96. Lena's First

November 15-18, 2017 (pregnancy week 36/37)

Lena and Maggie were meeting for lunch on Wednesday afternoon.  They were both a little stir crazy from having their noses to the grindstone all day.  Of course, Lena was having way more fun working with Winn than Maggie was having at the precinct, so she was taking Maggie to her favorite diner called Dagwood’s that was famous for their enormous breakfast sandwiches of the same name.  The first time Lena had been in the place, she was a little hesitant, but Maggie promised the place was clean, and the food was to die for.  It had taken some convincing, but once Lena tried the Dagwood sandwich, she was hooked.  Ordinarily, she wouldn’t want to eat here very often because of the high calorie content, but since more calories was what the doctor ordered, she planned on taking full advantage.  Maybe she’d even splurge and get them some pancakes.  

Andy picked them up from the DEO and the police station and dropped them off at the diner, denying their offer to join them.  “I’ve gotta watch my girlish figure,” he joked.

When Maggie got a good look at her, in the sunlight, Lena was in black DEO gear, and Maggie growled lowly.

Lena paused.  “What was that for?”

Maggie chuckled.  “I’m tempted to just have you for lunch instead.  You look super sexy right now.”

Lena bit her lip and blushed.  “Um, thanks?”

Maggie pulled her in for a quick kiss.  “No, thank you ,” she winked.

“Goof,” Lena chuckled, shaking her head.  “Let’s go, I’m hungry.”  She linked her fingers with Maggie’s and went inside to get a table.  

“Hey, y’all!” the grey-haired hostess greeted them.  She knew their names, but knew not to use them because it always drew attention to them.  “How ya doin’ today?”

“Great, thanks, Sue,” Maggie replied with a dimpled grin.  “How are you?”

“Good, thank you.”  Sue grabbed a couple of menus and some silverware and led them to a table.  “Here you go, ladies!  Do you want coffee?”

“Yes, please,” the pair replied in unison.

“Okie dokie, I’ll get that while y’all figure out what ya want t’eat.”  Sue smiled and went to grab their coffee.

“So, how’s your day going?” Maggie asked Lena, skimming idly through the menu.

“Good,” Lena replied.  “Winn and I are building some new parts for the transmat portal back on Krypton so that we can fix it up whenever we’re able to send the prisoners back for their trial.”

Maggie nodded.  “How is it working with Winn?  I think that would drive me nuts more than any stack of paperwork ever could.”

Lena chuckled.  “He’s sweet, and he’s brilliant, and I really like working with him.  Did you know his dad was a murderer?”

“Yeah,” Maggie told her.  “I heard about that from Kara at some point, and I looked up the case.  Pretty tragic for Winn.  His dad killed some people, and his mother never showed up to pick him up, so he went into the system.  That’s one thing I’ll give him, you’d never know he had such a hard life.  He acts like such a dork, but a cheerful one.  I guess you two are sort of alike in that way.”

Lena nodded.  “Yeah.  I guess so.”

Sue the hostess returned with their coffee, and their server was right behind her to get their orders.  They ordered the Dagwood special and a side of pancakes for each of them, and the server disappeared to put in their order to the kitchen.

“How is your day going, my love?” Lena asked.

Maggie wiggled her hand from side to side.  “So-so.  The boss has let me help with a few cases here and there, but nothing in the field.  I miss being able to leave the building when I’m working.”

Lena placed a hand over Maggie’s in sympathy.  “Soon, love.”

Maggie took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “Yeah.  I know.  And in reality, it’s a small problem, but I forget that when my head is screaming with boredom.”

Lena giggled softly.  “I understand, trust me.  As a CEO, I dealt with a lot of devastatingly boring things.”

“Thank God for Sam and James, right?” Maggie grinned, raising her coffee mug.

Lena nodded emphatically and raised her mug as well.  “Cheers to that, my love.”  She went to take a sip of her coffee, and one of the babies kicked her arm and almost made her spill it.  She yelped in surprise and just barely escaped a chest full of hot coffee.

“Shit, babe, are you OK?” Maggie asked, tensed and ready for action.

Lena started giggling.  “I’m fine.  Apparently the boys have had enough coffee, and they don’t want me to drink anymore.”  When her wife just looked at her funny, she clarified, “They kicked my arm when I was trying to take a drink.”

Maggie relaxed.  “Oh.  OK.”  She shook the bad thoughts out of her head.  

“Sorry to frighten you,” Lena offered.

“It’s OK,” Maggie chuckled.  “I’ve done my fair share of freaking people out too.  A couple of days ago, I scared the life out of Alura when we were talking in the kitchen.  The baby kicked me in the bladder out of nowhere, and I ran to the bathroom without even saying anything to her except, ‘Oh, shit!’”

Lena laughed.  “You poor things!”

Maggie giggled, “She was really understanding about it, though.”

“That’s good,” Lena grinned, drinking her water now.

For a moment, they just sat and smiled at each other.  Eventually, Lena broke the silence, “I love you, Maggie.”

Maggie’s face changed from contented enjoyment to one of utter adoration.  “I love you too, Lena.  So much.”  Then she whispered, “I look forward to the day when we can really make love again.  I miss that more than all the other things combined.”

Lena blushed, but didn’t look away.  “Same here.”  This time, as their eyes lingered on one another, there was a hint of longing there.

“So, do you see Alex and Eliza much while you’re at the DEO?” Maggie wondered.

Lena shook her head.  “Not really.  Winn’s lab is on a different floor than the medical labs and wards.  We’ve had lunch together a few times, but I usually don’t see them otherwise.  We all get sucked into our own little projects and don’t really run around socializing much.”

“Typical,” Maggie teased.

Lena shrugged.  “I can’t argue with that.”

“What kind of gadgets are you building for the supers?” Maggie wanted to know.

Lena smirked.  “Who said they were for the supers?”

Maggie frowned.  “I thought you did.”

Lena wiggled her head from side to side.  “Well, I guess we are building a couple of gadgets for the supers, but a lot of them are for… other people.”

“Like who?” Maggie pressed.

Lena chuckled.  “You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Ugh!” Maggie groaned.  “You’re wicked.”

Lena chuckled.  “What can I say?  It’s in my blood.”

“What about the Legionnaires?” Maggie continued her line of questioning.  “Is Brainy or anyone helping you build things?”

“Yes, actually, a few things.  He helped us with the portal parts that we had some trouble with, and I asked him if he’d help us build at least one of those life-saving tanks that they have on board their ship here in the DEO.  He’s agreed, of course, and we’re going to start next week.”

“Cool,” Maggie replied.  “That’ll be useful.”

“Indeed,” Lena nodded.

“I’m really proud of you, you know it?” Maggie said seriously.

“What for?” Lena asked.

“For not letting yourself get swept up in the double-CEO life and following your passion instead,” Maggie explained.  “I know you love science more than breathing.”

“Oh,” Lena said softly.  “Thank you.  Yes, you know me.  I guess the whole thing with Sam and the Worldkillers sparked it.  I realized how much I missed working on solving problems.  I wanted to get back into the creative spirit by tinkering around with Winn for a while.”

“First of all,” Maggie said, raising her finger in the air, “Sam and the Worldkillers sounds like a killer chick rock band.  Secondly, I’m glad.  You’re going to revolutionize the world.”

Lena smiled appreciatively.  “I hope so.  I’m going to start with boosting Supergirl and her team and then get back to medical research and development.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Maggie approved.  “Maybe you could steal Eliza away from the DEO.”

“Don’t think I won’t try,” Lena chuckled.

“J’onn has been trying to poach me from the NCPD for months now, but I don’t want to do it.  We need good people in the PD too.  The DEO can’t hog everyone.”

Lena laughed.  “I see your point, and I approve.  You make an excellent detective, and you’re right.  There needs to be more alien-friendly people on the force.”

“Thank you,” Maggie smiled.

Soon their food arrived, and the mothers-to-be busied themselves with stuffing their faces for the remainder of their time together.  When they were finished, they climbed back into the limo and kissed the whole way back to the NCPD.  

XXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, when it was time to go home, Lena was again met with that hypnotic dimpled smile, and a “Hello, gorgeous” from inside the limo.

With Andy’s help, Lena was able to scoot closer to her wife for a kiss.  “Hello, gorgeous, yourself,” she smirked.

A few minutes later, Alex joined them in the limo.  “Hey, guys!”  

“Hey, babe,” Maggie replied happily.

“Hello, darling,” Lena said at the same time.

She turned her focus on Lena, drawing her in for a kiss.  “That one’s for you.  And this…” she kissed Lena again.  “Is for Maggie.  Pass it on.”

Lena chuckled and passed the kiss onto the detective.

“Thank you,” Alex and Maggie both said.  “Jinx!” they both said.  Then again, “Aw!”

Lena laughed at them.  “I guess the twins are rubbing off on you guys.”

They all giggled.  

Along the ride home, the three of them had a good cuddle, not really talking much because they were all pretty tired in general these days.  It was a comfortable silence, though.  They didn’t have to fill the silence with anything if they didn’t want to, so they just relaxed together and enjoyed the ride.  When they got home, Kara, Alura, Eliza, and the twins were almost finished making dinner.  The group greeted each other with hugs and kisses, and then the moms-to-be went to set the table.  For dinner, they were having grilled chicken and pasta primavera.  Lena’s stomach growled at the delicious smell.

The family devoured their dinner, and then Eliza surprised them with some various pies for dessert.  They were the store bought ones, not the homemade kind, but they were still delicious.  Lena had a piece of cherry and a piece of chocolate silk with no regrets.  A part of her was going to miss getting to eat like this after the babies were weaned.

When dinner was over, the moms-to-be retired to the living room at the others’ insistence.  This close to their due date, they weren’t allowed to do much, especially Lena. Not by the doctor’s orders, mind you, but by Kara and Eliza and anyone else they could get to join them at a given time. “You need to rest,” they kept saying.  So Lena settled on the couch with Maggie in between her and Alex.

Lena was just dozing off when she felt a searing pain go through her back and then down into her abdomen that lasted for what felt like an eternity.  Even though she didn’t remember doing it, she must have cried out because suddenly everyone was in front of her looking at her in panic.  A few leftover tears leaked out of her eyes, and she had to take a few breaths to calm herself down.  “Ow…”

Kara was suddenly at her feet.  “Are you OK, baby?  Was that a contraction?”

Lena shook her head.  “I’m not sure.  Maybe.”

Kara focused on her belly for a few moments.  “Everything looks good.  The boys are just chilling.  Their heartbeats are strong.  Only one of their heads are down right now, but that’s OK this early.  No problems that I can see.  I can’t really see labor though, apart from measuring your pains.  Assuming you have any more.”

“I think I underestimated how much pain I was going to be in,” Lena muttered.  

Kara frowned.  “I think you should go ahead and go to bed.  Hopefully it’s just Braxton-Hicks, but if this is real labor, you’re going to want to sleep as much as possible while you still can.”

Eliza and Alura nodded behind her.

Kara turned her head around to her daughter, “Jamie, you go upstairs and keep an eye on her.  If she has any more pains, write them down, how long they last, how far apart they are, and what time they happen.  It’s the only way we’re going to know what this is.”

“OK, Mama,” Jamie agreed.  She hauled Lena up off of the couch and helped her upstairs to her room.  Lena’s back was aching after those shooting pains, so Jamie was kind enough to help her change into her pajamas.

“Will it bother you if I watch videos on my phone?” Jamie asked.  “I’ll use my headphones.”

“That’s fine, darling,” Lena permitted.  “Before you do that, though, can we cuddle for a bit?  It’ll help me fall asleep.”

“Yeah,” Jamie smiled at her and scooted closer.  Lena laid facing away from her, and Jamie cuddled up against her back, wrapping her arm around her belly.  “I love you, Mama Lena,” she whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

“I love you too, baby,” Lena murmured sleepily.

XXXXX

The next thing Lena knew, she was waking up in excruciating pain again.  When she registered the world around her once more, Kara was kneeling in front of her, whispering soothing words in her ear.

“Is it over now?” Kara asked, stroking Lena’s lower back.

Lena nodded with a sniffle.  “How long has it been?”

“A couple of hours,” Kara informed her.  “I sent the kids to bed, and I’m gonna have Alex and Maggie sleep in the other room for now.  I’ll stay here with you and keep an eye on you.”

Lena pouted a bit at hearing that Maggie and Alex wouldn’t be sleeping with them, but she understood it.  She didn’t want to keep them up all night if this was going to keep happening.  They both had to work tomorrow.

“Do you need anything, sweetheart?” Kara asked her.

Lena nodded.  “Yeah, I need to use the bathroom.”  Kara helped her sit up and get off the bed.  “Thank you.  I can manage from here.”

“OK.”  When Lena returned, Kara was just sitting on the bed waiting for her.  “Do you want any water or food?” she asked.

Lena shook her head.  “No, I just want to sleep.”

“Alright, sweetie pie.”  Kara supersped into her pyjamas and then helped Lena back into bed.  They curled up facing each other, and Kara stroked Lena’s hair soothingly.  “I love you so much, Lena,” she said with a tender kiss.

“I love you too, Kara,” Lena replied.  “I’m scared, though.”

“Talk to me, honey,” Kara insisted.  “Tell me what you’re afraid of.”

Lena’s lip trembled a bit before she answered, “I’m afraid of the pain.  It’s already so painful, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to deal with more.”

Kara gave her a look of sympathy.  “You’re strong, though, Lena.  You’re going to get through the pain, and in return, we’re going to have the most beautiful twin boys in the whole wide world.  They’re gonna be so happy to finally meet you in person.”

Lena smiled tearfully.  “I do want to meet them, I am ready for that.  I’m so excited to get to hold them and talk to them and get to know them.  I hope they have your smile.”

Kara chuckled.  “That’s funny because I want them to have yours.  Your smile lights up the whole room.  I know you think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not.”

Lena gently bonked her forehead against Kara’s in protest.  “Same goes for you.”

Kara’s response was to kiss her again.  “Try to go back to sleep, love.”

“OK.”  Lena laced her fingers through Kara’s and closed her eyes.

XXXXX

Lena had woken up in pain about 7 or 8 times throughout the night and into the morning.  According to Kara and Alex, she was in actual labor, not just having Braxton-Hicks, so Kara called James and J’onn and told them that she and Lena would be taking the day off.  Lena protested, saying she wanted to work to distract herself from the pain, but Kara wouldn’t stand for it.  

The reporter called Dr. Landry to update her on what was going on, but she had to leave a message.  The doctor called back about an hour later, insisting that Kara bring Lena into the office for a checkup.  Dr. Landry wasn’t taking any chances with these mothers and babies.  They loaded up in Kara’s new Honda Odyssey and headed to the OB.

Dr. Landry greeted them cheerfully.  “So, how far apart are the contractions?”

“About an hour now,” Kara replied.  “They started at every two hours last night.”

When Dr. Landry got down to examining Lena, she discovered that the CEO was already 4 centimeters dilated.

“Four?!” Lena exclaimed.  “That’s almost halfway there already!  Oh, God, this is really happening!”

Kara grinned like a maniac and bounced on her toes.  “Eee!” she squealed.  “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited!”

Lena pouted at her wife.  “But it hurts.”

Kara grew serious again and stroked Lena’s head.  “I’m sorry, baby.”

Lena leaned into Kara’s touch.

“You’ll do just fine,” Dr. Landry assured her.  “We’ll have an epidural for you when you get closer to delivering.”

Lena whined shamelessly.

“Get yourself home and get some rest,” Dr. Landry ordered.  “You’re going to need your strength.”  

XXXXX

Back at home, Kara and Lena made a nest on the couch in the living room and snuggled up to watch TV.  Alura asked if she could join them, but she sat on another couch so Lena had room to sprawl out.  The twins tried to finagle their way out of schoolwork and into snuggling on the couch with them, but Kara made them go back to their tutor.  Lena dozed on and off throughout the morning, but she never slept for long because she couldn’t get comfortable no matter what she tried.  Every contraction felt like it was slicing through her, and it left an ache in her back the rest of the time.  Kara held her through it all, keeping track of the timing and reminding her to breathe.

By noon, Lena’s contractions were 45 minutes apart.  They still had a long way to go, but they were getting there.  Kara and the twins made them all a quick lunch, and they sat at the kitchen island to eat, since there was only five of them.  The twins were equal parts excited and anxious.  Obviously, they were excited for the babies to arrive, but they were also anxious because Lena was in pain, and they couldn’t do anything about it.  It made them a little jumpy.  Lena tried to tell them it was OK, but it wasn’t very convincing when she was screaming in pain the next second.  After lunch, the twins and Alura volunteered to clean up, so Kara and Lena returned to their nest in the living room.

The afternoon dragged on.  Every time Lena looked at the clock hoping another hour had gone by, it turned out it was only 20 minutes.  It was extremely frustrating.  Just sitting around watching TV wasn’t helping the matter.  Lena liked to be up and about.  When she complained to Kara, the blonde offered to take her for a walk.  Lena agreed to do so.  They and Alura got up and walked around the neighborhood for about a half an hour before Lena’s feet and back started hurting and they had to return.  

“You want to take a nice hot bath, sweetheart?” Kara suggested.

Lena nodded grumpily.  The pain was really wearing on her mood.  The reporter carried her up the stairs and sat her on the bed while she went to go draw the bathwater.  Lena just flopped over onto her side and laid there sullenly while she waited.

“OK,” Kara said as she came out of the bathroom.  “Bath’s ready.”  She helped Lena undress and climb into the tub.  “Do you want me to stay with you?” Kara offered.

Lena shook her head.

“OK, just call me when you’re ready.”  Kara left her alone, but Lena knew she’d be focused on her anyway, ready to come running at a moment’s notice.

Lena leaned her head back against the ledge of the tub and tried to let the bath relax her. It helped a bit, especially on her back which hurt the most.  She was just starting to doze off when her next contraction hit her.  She howled through the pain, and Kara came running.

“Oh, man,” Kara muttered.  “We’re at a half an hour now.  Do you wanna get out now, or stay in a little longer?”

Lena took a moment to let her head clear before answering, “I want to stay a little longer.  Can you heat the water up for me a bit?”

Kara stuck her hand into the water to get a feel for the temp and how much heating it required.  She gave it a quick zap with her heat vision, and Lena visibly relaxed again.  She turned to leave, but Lena stopped her this time.

“Wait.  Don’t go.”

Kara stopped her feet and turned around.  “OK, sweetheart.  I’m here.”  She sat down on the edge of the tub and stroked Lena’s hair.  

About 20 minutes later, Lena was ready to get out of the tub.  She tugged on Kara’s fingers to get her attention.  “Can you help me up?”

“Of course,” Kara reached down and picked Lena up and set her on her feet on the bathmat.  Then she grabbed Lena’s towel and dried her off and helped her get dressed again.  “I hope that helped.”

Lena nodded.  “It did a little.”

“You wanna go back downstairs?”

Lena nodded again.  “Carry me?” she said a little helplessly.  Her back hurt, but she wanted to be with her family.

“As you wish,” Kara grinned, scooping Lena up bridal style and carrying her back downstairs.

Now that the twins were done with their schooling for the day, they were quick to join the pair on the couch for snuggles.

“Sing to me,” Lena requested of them.

The twins were happy to oblige.  They sang her a few soft songs that lulled her to sleep for a few minutes, but of course, that’s when her next contraction hit.  Lena tried not to swear in front of the kids, but it was difficult.  The pain was bad.

When Lena regained her ability to focus, she noticed tears in the twins eyes.  It broke her heart a little, and endeared her to them even more as well.  They were such softies, and they hurt when their loved ones were hurting.  After a few minutes, the twins decided to give Lena a foot rub, which Lena thoroughly enjoyed.  She had one more contraction before Alex, Maggie and Eliza returned for the evening, and then another about five minutes after they arrived.

“Twenty-four minutes,” Kara counted down.

Lena whimpered.  The end goal still felt so far away, and there was still so much pain to go through in the meantime.  Alex made the kids get up, so she and Maggie could sit next to Lena and try to soothe her.  They hugged and kissed and shushed her as she cried, and she took comfort in their affection.  They were the ones who helped her get through the next couple of hours of contractions, giving Kara a slight break.

Alura suggested that Kara and the kids get out of the house for a while, so the three of them went out to Noonan’s to pick up dinner for everyone.  While they were gone, Alura picked up on the contraction countdown.  “Eighteen minutes,” she announced after Lena’s most recent one.

“You’re so close, baby, you’re doing so great,” Alex soothed her.

“Just hang in there, honey, we’ve got you,” Maggie encouraged.

Lena didn’t speak.  It was really hard not to hold her breath when the pain shot through her, so she just tried to keep breathing, slow and steady.

It seemed like it took ages for Kara and the kids to return.  Not that Lena was so hungry she couldn’t wait, she just really wanted them to come back, so she knew they were safe.  One of Lena’s worst fears was that Kara would miss the birth of her children because of some new alien insurrection or something.  It made her anxious for their safe return.  In reality, the girls weren’t gone for an unreasonable amount of time, and when the three blondes made their way inside with the bags of food, Lena’s stomach grumbled.

“I heard that,” Kara chuckled, giving Lena a few kisses.

“We all heard that,” Eliza snorted.

“OK, let’s eat, and then we’re going upstairs to rest some more,” Kara said, hauling her wives up off of the couch.

Lena leaned on Kara as she walked into the dining room with everyone.  Her back was pretty sore still.  Literally 2 seconds after she sat down, she was wracked with another contraction.  She squeezed Kara’s hand with crushing force (for a human).  Of course, Kara was unphased by the physical aggression, simply upset that Lena was in pain, and she couldn’t stop it.  She held Lena’s hand until it was over, then wrapped her up in a hug when it was over.

“What time are the contractions at?” Kara asked her mother.

“Sixteen minutes,” Alura replied.

Kara nodded.  “OK.”

They gave Lena the first pick of what they’d gotten for dinner.  She just chose the chicken caesar salad because she didn’t think her stomach could handle anything heavier than that at the moment.  Even though she was hungry, she was also a little nauseated.  It took her a while to get through her dinner, having yet another contraction in the middle of it all.

After Lena was finally done eating, she let Kara carry her upstairs.  As they were changing into their PJ’s, Lena had another contraction, nearly falling to her knees on the floor before Kara caught her.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you,” Kara soothed, laying her down on the bed.  “You’re doing so well, Lena, I’m so proud of you.”

Lena sobbed into her wife’s arms.  “I can’t do this, Kara.”

The blonde just held her as she cried.  “Yes, you can, baby.  You can do it.  I’m sure by this time tomorrow, we’ll have our baby boys, and the pain will be all over.  Just a few more hours, and it’ll be done.  And when your contractions are close enough together, we can get you an epidural, and it won’t hurt so bad.”

“Why can’t they do that now?” Lena whined, knowing full well the actual answer, but not caring.

“You want to try another bath, sweetheart?” Kara offered.

Lena shook her head.  “No, I just want to lay down.”

“OK.”  Kara climbed into the bed behind her and cuddled up closely against her back.  “I love you so much, Lena.”

Lena sniffled.  “I love you too, Kara.”

XXXXX

The next few hours, Lena felt like she was being tortured from the inside.  Her emotions were all over the place, ranging from fear to joy to anger to despair.  She even yelled at Kara a couple of times, and then immediately felt bad about it, begging for forgiveness.  Kara didn’t seem to care.  She just kept telling Lena that it was OK, she was doing well, and Kara was proud of her.  

Despite the fact that Lena was constantly in pain, she was exhausted, and miraculously, she did manage to get a few minutes of sleep in between contractions.  Finally, at about 5:30am, Kara announced that her contractions were now four minutes apart, and it was time to go to the hospital.  The Kryptonian gathered their belongings, called the doctor, alerted her family that they were going in, and then drove Lena to the hospital.

At the hospital, they got checked in, and then people pestered Lena with a ton of questions and forms to sign.  It was all she could do to keep from screaming at them to go away and leave her alone.  Time crawled by as they monitored her and got her into Labor and Delivery.  Finally, finally, the time came for Lena to get her epidural.  It took a few minutes to kick in, but once it did, Lena was extremely relieved.  She clung to Kara during this time, thanking the heavens for the relief.  

As had been the case for the last day and a half, Lena couldn’t get comfortable no matter what she tried, but it helped the most when she knelt on her knees on the bed and leaned forward onto Kara.  The Kryptonian stood dutifully against her, helping her balance without the fear of running out of strength.  Kara continuously whispered sweet nothings to her and told her how great she was doing.  Now that the pain had died down, it was more soothing than annoying, and Lena didn’t feel the urge to scream at everyone around her anymore.

Just before 7am, Dr. Landry appeared with a smile on her face.  “Hello, Lena.  how are you feeling?”

Lena did not release Kara to pay attention to the doctor.  “Fine right this second,” she replied.

“Would you like me to check how dilated you are?” the doctor offered.

Lena nodded and let the doctor check her out.

“Looks good!” Dr. Landry told her.  “I think we’re ready.”

Lena whimpered.

“Don’t worry, that epidural will help with the birthing pains,” Dr. Landry assured her.

“OK,” Lena sighed and started to move.

“You’re OK like you are, actually, if that’s more comfortable for you,” the doc said.

“You’re sure?” Lena murmured.

“Of course,” Dr. Landry smiled at her.  “However you need to do this is OK.”

Lena sighed in relief.  She absolutely could not lay on her back right now, even with the epidural.  It was still too painful.

The next hour of pushing was a bit of a blur, but Lena would never ever forget the sound of her first born’s first cries.  It was so tiny and plaintive, and it hit Lena right in the heart.  Kara cut the umbilical cord, and when the doctor presented them with their little boy, Lena burst into happy tears.  “Hello, my son,” she greeted him, and he settled down.  “Yeah, hi.  I’m your mommy.”

The baby cooed and kicked his feet, clearly happy to be with his mother.

“He’s so perfect, Lena,” Kara sighed dreamily, kissing them both on the head.  “Hi, little one.  I’m your Mama.”

The baby flailed some more, seemingly knowing exactly who was talking to him.

“You’re so tiny,” Lena said, putting her finger in his hand and feeling a wash of pure love run through her.

“OK, let me take him, so we can meet your next one,” the nurse said gently, waiting for Lena to hand him over.

Lena’s heart clenched.  She didn’t want to let go yet, and she cried when the nurse took him.

“Are you ready to meet your other son?  You’re so close to being finished, Lena,” Dr. Landry encouraged.

“OK,” Lena whimpered.

Much to Lena’s surprise, it only took about seven minutes to get the next baby out.  Kara again cut the cord, and the baby screamed bloody murder until Lena took a hold of him.  “Hi, baby,” she cooed.  “Mama’s here.  You’re OK.”

The newborn stopped mid-wail as soon as Lena talked to him.

Kara giggled.  “I told you they would be happy to meet you.”  She stroked the boy’s cheek.  “Hello, my son.  Mama loves you!”

The nurse came back with the first baby all washed and weighed and swaddled up.  “I’m going to trade you,” she said, handing the first baby to Kara and delicately taking the second from Lena.

Kara’s face was priceless.  She was in so much awe as she rocked and kissed her son before handing him back to Lena.  “You did so good, Lena.  I’m so proud of you.”

Lena couldn’t take her eyes off of her son.  He was so little and precious.  She’d never felt such overwhelming joy in all of her life.  “Hello, little Jacky,” she whispered.  “Mommy loves you.”

The doctor coached Lena through the afterbirth, and very soon, the nurse returned with the second baby and handed him over to Kara.  Again, Kara rocked and kissed him, overwhelmed with happiness.  “What’s this one’s name, sweetheart?” she wondered.  Lena had been mum on the subject.

“Joel,” Lena replied.  “Joel Scott and Jack David.”

Kara beamed.  “Hi, Joel!  “Mama loves you!”

Little Joel flailed happily in her arms.  Lena couldn’t help but cry again.  Kara with their son was just perfect.

Soon the nursing coach arrived and taught Lena how to nurse the babies.  It was a strange and surreal process, but somehow it made her feel even more connected to them.

Kara sent out the announcement to their friends while Lena was busy.  “Jack David: born at 8:57am, 11/17/17, 5lbs 9oz, 21.25 inches long.  Joel Scott: born at 9:03am, 11/17/17, 5lbs 1oz, 20.9 inches long.”  She snapped a few pics of the babies’ faces, showcasing that yet again, the babies looked just like her.  Kara urged her friends to keep it quiet for a while, at least until they were safe at home.

Soon, the Danvers family was clamoring at the door to see Lena and the newborns.  They let the twins in first, and they squealed in delight when they laid eyes on their little brothers.  It was hard for Lena to let go of her sons, but she knew she had to let the girls hold them for a moment.  The girls gingerly took the babies and gushed over how tiny and cute they were as Kara took pictures of them.

“They have no hair,” Jessie giggled.

Lena chuckled sleepily.  “Yes they do, it’s just super, super light-colored.  Feel.”

The girls delicately touched the babies’ heads to feel the faint peach fuzz adorning their scalps.

They’re so cute, I’m going to explode!” Jessie exclaimed.  “I never want to let go.”

Kara chuckled.  “You’re going to have to fight Lena for that.”

Jessie looked over at Lena and gave her a sympathetic grin.  “Sorry, Lena,” she said, passing the baby back to her.

Lena was extremely relieved to get her sons back in her arms, as Jamie also passed the other baby over.

Now that Kara had the camera in her hand, she wouldn’t stop taking pictures.  Lena knew she must look like hell, and she really didn’t appreciate it.  “Kara, don’t take pictures of me like this!”

“Lena, you look so beautiful,” Kara argued.  “No one outside the family is going to see these, I promise.  We need them for the baby books!”

Lena whined in annoyance.

“It’s OK, Mama Lena,” Jamie assured her.  “Don’t worry about looking perfect.  Like Mama said, you look beautiful.”  She kissed her stepmother on the cheek.  

“Yeah,” Jessie kissed her other cheek.

Lena sighed.  “Thank you, dears.”

“We love you,” Jessie added.

“I love both you girls too,” Lena replied.

Maggie poked her head in the door, “Can we have our turns yet?”

The girls moaned a little, but they made their way out of the room to let Alex and Maggie in.

“Hi, Lena,” Alex greeted her.  “Look at you!  You did it!”

“Hey,” Lena smiled tiredly at them.  “Come say hi.”

Maggie and Alex got their hands on the babies and snuggled them close, cooing and talking to them softly.  “They’re so perfect, Lena,” Maggie breathed.  “I didn’t expect to feel this attached to your babies yet, but I do.”

“Same,” Alex added, kissing Jack’s fingers.  “Look at their sweet little faces!  Oh my gosh, Lena, they’re just so cute!”

Kara continued to flit around them with the camera, a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

After a few minutes, Alex and Maggie relinquished their sons back to Lena and went to get Eliza and Alura.

When the grandmas came in, they beamed at Lena and asked how she was feeling.

“I’m exhausted,” she replied.  “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

Eliza stroked her hair.  “I bet.  But you did great, Lena, look at them.  They’re perfect.”

“Thank you,” Lena sniffled.  She allowed the two grandparents to hold their new grandbabies.

Again, Kara took a million pictures of all the cuteness.

By the time the grandmothers had gotten some good cuddles in, it was time to nurse again, so the family said their goodbyes, giving Lena and the boys hugs and kisses and love and promising to see her later.

The rest of the day went by in a blur.  She tried to rest here and there in between feedings, but she kept getting visitors, so by the end of the day, she was a bleary-eyed mess.  She could barely even remember who all came by at the end of it all, although she did remember Ruby being really cute with the babies.  At the end of visiting hours, Lena made Kara go home and get one last good night’s rest before she and the babies came home.  Kara, of course, tried to argue with her, but Lena insisted that all she was going to be doing was sleeping and nursing, so it was pointless for Kara to be there overnight.  Kara whined and pouted and even begged a little, but Lena eventually got her to go home.  It wasn’t until later that she realized that Kara probably didn’t want to leave their sons anymore than she did, and then she felt bad.  But only for a minute because she wanted Kara to sleep and be well-rested for the next day at home.

Once Kara was gone, Lena had one hell of a cry.  She was tired and all of her emotions were all jumbled together.  She was glad Kara wasn’t there to witness that and worry over nothing.  After that, she slept well until it was time to nurse again.

XXXXX

The next day, Kara showed up at the hospital at 7:00am sharp.  Lena wasn’t being discharged until later, but the reporter just wanted to be there and get cuddle time with the boys.  Thankfully, there was no camera today.  She woke up to Kara humming lightly to the babies, rocking and smiling, and Lena’s heart clenched with affection.

When she noticed Lena was awake and watching them, she beamed.  “I’m so proud of you,” Kara told her for what felt like the millionth time.  “You did so well, Lena.”

Lena smiled tiredly.  “Yes, well, as much as I love them, I don’t think I want to give birth again anytime soon.”

Kara chuckled.  “And you shouldn’t have to.  Six kids is way more than enough.”

“Yes, indeed.”  Lena laid her head back and rested her eyes.

“How did they do overnight?” Kara asked.

“They were perfect little angels,” Lena smiled.  “They’re hungry little guys already, though.”

Kara giggled.  “That’s my boys.”

Jack let out a wail as they were talking.

“Uh-oh, speaking of hungry…” Kara gently passed Jack back to Lena to nurse, while Joel stayed asleep in her arms.  “I guess we know who the sleepy one is,” she giggled, booping Joel’s nose with her own.  His face twitched, but he stayed asleep.

Lena chuckled.  “Yeah, but he nurses longer to make up for it.”

“Ooh, you’re gonna be a big boy someday, aren’t you?” Kara cooed at his sleeping form.  “When you’re finished feeding Jacky, I have some food if you want it,” she told Lena.

“What is it?” Lena asked curiously.

“Just some eggs and toast.  I didn’t know how well your stomach would feel this morning.  I can get more, or if you don’t want this, I can get you something else,” Kara rambled.

“That sounds pretty good, actually,” Lena eased her wife’s anxiousness.  “Thank you, my love.”

Kara visibly relaxed.  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

“Just let me finish nursing, and then I’ll eat,” Lena yawned.  “If I’m lucky, Joel will let me finish before he wakes up.”  

“I can feed you, if you’re really hungry,” Kara offered.  “I used to have to do that for Alex all the time back in the day.”

Lena contemplated for a moment whether or not she was hungry enough to allow Kara to feed her like a child.  Seeing as Jack only nursed for about 20-25 minutes at a time, she figured she could wait unless Joel woke up and demanded to be fed right away as well.  Since he took about a half-hour or more to nurse, she ended up saying, “I’m OK for now, but I reserve the right to take you up on that offer later.”

“You got it,” Kara beamed.

As luck would have it, Joel did wake up hungry before she was even finished feeding Jack, so Lena ended up submitting to Kara feeding her.  It actually wasn’t all that bad.  As a Kryptonian, Kara had a steady hand, so she didn’t get food everywhere, and it was actually a rather enjoyable moment between them since Kara couldn’t wipe the silly grin off of her face, and the slight awkwardness of it all kept making Lena giggle.

Around 8:30, the Danvers crew arrived to pick everyone up and take them home.  Lena fretted over the carseats, making triple-sure that they were secured safely and that the babies were fit snugly inside.  The others offered her the front seat, but she refused.  She wanted to be by her sons.

It felt so, so good to be home.  Lena had some more to eat while she could, and then she laid down on the couch, knowing it would be time to nurse again soon.  She was tired, but she wanted to spend a little more time with her family before she disappeared upstairs to sleep in between feedings.

Jessie and Jamie snuggled their little brothers on the floor in front of her to keep them close to her.  It was clear that the girls were so, so in love as they interacted with the babies.  It made Lena’s heart ache with love.  As unexpected as these little boys were, Lena had zero regrets.