Disclaimers: I do not Criminal Minds or its characters, including Elizabeth Prentiss, or Sandy and Roslyn Jareau. I do own all OCs, including JJ and Emily's extended family, siblings, doctors, etc.
Spoilers: None
Rating: T
Notes: Hey, everyone! It's been a while, and I am sorry about that. The last few months have been hard for various reasons, including what happened last month (Glee related), and just in general the world going to shit. But, I do have the next several chapters finished, and I have even more outlined, and hopefully, this will make it back on the updating list!
Important: Alden is Elizabeth's father, the kids maternal grandfather. Jason is James's 12-year-old little brother, the kids' "uncle".
Juliet: 26 weeks (5 months) – adjusted age 17 weeks (3 months). 6.9 lbs. 18 inches long.
Lucas: 26 weeks (5 months) – adjusted age 17 weeks (3 months). 6.8 lbs. 17.5 inches long.
Jennifer: 24 weeks old (5 months) – adjusted age 16 weeks (3 months). 5.4 lbs. 16.8 inches long.
Enjoy! :)
December 27th, 1978
*Prentiss Residence*
Michael sighs as he is let inside the house.
Christmas has come and gone. Jenny has been home, officially, for 48 hours.
Sandra has spoken to, held, or acknowledged the fact that Jennifer exists a total of 6 hours, 37 minutes, and, as of 5 minutes ago, before Michael drove here, 19 seconds during those 48 hours.
Michael is absolutely exhausted. By all of it.
The Triplets are on a 1 hour, 30 minute cycle of being fed, while their medicine administered on a cycle that is little longer than that.
The older kids are needing more attention, as well.
Emma is struggling, Caleb's grades have dropped, Roslyn is having nightmares again.
Gabriel and Elijah, the two who are least likely to get in trouble, are now being grounded nearly every week. Michael dreads when they actually go back to school in January.
And when the older kids are not fighting or arguing with each other, they are causing chaos and disrupting the little ones' naptime, or demanding the attention that they desperately need, but are not getting.
Sandra is no help at all.
He gets it; she is hurting, she is struggling with… something… but she refuses to talk to him. And if she won't talk then he cannot help her.
Emma is starting arguments with the younger two. She is stressed, has been ever since Juliet and Lucas came home two months ago.
Caleb is having meltdowns again. He held out for June and July. And Michael was expecting everything to come crashing down, but when it did not happen in August, he thought, maybe, just maybe, it would not happen.
But then September happened.
Twice in one week, and then a break; he held it together for another two weeks before having three more in three days.
Then October happened. The babies were growing, things were being prepared at home. The kids were staying with friends, grandparents, their aunt and uncle.
Caleb's routine was thrown off. Emma was aggravating him, school was overwhelming. Everything was different, changing; routines were being screwed with, plans were being rescheduled or canceled last minute.
In the months since Juliet and Lucas arrived home, –– from October until now –– Caleb has had nine consecutive meltdowns, 5 reports from school, and numerous other incidents.
Elijah is barely hanging on. Roslyn is quieter than usual. Gabriel is hanging by a thread, himself, and is getting in trouble. Hitting the other kids, smarting off to grownups. He has more trouble focusing and listening in school.
Roslyn and Emma are always fighting, arguing over something –– anything –– nearly every moment of the day. Roslyn refuses to do her homework, and cannot seem to retain anything she learned at school. Emma is struggling, big time. She is not completing her nightly assignment of reading, and is failing at math that she had previously been able to do.
Michael tries his best to be home in time to help everyone with their homework; to check it over. Before now, he would sit Emma down and go step-by-step with her math. She is learning long division, which is extremely hard for her, and triple-digit multiplication.
Michael hated it. Emma despised it. And now that their daily routines, schedules, and life, in general, had been screwed up?
Well, the 12-year-old was ready to throw in the towel just a week after school started.
Elijah tries his best to focus at school, but he is falling behind because he cannot sleep at night, plagued by nightmares that something will happen to Jules, Luke, or Jenny. That Jennifer will decline again and this time, she will not magically become better. That this time, she will actually die.
That is the worry behind every nightmare and every incomplete school assignment. It is the fear that drives every smart mouth comment, every angry outburst, every fight at school, and every night that he lays awake staring at the ceiling.
His writing is suffering majorly. Teachers are not being lenient enough, and are failing him due to his inability to write or complete assignments. Michael is furious, but is unable to do anything due to the school's lack of help in scheduling a good date for a meeting.
Life was turned upside down when Lucas and Juliet came home in October, and again two days ago when Jennifer arrived home. And it does not seem it will get better any time soon.
So, yeah, Michael is exhausted.
He hasn't slept. He has not had a decent meal in months. Christmas Eve and Day was the first real homecooked, full-course meal he has had since Juliet and Lucas were born in June.
For six months, he survived on frozen pizza, sandwiches, take-out orders, hell, sometimes all he had during a 24-hour period was a bottle of soda, and three bags of chips.
He did not even have a proper birthday back in November. Emma remembered as did his mom and dad. His sisters, Martha, Cynthia, and Kelley-Elizabeth, called to wish a happy birthday. But the other kids had to be reminded, and there were no presents, cake, or special birthday dinner.
Now, though, as he walks into the Prentiss household, and their Nanny, Lynn Stevens, takes the Triplets up to the Nursery, where a pac-'n-play has been sanitized and is available for their nap, he finally feels like he can relax.
There are no expectations here.
No need to be the perfect husband and the attentive, dream dad.
The older kids are at their friends' houses. Something that is typical during the Holidays. And Michael came over here because he needs to not be around Sandra right now. He needs to be able to relax, and know that the Triplets, Jennifer, especially, are taken care of.
"Hello, Michael," Liz greets as he enters the kitchen. "Would like a cup of coffee?"
"Maybe you can hook me up to an IV drip." He jokes back as he heads straight to the fridge for some creamer. He knows the layout of this house probably better than his own, and is no longer wary about "making himself at home".
"Still not getting any sleep, huh?" Elizabeth watches him getting a mug, pouring the coffee, adding creamer, reaching for the sugar… "You know, you are more than welcome to let us watch Triplets for a few days. Just so you can get a full 8 hours of sleep, or longer, if you need it. James and I understand how hard it is at night for first several weeks or months."
She remembers when they brought Jake home, just short of 11 years ago. Even though he was only born 3 weeks early, a "late term" preemie, he was still abnormally small, and required a six-week stay in the NICU. He was labeled failure to thrive at six months, but is doing much better now.
Michael sighs as he turns to face Elizabeth. He wants to say yes; he needs to say yes. Taking care of eight children, three of which literally require triple the normal amount of care and attention, and not getting more than a four-hour timespan of sleep each night is starting to take a toll on him.
He figures it couldn't hurt. They still have several days of Christmas break, and he can always take the Triplets home within two or three, or even four, days. That way he is able to spend time with them before getting things ready to start working again at the hospital in January.
Michael agrees and, an hour later, Elizabeth accompanies him to his house to pack up the rest of the equipment, all the medicine, their formula, the diapers that were specially designed for preemies, numerous outfits, as well as the pacifiers, and their bassinets.
It looks like, to anyone who might see it, that he is going to be leaving Lucas, Juliet, and Jennifer for more than just four days. But, that is what happens when the babies are born so early, and actually do require all of these things daily.
*Later*
He still has not heard from Sandra. She went to visit her parents after he left the house, but will not return his calls.
He checked in with his own mom and dad, Karen and Kenneth Jareau, and they are staying at their house that is here in Pittsburgh. They will stay the rest of Christmas break but will have to leave next week, as Martha and Kelley-Elizabeth have to go back to school.
He keeps dialing Sandra, but after the fourth time in as many hours, Michael finally gets frustrated enough to give up, at least for now. He even takes advantage of the nap that Elizabeth offers him, and makes his way to one of the guest bedrooms.
This house is huge, and he is a little jealous of it. It is three stories if you count the basement. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and there are four guest bedrooms, along with a bathroom for each of them, which makes for about 9 fully furnished bedrooms with pullout couches downstairs and in the basement.
He was informed, by Emilia, that she has her own room instead of sharing with Amaya, because Kai and Maya wanted to share a room. They leaves Jacob and Tristan sharing a room, and Claire and Gracie sharing a Nursery.
All the bedrooms are themed, including the guest bedrooms. Two "girly" ones of pink and black/Paris, and the second being just grey, pink, and brown. For the other two –– the "boy" themed –– one is light green, blue, and white, a "Nautical" theme, with blue and white, while the second is "normal", just as plain ole as can be for the colors, themes, etc.
Michael picks the "Nautical" one for his nap.
It seems like it lasts only an hour but by the time he awakens, nearly four hours have passed. It seems his internal clock is still set to wake up for the babies, and for a moment, he panics as he does not immediately recognize where he is at.
Taking a several minutes to get ahold of his bearings, Michael calms down as he remembers what today is and where he is currently. Once he understands, he sits up, running a hand over his face. The clock reads 3:14 p.m. but the room is incredibly dark thanks to the blackout curtains on the window.
He ventures downstairs, following the sound of music and laughter to the kitchen. As he comes into view of the room, he leans against the kitchen doorway, watching as Elizabeth and James, along with an unknown man and woman, –– though, by the looks of it, they are related to Elizabeth, –– dance around the room with the kids.
It seems the older kids had shown up at some point, as there is now nearly triple the amount of children under the age of 18.
He relaxes as he watches…
Penelope (Elizabeth's mother) is off to the side, feeding Juliet a bottle while her husband, Alden, is with Jennifer as he either feeds her formula or her medicine. Michael moves closer, noticing that Alden is also speaking to her, singing a song he does not recognize as it is in a different language.
Bébé à moi, ne pleure pas,
Bébé à moi, séchez vos yeux.
Reposez votre tête près de mon cœur,
Ne jamais se séparer,
Le bébé de la mine.
Petit, quand tu joues,
Ne vous dérangez pas ce qu'ils disent.
Laissez ces yeux briller et briller,
Jamais une larme,
Le bébé de la mine.
De la tête à vos orteils (Baby mine),
Tu es si gentil, Dieu sait (Baby mine).
Tu es si précieux pour moi,
Mignon comme peut l'être,
Le bébé de la mine.
Mine de bébé,
Mine de bébé.
He must make a noise or something, or maybe it is because Alden raised 12 kids, but suddenly, the older man is looking at him.
"Hello, Michael. Sleep well, I hope?"
"Yes, I did." And it is the truth; the Prentisses certainly do not skimp out on making sure their guests are comfortable while staying here. "Thank you. How are they?"
At this, Alden lights up, almost as if he is about to speak about his own children and/or grandchildren.
"Jennifer is doing wonderful. She had a wet diaper and a poopy diaper, and has taken her medicine and formula like a champ. Juliet is wonderful, as well. She sucked that bottle dry, just like the big girl she is."
It makes Michael so happy to hear Alden speak with a… proudness… as if the babies were actually his blood-family. Of course, Michael realizes, he feels the same about the Prentiss kids. He shares their triumphs, their fails, and their in-betweens.
However, as Michael is feeling this, he notices that Alden suddenly looks less… enthusiastic.
Right as he goes to ask, Alden speaks up, "I do not want to worry you, Son. But I did notice something… strange…" Alden makes a motion with his hand, telling Michael to hang on just a moment. He finishes up with Jennifer and hands her off to Elizabeth.
It is not until Alden starts leading Michael to the side of the room, that the new-but-seasoned father begins to really worry.
"You see, I noticed that Jennifer and Juliet, they could open their eyes, and it seemed they were focusing on what they were hearing, with their eyes, that is. Emilia, she came over and was speaking to Jenny. I could tell that your baby girl was enthralled by her. She opened her beautiful blue eyes, and turned towards Emmy…"
It strikes him at that moment: Alden is speaking of Juliet and Jennifer, his daughters, but has not mentioned, Lucas.
Why does that thought fill him with dread?
Alden must sense it because he is speaking once more, explaining,
"What I noticed was Lucas, your son, he would turn towards a sound, however, it seems like he was not able to focus his eyes on the object of the sound. My wife, Penelope, and I, we tried several different things: rattles, siblings speaking, and so on. But it did not seem as if he could focus his eyes."
Now–" He holds up a hand. "I do not want you to get too worried. Lucas may be able to do such a thing, –– focusing his eyes on one particular item or person, –– and it may just be taking him a bit longer. He is using an adjusted age, after all. I just wanted you to know, because James had told me you were taking the Triplets to their checkup in a couple of weeks."
It does worry him. He cannot help it. It is his first time –– his family's first time –– having not one, but three babies born as early as Jennifer, Juliet, and Lucas were. He is so happy, so proud, that Jennifer is able to turn towards Emilia. He is proud of Juliet, also. It means they are developing in a semi-normal way.
Michael is also excited. So, so excited. He wants to try it for himself. He wants to speak to them and get that fuzzy feeling in his belly when his child turns to look at him after hearing his voice. That moment when you can say yes! She reached a milestone! That moment when they categorize him as daddy and his voice.
He looks across the room. Emilia is sitting in the living room and he can see her from his placement with Alden. She is holding Jennifer, and by the looks of it, Jenny is looking at her. Emilia's smile is beautiful. She looks as if she could not be happier.
But…
That all comes crashing down when he sees Caleb pacing back and forth, holding Lucas, speaking to him, and simply… bonding with his baby brother.
Michael hopes –– oh, how he hopes –– that Alden is right: Lucas was born 9 weeks early and may just need extra time to reach this particular milestone.
God, he really hopes.
Because the alternative?
The opposite of needing more time?
Retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP.
A big, scary diagnosis that means an abnormal growth of blood vessels.
It could mean vision loss.
Vision loss.
Though that does not always happen.
It can be detected early, however, if a child gets his or her eye exams at the right time. And most of the cases go away without treatment.
But it is still scary.
It is terrifying because, sometimes?
Sometimes it does not go away.
Sometimes treatment does not work.
Sometimes, the surgery to laser away the extra blood vessels fails, and this leads to scar tissue and glasses and vision problems, and all of this is terrifying to parents, because, why wouldn't it be?
A pit forms in the bottom of Michael's stomach.
He has heard the outcome of the surgeries. He has seen parents absolutely elated because the surgery went well, and their baby would be able to see.
Then, there was that one case, about two years ago. He overheard a doctor giving a young couple, probably no older than 21 or 22, some very bad news. Earlier that week, their infant baby girl had the surgery, her abnormal growth of blood vessels were supposed to be lasered away, and all was supposed to be well.
Only, it did not happen that way. When her parents brought her in that day for a checkup, well…
Let's just say congratulations, the surgery was a success! was not the kind of news those parents were given.
The doctor gave them the news that the surgery had failed, and their little girl would grow up…
Blind.
That baby girl would be about 4, turning 5 in March, in fact. And he knows this because, Kiera, that was her name, was born on March 17th, 1974.
Anyway…
Michael looks to Alden. He tries to rein in his emotions but fails, and Alden just looks so…
Devastated.
But he is older, and he has more authority, and with as much calmness as he possibly can muster, Alden says, "I do not want you to worry. I know where your head is right now, but don't let it linger. This could be nothing, Michael, you hear? It could be nothing."
And then, because he is older, and because he not want to give Michael false hope by swearing Lucas will be fine, he adds,
"And even if it is something, we will be here for you. All of us. Okay? You are not in this alone."
Ok, so basically what I am saying is, Lucas could be blind or have very low vision. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is something that occurs with premature babies, and the earlier the baby is born, the greater chance this will occur.
I wanted to shake things up. There will be lingering effects of being born 9 weeks early (for Luke & Jules) and 8 weeks early (for JJ). This will include developmental delays, learning disabilities, and maybe some… other… types of complications.
Please review and let me know what you thought! :) If you have any questions, just put it in your review, and I will answer through PM.