact that I knew she'd want me to sit by our girls' bedside and sing them soft lullaby's as they slept, just as I did to her bump as soon as we found out they could hear the outside world.

' Hey girls,' I mumbled, kissing Chloe's forehead and touching the top of Erica's incubator.

'Matthew! I have good news,' Cheryl exclaimed as her and James walked through the door. The pair of them, very similar to I, had rarely left the hospital, they were desperate for news on their daughter and wouldn't risk missing it. 'Earlier, when you were with Anna, Dr Quinn came round and told us that Chloe was doing fantastically and Erica was improving little by little,' she beamed, catching her husbands hand in her own.

'That's great! The doctor didn't say much about Anna, just told me to leave really,' I frowned, rubbing the creases from my brow. Cheryl's face fell, she clearly expected at least some news, however good or bad it may have been. 'She's still on oxygen and unconscious but from what I could gather, she's doing as well as expected,' I just repeated some of Dr Quinns words from earlier.

' I've changed Chloe earlier, just before I left,' Cheryl informed as I picked my daughter up from the cold enclosure of the transparent prison. Even though we hadn't got the nursery painted, both cots were put together and placed in the spare room of the flat, whilst the woven grey moses baskets stood at the foot of the bed - I just wanted my babies at home now, even if I couldn't have my girlfriend there too.

'I'll go and change her now then, and change her clothes,' I smiled, kissing Chloe's soft browbone. Cheryl and James nodded as they took a seat by Erica's cot. 'Hey baby, baby, baby,' I sung softly to no particular tune. Chloe squirmed in my arms as we headed towards the unit, which stood in a little room just off the nursery. I changed her wet nappy and put her in an 'I <3 my mummy' babygro, when an idea came into my head.

I exited the room, and walked right past the door to the nursery, and towards Elizabeth Ward, where Anna lay. Convincing myself that all my girlfriend needed to wake her up, was the skin to skin contact with her daughter, I stalked over, the sudden increased pace awoke the sleeping Chloe and little wails erupted from her tiny rosebud mouth.

I kept an eye out as I knew this was not allowed for Chloe's sake and Anna's but deep down I was certain some skin on skin contact was all that was needed to help Anna wake up.

Every so often I would duck to avoid being caught red handed by a nurse walking past to an emergency or a buzzer going off.