Pop Goes The Belly

Life was going great everything seemed to be falling into place. Erica lived on in memory for everyone, Sinclair and I were happier than ever. Late one afternoon, I was painting the babies' room while dancing and listening to music. I felt so free and happy. Sinclair never let me worry or stress about anything. It was like I was living in a fairytale. I had painted the room gold with blue and pink on opposite sides of the room. Sinclair and I hadn't thought about names yet, so it was hard to get plaques like I wanted. After I finished painting, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen, starting to cook dinner before Sinclair got home from work. I grabbed my phone and made a few calls to ensure the preparations for my photo contest were all set. It was the only thing I had been working on now that Sinclair had me on house arrest, but it kept me busy.

"Baby, I'm home!" "In the kitchen!" I smiled when I felt Sinclair's arms wrap around me tightly. "Mm hey, baby, I missed yo-… baby, I told you I would paint." "How did you know?" "Haha, baby, you smell like you drenched yourself in it." I smiled as he hugged me tighter. "You were working. It would be best not to have to come home and work more. I can take care of things here while I'm pregnant. It's not like you let me leave to do anything else." "Hey, you know I'm just looking out for you. I want you to relax by the pool or walk through the roses daily." I turned around and kissed him softly, then pulled away. "You know I'm not the lazy type, baby. I want to be out working and helping around town." "After you have the twins, okay? You can stroll the town with them. I can't wait to see you be a fantastic mother."

He walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. "Speaking of mothers… how come I know nothing about your parents?" He slowly stopped as if I told him I was leaving him, then he looked over and smiled. "Babe, I don't have contact with my family." I looked at him knowing he had that fake smile. As always, it became a thing I noticed often. The raise of the eyebrow and the way he squinted his eyes. Yes, that was the fake smile, the same things I looked for every time, and yet to my surprise, they were there. "Sinclair, please... wouldn't they want to know if they had grandchildren?" He sighed, "Baby, please just drop this…What's for dinner?" He kissed my cheek and opened his beer, taking a sip. "Lasagna..." I looked at him, wondering why his parents were such a touchy subject. "Sounds yummy, baby. If you need me, I'll be in my office." I kissed him softly before he walked off then I decided to call a few gang members. "Hey Michael, what can you tell me about Sinclair's parents?"

Everyone I called refused to tell me. Not one person was willing to tell me anything. I walked to Sinclair's office and knocked before walking in, "Baby, dinner is ready." As I walked in, he quickly closed his laptop and smiled, "Okay, baby." We walked into the dining room together as he took his seat; I dished him up and then did the same for myself before sitting. "So, baby, what's going on at the office?" "Ah, well, the same thing as always. I guess I'm working on a case now. I'm thinking about dropping it." "Why, baby?" "I'm close with the guy I'm supporting, but he had someone kill his wife… I know he did it." I smiled softly. Sinclair was always right, especially when it came to following his gut. "Or get him to admit it; make him believe you can help him better if you knew the truth. You can't just drop him. He could find another lawyer that could help him win this case. I know it's hard to deal with things like this, but you want someone like this put away, not having a chance of getting away."

He smirked and looked at me, "Why don't you give up photography and study law?" I laughed and then looked into his eye. "No, thank you. I'll leave the crime to you if you leave the landscape to me." He chuckled and nodded as we started eating. After dinner, Sinclair helped me clean the dishes, and then we went upstairs and got ready for bed. "Babe, we never discussed names for the kids." I looked at him as I walked out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me. "How about Eli? Like Elijah?" I smiled as I joined him at the sink, "How do you feel about the matching names?" "Ugh!!! So corny!!!" We both laughed, and I shoved him as I brushed my teeth. "Eli and Elena." "Really? You like that?" "Well, I think it's cute." "How corny!" He laughed as I made fun of him then we both continued to brush our teeth.

After I finished, I rinsed my mouth, then walked out and climbed into bed. Sinclair joined me and cuddled me, "Oh, how good it feels to hold my lovely wife after a long day at work." I laughed and kissed his head, "Goodnight, baby." "Goodnight, Octavia." He slid down and kissed my belly, "Goodnight Eli, Goodnight Elena." We slowly drifted off to sleep together. Nothing in the world felt better than lying in his arms. In the middle of the night, I suddenly jumped up from extreme pain. I grabbed my stomach as I screamed out. I pulled the covers back as I tried to get out of bed, and suddenly the entire bed got wet. "Oh my god, my water broke. Ah!! Sinclair! The babies are coming." He quickly sat up and jumped out of bed, getting dressed. "Are you sure you aren't due for another two weeks!?" "I said they are coming!!!"

With no other questions, Sinclair rushed and got the hospital bags. As he took it to the car, I slowly got out of bed, and he ran back inside and helped me outside. "It's okay, baby..." After helping me in the car, he rushed to the driver's side and sped to the hospital as fast as he could. "Sinclair!!!" "I know, baby. Take my hand," I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Ma- maybe grab softer…." I couldn't help but wring his hands as the contractions continued. Once we arrived at the hospital, Sinclair parked at the door, then ran in, and the next thing I knew, he was running back out with a few nurses and a wheelchair.

He helped me out of the car and into the wheelchair. The nurses rushed me to the delivery room and helped me onto the bed. I watched as they ran around and called the doctor then Sinclair grabbed my chin and made me look into his eyes. "Hey, it's a moment of pain for a lifetime of happiness... yeah?" I nodded, and he kissed me as I started to cry from the pain. I pressed my forehead against his knowing that it was all worth it. I had the man of my dreams, and I was giving birth to the most precious babies in the world.

After two hours, I slowly opened my eyes to the dimmed room; I didn't remember falling asleep. "Hey, gorgeous." I smiled and looked at Sinclair, "Don't lie to me. I just gave birth, and I am tired. I know I look dead." He laughed and kissed my head as I closed my eyes and smiled weakly. "Where are Eli and Elena?" He pointed to two small bassinets, "They are asleep but don't worry, the nurse should be back any sec-" There was a knock at the door, and he smiled. "Right on time, Come in!" The nurse walked in and smiled at us. "Great, you are awake! It's time for skin-to-skin contact." Sinclair stood and put on some hand sanitizer before picking up Eli and slowly pulling off his blanket. I pulled down my robe, and Sinclair laid him on my chest

I held his tiny body close to mine; he was so precious and handsome. Sinclair then picked up Elena and sat next to me, smiling. "Aren't they beautiful?" I nodded and started to tear up as he pressed our heads together. "I promise to protect you three. Even if it kills me…..."