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CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
With "Lute" becoming our one and only new beach household pet, Sofia and I move his belongings and his portable cage upstairs to her room. Sofia asks me to take a picture of her and Lute to send to my brother along with a little video as she thanks her uncle for his present. I text my brother a picture of Sofia and Lute while our mija add a little something to the text to show and tell my brother her appreciation. Within seconds my phone rings and Tim's face is on my incoming screen. I hand the phone to my daughter and she and my brother enjoy a grateful conversation while he is flying over the Pacific Ocean on his way to Hawaii.
During dinner later that same evening our mija tells everyone at the table about when she and her Uncle Tim first met Lute…she named the kitten Lute after her Uncle Tim being Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corp. Sofia begins her story while we all listen contently "It was the day that Uncle Tim asked me if he could marry you Tia Aria. We were both on his surf board when he was teaching me how to ride that silly thing. I never quite got the hang of it but then we sat on it and just talked. He said that he loved you and wanted to ask you to marry him but he needed me and my mamas and Grandpa Carlos to say yes first before he could ask you. So he took me out into the ocean with him and away from all of you to ask me for my blessing. Just so you all know I gave it to him right away because I could see that the two of you love each other. Then when my surfing lesson was complete Uncle Tim and I were heading back to his truck. On our way there was this woman that lived in one of the apartments near the parking lot that was trying to round up her stray kittens. You see, her cat had just given birth and now this woman has one cat and nine kittens and she just did not know what to do. Uncle Tim and I helped this woman round up her kittens but when I asked Uncle Tim if I could maybe have one he said politely to me and to this woman "We'll see Sof, but first we have to ask your mamas alright". So we left the lady and all of her cats behind but when we arrived home I was so excited about Uncle Tim asking me if he could marry you Tia Aria that I simply forgot about asking my mamas about getting a kitten. But Uncle Tim did not forget about the lady with all of the cats and that's how I got Lute".
With everyone smiling at our daughter's recollection of her kitten story she then asks us if she can be excused from the dinner table to go and play with her early birthday present. Both my wife and I nod to our mija and she makes a mad dash up the stairs and into her room. Suddenly we all find ourselves becoming quiet again at the dinner table as the little ball of energy that is our daughter is no longer in our view and the reason for our somber mood becomes apparent again…the six of us are all thinking the same thing…we just want this day to come to an end. But just before we all retire to the comforts of our beds the house phone rings and Tim is one the line because he has just landed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. We all take the time to talk to him one last time before he leaves in a few hours for Iraq.
With Lute taking an instant shine to our daughter because I find them both sleeping in her bed together I wake Sofia up for breakfast. When Sofia and my wife and I along with our twins are ready to head downstairs for breakfast, Lute leads the way as he gingerly hops down the stairs…one at a time. My mother-in-law along with my father and sister have prepared breakfast this morning and we all take a seat and begin to eat. After a good night sleep had by all of us the breakfast conversation flows fluidly and happily. But then Daniel's phone begins to buzz as he fishes it out of his pocket and we all hear the one lone bugle song "Taps" playing and we all begin to freak out. But then suddenly all of our phones begin to buzz and make that same sound when we all see Tim standing at the grave marker of Colonel Matthew Daniel Robbins of the United States Marine Corp. We all watch Tim lay a bouquet of flowers at the marker base with the caption "For you Dad".
FEBRUARY 15TH…OUR FIRST DAY BACK AT WORK…FULL TIME…after working out a schedule with Mark and Lexie, Arizona and I have agreed to share the picking our daughter up after school with them. Mark and Lexie will have Tuesday and Thursday nights and every other weekend with Sofia and Arizona or Sofia's Uncle Alex will pick her up from school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. To which they will bring our mija to here at my office where she will stay with her brother and sister in our day care here at the Wellness Center until we all head home at the end of my day. Since I am not allowed to perform any surgeries until I regain my all of my strength back according to Addison my day's right now consists of consults and paperwork. That is until my next physical exam on March 1st.
After dropping off Sofia at school this morning and getting the twins situated in our day care, I find my sister waiting for me in my office when I arrive. With a puzzled and concerned look on my face I say to my sister "Did I miss the memo that we had something scheduled for today Aria"? My baby sister looks up from her seat at the front of my desk when she says in almost a whisper "I'm pregnant Callie". I jump from my chair and rush to my sister's side and swallow her up in my arms but suddenly feel her begin to cry in my arms. I separate from our embrace and say "Why are you so unhappy about this…I thought you wanted children"?
"I do…I really…really do…but I also want my husband…to be a part of this new adventure in our lives…I haven't even been able to tell him yet…and that pretty much sucks" I tell my sister…the rockstar orthopedic surgeon. I know that I am just feeling sorry for myself…but I don't have anyone else to vent to since our father is on a business trip…and I am visiting my sister and her family for a few days. Callie rises from her chair behind her desk to say "C'mon, let's go and see the babies…they will cheer you up". I take my sister's hand as she leads me out of her office and down the hall to the daycare. She is right…as usual…both Matthew and Marisol are both smiling brightly when we arrive…and I see my husband and my sister-in-law's infamous Robbins dimples all aglow on their faces.
While Aria is taking her special "Tia" time with the twins I duck out of the daycare for a moment to call my wife. After I tell her everything is fine with everyone I ask Arizona for a special favor. My wife tells me she will either call me back after her surgery or she or Alex will text me with the details. I wish her luck on her surgery and tell her that I will talk to her soon. I walk back into the daycare and Aria never even noticed I was gone because she is still doing that "baby talk" thing that everyone does when they see the twins. I sit next to my sister and ask her if she wants to take the test that will confirm her pregnancy suspicions. Aria places Marisol back in the crib that she is sharing with her one minute older brother. Then she reaches in her purse to pull out seven store bought pregnancy tests and they all show positive reactions when Aria laughingly says to me "You don't think all of these are enough to prove that I am pregnant Callie…Hmm…Dr. Torres".
At the end of my early day, leaving to spend some quality time with my sister, Aria and I along with the twins pick up Sofia at school and we all head home to the beach house. After getting Matthew and Marisol established in their playpen downstairs, Aria and I begin to prepare dinner. Settling on tonight's menu of taco salad with a side of homemade empanadas Aria and I work fluidly together and we have since we were both old enough to learn how to cook…thanks to our papa. With all of the empanadas made and baking in the oven and Aria and Sofia setting the table, my wife walks in just in time to wash up and join the three of us for dinner. With Aria telling my wife and our daughter that she is pregnant as part of our dinner conversation, Sofia shows her happiness of the news she is going to have a new cousin soon that she sprints around the table to hug and kiss her Tia Aria.
Just as Callie and Sofia and I are sitting in the living room along with Aria and my wife and I are attending to the twins our plasma TV screen signals that we have an incoming message. Sofia turns the screen on and sitting there looking in on all of us is my brother Tim. Sofia jumps for joy when she sees one of her favorite uncles looking back at her and runs to the screen to say "Hola Uncle Tim, como estas"? And Tim plays along because he knows that his wife and my wife along with their father have begun to teach Sofia the Spanish language when he says to his favorite niece "Muy bein…y usted"? And Sofia replies "Muy bein". Then after my wife and I greet my brother with some very happy pleasantries, I excuse Callie and Sofia and I along with the twins so Aria and Tim can have a private conversation.
The five of us make our way upstairs to our bedrooms when I say to my wife "Thank you" and place a kiss on her lips. Sofia has gone into her bedroom to play before bedtime while Arizona takes me in her arms and says "You never have to thank me for doing you a favor honey…and besides it was my pleasure. All I had to do was call my father and ask him to try to make this happen because Aria needed to talk to her husband. I did not tell him why…because I think that's Aria's place to tell my parents along with your father that they are going to be grandparents again". I kiss my wife again just too silently punctuate my "thank you" again and then we both sit and I get ready to feed our beautiful babies…with my wife's help.
Tim is staring at me from the large TV screen when I begin to cry. He has only been gone for a month…but I miss him terribly. He sees the angst through my tears when he says "Baby I miss you so much…and I just want you to know that when I am done here…I am really done for good…I will talk to whoever I need to talk to when I get back home…and leave the Marine Corp…I love you so much and I will never leave you again". I wipe my tears from my cheeks and say "Baby no…the Marine Corp is your life…you have dreamed about being a Marine for as long as I can remember. When we were all kids…don't you remember how you used to be in command when we all used to play together? This is your dream…and I for one…and now for two…will not let you give up on your dream…so no…you will not leave the Marine Corp…we will figure it out…all of it". Wondering if my husband caught my innuendo in my mini speech but then smiling proudly when I hear him say to me "Now for two…Aria what are you saying baby"? I smile back at my husband of a month and a half and softly say to him "Baby, we're pregnant".
Arizona and I are placing our sleepy babies back into their cribs after their bellies are full when we hear my brother-in-law scream at the top of his lungs all the way upstairs "Aria Robbins…I love you so much…you wait for me baby…please wait for me…I will be home as soon as I can…I love you…so…so much". Arizona and I along with our mija race down the stairs to find my sister standing in front of our TV screen telling her husband she loves him too and misses him terribly. With both Tim and Aria crying it does not take long for my wife and me to start crying too. The four of us take our seats and begin having a conversation with Tim for the next hour or so. Then when Sofia begins to yawn she walks up and kisses the TV screen and blows a kiss to her Uncle Tim telling him goodnight. Then she passes her kisses around the room to her aunt and to her mamas as she makes her way up the stair case to her bed…but first she stops and places her kisses on both of her sibling's foreheads…and making sure she does not wake them up in the process.
Callie and Arizona stay a little while longer while we talk to Tim on the plasma screen and play catch up since he has been gone. When the four of us hear the whimpering sounds of Matthew and Marisol both my sister and her wife do not hesitate for a moment as they bolt out of their seats and blow kisses to my husband and kiss me while they both dash up the stairs to attend to their babies. Tim and I sit and talk for the remainder of his time allowed as we fill the air between us with the ever popular phrases of "I love you" and "I miss you" and my personal favorite when my husband says to me as he is smiling so preciously back at me "I am so happy that we are going to have a baby Aria…I just wish I was there to show you how much I truly love you". I then tell my Timothy "You will be home before you know it…and when you arrive home…I will introduce you to our daughter…or our son. So be safe my love…and come home to me…and our child". With a promise of sending each other videos through our phones…and with Tim promising me that he will call me every two weeks…we end our video chat…when I hear his name being called…for his expert services elsewhere…we tell each other we love each other and the large plasma screen goes blank.
I make my way up the stairs to my bedroom after checking that all the doors and windows are locked up tight. I pause for a minute at my sister's bedroom door to find her and her wife sitting up and reading in bed when I say "I know that you both had something to do with having Tim call tonight…and I just wanted to say thank you and I love you both beyond measure". I walk into their room to give them a goodnight kiss and to kiss my niece and nephew. As I am walking out of their room my sister says to me "Are you feeling better now than you were this morning Aria"? I smile at the two of them and say "So much better Callie…so much better". I leave their sight and stop by Sofia's bedroom to place a goodnight kiss on her lips and then I make my way to my bedroom to get a much needed restful and a good night sleep. Thinking about my husband and me beginning our family together…priceless.