Flash 05: A Friend Indeed

“Push!” I shouted.

“I AM pushing,” Ginger snapped back as she dug her fingernails deeper into my arm. I gritted my teeth through the pain and fully expected to see blood on my arm. I took the cold washcloth and wiped the sweat off her forehead before it got into her eyes.

“Breathe,” I said, trying to follow the instructions we got in our Lamaze classes. I saw her eyes flash briefly before she snapped.

“If you tell me to breathe one more time, I'm gonna burn this fricking hospital to the ground!” she growled, causing the nurses to look at each other with concern. I saw the looks and tried to reassure them.

“It's okay,” I said. “She doesn't really mean it.” I got close to her ear and whispered. “Remember what Smith and Jones taught you, dear. Breathe. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.” She nodded her head and followed my instructions. Soon, she relaxed her death grip on my arm and seemed to be doing a bit better. I looked and saw the deep red marks where her fingernails had been. No blood, at least not yet.

Eventually, both children made their entrance into the world. Jefferson (Jeff) and Genevieve (Jenny) – named after my maternal grandfather and Ginger's maternal grandmother – were cleaned and presented to me one at a time.

I was struck first by their beauty. I had never seen such beautiful children in my life before. As I held each one, I saw the gold specks in their little blue eyes sparkle, then felt a strange snap in my head as they linked to my mind. They couldn't vocalize it, but each of them knew I was their father. I never felt such unconditional love in my entire life, and I saw myself, or rather, I saw myself as they saw me. I nearly cried as I held them in my arms.

“Look at them, Cam,” Ginger said. That's me, by the way – Cameron Drake, Cam to my friends and family. “Aren't they the most beautiful children you've ever seen?” she asked after I handed the children to her. Tears fell down her cheeks as she looked into their sweet, innocent faces. I could tell they had also made the neural link to her mind as well.

“Yes, they are,” I said. “But they have a beautiful mother, so I'm not surprised.”

She looked at me with a smile. “Do you feel them in your mind?” she asked.

“Yes, I do,” I said. It was a bit... different... feeling their presence in my mind. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

“Yes, it is,” she said. “But at least we won't need a baby monitor.” I chuckled at that. “I'm really very sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it.” I knew from our birthing classes what to expect, but I was a bit surprised at the level of invective she hurled at me while she was in labor.

“I'll give you a pass this time,” I said with a smile, which she returned. After they got Ginger settled into her room, my parents came by, and we went to see the twins. They were just as awestruck as I was when they first looked at the children. For a moment, I thought my mother would lay claim to them.