"It's so great to have you back here Kate, you look great" I say excitedly "hello my gorgeous little niece"
"Oh it's so good to be back here, if I am honest I would like to go back to our apartment as everything is ready there but I wanted to come here first to see everyone and we may leave in the morning if nobody minds?" Kate asks.
"Of course we wouldn't mind sweetie, you need to be where you feel most comfortable and more importantly, in your own bed" I chuckle and Kate eagerly nods in agreement.
"That is what I want the most" Kate says shyly.
Christian comes through from the bedroom "Where is my beautiful niece?" Elliot takes her out of the car seat while Christian sits down. I know he still feels a little nervous about holding our babies let alone someone else's, he also worries about feeling weaker or tired so sitting down is the safest option. In his arms, I can see the same look Elliot had when he held Max and Melissa for the first time, total awe at the new life in his arms.
Carrick and Grace are the next to appear fussing over their new Granddaughter. Carrick looks totally besotted with Ashleigh, perhaps he had the same thoughts that Grace had about never being Grandparents and then 3 come along in quick succession.
"Would anyone mind if I went to lie down for a while?" Kate asks tentatively.
"Go ahead sweetie, you have plenty of volunteers out here" I say honestly.
"She fed before we left the hospital so she should settle but wake me if she wants food again"
"No problem Kate, we will" I smile and Elliot takes her by the arm, whispers something in her ear that makes her beam before going into the bedroom.
"No hogging the baby Christian, I think some others want a cuddle" Grace gently reminds him.
"Who's next then?" he says before Carrick steps up and takes her in his arms. He too sits down and I can see him cooing at Ashleigh just like he does with Max and Melissa.
I get my call from the twins; I fetch them out from the spare bedroom, one in each arm and introduce them to their new cousin. I feel a lump in my throat when Max's little hand reaches out and touches Ashleigh like he really understands what I have just told him.
Elliot comes out from the bedroom; he looks tired too but a very happy and proud tired.
"Elliot, why don't you go and get some shut eye too, we can manage between us" Grace goes over to him, puts her arm around his shoulder and leads him back to the bedroom. I hear him lightly protesting but Grace is firm and he disappears to bed.
Gail comes out from the kitchen with some lunch for us all, I hadn't realised what the time was, feeding the twins, general chatting and time has flown by so food is very welcome. Gail puts a sleeping Ashleigh into her car seat for the time being and has spread out the play mat I bought so the twins can be put down for a while.
I can see Grace looking around with such pride in her face then making us all jump, Ashleigh makes it known that she is hungry or wet or both.
"Oh boy she has a set of lungs on her" Christian comments and we all laugh.
"I will go wake Kate, she probably wants feeding" Grace deftly takes Ashleigh in her arms and goes into the bedroom. She must be getting what she wants as it all goes quiet and Grace comes back to finish her food.
About half an hour later both Kate and Elliot emerge looking a little less frazzled and little Ashleigh has fallen asleep again in Mommy's arms. They eat while she sleeps and we are all generally chatting about everything and anything. Laughter and chuckling fills the room albeit at a reduced volume so as not to wake Ashleigh but Max and Melissa are happily together on the play mat with Granddad Carrick casting a watchful eye over them.
I have that warm fuzzy; things can't get any better than this feeling washing over me again but I remember the last time I felt this way, it all went horrifically wrong however I have to allow myself to enjoy this for as long as possible, for nobody knows what the future will bring.
Ashleigh has a disturbed night; we can hear her little cries every few hours, it makes me feel lucky that the twins only disturb us once and occasionally twice in the night now which is amazing and we are very lucky but this will come for them too in time.
The morning feels chilly and a light dusting of snow has covered the ground, Gail has the huge log fire blazing away already, a pot of fresh tea and coffee ready and breakfast is in the process of cooking. Kate, Elliot and Ashleigh appear…
"Hey, everything alright?" I ask.
"I think so, she woke for feeding every 3 hours roughly I think" Kate rubs her forehead in tiredness "I fed her and changed her and she went back to sleep almost straight away"
"That sounds normal" I reassure.
"I really want to go back home though but I don't want to offend anyone" she sounds worried.
"Oh don't be silly Kate, of course we understand but do you have someone to help you at home, I assume Elliot will be going to work again soon?"
"I spoke to Mom this morning, she is obviously thrilled and she offered to come over and help If I need it especially to get some sleep" Kate shakes her head "Am I making sense?" she smiles.
"You are and I think it's lovely for your Mom to offer her help, I am sure she would like some bonding time too"
"That's what I thought too and thank you Ana, thank you for helping me" she throws her arms around me and squeezes tight.
"Oh you are most welcome Kate, you are my best friend and well, more like a sister really, you have helped me more than you know in the past" we both shed a tear, Kate's hormones are all over the place and I don't think mine are quite back to normal yet.
"Are you ladies ok?" Christian comes over with a tissue each; we nod our heads and then laugh with tears.
"We're fine, just, well hormones and things" I gulp out.
"Are you still planning to go home today Kate?" He asks
"Yes if you don't mind" she answers.
"Of course not, I understand however I know you are both exhausted so I want Taylor to drive Elliot's vehicle and Peters to follow so he can bring Taylor back again"
"Oh that's very kind but really not necessary, we will be fine" but Christian holds his hand up to stop her
"I insist, I, well let's just say we don't want any more surprises, ok?" He won't let them go until it's been agreed.
"Thank you Christian, it's much appreciated" Kate wisely chooses not to argue or is too tired to put up a fight, I go with the latter as Kate is a very independent woman normally and hates to feel a burden on anybody.
"Good that's settled, if you could let me know roughly when you would like to go, I will make sure everything is ready"
"I will talk to Elliot and let you know" Christian nods and walks over to Max who is fussing.
"Go and check with Elliot now sweetie, you will need to time your departure with Ashleigh's latest feed as you don't want to be stopping if you can avoid it" I advise.
"Good thinking Ana, oh I have a lot to learn, I wouldn't have thought of that" Kate laughs.
"It comes in time and with mistakes" I laugh too and we hug again.
They plan to leave around 2pm providing Ashleigh feeds around 1pm, Elliot has everything packed and Taylor has loaded it into Elliot's trunk ready to go.
Ashleigh behaves, she feeds and poops on time and they are ready to go at 2.15pm, the goodbyes took the longest, we will be home ourselves in a couple of days but it felt horrible seeing them go but I understand the need for home comforts and much as it is nice to have lots of people to help you, sometimes you just want to sit on the sofa in your pyjama's until 3 o'clock in the afternoon and not feel you have to get dressed because people are around.
The lodge does feel a little empty and quiet, Taylor phones to say they have been dropped off safely; Kate Mom had arrived not long after with food supplies, gifts and ready to ease the load off Kate and Elliot. I am glad Mrs Kavanagh arrived quickly, I feel a little happier she is not alone. Taylor is on his way back after checking in with Escala security as well as SIP and I am relieved that everything is reported to be normal.
I ask Christian to finalise the contract for Niamh so that when we return home Gail can contact her straight away. He looks it over before forwarding it to the legal department at SIP for their final approval but at least that's another job done, another tick in the box.
The last few days in Aspen are quiet and serene, Christian has gained strength each day; he looks well although I still catch him wincing every so often. I speak to Grace about it and she explains that although he has 'healed', scar tissue is not as strong as undamaged tissue; nerves still jangle if he catches them suddenly and because he has been mostly inactive for weeks, his overall muscle strength and fitness levels have dropped significantly. He will regain his fitness and strength but it will take time and patience on his part for this to happen, physical therapy would also help but I am not sure how receptive Christian would be to this suggestion.
The time comes for us to pack and go home. I can't wait to see Kate, Elliot and Ashleigh even though I have spoken to Kate every day since they left and she seems to be doing ok, she said her Mom was fussing over her but a little too much at times but I remind her that she will go home at some point and she will miss her help.
We bid farewell to Aspen and make the journey home, fortunately not a lot more snow has fallen in the last couple of days but I trust Taylor's driving implicitly, he has always kept us safe in the car. I have to admit I am quite pleased to be home too, familiar space, my bed but I will miss going out and about freely here.
Gail phones Niamh to offer her the position and she readily accepts it, although she must read and sign the contract which includes an NDA, this was discussed with her at her interview and again she agreed to sign. Gail has a courier from SIP take the contract to her directly as we want her to start as soon as possible. The rest of the interviewee's are sent a standard 'thank you for attending but you have been unsuccessful' letter or e-mail. With that done, Gail and I discuss the protocols but Gail has been very organised and produced a 'guide to Escala'. I chuckle at the title but inside the detail Gail has gone into is fantastic and will leave Niamh in no doubt of what is expected of her and the duties she is required to perform.
"This is fantastic Gail, when did you do all of this?" I ask in amazement.
"While we were in Aspen, I thought it would be beneficial for us and her but I wanted your approval before I gave it to her" Gail looks pleased.
"It's perfect, thank you so much Gail for everything you do" I stand up and hug her, I can't wait for her to help me with Max and Melissa.
A/N: Thanks for all your support. My other story, Days of Steele was pulled from FanFiction and censored. That story can be found on The Writers Coffee Shop. This story will soon move as well over there. For the time being though, I will continue updating both sites.