Christina’s POV

That woke me up. I felt a burst of energy.

I lifted my head. "No. I’ve come this far. Having surgery now would make all this pain for nothing."

If I wanted a C-section, I could have had one ten hours ago.

"I’ll eat," I said in a rough voice.

Earlier, I couldn’t eat because of the pain. But now I thought, forget it. I’d only do this once. No matter how much it hurt, I’d have these babies.

Thinking that, I ate whatever they gave me. Protein bars, juice, anything for energy.

Hudson said nothing. There was nothing he could do except stay with me.

After eating, I lay back and tried to rest between pains. When the pain got better, I closed my eyes.

Hudson stayed next to me, quiet but worried.

I don’t know how long I slept before I woke up screaming.

Hudson was right there. "Christina, what do you need?"

"It hurts," I said through clenched teeth.

All I felt was pain. Nothing else mattered.

"Luna Christina, it’s time," the midwife said through my pain. "Follow my breathing and push. Understand?"

I nodded and listened to her.

At midnight, the first baby was born.

A loud cry filled the room.

I felt relief in my stomach. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at the tiny baby the midwife held up.

Akira, I thought. We did it.

"Yes," she said softly. "We did."

After that first cry, the nurse took the baby away to clean it.

I started to speak, but another contraction came.

Right. There was still another baby.

The second baby came quickly, very quickly. Another cry, then that baby was taken away too.

I fell back, completely exhausted. The midwife worked around me, but I barely noticed.

Something seemed wrong.

I lifted myself up a little and looked over.

Hudson stood still by the wall. He hadn’t moved or said anything since the babies were born. He just stood there looking.

"Hudson," I whispered.

His whole body jumped. His eyes focused, like he was waking up.

He came over and knelt down, taking my hand quietly.

I was too tired to talk. Having twins had exhausted me completely. I closed my eyes.

He kissed my forehead. He spoke quietly and roughly in my ear.

"You were amazing."

When I opened my eyes, sunlight came through the hospital window. I blinked at the ceiling, confused.

Still here in this bed.

My body felt like it had been hit by a truck.

The room was very quiet.

I turned my head slowly. Hudson and the babies weren’t there.

Where was everyone?

I tried to sit up, but my arms were too weak. I fell back against the pillows.

Great.

The door opened and Hudson walked in. His face lit up when he saw me awake.

"You’re awake," he said, coming to the bed and helping me sit up against him.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I got run over," I said quietly. "Twice."

He reached for the nurse button. "I’ll call the doctor."

I caught his wrist. "Don’t. I’m okay."

He frowned. "But you just said—"

"I’m tired and hungry. A doctor can’t help with that. Just get me food."

Hudson paused, then nodded and got his phone.

While he ordered food, I looked around the empty room again. I felt worried.

"Where are the babies?"

He finished the call and put his phone down. "They’re in the baby unit being watched. Normal for twins."

"Oh."

I felt more disappointed than I expected.

I’d only seen them for a moment after birth. Two tiny, crying babies taken away before I could really see them. But I couldn’t forget that image.

Waking up without them felt wrong, like something was missing.

Akira spoke quietly in my mind. "They’re safe, she said quietly. Rest."

"Who said you can’t see them?" Hudson said suddenly. He got his phone again, touched the screen, and gave it to me.

A video call showing the baby unit through the glass wall.

Two tiny babies were sleeping in their incubators. They had thick hair for newborns, and their little mouths moved like they were dreaming about eating.

I felt emotional.

"They’re so small," I whispered.

"They’re perfect," Hudson said proudly.

I couldn’t stop looking. "They’re so cute."

"Of course they are. Look at their parents."

I looked at him. "You’re so confident."

"I’m just telling the truth."

I would have argued, but I was too busy looking at the screen.

A few minutes later, someone knocked at the door. A nurse brought food.

I didn’t want it anymore.

Then Hudson took the phone from my hands.

"Hey—"

"Eat," he said firmly, ending the call and putting the phone away.

I stared at him angrily. "You’re demanding."

"You need to eat."

He gave me a fork, but my hand shook so much I almost dropped it.

Without saying anything, Hudson took the fork back and got some food. He held it toward me.

I sighed and opened my mouth.

"Are they boys or girls?" I asked while eating.

"One boy, one girl."

I stopped chewing. "Wait, really? So which one is Maple and which one is Captain Crunch?"

Hudson almost smiled. "You’ll find out."

After I ate, I felt stronger. I immediately thought about one thing.

The babies.

"I want to see them," I said.

Hudson stood and pushed the nurse button. A few minutes later, a nurse came with a wheelchair.

He helped me get in it, and we went down the hall.

Instead of stopping at the window, Hudson took me straight into the baby unit.

The room was warm with soft lighting. Two incubators were next to each other, each with a sleeping baby.

I felt emotional.

We stopped between them, and I leaned forward.

"Which one is Maple?" I whispered.

Hudson pointed to the left one. "That’s Maple." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Maple was a boy.

He lay on his back with tiny fists near his face, looking very peaceful.

I put my hand on the glass. "Hi, Maple. I’m your mom."

Suddenly, the other baby cried loudly.

I was startled. "What—"

"That’s Captain Crunch," Hudson said in a flat voice.

I moved closer to her incubator. "Hey, sweetie, it’s okay. Mama’s here."

While I watched her, Maple started crying too. They both cried, trying to be louder than each other.

A nurse came over quickly.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, worried. "Why are they crying?"

"Maybe they’re hungry," Hudson said.

The nurse said no. "They ate thirty minutes ago. It’s probably not that."

"Then what is it?"

She opened Maple’s incubator and checked his diaper. "He’s clean."

She went to Captain Crunch and checked her. "Ah. Found it."

She changed Captain Crunch quickly, and she stopped crying.

I was surprised. "So she’s the girl and he’s the boy?"

Hudson nodded.

"Maybe we should switch their names," I said quietly.

Before Hudson could answer, I got excited. "Hudson, look! Maple opened his eyes!"

Hudson leaned in, but looked calm.

The nurse smiled. "Newborns can’t see much yet, but they know when their parents are near."

"They can’t see?" I felt disappointed.

"Not clearly. But soon."

Maple’s eyes were bright. I moved closer. "Hey, Maple. I’m your mom."

He smiled a tiny smile.

I felt so happy. "Hudson, he smiled! He really smiled!"

Before Hudson could answer, Captain Crunch started crying again.

We both looked at her. As soon as we looked, she stopped crying, opened her eyes, and smiled.

I laughed. "Really?"

I leaned over her incubator. "Hi, Captain Crunch. I’m your mom."

She stayed quiet, still smiling.

I played with her for a while, completely focused. Then I remembered Maple.

When I looked back, he was lying there quietly, opening and closing his fists. So calm and well-behaved.

I felt guilty.

I had ignored him.

I moved closer to his incubator, but as soon as I moved away from Captain Crunch, she started crying again.

I went back. She stopped crying.

I tried several more times with the same result.

Finally, I gave up and stayed near Captain Crunch.

When she finally got tired and fell asleep, Maple was already sleeping too.

Going back to my room, Hudson looked like he was thinking.

I sighed. "Captain Crunch is so demanding. Why does she cry every time I leave? I wasn’t going far."

"Maybe she likes you," Hudson said. "She doesn’t want you to go."

"I like that idea."

They were ours.

Hudson leaned down and kissed my cheek.

I relaxed in his arms, feeling warm.

Meeting Hudson was the best thing that happened to me.

"Have I told you I love you?" I asked.

"Not today."

"I love you."

He didn’t need to say it back.

I could see it in his eyes.

—The End—