Chapter 10 A Baby And A Bombshell
Ben was relaxing on the couch, lying there covered with a warm blanket and nursing the twins in contented silence with his family gathered around him in the living room.
Kevin sat in a chair by Ben's head, watching him while Vilgax shared the couch with Ben, their Mate's rainbow-socked feet resting on his large lap as he watched him care for their babies with a pleased smile on his tentacled face, his red eyes containing such emotion for his Mates and children that it was breathtaking.
Gwen sat cradled in Kevin's lap with her red haired head resting on her husband's left shoulder, her face against the crook of his neck as she dozed in his arms happily.
Vilgax's father sat in a second, deep blue, cushy chair near his son, watching the interactions of this odd family with intense interest while he single-handedly devoured an entire tray of Macadamias and a full gallon of milk.
He had only been introduced to the white drink that came from earth cows the day before, but he was already as hooked on having it as he was on Ben's out of this world cookies.
Gwen abruptly let out a little gasp, her slender body stiffening up visibly where she sat on Kevin's upper thighs, her slim, silk-like hands clutching tightly at his shirt as she groaned softly in obvious pain. "Kevin! ..It's time."
"Time?" he asked, looking a little confused until his pants were suddenly soaked with fluid. "Oh, time! Shit! Um, yeah.. Your bags are already packed, so I'll grab them and we'll go to your hospital. Are you alright for me to put you down while I grab your stuff?"
"Yes. Just hurry! It hurts, Kev."
"I promise. I won't be long. I love you, Gwen."
"I love you, too."
Kevin stood up with Gwen in his arms carefully, turning around to settle her down in the chair and pecking her lips with his lightly before quickly leaving the living room.
"Do you want us to go with you guys, Gwen?" Ben asked her, turning his head to look at his cousin from his place on the couch.
"Oh, no, that's alright, Ben. You don't need to. I mean, even if you are all there, it could be a while. After all, I don't get any pain-suppressing alien saliva to help me deliver faster."
Ben blushed, his cheeks going pink at her good-natured teasing, but he smiled as Vilgax helped him sit up since the twins had finally fallen asleep against his bare chest, gathering the tiny babies up into his strong, green skinned arms carefully.
"We're family, Gwen," Ben said as he shed his favorite, green blanket that matched the skin of his bigger, loving alien Mate.
He reached for his white and black striped t-shirt where it hung over the back of the couch beside him, pulling it on over his head quickly to cover his chest with it's rose-pink, wet and swollen nipples with only slight embarrassment. "Family supports each other. We're going to support you, and I don't care how long it takes. We've actually had our bags packed and waiting longer then you have."
"Um, okay.." Gwen agreed, looking taken aback by her cousin's fierce insistence, though pleased and grateful as well. "Thank you, Ben."
"Of course."
Vilgax stood up when Ben moved his feet from his lap reluctantly, handing the babies back to him and leaving the room with a nod to his Mate to retrieve their two packed bags for them and the babies so that they could go with her and Kevin to the hospital.
They both returned to the living room after less then ten minutes, Kevin having quickly changed his wet pants and underwear and grabbing their bags. The two men loaded the van before returning inside for the others.
Ben carried little Cori, while Kevin held Vilgaxina.
Vilgax nodded again, stepping closer to Gwen and lifting her up into his strong arms to take her out to the car with the others, including his father, who was accompanied by his remaining Macadamia cookies and milk, following after them.
Everyone climbed into the large coffee-with-creamer brown van, as Ben called its color, him being the one who had picked out the vehicle and fondly named it the Rust Bucket, despite it's obvious lack of rust.
They placed the babies in their seats while Vilgax set Gwen down and carefully got her safely settled before they headed off to the hospital.
Kevin went into the room with Gwen when she was admitted quickly by the nurse to a birthing room, carrying their bags inside while Vilgax, his father, Ben and the babies sat down in the usual uncomfortable hospital chairs in the waiting room to wait.
Vilgax held little Cori, and Ben gently rocked Vilgaxina while he held his red cell phone, chosen because it had been specifically matched to Vilgax's eye color, to his ear, calling Gwen's parents first.
Then he called grandpa Max, letting all of them know where they were before hanging up to cuddle against Vilgax's side as much as he could in the uncomfortable chairs and with the babies in their arms, closing his bright, though slightly tired green eyes to rest for a bit.
Gwen's parents and grandpa Max showed up to wait with them all a little more then a half hour later, and three hours after that Gwen had given birth to a beautiful baby girl with Kevin's silky black hair, though it was short as she was newly born, and Gwen and Ben's dazzling green eyes.
All of them took their turns going into the rooms to see Gwen and little Layla Elena Levin, though she was currently sleeping peacefully. They could tell that Gwen would be asleep soon as well.
Eventually, Gwen spoke up, her voice obviously tired, though a pink blanket wrapped Layla lay curled up against her right side.
Gwen's right arm was curved firmly and protectively against the delicate line of her little spine and the fingers of her hand gently resting against her tiny baby feet and toes.
"Isn't she beautiful, Kevin?" she asked with a smile.
"The prettiest baby girl in the world," he agreed, inclining his head as a pleased expression lit his dark eyes attractively. "As is Vilgaxina. But Layla must take after her mother, the most beautiful woman in the world."
"Ohh.. Kevin," Gwen blushed pink with pleasure, her green eyes sparkling brightly despite her clear exhaustion. "Thank you. I love you."
"I love you, too. Both of you."
"Mmm.. So does that mean that Ben is the most beautiful man in the world?"
"Yes. It does. Vilgax is handsome, and Ben is very beautiful to me. You are both so beautiful. It must be something in the family."
"Heh," Gwen laughed, smiling as she drifted off to sleep then. "There's definitely something special in this family.."
Ben, Vilgax and his father went home about an hour later, as the twins were beginning to fuss, and Ben didn't really feel comfortable nursing in public.
Gwen's parents and grandpa Max left, too, but Kevin stayed with Gwen, telling them that he would be home a while later.
Vilgax headed into the kitchen to make them all some dinner to eat after settling Ben on the couch in the living room with the babies.
Vilgax's father settled himself back in his favorite cushy dark blue chair that he'd been sitting in earlier before the hospital trip, blinking his narrow, dark red eyes in surprise when Ben turned to him while feeding the babies underneath the warm green blanket from before where they lay on his bared chest for modesty.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Not at all. Though I do find myself curious as to what we would discuss together beyond the many wonderous attributes of your cookies."
Ben smiled, though the humor was clearly tinged with an edge of sadness, the joy in his shining green eyes dimming a little in clear reaction to whatever it was that he was thinking.
"I really need to cook you something besides my Macadamias. But I'm afraid that what I want to discuss is much more serious then the subject of food. Vilgax told me something about you before your visit, and I must confess that I have not felt.. particularly easy around you since you came here. Actually, I've been uneasy. Oh, I am aware that it probably hasn't shown. I am quite good at covering up.. unpleasant emotions. But none the less, I find that I would prefer to.. clear the air between us. For the children, yes, but for my peace of mind also."
"I see. Well, what ever it is, I am sure that I can put your mind at ease, Ben. I am aware of the antagonistic persona that I present to the rest of the galaxy, but you are family."
"I am glad that you feel that way. I feel the same, and I.. I didn't want to make you angry with me. You see.. Vilgax told me that he's fine with the path that his life has taken, because it led him to Kevin and I, and through me to the babies. But he also said that he once wished most fiercely to be a healer. He says that he turned from that path to the one that you chose for him when you threatened his mother's safety, her life. I believe him, but I want to hear your side of things as well."
"Well.. Yes, it is true," Vilgax's father admitted, leaning forward then a bit in his chair to look over at Ben intently. "But what you should understand about that is that death threats are as common, or normal, as water on our origin planet. And most of the planet is water."
"So.. you didn't really mean it? What you said to Vilgax, then? About hurting his mommy?"
"No. I did not mean it, Ben. Such threats are common, just rarely actually carried out, as I said. But does it matter? My son did what I wanted, and though this situation was not what I desired for him back then, the end result here on your Earth has pleased him greatly, and me as well. It is true that I do not love Vileria, however. She is not my Mate. It was a political marriage only. But I do not regret agreeing to the match, because she gave me my son, and my daughters. We did not love each other passionately, it is true, but we got along well enough to raise our children. That is all that mattered."
"Um, wow. I guess all of that does make sense."
"Then you feel better about me now?"
"I do, yes. Thank you for explaining it to me."
"You are welcome, Ben."
"Mmm.. Do you mind if I ask you one more question?"
"No. Go ahead."
"You keep referring to Vilgax's mother in the past tense, even though she's coming here to visit soon with your daughters. Why?"
"Ah, yes. Caught that, did you?" he asked rhetorically, looking strangely embarrassed by the question, though he did not look away from Ben. "You are very observant, intelligent. As is Kevin. My son has been Blessed by the Waters with strong Mates and offspring, a strong family. There is a very good reason for the past tense references."
"There is?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Ohhh!"
"Yes, Ben," he said, smiling briefly at the young man's soft little gasp as his beautiful green eyes lit up with understanding after a moment's pause. "Yes. I have found my Mate."