77-Induce

**Zuri's POV**

Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye. Jilly isn't old enough to get excited about Christmas, but we got the cutest family picture with Santa and spoiled her with gifts.
We brought in the New Year surrounded by friends and family. However, once January came around, I started feeling more miserable. I see Doctor Ramirez every week at this point because the boys could be here at any moment. She's pleasantly surprised that I'm still pregnant.
Since the incident with Damien, we've not returned to our home. Daveed hired people to move our things out of the house so that we wouldn't have to be there any more than necessary. We all get pretty vivid dreams about the incident, but they don't affect me the way they affect Sav and Daveed. Of course, it was traumatizing for us all but for some reason, my dreams aren't as bad as theirs. It's been really helpful since we started talking to Sav's therapist. It has been determined, the three of us are battling PTSD now, but I can honestly say I don't feel too messed up over what happened. If anything, I'm traumatized by what could have happened. By the loss, we could have had. Daveed is struggling a lot with guilt. He said he feels like he keeps failing us when we need him the most, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We've been doing this thing where we show appreciation to one another every day. It could be for the simplest things, but we learned how far appreciation goes in our relationship. It not only encourages us to be grateful for one another, but it helps Daveed realize how much he truly is there for us.
The day after Christmas, we received a call approving us for a beautiful brick home with five bedrooms and two bathrooms. This weekend we get to move in, and I can not be more relieved to have our own space again. Evelynn and Leo have been amazing, but there is nothing like being in the comfort of your own home.

At my appointment last week, I talked to Doctor Ramirez about getting a tubal ligation after I have the twins. At first, she was hesitant. She doesn't want me to regret the decision later on, but I am a thousand percent positive that I don't want to get pregnant again. Especially not with everything I have on my plate with school and eager to get back to work. I love being a mom, but I'm not the barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen kind of mom like Sav is. Pregnancy is not fun to me, and I feel like I'm always running on no energy. I love my boys, but I want them out of my body.
Today, I get checked for dilation. My whole body is aching, and I'm more than ready to be back to my normal self again.
"Hello, again. Let's get you checked out." Doctor Ramirez calls us to the examination room. We get all the basic questions out of the way, and my vitals are taken. She checks the boys' heart rates before seeing how much I've dilated. I'm due to have them in a week in a half, so hopefully, I've made some progress.
"You are only dilated to two centimeters. However, you do have the option to get induced today. You're full-term now, and I know you're ready. I understand if you choose to go naturally though, so I won't pressure you." She said.
"I would like to be induced. I honestly can't take it anymore." If I have the option to deliver my boys today, I'm taking it.
"Okay. Give me until two o'clock to let the nurses know you'll be there and get your room ready." Doctor Ramirez gathers her things and leaves the room.
"I'm sorry if you two think this is a bad time to deliver our boys, but I am exhausted. I'm hurting all the time, and I really don't want to be pregnant for another day." My emotions are all over the place. I'm trying so hard to not cry because there is too much on my mind. We aren't in our own home yet, nothing is set up for the boys, I feel like crap, and my husband and wife are struggling with their own mental health.
"Zuri, don't apologize. It's important to listen to your body. If you feel like you can't wait any longer, don't. Our boys will be perfect." Sav wipes a stray tear from my cheek.
"I'm excited to have my boys here. I'm tired of being outnumbered." Daveed kissed my head, and I took some deep breaths. "Don't stress. You're going to do so well."
"I am so nervous. And nothing is prepared at your parents to bring more babies into their home." I hate when things aren't perfectly planned, so my inner control freak is going insane.
"It will all be taken care of, I promise. All you need to think about is yourself and the babies. Are you ready to go?" I have the world's greatest husband. It doesn't take much for him to calm my racing mind.
"I'm ready." We leave the office and go to his parents to get the hospital bags.

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How in the hell did Sav do this without pain relief? I feel like someone hit me with a freaking truck!
"You're doing so good, babe." Sav strokes my hair and holds my left hand while Daveed holds my right. He looks helpless. I'm only at seven centimeters, but the contractions are relentless.
"I can't do this. It hurts so much!" I cried out.
"Maybe the epidural will help you. There is no shame in getting it, and you are having two babies, not one." Sav keeps reminding me that it's okay to get the epidural, but I'm terrified.
"I'm scared." That is all I can get out before another contraction intensifies, and I cry harder. I can't help but to give in, "Okay, I'll get it."
It only took a few minutes, although it felt like forever, for the anesthesiologist to come into my room to give me the epidural.
"One of you support her for me, please. Zuri, I need you to lean forward and sit as still as possible. I'm doing your numbing shots now." I feel each little prick around my spine when a contraction hits me. As soon as it subsides, the anesthesiologist says, "I'm doing the epidural now. Sit very still."
I feel a tingle up my spine, "All finished. Lie back carefully. Can you feel your legs?"
"That wasn't so bad. I don't feel anything," I would have gotten this way sooner if I knew it would be this easy.
"Everything looks perfect. Maybe you can get some rest now," She left the room, and I start chewing on ice chips.
"You okay now?" Daveed looks like he's walking on eggshells.
"So much better now than I was. I don't know how you did it." I said to Sav.
"Well, I only had one baby, and I got lucky. Some deliveries are just easier than others." I love that I can have painless labor. I seriously wish I got this sooner.
A nurse comes in ten minutes later to check my dilation. I feel a bunch of pressure, so I think I'm getting closer.
"Oh my! Baby number one is crowning," She paged Doctor Ramirez, and she rushed into the room just in time to deliver Jackson and Julian.