Early December
Fifteen days later, Matt and Livy drove up to an inn near the hospital in Marquette. They decided that it would be wise to be close to the hospital a few days before to prevent any drives through the snow in labor. In addition, Jesse and Clara flew up and were staying at the same inn with them and Elizabeth and Jack were staying with the Coulter's and would drive up on the day of the cesarean.
Livy was miserable. She didn't think her belly could actually stretch anymore than it had already and she felt like the babies would fall out if she stood too long, so she stayed laying or sitting as much as possible.
Clara knocked on Matt and Livy's room. Matt opened it. "Hi, Mom," he said, giving her a big hug.
"Hi, Matty. I missed you!"
"I missed you too. Where's Dad?"
"He's taking a nap. He wants us to go to dinner later."
"Oh, well, would we be able to bring dinner in? Livy needs to stay in bed."
"You can go," Livy said from inside the room.
Clara walked inside the room and smiled at Livy.
"Hi, sweetie. Don't you look beautiful?"
"Um, not really. I'm as big as a bus and my body isn't my own anymore."
"But you're happy?"
"Honestly, I'll be happier in about three days when I get to meet them, but, yes, I'm happy."
"You are amazing, Livy. Don't you forget that."
"Thank you."
"Oh, and we want to eat with both of you tonight so we will get takeout. What would you like?"
"Hmm. Chinese."
"That's a lot of salt, babe," Matt told her.
"I am carrying three babies inside me right now, Matthew Flynn. I think I deserve to eat what I want, don't you?"
He nodded and gave her a kiss. "Of course. I'm sorry. You deserve everything, sweetheart."
Livy burst into tears and both Clara and Matt sat down and gave her a hug. "I'm okay. I'm just hormonal. I can't control it."
"What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Clara asked her.
"Triple chocolate chunk with hot fudge and five cherries on top."
Clara laughed and kissed her forehead. "Coming right up."
For the next few days, they spent time watching movies and just catching up with each other. On the third day, the four went up to the hospital about six am. Her surgery was scheduled for nine but they needed the time to get her prepped.
Livy could not stop her tears. She was a perfect mixture of scared, excited, and hormonal and it came out in tears.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" the nurse, Lily asked as she hooked up the fetal monitor.
"Nothing. I'm fine."
"Are you excited to meet your babies today?"
"Yeah," she said, a sob popping out of her mouth.
"Do you have names picked out?"
"Yes, but we are keeping them a secret until they are born."
"Good for you. Two boys and a girl, right?"
"That's right."
"Well, I will be with you the entire time, dear."
"You will?"
"Yes I will. There will be a pediatrician and two nurses for each baby in the OR and I'm assigned to one of them."
Elizabeth knocked on the door and peeked her head in. "Can I come in?"
"Mom."
"Hi, sweetheart. How are you doing?" More tears and Elizabeth just hugged her and stroked her hair. "This is an exciting day, Livy."
"I know. I can't wait to hold them."
"I felt the same way about you and your sister and brother. There is nothing like it."
"I'm scared, Mom. Will you pray for me?"
"Of course, love."
Clara, Jesse, Jack, Matt and Elizabeth joined hands, lending their support.
"Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this beautiful day you have given us. We thank you for the endless gifts we receive from you. Today we receive three of those amazing gifts, these babies. Please be with the doctors and nurses as they take care of Livy and the babies. Please give Livy the peace that only you can give her and the strength she will need to get through the first few weeks of being a mother. We approach you in your son Jesus' name. Amen."
"Amen," everyone repeated.
"Thanks, Mama."
"You are most welcome."
Livy lay on the operating table, numb from her ribcage down, her view blocked by the blue drape.
Matt sat down, covered in blue scrubs, a shower cap type hat and a surgical mask. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Hi, sweetheart. Ready?"
She nodded and smiled. The moment they had been waiting for was here. Their children were about to make their entrance.
"Alright, Mama. You're going to feel some pressure and tugging but you shouldn't feel pain," the surgeon told her. "Can you feel this?"
"No."
"Alright. Here we go."
About five minutes later she felt tugging and the pressure he mentioned. Then a cry.
"Baby A, a boy! Congratulations!"
"Beckett," Matt said and Livy smiled.
The surgeon held a tiny crying boy over the drape for a quick moment so they could see him. He was beautiful.
Then a nurse took him away to the edge of the room.
"Ready for Baby B? A girl! Congratulations!"
"Amber," Matt said, kissing Livy's forehead, tears filling his eyes. It was overwhelming to hear his sister's namesake crying her eyes out. They got a glimpse of her too before she was whisked away.
"And, Baby C! Another boy! Congratulations."
Wesley was screaming loud for his size. "Wesley," Matt said with a smile. "He's a loud one."
"Go take pictures, Matt," Livy told him. "I want to see them."
He pulled his mask down and kissed her lips. "I love you, Liv. I'm so proud of you."
"I love you too."
Matt followed the nurses to the NICU to keep track of the babies.
A young dark haired nurse asked him to stay by the door. There were a lot of people in the room and he needed to stay out of the way.
It was such a time of mixed emotions for him. He heard them cry and it hurt him. Were they okay? Were they breathing alright? Were they scared?
"Are they okay?" he asked the nearest person.
"We will fill you in very soon, sir."
After what seemed like forever, the dark haired nurse came and got him and helped him scrub up so he would be germ free to meet his babies.
"This is Baby A."
"Beckett Matthew," he told her.
"Beckett is the smallest of the three. He weighs four pounds eight ounces."
"He's on oxygen?"
"Yes. He needs a little extra help breathing. But other than that, he's doing very well. You'll notice they are in these incubators to help keep their temperature up and minimize germs."
"Can I...touch him?"
"Of course. Put your hands through the sides there."
Matt slowly slipped his hands inside the isolette. "Hi, Beckett. I'm your Daddy. I love you so much." He blew a breath out and blinked his eyes fast. "You need to be strong, bud." He marveled at how tiny everything on him was. Beckett's tiny hand curled around the tip of his finger and he let out a cry. "Its okay. You're safe here."
Next he was taken to Amber. "Baby B."
"Amber Joy. After my sister."
"Its a lovely name. She is four pounds fifteen ounces. Almost made it to five pounds. She is a fighter but she's also on oxygen."
"Hi, sweet Amber. I'm your Daddy. You're so beautiful, just like your Mommy."
She seemed to focus on him so he kept talking as he gently rubbed his fingertip along her arm and leg.
"Ready to meet Baby C?"
"Wesley Jack."
"Would you like to hold him?"
"Can I?"
"Yeah. He's a big one. Five pounds two ounces and he is breathing well on his own at this point. So skin to skin is possible with him."
"Skin to skin?"
"Yes. We will lay him on your chest, against your bare skin. The warmth and love he will feel as you hold him is essential to help them grow."
"Let's do that."
He took off his shirt and sat down in the rocking chair. Then she lifted Wesley out of his isolette and gently handed him to Matt, covering them both with a warm blanket.
Matt asked her to take a picture for Livy and then he concentrated on the connection he felt holding his son.
As he held him, he could feel him move around and make sucking noises with his tongue.
"Looks like he's hungry. Would you like to feed him?"
"Yes. I would."
Livy woke up a while later, feeling sore and empty. "Mom?"
"I'm right here, sweetheart. Are you in pain?"
"A little. I want to see my babies."
"I know. I have pictures but you can't see them in person until you get a bit better."
"I'm fine." Elizabeth brought over the pictures on her phone so she could at least see them. Seeing each of them, so tiny and so helpless hurt. "Are they okay?"
Matt walked in then and smiled, walking over to Livy. "Hi, sweetheart."
Elizabeth excused herself to get something to eat.
"How are they?"
"Small and strong and perfect." He bent down and gave her a kiss. "Wes is the biggest. I got to hold him and give him a bottle. Beck is the smallest and on oxygen and Amber is in between and on oxygen too. But they're good, babe. And Amber is as beautiful as you."
"I want to see them so much."
"I know. When the nurse comes in next, let's find out when."
Unfortunately, the answer was that she wouldn't be able to until the next morning and that hurt her heart. Her babies needed their mother and she needed them.
Everyone came back in the room a while later so Matt and Livy could announce the names of the babies.
"First born was Beckett Matthew. He was the smallest too at four pounds eight ounces," Matt told their parents. "Next was Amber Joy." Clara and Jesse both gasped and started crying.
"Amber Joy?" Clara asked.
"Yes. I knew from the moment I found out there was a girl that that would be her name," Livy told them.
Clara hugged her husband and then Livy and Matt. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Last is Wesley Jack. He is the biggest at just over five pounds. He's not on oxygen like the other two and I was able to hold and feed him."
Jack was touched this time. He gave Matt a big hug and then Livy. "I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, Dad."
Finally the next morning came and she and Matt went to the NICU. "Can you go a little faster?" she asked the nurse pushing her wheelchair.
"Don't worry. We will be there soon."
After both of them scrubbed their hands, they each went to check on their children.
First, she went to see Wes who was wide awake. "Can I please hold him?"
"Of course."
The feeling of complete love she had when he was placed against her chest stole her breath. Her tears immediately filled her eyes. "Hi, sweet boy. Mama is here now." He slowly turned his head and tried to see where she was. She kissed his soft forehead and hummed as she rocked.
Matt took a video of her and Wes to show everyone when he got back to the Inn.
Matt actually got to hold Beckett next. It was a little tricky with his oxygen and other wires but eventually he was able to feel skin to skin contact too.
After feeding Wes, Livy moved on to Amber, and so it went for a few hours. They moved from baby to baby, assuring them that everything was okay and they loved them.
As it stood, Livy would be leaving the hospital a few days later and the babies would be staying for a while, at least a few weeks. It broke her heart to leave them so she promised them that everyday she or Daddy would come back to see them.
The next few weeks would turn out to be the most challenging time of their lives.