Early May
Kayla saw Terri's number on her screen so she turned the pot of macaroni down and answered.
"Hello?"
"You ready, Kayla?"
"Like, ready ready? Yes!"
The crib that Harlow had used was in the master. They had bottles and diapers and clothes and…
"She's in labor now. About three centimeters so you have some time."
"I just need to get Harlow and Cole over to my parent's house and pick up Drew. Thank you so much!"
"See you soon."
Kayla called Drew and then her parents and headed over to the duplex.
"I wanna go, Mama!" Harlow whined loudly.
"Babe, you are gonna be here with both Grandma's and Papas."
"But I want to meet Aubrie!"
The big fat tears rolling down Harlow's cheeks were almost too much. Almost. "Lolo, you will get to meet her very soon. But babies take a long time sometimes. I love you so much. Give me a hug and kisses."
"No! I'm mad at you!" she said, frowning and crossing her arms, stomping into the house.
Cole hugged her around the waist. "Bye, Mama! Love you."
Drew put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "She's four. She will get over it the moment she meets Aubrie."
She nodded and gave him a big hug. "I love you, Drew. Thank you for everything you give me. Our babies and our life. I couldn't ask for more."
Up north, Matt and Livy's cabin
As the months had gone by, Livy had decided to stop breastfeeding and pumping, switching to just pumping. Kayla had gifted her a nifty breast pump that fit inside her bra so that she could feed the babies bottles while pumping. What a blessing.
Right now, she was doing dishes while pumping, since the triplets were sleeping.
"Babe?" Matt called from the doorway.
"Shhh. Matt! I just got them to sleep."
"Sorry. I have news."
"Okay."
"First," he said, stepping forward to kiss her. "Hi."
"Hi." She said and went back to dishes.
"Babe, can I just get a minute of your time?"
She turned off the faucet and sighed, drying her hands.
"Look, this is good news. For all of us."
"Okay." She seemed irritated but he knew her hormones were all over the place these days.
"Mike offered me a management position at the new office in Indian River."
"So you'll be commuting? Or are we moving? I'm not sure either of those things are good."
He sighed. "You know, I came home early to tell you, hoping we could get some time together but….nevermind. Maybe if you're in a better mood later." He walked away, heading outside to work on something. There was plenty to do to clean up after winter.
He used his aggravation to his benefit and chopped wood for the fireplace. Way more than they would need in the next few months, but it helped.
Once he was thoroughly chilled and tired he decided to stop hiding.
"Matt?"
He turned and saw her the way he always had. Beautiful, curvy, thoughtful. She handed him a cup of coffee. Then, she heard Amber's cry over the monitor.
"Thank you."
"She's hungry. And the boys should be up soon and they will be too."
"Need help?"
Honestly, she'd gotten used to getting all three fed but instead she said, "I'd love some."
She walked upstairs and by then, all three were whimpering. "Hi, hunny bunnies!" she said, peering down at them. Amber smiled up at her and the boys, as serious as can be, just kicked their legs and grunted a bit.
She changed their diapers and laid them in their boppy pillows with little contraptions in front of them that held their bottles as they drank. Another Aunt Kayla gift.
Matt walked in with the bottles and sat down with Kayla in front of the babies.
"Babe, I'm sorry," she told him. "I really miss you and I miss being with an adult who can talk back." She sniffed and wiped a tear away. "I miss the family and I'm just overwhelmed."
"We need a date, Liv. You and me once the kids are asleep. Dressed up. Dinner and uninterrupted talk."
"I want to know about Indian River."
"Tonight. We will talk about it and weigh the options."
Ben, Ava and Kinsey were next door at Jack and Elizabeth's so the kids could play together. Carson, Faith and Sophia were also there, but heading to the hospital soon to see their new granddaughter. Lee was helping his men finish the last few items on the addition and Rosie was shopping.
Ava lay in the living room, her feet on Ben's lap as they all chatted. "Um….babe," she said with slight panic in her voice.
"Yeah?" Ben asked, turning his head toward her.
"I think my water just broke."
"Are you serious? You're four weeks from your due date."
"That doesn't change the fact that it broke."
"Okay. Um, everyone, Ava's water just broke."
"What?! Wow. Okay," Jack said, looking lost.
"Its okay, dear," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "Ben can take her up there. We will watch Kinze and bring her up when you say its time."
Once Ava was standing, she reached out to give everyone a hug while Ben grabbed her hospital bag.
"Looks like the twins are going to share a birthday with Aubrie," Faith said with a grin. "Congratulations, Ava."
"Thank you, Faith."
Ben walked back in with a fresh set of clothes for Ava. "Thought you might want these."
She nodded and reached for him. "This is it, Ben. We are about to have two more babies. Its a little scary." He gave her a kiss and hugged her.
"It is but...I can't wait to meet them."
"I'm scared to have surgery. What if…."
"No, sweetheart. Nothing is going to happen except we are going to meet Britten and Brody today. I am going to be right there holding your hand."
Thank goodness. "I'm going to go change." She kissed him back and headed off to the bathroom.
"Dada!" Kinsey said, toddling over with her arms up.
"Hi, baby girl. You're going to be a big sister!"
She clapped and grinned even though he doubted how much she understood about the whole thing being only thirteen months old.
She cuddled into him and played with the neckline of his t-shirt. She whimpered a bit when he had to hand her over to his mom but she would be fine.
"See you soon!"
U of M hospital, labor and delivery waiting room
Kayla flipped absentmindedly through an old magazine and then sighed.
Drew put his hand on her bouncing knee. "Babe…"
"Sorry. I'm bored."
"I'm sure I can find an empty room somewhere…"
"Andrew Shepherd," she scolded in a loud whisper. "I hope you are not suggesting what I think you are!"
"I was thinking we could FaceTime with the kids but yeah, that could be fun." He grinned and she nudged him with her shoulder.
He laughed at her deep red cheeks and went back to his book.
"Do you really think you could find…" Kayla whispered. He raised his eyebrows. "Nevermind." Kayla's phone buzzed. "Drew! Ava is in labor!"
"That's great!"
"Yeah...early though."
They waited a bit longer and then Terri showed up. "Six centimeters, so probably another few hours. Everything is going well."
As soon as she left, Kayla stood and held out her hand. "Babe?" he wondered.
"It might be our last time for awhile. Newborn baby and all." He stood, took her hand and led the way down the hall.
"Ooooowwwww," Ava moaned as they fought traffic downtown and she contracted.
"I'm trying to hurry, sweetheart."
She breathed in and out slowly and nodded, squeezing his hand. She prayed for the next thirty minutes that somehow the babies would be head down so she wouldn't need a c-section.
However, when the doctor did the ultrasound, only Britten was head down.
Now she lay in a chilly surgical room, waiting for Ben to join her.
"Okay, Mrs. Thornton, you shouldn't feel pain. Only pressure."
"Wait! I need my husband! Please." She was starting to panic and he calmed her.
"Sweetheart, I'm right here," he said, sitting near her head, kissing her forehead.
"Ben, its happening and I'm so scared."
"Shhhh, babe. Let's pray, alright?"
She nodded, a tear falling.
"Heavenly Father, we are afraid right now. Please give us courage as the surgery continues. Please guide the surgeon's hands as they help Britten and Brody come into the world. Help us to be good parents to Kinsey and these babies…."
They heard a tiny cry right then. "Through Jesus' name we pray, Amen."
"Here's your baby boy," someone said, holding him over the curtain.
"Brody Lee Thornton," Ava announced.
A short two minutes later, Britten Elizabeth Rose was born, smaller than her brother but doing well.
A few hallways away, eighteen year old Francine was struggling to give birth to the baby she planned on giving away. The baby she wasn't able to provide for. The baby she'd loved since she first felt the flutters of movement.
"Push!" a nurse shouted but she couldn't do it anymore. She was so tired. "Francine, you need to do this. For your baby."
"She's not mine," she mumbled in misery. "I can't take care of her."
"Then do it for the people who are going to do that for you. You love her, right? Be her mother and give her a chance."
Those words...they woke something inside of her. She couldn't raise her baby girl but she was doing what she could because she loved her. A mother's love that would never die. The Shepherd's would love her and take care of her.
At the next contraction, she pushed with all her might. And again and again until she felt the powerful release when she left her body.
The doctor placed her on her chest and cleaned her off. "I need to see Terri," she told the nurse.
Terri was in the room within ten minutes. She was shocked that Francine was holding the baby though.
"Fran?"
"I need you to do me a favor, Terri."
"Okay."
"Take a picture. Send it to me and to the Shepherd's. Make them promise to show her the picture and to tell her that I loved her. I loved her so much I gave her to them to give her the life I can't."
About thirty minutes later, Kayla and Drew dressed in gowns and scrubbed up and then followed Terri to the nursery to meet their daughter.
Kayla thought she was prepared but she wasn't. Drew guided her to the chair as a nurse brought over a gorgeous baby girl in a white blanket with a pink hat. Her lips were full and pink and she had dark skin and lovely, soft black hair.
"Oh gosh. She's beautiful," Kayla said, keeping her eyes glued on her new daughter.
Drew knelt down and kissed his wife and then daughter. Words wouldn't come so he stayed quiet.
"Drew?"
He nodded and let his tears of joy fall. "She's ours? I can't believe it."
"Lolo is going to lose her mind," Kayla said with a laugh. "And I can't wait for Cole to meet her. He's so protective of Lolo."
"He's a great big brother," Drew agreed.
Kayla looked up at her handsome husband and smiled, giving him a kiss. "And you, Andrew Shepherd, are an amazing husband and father. I love you with everything in me."
