Chapter 51

ANNA

James rushes back into my room, his face etched with worry. He heads straight for the cribs, where our babies are. Nora is awake, so he lifts her out of her crib.

He settles next to me, cradling her against his chest. He breathes in her scent.

His tension eases, and he lifts his gaze to meet mine. I must look puzzled—because, honestly, I am.

“Olivia’s asleep. I feel so helpless, A. All I can do is let Jasmine do her job.” That explains his anxious expression and ragged breaths.

“Jasmine is the best,” Dad reassures, as if he’s been repeating this mantra for the past hour.

“I know, you’ve said that. But it’s not your kid on that table,” James counters. “I know you mean well, and I know you’re worried, Jack.

“But that’s my daughter, and as a father, I want to be there for her, to make her better, but I can’t.

“How would you feel if Anna was in the OR and the doctors told you that you couldn’t do anything?” His voice wavers with every few words.

I rub his back as he holds Nora close. At least he can be there for them. If they’re not okay, we can help. We can feed them, change them, soothe them.

But with Liv, we can’t. I understand how he feels. I really do.

I glance at Dad. He’s fuming. “Believe me, I feel helpless too,” he snaps back. “Yeah, in a different way, but still, I feel it. You’re not alone in this.

“The procedure only takes about an hour,” he adds, his voice softer. “She’ll be back with you soon.”

But I can see that no words will soothe James right now. The only thing that will help is having her back here with us.

“Dad…,” I warn, shaking my head.

He gets my message, and so does Mom as she pulls him close and hands him one of the twins to hold.

James looks regretful. “I appreciate you trying, Jack. I do. I’m sorry, but I—”

Mom cuts him off. “Don’t apologize, James. We understand, it’s terrifying. But in an hour, Jasmine will walk through that door and tell you it’s over.

“And within a few more hours or maybe a day, we’ll know more,” she adds.

James nods at her and runs a hand through his hair. He hands Nora to me and rests his head on my shoulder. He closes his eyes, trying to relax, one hand resting on Nora’s tiny body.

“God, I hate this feeling,” he murmurs in my ear.

“I know… I know.”

Within minutes, Owen starts to stir in his crib. A soft whimper escapes his lips, and I see him rooting at his hands.

“He’s hungry, babe. Can you give me a sec?” I ask James, who’s still leaning on my shoulder. He rises and takes Nora from my arms without needing to be told what to do.

He brings me the cushion that’s supposed to help with breastfeeding. We were told they’d likely eat at the same time, and the cushion should make it easier.

I wrap the cushion around me and lift Owen from his crib. I lift my shirt and give him time to latch on. Within seconds, he’s nursing like he hasn’t eaten in days.

“Well, you’re a bit of a drama queen, aren’t you,” I tease, touching his little cheeks. His eyes are wide and his tiny hand clutches at my breast as if he’s trying to squeeze the milk out.

Soon Nora stirs too, and James gives me a sympathetic smile. He places Nora on the cushion next to her brother. I slide my arm under her and help her latch on. I’m so grateful they’re good at this.

If we had problems with this, what would we have done? I lean my head back and feel a blanket being draped over me. Giving the twins some peace to nurse.

“Thanks,” I murmur.

“Well, that went smoother than I expected,” Dad comments. “But it is a bit strange.”

I just shrug. “It’s natural—I suggest you get used to it. Because I’m not covering up every time I need to feed them. We need to get a breast pump, babe.”

James laughs. “We need a lot of things, with this extra little miracle showing up,” he jokes, tickling Nora’s feet.

“Have you called your parents yet?” I ask him, knowing that with everything going on, he might have forgotten.

“Oh, shit,” he exclaims. He pulls out his phone and dials a video call.

It rings a few times before Jessica’s face appears on the screen. “Well, how’s my favorite son doing?” she asks.

“Mom, I’m your only son,” he replies, sounding a bit annoyed. I can practically hear him rolling his eyes. He’s so bad.

“That’s why you’re my favorite. What’s the occasion for this call?”

James takes a deep breath. Then he points the camera at me.

“Oh, my God!” she shrieks. “The baby came?”

I nod, but I look at James. It’s his mother, he can give her the shock. I’m not going to be the one to do this again.

Not after the whole ~I’m sorry I kept you in the dark about your granddaughter for three years~ thing.

“Well—babies,” James corrects her. Jess squints and furrows her brows.

“Well, first off, Becca also went into labor,” he begins as he pulls the blanket off the twins. They’ve both finished nursing and are sound asleep.

“Two girls, huh?” she asks, her voice filled with pride. She’d been pestering us non-stop, predicting that Mom would have twin girls. And she was right.

While James chats with his mom, I settle the twins on my chest and manage to cover myself back up. Then I arrange both of them in my arms. It might seem simple, but it’s far from it.

“Okay, but I’m going to show you Anna now. Don’t freak out,” he cautions her.

I shoot him a glare. Everyone knows that if you tell someone not to freak, they’re bound to freak. It’s like telling an angry person to calm down—it only makes things worse.

“Oh God, what did you do…?” she asks, but he just sits next to me and angles his phone toward me and the twins.

“Holy shit!” Jess shrieks. Owen stirs in my arms, but Nora is completely passed out in her milk coma.

“That’s two babies—why are there two babies? James? David!!” She’s losing it.

“Mom!” “Jessica!” Both men shout at her.

David appears on the screen and his eyes go wide. His chin practically hits the floor.

“It was a hidden pregnancy within a pregnancy,” I explain to them.

“So, a hider? Well, that’s… great. Shocking… but great,“ Jessica says, regaining her composure.

But I can see the worry on her face. It’s the same worry we felt when we found out there was a second one. “They’re both fine,” I assure her, and relief washes over her face.

“So…?”

“We have Nora and Owen,” James tells her, showing them both to his parents.

“Who was hiding?” David asks, chuckling.

“Nora,” he replies, and David shakes his head.

“You’re going to have your hands full with that one, son.”

James covers his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes. “I know, I can see it when I look into her eyes. She’s a Brown, through and through,” he says with a grunt, making us all laugh.

We chat a bit more before the Browns say their goodbyes, promising to visit us soon so they can properly meet the twins. And by properly, they mean holding them and squeezing them until we ask them to stop.

We say our goodbyes, but not without promising to give the twins all the kisses they’re asking for. I end the call as the door to my room swings open and a bed is rolled in, followed by a relieved-looking Jasmine.

“Olivia!” James exclaims, rushing to her side. He helps push the bed into the room. I catch sight of Olivia’s beautiful green eyes and I feel a wave of happiness. She looks just fine.

She even looks happy—probably because she sees her brother and sister in my arms.

“Congratulations to all of you,” Jasmine says, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Mom and Dad sit up straighter. So do I, but James stays by Olivia’s side, not moving an inch.

“The transplant was a success,” she announces with a smile. I feel tears streaming down my cheeks.

~She’s okay? Is she really okay?~

“I did a quick check of her bloodwork and I can already see it improving. It’s still too early to know if it will stick, but if she keeps going like this, she’ll be cancer-free in no time.”

“Oh, thank God!” Mom and I both exclaim, clutching our newborns.

“Thank you, Jasmine! Thank you so much!” I cry, reaching for her hand.

“You gave me my baby girl back. My dream. My dream life is here in this room because of you.”