Title: The Unexpected III
Chapter 20 - United in Joy
Word Count: 6346
Rating: PG
Fandom: FAKE
Pairings: Ryo/Dee
Warnings: Yaoi, Male/male, MPREG, AU If you don't like, don't read! Cursing, mature themes.
Disclaimer: FAKE is not mine. We have Sanami Matoh for giving us Dee, Ryo and the rest of the 27th precinct characters and for respecting her characters unlike certain TV writers. Any OCs appearing in this fic are mine.
Summary: Three families join together to celebrate the birth of Dee and Ryo's twins.
Beta by my most wonderful partner in crime, Grace Musica.
OoOoOoO
Mother Maria Lane sat in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting word about Dee and her grandchild. She was thankful she had Carol's aunt, Elina, there to have some adult conversation. Elina was also helping to calm down the two very excited, yet nervous teens.
Bikky looked over at her from the TV for the 50th time in the last 20 minutes, or so it seemed to Mother and Elina. "It's taking too long now, isn't it?" he asked, bringing to voice the nagging fears she had been trying to ignore.
"No need to worry, child," she attempted to soothe Bikky. "A C-section is an operation. It takes some time, especially if you want your dad to heal right."
Elina nodded her head. "That's right, Bikky. And knowing Ryo, he'll stay with Dee until he falls asleep." The nurse smiled encouragingly at Bikky.
Mother looked over Bikky's head to Elina in thanks. Both women were glad that Bikky had either forgotten or did not mention that Mother was supposed to be in the room with Dee, Ryo and the new baby shortly after Koko was born. The two women were aware that meant there were complications during delivery. Thankfully, they also knew that complications did not necessary mean something had gone wrong. Sometimes things just did not go according to plan, but soon enough Mother would see her new grandchild and look in on her son.
They heard the swinging doors leading to the delivery rooms open. Carol turned her head the quickest. "Look!" she exclaimed. "There's Ryo now."
Bikky sprang from his seat before Carol, running over to his adopted father. Ryo was still wearing a surgical gown and wiping his eyes.
Ryo looked at Bikky, who was almost in front of him, Carol right behind him. He pulled his teenaged son in for a tight hug. "You're a big brother, bud," he assured Bikky with a smile.
Bikky grinned up at him, while Carol let out a little squeal.
Mother and Elina were standing, looking at Ryo. Ryo guided the two excited teens in the womens' direction. He stopped before Mother, hugging her.
"She's beautiful, Mother!" he exclaimed, tears falling from his eyes again. He could not stop them. He was too charged; his emotions were raw from the joy of his daughter's birth, the surprise of discovering he also had a baby son and the fear of possibly losing said son before the night was through.
"We already knew she would be," Mother laughed, wiping his face. "I mean, look at her daddies. So tell me more, darling." Mother looked radiant upon hearing the birth of her grandchild was a reality.
"She's 6 pounds, 4 ounces, 18 inches and is the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen," Ryo informed all.
"Of course she is," Mother stated, laughing again and hugging Ryo. "Oh Ryo! I'm so happy!"
"And her name?" Elina asked. "Or are you going to make us wait longer?"
Ryo laughed. "Ryoko Marie Laytner-MacLean," Ryo announced. "Dee picked her first name. I had to finally agree to his reasons. Besides," he gave Mother a small smile, "my mom's middle name was Yoko. Dee didn't know that when he picked our daughter's name."
Mother studied Ryo, as if noticing the stress behind his happiness. "What else happened?" she asked him. "Is Dee okay?"
Ryo nodded. "Yeah. He's fine. He did really well considering the unexpected labor. He's out under meds right now, and they expect him to be out for at least an hour. He's already in his room, sleeping comfortably."
"And? Come, Ryo. I sense something off."
Ryo reached out to ruffle Bikky's hair. "Well, our little guy isn't doing so well at the moment," he said sadly.
"But you said she was perfect," Elina remarked.
"Isn't that little girl, Ryo?" Bikky asked, looking up in confusion.
Ryo shook his head. "Little guy. Ryoko was born at 7:43 PM and right after, we got a surprise. Our son's time of birth is 7:51, and it was almost the time of death too." Ryo took a shuddering breath and more tears fell. "God, he's so perfect too – a little angel with the darkest hair and…."
"Son?" Elina yelped.
"Twins?" Carol exclaimed.
"T-two?" Bikky asked, grabbing Ryo's arm, his blue eyes as wide as Ryo had even seem them.
Even Mother looked startled. With her eyes also wide, she asked Ryo, "Dee had twins?"
"Yes." Ryo found he could smile again. Just the thought of those two beautiful little babies made Ryo feel like the luckiest man on the planet – besides Dee, of course. "A girl and a boy. Seems our little guy is expert on stealth. He's the reason Dee went into labor tonight. The cord started to wrap around him. Thank goodness Vince went in when he had, because the cord had just wrapped around his throat. It nearly strangled him. If we had waited longer, he might never have been born alive." Ryo shivered and Mother hugged him close.
"But he's alive, yes?" Mother asked.
"Yes. He wasn't breathing when he came out, but they finally got him breathing. But it's touch and go right now. When they were cleaning him up, he stopped breathing again. Dee doesn't know, but our son's on oxygen right now. We assured him he was fine. I mean, Dee was already going into a panic. Vince had to tranquilize Dee and put him out so he could finish closing Dee. We couldn't allow him to panic more. His blood pressure rose dangerously high there and since he was still cut open and needed a clean out before they closed him, they could have lost Dee too. So they knocked him out so they could get him all closed up and healing. I stayed for a while to reassure myself that he's fine now. All his vitals are back to normal – well, normal for someone who just had a C-section and gave birth to twins." Ryo managed a soft, tender smile. "I tell you, for both Dee and me in there… it's amazing how something so tiny and in your life for only a few seconds can mean so much to you in that short a time. I can't lose him, Mother. Neither can Dee. God, we fell in love with him the moment we knew he was here. We love both our babies so much." Tears started to fall again.
"I also have a brother?" Bikky asked in a hushed tone, feeling the grip of Ryo's fear. From the look on the boy's face, he understood what Ryo meant, because he looked like he was ready to cry for worry over the little brother he had just found out he had.
Ryo ruffled Bikky's hair again. "Yeah bud. You have a sister and a brother."
"Oh holy shi-- cra-- ….." He clamped a hand over his mouth, looking up at Mother.
Mother smiled at him. "Exactly, Bikky," she said with a wink. She hugged Ryo again. "I called your aunt and uncle right after Bikky called me, Ryo. They should be arriving soon."
"Thanks, Mother." Ryo looked back toward the nursery and noticed some activity. "Look, they're bringing them out." He grinned at Bikky and Mother. "Want to see our baby chibis?"
"I wanna see!" Carol exclaimed.
Ryo laughed. "I can't get enough of looking at them. I swear I can sit all night and stare at them." As he led the group toward the nursery, he added, "Oh, we have them both in the incubator. Ryoko really doesn't need it, but being that she's a little on the early side it wouldn't hurt. Besides, our little surprise isn't as fretful when his sister is close. So the pediatrician agreed with me to keep them together for a bit."
They stopped before the window of the nursery. The nurse saw Ryo and moved the incubator close to the window.
"There they are," Ryo announced proudly, tears in his eyes again, unable to stop the huge grin. "Our baby girl and boy." He smiled down at the babies, who were cuddled together. They were both in hospital issued diapers. The little girl wore a pink cap, while the boy had a blue one. Ryoko was in a hospital tee-shirt. The little boy had an oxygen tube in his nose and heart monitors attached to his tiny body.
"Oh my Lord!" Mother exclaimed, her hands on her cheeks, her eyes wide and watery. "What two precious little babies." She smiled down at the babies with grandmotherly pride, wonder and awe in her eyes. "Ryo, they are both even more beautiful than I expected."
"Aw, they're so sweet, Ryo," Carol cooed. "I can't wait to hold them."
Bikky almost had his face pressed up against the glass as he stared at his baby sister and brother. Ryo ruffled Bikky's hair affectionately.
"So what do you say, Biks?" he asked.
"Wow…."
The adults around the teen laughed.
"Did you get to hold them yet?" Elina asked Ryo.
"Yeah." Ryo cleared his throat from getting choked up again as the wonderful feeling of holding each of the babies for the first time overwhelmed him. "Both of them."
"Aw. They're absolutely precious, Ryo," Elina said.
"Did Dee get to hold any of them?" Mother asked.
"He got to hold them while lying down. When he wakes up, they'll let him hold Ryoko while sitting up, and depending on how he's doing, maybe our little surprise for a bit." Ryo tapped Bikky on his shoulder. "You can hold her, too, if you want."
Bikky looked up at Ryo, vigorously nodding his head. "YES!" He grinned. "This is so awesome, Ryo."
"Yes, it is," Ryo agreed, resting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "We're a little bit of a bigger family than we first thought."
"That's okay," Bikky remarked, staring at his brother and sister again. "Wow!"
Grinning Ryo turned to hug Mother. "So Grandma, how does it feel?" he asked.
Mother tore her eyes away from her grandchild with force to hug Ryo back. "In all the wonderful and blessed things I've seen in my life, the day Jess placed Dee in my arms was my first miracle. Many people can't say that had that much in their lives. But I've been blessed twice, because these sweet angels are my second."
"Indeed," Ryo agreed, still grinning. "Twins are very rare to Carriers. So I trust that our little guy showed up for a reason and he's going to be in our lives for a very, very long time."
Mother gazed up toward the ceiling with a determined look on her face. "He's not going anywhere but with us," she stated. "Both of those beautiful babies will bless you and Dee's lives with much joy and love."
The tears started to leak from Ryo's eyes again. He believed Mother. His eyes went back to the incubator holding the tiny babies. Ryoko turned slightly with her little arm out and her fingers curled and uncurled as if she was waving to everyone. Her brother wiggled a little as if seeking his sister. "They're so damn beautiful," Ryo muttered. His daughter and son. His and Dee's.
He felt himself getting hugged again and realized it was Elina. Mother had moved to place her hands lovingly on Bikky's shoulders as they shared the moment, since in all ways except blood, Bikky was her grandson too. Together they admired the new additions to the family.
"He's a fighter, Ryo," Elina said. "I've worked NICU enough to know one when I see him. And he's here, and not in NICU. That means they're just making sure he continues to breathe and gets the extra oxygen to help him. Not anything worse. Just keep believing, Ryo. You'll see. In another day or two, he'll be joining his sister in Dee's room."
"I have no choice," Ryo replied. "I love them both so much…." He place his hand on the glass and gazed with fatherly pride at the two babies, who had moved to once again snuggle in the incubator. "I don't want to lose either of them. And it would kill Dee if we lost him. He hardly got to know his son before they knocked him out, but I could tell Dee is already attached to our little boy as much as to Ryoko." Under his breath, he muttered, "Please, let me give Dee good news when he wakes up."
Mother rubbed Ryo's back soothingly. "Of course you will, sweetling." It was hard to lose faith with her around. She was strong assurance that all will be well in the end. "Now, I'm going to step outside a moment to call the others back at the orphanage. I have kids and adults who want to know how Dee is, and about the baby." She chuckled. "I can't wait to hear the reactions when I tell them twins." She winked at Ryo. "Don't be surprised to hear an emergency novena went on tonight."
Ryo chuckled. Grinning, he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Tell them I thank everyone for their support. You know Dee does, too."
"Of course. Oh, they're all going to be so thrilled. Twins!" Mother bubbled with the kind of excitement that only a proud grandmother could have. As she turned to leave, they heard heels running in a mad dash down the corridor from the lobby. Mother laughed. "That has to be your darling aunt," she exclaimed.
"Ryo!" Elena called out, her voice coming closer.
"Bingo," was Ryo's laughing comment. A second later his arms were full of his aunt.
"Ryo, sweetheart," his aunt greeted, hugging him tightly. "So where's your precious little girl?"
Rick had come up along them, patting Ryo on the back and looking into the nursery. "Oh my, Ryo, my boy!" he exclaimed in shock and wonder.
Ryo broke out in laughter. His uncle was sharp. At the least, his eyes had caught the label on the outside of the incubator that said, "Laytner-MacLean, Ryoko Marie and baby boy".
"Honeybunch, would you take a look at what those two rascals of ours brought into this world," Rick remarked, his eyes on the babies in the incubator.
"Of course she's beautiful," Elena exclaimed, still hugging Ryo happily. "Look at her daddies." Elena pulled away from Ryo a little and her eyes followed Rick's finger. Her mouth dropped open and eyes went wide. She stared at Ryo, then back to the two babies in the incubator. "Uh, Ryo, sweets, how many other children of Asian descent were born here tonight?"
Ryo's grin was wide. "I just see two babies that have at least one part Asian parent in there," he said. "And oh, lookie that! It looks like they both belong to the same parents." Ryo looked back at his babies. He could not figure it out, but while they did not look Asian, it was still obvious that they had some Japanese in them. Especially the baby boy, with his head of straight silky black hair. If he had Ryo's eye color, he would definitely grow up looking more Japanese than Ryo.
"I see a lot of Dee in that little fella there," Rick remarked, which Ryo found ironic, because he agreed, despite his thoughts. "And Ryo in the little girl."
Elena finally closed her mouth, only for it to open again as she let out an excited squeal. Ryo pulled her away from the glass, not taking a chance. The glass was supposed to muffle sounds that could disturb the babies, but when his aunt got her lungs, it would not matter. Ryo feared the entire nursery waking up and wailing.
"Ryo!" she exclaimed, her eyes still wide with shock and wonder. "Ohmigod, Ryo! Twins?! Dee had twins?"
"Yes," Ryo affirmed, with a huge smile. "He did. But…." Suddenly he lost the smile as the nagging fear came back. "Our little guy isn't doing so well right now." Suddenly his eyes filled with tears again. "Elena, we almost lost him already during delivery, and we're still waiting to see if he'll make it."
Elena hugged Ryo to her. "None of that, you hear me? Your little guy has all of us pulling for him. Besides, we have Dee's mom, and I hear the Big Guy is good at answering her prayers."
Ryo smiled a little. "Yeah. She does seem to have that," he agreed, finding a smile.
"What about little Ryoko Marie there?" Rick asked.
"Ryoko Marie," Elena repeated, smiling brightly. "Is that your daughter's name?"
"Yeah. Child of Ryo. Dee would not consider another name once he came across that one. I finally relented because he allowed me to give her a middle name. So I picked a form of Mother's name. Maria didn't quite fit, but Marie does. Besides, she also has Mom's middle name in hers."
"Your baby boy needs a name, you know," Elena pointed out.
"Before he fell asleep, Dee told me I could name him, just as long as there's a form of Dad's name somewhere. I think it will be his middle name, because I decided our little boy's name needs to start with a 'D'."
"I'll be right back," Elina stated with a grin. "I'm sure they have some name books somewhere around this place." She left the group to go speak to the duty nurse at the desk.
Elena hugged Ryo again. "Mom and Dad are on their way here," she informed Ryo. "They were surprised as the rest of us to hear that Dee went into labor tonight. They were worried."
"Does Obasan know yet?" Ryo asked.
"No. Mom was going to call her, but I convinced her that you'd want to be the one to tell her."
Ryo smiled at his aunt, noticing his uncle facing the glass partition and wiggling his fingers down at the two babies in the incubator. His smile grew as he leaned down to kiss Elena's forehead and slip his arm around her waist. He turned so they were facing the same way as his uncle.
"My God, Ryo. A beautiful girl and boy. This is absolutely wonderful!" Elena gushed. "There have never been twins before in the MacLean family. These children are so many firsts, they will be treated like royalty."
Ryo chuckled. "And as much as I love to stand here and stare at time, I should call Grandma and Grandfather and let them know what's going on. Then I should call Obasan and tell her." He looked around as he moved from his aunt and uncle to pull Bikky close. "We're going to have a full house here, so maybe I should go get some decent coffee. I really should be outside while making calls. And I need to be back here before Dee wakes up."
Bikky was glancing up at Ryo with a funny look on his face.
"What?" Ryo asked.
Bikky started to laugh at him as he felt a hand clasp his shoulder.
"Ryo!" Elena said in a warning tone. "You're making lists again."
"I'm sorry, but that's the only way I can deal with things sometimes." He looked back at the twins in the incubator – his daughter and son – and took a deep breath. "While we knew there was a chance of Dee going into labor before the delivery date, it's still a surprise to have them here already. The nursery is almost completed and… Oh God! I'm going to have to redo it. It's set up for one baby. For one girl baby. We have two now, and a little boy. And no clothes for him."
"Except for the onesies set that Jim gave you," Bikky pointed out. "Because he was convinced Dee was having a boy. Remember?"
"He did, didn't he? Well, he was right, that bastard," he laughed. "Okay Biks, I'm going to run out for a bit, but I shouldn't be long. Just running to the Starbucks down the corner." He squeezed Bikky's shoulders and kissed his head. "You stay here and make sure nobody scares your little sister and brother."
Bikky grinned up at him. "Sure Pops."
"And have someone call me if Dee wakes up before I get back."
"Go, but don't freak out while you're out." Bikky gave him a teasing grin.
"Smart ass," Ryo muttered. He looked over to his aunt and uncle. "I'll be back soon."
"We'll hold the fort down," Rick said as he patted Ryo's shoulder.
Elena hugged him. "Go ahead. But don't take too long."
Ryo laughed as he started to walk away. "Are you crazy? There's nothing that will keep me from here too long."
OoOoOoO
"Jesus, Dee," Ryo muttered as he walked down the street toward the coffee shop, "you're going to drive me to smoke. Now watch you decide to continue not to smoke." He chuckled and grinned at a woman who rushed past him going the opposite direction along the street. He took another drag of the cigarette he had bummed when he left the medical center. At least he didn't creep the hell out of the guy he got the cigarette from, unlike the poor woman months ago.
He reached the corner, dropping the cigarette under his foot as he stepped off the curb to cross the street. He took his cell phone out from his pocket and dialed his grandmother's mobile number.
"Randy," his grandmother greeted. "How is Dee? What about your baby girl?"
"They're both fine, Grandma," Ryo assured the elderly matriarch of his father's family. "Where are you now?"
"On the BQE, approaching the Brooklyn Bridge," he heard his grandfather reply, and he realized his grandmother had her phone on speaker. "Luckily we were at a fundraiser in Massapequa tonight, so we don't have to endure the ride to the city from the Hamptons to finally see our great-granddaughter."
Ryo smiled, realizing just how important this was to his grandparents. "Please don't tell me you ran out in the middle of the function," he said, teasing.
"Well, you grandfather did take the time to tell our host that we had to leave immediately and to give a most generous contribution to the cause in Dee's name."
"I would have also made it in your daughter's name, if we only knew what that is," Franklin explained. "But I felt since Dee did all the hard work tonight – "
"Not to mention the months he Carried his precious cargo," Estelle cut in.
"Well, yes, of course that too," Franklin amended. "For all that, Dee did deserve to have his name on the contribution. I was going to make one anyway, but since we had to leave suddenly, the entire amount went out in his name."
"I might add that it was a benefit to raise money for less than fortunate Carriers to obtain proper medical guidance throughout their pregnancy," Estelle informed him.
"Really?" Ryo asked, sounding pleased and proud of his grandparents. "That sounds like a wonderful cause, and I love you both for getting involved with it. But, I think you need to know everything before you get here. And yes, you'll find out our daughter's name once I get to introduce you to her. But… Grandma, Grandfather, Dee had twins. We didn't know it until the second baby was born. We also have a son."
There was silence coming from the other side, except for the little gasp of surprise from his grandmother. Then, "Twins? Oh my gracious," Estelle cried out in delight. "You mean that darling husband of yours have given us two heirs?"
"Randy, my boy, oh my," Franklin said. "I'm speechless, except that this is wonderful. Of course you weren't prepared for it, so rest assure that we'll do whatever we need to make sure both your darlings are taken care of. You'll need clothes for starters, yes?"
Ryo laughed. "Yes, clothes. But don't worry, Grandfather. They'll be keeping the babies in the hospital for the duration of Dee's stay. And I'll have time to get boy clothes and to make a few adjustments to the nursery."
"You'll need another cot, won't you, darling?" Estelle asked.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll start looking into it. For now, I know we have some gender neutral clothing for newborns to use for our son, and I'm pretty sure they can share a crib for a while. In fact, I think the babies would like that. They already seem very close. But, first our son needs to survive the night." Ryo's voice broke slightly at the last statement.
"What? What's wrong, Randy?" Estelle asked.
Ryo realized he needed to make sure he was at the hospital before his grandparents arrived, and entered the shop and got in the line. He took a deep breath and explained what happened. "I'm in Starbuck's at the corner right now getting coffee and snacks for everyone whom I'm sure will be invading tonight. I haven't received any calls yet, so I'm taking it as a good sign that the little guy is doing okay. The longer we go without him having another attack, the stronger his chances for survival," Ryo explained.
"Well, whatever that little boy needs in medical treatment, you make sure he gets it, even if it's not covered by your insurance. The family funds will take care of all expenses. Just see that both of those babies get the best possible care," Franklin assured him.
"I don't believe our daughter needs any additional care that isn't covered in our insurance, but I don't know about our son, so thank you, Grandfather. I already told them that, and if needed, Dee and I would have figured out something. Just as long as both our babies are healthy."
"Don't you worry about the money to keep those babies healthy, Randy," Estelle stated. "We have enough to cover that part. You and Dee just give them the love they need to nurture."
Ryo's smile was wide as he replied, "Oh yeah, Grandma, Dee and I have that. We have so much of that. It wasn't even two minutes that we realized we had a son when we almost lost him, and it hurt. It hurt so much, and I'm still scared, Grandma. Not only for me, but for Dee, if anything should happen to our son. We love them both so much."
"Now now, Randy dear, enough of that. Positive thoughts for both your babies," Estelle stated. "As you said, if you've gone this long without getting word from the hospital, then that means your baby boy is doing fine. And if he does require any extra medical attention, it's covered. You'll have two beautiful and wonderful babies to raise and watch grow."
Ryo laughed, loving his grandparents more. "You haven't seen them yet, Grandma. Yes, I say they're beautiful, but I've seen them. Besides, I'm biased."
"I've seen you and Dee, dear," Estelle replied. "So I already know they're both beautiful babies. Besides, I'm biased too," she added with a chuckle.
"I love you, Grandma," he said. "You too, Grandfather. I really should go now. I'm close to the counter to order and then I really should call Obasan with the news."
"Sweetheart, Elena told us to let you make that call, but do tell Akira that once you hang up to call us," Estelle said. "It's important for us great-grandparents to rally together, you know."
"I will. I really need to go, but I'll see you soon."
"If you prefer, we can wait in the parking lot until you get there, being that we're now crossing the Brooklyn Bridge," Franklin suggested.
"You know what, Grandfather? I think I would like that."
"Fine then, my boy. We'll see you shortly then."
"And finally see our great-grandchildren. Oh Ryo!" Estelle gushed. "I'm so happy right now."
"It's true. We might have to make a side stop to pick up some more tissues for your grandmother," Franklin joked.
Ryo laughed and shook his head. "See you in a bit."
He disconnected the call in time for him to walk up to the counter. The young man behind the counter smiled at him. "Good evening, Mr. Laytner-MacLean. Does your husband have an evening appointment tonight?"
Ryo grinned and laughed. "A bit more than that, Danny. He went into labor, and now I need to make sure there's enough decent coffee and snacks for the hordes that will be descending down on us."
"Your husband had that baby?" Danny asked. "Oh congratulations!"
"Babies," Ryo corrected. "It turns out that Dee was Carrying twins. A girl and a boy."
"Oh, that's marvelous news," Danny exclaimed. Looking toward the back, he called out, "The Laytner-MacLeans just had twins tonight!"
To Ryo's surprise, the other customers who heard applauded, and then he realized that it was customary for this particular shop. He had been there with Dee picking up something to drink when an announcement was made of a baby being born and everyone had cheered. The manager rushed from the back to congratulate Ryo.
Before Ryo knew, the manager had taken his order, handed him a venti coffee and assured him that it would all be delivered to the waiting room once it was prepared and took only half the cost of Ryo's order. He wasn't even charged for the coffee. He graciously accepted the well wishes from the other customers and was on his way back toward the hospital with only the coffee cup in his hand.
He dialed Akira's number as soon as he left the shop and started back toward the hospital to meet his other grandparents.
"Moshi moshi," Akira replied. "Ryo, what a lovely surprise to hear from you. I trust everything is going well there? I cannot wait to see you on Saturday."
"Obasan," Ryo started, realizing it was going to be hard to tell her. He knew his Japanese grandmother was looking forward to being there when the baby was born. "There's been a slight change in plans," he said weakly.
"What's wrong, Ryo? Is everything okay with Dee and the baby?"
"Dee's fine," he assured his grandmother. "And so is our daughter. She just decided that she wanted to be born a bit sooner than we planned. Well, her and her brother, that is."
"Ryo? Nani?" And then Akira started to talk rapidly in Japanese. "She's here? She was born? And brother? What brother?" Ryo heard her pause to take a breath and then also in Japanese, announce to whoever was in the house with her that Dee had the baby.
"Dee went into labor tonight," Ryo explained, also in Japanese. "I would have called earlier, but I hardly had time to call Mother so she could be here with us. Thank goodness for the phone tree they planned, because she called Elena, who called her parents, but Elena told them that I'd want to tell you myself. And she was correct."
"And you are right, Ryo. So, Dee went into labor. And he had twins?" She went off into a tangent of Japanese exclamations, her excitement clearly evident in her voice. He could also hear one of his uncles in the background and his family.
"A huge surprise, I can assure you, but we're happy," Ryo said.
"Of course you are. So all is well then?" she asked. "With both babies?"
Ryo took a deep breath. "We're hoping so now. It was a bit touch and go with our little guy."
"Oh Ryo. I so wish I was there with you for this. I don't think I can wait until Saturday. I'm going to have to change my reservations to book the next possible flight I can get. Please, tell me their names."
"I wish you were here, too, Obasan. Whenever you think you can get here, let me know, but please, don't stress yourself if you can't get here before Saturday. If you like, I can probably send you video later tonight."
"Yes, please. Send video, photos. Your cousins will use the photos to make the announcements here in Japan, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all," Ryo laughed. "In fact, have them send them to me. Who knows, we might use them here too, especially if I know my cousins."
"Now names. What are your darling babies' names?"
"I know our daughter's name, but when I left the hospital to call you and my other grandparents, Bikky was looking over names for the boy. Since he was a surprise, we're still deciding. I'm hoping that when Dee wakes up from surgery, I'll have a name to give him for our son."
"Dee was put under?"
"After both of them were born. He got to hold them both, but because of the drama and complications with our son's birth, he started to panic, which wasn't good for him, especially still being open from delivery. So Vince put him under to assure we had no further complications concerning Dee. He'll be fine once he wakes up."
"Oh, thank goodness," Akira sighed. "Now what is your little girl's name? I should wait until I see her and her brother, but I don't think I can wait that long!"
Ryo chuckled. "What about I call you back once we have a name for our son? Then I can tell you both names?"
"Oh, you are right. But I cannot wait. So hurry up and name that little boy. He shouldn't go too long without a name anyway."
"We'll work on it, I promise you. Look Obasan, I should be going then, but I'll call you again later tonight. I just wanted you to know that you're a great-grandmother tonight."
"I have much to do too. I need to pack and be ready once I have a new flight to New York," Akira stated.
"I hope to see you before Saturday then. I love you, Obasan. And Dee sends his love, as well as our two babies."
"I love you all so much. You, Dee and your two little babies. And Bikky, too."
"Before I forget Obasan, call my other grandparents too. They said they wanted you to call as soon as you hung up with me. Something about great-grandparents bonding or something."
Akira laughed brightly. "Oh you have no idea, Ryo. I will call them right now. And I better be hearing from you again tonight."
"I promise. And with names. Two names. Our daughter's and our son's."
"Twins!" Akira exclaimed gleefully making her sound much younger than her age. "So much to do now. I'll speak to you soon, Ryo."
Ryo disconnected the call with a smile and sipping his coffee, he quickly walked the rest of the way to the hospital. As he walked, he tried calling Drake and JJ, but kept getting their voicemail. Ryo remembered that they were working that night, so he decided not to leave any message except to call him back when they had the time. He then called Dana, who did answer. She was off for the night, and screamed with excitement when Ryo told her that Dee had delivered. He made her promise not to tell anyone other than her husband, Jack, and she told him that she was on her way to the hospital.
It turned out that he had gotten back to the hospital a few minutes before his grandparents as he watched the Rolls Royce pull into the lot. Ryo waited by the entrance and the car came to a stop before him.
He opened the door for the back, not waiting for the driver and immediately found himself with his grandmother hugging him tightly and kissing him. "Oh Randy! This is delightful! Not just one new life, but two. Truly a reason to celebrate."
Franklin got out of the car and joined Ryo and Estelle. He held a wooden box. With a warm smile, he put his hand on Ryo's shoulder and squeezed it. "Congratulations, Randy. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to make a stop at a delightful shop to pick these up for you. You'd be wanting to give these out at work, at least."
Ryo took the box from his grandfather as Estelle pulled away from him. The car had pulled away and went across the lot to pull in. He opened the box, knowing what to expect. Inside were finely crafted cigars with an expensive blend. Instead of the gaudy band of blue or pink that lesser brand cigars used to announce a baby's birth, these had narrow ribbons wrapped around the metal cylinder that each cigar was encased in with a small charm of a baby bottle. Ryo realized that the ribbons were both blue and pink, and so were the charms. Across the cylinder in fancy script font were the words, "It's a girl and boy!"
"Thank you, Grandfather. I'd be honored if you took the first one." He held out the box to his Grandfather.
"It's my pleasure. Of course, once we have names, we'll have more tasteful and personalized ones, but I could not let it go that long, and you must have something to give your associates at work," Franklin explained. He pulled Ryo in for a hug. "Congratulations, son. Your grandmother and I are so proud of you. We are so delighted. Now shall we go see your wonderful little miracles and have proper introductions."
"Of course. Follow me," Ryo replied, holding out his bent arm for Estelle to place her hand through, and his grandfather walking on the other side of him.
"Oh darling," Estelle gushed as they entered the elevator. "I wish your father was here with us tonight. He would be so proud of you. Both he and your mother would be overjoyed tonight."
"I know I don't come across as very religious," Ryo admitted, "but I like to think that somewhere both of them are having a party right now, along with Jess Latener, you know, Dee's dad."
Estelle smiled up at him. "I like to think so too."