Two Sisters



Rianna was unwieldy with her baby when July came. Ironically, Marcy was but a month behind her. Two sisters, as big as houses, waddling around in overalls and oversized tennis shoes. Two sisters, complaining about their swollen ankles, bad backs, baby kicks, and husbands who needed sex and acted like fools without it.

“I don’t mind making love with AJ. He just acts so weird when it comes to that. He thinks the baby will get brain damage or something.” Marcy puffed while doing her maternity exercises. Rianna laughed.

“Yeah, Nick’s the same way. He truly believes that if we do it, our kid will remember and have nightmares of seeing his father’s thing. I mean, is that ridiculous or what? You’d think that as intelligent as Nick is, he’d know that sex won’t affect the fetus.” Rianna rubbed her belly and giggled as the baby shifted positions in her womb.

“I know what you mean. Now AJ walks around the house like a crack head in rehab. He seems like he’ll keel over and die if he doesn’t get some soon.” They both laughed. Nick and AJ came in the back door with buckets of paint, brushes, rollers, and drop cloths for the baby’s room. Rianna already had her baby’s room painted. Blue of course, if it was a girl, the girl would grow up loving blue. If it was a boy, blue would be the typical male natural color. Marcy was getting AJ to paint their baby’s room now. And Nick was helping. They put the heavy supplies down and went into the kitchen to get something to eat.

“I will be so happy when Marcy has our baby. We have like 4 or 5 more weeks to go. But I want her to have it now!” AJ said as he reached into the fridge and got a beer for both himself and Nick.

“Rianna’s due any day now. And it’s got me on edge. She can just cough, and I jump up thinking it’s time. It’s crazy.” Nick replied, getting some chips from the top of the refrigerator.

It was hot that day. Much hotter than the usual July day in Florida. Nick thought about going home and taking a shower, then a long nap. AJ wanted to do the same. But they knew they would have to paint that room or the girls would have fits. AJ was just spreading mayonnaise on his bread when he heard Marcy scream.

“Alex!!!!” She called out. AJ dropped the bread and almost slipped on it running to her. Nick stopped for that spilt second and thought about what she said.

“Dude, she calls you Alex?” Then he ran into the room after AJ.

“Alex, come here dammit!” AJ got into the living room and saw Marcy struggling to get up on her feet. Her face was flushed red and she was sweating. Her breathing labored. Once Rianna got her up, she looked over at her brother-in-law.

“AJ, she’s gonna have this baby, NOW!” All three got her into Nick’s truck and headed toward the hospital. Rianna called ahead on her cell phone. AJ sat in the back with Marcy and coached her breathing. Letting her squeeze the hell out of his hand.

The orderlies wheeled her into a room and AJ signed her in. Rianna went back with Marcy and Nick stayed in the lobby.

“This is not supposed to happen. Not for another month!” Marcy screamed. Rianna had to hold her hand and calm her. The contractions came closer and closer together. They immediately moved her to the delivery room. Due to the lack of space, and the dangerous state the premature baby might be in, they only allowed AJ in.

Nick and Rianna waited. Rianna got up and put 65 cents in the vending machine. Out came a snack cake which she broke in half and shared with Nick. When she was through, they held hands and continued to wait. Nick rested his free hand on Rianna’s large belly. So warm it was, and literally filled with life. His hand moved in small circles across her stomach until she flinched. He stopped.

“What? What did I do?” Nick asked in fear. Rianna just had a look of discomfort on her face and then she gasped.

“Get a doctor.” She whispered under her breath. Nick smiled, then he jumped up and ran toward the desk, sliding into it. The nurse was a bit frightened at his approach, but he pointed to Rianna and the nurse called for help right away.

“Get Dr. Sopher, quick! She’s having the baby!” Nick shouted. She too was taken to the delivery room as well with Nick by her side.

Marcy was crying now. The baby was born, but hadn’t made a sound. Both AJ and Marcy prayed silently for the still baby. She looked up her husband and he squeezed her hand.

The nurses cleaned the baby and took the tiny child to another room. There was a long, painful silence. The doctor looked worried as he followed the nurse. AJ clenched his fists and tears burned in his eyes.

Then, the baby cried out. Loud and strong. AJ raised his head. The doctor reappeared with a look of relief.

“Mr. And Mrs. McLean... you have a little girl. She’s a tiny little thing, but she’s strong and doing well. She’ll make it just fine.” The doctor assured the couple. AJ kissed Marcy on the lips. He stayed with her until she slept. Then he visited his infant daughter.

Her hands were so tiny, just able to wrap around his thumb. He hated not being able to hold her just yet. He was merely allowed to caress her through the two openings in the incubator she rested in. She opened her eyes once, but even the dim lights int he nursery were too bright, so she closed them again. Seconds later, her eyes fluttered open again and stared AJ in the face.

“I know, I must look like a freak to you. But, until I can dye my hair brown again, don’t let the red scare ya.” He took his glasses off. She blinked and twitched her lips.

“I can’t really tell now, but I think you’re gonna have you’re Mom’s green eyes. The boys will be all over you when you get older. I’ll have to chase them away. Then I’ll know what my mom went through with me.” He touched her face and she blinked again, this time licking her bottom lip as well.

“You know who you have lips like? Angelina Jolie.” She blinked again. “Oh you like that name? Well, I like it too, but we’ll have to discuss it with Mom when she wakes up.” She closed her eyes and squeezed his thumb. He gently took his hand out of the incubator and let her sleep. Daddy’s little angel.

Things were just getting started with the Carters. Rianna was pushing and screaming. Not to mention cursing Nick out for getting her pregnant. Nick was trying to keep himself from fainting. All the blood was too much for him.

“I see a head full of hair.” The doctor said calmly. A nurse wiped Rianna’s brow and told her to push. The head was out. Another push. The baby was free.

The doctor gave scissors to Nick and pointed to the baby’s umbilical cord. Nick took the scissors and went to cut the cord. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out onto the floor.

The little girl was cleaned off and brought to her mother. The nurse took the child and another took Rianna to her room. The doctor helped revive Nick.

As Nick passed the nursery, he spotted his daughter kicking and making noise. He smiled. “Baby Girl Carter” the nameplate read. AJ came from the back and rubbed his forehead.

“What’s wrong man?” Nick asked, having a good idea of what the problem was already. AJ sat on a chair across from the nursery window. Nick sat next to him, ready for AJ to vent.

“I’m worried about our little girl.” AJ said, sighing and looking down at the floor with his head in his hands.

“Oh, you got a girl? We have a girl too.” AJ looked up and smiled. They had married sisters and both sisters had girls.

“Yeah, it’s amazing, you know? Sisters having girls in the same night. Except, Marcy had ours a month early. She’s so tiny, Nick. Her little hands can barely reach around my thumb. They even had these patches over her eyes at first. But she can see now. And she looked up at me with these big beautiful eyes. She has Marcy’s eyes. I just can’t get over the fact that she’s so small. The doctor says she’ll be fine, but I can’t help but worry.” Just as he finished his statement, he saw Marcy in the nursery, sitting in the back where the incubators were.

The nurse took the tiny child out of the incubator and placed her on Marcy’s bare chest. AJ remembered seeing it done on The Learning Channel. Premature babies who spent a little time with their mother in that fashion would gain strength faster than those who didn’t. He hit Nick’s shoulder and got up to sit with his wife.

“Hey, baby.” She said to him. Her voice was weak and she looked tired and drained. AJ pulled a chair up and sat next to her. The baby was sleeping on Marcy’s chest. He tenderly touched the baby’s fragile head, stroking her brown hair.

“What are we gonna name her?” Marcy asked.

“I was thinking Angelina. She poked her lips our earlier and it just kind of popped into my head.” Marcy looked at her daughter.

“I like it. It’s sweet. And it’s the kind of name that will be sexy when she becomes a woman.” AJ never thought of it that way, but Marcy was totally right. Marcy reached up and touched AJ’s face. Her thumb made circles on his cheek.

“Go get something to eat. I know you’re hungry.” And he was. Very much so. He got up from his seat and kissed her on the lips.

“I’ll bring you something back.” AJ said as he turned and went back outside of the nursery. Nick was still looking in the window at his daughter.

“So what did you and Rianna name her?” AJ asked.

“We already agreed that if it was a girl, her name would be Nicole. But today we decided her middle name would be Selena.” The two started to go towards the elevators. Rianna was awake now and wanted to go to the nursery to feed her baby. The nurse offered to bring the baby to Rianna’s room so that she could breast feed in private. But she wanted to be with her sister.

Rianna sat were AJ had once been sitting and held Selena up to her chest. Marcy reached out and tickled Selena’s foot. Rianna admired Marcy’s baby as well.

And they sat there together. Two sisters with their newborn daughters.


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