This is chapter 8 of a series. It will make much more sense if you read them in order.
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He followed the woman and found himself walking towards the small kitchen again. He felt calmer than before so he looked around. The room was little but it seemed to have plenty of counter space for its size. There was a small table in the center of the room with four old-fashioned looking chairs around it.
"Sit, Doc." The woman said, with her back to him.
She turned around with two cups of steaming coffee in her hands. She placed them on the table and went to the refrigerator. She came back to the table with the small glass pitcher of cream and the glass bowl of sugar. She placed them down and sat down. He noticed the pitcher and bowl were incredibly delicate and detailed. They looked out of place in the comfortable environment.
"They were my grandmother's." The woman said pointing to the creamer and sugar bowls.
"They are beautiful." He answered and they truly were. The glass was delicate but now he realized they were still very simple.
"So, Doc, I suppose you have lots of questions." She said with a small smile.
That was an understatement. He did not even know where to begin. She must have known that as she started on her own.
"My name is Hannah and my husband is Jacob." She said.
He nodded, suddenly realizing he had not even known her name to this point.
"Jacob does odd jobs throughout the year. He does landscaping throughout the summer and whatever is needed in the winter. He is over at the Town Hall today. They are having trouble with some flooding around town and he is helping with that." She said.
He was paying attention but the woman, Hannah, must have sensed something different.
"But those are probably not the questions at the top of your list, are they?" She said with a little smile. He could see Sophie's smile when he looked at her face.
He shook his head back and forth slightly.
"Ah, yes, you want to know about my girls." She said.
He nodded and felt himself start to smile. He caught himself and kept his face solemn. She laughed and began to speak.
"It's ok to smile Doc. They kinda make it hard not to most of the time. Let's see, where to start. I was a very scared 15 year old girl when Solvia was born 21 years ago in this very house. Right out there on that porch." She said, pointing over at the sliding glass door.
He looked through the glass door and saw a nice size deck off the back of the house.
"It was a warm summer night when she was due. I went into labor around 4:00 in the morning. The doctor came over and they moved me to the deck to get some fresh air. There was a very comfortable lounge out there. I was in labor for about an hour and Solvia was born at the exact minute the sun broke the horizon. It was beautiful, the first time I saw her little face it was lit up by the first rays of the sun. That made naming her very easy. Solvia, the Sun Goddess, she sort of named herself." Hannah spoke and then sipped her coffee.
He just sat there like a lump. He couldn't think of anything to say. Really he just wanted to keep listening to her, he didn't want to spoil the moment with his own voice. She smiled at him and started again.
"The twins were a little different. It was three years later, I was huge with them and I didn't even know there were two. I was on the deck again and the doctor was worried. He said the pain was going to be incredible with such a big baby. He wanted to give me something but I refused. Solvia held my hand and told me it would be fine. Even at 3 years old Doc she just seemed to know and I was already beginning to trust her." She sipped her coffee again.
"The moment of truth came and I braced myself. I felt my body opening up and then an incredible warmth spread through me where there should have been pain. Solvia was smiling down at me and I felt the baby just slip out. It didn't hurt at all. I relaxed and then the doctor said there was another. I felt the stretching but there was no discomfort. My third baby came into the world as I was looking into Solvia's pretty eyes." Another sip of coffee.
He felt the need to say something but nothing would come out of his mouth. He just sat and waited for her to talk more.
"The doctor was a little surprised that I was able to deliver so easily without any help. They placed my babies on my chest and I held one in each arm. I started to feel the soreness creeping up between my legs and in my back but I didn't care. They were looking right at me and flailing their little arms. Solvia reached over and put their little hands together and placed them on my chest. I remember looking at her and she had the most beautiful smile as she held her sister's hands. Then I felt it for the first time. It began as a warmth throughout my body and then a tug. You probably know what I am talking about for that one. It felt as if my heart was being drawn up out of my chest. It didn't hurt, in fact it was kind of nice. I felt like all the bad stuff was being pulled out of me. I remember closing my eyes and feeling the euphoria just spread over me." She said.
He was beginning to put things together but still he was silent.
"I realized then that I felt wonderful. I was not sore in the least and in fact I stood up and brought my babies inside, Solvia at my heels. I remember looking back at Jacob and the doctor just sitting there on the deck watching me walk away with their mouths hanging open." She said with a little chuckle.
"So my two babies named themselves too. Their real names are Lacae and Haleur. They are two ancient words that mean "healer". As you have heard they have normalized them a bit but that's ok. They do have to exist in the real world and those names would be an incredible burden." Hannah finished and took another sip.
