Chapter 41: Chapter 41

GARRETT

“When can Mommy come home?” Christine asked. “I don’t like it here.”

“Why don’t you like the hospital, kiddo?” I chuckled, tousling her dark, wavy curls.

“It smells funny.”

“Mommy will be home soon,” Evan said.

“Me want Mommy,” Joni announced, tugging on Jake’s beard.

“We’re bringing the stroller next time,” he grumbled, shifting her to his other arm. “You’re getting too heavy to carry.”

“Me can walk, Daddy.”

“It’s too busy here, Joni.”

“Me walk!”

I moved ahead of them, anxious to get to Vada’s room. The girls were cranky. And I couldn’t really blame them. We were all tired of coming to the hospital.

Vada was carrying Mono Mono twins. When this happens, the babies are in the same amniotic sac, with one placenta.

It’s a rare and very high-risk pregnancy. There are many things that can go wrong, resulting in the death of one or both babies.

When Vada had reached twenty-four weeks, she was admitted to the hospital so she could be closely monitored. It had been a long ten weeks for all of us. Especially our wife. She was going stir-crazy.

But it was almost over. The babies were being delivered the following day via cesarean. They’d remain in the hospital for a few weeks. But at least Vada could come home at night.

I was surprised to find the door to her private room closed. Especially now that she was on bed rest. Vada was a social butterfly. She had befriended all of the nurses, and they loved her.

I opened the door a crack. Female laughter spilled from the room.

“What are you ladies up to?” I asked.

“Private girl stuff,” Chloe said.

“You should probably wait in the hall,” Calliope suggested.

“Are you ~shaving~ my wife?” I gasped.

“Close the door, Garrett!” Vada ordered.

I stepped back, pulling the door closed, the image of my half-sisters with their hands between my wife’s legs forever burned in my brain.

My dad’s health had begun to deteriorate shortly after my mother passed away. I’d let go of a lot of my anger about the past. I went to see him and made amends before he died.

My half-sisters were really cool, and we’d grown close. They loved Vada. The three of them were best friends.

“What’s going on?” Evan asked.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Why is the door closed?”

“Uh, the doctor is examining her. Why don’t we take the girls to the cafeteria for a snack?”

“I want Mommy!” Joni cried.

“I like snacks,” Christine announced.

“You’re lying, Garrett,” Evan accused.

“I am not.”

“Yeah, you are,” Jake sighed. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Vada is doing some, uh, personal grooming,” I explained. “Do you want the girls to see that?”

“Vada can’t even put on her own socks,” Evan pointed out. “There’s no way she could do ~that~.”

Chloe opened the door with a bright smile. “Come on in,” she invited.

“Mommy!” Christine squealed, making a beeline for the bed.

“Me down, Daddy!” Joni yelled, squirming out of Jake’s arms.

“Remember: gentle,” he reminded her. “You can’t jump on Mommy.”

“I know!”

Evan stared at the shaving paraphernalia on Vada’s bedside table, scowling as he drew the correct conclusions about what had been going on when we arrived.

He was still insecure about Vada’s bisexual history.

“Relax, Evan,” Vada sighed. “There was nothing sexual going on. We’re in a hospital, for Pete’s sake.

“And I’m disgusting. Even if Chloe and Calliope were into girls, they wouldn’t want a bloated hippo.”

“I just don’t understand why you needed that done.”

“Because it felt gross,” she said. “Get over it, or next time I’ll ask Mandy for help.”

“I’m going to let that go, but only because I don’t want to upset you.”

Christine gave Vada a play-by-play of everything that had happened at preschool while Joni snuggled up beside her, rubbing her belly gently.

They needed their mommy back. And we needed our wife back. But first we had to get through this delivery.

There were so many things that could go wrong. A cesarean was major surgery.

Our boys had beat the odds. They’d made it to thirty-four weeks. Many Mono Mono twins aren’t that lucky. But they were six weeks premature.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Calliope whispered, rubbing my back.

“You don’t know that,” I said.

“Vada, do you mind if we take Garrett to the cafeteria for a coffee?” Chloe asked.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, glancing up at me with concern etched on her face.

“Everything’s fine, baby,” I assured her, leaning down to steal a kiss. “I won’t be long. Enjoy your time with the girls.”

“Okay.”

***

“Relax, Garrett,” Calliope said, snatching the sugar packet from my hand before I could add it to my coffee. “How many sugars do you take?”

“Two.”

“You’ve already put four in there,” Chloe informed me.

“I’m a little stressed,” I admitted.

“Vada is healthy. The babies made it to their goal without killing each other.”

“That’s not funny, Calliope,” I grumbled.

“What happened to the guy who used humor to lighten the mood?”

“Life. Responsibilities.”

“You have to think positive, Garrett,” Chloe said. “If you don’t, your wife is gonna pick up on it. She doesn’t need that right now.”

“I know.”

“This time tomorrow, you’re gonna be a dad!”

“What if they’re not ready to come out?”

“The doctor wouldn’t deliver them if they weren’t sure.”

“What if there is something wrong with them? What if one of them doesn’t make it? Or they both die in the delivery? What if something happens to Vada?”

“Stop worrying about the what-ifs,” Calliope said. “It doesn’t do any good.”

“I know,” I sighed. “Thanks, you guys.”

“Anytime, big brother,” Chloe said.

***

“Garrett, sit down,” Jake barked. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“And me,” Vada muttered.

Evan stepped in front of me, bracing his hands on my shoulders. “If you don’t settle down, Jake is gonna have to fill in for you in the operating room.”

“I don’t fucking think so,” I snapped.

“Then get a grip,”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re wearing a hole in the fucking floor,” Jake said.

“Are you guys absolutely sure you’re okay with me getting my tubes tied?” Vada asked.

“I am,” I replied without hesitation. “This pregnancy has been hard on you, Vada. You’re not a baby factory.”

“I second that,” Evan said. “I feel like four kids is lots.”

“What about you, Jake?” Vada asked.

“I haven’t changed my mind,” he said. “Four is a nice number. Two girls and two boys is perfect. We don’t need any more.”

“Knock, knock!” Chloe called out, sticking her head in the partially open door. “Are you decent?”

“Yes,” Vada laughed. “Does it really matter after yesterday?”

“What happened yesterday?” a deep voice inquired from behind my sisters.

“Gavin!” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to be here for you on your big day.”

“You live in Orlando.”

“I live in Pensacola,” Greg said, his large frame filling the doorway. “That’s a lot further.”

“I can’t believe you guys came all this way.”

“We wouldn’t be anywhere else today,” Gavin said, pulling me in for a hug.

“How are you doing, Vada?” Greg asked.

“I’m ready to meet these babies,” she said.

“Good morning,” Dr. Mallawa said, bouncing into the room with two nurses. “The big day has finally arrived. You made it to thirty-four weeks.”

“Are you sure they’re ready to come out?” I asked.

“At this point in the pregnancy, it’s safer for them to be out of the uterus,” she explained.

“They’re both over four pounds. Their lungs aren’t fully developed, so they’ll probably need a little help to breathe. But they’ll be in the NICU, where they’ll be well taken care of.”

“Okay then,” I said, my voice trembling. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

I hung back while Evan and Jake said their goodbyes. They walked behind us with my siblings until we reached the restricted area.

“Good luck, Garrett,” Jake said, pulling me in for a hug.

“Take care of our wife,” Evan said, patting me on the back.

“I will.”

The nurse showed me where to get changed and instructed me to stay there until she returned. I stripped down to my boxers and put on the scrubs she gave me.

It felt like an eternity before she came back.

“They’re ready for you,” she said.

Vada turned her head, laughing when she saw me. “You look cute,” she said when I sat down on the stool next to her head.

“Cute? I was thinking I looked damn sexy.”

“You’re very sexy, Mr. Mitchell.”

“You’re so beautiful, baby,” I whispered. “And you’re such a great mom. I know this hasn’t been an easy pregnancy. But you handled it like a pro.”

“Are they out yet?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Am I allowed to look?”

“You can look,” the nurse replied.

I peeked over the curtain just in time to see the first baby being lifted from Vada’s open abdomen. I wasn’t a squeamish guy, but it was a bit unnerving seeing her guts open.

Evan would’ve never made it through a cesarean delivery.

“Your first baby is here, Vada,” Dr. Mallawa announced, handing him off to the nurse. “It’s a boy! And here comes number two.”

I watched in awe as she lifted my second son out.

“Another boy!” Dr. Mallawa announced. “Congratulations!”

“Are they okay?” Vada asked.

Two tiny cries filled the room.

“Go check on them, Garrett,” she whispered. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Go.”

“Come on over, Dad,” the nurse called.

I leaned against the wall, a powerful tidal wave of emotion hitting me when I laid eyes on my boys. This was really happening. I was a father.

“Are you okay, Dad?”

“Just a little overwhelmed,” I admitted. “Are they healthy?”

The doctor glanced up with a smile. “They’re doing fine. I’m Dr. Anderson, the neonatologist. I’ll be caring for your babies for the next few weeks.

“We’re going to say a quick hi to Mom, and then they’re going to the NICU, where we will keep them warm and give them a bit of oxygen.”

They wheeled the crib up next to Vada. She turned her head, tears coursing down her cheeks. “They look just like their daddy,” she whispered. “So handsome.”

“We’re going to warm them up and give them some help breathing,” Dr. Anderson explained. “Get some rest, Mom.”

“Go with them, Garrett,” she said. “They need you more than I do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I love you, baby,” I whispered, kissing her softly on the lips.

“Love you too.”

***

VADA

^FOUR YEARS LATER^

“Hello, neighbor,” Mandy called out, taking the porch steps two at a time.

“You’re like a friggin’ gazelle,” I muttered. “How do you stay so lean?”

“Lots of exercise,” she laughed with a sly smile. “I can bend in ways you wouldn’t believe possible.”

“I used to be able to do that,” I sighed. “I work out, and I get lots of the same ~exercise~ that you do, but my body isn’t anywhere near as fit as it was before I had kids.”

“You had three pregnancies in four years,” she pointed out. “What did you expect to happen?”

“I don’t know.”

“At least you had enough sense to call it quits after the twins.”

“My doctor said I would’ve had to deliver the rest of my babies by cesarean. No thanks.”

“Where is your brood of offspring and husbands anyway?” she asked.

“They went fishing.”

“Gross.”

“No kidding.”

“Can you believe this is our life?” Mandy asked with a wistful sigh.

“It’s certainly not where I thought I’d be at thirty-two,” I admitted. “If someone told me I’d be married to three fifty-year-old men, with four kids, I would’ve laughed in their face.”

“You and me both, babe,” she chuckled.

“Is the sex still hot after fifty?” I asked.

“Oh yeah,” she whispered. “It didn’t slow my guys down one bit.”

“That’s good to know.”

She pulled her phone from her back pocket and shook her head as she read the text. “I have to go. The boys got into some poison ivy.”

“Oh no,” I gasped. “They really keep you on your toes.”

“It’s never-ending,” she agreed with a heavy sigh as she stood up.

“Have fun with that,” I said, trying not to laugh.

“You just wait, Vada. Boys are a handful. Yours might be sweet little angels now, but in a couple of years, they’ll be getting into all kinds of mishaps and mischief.”

“No they won’t. Christine will keep them in line.”

“Little Evan,” she snorted as she headed down the steps.

***

Jake pulled me down onto his lap. Evan and Garrett joined us on the couch while our children played at the table.

“That roll doesn’t count, Levi,” Christine said. “The dice must remain on the board after you roll.”

“You’re just saying that because he rolled doubles,” Luke laughed.

“If he rolls doubles again, he has to go to jail.”

“This game is boring,” Joni announced. “It takes too long. I’d rather play ~Candyland~.

“It’s not ~boring~,” Christine said. “It’s challenging. You have to use your brain. ~Monopoly~ is my favorite game in the whole world.

“We don’t wanna use our brains,” Levi chuckled.

“Let’s go play with our cars,” Luke suggested.

“I’ll help you build a track,” Joni offered.

“You have to finish this game first!” Christine called when they took off running through the cottage. She muttered to herself while she put away the game.

“She’s a chip off the old block, Ev,” Garrett laughed when Christine marched down the hall barking orders about how to build car tracks properly.

“She’s the oldest,” he said. “It’s her job to set an example for her younger siblings.”

“She’s a control freak,” I said.

“She’s a natural leader. Our daughter will be very successful in life.”

“Thank you, Vada,” Garrett whispered, leaning in to brush my mouth with a soft kiss.

“For what?”

“Giving us this beautiful family.”

“Thanks for all the great sex,” I laughed.

“There’s lots more of that in your future,” Jake promised, his hand sliding up my thigh.

“Definitely,” Evan agreed, cupping my breast while he nuzzled my neck with wet kisses.

“We may be old, but we can still make you scream,” Garrett declared, squeezing my ass.

“Mm,” I moaned, my eyelids fluttering closed while they pleasured me. “Bedtime can’t come soon enough.”

“I love you, Vada.”

“I love you, Vada.”

“I love you, Vada.”

^End of Book One^