The months passed by peacefully as the entire family enjoyed days filled with happiness and love, eagerly awaiting the arrival of two new lives into their world.
During the last two months of her pregnancy, Justin had decided to work from home to ensure he was always around Natalie in case of any emergency. He couldn’t trust his wife—who was anything but calm. Even with her big, round belly, she would wander here and there without a care in the world.
Sometimes he even had to go so far as to scold her like a child. She would obey him—only to do the exact opposite the next day. Not just Justin, but all the family members were worried about her and kept a constant watch.
Just two days before her expected due date, Natalie was already admitted to the hospital to avoid any sudden emergencies. The doctors wanted to monitor her condition closely.
A VIP suite had been arranged for her, and an entire section of the floor was guarded by security, allowing only family members to enter that area.
Natalie was not at all happy with this arrangement. As Justin settled her into bed, she complained, "Justin, I feel like a patient here."
"You are here as a patient, and you’re going to rest," Justin said in a firm tone, watching her sit against the headboard, arms crossed.
Her belly was visibly larger now, making it hard for her to breathe comfortably. But her stubbornness for freedom remained unchanged.
She pouted. "It’s so boring. No fun."
"Want me to arrange a soccer match for you so you can run while holding your belly like a ball?" Justin replied dryly, clearly frustrated by her tantrums these days—but doing his best to keep his calm.
She immediately pulled her usual emotional card, her eyes glistening with tears. "You don’t understand my pain at all. After all, I’m the one carrying our babies, not you! Do you even know how hard this is? It’s like someone tied ten kilograms of weight around my stomach! I can’t even walk properly. I can barely breathe. All you did was make me pregnant—and now I have to bear it for months. I’m the one getting fat and ugly, and you still look like you were freshly baked out of the oven!"
Tears began rolling down her cheeks.
At her last remark, Justin was almost caught off guard—Freshly baked out of the oven? Who even used such words to praise a living person? But he stayed quiet, letting her vent her frustration. It was fine—even if she compared him to a crocodile fresh out of the water.
She sobbed. "And you still dare to scold me. You—"
Justin sighed inwardly. He knew how frustrated she’d been since entering her third trimester, and it had only gotten worse in the last two months as her belly grew far bigger than she could comfortably bear. Everything had become difficult for her— even normal breathing. She would get emotional easily, and shedding endless tears had become as quick as blinking.
The only thing she did perfectly was eat—and that was the one thing that made her happy.
He sat at the edge of the bed and gently wiped her tears. "I’m sorry for what I said. It’s all my fault. And you are not fat and ugly. You are still my cute and beautiful wife."
She shook her head, still crying. "No. You don’t understand."
This was one of those situations where he truly couldn’t help her. If there were a way to grow babies outside of her body using some kind of device, he’d spend a fortune on it—but for now, she had to endure it all.
He moved to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. Her face nestled into his chest. Hugging her from the front wasn’t possible anymore.
"Just a few more days, alright?" he said in a soft, coaxing tone. "Once the babies are born and you’ve recovered, I promise I won’t stop you from doing anything. You’ll be free to do whatever you want."
Natalie began to calm down, her breathing more relaxed as she leaned into him.
"And you won’t be alone here," he added gently. "I’m going to stay with you."
Natalie lifted her head, eyes wide. "Really?"
"I can’t do anything to ease your discomfort," he said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, "but I can at least keep you company. Let’s be bored together, doing nothing but waiting for our babies."
At his words, she smiled softly—though a flicker of guilt crossed her face. "I’m sorry for throwing tantrums all the time. I just... can’t help it."
"It’s alright," he said, continuing to coax her patiently.
All the family members made sure to visit her at different times throughout the day when she wasn’t resting. Even her friends dropped by now and then to keep her company. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the big day.
Even the doctors and nurses attending to her did their best to make those last few days as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
-----
Finally, one fine night, Natalie winced in pain. Justin, always alert to even the slightest movement from her, immediately called for the doctor. She was taken to the operation theater.
Family members—Caryn, James, and Aaron—arrived at the hospital, while the elderly women were asked to stay home since it was late at night. Noah arrived as well; there was no way he wouldn’t be by his boss’s side in a moment like this, especially when his boss was visibly troubled.
John and Ryan, who were in charge of security on that floor, were equally worried as they waited anxiously for good news.
They remained in the waiting room along with Justin, who clearly looked tense. He couldn’t get Natalie’s pained cries out of his mind as she was taken into the operating room. Seeing her in that state, for the first time in his life, he felt this anxious and scared.
That’s it, he told himself. There’s no way I’m ever letting her go through something like this again.
Caryn simply hummed and held his hand in return. As she glanced at James, a thought crossed her mind— Would he have been the same like Justin when I gave birth to Natalie? And later... how happy would he have been to see his daughter for the first time?
Justin was already walking past her, leaving the nurse stunned. This man didn’t even wait to hear about his kids?
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