Charlotte had been admitted to St. Marys Maternity well before her due date; the last weeks of her pregnancy had become rather complicated, and the doctors opted for caution, especially as she was expecting not one baby, but a pair of twins. The doctors recommended a scheduled caesarean, yet Charlotte was determined to deliver naturally, and so the team agreed to give her a chancethere would always be time for surgery if it proved necessary.
In addition, Charlotte and her husband Edward had signed up for a partner birth, and the midwives at St. Marys frowned upon any unfamiliar faces in the operating theatre. Labour eased in, like rain after dusk, and Edward was rung at oncehe arrived, breathless, about twenty minutes later, and the two of them were guided together to the antenatal suite. Charlotte, a seasoned mother by now, already knew the routine, moving with calm resolve. By four in the morning, the first twin arrived.
The newborn wailed mightily, and the midwife congratulated Charlotte: her first daughter. But instead of the outpouring of joy one might expect, Edward managed only a pinched smile and immediately turned his attention to his wife. Ten minutes later, the second daughter made her entrance. Charlotte beamed, but Edward burst into tearsnot of happiness, it seemed, but of something else entirely. Of course, we were concerned, but Charlotte gave a little wave and said:
Never mind him, hell be cheery again in an hour or so. This is the fifth set of twins, and all of them girls. Hed really been hoping for at least one boy, but it wasnt to be. Still, he dotes on our girls, so hell come round. And sure enough, the next day, out beneath the red-bricked windows, we peered down at a jubilant chorus of little girls trailing after Edward, ribbons and balloons in hand, calling up to their mother that they loved her. At that moment, we realised this family would be perfectly all right. Still, we couldnt help feeling a little sorry for the father.
