Double Mother: The Miracle Woven by Haruka and Mana's Love - Chapter 20

On a sweltering summer afternoon, Mana and Haruka were doing their weekend grocery shopping at the supermarket. Mana pushed the cart while Haruka selected necessary ingredients from the shelves. Though both moved with difficulty while carrying their large bellies, they enjoyed shopping together as always, staying close to one another.

“Hey, what should we make for dinner tonight?”

When Haruka smiled gently at her, Mana showed a slightly thoughtful expression. Watching her long eyelashes flutter softly, Haruka couldn’t help but feel captivated.

“Hmm, I think something with lots of vegetables… Ah!”

Suddenly, Mana’s voice caught in her throat. Her expression stiffened instantly, and she gripped the cart handle tightly.

“Mana-chan? What’s wrong?”

“Just my stomach…”

Haruka hurriedly wrapped an arm around Mana’s back. In that moment, she felt sweat gushing from Mana’s body.

“We need to call an ambulance!”

With trembling hands, Haruka took out her phone and desperately dialed the number. As other shoppers watched them with concern, Mana squeezed Haruka’s hand tightly.

“Haruka-chan, I’m scared!”

“It’s okay! I’m here with you!”

For the few minutes until the ambulance arrived, Haruka continued holding Mana’s hand. Despite carrying her own large belly, she desperately supported Mana. Seeing Mana’s soft hair slightly damp with sweat made Haruka’s chest feel tight.

Upon arriving at the hospital, they were immediately taken to the maternity ward. The doctors and nurses showed confusion at the unusual situation of Haruka, who was also pregnant, attending the birth.

“Haruka-san, you’re in your final month too, aren’t you? Are you okay?”

At the nurse’s concerned voice, Haruka shook her head firmly.

“I’m fine! I want to stay with Mana-chan!”

Surrounded by the white walls of the delivery room, Mana endured her labor pains. Beside her, Haruka supported her with all her heart and soul, though mindful of her own large belly. Haruka gently wiped the sweat from Mana’s cheeks with a soft towel. The gesture overflowed with deep affection, enough to make the nurses unconsciously watch the scene intently.

“Mana-chan, regulate your breathing… yes, together with me”

Haruka whispered near Mana’s ear while regulating her own breathing similarly. Seeing Mana’s long black hair sticking to her sweaty neck, Haruka gently lifted it.

“This should be more comfortable.”

With skillful fingers, Haruka gathered Mana’s hair into a single bundle and placed a chilled towel against her neck. Mana let out a small sigh as if feeling somewhat relieved.

“Haruka-chan, I’m sorry for putting you through so much trouble.”

“What are you talking about? While you’re working so hard, I can’t do anything.”

Haruka’s voice trembled slightly. Seeing Mana suffer was painful, and tears welled in her eyes. But she quickly composed herself.

“Ah…!”

Mana was hit by a strong contraction and squeezed Haruka’s hand tightly. While feeling Mana’s slender fingers digging into her hand, Haruka continued rubbing Mana’s back with her other hand.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… I’ll be right here with you”

While gently brushing aside Mana’s sweat-dampened bangs, Haruka gazed at her beautiful profile. Even in the throes of childbirth, Mana’s expression held a strange dignity.

“Haa… haa…”

Matching Mana’s ragged breathing, Haruka also regulated her own breath. Occasionally ignoring the tightness she felt in her own belly, she simply continued staying by Mana’s side.

“Your face is so beautiful, Mana-chan! Strong and gentle…”

Touching Mana’s cheek, Haruka whispered softly. At these words, Mana smiled faintly though tears filled her eyes.

“Haruka-chan, thank you for being with me…”

At Mana’s soft voice, Haruka’s chest grew warm. Even during the brief rests between contractions, Haruka never let go of Mana’s hand, continuously stroking her hair gently. Occasionally replacing the chilled towel against her neck, trying to make Mana’s body even a little more comfortable.

“Mana-chan, you can do it! We’ll meet them soon – our babies!”

Haruka’s voice contained strong determination. It wasn’t just words of encouragement, but carried firm hope for their future together. Mana drew strength from those words and faced the next contraction. As Haruka gently wiped the single tear tracing Mana’s profile, she engraved this moment forever in her heart.

As if encouraged by Haruka’s voice, Mana desperately regulated her breathing. In that moment, intense pain shot through Haruka’s body.

“Ah…!”

“Haruka-san! You too…!”

The doctor’s voice echoed. Haruka’s labor had also begun.

“I also have to give birth but I’m worried about Mana-chan…”

“Another delivery table! Quickly!”

As the nurses bustled about, two delivery tables were arranged side by side.

“Haruka-chan, we’re together!”

At Mana’s trembling voice, Haruka nodded with tears in her eyes.

“Yeah! We’ll be together until the end…!”

By the time the delivery room clock pointed to midnight, Haruka and Mana were gripping each other’s hands tightly from their adjacent delivery tables. With each wave of contractions, both their breathing became ragged.

“Haa… haa… Mana-chan, are you okay?”

Enduring her own pain, Haruka was the first to voice concern for Mana. Shaking her sweat-dampened bangs aside, Mana nodded slightly.

“Yeah! Haruka-chan, don’t push yourself! ”

Veteran nurse Yamada had never encountered such a special case in her 30-year career. Two delivery tables placed side by side. Two pregnant women about to give birth simultaneously. Even in medical settings, this rare sight initially left her unable to hide her confusion.

“Yamada-san, I’ve never seen a situation like this…”

Young nurse Sato whispered worriedly.

Indeed, it was an unimaginable situation under normal circumstances.

“Yes, it’s my first time too. But… look at those two”

Where Yamada indicated with her eyes, Mana was being hit by strong contractions.

“Haa… haa…”

At Mana’s ragged breathing, Haruka – fighting her own contractions on the adjacent delivery table – immediately called out.

“Mana-chan, it’s okay! I’m with you…!”

Though in intense pain herself, Haruka turned her head to encourage Mana. Both stretched their hands as far as they could, connecting only with their fingertips.

“Let’s adjust the usual arrangement slightly”

Yamada made an immediate decision. She narrowed the gap between the two delivery tables slightly, adjusting them to where they could easily hold hands. She also repositioned the monitors at angles where they could check each other’s conditions.

“Sato-san, prepare ice for both. Kawahara-san, additional towel preparation”

The staff gradually adapted to this special situation. Medical equipment for two, preparations for two, and the need to simultaneously understand both their psychological states.

“Kuh…!”

When Haruka grimaced in pain, this time Mana desperately called out.

“Haruka-chan, listen to my voice! Let’s regulate our breathing together…!”

The nurses were moved by the scene. Since their contraction intervals differed, they encouraged each other when one was relatively comfortable. This repetition created a natural rhythm like waves.

“Look, see”

Night shift nurse Kawahara whispered to other staff members. During breaks in the pain, the two gazed at each other and exchanged small smiles. Tears tracing their sweat-dampened cheeks fell onto the delivery tables’ white sheets.

“You know”

Yamada said quietly.

“I’ve attended countless births, but this might be the first time I’ve been so moved”

All staff members nodded silently.

“Yes… me too”

Nurse Sato answered with moist eyes.

“I couldn’t even imagine two people giving birth together at first. But now… it feels somehow sacred”

Through unspoken understanding, the nurses provided extra consideration and attention. When checking contraction intervals, they monitored both women’s conditions simultaneously, and addressed both when speaking. Though this was a new experience for them, guided by the two’s strong bond, they naturally managed to handle it.

“We’re definitely witnessing a historic moment”

At Yamada’s words, all staff members nodded quietly. The delivery room was filled with a special atmosphere where pain and love intersected. It deeply shook even their hearts as medical professionals.

Even as dawn broke, the labor continued. When Mana was hit by intense pain, Haruka suppressed her own pain and kept encouraging her.

“Mana-chan, just a little more! We’ll meet our babies soon…!”

Midway through Haruka’s encouragement, intense contractions assaulted her.

“Kuh…!”

“Haruka-chan! This time I’ll support you!”

During breaks in her pain, Mana squeezed Haruka’s hand back tightly. Feeling each other’s hand warmth, they desperately regulated their breathing.

As morning sunlight began streaming through the window, the doctor spoke worriedly to the two women whose fatigue was becoming more evident.

“Would you both like to consider a C-section?”

“No! We promised natural childbirth!”

At Haruka’s trembling voice, Mana also nodded firmly. Seeing their determined expressions, the doctor nodded deeply in return.

As the midday sun grew stronger, Mana’s contractions intensified further.

“I can’t anymore!”

“That’s not true! Mana-chan is strong! The strongest person I know!”

Haruka said almost shouting. Her voice contained all the feelings they’d shared until now. At Haruka’s desperate voice, Mana seemed to gain new strength as she regulated her breathing.

By afternoon, Haruka also began being hit by intense contractions. Relying only on each other’s presence, they desperately endured.

“Haruka-chan, we can definitely do it!”

“Yeah! Because we’re always together!”

Even during brief rests between contractions, the two kept their fingertips connected. They desperately gripped each other’s slippery, sweaty hands.

And the fateful moment approached.

“Just a little more! Both of you, do your best!”

At the doctor’s voice, the two mustered their final strength.

“Mana-chan, together…!”

“Yeah! Haruka-chan, let’s go!”

As evening approached, the moment finally arrived. Summoning their last strength, they simultaneously heard their babies’ first cries. The powerful cries of boys and girls echoed through the delivery room.

“Congratulations, mothers!”

As the nurses’ voices echoed in the distance, Haruka and Mana gazed at each other with exhausted faces and smiled faintly.

“We did it, Mana-chan!”

“Yeah! Haruka-chan, thank you!”

After the 18-hour long battle, tears traced both their cheeks. Not tears of pain or fatigue, but tears of deep joy and love. With the birth of four new lives, a new family story was about to begin.

◆

Several days later, the two were surrounded by four babies in a spacious hospital room. Though their faces showed fatigue, they overflowed with deep happiness.

“Hey, Mana-chan, we really became mothers of four”

Haruka said while gently touching Mana’s cheek. Mana showed a soft smile and took Haruka’s hand.

“Yeah! I can’t believe such happiness has come to us”

The gentle light of dusk streamed through the window, softly enveloping the new family. It was an irreplaceable moment woven from four small lives and the love of two mothers.