Day 7: The babies are here!
Consciousness comes over him in waves.
Labor came on quickly. A sharp burst in his side, almost like he’d been shot. Nausea clawing its way up his throat. He dimly registered shouting - the feeling of a wave of fluid gushing between his legs - teleporting into the hospital. They’d shoved him onto a bed, rushed him to a room.
After that, it got fuzzy.
Pain - so much pain, agonizing pain, pulsing through his body, boiling his blood. He cried out, claws tearing through the sheets, the mattress - chaos snapped around the room, causing the nurses to shriek -
Come on Shadow.
Push.
Push.
Push push push pop.
Now, as he comes to, the room is dark. A machine beeps from nearby, people murmuring down the hall. His ears swivel towards snuffling, faint squeaks - a hushed voice pipes up beside the bed.
“That’s it. Easy now. Support their head.”
Squeak!
Shadow winces as he opens his eyes, turning his head to look.
Sapphire sits next to Sonic, their backs to him. There are three bassinets lined up against the wall, their occupants obscured from his view. Sapphire’s tail is wagging a mile a minute. Sonic is crying, but he looks breathtakingly happy.
“Mgh.” The hybrid winces at a bolt of pain spearing through his middle. It makes his family whirl around.
“Papa!” Sapphire beams.
“Shadow,” Sonic breathes.
Shadow doesn’t reply. He’s too busy staring at the bundles of blankets in their arms. They’re moving.
They bring them over and arrange the triplets against Shadow’s chest.
“Two girls and a boy,” Sonic explains quietly. He taps the nose of one wrapped in a blanket printed with stars. “This little lady came first. Then this fine young gentleman,” he kisses the green blanketed baby’s forehead, “and last but not least, our fussy princess.”
As if to prove his point, their youngest spits out the binky she’d been sucking on, letting out a faint cry. She’s wrapped in a blanket printed with cartoon suns.
Shadow’s heart expands as he looks at them. His triplets. His babies.
His breath hitches when he meets the gaze of a third eye protruding from his eldest’s forehead. It glares back at him, blood red and piercing, given she’s only a few minutes old.
Their son grunts, pulling his right arm free from its wrapping.
Or rather, the nub where his right arm should be.
Shadow inhales sharply.
“He’s healthy,” Sonic said softly, following his gaze. “They all are. All things considered, Doc said they’re doin’ pretty good for newborns.” He nudged their eldest. “She’s not really cognizant yet, eye be damned - you should’ve seen the look on the doctor’s face when she got pulled out, he pissed himself.”
Shadow laughs, wet and choked. “They’re beautiful,” he whispers.
Sapphire leans against Shadow’s arm, tail wagging so hard she’s shaking the bed as she looks over her siblings. They’re all exhausted - quills a mess, bags under their eyes, skin puffy and pale. But they’re here; they’re alive. They made it.
“You did it,” Sonic whispers as Shadow starts to drift off again.
“You did it, Shadow.”
