Positively Yours (37 page)

Erin ignored him.

‘Dr Kennedy, I read that some women who have not seen their babies come out feel disconnected from them. Could you drop the drape after the incision, so I could see them being born? It would help me so much.'

John looked hopefully at the doctor.

‘All right,' Dr Kennedy said. ‘I'm about to make the incision, and once that's done I will drop the drape.'

Erin was delighted. Having a C-section was certainly not something she'd planned or wanted, but if she could at least see her children coming into this world that would help take away the feeling of uselessness.

Less than five minutes later Erin's whole life changed.

‘OK, here we go,' said Dr Kennedy. He dropped the drape, and as the machines beeped and the nurses passed
orders to each other Erin saw a little head of hair emerge.

She held her breath. Suddenly there wasn't a sound in the room. She couldn't focus on anything as she waited to hear a breath, waited and prayed for her baby to breathe.

A nurse sucked the fluid from the baby's nose and mouth, and suddenly the room was filled with the sound of crying. It was the sweetest sound Erin had ever heard.

‘It's a boy!' shouted John. Erin began to shake. All she wanted to do was jump up and touch her son. Instead the nurse took the baby aside. He looked so small and fragile, his little body hadn't planned to be born into the world just yet.

‘One down, one to go,' Dr Kennedy said enthusiastically.

Erin looked back at her stomach, and before she had time to think another tiny baby had appeared. Like a miracle her family had arrived.

‘A little girl,' smiled the nurse.

Erin began crying. She had it all, a girl and a boy.

John was hysterical as he stumbled between the two tables, touching each of his children as they cried and made their presence known to the world.

It felt like for ever before John walked over to his wife and handed her their daughter. Then he picked up their son and wrapped him tightly in his arms.

‘They're perfect,' he whispered.

Erin looked into her daughter's eyes. They had a wise expression. All at once Erin felt calm. She forgot all her worries.

‘Welcome to the world,' she said, as she held her little daughter tight. She rubbed her daughter's nose, and stroked her soft skin. Both babies were so small, so delicate, but it made Erin love them even more: all she wanted to do was protect and care for them.

Erin didn't notice what happened for the next half an hour
in the operating room. She only had ears and eyes for her two babies.

As she watched her son curled against his daddy's chest she felt a new respect and love for John. He was a father now, and he wore it well. His eyes never drifted from his children, he kept them close and protected them from the outside world.

The twins were like two little animals, as they lay snuggled into their parents. Like little bunnies, they were almost too cute to be real.

‘Ben Delany?' asked John, as he kissed his son's forehead.

Erin nodded in agreement, it was a name they'd both liked.

‘Ben, come and meet your sister Molly,' said Erin.

John laughed, they'd both picked their favourite names.

‘Ben and Molly,' said John, scarcely believing that they and their names were real.

‘The twins,' she said.

‘Our kids,' he added.

Erin smiled, it felt good.

‘I can take that picture for you now, if you want,' offered one of the nurses.

Erin wouldn't be moving for another few hours, so John and Ben came and lay down beside her and Molly, who with her long legs was already shaping up to look like her mother. As the babies huddled beside Erin she felt like her heart would burst. She was so happy, proud and relieved. They were two beautiful, healthy, albeit still very small babies – she knew she couldn't have asked for anything more.

As the nurse took their first family photo Erin knew the years of longing for children were over. She had it all now, right here, and she was never going to let it go.

Thank you to Jessica Broughton, Kate Tolley, Aislinn Casey and all the team at Transworld in the UK, for their hard work, help and advice.

A big thanks to Eoin McHugh and Lauren Hadden in the Transworld Ireland office for their support and kindness.

To all in Gill Hess Ltd, Dublin, in particular Gill and Simon Hess, Declan Heaney and Helen Gleed O'Connor.

With immense gratitude to Francesca Liversidge for all her guidance, help and support.

To my husband Mick – thank you for all your help; from taking Holly to the park so I could write to giving me a man's perspective on pregnancy, but most of all thanks for being you. I love you.

To my beautiful daughter Holly – I love you so much. You are so loving, sweet, funny and kind – you are my little pet, and I adore you. You were the inspiration for this book.

To my Mum, Marita, the best Mum in the world, thanks for all your love, friendship, encouragement and belief in all of us.

To my Dad, James, who can always point us in the right direction.

To my two sisters, Laura and Fiona, and my brother James,
you are all so caring, kind, thoughtful and fun. I'm so glad we get to see each other every day!

Thanks to Tom and Breda Hearty – my wonderful in-laws.

To Louise Malone, a great doctor, but an even better friend, thanks not just for all your help with this book, but for answering all my own medical and baby questions! Any medical errors in the book are my own fault.

Thanks to Geoff McEvoy for his insight into stockbroking.

Thank you to Amy Shortall and Denise O'Connor for all their help with my research.

Thanks to all my friends for their encouragement and support.

Amanda Hearty
lives in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, with her husband Michael and their little daughter Holly. Amanda works in a busy Dublin publishers, and studied Commerce at UCD and has a Masters in Marketing from the Smurfit School of Business, Dublin. Growing up in a house full of books, writing, dreams and ideas, and with her mother, Marita Conlon-McKenna, being a very successful author, it was inevitable that Amanda would one day put pen to paper and begin to write.
Are You Ready?
was her first novel and an Irish bestseller, also published by Transworld Ireland.
Positively Yours
is her second novel.

Are You Ready?