Hey guys, it's me again! Man, this story is so much more fun to write than my Chem lab. Haha. Also, you guys have been amazing with the reviews! They make me so happy! Thank you so much for everything! Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
The next few hours were a blur for them both. They were both coming off of a major adrenaline high and feelingthe effects of having not slept in over 24 hours for Emily and almost 48 for Derek.
They decided to hold off on visitors until they both had rested a bit. Emily's epidural wore off and she got some pain meds which knocked her out.
Before she fell asleep, she told Derek to go home, get a little sleep, shower, and come back in a few hours with the boys.
He knew he needed sleep or he would be useless to everyone so after kissing her goodbye, he headed home. He crashed in bed as soon as he got there and woke up four hours later, feeling much better.
He check his phone and saw he had dozens of texts from their family and friends, all wondering how everyone was doing. He decided to ignore most of them. He read the one from Desi that said the boys were getting antsy about seeing them which had only been sent ten minutes before. He texted her back, telling her he would be at her house within a half hour to get the boys.
He jumped in the shower, feeling much better after. He headed for the car, stopping bye Starbucks to grab a Grande black coffee before swinging by Desiree's.
"Daddy," Caleb shouted, crashing into his knees as he came in the door, "Where's my baby?"
"She's in the hospital," Derek said, scooping Caleb into his arms before sitting down on the couch. Declan came and sat next to him and Desi sat in the chair next to them.
"Your little sister is very tiny," Derek explained, "You both know Mom wasn't due for another few months which means your sister didn't have time to finish getting big and strong. She is going to be spending time in the hospital until she is big enough to come home and be healthy."
"Like Savannah and Charli and Jamie?" Declan asked, having clear memories of those three in the NICU.
"Exactly," Derek said, "And Mom is going to be in the hospital for a few days and is going to need lots of help when she comes home."
The boys nodded, noting the seriousness in their dad's voice. Declan understood much better than Caleb what was going on and Derek could see the terror in the young boy's face.
"It's going to be alright Dec," Derek said, pulling him into a hug.
They spent a minute in that position, just being close to one another.
"Do you guys want to see pictures of her?" Derek asked, knowing he had only sent one to his sister and that he had about two dozen on his phone.
"Yeah," both boys said excitedly. Derek pulled up his pictures, showing them the photos.
"She's so tiny," Declan said, looking at the little baby on his dad's screen, "What's her name Dad?"
"Mom and I decided on Alexia," Derek said, knowing that was one of the names Declan had been pulling for, "Alexia Madison."
Declan gave a huge smile as he heard his baby sister got the name he had wanted her to have.
"Desi," Derek said, "Wanna see your niece?"
"Of course," she said, taking the phone, "Oh, Derek. She is so little, but adorable. Alexia Madison, huh? So beautiful."
"Thanks," Derek said, smiling as he heard his daughter's name aloud, "And Desi, thank you so much for watching these two."
"Derek," she said, "Any time you need me to take them, I'm here for you. They are easy. Now, if Alexia is anything like you were as a kid, it might be a different story, but I'll take the boys whenever."
"We really appreciate it," Derek said, "Now, I think it's time to go see Mom. You two are going to be allowed in the NICU because it's flu, but maybe you can sneak a peek through the window alright? "
Both boys nodded with anticipation.
"Go get your bags and we can go," Derek said as the boys ran up to the guest room.
"Is everything really alright?" Desiree asked her brother, knowing he liked to be tough for everyone.
"Right now," Derek said, looking at her, "Everything is as good as can be expected. Emily is doing great, no problem or complications which is amazing considering all the trauma her body has taken in the past. I'm just so scared. A daddy is supposed to protect his little girls and all I can do is watch and hope."
"She's going to come through this," Desiree said, going to sit next to her brother and putting a hand on his shoulder, "You and Emily are her parents. You are two of the strongest people I have ever met. This little one couldn't not be strong if she wanted to."
Derek smiled at his sister, knowing she had a point. Even though Alexia was small, she was part of him and more importantly, Emily. If she got just a quarter of Emily's strength, she would be able to take on anything.
Just then, the boys came running into the living room.
"Let's go see my baby," Caleb said to Derek.
"Give your Auntie a hug and kiss first," Derek said, smiling as he watched Caleb and Declan say goodbye, "Alright, get your coats on and go get in the van."
The boys ran for the van, excited to go see mom.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Emily was in and out. She was so tired and yet every time she closed her eyes, she imagined something happening to her baby. Eventually, she fell into a somewhat restful sleep for a few hours.
When she woke up, she was still tired, but also hungry. She ordered herself a salad and some bread which she finished just as Derek and the boys got there.
"Mommy," Caleb said, running into the room with the flowers they had stopped to get on the way.
"Hey Little Man," Emily said, smiling at him.
Caleb started climbing on the bed, but Derek pulled him off quickly.
"Caleb," he said, gently but sternly, "Mommy just had surgery. You have to be gentle."
"Here," Emily said, making room next to her, "Caleb, you can sit right here, but be careful because my stomach is very sore."
Caleb nodded as Derek carefully put the little boy down on the bed. He gently stroked Emily's head and kissed her hand.
"I misseded you," he said, smilng at her.
"I missed you too," she said, giving him a kiss.
"How are you feeling Mom?" Declan asked.
"I'm alright," she said, reaching out and taking his hand, "Don't worry."
Declan nodded, sitting down in the chair next to his mom's bed.
"Did you guys go see Alexia yet?" Emily asked, not knowing if Derek had taken them over yet.
"They can go in the NICU," Derek said, sitting down next to Declan, "It's the middle of flu season and the NICU is closed to anyone under 18."
"Oh," Emily said, sad that the boys wouldn't get to meet their baby sister for a while.
"Why don't you two tell Mom about what you did while I text everyone to let them know how everyone is doing?" Derek said, pulling out his phone, "Princess, are you ready for visitors yet?"
"Sure," Emily said, feeling better after a little rest and some food.
Derek nodded, pulling out his phone. He sent out messages to everyone, letting them all know that Emily was doing well and that they could stop by the hospital if they wanted.
Derek planned on escaping to the NICU to see Alexia once some of their family or friends got there. He wished he could take Emily and the boys to meet her, but until they were able, he knew he needed to be there for their little girl.
A half hour after he sent the first message, there was a knock at the door.
"Can we come in?" JJ called, entering the room with Charli and Henry.
Henry immediately went to the side of the bed where Caleb was and soon, Caleb was off the bed and the two were playing with the cars Henry had brought on the couch in the corner of the room.
"Hi guys," Emily said as her friend came in, "Where's the rest of the crew?"
"Will is at home with Jamie and Savannah," JJ said, "Savannah is cutting teeth and not feeling good because of it and Jamie is going through a noisy phase and I figured this wouldn't be the best place to bring him. Henry wanted to come play with Caleb and I knew Charli would love to see her Aunt Emily."
Charli gave Emily a big smile and reached for her.
"Hi sweet girl," Emily said, "Jayje, you can put her right here."
"Are you sure?" JJ asked, knowing how sore Emily was.
"Of course," Emily said, "She's not squirmy and I need a little Charli time."
The little girl smiled at her aunt and snuggled into her side. Charli was the most relaxed of the LaMontagne kids and would happily snuggle or just sit with someone for a long time.
"How are you feeling?" JJ asked, taking a seat next to Emily.
"Sore," Emily said, "Tired. I just want to see her and be with her."
JJ nodded. She had been able to be with the triplets a few hours after their birth, but with the new configuration of the hospital and the NICU in Children's, Emily was forced to wait.
"I'm so sorry," JJ said, reaching out for Emily's hand.
"I'll be fine," Emily said, trying to avoid tears, "I'll be out of here in three days and the first thing I'm doing is going to see her."
"Do you want to see some pictures of her?" Derek asked, pulling out his phone.
"Of course," JJ said as Derek held out his phone and she took it. JJ looked at the pictures which brought back memories of her kids' days in the NICU.
"She's so tiny," JJ said, flipping thought he photos, "Did you guys give her a name yet?"
"Alexia," Emily said with a smile, "Alexia Madison."
"That's beautiful," JJ said, looking up from the photos, "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
"Thanks," Emily said, smiling at her friend. When JJ finished with the pictures and gave Derek back his phone, Derek decided to head over to see Alexia.
"Em," he said, interrupting her conversation with JJ, "I'm going to head over to Children's. I'll send you pictures and maybe, we can Facetime so you can see her."
"Alright," Emily said, glad he was going to be with their Peanut. He said goodbye to the boys before kissing Emily and saying goodbye to JJ.
On his way to the hospital, he sent Emily all the pictures from earlier so she had them on her phone. He went up to the NICU floor and did everything he had to in order to gain entry. He went to Alexia's incubator, reaching in and touching her tiny hand.
"Hey Peanut," he said, whispering to her, "Daddy's here. Mommy and I decided to call you Miss Alexia Madison. We love you so much."
Derek stayed with his little girl for a few hours. He learned how to change her diaper, filled out her birth certificate, talked to Dr. Whitman about what exactly was going to happen over the next few days, weeks, and months, and about possible complications. She said that Alexia was still doing remarkably well and that the main focus was getting some weight on her and getting her lungs working better. Derek knew it was going to be a long road, but he knew that with the family around her, Alexia would be just fine.
There it was! This might be the last update for a while because school starts again Monday and I have homework to finish before then. But I might squeeze in one more tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed it!