Page 66 of A Chance to Believe

When she left the room, Cassie turned to Shayne. ‘Did you know that?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why didn’t you mention it when she did the ultrasound?’

It came out like an accusation and she hoped he wasn’t thinking she was jealous or something. She was feeling weird and scatty. One minute wanting to cry, the next wanting to bite someone’s head off.

Shayne shrugged, a roll of his shoulders that stretched his father’s polo. He was so damned attractive.

‘She’s not local, so I don’t really know her. Parker usually visits her in town. She doesn’t come out home, or at least I’ve never seen her.’

A contraction hit and any intelligent thoughts went out the window as she focused on her breathing. The midwife came to monitor the babies’ heartbeats. It wasn’t until she moved away again, Cassie realised she’d been gripping Shayne’s hand. He flexed his fingers and she saw dusky red crescents on his palm.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Isn’t this where you’re supposed to tell me it’s all my fault and I deserve to suffer?’

There was a rush of activity at the door and Doctor Reece came in, accompanied by Morgan Cavanaugh. The red-headed doctor looked a little frazzled, and Cassie wondered how Becca was going.

The two doctors stood at the side away from Shayne. Both tall men, but Doctor Reece was more classically handsome with his blond hair and a face that looked way too young for a specialist. Morgan murmured a few words and then vanished again.

Doctor Reece laughed. ‘I hope you don’t mind him not being present. He’s got his own situation to take care of.’

Cassie shook her head, too focused on her next contraction. It was a sign that Becca hadn’t delivered yet. It looked like being neck and neck. Poor Morgan. It had been a big day for everyone.

‘How are you travelling?’ The obstetrician was checking things as he spoke, his long fingers probing her stomach. ‘Doctor Parker says you’re in transition, so you’ll have the urge to push. Ready for that?’

Cassie nodded. ‘I wanted to push the last time, but the midwife said not yet.’

As if his arrival was the trigger, her body kicked into gear. She’d expected everything to get stressful, hectic, but Doctor Reece was incredibly calm as he delivered the first of the twins, handing him to Jen Parker, who went with the paediatric nurse to check him over. The room seemed to fill up with people.

Doctor Reece frowned over her distended belly, pushing with his long hands. ‘B2 has turned partway, so this should be easier than I expected.’

The midwife used the foetal monitor, the galloping sound of the heartbeat filling the room.

Shayne looked a little wild-eyed at the doctor’s casual comment. Cassie wanted to ask more questions, but the contractions had accelerated again. Doctor Reece and the midwife hovered with their hands on her belly. ‘Don’t push yet. He’s not engaged.’

Shayne leaned forward. ‘Is he okay? Surely it’s not good for him.’

The midwife, Audrey, reassured them. ‘We’ve been checking him regularly. There are no obvious signs of distress.’

Cassie gritted her teeth. ‘In the baby maybe.’

That seemed to amuse the doctor and he suggested Shayne rub her back. It occurred to her she was a sweaty, blotchy mess. She could never pretend to being cool, calm and collected in front of him now. He’d know it was fake.

‘You can push now.’ Audrey sounded sympathetic, but Cassie had no time to consider anything but the pain roaring through her body. The midwife delivered this one, the doctor standing to one side, looking as if he did this every day of the week. The irritation with his calm demeanour dissipated the moment Audrey held up the baby. He squawked and Cassie’s heart pinched. Two boys safely delivered. Tears pricked at her eyes and Shayne’s grip tightened.

It was almost an anticlimax after the anxiety of those early months. Shayne had been a tower of strength, his hand taking a beating. She’d tried to clutch the sheets instead, but he’d gently taken her hand and held on. Maybe the emotions were because of her hormones, but the wave of feeling that swept over her as she registered his persistence in supporting her through the birth almost choked her. He was so good to her and so patient when she’d tried to rip out his heart to save hers.

The moment the obstetrician placed one boy on her chest was too much. She blinked to hold back the emotion. The tiny scrunched-up face with its button nose and wisp of dark hair reached out and grabbed her heart irrevocably. The other boy, wrapped in a cocoon that revealed only a matching nose and quiff of hair, was placed in Shayne’s arms by Jen. His eyes met hers and she saw his lashes sparkle with unshed tears.

‘Thank you, Cassie.’

There was so much in those simple words. His regard warmed her even as the midwife pressed down on her belly to expel the afterbirth. She cleaned up and moved away. The rest of the activity in the room faded. It was only the two of them with their children. Safely delivered. Whatever happened from now on, they were a family.

* * *

Shayne swallowed back the sensations as his whole body reacted to the intensity of the experience he’d shared with Cassie. No matter what the future held, this moment in time would be a connection between them. The small body in his arm received the overflow, a wash of protectiveness for this tiny person and his twin in a way he hadn’t experienced for anyone since Kimberley was born.

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