Live

A Chapter by Sophie

33-Diana

“What do you want for lunch, babe? Any cravings?” Louis asks from the kitchen.

“Yeah, maybe some chocolate?” I say, my voice quavering. There's footsteps and he rushes in the room, “Chocolate?!” Chocolate is our safe word, we chose is a few months ago, and whenever I had an actual craving for chocolate I'd specify that, but I didn't specify this time.

“Chocolate.” I confirm. His eyes go wide and he grabs the bag we pre packed for this... occasion. I grab my phone and dial Harri's number, “Hello?”

“Yeah, so I'm in labor...”

“I'll call the others, okay? You guys get to the hospital.”

“Will do, bye.”

“Bye.”

“C'mon! We have to go!” Louis urges, freaking out.

“Lou, know one knows that better than I do.” I say, a little bit of pain sweeping over me. We head out to the car and I sit in the back.

“Okay, you have to stay calm, very, very calm. Don't panic, you're going to be okay.” Louis is practically hyperventilating.

“I'm perfectly calm, Lou, you need to calm down,why don't we turn on the radio.” I laugh.

“Okay.” He says and reaches for the radio just as I say, “Ah f**k!” In pain. The cars swerves, “Diana?! Are you okay?!”

“I'm fine, it's going to get a lot worse, so can we please just get to the hospital?”

“Yeah, hospital, right.” He says, and we keep driving. My water breaks, oh hell.

“Um, sorry about the car... it'll wash.” I say, groaning in pain.

“I don't really care about the car, I care more about my wife and child.” He teases.

“Good to know.” I say. We finally reach the hospital and we get checked into our room. I'm all set up when the first real contraction comes. My eyes go wide and I squeeze Louis' hand, but I don't scream, I saw what that did to Harry when Harri was in labor. I can do this with only one of us in pain. By the third, Louis' noticed though.

“Babe, are you okay? You're awfully quiet.” He says, looking concerned. I nod, because I know if I open my mouth some hideous sound is going to come out. The pain subsides, “Yeah, I'm okay.” Harri and the boys arrive, but the boys stay outside. At the next contraction, Harri asks, “How in the world are you not... screaming?” I close my eyes and hold up one finger, when it passes I take a deep breath.

“I'm trying not to, for Louis' sake.” I explain.

“Love, do what you need to, this isn't a broken arm, this is childbirth please, just make it easier on you in anyway you can.” Lou says.

“Okay.” I nod squeezing his hand. When the next one comes I squeeze my eyes shut and try to hold it in, but I can't, and so I scream. From then on it's just a screaming fest. Louis tries to look okay, but I can tell it's tearing him apart.

When it's time to push, I'm terrified, and I grip Louis' hand tighter, Harri went to go give the boys an update on how I was doing. At the next contraction, I push, screaming louder than I ever have. A while in (by this point I'm too tired an in pain to comprehend the passing of time) I'm too tired to scream, only whimper over and over, “I can't! I can't!”

Finally, after biting down on Louis' hand and drawing blood (he offered) cries fill the room.

“It's a boy!” The nurse announces. Louis cuts the cord and a different nurse goes to clean up the baby.

The nurse does a double take at me.”

“Why isn't it on your charts that you're having twins?” She says, looking frantically through them.

“WHAT?!” I yell, and I realize another contraction is coming. “You're going to have to push again.” She says, getting into position. “Twins?!” Louis gasps, shocked.

“Ah f**k! F**K OW!” I scream again and soon more cried fill the room, but quieter. We watch it squirm and cry and the other nurse comes back in, startled. We all stare at the two babies, one a girl one a boy and I gasp, “We are so getting another doctor.”

Louis

“So? A girl or a boy?” Liam asks when I step out of the hospital room.

“Why don't you come in and see.” I smile. Harry picks up Darcy, who has fallen asleep in his lap, and we move into the room. I watch their reactions as Harri hands me the boy, and see Diana with the girl. I look down at him, the first time I've ever held my baby boy. He squirms and moves his head around, making little noises and dribbling. I hear camera sounds from phones and I realize I'm smiling like a goofball, but I don't care. I look up and look at our little surprise in Diana's arms.

“Wanna hold her?” She asks, and I nod eagerly, though still loving the feeling of my baby boy in my arms. Harri helps us switch and I sit back down with my considerably tinier daughter, swaddled in a soft pink blanket. Her eyes are open, and I gaze down at them in wonder, the exact same color as mine. Another camera goes off and I know my face is in a mask of wonder. I stroke her cheek with my thumb, and she wiggles her head.

“What are you going to name them?” Niall asks.

Diana and I look at each other in panic, we had bought everything, even things that only might be necessary (but now we have to buy everything again for our little surprise) and we forgot to think about names.

“Well, erm, we... don't know.” Diana says.

And then my darling little girl starts to cough, and cough, and cough, and cry, and cry, and cry. I don't know what's happening, all I know is the nurse has taken her and Diana's crying. Something's wrong, the world is spinning, I'm moving, and now Harry and Zayn are holding me back. What's going on?! Where is she taking my baby girl! Niall has taken the baby boy from Diana and Harri is trying to calm her down, what is wrong? What is happening? Random words flood my ears, but none click. Wrong. Baby. Under developed. Coughing. 50 percent. Lungs.

We're not allowed to see her, she's very susceptible to disease because her immune system isn't developed well. Braiden is asleep in his crib and Diana and I sit in the living room. She strums her guitar and opens her laptop.

“Doing a cover?” I ask.

“Yeah.” She nods. The familiar tune starts and it takes a lot for me to not burst into tears as it does, then she starts singing, but changes some of the lyrics.

“You were just a small bump unborn, in nine months you were brought to life, You might be left with my hair, but you'll have your father's eyes, I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can, but for now your scan of my unmade plans, A small bump in nine months, you were brought to life.” She starts, and by the end she's beginning to cry as she finishes the last few lines: “You were just a small bump unborn in nine months brought to life... Maybe you're needed up there but we're still unaware as why.”

I get up and sit on the couch next to her and she buries her face in my shirt and sobs. I smile sadly to the camera, wave, and stop recording, so I can cry with her.

“She needs a name.” Diana says after a few minutes.

“But the doctors said not to name her until we know for sure if she'll... live or not.”

Braiden starts crying and I go get him from his crib. Before I can pick him up, he stops crying and starts wiggling around like he usually does. A minute later, the phone rings. I pick him up and go into the living room, where Diana has the phone pressed to her ear while she cries.

“Diana? What's wrong?”

She shakes her head and manages to take a breath to speak, “Nothing, absolutely nothing, she's going to be okay, she's going to live.”

Suddenly the perfect name pops into my head, “Diana, what if we name her Liv?”

“Liv... it's perfect.” She smiles.

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