Twin Commodities
Carson City's House of Mercy is a luxury birthing center within a large mansion in the center of the city's arts district. It was a massive, intimidating structure of stone and marble. The halls were wide and the rooms were soundproof.
The Lance and Patrick family members waited in one of the luxury lounges closest to Jessica's room. It was a testament to opulence with thick, lush carpeting topped with beautiful handmade rugs. Beautiful murals that looked like ancient frescoes adorned the walls, and ornate tapestries hung where the walls were bare.
There was a coffee and tea bar and a buffet with pastry and fresh fruit bars. The seating ranged from comfy two-chair and coffee table nooks to wide sofas with chaise loungers—all done in plush fabrics and relaxing textures.
A nurse popped in and everyone snapped to attention. "Ms. Lance is now dilated to 5 centimeters and doing well." She smiled awkwardly. "She says after the birth you can come in two at a time to see the twins, and that her mother must be one of the first."
Angelica beamed, but everyone else frowned. Christopher leaned into Gladys and whispered, "I will ask Mr. Lance to allow you to go in with his wife."
She smiled while shaking her head and patting his arm. "It's okay. We will see them together later, and they will be ours forever."
Christopher smiled to his wife and gently kissed her temple. His guts churned as he hoped that Jessica would let them be after this. I hope she doesn't see our children as commodities.
Virginia scoffed as she rose and walked to the coffee bar. They had an Arabic blend flavored with pecan praline that had piqued her interest. "Gladys, didn't you hire a wet nurse? I know Jessica is not breastfeeding."
"Virginia! I don't like your tone."
"Sorry, Mommy. I didn't mean it like that. I am a bit stressed and sound harsher than usual." Virginia looked to Gladys. "Sorry. I just meant that Jessica already told Amber and I that she would not be breastfeeding. Shouldn't the wet nurse see them first?"
Gladys smiled at Virginia. "I actually hired two." She looked to Amber, excitement in her eyes. "I wanted to make sure Nina had work after she delivered."
Amber noted Christopher squirming at the mention of the fake surrogate's name and almost laughed. "That's good. I already spoke to her and Gloria likes her. She knows she has a job with Blue Synergy Media when she is ready."
"Thank you for that, Amber." Gladys looked back to Virginia. "I just messaged the other wet nurse and she will be here shortly. The staff knows our arrangements."
Amber sat forward in her seat, her baby bump fully showing now. "Gladys, you do not need to explain yourself." She shot a look at Christopher before looking to Virginia. "Ginnie, it is already a stressful situation. Get your coffee and calm down. You're making me anxious."
Virginia sighed. "Sorry, Am."
Amber's eye twitched. She needed to speak to her sister. Virginia seemed to be spiraling—she seemed just like she was when he died.
As the family anxiously waited in the lounge, Jessica was enduring her labor on a large chair made for two. Albert, dressed in a casual, breathable workout set, was next to her, his fists gently kneading into her back to relieve some of the tension and pressure.
Jessica's eyes were closed and he kissed her neck. "You are doing good, my love. Just keep breathing through the pain, but remember that you can still get the epidural if you need it."
Jessica smiled and leaned into his massaging. "No. I need to do this drug-free. When I have our babies, I won't have them full of drugs when you first meet them."
He smiled. Seeing her in all this pain had made him doubt wanting children. It had been a bit much for him—feeling her grip and seeing her grit her teeth with each contraction. He had wanted her to have pain-relieving meds from the start, but you couldn't give them too soon, and now Jessica had endured it and decided she didn't want any.
While his stomach painfully knotted when the monitor signaled the next contraction, his heart twisted when she actually reacted to it. He was seeing just how strong she was, and a part of him loved it while the other part sank into despair because of it.
Albert Cummings knew, from that moment forward, he would always protect this arrogant woman and he never wanted her to change.
As the delivery neared, an antique Mercedes sat outside the gates of House of Mercy. Sebastian Montague III had followed the tracking device to the location. He had sat waiting, worried that his Amber was sick. Did she need a blood transfusion? Would she need someone to sign forms for her?
Finally, he took out his laptop. He opened three apps at once and he quickly bypassed House of Mercy's outdated firewall. His heart stuttered when he saw it was a birthing center—his mind quickly going to the health of his and Amber's unborn child.
Then he saw it was Jessica Lance who was in delivery. He checked her most current statistical information and nodded. They would be there for a while. He had time; he should go to House of Blue and then over to Hit the Mark—the newest laser tag facility in Carson City. He needed to make sure he understood the layouts. He thought for a moment as he started his car.
How good is their security? He didn't want anything happening to his Amber. Maybe he should check things. He smiled. If he did everything right, he could watch his love while at the villa—to ensure she was okay.