Against the Odds
Partners in crime was the perfect term for Shaye and Davey Alister-Lincoln. The two were now the move, whether it was Davey army-crawling or Shaye crawling. Lynn Topher's observation of the need for additional baby items had gone unnoticed the parents until about a week after Davey had arrived home. The now family of four were greeted by their friends for an impromptu party. The required gear, that being another chair, play mat, swing, double stroller and more in tow as gifts. As much as the dads protested, their friends insisted on helping them out with the pricier items. More bottles, sippy cups and diapers were always a good thing. Janet Topher was excited to get to shop for boys' clothing for once. T.C. had bought them a few canisters of coffee and gift cards for Starbucks. He wanted to ask how the two really felt about a second adoption so soon but he was struggling to find the right words. He knew "blind-sided" wasn't the right term. That made it sound like Davey was a burden. Everyone, from military to hospital co-workers weren't surprised that the couple had adopted but the fact they had adopted babies was the shock element. The couple found out that day that everyone thought they would adopt older kids or teenagers. Shaye and Davey suited their dads just fine: diapers, baby talk and all. There was something to be said about seeing those firsts.
Drew was good with babies and children at the hospital long before he became a father. He was sometimes called the "baby whisperer" at the E.R.. Raising babies had it's stresses but it was outweighed by the happiness they bought. It was an experience but Rick learned how to navigate the grocery store, Walmart and Target. He had it down to a science now. The double stroller was a great tool for that, leaving the cart clear. Drew's mother hadn't been heard from since the night they showed up at the family's home when Shaye was eight weeks old. Unless his mother hit her head and became a totally different person, got on her knees and begged for his forgiveness he didn't care to hear her voice or see her face again. The same went for his father. Drew was done letting himself be hurt and he'd damned if he was going to his babies get hurt. They were innocent. Their dads, aunt, other grandparents and family friends adored them, always spoiling them with hugs and kisses-even T.C. Callahan doted on them. Not only did they not deserve to be treated so coldly, they wouldn't understand why.
"So, papa Drew, the tots are on the move now?" Scott said.
Shaye was now nine-months-old and Davey was seven-months-old. The two were constantly trying to mimic each other, The two could easily be mistaken for twins, the difference in their size was barely noticeable. When this occurred, their parents went along with it. The siblings wore the same clothing and diaper size. This made shopping for clothes easier.
Drew smiled.
"Yeah. It's a good thing I work night shift or I'd miss the fun stuff. "
Adoption with such short notice, twice, was the best thing he and Rick had ever done. There was still night wake-ups here and there at night but both babies were good sleepers usually. He and Rick talked about if they ever got the chance to become parents at all, they would be grateful. Getting to adopt a second child was something from a dream. Scott told Drew he didn't know how he and Rick, or Topher and Janet took care of twins while keeping their sanity. Drew chuckled saying that it was because Scott was the baby of his family.
"I bet you got away with everything. The baby of the family always does. Twins aren't that hard, just takes gettin' used to," he said.