Chapter 21

After John finished talking to everyone in the waiting room he decided to join Marlena back in her room. When he got back in the room, Marlena was still asleep. Her hands were lying on top of her chest and her cheek was against her pillow as her blond hair was laying across her other cheek.
While he was looking at her his eyes drifted down to her now flat stomach as he almost forgot that she was no longer pregnant. He got used to the twins growing inside her. He walked over to her and moved her hair away from her face and behind her ear with his hand and then planted a light kiss on her cheek. This caused Marlena to stir and wake up.
"Huh?"
"Welcome back, sleepy head."
Marlena looks at John with a confused look on her face until she realizes where she's at.
"John?"
"Yes Doc. It's me."
"Hi handsome. You know how much I love you?" Marlena tells John while looking into his eyes with a big smile on her face.
"Yes I do. But I love you more, sweetheart and I am so proud of you for working hard to bring our beautiful babies into the world. You did a wonderful job."
"Thank you."
Marlena grabs John face and plants a kiss on his mouth. As the kiss continues, it gets deeper and more passionate as Marlena's hands find their way around John's neck and his hands go up to Marlena's face.
Dr. Bader walks in and sees John leaning over Marlena's bed and realizes that they're kissing. She interrupts them.
"Ahem."
John shoots up and gets embarrassed when he realizes that Dr. Bader walked in on them kissing. Marlena just has a smirk on her face as she flips her hair and fixes her gown.
"Six weeks, you two."
Marlena is the one to answer.
"I know Dr. Bader, but it isn't a crime to kiss my husband is it?"
"No, absolutely not. Just be careful, Marlena because you have to give your body a chance to heal and also you don't want to risk getting pregnant again so soon after giving birth."
Marlena gives John a "you better behave" look and then answers Dr. Bader.
"Don't worry. I will be careful and I don't plan on getting pregnant again. I am going to be getting a tubal ligation after I heal."
"I am glad to hear that you are going to be careful. Now would you two like to see the twins? I think that it's okay if you want to try to nurse them, Marlena."
"Yes absolutely. It will give me a chance to bond with my babies."
A nurse brings in the twins, one in each arm and hands the boy to Marlena and the girl to John. Marlena gets a love filled look on her face when she holds her baby son.
"Hi there sweet boy. You are so handsome, just like your daddy. This is the first chance that I've gotten to hold you since you've been born. I love you so much. You remind me so much of your big brother D.J. He was so small when he was born but so handsome. He is no longer with us. You and him would have gotten a long so great. But you have got two other big brothers who are going to love you. I think you are going to look just like your big brother Eric more than anything."
Marlena kisses his forehead.
"Are you ready to eat, sweet boy?"
He gurgles his reply.
Marlena pulls down one of the shoulders of her gown as she helps her baby son find her milk for him to eat. He clamps on and begins sucking away as Marlena watches him lovingly.
John is holding his baby daughter talking to her.
"Hi there sweetheart. You are just as beautiful as your mother, you know that? Your big brothers and sisters are going to love you. I already do. This is the first chance that I've gotten to hold you since you've been born. I need to think of a name for you. I can't call you baby girl for the rest of your life."
She just gurgles at her daddy.
John looks at her for a long time without saying anything, thinking.
"I have the perfect name for you. You are beautiful and sweet just like your mother. How about I call you Marlee?"
Marlee gurgles again and sticks her tongue out.
John smiles down at her.
"Marlee it is, then."
Marlena finishes nursing their son and now it's Marlee's turn to be nursed. John grabs their son as Marlena grabs Marlee from John.
As Marlena is getting Marlee ready to nurse he gets her attention.
"Doc?"
Marlena stops what she is doing for a minute and looks up and her husband.
"Yeah?"
"I picked out a perfect name for our little girl."
Marlena gets a surprised look on her face.
"Oh? You did? What is it?"
"Marlee. After you and your mother."
Marlena looks down at her baby daughter.
"Marlee. I like it. It fits. Marlee Alise Black."
John looks at Marlena.
"Marlee Alise? After Alice?"
Marlena grabs John's free hand.
"Yes, Alise after our dear friend Alice."
John smiles.
"I like it."
As Marlena is nursing Marlee she decides to tell John that she thought of a name for their son.
"John?"
John stops admiring his son for a minute and looks down at his wife.
"Yeah?"
"I have thought of the perfect name for our son."
John smiles.
"What is it?"
Marlena smiles back.
"Jonathan after you, his daddy."
John gets a faraway look in his eyes for a minute.
"Jonathan. I like it. It fits. Jonathan Evan Black."
Marlena gives John a questioning look.
"Evan?"
"Yes. After your family."
Marlena smiles and looks down at her daughter who is still nursing and then looks back up and John and Jonathan.
"I like it."
John repiles, "So it's settled then. The twins' names are Marlee Alise and Jonathan Evan."
Marlena nods.
"It's settled. Wait until we tell the kids and everyone else, they are going to be so happy and excited."
"That's a fact."
Marlee finishes nursing so John puts her and Jonathan in their bassinets so he can take them out to meet everyone and to tell them their names.

The nurse brings Marlena some food so John can take the twins out to meet everyone.
"After I show everyone the twins, I can bring the other kids in here to see you. How does that sound?"
Marlena answers John in between chews.
"That sounds wonderful, John. I can't wait to see the kids. I miss Belle and Brady already. I miss Sami, Eric and Carrie too even though they're not small anymore."
As John is getting the twins ready to take out to the waiting room he tells Marlena something that meant so much.
"We have some wonderful, beautiful kids don't we, honey?"
Marlena stopped what she was doing and looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes.
"Yes we do."
John gives her a soft kiss on her lips and then takes the twins out to meet everyone.
Marlena watches him leave as the tears begin to fall down her cheeks.
"God, thank you for blessing me so much for such a wonderful man and father of my children. I love him so much."

Meanwhile...
John pushes the big bassinet with both twins in it towards the waiting room. The nurse decided it was better to put them together for the time being since they were together inside the womb. They were being so cute lying together. Marlee had her thumb in her mouth and the other hand laying on her brothers' hand and Jonathan had his other hand balled in a fist against his cheek. They were both sound asleep after being fed and changed. The hospital had them dressed up so cute. They had Marlee in a little pink jumper that said "Thank heaven for baby girls" and she was wearing a pink hat. Jonathan was wearing a blue jumper that said "Thank heaven for baby boys" and he was wearing a blue hat. They both had white booties on to keep their tiny feet warm.
John finally gets to the waiting room and Belle is the first one to see them.
"Daddy!"
She runs over to him and tries to jump in his arms but Brady sees her and stops her as do Sami and Eric.
Sami scolds her little sister.
"Belle, your daddy has the twins so he can't hold you right this minute, okay?"
Belle sticks her thumb in her mouth and looks down at her feet.
"Sorry."
Eric comes over and picks up his little sister and hangs him over his shoulder.
"It's okay squirt."
He starts tickling her and Belle laughs.
John takes the twins over to where everyone else is as Sami, Eric, Brady and Belle follow him.
John speaks up.
"Guess who I brought to meet everyone."
Everybody turns around to look at John and then they see the twins and start ooohing and ahhing over them.
Eric puts Belle down and she goes over to the bassinet and looks in at her baby brother and sister. After she looks at them for a few minutes she says the cutest thing.
"So these are why mommy had to come to the hospital, the doctor had to open up her tummy and take them out."
Everyone laughs.
Brady gets superior.
"What's so funny? Mommy had them taken out of her tummy didn't she?"
John picks up his son and hugs him.
"Yes she did slugger, but the doctor didn't open up her tummy. I will tell you about it when you are older okay?"
Brady looks at his dad and nods.
Belle just stands there with her hands on her hips a sign of obvious jealousy.
"I don't believe this."
John looks down at his daughter.
"You don't believe what, Izzy?"
"I don't believe that we were all excited about my baby brother and sister and now that they are here, I don't want them."
Then she runs off crying before anyone can reply.
Martha goes after her.
John feels terrible and tells anyone who was listening.
"I didn't think Belle would be this jealous of them. I thought she would want to hold them and talk to them."
He goes and sits down in one of the chairs and leans back. He runs his hands through his hair and rubs his neck.
Carrie comes over to him.
"John."
He looks up.
"Carrie."
She sits down beside her former father and puts her hand on his shoulder.
"Just give Belle time. She isn't the baby anymore and isn't going to be getting the attention that she was getting before. She just has to get used to having the twins around and realize that she is just as loved as she always was."
John hugs her.
"Thanks Carrie. Hopefully her grandmother can talk to her and help her understand."
Carrie nods her agreement.
"Yeah."

Chapter 22...coming soon.