Chapter 13

Jamie stared at the infant in his arms, fascinated. "Mom?" he called softly.

"Yes, Sweetheart?" she replied sleepily.

"Why are they so little?" he asked. He tipped his head to the side to look at the other baby in Phillip's arms.

Phillip groaned, "Because they're babies, stupid. They're supposed to be little."

Jamie shook his head, "No, Charlie's a baby, and he wasn't this small when we first saw him. Right, Lee?" He looked up at him, hoping Lee would take his side. Lee was sitting on the edge of Amanda's bed, ready to take either of the infants from the boys.

"Well, Charlie was a little older than your sisters when your grandmother started taking care of him, so he would've been bigger. And you have to remember; your sisters didn't have as much room to grow as you and your brother did before you were born," Lee smiled.

Lee glanced over at Amanda, who returned his smile with a tired nod. She closed her eyes and settled back against the pillows, exhausted. He reached over to take her hand, but his attention was drawn back to the boys when Philip asked, "How do we tell them apart? Right now, they both look the same."

"Yeah, I already forgot which one this is," Jamie admitted, looking down at his sister.

"Well, today they each have a colored band around their ankle. When we bring them home, it might be hard in the beginning, but we'll figure it out," Lee assured them. He reached over and tugged the blanket loose around the infant's feet. When he saw the green band, he reminded Jamie, "That's Lily."

"That makes this one DJ," Philip confirmed. He tried to study their faces to see if there was anything different about each baby, but he came up empty.

Dotty beamed from her post near the windows, "I'm sure their personalities will come shining through, as well. I mean, just because they look alike doesn't mean everything about them is going to be the same."

Lee nodded, "That's true." Before he could continue, two nurses stepped into the room.

"We hate to break up this gathering, but you need to say goodbye for now," one nurse stated. She stepped forward to take the infant in Philip's arms.

"What are you doing?" Lee immediately questioned.

The nurse just smiled at him, "Mrs. Stetson needs her rest, and we need to bring the babies to the nursery for observation. Hospital rules, Mr. Stetson, you understand." She carefully lifted the baby and placed her into one of the two hospital bassinets. "Dr. Sax is in the nursery now and needs to run a few tests on them."

"Tests? What kind of tests?" Lee tensed up.

"It's completely standard, Mr. Stetson," the second nurse replied as she lifted the second infant from Jamie's arms. Lee looked at Amanda, who was blinking lazily at him, then at the nurses. "If you'd like, you can follow us down to see where they will be," the nurse suggested.

Amanda reached out for Lee, and after he took her hand, she whispered, "I think I'd like to take a nap, Sweetheart, so maybe you could walk Mother and the boys out and see where the girls are going to be."

Lee leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest then. I'll be back in a little bit," he promised her. Lee, Dotty, and the boys followed the nurses into the hall, where they began pushing the bassinets toward a wall lined with windows.

"See, Mr. Stetson," one nurse assured him. Inside the room, he noticed several other infants, bundled up tightly, sleeping. Standing near the doorway was Dr. Sax. She caught his attention with a smile and a wave as the two nurses continued into the room. Lee gave her a half-hearted wave back but waited until the nurses parked the bassinets into two open spaces.

"That's where they'll be while Amanda rests," Dotty assured him. She gave him a side hug and smiled. Something at the end of the hallway caught her attention, and to Lee's surprise, Joe was walking toward them.

"Congratulations, Lee," Joe announced when he reached them. He extended his hand out as he asked, "How's Amanda feeling?"

Before Lee could answer, Jamie excitedly pointed at the window. "That's them, Dad. Back there. That doctor has…" his voice trailed off as he tried to see the band around the infant's ankle. "Green… that's Lily. I was holding her when the nurses came in," he announced proudly.

Joe smiled at his son, "She looks a little like you when you were born." Lee waved at the nurse to get her attention. Familiar with the gesture, she held up DJ for Joe to see.

"That's DJ," Philip stated with a smile.

Joe studied the small faces for several seconds. "Wow," Joe gasped. "They really do look alike."

"Well, what were you expecting?" Lee laughed at the absurdity of Joe's comment.

"I don't know. I mean, I know Amanda said they were going to be identical, but… looks like you are going to have your hands full for a while," Joe laughed.

Dotty reached out and grasped Joe's hand, "Amanda will have it all under control, you mark my words. She's been thinking about this for months now."

Lee's attention was drawn back to the back of the nursery, where he watched Dr. Sax lay Lily down to examine her. He reached up and touched the glass with his fingertips as Lily's face began to scrunch up. When Dr. Sax held a syringe in her hand, the muscle in his cheek began to twitch wildly. He anticipated what was coming next, and it was taking every part of him to hold back marching into the room and snatching his daughter into this arms. Dr. Sax plunged the small needle into Lily's leg and, although he couldn't hear her, he could see Lily was screeching. The nurse quickly scooped the infant up to console her. She bounced her gently before she laid her back into her bassinet and swaddled her tightly. The nurse offered a pacifier to the crying newborn, and within a minute, she was contentedly sucking away.

"She's going to be just fine, Lee," Joe assured him. "The boys always hated their shots, too, but they need them. so it's worth that minute or two of discomfort."

Lee reached up and dragged his hand down his neck, "Yeah, I know, but you can ask Amanda. I hate doctors and needles and all that." He watched as Dr. Sax repeated the same procedure on DJ, cringing the entire time. Once again, the nurse was able to comfort the newborn easily, and within minutes, the twins were resting side by side.

Joe reached up and clapped Lee on the shoulder, "You might as well get used to that, though. If I remember right, the first year is filled with doctor's appointments and shots, but the doctors will tell you, it's all to keep them healthy."

Lee's eyes were still focused on his daughters. "I'm sure, but I still don't have to like it."

"Dad?" Philip called from the other side of Joe, "Do you think we can go to the store, so we can buy them something? I got my first paycheck from the shop, and, well, I can't think of anything better to spend it on than them."

Joe put his arm around his eldest son, "Tell you what. How about Carrie and I buy the girls something and you and Jamie can get something nice for your mom?"

Jamie's eyes lit up, "Yeah, I have some money saved up, too. And I have the perfect idea…" he glanced over at Lee and added, "Sorry, Lee, but I think I want this to be a surprise."

Lee chuckled, shook his head, and stated, "I get it. You guys have a good time. I'm going to go back and check on Amanda."

"And I am going to head home and start calling everyone. Oh, this is so exciting! Just think, Lee, Sunday is your first official Father's Day!" Dotty exclaimed happily.

Joe nodded, "That's right. Congratulations!"

Lee grinned, his dimples deep, "I forgot all about that. Thanks."

Joe lifted his chin toward Philip and Jamie, "How about you boys walk your grandmother to her car? I'll meet you down there."

"Sure thing, Dad," Philip nodded back. The two boys escorted Dotty into the elevator, who was still chatting away about who she needed to call and how excited everyone was going to be.

"I just wanted a minute, without the boys and Dotty," Joe explained. Lee turned his attention to him and waited. "Well, first, I just want to thank you for everything you've done for the boys this last year."

"Joe, you don't have to do that," Lee insisted, but Joe raised his hand to stop him.

Joe sighed, shook his head, and stated, "No, I do. I thought all of this was going to be hard on them… Carrie and I getting married, you and Amanda getting married, a new house, Carrie and I moving into the house on Maplewood… but somehow, they've taken it all in stride. I truly believe it's because of you, Lee." Lee blinked several times, absorbing Joe's admission. "You've given them something they've lacked for so long, but I was too wrapped up in the EAO to see it. Amanda tells me how you spend time with them, helping with their homework, working on projects like the firepit last fall, and taking them to the races around town. Philip even said you helped him get an A-minus in history. I never thought I'd see the day my son would get an A in anything in high school."

"They're good kids, Joe. I don't do all that much," Lee tried again.

Joe held his hand out, and when Lee grasped it, he stated, "You do more now than I've done over the years. I'm glad they've gotten to see how a real family should be. Not just the life I forced them into when they were small. Thanks."

Lee squeezed Joe's hand and stated, "As Amanda keeps reminding me… it takes a village. You and I are a big part of that village, and I think if we continue to work together like we have been, we're going to see some great things from the boys."

Joe reached up and clapped Lee on the shoulder once more, "Amanda's right."

"She's always right… just don't tell her I said that," Lee laughed.

Joe glanced down the hall and laughed loudly, "Don't worry. I won't."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you to everyone for your fun reviews! I look forward to each and every one of them! FanFiction was having a glitch the last week so if I have not responded to your review, I may not have seen it. I do try to respond to everyone so please check your Private Messaging for a reply. For Guest Reviews... I cannot respond but I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to respond to the chapters. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!

~ Tracey