With her husband by her side, Tessa starts to push. She clenches her teeth as contractions shoot pain up her back. With each push, the pressure in her grows.

Nurse Laura wipes the sweat from Tessa’s face. Even though Dr. Solace’s calm voice provides guidance but Tessa focuses on the voices of her husband and the sound of the steady beating of their babies’ hearts.

Percy's voice is both a constant, telling Tessa to breathe, to push, to relax, and a babble, a steady stream of encouragement and praise. Her brow is tenderly wiped clean in between pushes. Tessa cries out as she pushes. The anticipation and emotions swelling within Tessa dampens her awareness of the pain.

She's focused completely on her goal: seeing her children for the first time.

Tessa pushes and pushes, the support of her husband allowing her to ride the pain. She grunts and screams, whimpers and cries. Tessa feels every bit of the pain, her veins free from medication while the pressure builds with every push. But even so, Tessa doesn’t regret it.

Many women choose meds when giving birth but Tessa is different. The pain is the price Tessa must endure to see her children. Minutes tick by, everyone in the room absolutely focused on the birth of the twins. Breathing and pushing, soothing and encouraging. Tessa screams as her muscles stretch painfully around the first baby.
 
“I can see the head,” Solace announces. “Keep pushing, Tessa.”

Tessa flexes her muscles, embracing the pain and pushes hard. She wants to meet her first child. Several pushes later, the head pops out.

“The head is out, Tessa, I need you to stop pushing.”

Solace quickly suctions out the fluid and mucus from the baby’s airways. Tessa pants loudly, fighting the urge to push. She accepts the ice chips eagerly, letting the liquid wet her dry lips.
 
Percy kisses Tessa's hot cheek. “You are doing so well, Tess. I’m so proud of you.”

“Okay, Tessa. I need you to push again,” the doctor says.

“That’s it, Love, push.”

“One shoulder out, Tessa.” Solace twists the baby gently.

Tessa sucks in a breath, crying out as she pushes with all her might until she feels the baby slip from her body.

“It’s a boy!” Dr. Solace hands the baby to one of her nurses, who wipes the baby’s face clean. She grabs the scissors from her other nurse and cuts the umbilical cord, keeping it long enough that one of the father’s can cut it shorter.

The baby boy cries loudly but quiets as soon as he’s placed on Tessa’s chest. The couple stare in awe at their first child, a perfect little baby boy. The pain Tessa felt is almost sweet and absolutely completely worth it to get to see their son.

Percy feels an indescribable and overwhelming love for this tiny baby they have created. “Hello handsome, I’m your papa.”

Time seemed to freeze as the couple touched and stared at their first baby. But then baby number two decides it has waited long enough and Tessa again feels the urge to push.

“Okay, Tessa. I need you to push again.”

The baby boy is taken by Nurse Laura, who carefully cleans him and then offers him to Percy. He takes his baby boy with reverence, cradling his tiny body tenderly in his arms. Seen through the eyes of a father, he truly is handsome. He has full head of damp black curls and Percy smiles as he strokes a finger through it.

His eyes are a crimsonish green, like a sort of Christmas colour, and slitted. His skin is perfectly tan, just like Percy's. Tired but determined, Tessa glances at her baby boy cradled in Percy’s loving arms. Then she starts to push. Within two minutes, baby number two drops safely into Dr. Solace’s waiting hands.

“It’s a girl!” Solace declares. She cleans the baby quickly, cuts the cord and sets her on Tessa’s chest. The doctors don't even bat an eye at the small black wings protruding from her back. Again, all the couple can do is stare and touch.

Their daughter, a baby girl. Beautiful and perfect. Both of them stroke her soft skin, touching the little miracle they created together.

Percy leans forward. “Hi sweetie, I’m your daddy.”