Wednesday 6th August
7am
Sam and Tom had just arrived in NICU bright and early so that they could be there when Mr Solis took Leah off of her ventilator so she could take her first independent breath. Though Tom did have to leave for work by 8am, so he wouldn't be there when the sedation began to wear off. They didn't mind sleeping at home now, because all of their children were stable, and a nurse always fed Charlie at night.
"Right, you're both doctors so you know how it works. And you know that little Leah might have a sore throat for a little while because she's been intubated for so long." Mr Solis stated as he pulled on a pair of gloves.
Sam and Tom remained silent as the consultant performed the procedure, to leave their daughter without a tube down her throat any longer, and she was breathing on her own as her chest rose and fell.
"That's my girl." Tom said proudly .
"Well, she's looking good." Mr Solis announced. "She's no longer being given a sedative, so she should wake up in the next few hours, and hopefully by tonight, you should be able to hold her and feed her for a little while." He explained.
"So it's the usual 'just wait and see' then." Sam concluded with a tone of annoyance present in her voice.
"Unfortunately, yes." Mr Solis nodded. "I'd best be getting on." He concluded before he left the room.
Sam sighed as she sat down next to the open incubator with an overhead heater.
"Why can't we just skip ahead a few months until they're all at home, and healthy?" She moaned. "It's just so boring not being able to do anything but wait and I know this sounds mean but I'm getting bored of feeding Aaron. Jonny's almost ready to feed, and that'll be something knew, but it's annoying." She ranted as she hung her head in her hands.
"Well we've just got to keep living our lives until then. And that means that you don't have to spend every day 7am-8pm in NICU." Tom stated. "Why don't you start doing something at home? You could get the pictures we've got of them printed, and then make a photo album or you could... Start looking up preschools and nurseries and nannies."
"Because I'm not a housewife kind of mummy." Sam replied, and Tom nodded in acceptance. "I might come down to work with you today, see if Zoe will let me take on a case or two." Sam smiled.
"No, no working." Tom ordered. "You can't anyway, it hasn't been 14 days since the birth yet so by law, you can't work."
"Well, I'm still going down to the ED. I haven't seen them in ages. In fact, I might ask Mr Solis if I can take Aaron down to the staffroom to show him off."
"You'll have to be careful about germs, make sure there isn't everyone holding him because the last thing we need is for him to get ill." Tom stated.
"The only other person that can hold him is Fletch." Sam stated.
"And me of course." Tom added.
"Duh." Sam said sarcastically.
Tom opened the staff room door, put his finger to his lips and everyone went silent to see Sam holding a little bundle of blankets. All the staff were just getting ready for their shift so they were all there to see.
"Sam, Tom, it's so good to see you!" Robyn squealed.
"Sshh." Tom warned because the last thing he wanted was for his child to show him off by screaming and crying on his first outing from NICU.
"Right, sorry." Robyn whispered. "Who's this?" She asked.
"Aaron, he's the oldest." Sam said softly as Tom guided her through the room and sat her down on the sofa to her annoyance.
"Right, no one can touch him because he's at risk of infection, and he's only allowed out of NICU for 30 minutes." Tom said sternly.
"Oi, go on you lot, off to work." Zoe ordered. "Except you two." Zoe rolled her eyes as a disappointed Tom and Fletch began to leave, but they eagerly shuffled everyone else out of the room and then crowded around the new mum. "He's definitely got your eyes Sam." Zoe said softly.
"Mm, but he's got his dad's lungs." Sam remarked. "It's lucky the other six are sedated otherwise they'd be up half the night." She added.
"So how're the others?" Fletch asked curiously.
"Oh here, I've got loads of pictures." Tom stated as he got his phone out, and then passed it to Fletch.
"And how are you Sam?" Zoe asked kindly.
"Um... Definitely less tired than I was last week now that I'm not feeding Aaron during the night when we go home, but it's still exhausting." Sam admitted. "And the worst part is, all we hear every day is 'you'll just have to wait and see'. It's really getting on my nerves."
"Mm, but we're getting their slowly. They reckon Megan can come off of the ventilator in a couple of days, and Leah was taken off this morning, she'll be waking up in a few hours." Tom stated as Fletch flicked through the photos of all of the children.
"Tom, how many pictures have you got of Sam breastfeeding?" Fletch smirked.
"Oi!" Sam reached up and snatched the phone off of him before she got comfortable on the sofa once more and settled Aaron. She grimaced in pain as she had stretched her abdomen slightly, but the pain soon faded.
"And the c-section? How's your recovery going?" Zoe asked curiously.
"She had postpartum ha- wait, just so we're clear, nothing said in this room is to be repeated because the press are getting hold of anything they can get." Tom said sternly.
"Yes, of course." Zoe nodded.
"Definitely." Fletch nodded too.
"Well, she had postpartum haemorrhage and had to be taken back into theatre. That nearly gave me a heart attack. But, she's just a bit anaemic now, and she's on iron supplement injections. Aren't you darling?" Tom said patronisingly.
"Stop it." Sam warned.
"Yes darling." Tom said quickly.
"You wanna hold your oldest nephew?" Sam asked Fletch.
"Nephew?" Zoe questioned.
"Yeah, he's their uncle. We don't really have any family so, he's uncle Fletch." Sam stated and Zoe smiled. "C'mon, he doesn't bite, he can only gum. And he's already had a wet nappy today so don't worry about that." Sam said as Fletch sat besides her on the sofa.
"Er, newborns have more than one wet nappy a day." Fletch stated confusedly.
"Not premies, he only goes a couple of times a day maximum, and it's usually more in the evening." Sam stated and Fletch nodded. Slowly, Sam handed the bundle of blankets over into his arms. As expected, Fletch was holding Aaron like a natural and he was silent as the baby slept.
"I think we've found the perfect baby sitter." Tom joked.
"What, for all eight? You're having a laugh aren't you!" Fletch laughed softly. "Nah, but seriously, if you ever need a hand, as long as I'm not working, I'll come and give you a hand, day or night. Just gimme a call."
"Thanks." Sam smiled before Sam's stomach let out a loud grumble..
"Have you two had any breakfast?" Zoe asked. "There's plenty of fruit, and cereals etc in the cupboards."
"Well, judging by the coy look on your face, I don't think you've eaten have you?" Tom stated rather than asked as he looked at his wife.
"We were in a rush this morning!" Sam protested quietly.
"Well then you won't have any problem eating some toast will you." Tom concluded.
"No, really Tom. Just something light, those iron injections really don't sit right with me." Sam admitted.
"An apple?" Tom queried.
"Fine." Sam huffed and Tom chucked an apple at her which she took a small bite out of.
"God, he's really light. How much does he weigh?" Fletch asked curiously as he loved the feel of a baby in his arms.
"Um, he was 2lbs 11ozs at birth, and now I think he was 3lbs exactly at his last weigh in." Sam replied.
"Well, I'd better get on, but I'm really happy for you. I'm sure you'll be great parents." Zoe smiled before she left the room.
"Yeah, I suppose I'd better get on too." Tom admitted. "Are you gonna be alright taking him back up to NICU?"
"Trust me Tom, I think I know the way." Sam said sarcastically.
"Alright, see you later. Ooh, and make sure you let me know when Leah wakes up." Tom said before he left the room too.
"I don't suppose you know how to speed up time do you?" Sam huffed.
"I know- well, I don't actually know how you feel, but I can imagine... Well actually I can't imagine having eight babies in NICU. I can only imagine one, just about." Fletch stated.
"Well, I'm one of a kind alright. As I've been told many times." Sam smirked.
"I saw the pictures in the newspapers by they way. And I have to admit, I didn't think you'd give them to them."
"Well, we only did it for the money really. We're gonna be raising eight kids, we're gonna need every penny. Besides, like Tom said when they get discharged, the press will get free pictures so why not make some money now?" Sam explained.
"Fair enough." Fletch nodded. "Right, do you want to take this little one back because I'd better be getting on."
"Okay." Sam forced a smile as Fletch gently handed Aaron back over.
"Alright, c'mon I'll walk you back up to NICU." Fletch gave in to Sam's disappointed face as he stood up, and then helped Sam to her feet because her hands were full.
5:10pm
Tom knew that Leah had woken up, Sam had sent him a video of her first few minutes awake, and he had watched it over and over again whenever he had the time on his shift. He had just finished his shift and headed up to NICU, where he found Mr Solis kneeling in front of Sam's chair.
"Sam? You okay?" He asked worriedly, but once he'd seen what she was doing, he understood. She had her shirt unbuttoned, and Aaron was tucked inside the left side of her shirt, whilst Leah had the right side, and they were both sitting on her lap, suckling away at their mother's breasts whilst Mr Solis supported their heads.
"Sorry, we did try to wait for you but they were both getting hungry." Mr Solis stated. "Here, would you like to support their heads for them?" He suggested.
"Um, yeah sure." Tom nodded as he knelt down, and carefully took over from Mr Solis so that the consultant could stand up.
"Sam, are you okay if I leave you to it?" Mr Solis said softly to the proud, smiling mother.
"Yes, thank you." She beamed and he nodded before he left.
"Hello Leah." Tom smiled as he gently brushed his thumb up and down the side of her head as he supported both of his children's heads. "I'm guessing she likes milk." Tom smirked because as far as he could see, they were both suckling and swallowing quickly.
"I told you, they've all got the appetite of their father." Sam remarked before she yawned.
"Why don't we go home once they've been fed rather than stay here until late like we normally do?" Tom suggested. "C'mon, you need an early night Sam. NICU have got plenty of your milk for night feeds. And you can express some more in the morning." Tom was being soft, but he was demanding rather than suggesting.
"Can we order a takeaway?" Sam asked apprehensively.
"Yeah, of course we can. And I'll even deliver it to your bed." Tom stated.
"Our bed." Sam corrected. "But yeah okay, oh but I need to make sure that they get off to sleep once they've fed, I'm not leaving until they're settled." Sam stated sternly.
"Okay, you put Leah to sleep and I'll put Aaron to sleep, whoever gets them settled first wins." Tom smirked.
"No, that's not fair, Aaron goes out like a light once he's been fed." Sam stated.
"So? Leah might do as well." Tom stated unconvincingly.
"Well what's the prize?" Sam asked curiously.
"Whoever gets their one to sleep first, has to give the other one a back massage until she falls asleep." Tom stated and Sam couldn't help but grin because she knew that he was just offering one even though he knew that he was going to win.
"You're on." She smiled.
"Oh, how did I know that that would work?" Tom joked.
After filling themselves up with plenty of Chinese takeaway food, Sam was laying on her side under the duvet, and Tom was gently massaging her lower back for her with his warm, surprisingly soft hands.
"How're you feeling? And be honest." Tom asked.
"What do you mean?" Sam mumbled. She had her eyes closed as she enjoyed her husband's gentle palpation on her back, whilst she rested her head on her pillow because she was feeling sleepy - she always did on a full stomach.
"Well it's only been a fortnight since you had major abdominal surgery. Not to mention the fact that you're successfully expressing breast milk for three babies full time, and you spend most of your day in NICU with our eight babies." Tom stated.
"I just want them all to come home." Sam admitted.
"Yes, that's what I want too. But I mean physically, how's the pain?"
"About 1/10, it's healing well." Sam stated, though she knew it was due to her painkillers that she was feeling so well.
"And the anaemia?"
"Mmm... I know I'm a bit paler than usual, but other than that no dizziness or anything."
"And the iron injections? And the side effects?" He questioned as he shuffled up behind her, wrapped his arms around her abdomen and tucked his chin on her shoulder.
"Fine." Sam muttered.
"No, that's not an honest answer." Tom said sternly. "When was your last bowel movement?" He asked quietly.
"That's a bit personal." Sam stated.
"Oh c'mon, you know as well as I do it's a perfectly natural bodily process to excrete so, just tell me, when?" Tom repeated.
"This morning, before we left for the hospital." Sam stated, and Tom remembered that she had been in the bathroom a while before he heard the shower running so he believed her.
"Right. And when was your last one before that?" Tom asked.
"I don't know!" Sam protested sleepily.
"Well one day? Two? More?" He asked.
"Tom, how would you like it if I was asking you this?" Sam moaned.
"If it was about my health Sam, you'd be doing exactly the same. Look, I'm a doctor it doesn't matter. Please, just tell me."
"Look I'm not constipated so stop asking me equations, please." Sam pleaded.
"Okay, okay. Calm down." Tom said softly as he felt her tense up in his arms. "I'm sorry, I only asked because I care. You know that." Tom stated.
"Yes but you know that the last thing I want to discuss with you is my toilet habits." Sam stated.
"What? So you'd rather discuss the next one direction album instead?" Tom smirked and he was sure Sam growled a little. "No, thought not."
"You think you're so funny don't you?" Sam laughed.
"Well, it's one of the many reasons why you married me so I must be." Tom said smugly and Sam propped herself up on here elbow to face her husband.
"Who said that's why I married you?"
"You did, when you told me how hot I am, how funny, kind and caring I am, how great in bed I am-"
"Pft, yeah great at taking up the entire bed." Sam laughed.
"Um excuse me? You're talking about taking up the entire bed! When you were pregnant, you pretty much pushed me onto the floor some nights and I ended up sleeping on the sofa." Tom stated.
"Yes but it wasn't the usually pregnancy, I had eight babies inside of me so I was a fair bit fatter than most women." Sam stated. "I gained 145lbs in the end, I think I needed the extra room."
"You gained that much?!" Tom protested.
"Gee, thanks Tom." Sam mumbled.
"No, no I just mean, you didn't look it, and you look like you've already lost most of it, if not all." Tom said kindly.
"Can you just shut up and go to sleep? I'm tired." Sam huffed.
"Yeah, sure. You want me to turn the light off?" He asked.
"No, I want to sleep with the light on." Sam said sarcastically.
"Oi, you did have to sleep with the light on for a few weeks after you thought someone had gotten in the house." Tom stated.
"Someone was in the house." Sam protested.
"No, I told you no one got in, you were just being paranoid because your hormones were on fire." Tom stated. "You were just being protective of our babies, it was your natural instinct."
"Can you just turn the light off." Sam ordered weakly.
"Yeah sure." Tom reached behind him and flicked the switch, before he snaked his arms around Sam and rested his hands hands above her belly button. "I love you." Tom stated as he pecked Sam on the cheek and then nuzzled his nose behind her ear to make her feel safe within his hold, rather than alone on the bed.
"Mm." Sam mumbled and Tom smiled becuase she really was tired, and almost asleep as she let her long, thick hair fall in front of her face and cover her eyes, before they both slipped into a deep slumber.
Thanks for reading! I will be skipping ahead to when they are discharged in the next chapter becuase I'm getting bored of writing about NICU, and I have plenty of ideas for when they are growing up :) Please review :)
