TWELVE YEARS LATER
“Arcineh?” Gage asked sleepily, coming into the kitchen at 2:00 A.M.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Did I wake you?”
“I think so. What are you doing?”
“Are you hiding any white chocolate?”
Gage had to smile. His wife’s stomach was so extended she couldn’t even reach over the top of the fridge. And as with all of her pregnancies, white chocolate had been the mainstay.
“I think I might have some in the den.”
“I already looked.”
Gage had to smile again.
“I just need a little,” Arcineh said.
“Right now?”
“Yes. Do you think Sam has some?”
“Knowing Sam, he does, but we’re not going to wake him.”
“I’ll run to the store.”
“Are you a little tired?” Gage asked, praying for a yes but also thankful he was off work right now.
“A little.”
“Come on, I’ll rub your back until you fall asleep. And then in the morning,” Gage continued, talking when she might have tried a new tack, “I’ll head right to Sam’s for white chocolate.”
Arcineh agreed, knowing it was selfish to do anything else but not sure she would fall back to sleep. She hadn’t planned to wake up, but she’d had to use the bathroom, and then the vanilla scented soap had sent her mind off.
“Come on,” Gage invited her, his arm going around her.
And he was good at his word. He rubbed his wife’s back for almost 30 minutes. It took that long for her to fall off to sleep. Indeed she slept so hard that Gage was back with the white chocolate before she woke. Arcineh found it on the nightstand when her eyes opened.
“I want you to go,” Arcineh said.
Gage stared at his wife, trying to gauge the situation, but then she played the trump card.
“The boys will be so disappointed, and this is Kenny’s first year.”
“But they’ll understand if you’re about to go into labor,” Gage argued.
“I just saw the doctor. It’s going to be ten days at least and probably two weeks.”
The boys they were speaking of made an appearance before Gage could say anything else. Ten-year-old Ethan was first. Behind him was three-year-old Kenny and then eight- and seven- year-old Tanner and Derek.
“We’re hungry.”
“That’s a shock,” Arcineh teased, reaching for the crackers. “Peanut butter or cheese?”
The answers to that were varied, so Arcineh made a few of each. Even Gage wanted some.
“Not hungry?” he asked his wife.
She looked guilty before admitting, “I ate all four squares of the chocolate.”
“Was it good?” Gage asked with amused eyes, reminding Arcineh why this man was so special.
“It was. Thanks for getting it.”
“You’re welcome. Now, back to the discussion.”
Gage drew his wife into the family room, telling the boys to stay put. He sat her down and spoke seriously. “We can postpone this trip.”
“Please don’t. Even if something starts, you’ll have the phone and you’re not that far.”
“Three hours.”
“Things never move that fast.”
With a little more discussion, Gage agreed, hoping they were doing the right thing. He did so with some reservation, but he was also very excited. His annual bike trip had turned into a much less taxing trek that the family made each year. Gage didn’t know when he’d had such fun. The first year, Ethan and Tanner had been only five and three. They had repeated it ever since, three being the magic age when the boys could join them and not stay with great-grandpa. Arcineh usually went with them, but being eight-and-a-half months pregnant made that out of the question.
Kenny came looking for his mother just then. He tried to climb into her disappearing lap, and Arcineh cuddled him close.
“Are you ready for the bike trip tomorrow?” she asked.
“I want you to come,” Kenny said. He’d been a bit clingy lately.
“I want to, but it’s not going to work this year. You’ll still have a great time.”
“Papa says we can pray for you.”
“Thank you,” Arcineh said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I’ll pray for you too.”
Kenny looked up at her, and Gage had to fight his doubts again. Kenny was reticent, and his wife looked ready to burst. Arcineh looked his way and caught his expression.
“Go,” she said softly. “It will be all right.”
Gage nodded, and true to his word, they left in the morning.
Jalaina and her two youngest had just left when Arcineh felt a familiar pain. She had gone into false labor twice over the years, so she didn’t panic but thought she would check to see if Sam and Violet were at home. Her grandfather came right away, but Violet was out.
“I’m too old for this,” he told her, kissing her cheek and taking in the sweat on her brow. She had had a strong contraction that felt like the real thing right after talking to Sam.
“I need your advice,” Arcineh said.
“Okay.”
“I pressed Gage to go on the bike trip. Do I tell him about it so he has to rush back or just have the baby and hope he understands?”
Sam’s look of horror was hysterical.
“You haven’t called him yet?”
“No.”
Sam began to stand, but Arcineh stopped him.
“I’m not sure yet, Sam. It could be false.”
“Get up,” he ordered. “We’re going to the hospital.”
“Why?”
“So they can tell us if this is real.”
Arcineh nodded and began to stand. She had just straightened her back when her water broke.
“What’s the matter?” Sam asked, his face alarmed.
“My water just broke.”
Sam sighed before saying again, “I’m too old for this.”
Arcineh laughed as she dialed her husband and then the doctor. She only reached the latter, and much as she hated to do it, left her husband an apologetic message before gathering her things to leave for the hospital.
“Any sign of him, Vi?”
“No, sweetheart, but we know he’s on his way,” Vi said, having just arrived herself.
Arcineh looked up at Violet, who had finally begun to age, and smiled at her.
“What would I do without you?” Arcineh asked.
“Same thing I would do without you—be heartbroken.”
Arcineh smiled at her just as another pain hit. She heard Violet praying softly, glad for the reminder that God had a plan and that His plan had included saving Violet just before Ethan was born.
“That was bad,” Arcineh gasped. “I feel like I need to push.”
“I’ll get someone.”
Arcineh was right. Just 15 minutes later, the doctor was there and he was coaching Arcineh through the birth. Violet stayed close by. Arcineh could not have said when Gage arrived, but he was suddenly there too.
“I’m sorry,” she cried when he kissed her.
“It’s all right. I’m here now.”
“I’m sorry,” she gasped this time, and then desperately had to push. A little boy came into the world just 14 minutes later, and Arcineh had to laugh.
“We already have a name picked out,” she said. “I knew it would be a boy.”
Gage kissed her and laughed with her. They were looking at their new son, thrilled with his perfect little person, when Arcineh felt another contraction. The doctor was just on his way out when Arcineh gasped.
Ten minutes of mayhem passed before the doctor told his patient she was carrying another baby. Arcineh would have had many questions, but the pains were on her, and she was soon ready to push again.
Another 18 minutes passed this time, and when it was done, Gage openly cried as the nurse put a tiny baby on Arcineh’s chest. It was a girl.
“How are you?” Arcineh asked of her sons when they came to visit her in the hospital room. Their answers varied, and Arcineh laughed a little. She finally focused on each one, taking time to hear every word.
“Did you see the babies?” she asked of Ethan first.
He smiled before saying, “They’re so small.”
“I think you said that about Derek too.”
“Probably,” Ethan agreed, smiling again when his mother reached to touch his hair.
“How about you, Tanner?”
“Is there going to be a pink room?” he wanted to know.
“Not all pink.” Arcineh assured him, wanting to laugh at his doubtful expression. “I think you’ll like having a sister.”
“I don’t know,” he said, not afraid to be honest.
“You like me, and I’m a girl.”
“That’s different,” Tanner said before Arcineh turned to Derek.
“What do you think of the babies, Derek?”
“How did the doctor not know?” the astute seven-year-old asked.
“Sometimes they can’t tell when there are twins. He was as surprised as I was.”
“Did it hurt?” he then asked, more interested in medical matters than any one of his siblings.
“Just a little bit more. Not too bad.”
When Derek nodded, seeming satisfied, Arcineh turned to Kenny, who had been sitting quietly in his father’s arms.
“Did you see our babies, Kenny?”
That little boy nodded and yawned at the same time.
“How did you like the bike ride?” Arcineh just remembered to ask.
“I wanted you,” he said, his eyes getting a bit moist.
“I’ll be home tomorrow,” she told him.
“With the babies?”
“Yes,” Arcineh was pleased to say, so thankful they were doing fine.
“Okay, boys,” Gage cut in, seeing that Arcineh was growing fatigued. “Say goodbye to Mom.”
The boys who couldn’t reach climbed up to kiss her, and Gage handed off Kenny to Ethan before coming close.
“I’ll get them home and then I’ll be back.”
“Okay.”
Gage looked into her eyes a moment. “You were amazing today.”
“Thank you. I’m just glad you made it.”
Gage had to laugh a little. “I won’t be talked into going without you again.”
Arcineh had to laugh with him, not wanting him to leave for even an hour and thinking that he was right—she would never talk him into leaving without her again.
A week later Arcineh found Gage in the nursery. The boys were all asleep. She had already prayed over them, thinking that Gage had retired for the night. Planning to pray at the twins’ cribside, she found Gage staring down into the crib they had fashioned to hold two babies, Keith Joseph and Jalaina Violet. Arcineh came up behind him, her arms going around his middle.
“I can’t get over it,” he said softly, staring down at the tiny forms God had given them.
“They’re so little.” Arcineh laughed softly.
“And she was hiding,” Gage said, his smile huge. “The girl my wife has waited for was hiding from us.”
Gage’s arms went around Arcineh as she looked up into his face.
“Thank you,” Gage said.
“For what?”
“For being you.” Gage kissed her brow. “For being the mother you are.” He kissed her cheek. “And for being my girl.”
Arcineh sighed when Gage finally found her mouth.
“I knew it would be fun being married to you.”
Gage’s pleased laugh came softly to her ear just before he kissed her again.