Chapter 98

2 hours later

Doctor Martin walked in and smiled at me.

"How are you doing, Ms. Evans?" he asked.

"How do you think I'm doing? I'm in labor," I responded, exasperatedly.

"Okay, good," he said. Then he turned to the nurse. "How's she doing?"

"The contractions are now within minutes of each other and she's almost fully dilated," the nurse explained.

"Okay, that's good," Doctor Martin said. "The nurses ad I will get prepared and then see if we can get these children of yours delivered."

Then he quickly vanished.

"No," I cried. "I can't have them before Kevin gets here. He has to be here."

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I think your babies are going to decide to arrive, whether or not Kevin is here," Lauren said.

"Well then Mr. Richardson better get his ass here now!" I exclaimed.

Then Doctor Martin came back in, with a couple of more nurses.

"Is she ready yet?" he asked.

"No!" I yelled. "I'm not ready."

The nurse smiled. "Not yet, she's not quite fully dilated, but it won't be much longer."

"Char, call Kevin," Lauren said urgently.

"Okay," Char said, pulling out the cell.

Kevin quickly answered his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, where are you?"

"Brian just now pulled into the hospital parking lot."

"Well, have him drop you off in the front, Janel's just about ready to deliver your children."

"What? Are you serious?" Kevin asked surprised. "Is that her in the background?"

"Yes to all of your questions, now get your butt here."

"I just got out of the car."

"Okay, I'll go out there and find you."

"K, bye."

Char hung up and then walked out. "I'm going to get Kevin!" she yelled before the door closed.

"Did you hear that sis?" Lauren asked as she wiped the perspiration from my forehead. "Kevin's here and he'll be in this room with you any minute now."

"I don't know how much longer I can wait," I said, in between breaths.

Kevin walked into the hospital, frantically searching for Char's face. He didn't see her, but the next thing he knew she had a hold of his arm, leading him through the hospital.

"Hi Kev," she said quickly.

"Hey," he said.

Then she opened the door, pushing Kevin in.

"I'm going to get the other guys," she said, and then disappeared.

"Kevin!" I cried as I saw him.

Kevin immediately rushed to Janel's side. He bent down and kissed her.

"I'm so sorry Pumpkin," Kevin apologized. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're here now," I said.

Then I felt another excruciating pain rip through my body.

I quickly grabbed onto Kevin's hand.

"Breath…breath," Kevin said as he began coaching me. "In and out."

I shook my head, meaning that I was breathing.

"Just concentrate on me," Kevin said as he wiped my forehead.

Then everyone came into the room. They all stood around me.

After the contraction had passed, I managed to smile at them.

"Hey guys," I said.

"Hey Shorty," A.J. said. "How are you holding up?"

"So, so," I said. "But I'm better now that my Boo is here."

Kevin took my hand and kissed it.

"We tried to get him here as fast as we could," Nick said.

"Yeah, and we had to switch places, just so we could make it here in one piece," Brian said.

"What? I had complete control of the truck," Kevin said.

All the guys started laughing.

"Yeah, complete control," Howie said, sarcastically. "Oh, except for when you didn't have your hands on the steering wheel and we began drifting into the other lane."

"Oops," Kevin said, smiling.

"Okay, it's wonderful that you're all here to supporting Ms. Evans," Doctor Martin said. "But I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave, except the father."

Everyone started to whine, as the nurse began pushing all of them out.

"We'll be right out here!" yelled Ashley.

"Wait!" Lauren said. "Can I stay? She's my sister."

"Okay, but only you and Mr. Richardson," Doctor Martin said.

"Thank you," Lauren said.

Then she came around to the left side of my bed, holding my hand.

"She's fully dilated," the nurse said.

Then Kevin watched as Janel's face became tense, showing the pain that she was feeling. Again she held on tightly to his hand as she stared into his eyes.

"Is she supposed to be feeling this much pain?" Kevin asked the doctor, worriedly.

"Yes, Mr. Richardson. It's normal," the doctor said.

"Are you sure?" Kevin asked, uncertain.

"Yes," Doctor Martin replied. "But it'll only last for a little longer."

"I'm sorry," Kevin said. "You know that I'd take the pain away from you if I could."

"It's okay Boo," I said.

Kevin didn't feel okay though. He hated to see her in so much pain. He knew that it was part of the natural process, but it still hurt him to see in her pain, no matter what kind. He knew that she had been through enough pain, physically and emotionally, and she didn't need anymore. He could see in her eyes that she was scared.

"Everything's going to be fine," Kevin whispered into my ear. Then he kissed my forehead.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he said, smiling at me.

Lauren and Kevin were quickly thrown rags. "Here put these on," the nurse ordered.

They both hurriedly changed and then they were back at my side.

"Okay, Janel, I'm going to need you to start pushing now," Doctor Martin said.

I nervously bit my lip. Then my heart began racing faster than it all ready was.

"On 3, okay?" he asked.

I shook my head yes.

"Okay, 1…2…3," he said.

Then I began pushing with all my strength.

"Come on, push," Kevin said.

Then the doctor interrupted, putting his hand up.

"Janel, wait. I need you to stop," the doctor said.

Kevin noticed the worried expression on the doctor's face.

"What? What is it?" Kevin asked.

"Nothing," the doctor said.

"Don't lie to us," Kevin said. "Please tell us the truth."

"Okay," the doctor agreed. "Because you're having twins, they're both fighting to come out, and one of the babies' feet is in the way."

I began to panic. "Are they okay? Is everything going to be okay?"

"What does that mean?" Kevin questioned. "Janel won't be hurt, right?"

"Everything will be fine, just let us work," Doctor Martin said.

The Waiting Room

"Did she have them yet?" Stacey asked as her and Tina walked up to everyone.

"No, not yet," answered Ashley.

"Where is she?" Tina asked.

"Down the hall," Nick replied as he pulled Tina onto his lap.

"Can we go see her?" Stacey asked, excitedly.

"No, the nurses kicked us out," A.J. said.

"Aww…I wanted to let her know that I'm here," Stacey whined.

"It's okay Stace, she knows that you're here," A.J. said a she took her hand. "Now sit down next to me."

"Do you guys know what they decided to name the twins?" Tina questioned.

Everyone looked at each other and then responded, "No, I don't know. They haven't said anything."

"Ashley, you don't know?" Nick asked, surprised.

"No, Janel wouldn't tell me. She said that her and Kevin were still deciding," Ashley said.

"Brian, do you know?" A.J. asked.

"No, I don't know either. Both Kev and Janel wouldn't tell me," Brian answered.

Delivery Room

"Come on sweetheart, one more good push," Lauren said.

"I can see the head," Doctor Martin informed us.

"Come on Pumpkin, I know you can do it," Kevin said.

I took a deep breath and then began pushing again.

"Aah!" I screamed, as the pain got worse as my child was being born.

Then the doctor took my baby and handed it to the nurse.

"It's a baby boy," she said smiling at us.

As Kevin and I heard our little boy cry for the first time, we also began crying tears of joy.

I wrapped my arms around Kevin as he kissed me. "I love you."

"I love you more," Kevin choked out.

"Okay, I know you two are thrilled with this new bundle of joy, but I believe your baby girl is waiting to make her arrival," Doctor Martin said, smiling.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I shook my head yes.

"Okay, just a few really good pushes and then it'll all be over with," Doctor Martin said. "Then you'll be able to hold the two little people that you brought into this world."

I smiled as tears streamed down my face. "Okay."

Lauren and Kevin then placed their hand in mine.

"On 3," Doctor Martin said. "One…two…three."

As he said three, I began pushing. Then the next thing I knew, I heard another baby crying.

"It's a baby girl!" the nurse said.

Then Lauren, Kevin, and I all began crying.

"Congratulations baby sis," Lauren said as she hugged me.

"Thank you for staying with me," I said.

"Of course," she said as she let go of me.

Then Kevin just stood there staring at me, with tears falling from his eyes.

"There aren't words to explain how much I love you right now," Kevin said, smiling.

I shook my head, agreeing with him completely.

Then he came over to me and kissed me as I held onto him.

Lauren went over to Kevin and began pulling on his arm. "Come on, the nurses are kicking us out again."

Kevin rested his forehead against mine, smiling at me.

"You're going to have to let go of me now," he whispered.

I smiled as I kissed his nose. "Oh okay," I said as I reluctantly let go him.

Then Lauren continued to pull him out the door.

"You can come right back in Mr. Richardson, just give us a few minutes," the nurse said.

"Okay, I'll be back shortly," Kevin said, before walking out.

Then he began running towards the waiting room with Lauren close behind him.

Everyone stopped talking as Kevin entered the room. They noticed he had tears in his eyes. They weren't sure if it was from happiness or something terrible had happened. But they didn't have to speculate for long.

"I'm a dad!" Kevin exclaimed, happily. "I have two healthy children!"

All at once, they got up and went over to Kevin, hugging and congratulating him.

"Thanks guys," Kevin said. "And thank you for being here, even though you got kicked out."

"No problem cuz," Brian said. "You know that Ash and I are always here for you two."

"How is Janel?" Ashley asked. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Lauren said. "A little tired, but she's happy."

"Like this goofball over here?" Nick asked, while pointing towards Kevin who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, look at him," A.J. said. "Happiness is practically radiating off of him."

"I can't help it," Kevin said, still smiling. "It's just this feeling… I don't know how to explain it. I guess its like complete bliss; I don't know…I can feel all this love surrounding us…it's such a great feeling."

The guys laughed at Kevin who had this dreamy look on his face, as though he was the happiest man in the world.

"You know what I mean," Kevin said, smiling. "Anyways, do you want to see them?"

"Of course!" Stacey exclaimed. "I want to see my new niece and nephew."

"Okay," Kevin said, excitedly. "Follow me," he said as he quickly walked back to Janel's room.

The nurse walked over to me and placed my little boy into my arms first, and then she placed my little girl into my arms.

Tears of joy were streaming down my face as I slowly bent forward and gently kissed them on the forehead. Then I just stared at them in amazement, while they lay staring back at me with their eyes open. The realization of what I held in my arms took a while to hit me, but when it did, I was thrilled that here in my arms were Kevin's children and mine. It was an absolute amazing feeling of overwhelming joy and happiness.

Kevin stood outside Janel's room, stopping everyone from entering.

"Let me go in there real quick to make sure it's okay," Kevin said.

"All right, fine. But hurry up," Char said.

Kevin smiled; then he turned around and quietly entered Janel's room. Kevin walked over to his fiancée and two children.

"Look, Daddy's here," I said as I continued to stare at my babies.

"They're beautiful," Kevin whispered as he gently placed his finger on his son's tiny hand.

"Do you want to hold your son?" I asked as I looked up at Kevin.

"Yes," he said, smiling.

I gently lifted my son up. "Here he is," I said as Kevin's big hands took of the tiny bundle.

"Hi my baby boy," Kevin whispered.

"B-Rok, are you just going to stare at us or are you going to come in?" I questioned as I watched my baby girl sleep.

Brian stood there shocked. He didn't think either of them had noticed him peeking through the door, since they were focusing all their attention on the twins.

"Well…" I said as I looked up at him and smiled.

He smiled back at me and then entered the room, along with everyone else.

Kevin placed his index finger over his lips. "Shh…they're sleeping."

All of them, crowded into the room creating a circle around us.

"I'd like you to meet our new additions to the family," I said as I held my daughter upright a little more. "Brianna Lynn Richardson."

"And Kristopher Brett Richardson," Kevin said as he proudly showed his son to them.

Then the guys went over to Kevin while the girls surrounded me.

After that, all you could hear was "Ooohh!", "Awwww!", "How cute!" and "She's beautiful!"

"Okay, switch!" Howie said.

Then the girls went over to Kevin and the guys came over to me.

And it started all over again, "Awww!", "How cute!", and "He's gorgeous."

Neither Kevin nor I said a thing; we just stared at our children, while everyone else obsessed over how cute they were.

"Okay…Mom, Son, and Daughter need their rest now," the nurse said.

"I know, I know," Brian said. "We'll be leaving soon."

The nurse smiled and quietly left.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Char said.

"Yes, every single one of us," said Nick.

"Thank you for being here," I said.

"No problem Shorty," A.J. said.

Then they each took turns hugging Kevin and I, but carefully so that they wouldn't hurt our babies. Last to leave was Howie and Lauren.

"I'm so happy for you," Lauren said as she hugged me.

"Thank you so much for being here with me, I don't know what I would have done without you," I said. "I love you Big Sister."

"I love you too Baby Sis," she said. "You take care of her, Kev."

"I will, I'm staying right here with her," Kevin said.

"So do you want us to take Char back to your guys' house?" Howie asked.

"Oh yes, please," I said. "She has my key."

"All right," Howie said. Then he kissed me on the cheek. "Congratulations again you two."

"Thanks Howie," we replied.

Then they quietly left the room.

"Scoot over Pumpkin so that I can hold you in my arms," Kevin said.

"Okay," I said. "Here Daddy, hold your baby girl for a second."

Kevin reached out his arm and took Brianna.

As soon as Kevin had a hold of Brianna, I moved over to the edge of the bed. Then I held out my arms, as he placed Kristopher into my hands and then Brianna. Once they were safely lying in my arms, Kevin carefully got on the bed, snuggling close to me. He wrapped his arm around me and the other arm he placed underneath Brianna. Every so often he would touch her soft baby hand and gently rub it.

I then began studying their little faces. Neither of them had fully opened their eyes, so their eye color was yet to be determined. But both of them had cute little button noses. Brianna had beautiful round cheeks and beautiful little lips; she looked like little a doll full of life. I knew that she would be our little princess. And as for Kristopher, you could barely see his dark hair, but it was there along with the cutest little toes you had ever seen. From the pictures I had seen of Kevin when he was baby, Kristopher was the exact image of Kevin as a baby…he was adorable. Kristopher would become our handsome little prince.

Kevin and I sat there in silence absolutely content. Content that we had two new little bundles of joy that would brighten up our day from now until forever. The world could have crashed around us, and we would have still been content, as long as we had our children.

As I continually stared at them, I realized that nothing else in the world mattered now. Everything that had previously happened in my life…the 2 years of absolute fear living with Jerry, the loneliness afterwards, along with the worthlessness that I felt, the numerous attacks on me, the pain Kevin had caused…none of that mattered anymore. The only thing that mattered was my family. Kevin, Brianna, and Kristopher…my reason worth living…my life.