War Bride - Chapter 25 – Delayed Reunions
Their moment was broken by the very much expected restless sounds coming from her chest area. The girls had given their parents their small moment, but now all attention was to be back on them, thank you very much.
Their winges were still soft but Rachel got the message loud and clear.
"I need to feed them." And after their earlier incident he can't possibly have missed the fact that she meant breastfeed them. She sure hand't forgotten, her wet singlet was stuck to her rather uncomfortably now.
"Can I help?" He asked after a moment.
She smiled. "I wish…but, actually can you…"
"Yes?" Tom's eagerness to help in any way he could, belatedly, was clear.
As Rachel walked them back into the living room she cringed at the picture it presented.
"Umm, we can't do much with this mess right now but do you think you can find something to cover it...especially the floor…oh, and the couch, I will need to sit there to feed these two. I really don't want this to be the first thing the children see when they come downstairs…especially Ava. There are some old blankets in that chest over there." She pointed to a wooden chest in the corner and Tom rushed to do as she asked, aside from a desire to be helpful he seemed to wholeheartedly agree with her sentiment to not let this be the first thing any of the children saw this morning.
It was partially a selfish motivation too. He was hoping for something of a more joyous homecoming, and she knew that he knew, sadly, that that had already been greatly overshadowed by Kelly's traumatic death in this very room just hours ago.
She watched as he hurriedly went to the chest she had indicated and first picked out the softest blanket and brought it back to the coach and covered it for her. She then watched as he quickly covered the large bloodstain on the carpet with the largest and oldest blanket he could find.
Rachel seated herself and then directed him to bring her the all-important cushions when it came to the endeavor of simultaneously feeding twins. Again he did, clearly still eager to help in any way he could…though also clearly feeling quite helpless and unsure of his actions, that was clear from his manner.
Her attention more fully turning to the buddle's she was wearing as their twin desires became more and more apparent, Rachel barely noticed her husband watching her every small action as she, without a trace of shame or embarrassment, lowered the top half of her singlet and bared both her breasts completely.
Though she did spare him a small glance and noticed her husband's eyebrows rise significantly at her action, and she wondered at the specific reason for the movement. Be it the physical change in her he was noticing or the lack of shame she had in revealing that change to him…they would have to come back to that later.
Again, she was able to accomplish this feat without help. Necessity had taught her as much, but it was certainly easier with another person, so she enlisted her bewildered but accommodating husband. Just as she had with Ava early this morning, she lifted both her babies and instructed her husband to arrange the cushions beneath them, she then lowered them in place and encouraged them to take what they desired. It didn't take them long, she was biased of course, but she really felt that she had two very smart and sensible little girls.
Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief as she felt her breasts start to empty, her children feeding happily…both feelings were pleasant ones she relished when all was going well. She knew she had been infinitely lucky this day, things could have gone far worse if the twins had picked up on her anxiety levels of the night before.
Of course, Rachel realized that her anxiety was greatly diminished now…and the factor that had accomplished that feat was no mystery. In fact, she could easily imagine that some pretty heady endorphins could be making their way into her milk supply very soon. She smiled at the slightly naughty thought.
"What is it?" He questioned, clearly noticing her look.
"Nothing…it's just good, this is good…and you finally being back and here is very good." She explained somewhat lamely, not really feeling able to probably vocalize her feelings more completely or accurately then that. Something they both had a long history of being quite bad at, and something that would both have to improve in the future, forcibly if need be...
He smiled and answered simply. "I feel the same, Rachel."
They sat exultant in companionable silence for several long moments, both of them just gazing down at their suckling infants like the besotted parents they were. But when a shriek was issued from the top of the stairs, Rachel knew the time for silence had ceased and was unlikely to return for sometime to come.
"Daddy!" It was Ashley. Rachel wasn't surprised, she was the early riser out of her and her brother and Ava had gotten so little sleep last night that she wouldn't to be surprised if she slept much later than normal…or rather she wouldn't have been surprised. She doubted it would happen now, that had been one very high-pitched shriek.
The rising level of noise from upstairs, again confirmed her assessment, even as one brunette girl was exuberantly bounding down the stairs, Rachel could hear the sounds of murmurs and an opening door behind her. She was sure that neither of the remaining children would have missed Ashley's cry, though Sam would have been particularly attuned to it and its meaning.
The quick appearance of the boy as he body slammed the wall after appearing from the hallway and then practically flung himself down the stairs confirmed this.
"Daddy! Daddy!" He yelled as Rachel cringed at the lack of care the boy was taking in his endeavor to make it to his returned father as quickly as possible.
"Sam! Careful!" She called. But it was a useless venture; the boy had already made it to the bottom of the stairs just as his sister made it to her father. Her much smaller body slamming into him with all the might she had, tears streaming down her face as she repeated his name over and over again like a mantra.
Rachel watched with tears in her own eyes as the motion was repeated seconds later and Sam bounded into his father. Tom, down on his knees by this point, joyously accepted his second child into his arms too, tears in his own eyes.
Rachel watched the remaining trio of the original family stay like that for long joyous moments, all were crying openly in their relieved elation at finding one another yet again. The children and the father verbally extoling how much they had missed one each other.
They stayed like that for a long time. It was clear that no one wanted to end the contact that they had been deprived of for so long and almost all along with the fear that that deprivation would be eternal.
"Daddy, where have you been?! What happened?!" Tom smiled, that was his ever logical and demanding daughter…quite similarly traited to her stepmother actually.
"Oh, that is a long story, honey, and one for another time, but I'm back now. I got back to you all as soon as I could…I'm so sorry it took so long." He said against her hair.
He could tell she wasn't exactly satisfied with the explanation, as much as she was with his presence.
"Is it over now? Can you stay with us now?" She asked pleadingly after a long pause and continued embrace.
"Yes, Daddy, can you stay? Please!" Sam joined in, very much sharing his sisters sentiment but less likely to understand that if 'it' wasn't over, the answer might very well be no.
Tom let out a breath, holding both his children…both his older children, tighter to him.
"Yes, guys, I'm staying now. You better be prepared, I don't think you guys have ever been stuck with me for so long, because the world would have to end…again, for them to be able to drag me away from you now…from all of you." He glanced meaningfully at his wife as she nursed his youngest children.
Seemingly reassured and very happily so, Ashley was the first to break their embrace in her excitement to share what she had clearly longed to share with him.
"Daddy! Did you see our new sisters!" His daughter cried in exuberance as she left him and jumped on the coach to his wife's left, staring down straight at his olive skinned little baby girl…Bella, he recalled was that ones name. He was unhappy with himself that the correct name for the correct twin had not come instantly to mind. But he also thought he should give himself a break as there was two of them and he had only be told their names a few minutes ago.
"I did see, Ashley." His tone held humor now. Of course he had seen them, they were right in front of him and sucking greedily at his wife's uncovered upper body. He couldn't have possibility missed anything about the very confronting sight before him. It made a shock-inducing picture. He was still fairly stunned by it…but as he grew more used to it, he comprehended that it was a very satisfying sight for him, for more than one reason.
It was clear that it was not a picture that his older children were remotely unfamiliar with, nor did they seem remotely discomforted by it, especially Ashley. He watched as she stroked her baby sister's face with her finger, a mere inch from Rachel's nipple, all the while smiling a cooing at the tiny girl, and completely unfazed by the intimacy of the action or her proximity.
He held Sam a moment longer before urging the boy, who really didn't seem to want to disentangle himself from him, over to the couch and Rachel's other side. He took his seat with Sam still pressed against him.
He noticed his son did seem quiet though. Tom had the urge to hear him speak, to hear his thoughts on all the changes he had been absent from.
"What do you think of your new sisters, buddy?"
"They are good." The boy replied very basically. Tom smiled, as did his wife.
"Just good?" He questioned further.
"Yeah, I like them." Sam spoke seriously, as if providing an important verdict on the situation.
"Well I'm glad to hear that, buddy, they'll be sticking around awhile." He said with a laugh.
"I know, that's ok." He spoke with the innocence of the young. "I named her." Sam continued, pointed to the fairer baby suckling nearest to them.
"You named Sarah? After your Grandma?" Tom was surprised, but a glance at Rachel and her affirmative nod confirmed his son's assertion.
"And I named Bella!" Ashley chimed in excitedly. Again a surprised glance at his wife confirmed that his daughter spoke the truth and also apprised him of exactly how the event had gone down…his wife had allowed his older children to choose the names for his younger children.
She was amazing.
Tom couldn't even remember being so happy in recent memory…perhaps ever. As he had already realized, everything just seemed so very heightened now.
He sat there happily, enjoying the company of his now family of six. It was amazing that so much had changed in so short a time, though most of those changes were happily vastly for the positive. His two new little angels were proof of that. It was amazing how he could be so absolutely in love with two tiny little beings that he hadn't even known existed half an hour ago… Of course the giant covered bloodstain right in front of them was a reminder that all was not, and had not, gone perfectly over his extended absence, but…
Wait…
Six…
The covered bloodstain…
Ava…
Even as the shameful thought occurred, the realization that they had gotten so caught up in their reunions that they had forgotten the girl, he looked at his wife and realized that the same thought had occurred to her. Her head had turned and her gaze was sorrowfully pinned on a point at the top of the stairs. With guilt Tom knew exactly what he was going to see even before he turned, but turn he did.
And he saw just what he had expected, though the picture was still more potent in emotion than what his mind alone had conjured.
Ava was sitting at the top of the steps, holding herself back, just watching the happy family reunion…her eyes red with unshed tears. If that wasn't to provide a clear picture, the girl's too stiff posture and sorrowful visage said the rest and Tom cringed at his own thoughtlessness. Not only had they left the bereaved girl alone, right now he felt like they had practically rubbed her face in a happy reunion she was never have herself…and mere hours after she lost her last remaining family member far too young.
They needed to fix this, and as a newly minted but to be permanent father figure to the girl…Tom decided that he would fix this.
TBC