B&M: The lives of arthur and lison: the third part

""They were just perfect. They could fit in my palm. Their skin was just beginning to form and so were all the major organs. However there was one organ clearly working and I could see it vibrate on their skin. One organ that kept beating and telling me "mama we're fighting all that we can... be brave..." they immediately took the babies to the NICU. Next morning first thing I wanted was to see them. "Take me there Pierre".. I could not bear to look at Pierre. He was petrified. Although men are considered the stronger gender, these are the times that test it. We walked to the NICU, my adrenaline pumping. A thousand questions but who will answer them? And truthfully? We walked into the room where our kids were. The sight made me forget everything else. My two little fighters on a crib. Tubes all over and perhaps heavier than them. Fluids being fed from three directions. I had promised myself I wouldn't cry. I looked at their face and I could feel they were at peace. The machines were pumping life into my babies. I was too scared to voice my question. Would they survive? Pierre and I sang for them a famous prayer and walked out. The doctor had told us he needs 72 hours before he cans ay anything. "Can we sit here for a while...?" And we sat on the corridor. Wiping each others tears. A woman came out in sometime and we knew she had a similar fate. We took all the technical details from her. Most importantly her babies had survived the ten week ordeal. Now I was stronger and I could focus myself to believe that my babies would fight it. Because there was flesh and blood standing right in front of me to constantly remind me that this was possible.
Five days passed and our babies were fighting. We would go there sing for them (Pierre once brought his guitar) to talk to them to constantly cheer them to keep going. The mother in me often used to think - are we being selfish? Are we not putting them through enormous pain? Why should they go through this? It was the 25th, the sixth day of life. Our doctor kept telling us he had never seen such a small baby fight this long. We left and came back in the evening. Lison had contracted an infection too severe. It had spread to her brain. She was finding it difficult to breathe and the machine was doing all that it could to keep oxygenating her blood. We prayed by her side wishing for strength and left. And then near midnight we got the call from the hospital.
Lison was critical. We rushed to see them. The peace that I first saw in her face was no longer there. She was in pain. The doctor told us we have no choice but to wait to let her pass. I immediately said NO. "I dont want to wait for her to pass. If she wants to go let her go. If that is what she is happy about. I want all the machines removed off her. Fighter she was she would die a valiant death. And she will pass in our arms." With tears in his eyes the doctor obliged. He would remove the supports himself not trust anyone else with it. So he would let her breathe last in our arms. And he did. As they unplugged the ventilator, Lison breathed last in our arms. Goodbye our fighter.
We moved to Arthur to tell him all was well and how we love him and to be strong. We went out to sit in the corridor and let go of all emotions and cried in each others arms. Arthur was our only hope. In ten minutes the doctor called us in again. His eyes welled up. We walked in to find that Arthurs ecg had gone flat and they were resuscitating him. He did not want to live in a world his tiny sister didnt. The miracle just unfolded in my thoughts.  Through my pregnancy it was Arthur always who kept Lison on top never letting her out how much ever fluid she lost. They would either co exist or go hand in hand. My mind came back to the NICU as oxygen was being stuffed into him and his lungs being manually operated by the doctor himself. It wasnt going to work it was clear to me. The nurse took away the oxygen. Arthur had joined the world of his little sister. Tears flooding his eyes, the doctor wouldnt stop pumping Arthur's lungs. He did not do it for medical reasons, or for us or for the people around. He did it for himself. Cause he couldnt let little Arthur go.
In a matter of fifteen minutes our world just crashed in front of us. And no reason or words could repair it.""
She finished her story, and it was me who was crying. She was smiling looking at the waves. Perhaps the waves always pass a message that we fail to comprehend. As she put her hands around my shoulder, we took a selfie and walked back. Today I dont have a nice way to end this. Cause this is what it is. But I hope, soon enough things will fall in place for them like it did for us. Oh yes I am a believer of miracles. They always happen - we only miss to notice them. Until then, God give them the strength.
Cheers,
Hopie