Ch.25
December 25th, 2017
"Mommy, can we go down yet? I can't take it anymore!" Katie cried in excitement bouncing her legs up and down as she sat on the top step of the staircase down to the living room.
"Not yet, sweetie. Daddy is going to call up and let us know," she explained with a smile.
"He's taking forever. Maybe I should go help him?" Hannah offered with a mischievous grin.
"I don't think so," Michaela returned with a laugh. "Be patient, I'm sure he's almost done."
"Does it really take that long to set up a camera?" Hannah questioned.
"Well I guess it does…" Michaela answered.
She hoped that he wasn't having too much difficulty setting the video camera up on the tripod. They had both agreed years ago that it worked out best if neither one had to physically hold the camera, and could instead simply admire the excited looks that crossed their daughters' faces. However, she could understand her daughters' frustration, as it seemed they had been upstairs for an incredibly long amount of time. Just as she was about to descend the stairs and offer to help him, he appeared at the bottom of the staircase with a large grin on his face.
"Okay, it's all set girls. You can come down now," he said with excitement glowing in his eyes.
"Yay!" they both cried in unison as they bounded down the stairs in sheer anticipation.
Both Michaela and Sully looked on as their daughters' faces lit up upon seeing Santa had indeed delivered the toys they had asked for. She had always heard there was nothing more magical then seeing excitement in your child's eyes, and she knew without a doubt that was true. He gently wrapped his arms around her, and she looked up into his eyes with deep affection written all over her face.
"Merry Christmas," he whispered as he placed a gentle kiss across her lips.
"Merry Christmas," she returned gazing back into his deep blue eyes dazzling with joy.
"Daddy, can you open this?" Katie asked sweetly as she approached his side with a clear plastic bag in hand containing several brightly colored spoons.
"Sure," he returned as she jumped up and down in excitement, handing him the small bag.
He quickly tore it open and handed her the pink, purple, and blue utensils.
"Thanks," she said with a smile before dashing back over towards her bright pink kitchen playset.
"Looks like you forgot one," Michaela whispered nudging him softly.
"Yeah, guess I did. I didn't think to check inside the cabinets," he said with a shrug.
"Well, I didn't think of it either," she returned remembering back to the night before.
Sully had spent several hours after the girls had finally gone to sleep putting together both the kitchen playset and Hannah's dollhouse. She had tried to help, but he had insisted on doing most of it himself. So, after turning on It's A Wonderful Life and eating the cookies the girls had left for Santa, he successfully assembled both toys. He did let her help slightly with a few pieces of the dollhouse in which his hands were too large to snap the tiny pieces into place inside the small rooms.
"What time are your parents and Becca comin' over?" Sully questioned.
"I told them 11 o'clock," she answered as she watched Hannah rearranging the furniture in the three-story house.
"Look Mommy it has a doorbell, and the shower makes noise like the Barbie is singing inside of it!" Hannah cried joyfully as she pushed the buttons over and over.
"That's goin' ta get obnoxious here any minute…" Sully said with a laugh.
"Yeah, but look at that smile…" she returned gazing lovingly at Hannah's ecstatic face.
"Daddy, come here," Hannah urged gesturing for him to join her beside the pink dollhouse.
He reluctantly released his hold on Michaela and arrived at Hannah's side. She quickly began to show him all the features of the dollhouse including the chandelier and patio lights that really lit up and the working elevator.
"Push this button," she requested pointing to a small pink button on the fireplace mantel.
"It sounds like a real fire. Like at grandma and grandpa's house in Boston!" she exclaimed after Sully had pushed the tiny button inward.
"And the kitchen timer makes noise," she added pushing all the tiny buttons in the house in succession.
"That's pretty cool Hannah," he returned glancing back in Michaela's direction.
She quickly brought her hand up across her face trying to suppress her laughter as she remembered how he had eagerly pressed all seven buttons several times the night before claiming to be testing each one. With her eyes fixed on Sully, she failed to notice Katie bouncing up to her holding something behind her back.
"Mommy, I've got something I want to give you…" Katie started with a smile.
"What's that?" she questioned with a gleam in her eye.
"I made you a cookie!" she cried excitedly handing Michaela the plastic chocolate chip cookie.
"Did you make this in your new kitchen?" she asked as she followed Katie over towards the hot pink kitchen with an ivory colored stove.
"Yeah!" she answered excitedly. "Let's have a tea party!" she exclaimed before 'pouring' Michaela a cup of tea and handing her the blue plastic cup.
"Thanks sweetheart. This will go perfectly with my chocolate chip cookie," she returned with a smile.
Upon hearing Hannah's dollhouse doorbell chime once again, she quickly showed Michaela all the sounds her toy made.
From the running water noise emitted from the facet to the tiny 'ding' the timer made, Katie was utterly fascinated by the entire toy. Michaela couldn't help but grin in Sully's direction again as Katie turned the pages of the plastic cookbook to hear each Disney princess explain her favorite recipe. He had pressed all the buttons on Katie's toy as well, until Michaela had cautioned him against making any more noise as it was bound to wake up the girls.
As soon as his eyes met hers, he smiled with such sheer happiness she knew she would never forget that look on his face.
Before she could say a word, he interrupted her thoughts by saying, "Girls I know ya both love the presents Santa gave you, but can we start openin' the rest of your presents under the tree before grandma and grandpa get here?"
"Yeah!" they both cried excitedly forgetting the toys before them and dashing towards the tree in the corner of the room.
After taking a seat beside Michaela on the couch, he looked over in wonder at the excited looks on both of his daughter's faces as they patiently anticipated ripping open the brightly colored packages under the tree.
"Okay, who wants to go first?" he questioned with a smile.
"I want to!" Hannah quickly chimed in jumping to her feet and grabbing a package from underneath the tree.
Then, she dashed over to the couch holding the package with several bright green bows along the top, extending it towards both Michaela and Sully.
"It's for both of you, so I don't know who wants to open it…" she explained.
"I'll let your mom open this one," Sully answered as Hannah quickly placed the package onto her mother's lap.
"Did you wrap this yourself?" Michaela questioned with a proud smile.
"Yeah!" she confirmed nodding her head in excitement.
Upon ripping open the shiny ivory paper and taking the lid off the solid white box, Michaela held a ceramic gingerbread house with the name Hannah Sully carved in the door.
"Oh, my God Hannah!" Michaela cried as Hannah smiled with glee.
"Did ya make that at school?" Sully questioned as he ran his hand along the red and white striped roof.
"Uh huh. I made it in art class. And see the stripes on the roof are supposed to be like candy canes," she explained with a pleased smile.
"Oh, sweetheart its beautiful!" Michaela declared handing in gently to Sully.
After walking it over to the bookcase and putting it on display for the world to see along with other Christmas decorations, he pulled Hannah into his arms giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I love it baby. Thank you so much," he whispered sincerely.
"Your welcome," she answered before jumping up onto the couch into Michaela's waiting arms.
"That was the perfect gift," Michaela stated with a smile giving her daughter a sweet kiss as well, before she joined Katie on the floor again.
"My turn!" Katie proclaimed pulling a tiny sack out from underneath the tree and arriving at Sully's side.
"My present is for both of you too, so it's Daddy's turn to open it," she explained before handing Sully the tiny gold sack.
"Alright, my turn!" he said as he shook the bag slightly. "Wonder what's inside of it…Maybe its keys to a new car?" he joked.
"Nope," Katie said with a giggle.
"Hmmm… What could it be then?" he speculated again shaking the bag ever so slightly.
"Just open it Daddy!" Hannah called out with a laugh.
"Okay…" he relented before reaching inside the bag and pulling out a handmade ornament with the motif of a tiny mouse scurrying past a hand-drawn Christmas tree.
"Aww Katie I love it!" he proclaimed handing it gently to Michaela.
"And you made this too?" she questioned with a smile admiring each of the brightly colored ornaments her daughter had illustrated on the green tree.
"Yeah! We made them in school," she happily declared.
"Sully, look!" Michaela said pointing to the tiny mouse at the bottom. "That's your fingerprint, isn't it Katie?"
"Yep. My thumbprint made his body," she explained placing her right thumb over the tiny grey mouse.
"This is the coolest ornament I've ever seen. Thank you Katie," he said as he scooped his youngest daughter up in his arms.
"Yes, thank you Katie. It's truly wonderful sweetheart," Michaela chimed in holding back tears of happiness.
She knew she would cherish this ornament forever. Her daughter's tiny fingerprint was emblazed on its surface for a lifetime, capturing a part of her childhood in such a unique way.
After placing Katie back down beside Michaela, Sully hung Katie's ornament on the very front of the tree before retrieving a large package wrapped in paper with Christmas teddy bears gracing it's surface. Michaela gave Katie a quick hug, knowing her attention was now fixed on the package in Sully's hand. She returned her mother's loving gesture before joining her sister on the floor once again.
"Okay, this one is for Hannah, and it's from your mom and me," he explained as he set the package down in front of his elated daughter.
Hannah quickly ripped open the package to reveal a Barbie doll with tiny tools to fill with water and spray, stencil, stamp, and draw colorful designs on the doll's clothes. After shouts of excitement and sincere thanks, it was Katie's turn to unwrap one of the perfectly wrapped packages.
They continued to let the girls open several presents, before Sully could wait no longer to give the one present he had kept a secret for several months.
"Okay, I can't wait any longer ta give you this," he said with a smile that matched the grins across his daughters' faces.
She couldn't help but admire how simply adorable his anticipation was. His stunning features were animated with such joy; she couldn't stop smiling even if she tried as he sat down beside her placing the small silver wrapped box into her hand. She gazed into his eyes for a moment wondering what present could have him this excited to give.
Then, after pulling the light grey ribbon off, tearing the silver paper, and removing the lid from the small black box, she removed a hollow heart shaped pendant. Her heart stopped for a brief second as her breath literally caught in her throat. Along the entire right side of the heart a small ruby, emerald, garnet, and two small amethyst stones were separated by diamonds trailing from the center point of the heart to the very bottom. She opened her mouth to say something, but he had once again rendered her completely speechless.
"Mommy, it's so pretty…" Katie said in awe as she gazed down at the pendant in her mother's hand.
"Oh, I get it!" Hannah cried happily. "Each one of the colored stones is for one of us. I'm the green one, and Katie and Mommy are the purple ones…" she trailed off gazing down at the necklace.
"Yeah, you're exactly right princess," he confirmed still entranced by the sparkle in his wife's eyes.
"Which one is for you Daddy?" Katie asked slightly puzzled.
"The light red one at the top," he explained happily pointing to the small ruby gem.
"Who's the other red one for?" Katie wondered.
"The baby silly," Hannah returned.
"Oh, okay. But I thought you find out which stone is yours after you're born? Our brother hasn't been born yet…" she stammered in confusion.
"You're right sweetie, but we know when he's going to be born. His birthday will be in January, so his stone is the red one at the bottom here…" Sully explained gently.
Katie nodded in understanding, and Sully smiled back in her direction before wrapping his arm gently around Michaela.
"So, do ya like it?" he probed with a smile, already aware of the answer.
"I love it…" she whispered before turning slightly to face him completely. "I don't know how you do it, but every year you literally take my breath away with every gift you give me. This is so incredibly beautiful, but more then that it's so thoughtful… and so very special…" she said softly with a few tears shimmering in her eyes.
"I try ta always give you something as exceptional and gorgeous as you are…" he stated as he reached up to gently wipe the tears falling softly from her eyes.
"I can never say thank you enough…" she whispered knowing that he would truly understand.
He had done so very much in the way of helping her accept the sorrowful news about their son. However, this gesture brought her a whole new sense of peace. He had shown her more times then she could count that he truly believed their son was a blessing. Seeing his birthstone beside Hannah and Katie's just felt so wonderful… so normal…It was the first time she had felt that sense of joy and anticipation about his birth that she had felt with both of her daughters. That joy was the true gift, and he had known that all along…
"I love you so very much…Those words just don't say what I truly feel for you. They will never be enough…" she said softly.
"You promised your heart ta me for a lifetime. That's more then enough..." he said gently as he ran his thumb across the diamond band on her finger.
"I will love you always," she confessed before placing her lips gently onto his, showing him the true feelings in her heart.
As their lips connected, she could fully feel her heart soar with love for him alone. Every time she kissed him, she could feel herself smiling from deep inside. It was as if time stopped as this special link between his soul and her own connected them together in a bond uniquely their own.
Upon hearing Hannah's laughter as Katie exclaimed 'eww gross', she pulled back slightly knowing that time truly hadn't stopped.
"Guess I should give you your present now," she said with a smile as he softly took the necklace from her hand and secured it around her neck.
"Only if you want to…" he ventured playfully.
"I'll get it for you Mommy," Hannah offered knowing her mother didn't move very quickly anymore.
"Thank you honey," she returned affectionately as Hannah placed the shiny red package in her hands.
"Merry Christmas," she said with a smile as she handed him the perfectly wrapped box.
After casting a wink in her direction, he tore open the red paper and crumbled it up in a ball, tossing it directly at Katie. She laughed in response, as he peeled back the white lid to the box on his lap. Upon sorting through layers of tissue paper, he pulled the small, incredibly thin, silver electronic from the box.
"Turn it on," she requested with a grin.
He pressed down on the one small circular button, and the screen flashed on lighting up with one of the family portraits from the hallway. Quickly tapping the tiny button in the screen's corner, he couldn't help but flash a grin rivaling the ones that had danced across Hannah and Katie's faces upon seeing Santa's gifts.
"Touch the photo button," she asked loving his expression as he slowly discovered what was so very special about this gift.
"Oh, my God," he exclaimed as he scrolled through picture after picture of Hannah and Katie. He almost broke out into tears as he continued to scroll through each one coming across pictures from their wedding and even images from their photobooth strip.
"And there are some voice recordings on it too," she shared excitedly as he clicked on the video button.
She had now rendered him speechless, as he scrolled through several home videos of Hannah and Katie including two voice messages telling him how much they both loved him.
"Did you put any music on it?" he wondered aloud clicking on the music link.
"Of course I did," she confirmed with a smile as he marveled at the number of his favorite songs and cds she had already compiled.
"Oh, and go to the playlists," she requested gently touching the screen for him.
His heart almost stopped as he saw song after song, all of which were special to just the two of them with Two Is Better Than One at the top of the playlist.
"It's a list of all of our songs," she whispered softly as he scrolled through the list.
The way she said the word our took his breath away, and after he gently placed the tiny electronic back in the tissue paper he turned towards her fully.
"You truly are amazin'. I hope ya know that I love you with my whole heart… every piece of my soul…This was such an incredible gift…" he said sincerely as he pulled her into his strong arms once again.
"Well I knew you wanted one of those new ridiculously tiny digital music players, and I know that you never have the kind of time required to find all those pictures, scan them into the computer, and load them onto the actual player. And I know you certainly don't have time to sort through home videos and convert them to digital movie files…" she finished with a smile.
"I can't believe that ya found time ta do all that…I would have been happy to find it blank in a plain old box, but leave it to you ta make it one of the most meaningful gifts I've ever received," he returned as his heart beat strongly with the love he felt for her.
"You mean the world to me Sully. Your love has given me the strength to overcome any obstacle thrown my way, and no material gift will ever be enough to show you how much I truly love you…"
"That sparkle in your eyes, and the sincerity in your voice when ya say those words shows me… The way ya love me every day of your life shows me too…" he returned before he kissed her deeply with all the fire in his heart.
"Thank you so very much," he whispered softly as he touched his forehead to hers.
"You're so welcome," she returned as she gazed into his azure eyes shining like sapphires.
"Come here you two," he requested motioning towards an on-looking Hannah and Katie.
With smiles of joy they both arrived at his side, and he quickly pulled both little girls onto his lap.
"Thank you for recordin' those wonderful messages for me. I know I will listen to them over and over…"
"You're welcome…" Hannah returned as she snuggled deeper into her father's arms.
"Yeah, you're welcome," Katie quickly chimed in as she leaned back against her father's chest.
With one arm around each little girl, Michaela leaned against his shoulder, resting her head comfortably against him. With all three of his girls around him, he had never felt more surrounded by love. He took in the few moments of peaceful silence, knowing they wouldn't last much longer as both girls would soon be begging to open the remaining presents. Sure enough within another few seconds, they were squirming to get down and pleading with him to continue unwrapping presents. He quickly gave in allowing Katie to choose another present to unwrap next, and with the girls gone, he wrapped Michaela in his arms fully knowing the memory of this perfect Christmas would last a lifetime.
January 13th, 2018
As she placed her hand gently over the plastic page, she marveled at the size of the tiny black fingerprints. She couldn't stop a few tears from seeping out of her eyes, as her mind was flooded with memories from that magical day almost four years ago. Things had felt so very different that warm, February evening… Not only was she an unexpected surprise, but this deep-seeded fear wasn't present… Her entrance into the world had been one full of joy and excitement… She desperately wanted to feel that way this time… She wanted to feel that same level of anticipation and happiness. But instead she only felt panic and apprehension rise inside of her, as in a matter of hours she would finally know the truth… She would finally be faced with something she had been dreading for months now… As she tried to force those terrible thoughts out of her mind, she found herself drifting back to memories of that perfect day so long ago…
February 17th, 2014
She turned her eyes from the clean, white sheet of paper with a perfectly shaped yellow sun in the center, to her daughter's creation on her right.
"Wow, think you have enough paint on there?" she said with a giggle, as she watched Hannah dip her left hand into the blue paint and lay it on top of her paint soaked sheet of paper.
"Yeah!" she said with glee lifting her hands up from the sheet in front of her.
Michaela purely shook her head slightly amused at the grin her young daughter flashed in her direction.
"Do you want another sheet of paper?" she questioned with a knowing smile, to which her daughter bounced her head up and down in excited agreement.
"Hannah, sweetheart your painting is beautiful!" she exclaimed as she pried the paint splattered sheet from the table.
"Thanks, Mommy!" she returned happily as she glanced over at Michaela's painting.
After placing the paint-saturated sheet on the metal drying rack, she set another clean white sheet in front of her daughter.
"Mommy, your sun is real pretty. Can you show me how to do that?" she questioned in awe as she stared at her mother's finger-painted sun.
"You bet I can," Michaela returned eagerly pushing the paper plate with yellow paint closer towards Hannah.
"Okay, dip your pointer finger in the yellow paint," Michaela instructed wiggling her index finger.
Hannah quickly imitated Michaela as she giggled joyfully.
"Now draw a circle in the middle of the page," she explained demonstrating the technique for her tiny sweetheart.
"There you go," she replied in encouragement as Hannah smiled back up in adoration. "Now fill it in with more paint."
"Okay," she exclaimed upon completing this task.
"Next dip your whole pinky finger in the yellow paint, and then put your nail on the tip of the circle, pressing your whole finger down on the paper," Michaela directed showing Hannah step-by-step what she was describing aloud.
"Wow, it looks like yours!" she cried after using her smallest finger to create many more rays on the yellow sun.
"Yeah, it does. You did a wonderful job," Michaela stated her eyes shining with pride.
"Thanks!" she happily returned before using the back of her hand in an attempt to scratch her face.
After hearing her daughter's declaration, Michaela looked up from her drawing and into her daughter's shimmering blue eyes. The second her eyes locked on her sweet face, she couldn't help but laugh.
"What's funny Mommy?" she questioned innocently.
"You have paint all over you face!" she said through a laugh as Hannah reached up with her paint covered hands in an attempt to remove the yellow paint from her cheek.
The more she touched her face, the worse it became, and the more uncontrollable laughter Michaela emitted as she watched the mess unfolding.
"Mommy, get it off!" she cried in frustration, flailing her fists in the air and squeezing her eyes shut tight.
The second Hannah became aggravated almost to tears, she immediately stopped laughing, knowing her daughter was no longer amused by this dilemma.
"Shh sweetie, calm down," she soothed crossing the kitchen and returning with a wet towel.
"Look at me," she instructed, to which a tearful Hannah readily complied.
"There it's gone now," Michaela assured her as she gently tossed the towel onto the table.
"You okay now?" she asked with a loving smile.
"Uh huh," Hannah returned as she began to create another shining sun in the corner of the page.
"How are the two most beautiful girls in the world?" he called from the kitchen doorway.
"Daddy!" Hannah shouted jumping up from her chair and running full speed towards her father.
"Whoa! Hannah stop!" he commanded when she was within inches of embracing him with her paint-stained hands.
She immediately stopped dead in her tracks, looking up at him in question.
"Wash your hands first princess," he requested motioning towards the tiny step stool by the kitchen sink.
"K Daddy," she replied enthusiastically as she bounded over towards the sink.
He followed her knowing if he didn't turn the facet on for her, it too would be covered in yellow paint.
"So, how was your day sweetheart?" he questioned as he watched Michaela remove the two paintings from the table and place them gently on the metal rack.
"Great actually. Hannah and I had a terrific time together," she said flashing him a brilliant smile.
That smile hopelessly lured him directly to her. He simply couldn't resist her when that total happiness flashed across her face. He quickly arrived at her side, placing his hands gently onto her shoulders.
"God, I love you," he whispered in her ear, as he gently pulled her golden brown hair back from her face.
She turned around gently to face him directly, being extremely careful not to touch him with her paint covered fingers. She grinned back at him, biting down on her bottom lip slightly, as her eyes flamed with an intense love for him.
As he leaned in closer and closer, planning to place a kiss onto her sweet lips, she quickly cautioned, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," as she moved back slightly maintaining the distance between them.
"And now why is that?" he asked playfully, before glancing over his shoulder quickly to make sure Hannah was still all right.
"My hands are covered in paint, remember?"
"Oh, I remember. That's not goin' ta stop me from kissin' ya though," he said with a sensual smile before once again closing the distance between his face and hers.
"Just don't touch me with your hands," he whispered as his lips were within mere inches of her face.
"Easier said then done," she returned.
The second the words left her mouth, he planted an ardent kiss across her lips, adding more fuel to the flames between them by the second. As she quickly felt herself spiraling out of control, lost in those feeling of passionate abandon that only he could illicit, she had to caution herself each and every passing second to keep her hands from rising of their own accord.
She regretfully pulled back saying softly, "This is too hard…"
"What's too hard?" he asked winking at her playfully.
"I told you I couldn't keep my hands to myself…" she explained staring at him with a slight blush.
"You are so gorgeous. Every time I look into your eyes I'm hopelessly lost in their sparkling beauty… It just makes me want ya even more," he returned as he ran his hands tenderly up and down her arms.
"I'll be right back. Hold that thought," she said before glancing over to see Hannah tossing a few paper towels in the trash and scampering over towards them.
As he scooped a giggling Hannah into his arms, she headed for the bathroom.
"How's my sweet girl?" he asked before placing a kiss on her cheek.
"Great!" she exclaimed wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you Daddy," she said sincerely as she buried her head in his neck.
"I missed you too, sweetie," he responded running his fingers through her blond ponytail.
Picking her head up gently, and looking into his eyes she questioned, "Where did Mommy go?"
"She went ta wash her hands… She'll be right back," he explained.
In that instant, he heard Michaela call his name in almost a panic. Hearing that tone in her voice sped up his heart rate on the spot. Setting Hannah down gently, he told her to stay put and explained that he would be right back. Taking off at lightening speed he prayed that nothing was seriously wrong.
"What's wrong?" he questioned when he was a few feet from the doorway.
"Nothing's wrong really… My water just broke…" she answered calmly.
He couldn't believe she sounded so composed after announcing something like that. His mind sprinted into overdrive trying to come up with a gameplan as quickly as possible. It wasn't that this was unexpected by any means, but he had thought they still had more time.
"Holy cow! I thought we had another week…" he exclaimed in a completely agitated tone.
"Apparently not," she said with a laugh as she glanced at the look of total alarm on his face. "I guess your daughter is ready to be born now…"
"Now?" he uttered still in complete shock.
"Yes, now," she said shaking her head slightly. "Snap out of it," she commanded snapping her fingers together in front of his face.
"Go get Hannah. We'll call my parents on the way over, and tell them to meet us there. One of them will be able to take care of Hannah," she explained knowing he was still lost in a state of total surprise.
"Yeah…Okay," he responded softly, shaking his head somewhat in an attempt to pull himself out of the spell he seemed to be under.
Even though she knew they had both been rather shocked by this turn of events, she couldn't shake that feeling of excitement deep inside. It wouldn't be long before her daughter would enter their lives … It had seemed like she had waited so much longer then a mere nine months. After all it had taken over a year just to conceive her. This had been something they had both wanted for so long… A day they had anticipated for almost two years now. And this time she knew exactly what was in front of her. Though, it was terrifying in some respects, she knew what it felt like to hold her daughter in her arms for the first time. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. In a matter of hours she would finally be holding her daughter, Katie Sully, in a tiny pink blanket.
January 13th, 2018
With her eyes so deeply focused on the precious images before her, and her mind a thousand miles away, she didn't hear him come up behind her.
Placing his hands gently onto her shoulders he softly whispered, "What are you lookin' at?"
"Katie's baby-book…" she returned softly, as she turned the page gently.
He quickly came around the side of the couch, taking a seat beside her and wrapping her tightly in his arms.
"Why do ya look at these albums when they just bring tears?" he questioned gently.
"They're not sad tears…" she answered in a voice barely audible.
He merely threw her a questioning look raising one eyebrow ever so slightly.
"Okay, they're a mix of happy and sad…" she admitted, knowing he had seen the truth all along.
"Ya look a million miles away…"What's really goin' on in that head of yours?" he asked as he ran his fingers softly through her hair.
"I was just thinking about the day Katie was born…" she replied wistfully.
"That was such an amazin' day," he returned as she lay her head down on his chest.
"You were so funny, though," she stated with a small smile.
"What do ya mean funny?"
"It was just so cute how panicked you were when I told you my water broke. The only time I ever saw you look that freaked out was the very first time I said those same words…" she explained with a gentle laugh.
"I was just a little caught off guard that's all…" he replied sheepishly.
"Okay," she responded with a giggle. "I still think about how hard that would have been if you hadn't been home… I mean you had almost literally just walked in the door…"
"Geez, yeah! Gettin' Hannah in that carseat would have been a challenge…"
"Oh, God yes! I will always be thankful you were there," she answered thoughtfully.
After a few moments of silence between them, he could tell something was bothering her. He wanted to question her, but at the same time he was curious to see if she would volunteer it on her own.
"Sully…" she began softly.
"Yeah?" he replied compassionately.
"I just keep thinking about how different I felt then… I was so happy and excited… a little scared, but mostly just thrilled. I just wish I felt that way right now…" she stammered. "I guess I'm just really anxious and scared about tomorrow…" she relented, swallowing hard through the lump in her throat.
"I know…" he whispered as he guided her head down back down to rest against his chest. "I'm scared too…"
"Really?"
"Yeah…" he admitted softly.
"Why are you scared?" she ventured more comfortable talking about his feelings at the moment.
"Well I know that nothing is goin' ta happen ta you, but still… knowin' that you are havin' a form of surgery tomorrow is a very scary thought…"
"You're not going to loose me…" she returned as her thumb gently caressed his left hand.
"I know you're right… But if I did…" he began his voice cracking on the last few words.
"You won't. I promise I won't leave you," she returned so sincerely that he truly believed her with all of his heart.
He knew logically that she couldn't really make a promise like that. But the way she spoke those words… It was almost as if she knew it was no where near her time to go… Almost as if an angel was speaking directly through her…
He simply nodded in response, and though she couldn't see his gesture, she could feel his head shift gently. As he tightened his grip on her slightly, she knew he had really heard her.
"What are you scared of sweetheart?" he probed hoping she would admit what was in her heart.
"I guess I'm just worried about finally finding out what exactly is wrong with him… I just hope that he won't even need surgery… I know that's too much to hope for, but I truly can't help it. It's beyond devastating to know that our son will be operated on hours after he's born…" she answered through tears.
"Yeah, it really is…" he agreed in understanding.
"I just can't get over the fact that my baby boy will be in the NICU… Right now he's safe and secure, but in a matter of hours he won't be… I guess I just wish I could keep him safe, forever…"
"I know…" he whispered softly in her ear as he rocked her gently in his arms. "Though no matter what happens tomorrow, no matter how he is born, we will finally be able to hold him in our arms…." he whispered in reassurance.
He wished with all his heart that he had other words of encouragement for her. He wanted to be able to tell her that everything would be fine, but he knew he couldn't truthfully say that. They honestly still had no idea the extent of what they would be facing. He couldn't promise her that their son wouldn't require surgery, or that she could keep him safe inside of her forever. However, he could hold her close in his arms, helping her feel as secure as possible.
"I love you," she returned as she placed her hand gently over his heart.
"I love you too," he whispered before closing the album in her lap and setting it aside.
Then, wrapping them both in a blanket from the couch, he knew the only way she would be able to sleep at all would be in his arms. So, as he held her close, feeling her tears seeping through his t-shirt, he prayed with his whole heart that everything tomorrow would turn out all right. That his son and wife would make it through surgery, and one day soon be in his arms just like they were this very moment.