A kind-looking middle-aged florist was humming softly as she tended to the new batch of flowers that had just arrived. Her entire shop was filled with the fragrance of the flowers floating in the air. Colors red, pink, blue, yellow, etc made her shop appeared livelier.
Ding~
"Welcome," The florist shifted her eyes to the door.
A customer had arrived, bringing with him the cold air of the late winter.
She found the customer was slightly panting as if he ran from a great distance. The florist quickly left the table where she was pruning the flowers.
"Yes, dear customer. May I help you?"
Oh my~ What a handsome customer. Is he here looking for flowers for his girlfriend?
The florist was eager to help this young man searching for the right flowers for his beloved. Well, it was what she loved to do to her customers.
"Ca... Camellias," The man said as he gasped, "Red camellias... Do you have them?"
"Yes. My shop has a new batch of red camellias. How many do you want?"
"A bouquet... Quick! I'm in a hurry!"
The florist was dumbfounded. She was swift to react as she found the man's expression was wrong.
"Right away. Ah! Which color of ribbon do you want?"
"White," answered the man hurriedly. He kept looking at the watch around his wrist.
Even though the florist felt it was strange, she didn't ask anything. Maybe this man came from the nearby hospital. She had encountered several customers who were in a hurry while looking for flowers.
Since this shop was right next to the city hospital, the visitors often patronized her shop to look for gifts for the patients.
Her hands moved steadfastly to not waste any more time.
Ring! Ring!
A phone suddenly blasted its ringtone, dispelling the silence in the florist shop.
"Hello," The man quickly answered the call. His face changed in an instant, "What? She'd enter labor soon? I.. I'll be right back!"
"Madam, the flowers..."
"Here," The florist brought the neatly wrapped camellias. The red petals were vibrantly blooming in the bouquet, "Are these for your wife, mister?"
She guessed much from the words she heard. No wonder this young man looked so frantic.
"Yes, our first children... Please wish her a safe delivery! Thank you! Keep the change!"
The man left as quickly as he came. He put several banknotes on the table, grabbed the bouquet and ran out of the florist shop, startling the female florist.
"Ah, this is too much," The florist commented as she counted the money. It was three times the price for the bouquet.
While the florist quietly prayed for the man's wife to have a safe delivery, the same man ran like wind along the way to the operating theater. He ran without stopping yet he kept the bouquet safe in his arms.
"Huff... Huff... Wait!"
A group of nurses was pushing the bed to the operating theater. They stopped at the shout.
"You're here!"
"Where are you going, Ren?"
All of the voices from his family members didn't enter his ears. His focus was on the woman on the bed.
Ren's eyes widened at the sight of his wife looking so much in pain. He made the final sprint and stopped by her bedside.
"Sweetheart, I'm here... Don't be afraid, okay? I got you the flowers you want," Ren held the bouquet in one arm while his other hand was holding Tsubaki's hand.
Tsubaki laughed weakly. Her face twisted due to the sharp pain coming from her lower body, "Silly, you really went to buy them..."
She candidly said she wanted to have red camellias in her private ward. Who knew, her darling husband immediately left on his own to find them for her. He said he wanted those flowers to comfort her as she started having contractions.
What made Tsubaki felt funny was the babies demanded to come out after their father left the ward. Her water broke. The doctor instructed the nurses to push her into the labor room. Satsuki immediately called Ren and asked him to come back.
He came back.
With the flowers.
"I'll wait for you here... Be good, don't be afraid," Ren whispered the same words in a calm tone even though his heart was in turbulence.
Tsubaki nodded weakly at him. She cried out in pain.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fuse. Please wait here," The attending doctor said then he hastily entered the labor room with the nurses.
The bed was wheeled inside.
The door was closed.
The red light above the door was switched on.
Ren felt empty all of sudden. He blankly stared at the closed door. He wanted to move forward but he staggered a few steps. Satsuki quickly went to support his brother-in-law.
"Sister would be fine. Don't worry, Brother," He quietly tried to comfort the man.
Ren absentmindedly nodded his head. His head fell on the red camellias in his arms.
It was her namesake.
Love, deep desire and passion.
Ren quietly chanted prayers, hoping for the mother and children's safety.
Satsuki stood next to him, praying for the same.
On the bench, Grandma and Aunt Kasumi sat together. Both of them had worried looks on their expressions.
As Tsubaki was carrying a pair of twins, the delivery risk was higher than most mothers.
Ren felt this would be the longest waiting in his entire life.
He wanted to enter the labor room with her, to accompany her while she was giving childbirth. But, Tsubaki vehemently refused no matter how many times he brought up the subject.
"Do you expect me to let you see how hideous and sweaty I am at that time? No way, darling~" She said in a sing-song voice.
Thus, after the nth failure, Ren no longer persuaded her to let him accompany her inside the labor room.
Time passed by but there was no sign of Tsubaki coming out. Doctors and nurses rushed in and out. When Ren wanted to stop them, Grandma forbade him for fear of aggravating his nerves.
"It's normal to take hours. Moreover, Tsubaki is with twins. Stay here and pray for her."
His old grandmother's firm words defeated Ren.
As time went on, his complexion turned paler and paler. Faint cries of Tsubaki's came from the inside of the labor room, stretching his nerves taut.
After what seemed like endless waiting, a baby's cries sounded.
"...! The baby is here!"
Grandma's voice broke the silence of the hallway.
Ren lunged forward to the door of the labor room. His heart pounded hard as if it wanted to jump out to his throat.
"Easy, Brother... The second would come out next then, Sister would be fine," Satsuki stepped forward to appease his brother-in-law.
"Yes, yes... She would be safe," Ren chanted the same words.
Please, come out soon, sweetheart and, be safe.
Not long after, another baby's cries echoed faintly behind the doors.
"Two! Two babies!" Grandma was elated. She almost jumped in joy.
Aunt Kasumi laughed as she too felt happy for the occasion, "Congratulations, Aunt. Congratulations, Ren. You finally become a father!"
Ren ignored the words of congratulations. His eyes were focused on the door.
Soon, the lights above the door went out and the chief doctor came out. He looked tired but his face was beaming.
"Congrat..."
"Where's my wife? Is she safe? Is there no complications?"
The chief doctor was stunned when he was cut short by the new father.
"Mr. Fuse, Mrs. Fuse and the two babies are safe and sound. The babies are healthy. They are a boy and a girl twins."
"Why she hasn't come out?" Ren insisted. He didn't pay attention to what the doctor was saying.
The chief doctor was baffled again.
"Mr. Fuse... Your wife would come out soon..."
While the chief doctor was nervous under the young father's sharp gaze, two nurses brought out the babies. They wanted to bring the babies to their father but seeing that the young man didn't pay attention to them, the nurses presented the babies to the elderly.
"Old Madam Fuse, your grandchildren are healthy," One of the nurses said with a smile, "The first one is a boy, followed by his little sister next."
"Hehe, a boy and a girl," Grandma couldn't contain her joy. She carefully looked at the little ones that were wrapped in baby coats.
"Aye, his face is so wrinkly like a little monkey, hehe, how cute," Aunt Kasumi teased the baby. Then, she looked at the second baby, "She would grow as a beauty like her mother~"
"Are all babies like this? I thought they are supposed to be cute," Satsuki asked in puzzlement as he joined the two older ladies surrounding the babies.
"It's normal for babies to have wrinkly skin. They have just come out," Grandma laughed, "Soon, they would regain their facial features. You'd see how handsome and cute they are!"
While the three of them were crooning over the babies, Ren was still waiting for Tsubaki to come out. He couldn't focus on anything else before he saw her condition.
She has to be safe.
She has to.
He didn't want to lose her again...
Ren clenched and unclenched his hands. The bouquet of red camellias was left on the chair behind. The vibrant color of the petals appeared so striking in this cold hallway.
Soon, Tsubaki was wheeled out of the labor room.
"Sweetheart!"
Ren moved forward. He wanted to say more but Tsubaki was sleeping soundly. Her face was ghastly pale yet aside from that, it seemed like nothing serious happened to her.
"Mr. Fuse, your wife used all her energy to bring out the children. She needs plenty of rest now."
The chief doctor wiped his face while explaining to the young father.
"Yes... Okay... Move her to the ward," Ren's voice was so low. His eyes continued to linger on his wife's face.
The chief doctor inwardly breathed out in relief.
Before Ren left to follow the nurses who pushed the bed, he paused and looked again at the doctor.
"Thank you."
Then, he ran to catch up with the bed.
The chief doctor smiled stiffly.
"I'm sorry if my grandson looked rude," Grandma said from one side, "He's just so worried about his wife. Thank you, doctor, for helping my granddaughter-in-law to have a safe delivery."
The old madam's words eased the chief doctor's tension. He smiled, "It's my duty, Old Madam Fuse. Congratulations on having two new additions to your family."
"Hehe, the old house would be livelier," Grandma was so pleased. She was tempted to boast to her circle of friends about the twins.
Aiya! She got two great-grandchildren in one go! How blissful she was!