Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) (33 page)

The Suzette boutique, exclusive to La Bellissima, can’t keep enough items in stock. I was so happy when Enzo offered the job to Stephanie since it was she that worked so hard to get the Suzette items in at Sassi. Once again, she is running it like a pro.

I rub Enzo’s arm as we walk through the hotel, mingling and greeting our guests. Enzo never did this before but I encouraged him as I thought it would help make him seem more approachable. I’ve pulled the veil down between him and the public. Well, really I had no choice. Our private life was exposed so much in the past year. I thought that without his public acknowledgements and interactions, it would be easy to misunderstand the events. I think it was the right decision.

“There’s Francesca,” I say as we approach her standing at the front desk. “Ciao, Francesca.” I wave.

She turns and looks and immediately bounces towards us, hugging and kissing us both. “Yes, Ava. How is the baby? All is good?”

“Oh, very good. The doctor says I’m very healthy.”

She claps her hands together. “That is wonderful news.”

“Yes, wonderful,” I say glancing at Enzo. “We had an unexpected surprise about the baby today.”

Enzo grins. “Most unexpected. It’s hard to say at this point whether it is a girl or a boy. Or both.” Enzo says, smiling big.

“Both? What does this mean?”

“It’s means we’re having twins.” I smile.

“Twins! Oh my goodness! Ava!” She jumps up and down squealing and hugs me tight. “Two babies! This is so wonderful, no?”

“Yes, so wonderful.” I say.

“I’m so happy.” She squeezes me once more.

“So am I, Checca. So am I.”

I SIT ON the chair desperately trying to get my shoes on, but having a bit of trouble with my big belly in the way. Gabby will be here soon and I can’t get my damn shoes on. “Enzo?” I call out.

He quickly appears from the bathroom. “Yes, amore?”

I sit helpless, holding a sneaker in my hand and breathing hard. “Can you help me?”

He snickers as he comes over to put on both of my shoes for me. I glare at him before laughter overtakes me. “You couldn’t get your shoes on either if you were carrying a beach ball in your stomach.”

“I know, amore. You just look so, well, amusing.”

“Ha ha ha. I don’t feel amusing. I feel like a cow.”

“You are radiant as ever, my love.” He takes my hand and helps me stand. “Have fun today but pace yourself, no?”

“I will. We’re just going to the mall.” I glance at my puffy face in the mirror. “I’m huge.”

“You are not huge. You are pregnant with twins. Your very slight change in weight is to be expected.”

“Slight change? Enzo, I’ve gained forty pounds.”

“It doesn’t matter one bit. The doctor said you and the babies are healthy. That is all that matters. You’ll be back to where you want to be eventually.”

I nod. “I know. What are your plans today?”

“I’m going to Girasole for a while. I haven’t been by there in a few weeks.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later.” I kiss his check before heading into the living room. Gabby is picking me up and I’m really looking forward to some girl time. She knocks on the door and I grab my handbag to head out for the day.

“Hey, girl. How ya feeling?” Gabby asks.

“Huge. Other than that, I feel great.”

“Awesome. Ready for some retail therapy?”

“I am. I’m going to buy a goal dress today as my workout inspiration once these babies are out in the world.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself though, Ava. You still look fabulous and the weight will come off in time.”

“We’ll see if that’s what you say when you can’t see your own feet,” I tease.

“Touché. Where to first?”

“Northlands?”

Gabby laughs. “Perfect. So how are you handling Cassie’s absence?”

“She was right. It’s about the same as when she lived there. I see her once a week and we hang out. She’s been really busy with her growing salon business. We’ve interviewed about five nannies and I think we have one we really like. She’ll move into Cassie’s suite.”

“Is she old and ugly?”

“Yes, in fact she is. She’s Italian actually. I figure she can inject the culture into the babies. Kill two birds, no?”

“Yes. Although you sound pretty Italian yourself these days.”

“It rubs off on you after a while.”

“It sure does. Nothing wrong with that.” Gabby laughs.

“No. I rather like it.”

We giggle and chat as we finish our drive to the mall. After a few hours of shopping, I can’t tell if I’m just tired or what, but I definitely don’t feel right.

“Ava, what’s the matter? You look pale,” Gabby asks.

“I don’t feel good. My stomach feels really tight.” I walk over to a bench to sit down. I was looking forward to finishing my shopping day with Gabby, but right now, my back really hurts.

“Do you need some water?” she asks.

I shake my head. I have a sudden feeling of panic. Something’s wrong.

“I think we should call Enzo. I want to go to the hospital.”

“Hospital? Oh no. Okay, hold on.” Gabby pulls out her phone and dials Enzo. “Don’t freak out, Ava doesn’t feel well. She wants to go to the hospital. I can take her and meet you there.” She pulls the phone away from her ear for a minute. I can’t understand him but I can definitely hear him. “Enzo, calm down. We’re at Fashion Square. I can have her to the hospital in ten minutes.” She turns to me. “He wants me to call an ambulance.”

“Give me the phone.” She hands it to me. “Enzo, I’m not going in an ambulance. We are close to the hospital and we’re already heading back to the car.” A lie, but we will be in a minute. I listen to him yell about hospitals and ambulances. All I can focus on is the intense pain shooting up my back. “I hear you, but I’m fine. Just meet us there and drive carefully.” I hang up before he can keep arguing with me. “Let’s go, Gab.”

We start walking back to the car, which is getting more difficult as we walk. Maybe this is what labor feels like. The pain radiates from my stomach to my lower back, causing me to stop walking every few minutes and grab Gabby’s hand.

“Are you gonna make it?” Gabby asks. “I can call for help.”

“Keep walking,” I say, through gritted teeth.
Man, this hurts.
We make it down the escalator in Northlands to valet.

“Hurry with the car, please. I need to get her to the hospital.”

The valet attendant rushes to get the car, returning just moments later. As soon as I get in the car, I feel a burst of warm liquid rush down my legs.
Oh crap.

“I think my water just broke.” I look down at my soaked yoga pants.

“Crap. Okay, hold on, Ava. I’ll get you there.”

I suck in my air. “Oh, God…it…hurts.”

“Squeeze my hand.”

I grab her hand and squeeze. Tears stream down my face.

“Holy fuck this hurts.”

“Shit.” Gabby sounds more afraid than I am.

We race down Scottsdale road and within minutes, we’re on the 101 Freeway heading to the hospital. My phone rings.

“What?” I answer, pain showing in my tone.

“Where are you?” Enzo asks.

“We’re about to exit Shea.”

“What’s happening?”

I start crying. “My water broke. The pain is incredible, Enzo.”

He’s silent for a moment. “Don’t cry, princess. You’re almost there. I’ll be there very soon. You’ll be okay. The babies are okay.” He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as well as me.

“Okay, we’re almost there,” I say.

“I’ll be right there. Tell Gabriella to keep your phone with her.”

“I will.”

Gabby flies into the emergency area and pulls the car in front of the door. “Stay here.”

She runs inside and returns quickly with a nurse and a wheelchair. I climb into the chair, crying from the extreme pain coursing through my body.

“She’s only thirty-five weeks.” I hear Gabby explain to the nurse. “Her water broke at the mall.”

“How far apart are the contractions?” The nurse asks.

“I don’t know. The pain is constant.” I’m trying to maintain my composure, but the pain is so bad I just want to scream out.
Oh Lord.

The nurse wheels me straight to a room while Gabby gives her my information. I hand my purse to Gabby.

“Please try to call Dr. Warner. I want Dr. Warner.”

The nurse helps me into a chair while they finish prepping my bed.

“Where is my wife?” I hear Enzo’s voice coming from the hallway.

Gabby rushes out to meet him. “She’s in here, Enzo.”

A nurse helps me onto the bed. “Ugh!” I feel like my legs are heavy concrete blocks.

A doctor comes into the room and introduces himself as Dr. Ericson.

“Mrs. Milano, I’ll be helping you until Dr. Warner can get here. She’s been contacted and she’s about thirty minutes away. We need to get you in a gown.”

“Doctor, my wife is early. Is she in labor?” I’ve never seen Enzo look more worried than he does now.

“It’s possible. We need to take a look at what’s going on. I want to get her hooked up to the fetal monitor so we can see how the babies are doing.”

“Oh…my…mother…of… God!” I scream out, as pain wracks my body. This is not how they said it would feel in our delivery classes.

“Try to breath, Ava.” Enzo tries to encourage me.

“You shut up!” I grab his shirt. “Oh God, it hurts so bad. I’m going to split in two,” I cry out.

Enzo rubs my forehead, while Gabby removes my sneakers.

“Let’s get you out of these clothes, Ava.” Gabby tries to pull my pants off.

Enzo pulls my shirt over my head. I grab his shirt and scream. Oh, this pain. It’s unbelievable.

“If I’m in labor, I want an epidural. Now!”

A nurse walks over and lays a gown on the bed. “The doctor will be able to determine if you can have one, ma’am. We need to get you in the gown so he can examine you.”

“Can’t you do something? It hurts so bad.” I feel pain in every inch of my body. Just as I’m trying to stand to get into the gown, a massive contraction rolls through my body, leaving me completely speechless. All I can do is suck in my breath and wait for it to subside.

“Ava? Ava? Talk to me.” Enzo says, his tone desperate.

I shake my head. Speaking is impossible.

The nurse holds my hand. “She’s having a contraction. We need to examine her quickly.”

Enzo moves quickly, unsnapping my bra, yanking off my underwear, and getting me in the hospital gown. I lay back against the hospital bed, tears streaming down my face. He holds one hand, while Gabby holds the other one.

“I called your parents. They’ll fly out as soon as possible,” Enzo tells me.

I nod. I’ve never felt anything like this in my life. A nurse hooks up the fetal monitor, while other nurses fuss around me taking my stats.

Dr. Warner rushes into the room. “I’m here, Ava.”

As soon as I see her, I start crying all over again. “Am I having the babies right now?”

“I’m not sure. I need to look.” She comes over and examines me. The serious look on her face tells me everything I need to know. The babies are coming early.

“Enzo, follow me, please.” Dr. Warner leads him to a corner and they talk. He keeps his eyes on me, occasionally wiping his eyes. He’s crying? Crap.

“Oh! God!” I cry out again, the pain is intolerable. “Please, do something. I can’t take it. Please make it stop.”

Gabby squeezes my hand. “They’re trying, Ava. Hold on.”

“I can’t. I can’t. It’s too much.”

Dr. Warner comes over and rubs my forehead. “Ava, you’re in labor now. We’re going to give you an epidural in just a few minutes. So far, the babies are doing fine and so are you.”

“It’s too early,” I say, between cries.

“It’s a little early. Don’t worry though, we expected the twins to be a little early.” She smiles.

A nurse comes over and inserts an IV in me, while another nurse starts preparing me for the epidural. Enzo paces the room, waiting for his next direction.

“Who is staying with the patient?” A nurse asks.

“I am.” Enzo says. “Do you want anyone else to stay, Ava?”

I shake my head no. I always knew I didn’t want a ton of friends and family in the room at this most intimate moment. Gabby looks relieved and quickly leaves the room. Enzo is shown to the area where he can put scrubs on and wash up.

“Gabriella will call everyone, bella. They’ll all be here waiting for the babies,” Enzo says, and kisses my forehead.

I nod. “When is it time for the God blessed epidural?” I demand.

“Right now, Mrs. Milano. Would you hold her hands steady, Mr. Milano? Make sure she doesn’t move.”

He holds me forward so my back is curved. My stomach tightens and I feel an incredible amount of pressure between my legs. And then…suddenly… nothing. Ahh.

I lay back against the hospital bed, enjoying the numbing sensation spreading through my body. Enzo hovers over me, his face wrought with concern.

“How does it feel now, bella? Better?”

“Much. You have no idea how much that hurt.”

He smiles. “You told me to shut up. I have an idea.”

I laugh. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“I won’t hold it against you considering your present situation.” He watches the monitor. “Did that hurt?”