Pure Bliss
by Dani
PART ONE
The sun shone through the bedroom window, casting a soft morning glow
on the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Evans. Ben lay in bed, watching his
beautiful wife sleeping peacefully by his side. He watched her stir, ever
so slightly, and her eyes began to flutter open.
"Good morning, Meg," he whispered.
"Good morning," Meg replied. "How long have you been awake?" she asked
and then began to yawn.
Ben smiled. "Not long. Just an hour or so. I didn't want to leave
you, you look too beautiful to ever leave alone." He kissed her forehead
gently.
"I can't believe you, Ben Evans. You're just too good to be true. I'm
so lucky to have you here with me."
"I believe I'M the lucky one, Meg," he answered honestly and kissed her
once again.
The two lay in bed, wrapped in one another's arms for a while, then
finally decided that, although being alone together was pure bliss, they had
to get up and get something done.
"I have an appointment with Tyus today, Ben, so I may be a little late
coming home this afternoon."
"Tyus? Is something wrong, Meg?" Ben asked with a very concerned look
on his face, not wanting his wife of over a year to be sick.
"Oh, no, Ben. I'm fine. It's just one of those annoying, inevitable
check-ups. It's just a routine thing. You know, you really worry too much
about me."
"I have to worry about you. It's part of my job description as your
husband," Ben said, thankful nothing was wrong with Meg.
Husband and wife left the house together, then each went their seperate
ways - Ben to work, and Meg to the medical center.
Later that night, Ben was waiting at home for Meg to return home to
him. When he saw her walk through the door, he knew that something was
wrong. Something was different about her. She looked almost stunned,
frightened, and excited, all at the same time. She came in and sat beside
him on the couch where he led her.
"Meg, darling, what's wrong? You look... well, darling, you look
strange," he said, concerned.
"Ben, I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all."
Remembering her appointment with Tyus, he asked, "Was it your
appointment? Did something go wrong? Are you sure you're alright, Meg?"
She looked at him and tried to find the right words to say. "Ben, I
have something very important to tell you, and I'm not quite sure how you're
gonna react."
"Please, just tell me, Meg. You're scaring me."
"I'm sorry, Ben. I didn't mean to frighten you." She looked into his
captivating eyes once again. She could tell he was concerned about her.
Well, he always was, of course. "Ben," she said while taking his hands with
hers, "we're having a baby."
"A baby?" he asked, shocked.
"Yes, Ben, a baby. You and I are going to have a baby," she reassured
him. "Tyus did some routine tests and it showed up in one of them. Listen,
sweetheart, I'm just as shocked as you are, but I'm so excited, too. Can
you believe it? You and I are going to be parents. Honey, please say
something. I need to know what you think about all of this."
Ben looked at her and his look of shock quickly turned into the most
amazing smile that had ever graced his lips. "Meg, this is wonderful! I'm
thrilled! I love you and our precious baby so much." He kissed her
tenderly and then looked down to her stomach. "That's our baby. Our
baby..." He kissed his wife again and then gently kissed her stomach. "I
love you both."
"Oh, Ben, I'm so happy. I know we weren't exactly planning this right
now, but I know this is going to be the greatest thing that's ever happened
to us since we were married. I love you."
They kissed yet again and walked slowly up the stairs to their bedroom.
Meg's hand rested on her stomach and Ben's arm wrapped around her waist to
cover her hand.
As they walked upstairs, Ben smiled and whispered softly, "Our baby..."
*****************************************************************PART TWO
The next morning, Ben woke early, once again, and lay in bed, watching
the mother of his child sleep soundly. Although he hated to interrupt her
sleep, he decided to wake her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead
gently.
"Meg, darling."
Meg yawned and opened her eyes to see her husband's smile greeting her
on another glorious morning. "Ben." She paused as she tried to wake
herself up a little more. "Good morning, Dad."
Ben smiled at the thought of hearing their child call him 'Daddy.'
"And good morning to you as well, Mom."
"I love the sound of that word - especially when it's directed to me!"
"You know, it's pretty amazing to wake up in the morning knowing that
your life is as near perfect as it can be. I have you - a beautiful, loving
wife - and now we have a child on the way. What more could a man ask for?"
Ben said as he watched Meg put her hand over her stomach. He followed suit
and placed his hand over hers.
"Ben, we'd better get out of bed. I've got a lot to do today."
"Such as?" he asked, wishing they could spend the entire day wrapped in
one another's loving embrace.
"Well, since neither of us are working today, I thought it would be a
good time to tell my family about the baby and, knowing my family as well as
I do, I'm sure that we'll be with them for most of the day after we tell
them."
"I think that your family is going to have to let me have you for a
little while," he teased.
"If you're good, I'll see what I can do about that," Meg replied to the
insistent Ben.
After Meg promised Ben that he would have her all to himself that
evening, the two headed to the Cummings' household. When they reached the
door, they were greeted by Sara, on her way out.
"Oh, hi, Meg. Ben. What are you guys doing here?" Sara asked.
"I guess we could ask you the same thing, couldn't we? You're supposed
to be at Surf Central cooking and cleaning for your fiance," Meg teased.
"Meg, I don't think I've seen you do much cooking and cleaning lately -
and you're married."
"I guess you're right. Okay, let's cut the small talk. Do you have
time to come back inside for a minute? We need to talk to everybody about
something."
Sara looked at her, puzzled. "Sure. I've got time. I was on my way
to open the store, but it can wait."
Ben and Meg followed Sara into the house and found Hank and Joan
sitting on the sofa.
"Hi, honey. Hi, Ben," Joan said as she hugged each of them. "Hank,
Ben and Meg are here."
"Yeah, Joanie. I saw them come in." Hank walked over to Meg, kiseed
her forehead, and then shook Ben's hand. Looking over to Sara, he added
jokingly, "Hey, Sara. I thought we got rid of you."
"Sorry, Dad. I'll be gone in a minute," she responded to her father's
supposedly humorous remark. "Meg said she needed to talk to all of us about
something first."
"Meg, is something wrong?" Joan asked, as all concerned mothers would.
"No, Mom. We're fine but I - we - need to tell you something," Meg
answered, taking Ben's hand.
"Sure, Meggie, go ahead," Hank said as he motioned everyone to sit
down.
Ben took Meg's hand as she made the announcement. "Mom, Dad, Sara.
I'm pregnant. We're having a baby!"
"Meg, that's great! Congratulations, you two!" a surprised Sara said,
after a brief pause.
"Honey, I"m so happy for you. Oh, I've always wanted to be a
grandmother. I can't wait to spoil that baby!"
"Our little Meggie having a baby? Well, I guess you're finally all
'grown-up," Hank added.
"I'm glad you're as excited as we are," Meg said, smiling. "This is
wonderful!"
The family celebrated together the entire afternoon, just as Meg had
predicted. That evening, Ben led Meg into the house, both of them even more
excited about the awaited child than they had been hours before.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Meg," Ben remarked as they sat down on
the sofa.
Meg looked at him, taken by surprise. "Why, thank you, but what was
that for?"
"Well, it's the truth. You are absolutely beautiful. I think that
since we found out you're expecting, you've just shone. I think they call
it a mother's glow. Darling, it looks absolutely stunning on you."
Meg looked at her husband, realizing how truly lucky she was. Ben was
the most wonderful thing in her life, and now she was carrying his child. A
child that love created. She couldn't imagine how anyone could feel as
wonderful as she did at that very moment.
"I think you promised me I could have you all to myself this evening,
Mrs. Evans. Shall we?" he asked as he held his arm out for her, then led
her upstairs.
**************************************************************PART THREE
News of Ben and Meg's expected child spread quickly through Sunset
Beach. Bette had published an article in her column announcing that Meg had
a "bun in the oven." Benjy, who had matured into a very sweet young
gentleman, was thrilled with the idea of having a baby around. Even Maria,
having long since moved on with her life, congratulated them.
Three months later, everything seemed to be going wonderfully with the
pregnancy. It was visibly obvious that Meg was expecting.
"I look huge!" she proclaimed to Ben one rainy afternoon. "If I'm this
big at three months, I can only imagine how I'm going to look in a few
more!"
"Meg, darling, I have told you over and over again. You are absolutely
the most beautiful, stunning, not to mention amazing woman I know,
especially when you're carrying our child," he replied while taking her into
his arms.
Meg placed her arms around Ben's waist and kissed him tenderly.
"Have I told you lately that I love you, Mrs. Evans?"
"Well, only about five minutes ago, but you can tell me as often as you
like, Mr. Evans," she answered.
"Well, I plan on telling you and our baby that every day for the rest
of my life." Glancing to her ever growing stomach, he added, "I love you,
little one."
A tear trickled down Meg's cheek as she watched Ben lean down to kiss
her stomach.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he looked into her eyes, noticing the tears
streaming down her face.
"Nothing," she smiled as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "I guess I'm
just a little emotional. It comes with pregnancy, so I've heard."
"Well, darling, you can cry on my shoulder anytime," he said as he
lifted her chin with his hand and placed his lips on hers. She returned his
action with a kiss and continued crying as he stroked her cheek.
"Okay, Meg. Let's talk for a while," Ben said as he led her to the
sofa.
"Alright," she replied while regaining her composure from her crying
episode. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Well, I thought maybe we could talk about the nursery or names or
whatever you feel like talking about."
"The nursery sounds good to me."
"Okay. So what do you want to do in there?" he asked.
"I was thinking that it would be a good idea if we painted the room
with nursery rhyme characters," she began as she lay her head on Ben's lap.
He began stroking her hair as she continued. "I really want it to be
special."
"Of course it'll be special. This is one special baby, you know."
The couple continued their discussion about the nursery and the baby
far into the night. Both Ben and Meg fell asleep on the sofa, and found
themsleves there the next morning.
*************************************************************PART FOUR
"Ben, could you hand me that paintbrush?" Meg asked. The expectant
parents had finally set aside an afternoon to paint the nursery with only
three months to go until the blessed event.
"Of course, darling." He handed her the paintbrush and stared at her.
She was wearing a pair of oversized overalls, her hair was a mess, and her
stomach was very noticably large.
"What are you looking at?" Meg gave him a piercing look as if she were
very angry.
"I'm just looking at my beautiful wife," he said almost sarcastically.
He knew that she had to be tired of hearing that every day when there was
absolutely no way she was going to believe it. Ben, however, disagreed and
truly thought that she was a stunning expectant mother.
Meg smiled. "Alright, 'Dad', we'd better get busy or, at the rate
we're going, this nursery isn't going to be finished before the baby's 16th
birthday."
Ben smiled back at her and then directed his next statement to their
unborn child. "I promise you, little one, your nursery will be finished
before your arrival, but right now I think your mother and I need to take a
break."
He led her downstairs to the kitchen, sat her down at the kitchen
table, and began to prepare lunch for the two of them. As he made
sandwiches, he spoke to Meg.
"Aren't your sister and Casey supposed to be over later?"
"Oh, I'm glad you reminded me about that," she said as she got up to
get a glass of water. "Sara said they'd be here around one, so I guess we'd
better have our lunch and then clean up a little bit."
"Not that I'm not happy to have them coming over, but why are they
coming?" he asked as he brought the lunch to the table and sat down with his
wife.
"Sara said she was just coming over to talk, but I think Casey wants to
help put the crib together."
"Do you people think I'm incapable of putting together a little crib?"
he asked jokingly, knowing the true nature of Sara and Casey's visit.
"Of course not. He justs wants to be helpful, I guess."
When they finished their lunch, they went back up to the nursery to
clean up a bit, and both went to freshen up before their guests arrived.
At one, Sara and Casey arrived. Ben showed Casey to the nursery, and
the gentlemen began to carry out their hidden agenda. Sara joined Meg on
the veranda where the sisters talked over iced tea.
"Just a couple months until you'll be a married woman, Sara," Meg said.
"And just a couple months until you'll be a mother."
"Yeah, a mother." She paused for a moment. "I know that I'm obviously
pregnant, but, and I know it sounds silly, I'm still having a hard time
actually believing that I'm going to be a mother."
Sara laughed. "Well, that does sound silly, but I understand. I still
can't believe I'm getting married."
"Have you and Casey talked about having kids?"
"Meg, we aren't even married yet!"
"I know, but that's something you're supposed to talk about before the
wedding day."
"Actually we did talk a little."
"And..."
"Let's just say it's gonna be a while before you hear the patter of
little feet around Surf Central!" she laughed.
"I thought you wanted kids."
"Of course I do. We both do, but we've decided to wait until we've
been married for awhile to have kids."
"That was our plan, too, but you can see how that turned out," she
said, indicating her bulging stomach.
As Meg and Sara continued their "girl talk," Ben and Casey worked
diligently in the nursery.
"Casey."
"Yeah, Ben."
"I need somebody to talk to - I can't really talk to Meg about this -
and since you're here, do you mind if I..."
"Spill your guts?" Casey asked, laughing.
"Well, I guess you could say that."
"Sure... spill."
Ben hesitated. "Do you think that I'm going to be a good father?"
"You're asking ME?"
"Yes, I suppose I am. I don't know if I'm going to be good enough for
the baby... and for Meg. This pregnancy hasn't been easy for her, and I
don't know if I'm doing enough for her and the baby, and after the baby
comes, I'm not sure that I'm going to know what to do."
"I can't really give you much advice. I'm not experienced in this
stuff, but I'm sure that you're gonna be a great dad."
"I hope so," Ben said, his voice full of uncertainty.
"Okay, let's get back to work," Casey injected after an awkward pause.
The men kept working on Ben's little "surprise" for Meg. After a few
hours, the nursery looked nearly perfect. Ben and Casey had finished
painting the walls a soft, buttercup yellow. The trim was painted a pale,
mint green. The room would be perfect for either a boy or girl.
The furniture in the room was sparce, - the paint was still a little
wet, so, obviously, there wasn't much more they could do - but Casey had
helped Ben put together a special something for the mom-to-be. Ben headed
down the stairs and onto the veranda, Casey in tow, to find his wife.
"It looks like you ladies have been busy," Ben said sarcastically.
"Hi, sweetheart," Meg said as Ben leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Yeah, we've been hard at work for the last few hours," Sara added into
the conversation.
"Sure..." Casey replied, smiling.
"Meg, do you think you're up to coming with me for a minute?" Ben
asked.
"Ben, what have you done now?" Meg smiled.
"Oh, I just have a little surprise for you. So, are you up to it?"
"A surprise? Well, I suppose I could go with you - for a minute."
Knowing that Ben and Meg most likely wanted to be alone, Sara said,
"Casey, I think we'd better be going."
"Oh, you don't have to leave now," Meg said politely while standing up,
ever so slowly, her added weight getting the best of her.
"We really do need to be on our way, guys," Casey added. "It's getting
late."
Sara and Casey turned toward the door and Ben and Meg followed.
"Thanks for your help, Casey," Ben said.
"Anytime, Ben," Casey replied as they left, not before exchanging
good-byes.
After they had gone, Meg reminded Ben of his surprise. "I guess I'm
ready for that surprise now," she said.
"Shall we?" he said as he led her upstairs to the nursery.
When they reached the door he stopped for a moment. "Of course it's
not finished yet, but I wanted to give you something special."
"Ben, you don't have to give me anything. All I need is you - and our
baby."
"Well I still wanted to give you something. Are you ready?"
"Yes, I think so," she giggled.
Ben opened the door and led her inside. When Meg saw the room, she
gasped. "Oh, Ben. It's beautiful." As she made the statement, she looked
over to the corner where she saw what was obviously the big surprise. Ben
led her to the corner where she removed the bow from the white rocking
chair.
"Do you like it?" he asked while helping her sit in the chair.
"Ben, it's perfect. Thank you," she replied excitedly. Ben knelt
beside her and kissed her.
"You deserve it. You are the most amazing woman. I know this
pregnancy hasn't been very easy for you, but I'm so glad you're doing this.
I'm so happy that you're having our child."
Meg began crying, which she had done often lately. "I love you, Ben
Evans," she said, smiling through her tears.
"And I love you, Meg," he replied while kissing her tenderly and
embracing her and their unborn child.
*******************************************************************PART FIVE
Sunlight trickled through the room. The delicate lace curtains flowed
in the breeze blowing through the open window. The white rocking chair sat
in the corner, draped with a handmade quilt scattered with bunnies and
kittens. In another corner, a canopy of soft tulle was draped over the top
of the crib, creating the feelings of calmness and peacefulness.
Bookshelves were filled with storybooks and stuffed animals. Everything
was...
"Perfect! Ben, it's absolutely perfect! It's exactly how I wanted
it," Meg said as she stepped into the nursery, bracing herself with a hand
on her back. "I can't believe it's ready."
"Meg, it has to be ready if we're going to have this baby here in a few
weeks," Ben replied as he took her hand and followed her to the crib.
Meg caressed the blanket in the tiny bed and smiled. "I can't wait to
hold our baby in my arms."
"Nor can I," he added, touching her stomach.
Meg placed her hand over Ben's and looked into his eyes. A sudden wave
of activity traveled through her.
"Is that..."
"...the baby? Yes, it is. He's been pretty active all day."
"He? Are we making the assumption that this baby is a boy? You know,
Meg, it could be a girl."
"Are you still hoping for a girl?"
"Meg, you know that I would be perfectly happy with either a boy or a
girl, as long as it's healthy. It would be nice, though, to have a 'daddy's
little girl.' She'd be just as beautiful as her mother."
"And if the baby is a boy, he'd be just as handsome as his father."
"You're much too kind," Ben replied, kissing her forehead and smiling.
"What do you say to dinner tonight? Just you and me."
"That sounds wonderful. What's the occasion?"
"Oh, I just thought it would be nice for us to have a night out alone
before the baby comes. The next few weeks are going to be hectic with all
of our last minute preparations, so tonight may be the only chance we have
to relax and be alone."
"Alright. Where are we going?"
"I have something special planned. You'll just have to wait and see
what tonight holds in store for you," he said with a hint of mischief in his
voice.
Later that evening, Ben took Meg out for a night on the town. He took
her to Grenadines for dinner and afterwards to the Deep for a little
dancing. They had a wonderful evening, laughing about silly little and
things and just enjoying the time they had together.
"Maybe we should sit this one out, darling. You look tired," Ben said
as they were dancing.
"I'm fine, Ben. I'm just not used to this much activity anymore. I
guess I've been a little lazy lately.
"I think you need to be lazy a little more. It's been a long evening,"
he said as he led her to a table.
Meg could hear the worry in his voice and realized that she really was
even more tired than usual. She yawned. "Maybe you're right. It has been
a long night."
Ben took her home and led her inside. "I need to return an important
phone call, so I'll be up in a minute."
"I'll just wait on you to finish," she replied as she sat down on the
sofa and yawned once again.
"Alright then. I'll try to hurry. Ben stepped over to the phone and
made a quick call. When he hung up the phone, he turned back to Meg. "Meg,
I'm..."
As his gaze returned to his wife, he saw her sleeping peacefully,
curled up on the sofa. He walked to her side, and bent to give her a soft
kiss. She stirred slightly, and Ben picked her up carefully and carried her
upstairs to their bedroom. After tucking her into bed, he stepped across
the hall and into the nursery. As he stood by the crib, he whispered.
"We're waiting for you, little one."
***************************************************************PART SIX
Meg sat, sobbing quietly on the sofa. She heard Ben come up behind her
and tried to cover her face to conceal the fact that she was indeed crying.
Ben saw right through her, of course. "Darling, what's wrong? Are you
alright?" he asked, concerned.
She tried to regain her composure and looked over at Ben as he sat down
beside her and silently placed his arm around her. "Ben, I just can't take
it any longer. This baby was due a week ago and I'm tired of waiting.
Anyway, I'm not even sure if I can handle this. I mean, giving birth. It
scares me. I guess I've just had too much time to think about it lately.
Or maybe I"m just a wimp," she added, trying to smile.
"Meg, you're going to be fine. And it's a little too late to
reconsider having the baby," he said as he took her chin in one hand and
gently stroked her cheek with the other. "Besides, if the baby hasn't come
in the next few days, Tyus said he was going to induce labor, so we don't
have much of a wait left, now do we?"
"I suppose you're right. After all, Mom said that all the pain will be
worth it..." She pondered on that thought for a moment, not knowing that it
was true until she actually experienced. "I can't wait to see him, Ben. I
can't wait to hold him in my arms and tell him how much I love him."
"Neither can I, darling. It won't be long."
Meg clutched her stomach as an incredible wave of pain rushed through
her. She knew exactly what it was. "Ben, you're right," she said
anxiously. "It won't be long, I think I'm in labor!"
Ben looked at Meg and a feeling of panic overtook him. "Oh my - are
you sure? What do I do?" he asked, although he and Meg had been over the
drill several times in the past few days.
Meg tried to calm herself enough to tell him what needed to be done.
Her attempt failed. "What do you mean, what do you do?! Call the hospital
and tell Tyus we're coming. Get my suitcase, and get me there as soon as
possible unless you want to deliver this baby in our living room floor!"
Ben looked at her, amazed at how angry she seemed. He'd never seen her
this upset. "Alright, sweetheart, I'm going to take care of everything and
we'll be there in no time."
As the contraction subsided, Meg realized how she had treated Ben.
"Oh, Ben I'm sorry I yelled at you. This isn't very easy, though. Don't
rush but..." Another wave of pain hit her as she continued, "HURRY!"
After calming Meg down a little, Ben managed to take care of everything
and got her to the hospital. The contractions were coming closer and closer
as they wheeled her off to the maternity ward.
About a half hour later, Ben entered his wife's room where she was
laying quietly in bed, obviously between contractions.
"Hi, darling. How are you feeling?" he asked as he neared the bed and
bent down to kiss her.
"I'll be wonderful as soon as this baby is out," she replied. "Where
have you been?"
"I'm sorry," he said as he took her hand and kissed it tenderly, "but
they wouldn't let me in until they had you settled. By the way, I saw Tyus
in the hallway and he said it should only be another hour or so. He seems
to think you're a pro at this."
"Why is that?" she asked as she prepared for another contraction.
"He told me that usually women are in labor for hours with their first
child but he said you have been progressing very quickly."
"Really? Thank goodness it's not gonna be hours upon hours of this. I
can hardly stand..."
"Meg, what is it?" Ben asked as he looked at his wife who appeared to
be in great pain at the moment.
Between her breathing exercises, she managed to respond with,
"contraction."
Ben knew from their numerous lamaze classes exactly what to do - or so
he thought. He tried leading Meg through the exercises, but she was
apparently not going to cooperate. He could tell between her panting and
the strong grip she had on his hand at the moment that now was not a very
good time to coach her breathing.
Tyus came in as the pain left Meg's body for a moment, however brief it
may be. "How is everything?" he asked as he prepared to examine her.
"Tiring," Meg replied while trying to rest for a minute.
"Um, Tyus. After this is all over, would you mind taking a look at my
hand. It's a little sore," Ben injected, looking at the hand Meg had held.
"I get that a lot from fathers-to-be, Ben," Tyus laughed. He then
looked back at Meg. "Meg, on the next contraction I want you to push.
You're ready now. It won't be long."
Meg braced herself as she felt another one coming. "Okay, I'm ready."
Ben also prepared himself for this moment as HE took a firm grip on
Meg's hand and helped her support herself. "I love you, Meg. Thank you for
doing this for me."
"I love you, too, and I'm doing this for US," she said as Tyus urged
her to push.
Ben encouraged her throughout the entire ordeal. "You're almost there,
Meg... Just a little more... You're doing great... A little harder,
darling... You can do it... Just one more time... I love you..."
Several minutes passed as Meg pushed with all her might and Ben
supported her through the delivery. It wasn't long before they heard the
faint cry of a newborn baby.
"Congratulations! Meet your baby boy!"
"Meg, he's absolutely beautiful," Ben exclaimed as Tyus handed the
child to his mother.
Meg cried as she took the baby into her arms. "Oh, Ben, he's perfect.
I love you," she said as she looked down at her baby.
"And I love you as well, little one," Ben added.
Meg felt another wave of pain travel through her. "Tyus, something's
happening," she cried.
"That's normal, Meg. You're fine." He began to examine her again.
"Oh my -"
"What is it, Tyus?" Ben asked, frightened about the situation his wife
was in.
Tyus looked completely shocked. "Meg, you're going to have to let a
nurse take the baby for a few minutes. I don't know quite how to tell you
this." He paused. "You've got another child to deliver."
"What?" she asked as she handed the baby to the nurse at her side.
"You didn't tell me I was going to have to do this twice!"
"I'm sorry, but obviously this baby hid itself pretty well over the
last nine months. I had no idea myself or I would have been happy to inform
you of this. I have never had this happen in all the years I've been
delivering babies."
Meg didn't have time to argue with him. She was delivering her second
child just minutes after the first and she was, to say the very least,
surprised.
"Here we are. Another beautiful baby!"
"What is it, Tyus?" Ben asked eagerly.
"This one's a girl. Congratulations are definitely in order tonight!"
The nurses cleaned up the babies and then gave them to Meg for a brief
moment. "Aren't they perfect?" Meg asked.
"Yes, and I can already see that the two of them are going to be into a
lot of mischief," Ben added, referring to the little surprise they had just
encountered.
As Ben looked at his wife and their two beautiful, healthy children, he
felt complete. He kissed each of them of the forehead.
Meg looked up at him and saw a single tear caressing his cheek. She
reached up to kiss him, and knew that, she, too, was complete. "I love you,
Ben Evans."
"And I love you, Meg," he replied. He then looked down at the babies
once again, "and I love you, and I love you."
*****************************************************************PART SEVEN
"Hello, darling," Ben whispered as he came into her hospital room.
Meg's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "Hi. How long have I been
sleeping?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Just a few hours. The nurse is bringing in the babies for us," he
said as he kissed her tenderly.
"Oh, I can't wait to see them!"
As if on cue, the nurse opened the door and pushed in the two
bassinets. "Here are your beautiful children, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. If you
need anything at all, give me a ring."
"Thank you," Ben smiled as she left them alone. He took the babies
from the bassinets, one at a time, and handed their little boy to Meg and
sat down beside her with their little girl.
"Have Mom and Dad been here yet?"
"Actually, sweetheart, I couldn't get them or Sara on the phone until
just a little while ago. They were out shopping."
"Dad - shopping?" she laughed.
"Yes. They must have dragged him by the hair of his head. I don't
know why he would have gone otherwise."
"So are they coming any time soon?"
"They are supposed to be on their way. I didn't tell them about our
little surprise."
"Well this should be interesting," she replied. "I'm still a little
shocked myself," she added as she looked at their little 'surprise'
daughter.
Meg fingered her son's ID bracelet. She smiled. "'Baby Boy Evans.'
Cute, but I don't think he's going to like that when he gets older. What do
you think?"
"Well, I don't think our daughter is going to like 'Baby Girl Evans'
either. Maybe we should pick out some names for these two angels," he added
as he kissed their tiny baby girl.
"Good idea. Have you got any ideas?" she asked, although she already
knew exactly what names she wanted their children to have.
"Didn't you have some picked out already?" he grinned.
"Yes, I did, but I changed my mind and I thought I'd give you a little
input. We should do this together."
"You're right. I thought that our daughter should be named after her
mother. One of her names should be Meg."
"I'm flattered, Ben, but what about another name for her?" she asked.
"How about you pick this one."
"Alright," she grinned. "I think Danielle would be a fitting name for
her. 'Megan Danielle Evans.' Yes, I think I like it. What do you think?"
"'Megan Danielle Evans.'" He let the name register for a moment and
decided it was perfect. "Yes, I love it. 'Megan Danielle' it shall be. We
should probably use her middle name instead of her first, though. It might
be a bit confusing with two Meg's around the house."
"I agree. Okay, Danielle, let's pick out a name for your big brother,"
Meg cooed, speaking to the baby. "Since our daughter is named after me, our
son just has to be named Benjamin." She smiled at her husband and the baby.
"'Nicholas Benjamin Evans.' What do you think about that one,
darling?"
"I love it. Nicholas and Danielle."
"Well, little ones, how do you like your names?" Ben asked. Danielle
made a soft gurgling sound and Nicholas looked over to his father. "I think
they're pleased with them."
Meg took Nicholas' fingers with hers and smiled. "Ben, I don't think
it's possible for me to be any happier. I have you and two healthy children
- who look like their father, thank goodness!"
"I would have to say that Danielle looks a little like her mother -
absolutely beautiful." He kissed Meg and let his lips linger on hers. "I
love you, Meg."
"I love you, too."
As the two kissed again, they heard a knock at the door and Joan
calling to Meg.
"Mmm... I'd better go out and prepare them," Ben said, cutting Meg off
before she could ask them to come into the room.
"Okay, but don't tell them about the surprise. Just let them come in
and see what happens," she giggled as she took Danielle from Ben. "I love
surprises - especially this one."
Ben went outside the door and let the family know that everything was
fine. He then opened the door and led them in to see Meg holding two
bundles in her arms.
"What is this? Some kind of joke?" Sara asked as she approached the
bed.
"Meg, did you forget to tell us something, sweetheart?" Hank asked.
Joan looked at her daughter holding her grandchildren and was obviously
in complete shock. "Two babies?"
"Yes. Twins. Aren't they perfect?" Meg responded.
"Meg, they are perfect," Sara said as she looked at her niece and
nephew. "You didn't tell us you were having twins, though."
"Well, Sara, I would have told you if I had known myself," she laughed.
"We were in the delivery room and I had just delivered our son and Tyus
told me their was another baby, so I couldn't really do anything about it at
the time. Anyway, now we all know."
"How could you not have known? Wouldn't Tyus have seen it in the
ultrasounds or something? I mean, I don't know anything about this stuff
but I think I could see two babies on a screen if I were a doctor." Hank
stated, laughing.
"We really don't know why no one saw it, but we're happy that God saw
fit to give Meg and I two wonderful children. I wouldn't have it any other
way. It was a great surprise in the delivery room."
"You're telling me!" Meg smiled at her husband. "I had no idea I was
going to have to give birth to two babies in one night!"
"I am so proud of you, Meg. My little girl is a mother." Joan sighed.
"Meg, honey," she continued, "have you named these angels yet?"
"Yes, we have. We named our son Nicholas Benjamin Evans..." she
replied.
"...and our daughter is Megan Danielle Evans," Ben added.
"We're calling them Nicholas and Danielle," Meg continued. "And don't
you dare call them Nick or Dani. I want to use their full names."
"We'll see what you call them when they're two years old, running
around the house, and screaming. It'll be a little hard yelling Nicholas
and Danielle at them all the time. You'll shorten it then!" Hank replied,
trying to sound stern, but laughing the entire time.
They continued laughing and talking about the children for another
hour, and finally decided to leave.
"Honey, I don't want to leave, but you've been through a lot today and
you need your rest," Joan said reluctantly. "But when you bring these
babies home, you'd better count on me spoiling them!"
"Right, Joannie," Hank added. "That's our job as grandparents." He
paused. "Well, sweetie, we'd better be going. Congratulations." He kissed
his daughter's forehead and stepped over to Ben. "Congratulations, Ben."
He hugged his son-in-law.
"Bye, Meg," Sara said as she stepped away from the bed. "I'm really
good at having adorable nieces and nephews, aren't I?"
"I suppose you are," Meg laughed.
The family finished their good-byes and Ben and Meg were once again
left alone with their children.
Ben noticed how tired Meg was when she yawned and closed her eyes.
"I'm going to let you sleep now, darling. I'll hold the babies for you
until the nurse comes back." He took the sleeping babies from her and sat
down.
"Mmm..." Meg mumbled as she rolled over to face Ben and quickly drifted
off to sleep.
As she slept, Ben spoke to her. "Thank you, Meg, for marrying me.
Thank you for loving me and letting me love you. And, darling, thank you so
much for these precious babies."
****************************************************************PART EIGHT
"Watch your step, Meg. Here let me take him for you. I'll get the
door."
Ben pushed the key into the lock. "Darling, are you sure you're
alright? You've been very quiet since we got out of the car. Is something
wrong?"
"Everything's fine. I just haven't been able to get a word in
edge-wise with you here. Honey, I really can handle this by myself. The
babies aren't that heavy and Tyus gave me a clean bill of health so I can do
this."
Ben looked at her. She was carrying a child on each arm, her hair had
been carelessly put up in a ponytail and she was wearing very little
make-up. She hadn't wanted to spend much time at the hospital. He knew she
had been in a hurry to bring the babies home. He smiled at her as he turned
the key. "You amaze me, Meg."
"Why, thank you. You're pretty amazing yourself. You also make
beautiful babies, by the way." She smiled at him and then at the children
in her arms.
Ben opened the door and stepped aside to let Meg inside. "Welcome
home, Nicholas and Danielle," he whispered as he followed them into the
house.
"Well, guys, what do you think about your new home?" Meg asked the
babies as she walked over to the stairs. "How about we go up and see the
nursery? Come on, 'Dad.' Let's take these two upstairs."
Ben reached out for one of the babies and Meg handed Danielle to him.
They carried the children upstairs. Ben gave them the grand tour as he led
them through the house. "This is the hallway, and this is the guest room,
and here's our bedroom, the greatest room on the tour. This is where the
two of you began..."
"Ben! They're too young to be hearing this. Behave yourself," Meg
replied, a great look of shock on her face.
"Alright. I'll behave myself - if I really must," Ben smiled. He then
followed Meg to the nursery with the babies.
"Here we are. This is your room," she said as she opened the door and
took them inside.
"Meg, I know you have to be tired of hearing it but, I love you. I
don't think you heard what I said in the hospital yesterday, but I'll say it
- "
"You're welcome," she stated simply.
"What?"
"I said, you're welcome. I did hear what you said in the hospital
about me loving you and marrying you and having these babies, but, Ben, I
could say all of those things about you. Thank you for marrying me. Thank
you for loving me and letting me love you. And thank you for these
beautiful babies. And I'll never get tired of hearing those three glorious
words from you either. I love you, too, Ben."
Ben leaned down and kissed Meg tenderly. He let his lips linger on
hers for a moment. After they broke the kiss, he led her to the rocking
chair and she sat down with Nicholas still in her arms. Ben handed Danielle
to her and then sat down on the floor beside her.
"Isn't it wonderful to have our family here in this house, Ben? I have
everything I've always wanted and more in you and the children. It's
Heaven."
Ben smiled as he looked into her eyes and then glanced down to the
babies. "Yes, Meg, darling, it's pure bliss..."
THE END
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