Everything I needed in my life right now, given that I was approximately forty-eight hours away from becoming a father to three infants simultaneously.
Two days.
Just two more days until Athena’s scheduled C-section.
Two days to finalize the nursery setup, confirm the hospital bag contents for the seventeenth time, and review my labor and delivery contingency plans.
I can do this.
Everything is under control.
“Julien,” Gabriel said, pulling up the patient schedule on the large monitor. “You’re seeing the Hendersons at ten, correct?”
“Correct. Follow-up for Mr. Henderson’s post-operative recovery. All scans show excellent healing, no complications.”
“And you’ve cleared your schedule for Wednesday?” Nathan asked.
“Completely cleared. No patients, no surgeries, no consultations. I’ll be at the hospital with Athena for the C-section at seven AM.”
“You have a backup plan if something goes wrong?” Fitz asked, not looking up from his tablet.
“I have seventeen backup plans.”
“Of course you do.”
“Each color-coded by severity level and likelihood of occurrence.”
“Naturally.”
Quinton was grinning. “Did you make a spreadsheet for the birth?”
“I made several spreadsheets for the birth.”
“How many is several?”
“Six. One for the hospital arrival timeline, one for the surgical procedure itself, one for immediate post-operative care, one for the first twenty-four hours, one for potential complications, and one for—”
“We get it,” Hayden interrupted, though he was smiling. “You’ve planned everything.”
“Planning is essential when you’re about to become responsible for three human lives.”
“You’re already responsible for human lives,” Sarah pointed out. “You’re a neurosurgeon.”
“That’s different. Those patients are adults. With fully developed nervous systems. And they don’t require diaper changes.”
“Fair point.”
I pulled out my own tablet, opening my master timeline. “Now, if we could review Wednesday’s coverage arrangements—”
The conference room door burst open.
Winnie stood in the doorway, her face flushed, her phone clutched in her hand.
“Julien,” she said, slightly breathless. “Athena’s in labor.”
The room fell silent.
Completely, utterly silent.
