Born in Bunches
BANG!
âOh shit! What was that?â
âDonât worry, honey. Iâve got this!â
Their car fishtailed violently as their rear right tire ran over road debris, causing a severe puncture. The driver managed to peer at her right hand mirror and saw what were chunks of vulcanized rubber flying off and coming to rest on the pavement. Although at the very edge of crashing, she managed to get the car slowed down enough to be able to drive straight and regain control.
âLooks like weâve got a flat, honey.â
âMom, I knew this trip was a bad idea.â
âNow, now⌠Weâll be okay. Itâs getting dark, though, and weâve sprung a flat tire. We need to get some place where we can get help.â
âBut, mom. Thereâs nothing for miles except desert and road!â
âWait, I recall a town along this route where we can get help. Itâs just a few miles from here, there should be a fork in the road somewhere hereâŚâ
âReally nowâŚâ
âOh, wait⌠There it is! Right there! Weâll be okay, I promise.â
As she reached the fork, the driver saw two signs that read:
<< Westborough City - 52 miles< >Harmonville - 2.5 miles >>
Realizing that they had a long way to go before they would be home, the driver pulled onto the road leading to the small town, not knowing that it would be start of an unexpected adventure.
After a short drive, they arrived at the town of Harmonville. They were greeted by rather rundown looking buildings, old rusting cars and the occasional call of a raven. Seeing a gasoline station, the driver pulled into it and managed to park it alongside one of the pumps. Gingerly, she removed her seatbelt, slid out of her seat and lifted her gravid form as she stood up. She waddled around looking for someone who could help.
âHello⌠Hello⌠Anybody here? We need help, weâve got a flat tire. Anyone here, we need help⌠Hello!â
Her call went unanswered. The driver looked around and decided to enter the convenience store. As she pushed the door open and stepped into the doorway, there was a loud creak from the ceiling and the boards suddenly fell, hitting the floor as she disappeared in a cloud of dust. Hearing the sound, the passenger rushed out of her seat and hurried over toward where the driver was last seen.
âMom! MOM! MOOOOOOOOOOM! Are you okay? Speak to me! MOOOOOM!â
âIâm okay, Amanda! Iâm okay. Got out of the way in the nick of time. Whew!â
âDonât ever scare me like that again! I was worried you were badly hurt!â
âYou know Iâm tougher than that, itâll take more than that to stop me.â
âYou may be award-winning ob-gyne Cathy James-Fullerton after today, but that doesnât make you invulnerable, mom.â
Amanda helped her mom walk toward their car. After taking a few minutes to catch her breath, the doctor came to her own conclusion.
âLooks like this gas station is abandoned. And it appears no oneâs been here awhile. We may be here on our own. Iâll call for help.â
She took her phone and tried dialing her boyfriend, but she was met with an error tone. She also got an error while trying to send a text message, indicating it had failed to send. Checking her phone, she saw the signal was very weak, which explained it all.
âHoney, my phone has a weak signal. Can you try calling Steve for help?â
Amanda pulled her phone from her bag and noticed her signal was weak as well, despite being on a different network. She walked around for a bit but there was no improvement. She was also unable to get through call or text.
âMom, no signal. I canât get through, either.
âItâs okay, dear. But it looks like weâre going to have to fix the flat ourselves.â
âAre you kidding? Neither of us are in any shape to carry anything heavy!â
âWell, weâre by ourselves out here so weâve got no choice. Help me get the tire jack from the trunk.â
The women headed to the trunk and upon opening it, tried getting the jackscrew and spare tire. After taking the jackscrew out, they then tried lifting the heavy spare tire out. Suddenly, Cathy groaned loudly and dropped her end of the tire, nearly causing it to fall on Amandaâs feet.
âMom, what the hell?! You⌠Youâre⌠Mom, are you okay?!â
The doctor was clutching her distended belly as she panted after letting out a long low groan. At her feet was a large wet spot. The mother and daughter looked at each other and instantly knew what happened. Cathyâs water had broken and it was now a race against time against possible infection â or worse.
âIâll be okay, Amanda. Hoo boy, that was one strong contraction!â
âIâm scared, mom.â
âIâll be fine, dear. This isnât the first time Iâve had a baby.â
âYouâre carrying twins. Arenât you worried?â
âPanicking isnât going to help us. Weâre going to have to manage here if we canât get back on the ro⌠Hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo haaaaah.â
She was cut off by another contraction as she leaned over her daughter. As it passed, she looked up and saw her daughterâs worried face.
âAmanda, weâll get through this. Weâll be fine. Letâs get my bag ready just in case.â
As Cathy reached for her bag, she happened to look at the passenger seat and saw a large wet stain where her daughter had sat. She then took a look at Amanda, who tried to hide her wincing face.
âHoney, is there something you want to tell me?â
âMomâŚâ
âAmanda dear, I saw your seat just now. Unless you really had to pee and you werenât telling meâŚâ
âAll right, all right already! My water broke just as we were leaving the parking lot. And I⌠Iâve had a few contractions. Mild, far apart, not very painful. I didnât want you to panic, I was hoping Iâd tell you when we got back to the city so weâd go to the hospital then. Iâm so sorry, mom.â *sniff* *sniff*
Cathy opened her arms and hugged her daughter tightly.
âThere, there. I may be a doctor, but I still worry about my firstborn. Not only will you be a mother soon, but also a big sister. And I need you now, because thereâs a possibility that if we canât get help soon, itâll be just us. But I need your commitment to be honest with me.â
âI promise, mom. Iâm sorry. Ooh!â
This time, it was Amandaâs turn to lean on her mom as a contraction took hold. She held onto her momâs shoulders as she slowly breathed the pain away.
âHow far apart are your contractions?â
âI donât know⌠Like 5-6 minutes apart, I guess.â
âHoney, I think we may have our babies here. Weâll be fine, but we have to trust and look out for each other. Deal?â
âDeal.â
âI see a drugstore across the street, Iâll check if maybe there are supplies we can use. Grab your things, and meet me at the neighboring pool hall. Our babies may be born tonight.â
Despite their advanced pregnancies, both women were soon scrambling to get themselves ready. They knew their babies could come soon and they were in an abandoned town with little more than their wits and each other to survive.
10:00 PM. Cathy had been nervously timing her contractions, which were growing ever more frequent and intense. Despite attempts to get a better signal on their phones to contact help, they were stuck in the abandoned town of Harmonville, where she had stopped to get help after their carâs tire suffered a serious blowout, nearly causing an accident. Her mind began wandering to the events of night beforeâŚ
Catherine âCathyâ James grew up an animal lover on her parentsâ farm and initially wanted to be a veterinarian. She especially enjoyed taking care of the pregnant animals and helping them give birth, which eventually led her to become an obstetrician-gynecologist. She had earned many awards and honors in her 18 years as a doctor, and was known to be medically conservative in nature, often taking the âaggressively safeâ route when handling cases. For instance, she believed even the smallest sign of trouble for mother or infant could be grounds for performing a Caesarean section instead of a normal vaginal delivery. She also advocated having a battery of specialists for every patient of hers to monitor for even the most minor of health issues. But now that she was miles away from help with only her daughter to rely on (and both of them expecting babies at that), she felt her blood running cold in fear and apprehension.
Her musing was cut short by Amandaâs screams:
âAaaaaaaaaaah! Oooooooooooooooowwww! Oh God, make it stop! Ngrrrrrrrrh! Gaaaaaaaaah! Mom, I canât⌠I canât!â
Rushing over, she let her daughter lie on the dirty couch nearby.
âItâs okay, dear. Iâm here.â
âNoooooooooo! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh! Weâre stuck⌠Hmmmmmnnnnh⌠In the middle⌠Grrrrrrrh⌠Of nowhere! And itâsâŚ.. Oooooooooooh! Itâs all your⌠Nyaaaaaaaaaaaah⌠Fault!â
âAmanda, Iâm sorry. Iâm really sorry.â
âNot helping, mom! Guyaaaaaaaaaah! Ooooooooooowww!â
âListen, I⌠I⌠Ooooooooooooh! Just take my had⌠Aaaaaaaaah⌠And breath⌠Ooooooooowww⌠Like in Lamaze class⌠Hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo hee heeâŚâ
âHoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo⌠Haaaaaaaaaah! Mom, itâs okay. Youâve got this.â
âHee hee hoo hoo hee hee⌠Oooooooooh! Oh my!â
âMom, about what I said earlier⌠Iâm sorry. I know the award meant that much to you, especially after dad left usâŚâ
âBut I forgot the most important thing in my life⌠You, and my grandchildren.â
âI love youâ Oh, oh, here it comes again!â
âBreathe, Amanda. Just breathe like we were taught in class!â
âHee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hooâŚâ
âVery good, veryâ Oooooh! Hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hooâŚâ
âHee hee hoo hoo⌠Haaaaaaah! Theyâre getting closer, mom.
âHee hee hoo hoo⌠Aaaaaaaah! Iâll need to check how dilated you are, okay?
Quickly, Cathy raised her daughterâs gown upward and gently removed her underwear. After taking a quick look, she looked back at Amanda.
âHoney, youâre fully dilated. Youâve gotten past the worst part, so I need you to push on the next contraction.â
Just then, she began to feel her own belly harden with an intense contraction. She leaned on the couch as her daughter watched on helplessly.
âHee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo⌠I can⌠Do this⌠Hee hee hoo hooâŚâ
âMom?â
âHee hee hoo hoo⌠Iâll be fine⌠Hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo⌠Just let me get into position.â
Knowing her daughter needed her more, she steadied herself to continue breathing as she knelt near her daughterâs feet. She could feel the first of her twins pressing further down the birth canal as she fought the urge to push.
âMom, it hurts. I have to push!â
âOkay, Amanda. Go, Iâve got you!â
âHrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnngh! Hee hee hoo hoo⌠Ngggggggggrrrrrrrrrh!â
âThatâs it, youâre⌠Hee hee hoo hoo⌠Doing good, honey! Hee hee hee⌠Hoooooh!â
âMmmmmmmmmmmppppph! Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggh! Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!â
âYouâre startingâ Hee hee hoo hooâ to crown! Hee hee hoo hoo⌠I see the very top of the head! Keepâ Hrrrrrrrrrrngggggh âGoing!â
âGuyaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Whew! Mom, are you okay?â
âThe babies are getting closer. But you need me.â
âMom, Iâm scared.â
âWeâll be fine, honey⌠Nggggrrrh. Letâs deliver your baby, shall we?â
âIâm worried about you, mom!â
âLetâs get my grandchild out, then you help me with your twin siblings. Deal?â
âOooooookay⌠Deal.â
âGood, push when youâre ready.â
âOkay, here it comes. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrgh! Hee hee hoo hooâŚ. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnngh! Hee hee hoo hooâŚ. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmnnh!â
12:15 AM. Although Amandaâs baby was starting to crown with each good push, it kept sliding back nearly the same amount. She struggled with the slow progress as the pain and fatigue were beginning to wear her down. Meanwhile, Cathy continued to keep mental tabs of the situation as she felt her own twins starting to emerge, spreading her lips wider and wider. They were both drenched in sweat as it matted their hair, leaving strands everywhere on their faces. The doctor was exhausted but she knew her daughter needed her as it was her first birth. And the baby that was coming looked to be a big one.
âHee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hee hee hoo⌠Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmffff!â
âThatâs itâ Hee hee hoo hoo hoo⌠Youâre almost there!â
âHee hee hoo hoo⌠Oh, itâs burning! It burns! Oooooooooow!â
âDonât lose your focus, young lady! Hee hee hoo hoo⌠The baby is stretching you wide!â
âOoooooooooow! Mom, I canât do it!â
âYes, youâ Hoo hoo hoo! Yes, you can! Youâre stretching very well⌠Hee hee hee haaah! Keep breathing, donât push! Dooooooooooonât puuuuuuuuuuuush! Ngrrrrrrrrrrh! Hee hee hee hee hoo hoo hoooooooh!
Amandaâs baby was now at full crown, stretching her so wide even her experienced mom was in awe. Quickly, she worked the soft tissues around the babyâs head, as they turned paper-thin and angry red from being pulled taut around the babyâs head. After a tense moment, the rest of the head slipped out, revealing its face.
âOooooooooooooh my goooooooooooood!â
âVery good, sweetâ Hee hee hoo hooâ Headâs out, checking for the cord!â
âHurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry, mooooom! I need to push⌠Hee hee hee hoo hoo hoo!â
âAaaaaaand done! Amanda, just the shoulderâ Hoo hoo hooâ and the baby should be here!â
âHnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!â
âLeft shoulder outâ Hoo hoo hoo!â
âNgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggh!â
Amandaâs baby emerged in a gush of fluid and her mom worked frantically to clear the nose and throat to help it to cry. The first of her twins was now crowning and she started to feel a bulge in her soaked underwear, but she had to make sure her grandchild was okay. She struggled up to her feet and held the newborn boy up as she rubbed and gave it a few slaps, to which she was relieved to hear a lusty cry. She then handed the baby to Amanda, who was now crying as she took him in her arms. No sooner has she handed him off when Cathy let out a long, deep and loud moan as she reached for the nearby pool table.
âOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Theyâreâ Nnnghâ Coming! Must⌠Mmmmph⌠Lie⌠On.. Table!â
âMom, I can see the head! Am on my way!â
As the doctor struggled to lift her legs up to the table, Amanda could clearly see thick dark hair emerging from the vagina. Seeing the urgency of the situation, she clutched her baby close to her chest as she got up off the couch and helped get her mom get on the table. Assuming the supine position, Cathy spread her legs as wide as she could, wedging her heels against the corner pockets of the table.
âMom, I can see the head. Itâs right there!â
âOhâŚ. Hnnnnnnggggghhh⌠Good! Gotta⌠PushâŚ. Hmmmmmmmph⌠It⌠Ouuuuuuuuut!â
âYouâre doing great, mom! And this looks pretty big, too. Now remember to let yourself stretch.â
âHee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hoo hee hee hoo hooâŚâ
âThatâs it⌠Thatâs it⌠Youâre doing good!â
âIâm so tired, I canât do it anymore!â
âYou can do it, mom! I know you can!â
âI just want this to endâŚâ
âYou have to give birth to both of them, youâre a strong woman and you can do it!â
âOoookay, okay⌠Here it comes again!â
âAlright, mom⌠Just breathe it away. Itâs your turn to stretch.â
âOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh god!â
While deftly holding her baby in one hand, Amanda managed to guide the emerging head slowly with the other as it finally popped out with a splash. She felt around for a cord but felt none.
âVery good, mom. Heâs almost out.â
âOh⌠Oh goodness! I havenât felt that in so long! Howâs the baby?â
âMy babyâs fine, mom. Now letâs get to yours. Time for the shoulders.â
âYes, need to push them out. Come ooooooooooon baaaaaaaaaaabyâŚ. Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggrrrrrrh!â
âThatâs it, heâs almost out! Keep it up, mom!â
âDuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!â
The shoulders popped out follow by the rest of the body as the first twin was born. Although smaller than Amandaâs baby, it was still large for its size and wailed loudly as it emerged and was placed gently on the table. Cathy then leaned forward and took the baby in her arms, placing it close to her chest. She started to shed a tear realizing what had just happened. Her joy was short-lived, however, as she soon felt another contraction signaling the coming of the second twin.
âHee hee hoo hoo⌠Itâs coming! Hee hee⌠The twin⌠Hoo hoo⌠Itâs almost there!â
âThatâs it, mom! Start pushing!â
âNrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggh! Haaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!â
âI can see it! Itâs coming, itâs almost here!â
âHow⌠Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr⌠Far out⌠Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggh⌠Is it?â
âAlmost there! I can see itâs⌠Itâs⌠Butt?!â
The second twin was indeed coming out buttocks first, evidenced by the dark meconium that started to flow out and a small amount of pee as well.
âHee hee⌠Shit! Hoo hoo⌠Thatâs normal⌠Hee hee.. For twins⌠Hoo hoo⌠You need⌠Hee hee⌠To catch⌠Hoo hoo⌠Itâs body⌠Hee hee⌠Once itâs⌠Hnnnnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuurrrrrgh! Out! Hoo hoo hooâŚâ
âI canât do this, mom. I might hurt your baby!â
âAmanda, I need you to do this. And I know you can do this. Youâve given birth to a big baby, helped deliver the first of your twin siblings, and you can do the second. Just keep checkâ Ooooooooh! Gotta push! Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh!â
âOkay, mom. Keep going, itâs coming out!â
âHnnnnnnnnnnnnrrrrrrrrrgggggggh! Mmmmmmmmmmrrrrrrrrfffffffuck!â
Slowly, the buttocks emerged as she pushed with all she had. Slowly, the buttocks were followed by the penis and testicles, thighs, calves and eventually feet in a rush of fluid.
âYouâre doing great! Feet and legs are out, body is halfway out. Can you push the rest of him out?â
âIâll try⌠Support the baby until itâs full born, okay? Huuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!â
âThatâs it, itâs sliding out. Oh, there goes the arms and hands!â
The second twin was now almost fully emerged, appearing like a headless dollâs body with the head still inside her birth canal. Amanda had managed to lay her baby on the pool table to free both hands to help out. She supported the babyâs torso as instructed, to avoid the head getting stuck as it was being born.
âGood job, mom. Youâre amazing!â
âNot as amazing as the daughter I raised, sweetie.â
âIâm sorry I doubted you.â
âIâm sorry I wasnât there as often as I shouldâve been.â
âI love you, mom.â
âAnd I love you too, dear. I just want this to be over with, so we can hold them.â
âYou mean my brother and sister?â
âYes, exactly. The next contraction is taking a while, though.â
âHave you thought of names, mom?â
âNot yet, you?â
âNot yet. But weâll see later, after we get our cords cut.â
âAmanda, here it comesâŚâ
âOkay, when youâre ready, mom.â
âHhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaah!â
At that moment, the large head popped free from the birth canal, leaving the last of her waters to drain from her birth canal. Quickly, Cathy picked up her second twin and sobbed loudly as she had finally accomplished a feat she never though possible.
âAre you okay, mom?â
âIâm fine, dear. Never thought I could deliver such huge babies naturally, let alone twins on a pool table!â
âYou did it, mom. What an achievement!â
âNo. We did it. Go get my bag, letâs cut the cords.â
After cutting their respective umbilical cords of their babies, they got cleaned up and prepared for a night away from home in their car under the stars with their babies in their arms. Mother and daughter would take turns watching over each other throughout the night, and they managed to get the tire replaced in the morning safely making their way to a hospital in the city. They got more than they bargained for that night, but they got a happy ending. All five of them.
Credits to @bryanklemmâ for the story concepts and characters on this story request!















