Chapter 2 : Mama I'm Coming Home
I walked Gracie and Hero around the block, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. I smiled as I let Hero take more lead, Gracie running circles around us. She rarely had to be on a leash anymore, the small collie mix just barely bigger than Happy, never strayed farther than four or five feet ahead, before circling back to 'herd' Hero and I forward. Hero, my 10 year old German Shepherd had saved my from the fire that killed my family, was a different matter. Though trained and obedient, he was always eager to make new friends, and had a habit for crossing streets without looking.
"Good Morning, Kate, it's good to see you out and about, how are you?" one of the neighbors, whose name I couldn't remember, asked as he got his paper from his front step.
"Quite well, all things considered, yourself?" I asked.
"The same, the same," he replied before closing his door.
I pulled Hero's leash in, and whistled softly for Gracie, who eagerly ran to my heels. I removed Hero's leash as soon as we were in the safety of the backyard, and picked up his old, ratty tennis ball, his favorite toy. I tossed it aside, and laughed as he ran after it, still a puppy at heart.
"Stay," I told them as I walked into the backdoor, leaving the dogs to frolic to their hearts content.
"Kate?" Martin called the moment he saw me come inside. I turned and smiled softly, before going to him, letting him wrap his arms around me.
"I love you," I said.
"I love you too," he said before pulling away. "Why do you want everyone together for dinner tonight?"
"Not everyone, just my brothers and sisters, mom, and you," I said with a laugh. "Kevin's cooking for the in-laws and children," I added.
"Oh, well, what don't I know?" He asked.
"You'll find out later, just like everyone else," I replied.
"You know, it's not right to hide stuff from me," he whined. I put my arms around his neck, and kissed his nose softly.
"Oh, but it is," I chided.
"Katie," he groaned as I kissed his nose again. He pulled me close, before moving towards the stairs.
"Ah, no, not here," I giggled as I pulled away. "Anyway, I have to take a shower," I added with a wink.
"Tease," he said in a hushed tone.
"Go down to the batting cages, I'll see you later," I said with a laugh. He looked at me for a second, then nodded.
"Two can play this game, I have a surprise for you tonight too," he said with a laugh as he turned to leave. Suddenly, I was the one looking dumbfounded.
"Hey! No surprises for the mommy to be! I have surprises!" I yelled after him.
I turned then, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw Sam and David on the stairs.
"How much did you see?" I asked the 13 year old twins.
"Nothing, we swear!" David said with a laugh.
"Good, but don't swear," I said out of habit. Dad used to say that to me all the time.
I moved past them and headed for the attic bathroom – I knew better than to use the one on the second floor. Though only Sam and David, and Ruthie, T-Bone and baby Theo still lived at home, I knew the bathroom was almost always in demand.
I enjoyed a hot shower, before searching the closet for something to wear. My favorite dress hung on a hanger in the back, right next to me favorite pair of jeans. I thought for a moment, before picking the dress. I held it up, and sighed, seeing that it was finally too small for my ever expanding baby belly.
"Hey Ruthie?" I called from the top of the stairs, my pink robe wrapped tightly around me.
"Yea?" she replied, coming to the foot of the stairs.
"Do you still have that red dress you wore when you were pregnant with Theo?" I asked.
"Yea, it's hanging up in the closet, why?"
"Can I barrow it?"
"I guess, hang on, I'll get it," she said as she turned and swiftly walked to her room. She returned a moment later holding a beautiful red dress, similar to the one I had planned to wear.
"Thanks," I said with a smile. Thankfully, she had bought the dress later in her pregnancy, so it was the perfect size for me.
I dressed quickly, and settled to let my wavy hair fall loosely around my shoulders. I looked in the mirror, and smiled softly, my hand falling to the white gold locket that I had been given on my 13th birthday.
"Mom, I wish you could be here to see this," I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. Then I looked at the silver bracelet, a gift from Eric...Dad. "You too dad, I miss you so much," I added.
I wiped the tears from my eyes, and sat on the bed. I fingered the flowered comforter, and looked around the spacious room. Annie had offered to let Martin and I take the attic when we moved back in, no matter how temporary that arrangement was, but I graciously refused, feeling safer in the room that had once been Matt's, then Simon's, then the twins. Now, aside from the closets, Ruthie had the attic. She had her clothes in our room's closet, and us in hers, for the fact that it was just easier, since I had taken a liking to her bathroom.
I looked at the clock in disbelief. I couldn't believe it was already 6. Either the day flew, or I had just been moving in slow motion. Whatever the case, I got up, and headed downstairs.
"There you are!" Simon laughed as he came and gave me a hug. I hugged him back, then made it a point to mess up his hair. He had let it grow out these last few years, and it always seemed to be messy. He swatted playfully, but let me get away with it.
Somewhere over these last three years, Matt, Simon, and I had formed a special bond. I was closest to Ruthie, who was only 2 and a half years older than I was, but I was unbelievably close to my two older brothers.
"Martin called, he'll be here in about 5 minutes," Lucy informed me. I smiled warmly in her direction, grateful, that for tonight, her husband was entertaining all the in-laws and kids. I loved the large family, but tonight's news was for close relatives, not the entire Camden – Kinkirk – Glass – Rivera – Alan flock.
When we were all seated around the dining room table, I realized that all eyes were on me. I blushed as I took Martin's hand, a little nervous about the news.
"Everyone has been taking guesses at the sex of the baby, so I guess I'll start with that," I said lightly. I looked at Martin before adding "And Martin already knows, so,"
"Boy or girl?" Sam asked, a silly grin on his face.
"Girl – which we've decided to name after our parents; Nikole Erica Lynn," I said with a smile. "However, little Nikki is also going to have two big brothers and a younger sister," I added. Martin looked at me, his eyes wide. "We're having quadruplets!"
The cheers were louder than I had expected, the laughter even louder.
Once the noise died down, I looked at Martin, who was both smiling and pale.
"What?" I asked with a laugh.
"H-how in the name of - " he started.
"A miracle. A tiny, quadruple sized miracle. I found out a couple of weeks after I learned I was pregnant, when I went in to find out why I looked so big. I didn't say anything because I was afraid to jinx it, and lose them all, what with the history of miscarriages in my family" I said. "Are you against naming the boys after my brothers?" I asked as an after thought.
"Not at all," he said with a light laugh.
"Baby A I want to name Jeffery Samuel-David, after my oldest and youngest brothers, and Baby B, Ryan Tyler, since Ryan is a popular middle name, amongst both my families, and Tyler, since that's your middle name Martin," I said. I smiled at Simon, who gave me a sad look. "Simon, baby D is going to be named Simone Riley, after you and my two sisters," I added with a laugh. Martin and I had decided on that name early on, before Eric died.
"Wow, I'm, well I'm surprised," Annie said with a laugh. "You both really want to name your children after us?"
"Yes, mom, you and the rest have been the best part of my life – I couldn't imagine naming our children anything else," I said wholeheartedly. "Nikki, Jeff, Ryan, and Simone will be the luckiest quads ever born."
"The birth rate is so low though," Matt mused, then looked up, embarrassed that I had heard him.
"I know, Dr. Stone has already warned me that Simone and Jeff are the smallest, and may not survive. He actually advised not to name the babies yet. But what the hey, I'm not going to let 'what if' or 'what about' keep me from enjoying the last 13 weeks of my pregnancy...rather, the last 4. Dr. Stone said the odds are good that the babies will be premature. But he also said that as it looks, thought Simone and Jeff are small, that all babies seem to be developing quite well," I said. I looked over at Martin, who still looked in shock. "Breathe, Martin, I love you," I whispered.
"I um...Marry me," he stammered.
"Come again?" I asked, not quite sure if I heard him correctly.
Martin then did the unthinkable. The one thing I had hoped for, yet never dreamed to expect.
He took my hand, and got down on one knee, in front of the entire family, pulled a beautiful ring from his coat pocket, and said,
"Katie Marie Young-Camden, I have loved you since the first moment I laid my eyes on you, your kindness and love is unconditional, limitless, and never ending. Your passion, your grace, cannot be put into words. I love you more than anything in this world. Do me the honors of marrying me?"
"Yes"
AN:
A few things to clarify.
Yes, I'm aware of the very unlikely odds that any woman can conceive quads naturally, and though rare, it has happened. And in all reality, we all recall how strange 7th Heaven was with the births - look at all the kids having Twins except Simon and Ruthie (next to the twins of course)!
As for the naming of the children - I had to make up middle names - we never learned them, so hey, why not.
Lastly, though everything is fastpaced right now, everything slows down in the next chapter - I had to speed things along to keep it from being like New Moon, with empty pages of pointless, wordless weeks. :)
As always, I'd love to hear from you! Suggestions? Guesses? Catch a typo of mine?
SN: Kate is currently 27 weeks pregnant, the normal pregnancy for quads is only 31 weeks - then the babies spend around a month in the hospital. Just saying. I did do my research.
Byeeee!