Chapter 23

New characters appearing in the next two chapters:

Fand

Second fairy, very blond, 3'-0" tall

Edana (Fire)

Gale (Wind)

Margie's twin daughters, flaming red hair, green eyes, cute as can be

Tara (Earth)

Muriel (Water)

Katie's twin daughters, flaming red hair, gray eyes, cute as can be

Over the next eleven days we all relaxed. My wives were very close to delivery now, and they had little energy to do daily chores or anything else. Their bellies were huge by now, and their breasts, always large, had increased dramatically in size to feed the twins they were each carrying.

While we weren't expecting problems with the delivery of the babies, we had done our best to prepare for problems with the hospital and the doctors.

I had accompanied Katie and Margie on their March and April OB/GYN appointments. They had introduced me to the doctor as their friend and legal agent, and they had requested that she allow me to visit them after they had delivered the babies. They also asked for a double room. I don't believe that doctor was deceived by them calling me their friend instead of their lover.

Prior to that, we had been to their lawyers and had them prepare two special powers of attorney, so I could get either sister signed into the hospital when they were ready to deliver. They had confessed to their lawyer that we were married. He advised them not to reveal that to anyone else.

The fateful day arrived on Wednesday, the 21st of May. We had risen late and I was preparing breakfast for my wives, who didn't feel well, when Margie's water broke, and she started having contractions. I turned off the stove and went to get my wives some new clothes to wear to the hospital. They changed right there in the kitchen, and I loaded their suitcases into the new van, which we were taking to the hospital.

Since most of the students were gone on summer vacation, traffic in and around Statesboro was fairly light, and I arrived at the Women's Pavilion of East Georgia Regional Medical Center about 8:00. Katie and I helped Margie inside. The attendants there got her onto a gurney, and took her to the delivery section. They also got a wheelchair for Katie, and I took her to the administrative section to get Margie admitted to the hospital. When she had finished, she spoke to the woman doing the admittance about me.

"This is our legal agent, Mark. He will be the one to sign me in. It won't be long, as I don't feel all that well either," Katie said just before she bent over in pain as her water also broke.

"I guess he won't have to do that after all. My water just broke, so I need to be admitted now," Katie told the shocked admittance clerk, who quickly did Katie's paperwork. I wheeled her back to the Women's Pavilion, and they took her to delivery, also. I went to the waiting room and paced.

"Mr. Kent?" a nurse asked a-half hour or so later.

"Yes!" I answered immediately wondering what could be wrong.

"The O'Connell sisters asked me to tell you to go eat breakfast. They're going to be a while yet," the nurse told me with a smile. I don't think that anyone at the hospital was fooled by us not admitting that I was both sisters' husband - although perhaps they assumed that I was just their lover.

After finding my way to the cafeteria, I had a very light breakfast, as I was too worried to eat very much. I soon returned to the waiting room. There was another man there now, an older man, and he seemed very relaxed. I paced some more.

"This your first one?" he asked.

"Yes, my first time," I told him.

"This is my fourth. Believe me, there isn't anything you can do. Just sit down and relax. Take it from someone that has been here before."

"Maybe you're right," I said, and I tried sitting on the couch there. That didn't work very well, as I didn't have anything to occupy my mind. After a few minutes, I decided that studying one of the books on Magic that I needed to finish might take my mind off of things, but how to have the book come to me with this other man here was the question.

"I'll be back in a minute," I told him. "I need to get something out of my car." I went down the hall a short distance and found an alcove. I had the book come to me there and waited for a few more minutes before returning to the waiting room. Selecting a seat where the other man couldn't see what I was reading, I opened the book and starting reading. It really was better than pacing.

"You a student at the big school?" the other man asked after a short time.

"Yes, I am."

"What you takin?"

"I'm in the history program."

"That what you're readin?"

"Yes, it is."

"It in a foreign language?"

"Yes, it is."

"Thought so. I didn't recognize any of the words on the front of it," he finished. It was sometime later that the doctor came in.

"Mark, Margie has delivered twin daughters. You can see her in a bit. I'll send a nurse to get you," she told me, and then added, "Katie has a ways to go yet."

"Twins!!" the other man gasped after the doctor had left.

"Yes, Margie had twins," I told him.

"No wonder you were pacing," he said with a smile. Shortly a nurse came to get me, and took me to the room where Margie was. She had a blanket wrapped bundle at each breast industriously sucking away. All you could really see of them was the pink blanket, some reddish skin and some flaming red hair just like their mother's.

"Hi, Sweetie," I said, as I entered the room.

"Oh, Mark! These two are really hungry, and I am really sore and tired. I'm going to sleep as soon as they finish," Margie told me in a very tired voice. "How is Katie?"

"The doctor said she has a ways to go yet," I told her. The babies stopped shortly and went to sleep. A nurse came in and took them back to the nursery. I was told to come back later and kissed Margie before leaving. I recalled my book before getting to the waiting room. I hadn't been back overly long when the doctor came in again.

"Mark, Katie has delivered twin girls also. You can see her in a bit," the doctor told me.

"Another set of twins!! the other man said in disbelief. "How many wives do you have?" he asked.

"I'm their legal agent. I'm taking care of their affairs while they are in the hospital, and until they get back on their feet again," I explained calmly.

"Where are their husbands?" he asked.

"They aren't married," I explained.

"More single mothers and their kids to pay for," he said in a disgruntled voice.

"No, these women are quite wealthy. I've worked for them for several years now. They pay their own bills," I told him.

"I hope so. There are enough of them sucking off the government tit already," he mumbled in disgust.

A nurse came to get me a short time later and led me back to the same room. Katie was in the other bed there. She also had two pink blanket wrapped bundles with red hair sucking at her breasts when I came in. She too looked very tired.

"Hi, Sweetie," I said quietly as I entered the room. I didn't want to wake Margie, who was asleep.

"Oh, Mark! I'm worn out. As soon as these two finish, I'm going to sleep like Margie is," Katie told me. Just then a nurse brought two squalling pink blanket wrapped bundles in and woke Margie to take care of them.

"You ladies have your work cut out for you," the nurse told us looking around. "I don't envy you." I stayed until all four daughters finished and then kissed both of my wives before leaving. I told them I would be back that evening.

At home, I cleaned up the now very cold uneaten breakfast and then went upstairs. That was when I remembered the portal! Why call Mom when I could go there and tell her in person about the babies. I went down to the red door at the end of the hall, opened it, and spoke the spell to open the portal. I stepped through, opened the closet door there and went to find my Mother.

"Mom!" I called, as I went toward the kitchen.

"What?" a voice called.

"It's Mark. Where are you?"

"I'm in the laundry room," came the reply. Mom was just removing wet clothes from the washer when I got there. I helped her put them into the dryer.

"Where are Katie and Margie?" she asked on seeing me.

"They're in the hospital," I told her. "They delivered today. I ... we have four daughters."

"You've got a whole family, Mark!" Mom told me.

"Have you eaten lately?" she asked on looking closely at me.

"Yes, I had something in the cafeteria at the hospital."

"Give me a minute, and I'll make you something to eat. You looked starved," Mom said in worry.

"Have they named the babies yet?" Mom asked as I ate the large sandwich she made me.

"No, I don't think so. They were really tired when I left. The babies had just finished nursing. I'm going back this evening," I told her.

"Good. I'll go with you. I want to see my granddaughters. Dad can eat at one of the children's houses tonight. I'll call him and let him know," Mom told me enthusiastically.

After the call, Mom and I left for our house in Statesboro. Mom did some cleaning in the kitchen while I changed clothes and she made dinner for us before we left for the hospital in the van. She was quite surprised at the four infant carriers already installed in it.

"You're really prepared," she said on seeing them.

"Yes, we got the van just for the children," I told her.

At the hospital, I got out my wives suitcases and took them in to them. I even managed to find the right room. My wives were awake when we arrived.

"Mother Kent!" they exclaimed on seeing her.

"How are you girls?" Mom asked.

"Tired," Margie told her.

"Sore," Katie told her. "Delivering babies is hard work."

"Yes, it is," Mom agreed, "and the work is just starting. Those four are going to require a lot of attention, but it will all be worth as you watch them grow up." The four babies arrived shortly after that. They were all crying and making quite a racket. My wives quickly started them nursing and the noise subsided.