As soon as Peter stepped into the operating room, he took celeste’s hand. She looked much calmer now that he was there. The anesthesia had already been administered, and the cesarean was about to begin.
A few minutes later, the first cry echoed through the room. A beautiful baby girl had just been delivered. The medical staff quickly placed her in a small medical crib to clean her up.
Peter watched attentively, his eyes following every movement of the doctors and nurses. Just then, another cry rang out this one louder and stronger. Their second baby girl had arrived. She was also quickly taken to be cleaned, but before they whisked her away, a nurse briefly brought the first baby closer so the parents could see
her.
“These are our girls, Celeste! Everything’s going to be okay They’re going to be just fine,” Peter said, squeezing Celeste’s hand.
Celeste’s eyes were filled with tears. She was smiling and crying at the same time–a whirlwind of emotions she had never experienced before. Because they were premature, she could only catch a quick glimpse of them before they were placed in incubators. The same happened with the second baby, whose strong cry made it clear she would have the fiercer personality.
Once the twins were safely placed in the neonatal intensive care unit, Peter had to leave the operating room. Celeste finally let exhaustion take over, closing her eyes as the anesthesia worked its magic while the doctors finished their procedure.
Peter stepped out into the hallway, his chest tight with an unfamiliar sensation. It wasn’t pain or sadness. It was something else something that filled his heart with overwhelming pride and satisfaction.
A few tears slipped from his eyes as he leaned his forehead against the wall and smiled.
“So this is what it feels like to see your children being born.”
he
Yes, he was Alden’s father, but he had met him when he was already an 18–year–old young man. And now, didn’t even remember that stage of his life. All he knew was that Alden was his son–a son who was the perfect mix of his mother and himself.
And then there was Serenity. The girl who had once sat beside him and told him how she had imagined him since childhood. How Marcus had never let her forget who her father was.
But in neither case had he been there for their births. He hadn’t been by their mother’s side when they brought them into the world.
This time, though, everything was different. This time, he had witnessed it. He had been there as his daughters— his beautiful daughters–entered the world.
As he reflected on everything, it was as if the winter cold had melted away, replaced by the warmth of those two- little suns. Those tiny, precious babies with full heads of hair had put a smile on his face–one that nothing could
erase,
Peter understood now that his life was about to change forever.
Yes, he had scattered memories of Ethan, his grandson. And the love he gave him was the love of a grandfather to a grandchild.
But now… now he was a father again.
And having been present for this birth filled him with a joy so profound, he could barely comprehend it.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0902
“Mr. Palmer?” a nurse called out.
“Oh! Yes, what is it?” Peter quickly wiped his tears and straightened up.
“Would you like to see your daughters?” the nurse asked kindly.
“Can I?”
“Of course! But just for a moment. Your wife is still in recovery, and we want to give her time to wake up from the anesthesia. In the meantime, you can see your little ones. You won’t be able to hold them just yet, but you can touch them through the incubator.”
“Yes, yes, please… I want to see them.”
“Follow me.”
Peter quickly changed into the necessary attire to enter the neonatal unit. Inside, the two tiny girls were the only babies there. They wore nothing but small diapers, their delicate bodies covered in wires and tubes. Even their tiny noses had oxygen support.
His heart clenched at the sight.
From the way they had cried, he had assumed they were strong and healthy. But now, seeing them like this, so fragile, he realized just how much they still needed to fight.
“Why do they have all those wires and tubes?” Peter asked, his voice thick with worry.
“Mr. Palmer, remember that they were born a week shy of 28 weeks–just under seven months. They need careful monitoring. But I can assure you, they’re strong. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t have let you in to see them,” the nurse reassured him.
Peter nodded, taking slow steps toward the incubators. He gazed down at his daughters, taking in their tiny features. Their skin was almost translucent. Curiously, the purses had arranged soft blankets around them in a nest–like shape–to mimic the warmth of their mother’s womb.
He stayed there as long as they allowed him, speaking to them in the softest voice.
“You’re going to be okay, my little ones. You’re strong, just like your mother. And in just a few days, we’re going to take you home.”
He gently touched the incubator, his fingers hovering near them.
“Don’t be afraid, my loves. I’ve been in places like this more times than I can count… and I know it can be scary. But you don’t have to be afraid. You’re brave. And soon, you’ll be in your mother’s arms… and in mine.”
Chapter 0903
