Chapter 5
The morning of the flight was the most hectic either of them had had since Eli was born. They had to get all of Eli's things packed up and make sure the baby was properly bundled up against the December cold. His mother dressed him in the 'Enter with flair!' onesie and put the sleeper Nomura made him over top of it. A knit hat was pulled over his ears and blankets were tucked around him.
"Vve can remove layers if he gets hot," Otto reasoned, "VVe can't add layers vvonce everyzing is packed."
Then, once everything was packed, they took a cab to the airport. All that was left to do was wait. Otto checked their bags and met her by the airport terminal.
She was on the edge of her seat. Her leg bounced uncontrollably. Otto sat beside her and put one hand on her knee. Without a word he handed her a hot chocolate and a breakfast sandwich.
"Do you have something against coffee?"
He looked away, "Um...In a vvay? Actually, I can't have caffeine. Und I tend to forget zat ozer people actually like it."
"Oh."
Her leg started bouncing again.
"Lenora? Is somezing wrong?"
She looked around then down at Eli. The baby was still sound asleep in his carseat.
"We're really exposed. What if someone sees us? What if Eli starts crying on the plane? What if I can't calm him down? What if they lose our luggage? Premie stuff is expensive and his prescription refill is in there. I can't lose that!"
Otto put his hand back on her knee, "It's ok. Breaz in...und out. Again. In...und out. It's going to be ok. Eli has his pacifier, so he shouldn't cry during take off. If he starts crying, I don't zink you'll have much trouble calming him down. If you do, I can help you. Remember, you are not alone."
She took another deep breath and nodded, "But-"
"If zey lose our luggage, it vvill be ok. VVe vvill get it back und, until vve do, Eli can vvare some of Jim's old clothes. VVe may have to roll ze sleeves but Jim was two weeks early so zey should be fine ozervvize. If ze prescription is lost zen vve can get it refilled zrough ze Aradia Oaks Hospital. Remember, all ze papervvork is already zere."
Lenora sighed and nodded. She lifted Eli from his carrier. Otto rubbed her back gently. He kept an eye on the monitor and an ear tuned to the loud speaker saying when the flight number was announced. He played with Eli's fingers absentmindedly.
When their flight was called, Otto grabbed their carry-ons and Lenora strapped Eli back into his carrier. They hurried to their seats to get Eli settled before take off. Eli was in the seat between them with Lenora in the window seat and Otto in the aisle seat. The plane was soon full and pulled away from the loading dock.
Lenora's leg began to bounce again and she kept on hand resting on Eli's belly. Otto took her hand, eyes trained on the baby. While he did kick and twitch a little, Eli didn't cry or fuss as the plane took to the sky. Only then did Lenora sit back and relax. She gently swiped her thumb over her son's belly. Otto smiled and pulled a book out of his bag. The title was in German and must have been in a local dialect because Lenora didn't understand it.
After roughly an Hour, Eli began to fuss. Otto pushed his glasses back up his nose and looked up from his book. Lenora had fallen asleep. He smiled lightly and checked the baby's diaper.
Wet. Otto looked over at Lenora for a moment before grabbing the diaper bag. He unbuckled Eli and, baby against his shoulder, made his way to the airplane bathroom. He changed the diaper quickly, unable to resist tickling his tiny feet.
"Bleg. Kein Müll."
He groaned and wrapped the diaper in a plastic bag and tucked it back into the diaper bag. Eli was still fussing slightly so Otto hurried back to their seats. Lenora had woken up and was looking around frantically.
"It's OK. VVe're right here. He needed a diaper change und you vvere asleep. I didn't vvant to vvake you," He immediately handed her child over.
Lenora clutched her son close and pressed her nose against his head. However, she noticed his fussing and reached for a bottle from the bag. Eli drank earnestly, making small noises against the bottle.
"Thank you," Lenora whispered, "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I just...thank you."
"Bite. Clearly you needed the sleep."
She nodded and looked back at her son. When he finished, she lifted him to her shoulder for burping. Otto smiled, watching them with soft eyes. Someone tapped his arm. An old woman with grey curls and brown eyes sat across the aisle. A brown camera bag sat by her feet.
"I just wanted to say, your son is adorable," She whispered.
Otto opened and closed his mouth for a moment. He turned to look at Lenora for help. But, her attention was absorbed by the baby against her shoulder.
'Does this stranger need to know ze truth?' He turned back to the woman across the aisle, "Danke. He has been sick for a vvhile so vve're happy he can come home now."
The camera lady smiled, "Well, good luck. I'm glad he's doing better."
Otto nodded and turned back to Lenora and Eli.
They touched down in Arcadia Oaks Airport at 4:15 in the afternoon. Otto went to the baggage claim and Lenora took Eli and their carry-ons to wait by the gate.
"Lenora!" Nomura waved as she ran up, "Hey!"
"Nomura!"
"Walt and Barb sent me to pick you guys up," The younger woman explained, giving her a one armed hug, "Let me guess, Otto went to get your luggage? Oh! Is this Eli?"
Lenora looked at the baby in his carrier, "Yes. This is Elijah."
Eli blinked up at Nomura with large, brown eyes.
"He's so tiny! I can't believe I ever thought Jim and Toby were tiny!"
"Ah, Nomura!" Otto approached, Lenora's bag in one hand, his in the other, and Eli's tossed over his shoulder, "Did VValt make you come?"
"No! I wanted to see the new baby."
Otto rolled his eyes and waved for his sister to lead the way. Her little maroon car was waiting in the one hour parking. Otto put their bags in the trunk while Nomura helped Lenora get Eli's car seat strapped in. Then, they were on their way home.
Otto's house was the second in a cul-de-sac on the edge of Arcadia. Just outside the forest and foothills that lead to the surrounding mountains. His brother's house was across the street. Together, they were the only houses on the cul-de-sac.
Nomura pulled into the driveway and wait while her passengers gathered their things to go inside. Otto opened the door with two fingers as their hands were all full.
"You und Eli are in the room at ze top of ze stairs. Toby is in ze room next to you und I am across ze hall."
"I can't thank you eno…"
There were people waiting for them in the living room. Walter and Barbara, each holding a baby.
"Oh! Toby Bear, look who it is," Barbara stepped forward.
The red haired baby looked up at his father with wide eyes. Then he let out a shriek of delight. Otto dropped the bags and took his son into his arms.
"Hallo, Baerchen," He pressed their foreheads together, "Oh. I habe dich so vermisst."
Lenora smiled softly and shifted her grip on Eli's carrier. She nodded and made her way to the staircase.
"Lenora?"
She turned. Walt was looking at her. He handed Jim to his wife and approached. He smiled down at Eli in the carrier. Suddenly, the tall man latched onto her, arms around her shoulders.
"Welcome home. I'm so glad you're home…"
She stood, stiff as a board, for a moment. Then, she wrapped her free arm around him. She buried her face in his neck.
"Thank you."
They stated that way for a minute. After they parted Otto stepped up.
"Baerchen, zis is Lenora und her baby, Eli. Zey are going to be staying vviz us now."
Toby blinked up at her. Then, he turned and nuzzled back into his father's chest. Otto smiled.
"I'm going to take Eli upstairs and get him settled. Then I'll come back down and say hello to Toby properly."
Otto nodded and cuddled his son, "Of course. I'll bring ze bags up later. I just-I vvant to be vviz Toby for a bit."
Lenora nodded and made her way up. Otto turned to face his brother and sisters. Walt wiped his eyes.
"I'm glad she's back," he whispered, "Even if we can't tell anyone who she is."
"You und I boz."
"I just hope she's ok," Barbara looked up at her husband, "After everything she's been through."
Only a few minutes later and Lenora came back downstairs.
"Eli all settled?"
"Yes. He's sleeping now. Thanks again for letting us stay here."
"It's no problem," Otto assured her.
She smiled and turned to Toby, "Hello, Toby. It's nice to finally meet you."
Otto gently handed her the baby. At four months old, Toby was much larger than Eli. He looked up at her with big green eyes. The baby curled into her chest and grabbed a fistfull of her violet sweater.
"I'll take that as 'hello'."
Within two days, it was time for Otto to go back to work. Lenora was more than a little jealous. She enjoyed working at the highschool. But, right now, Eli needed her more. It hadn't taken them long to fall into a rhythm together. They had to admit, it was nice to have someone else be awake at two in the morning feeding the babies with.
Now, Otto kissed Toby gently and lay him in the playpen in his bedroom, "I'll try to be home quickly after vvork. You know vvhere everyzing is but don't hesitate to call if you need anyzing."
"Alright. Any last minute information you need to tell me?"
"Not zat I can zink of."
She nodded and waved him off. She stayed in the doorway and wait until his car was out of sight. Then, she got to work.
Eli was tucked against her chest in a baby bjorn and the baby monitor to Toby was clipped to her waistband. She started in the kitchen and scrubbed the counters. Her and Otto had done the dishes together after breakfast so there wasn't actually much for her to do. Scrub the counters, sweep the floors, move on to the living room. She had only started dusting when the baby monitor went off. Toby was awake.
She hurried in and checked his diaper. Wet. Carefully, she picked him up and lay him on the bed. He stopped crying as soon as the wet diaper was off. Eli, however, decided it was his turn to make some noise.
Lenora quickly finished changing Toby's diaper and lifted Eli from his baby bjorn. The faster she quieted one baby, the less likely it was that the other would start crying. She froze when she lay her baby next to Otto's. Toby dwarfed Eli.
'It shouldn't surprise me...Toby's older...and he was born full term…'She reasoned, shaking her head.
She was snapped out of her reverie as Toby's face began to scrunch up.
"Oh no…"
Both babies were crying. Lenora groaned and changed Eli's diaper. The crying continued. She held a baby in each arm and made her way back down to the kitchen. Suddenly, she was glad she had just scrubbed the counters. She lay both boys down and made two bottles. To her astonishment, both babies began to quiet.
Somehow, in the two seconds that she had turned to the refrigerator, Toby had managed to grab Eli's hand. Their wails subsided to gentle coos. She still made the bottles but neither of them were hungry.
Sighing, she picked them both up and went back to the living room. She lay them both on the sofa for a moment while she lay a soft, clean blanket on the floor for them. Then, she moved them both to the floor and sat with them.
Toby kicked slightly and watched as Lenora held up a sparkly ring of soft baby keys. Eli just watched. Neither of them were old enough to do much more than that. She played with the babies for a few minutes before returning to her cleaning.
She finished the dusting, wiping off the TV screen and the coffee table. That was before Eli started crying again. This didn't phase her. She just reheated the bottles and carefully fed both babies. Burping both babies took a bit of physical manipulation but she pulled it off. One loud belch and one quiet burp later and they both fell asleep.
Lenora bit back a sigh of relief. She wait a moment before moving, just letting the babies sleep in her arms, before taking them back up stairs and laying them on her bed. She tucked pillows on either side of them, even though neither of them could roll yet, and placed the baby monitor by their heads. As quietly as she could, she made her way back down the stairs.
With both babies asleep, she took the time to do the laundry. The washer and dryer were both in the basement. She worked fast. If she was lucky the boys would sleep for a half an hour. Sure enough, she was just as she was sitting back on the sofa when first Toby then Eli started crying.
Lenora sighed, "And back at it. No rest for the wicked."
Otto sighed through his nose as he walked into the house. He stopped.
"Oh. Toby Bear, Eli, look who's home," Lenora stood from the floor and handed Toby to his father, "How was work?"
"Teaching in a public highschool," he shrugged and took Toby, "I'm lucky most of my students like me. You cleaned?"
"...Yeah…"
"I told you you don't have to do zat."
"I had to do something while the boys slept."
Otto made a face and sighed, "Alright. Ozer zen zat, how vvas your day?"
"Hm... I think I understand the parents of twins now."
He laughed and played with Eli's foot, "Did you boys run Mama ragged?"
"I wouldn't say ragged," She blushed and led the way back to the sofa, "Just...kept me on my toes."
They sat on the sofa together, babies snuggled between them.
"So, what should we do for dinner?"
"Hmm. How about shepard's pie?"
Lenora nodded, "That works. If you'll hold Eli I can go boil the potatoes."
"No. I'll do it. You've been taking care of ze boys all day."
"But you've had to deal with students all day."
Otto thought for a moment, "I'll peal, you cut. VVe can do it togezer."
She nodded and shifted Eli against her shoulder. Otto spread the blanket down in the kitchen for Toby and Eli and they got to work. Otto sat on a chair, trash can in front of him, and peeled the potatoes. Lenora got out a cutting board and chopped the potatoes into more manageable pieces. They worked in silence, lost in thought.
"Maybe I should get a tvvin stroller for ze boys. Zat vvay you aren't all cooped up in here all ze time."
"But...aren't those expensive?"
"Zey can be. Maybe I can find a used vvone. It vvill be good for you all to get some fresh air. Und you'll be able to make some more friends."
Lenora turned her attention back to the potatoes. She hadn't had many friends before she left. Just the ones Maranda dragged her along to see and her coworkers. Now, all she had was Otto and his family.
"Maybe you're right… Hey, Otto?"
"Ja?"
"Would it be alright with you if I read Shakespear to the boys? I-"
"You don't need to ask," He stopped peeling and looked up at her, "I trust your judgement. Und zere are musical CDs if you vvant to put zem in. I have Hairspray, Annie, Veggie Tales, Disney... You can listen to vvhatever you vvant."
Lenora looked down at him, "Did you get those before or after you adopted Toby?"
"Yes!" Otto shot her a cheeky grin, "I had most of zem already. Some of zem I got vviz Toby vvhen I adopted him. Namely ze Veggie Tales und some of ze Disney. A good rule of zumb is 'if it's in German, it is from BT. Before Toby'."
She chuckled. Otto smiled up at her before turning back to the potatoes.
"I know you vvere ze zeater director but I don't actually know if you like musicals."
"I do. I just like Shakespear more. Especially the comedies. But those aren't usually school appropriate."
"Midsomer or Much Ado?"
"Twelfth Night. It may not be as funny as Much Ado but the confusion of the twins always makes me laugh. Maranda hates it..."
Otto looked up at her again. Lenora was smiling but her eyes were distant. They returned to their work, a comfortable silence falling over them. Working together, they managed to get dinner started without the babies interrupting them. Lenora picked up Eli and rocked him gently.
"Lenora?"
"I'm fine," She smiled at him softly, "Just thinking."
He nodded and scooped up Toby, tickling his son's feet.
Lenora waved as Otto drove off. A grin spread over her face as his car pulled out of sight. She had a plan. It was still dark and the boys were still asleep so she scurried off to finish getting everything ready. She layed out Eli's warm clothes and made sure she had plenty of diapers for both babies. Then she ran back down the stairs and made sure their breakfasts were ready. Right on cue, Eli started crying and Toby followed shortly after. For once, she smiled and ran to get her boys. She fed them, bundled them up, and made sure they were both strapped into the stroller properly. Then, they were off.
Today was Otto's last day of work before the winter break. After today, she would have no time to get him a gift or to work out anything for the boys. She felt in her pocket for the meager cash she still had. It was only a handful of bills and coins but hopefully it would be enough to get what she needed. She absolutely refused to buy Otto a gift with his own money. At least from her. Her plan for the boys was cheap anyway. She tilted her head as she looked around the town. Flowers never last and there was no way she could afford something from any of the big shops or boutiques. But going to the dollar store seemed a bit too cheap…
She bit her lip as she looked up at the resale shop. It wasn't busy and it looked reasonably nice. Stealing her resolve, she tightened her grip on the stroller handle and opened the door.
"Hello!" The woman behind the counter waved cheerfully, "Welcome to Della's."
Lenora waved back. The small shop must have opened in the time that she had been gone because she didn't remember it from before. She looked around quickly, praying that the boys would stay quiet while they were there. The one small problem was...she had no idea what she was looking for...She browsed the ties but found that she couldn't imagine him wearing any tie but his black tie. She looked at the books but realized she didn't know which ones he had, the CDs but didn't know which ones he liked and didn't have. She was about ready to give up. On her way to the door she noticed a display case next to the counter. She hazarded a look.
It was jewelry. There were necklaces, and rings, and watches, and tie clips. She smiled and looked over the shiny items.
"Is there anything I can help you find?" Della asked.
"Um...I'm looking for a Christmas gift...I just...I'm not sure what to get him…"
Della nodded slowly and looked over the items in her display case. She tapped her chin and brushed her red bangs from her eyes. She glanced at the babies in the stroller and did a double take.
"Oh! Well, hello, Toby Bear! Are you looking for something for Otto?"
"How did you know? Do you know him and Toby?"
"Yes I do. Toby's my godson. So is Jim. The Janis Treo are old family friends."
"What?!"
Della must have mistaken her shock for confusion because she chuckled and shook her head, "I'm sorry. I mean Walter, Otto, and Nomura. Their mother's surname was Janis so my mother, sister, and I called them 'The Janis Treo'. Morgan Janis was her name. When she adopted them, they kept their original names.
Lenora gaped for a moment, "Oh. R-Right."
"Well," Della grinned and reached into the case, "Now, I understand why this is so difficult. I believe this should work just fine."
She handed Lenora a silver tie clip with five stones in the shape of a flower.
"It's lovely. Um...H-How much is it? Are you sure it'll be good for Otto?"
"It's twelve dollars after tax. And yes. It's actually a birthstone clip and, coincidentally, it works great for Otto. See the red stones? Those are rubies which are Toby's birthstone, July. The yellow ones are citrine which is his sister's birthstone, November. The pink one in the center is rose quartz which symbolizes love."
Lenora bit her lip and dug in her pocket for her money. She tried to count it discreetly but as she got closer to the end of the pile, her heart sank. Ten. Not only could she not afford the clip, but even if she could, she wouldn't have anything left to get what she needed for the boys. She looked back in the case.
"How much is that one?" SHe pointed at a plain silver tie clip in the case.
Della looked and her smile slipped for just a moment, "That one is five."
"I'll get that one. I ca-um- the other one's...not in the budget right now."
Della nodded and pulled the clip out of the case, "That's fine...Would you like me to wrap it for you? Holiday bonus."
"Sure."
Della grinned and went over to the register. She took the price off the clip and wrapped it in tissue paper before tucking it into a little box and tying it with a red and green ribbon.
"There you go! Have a good holiday. Oh! And tell Otto I said hi."
"I will. Thank you again."
No sooner had she stepped out the door than the boys began crying.
"Right on que," Lenora muttered and began looking for a public bathroom.
She decided to use the restroom in the cafe and made her way over. She hated to use the handicap stall but that was where the changing station was. The stroller took up more than a little space in the stall and she could only get one baby out at a time. After she changed Toby, she gave him his bottle and changed Eli. Then she carefully fed and burped both boys.
"You know, I think I'm getting the hang of this," She said to the babies as she buckled them back into the stroller, "Then again, maybe you two are just really easy babies and I'm in for a rude surprise here soon."
She got no reply other than a quiet coo from Eli. She shook her head and went to her last stop, the discount store. Cheaper than a proper store but better quality than the dollar store. She searched quickly, hoping to find what she needed before the boys got fussy again. Keeping a close eye on the prices of her supplies, she grabbed a small jar of plastic jewels on a whim and added them to her basket.
"What are my odds of getting you two to cooperate with me when we get home so I can finish this before Papa gets home?"
*Poot!*
"Yeah. Go figure."
Lenora was just finishing up her project with the boys when the door opened.
"I'm ho-"
"Don't come in the kitchen! We're not done!" She leaned against the door for a moment.
"Done? Done vviz vvhat?"
"You'll see, Mr. Nosey."
"No. No. Just Otto. Mr. Nosey vvas my fazer."
"You're a dork. You know that, right?" She held Eli's foot still for a moment, "Eli, baby. You have to stay still so Mama can finish this and get your socks back on."
"Ok, but really. VVhat are you doing to our children?" Otto laughed from the other side of the door.
"Christmas stuff. You'll see in a few days."
"Alright…"
Lenora quickly finished what she was doing and stashed the project in the pantry. Then, she gathered Toby and Eli in her arms and pushed open the door with her butt. Otto grinned and took his son.
"Hallo, Bärchen," He bounced the baby for a moment, "Did you have a good day out vviz Mama? Und helping her in ze kitchen?"
Lenora chuckled and kissed Eli's forehead, "Oh, keep out of the pantry. I'll let you know when it's done."
Otto nodded and played with Eli's hand, "And did you have a good day, little vvone?"
Eli cooed and kicked slightly. Toby burbbled and wiggled closer to his father.
Otto smiled and lifted his son to his shoulder, "I still have to finish my Christmas shopping yet."
Lenora bit her lip and thought for a moment, "You could do that tomorrow. We could make a day of it. You do your Christmas shopping and I'll stay with the boys. I know Della's doing gift wrapping for the holidays. She says, 'Hi', by the way."
"Oh. You met Della? Did you get to meet Bruce?"
"Who's Bruce?"
"Her boyfriend. He's an old family friend too. Maybe I can introduce you tomorrow. Zey make quite ze pair."
"Oh no. Do I want to know?"
They migrated to the sofa as they talked and snuggled the babies between them.
"Maybe. It'll be fun zough. Maybe vve can meet VValt und Barbara for lunch vvhile vvere out."
"Yeah. That sounds fun. Maybe Barbara can give me some ideas for what to do with the boys all day."
Otto snorted, "Actually, you'll vvant to ask VValt about zat. He barely lets Jim out of his sight. He's an absolute Mozer Hen. Alvvays has been."
The next day, Lenora bundled the babies into their warm outdoors clothes and Otto packed the diaper bags. The plan was that Otto would do his shopping first, then they would go to Della's and he would introduce Lenora to Bruce, and then more shopping before lunch at the Cafe with his brother and sister-in-law. They set off and got to work.
The first hour went off with no problem. Then Toby needed a diaper change and it was all downhill from there. Otto took his son to change his diaper and Lenora fed Eli while they waited. Crisis averted. Otto went into a couple shops and Lenora wait with the babies outside. Eli needed a diaper change while Otto was in a store so Lenora took both the boys and tried to make it fast. Gave Otto a heart attack when he left the store and couldn't find them. Found each other and made amends. All good. They stopped in the park to catch their breath.
"And I thought this was hard when it was just me and the boys," Lenora jokes.
"Ja. Sorry. Just vvone more store und zen I'm done. Ve can go to Della's und lunch zen go straight home."
"Agreed."
They strapped their sons back into the stroller and continued on their way. Otto went into the stationary store and Lenora wait with the boys since the stroller didn't fit in the store.
"Loraine?"
Her heart stopped. It took every fiber of her being not to turn around.
"Loraine! When did you get back?" Maranda ran around her and froze, "What's going on? Who's baby is that?"
Lenora swallowed thickly, "Wh-Who are you?"
Maranda pursed her lips, "Loraine, that's not funny. I'm your twin sister. We look exactly alike."
It was less true than ever in that moment. Lenora had her thick, black curls pulled back in two pigtails behind her shoulders, was wearing her magenta glasses, and was wearing a maternity dress because she didn't feel like finding pants that morning. Maranda, on the other hand, left her curls loose and trailing down her back, her glasses were smaller and thinner, and her running attire left little to be imagined.
"I don't know what you mean. My name is Lenora. I was just taking my boys and about for a bit."
Maranda lifted one eyebrow, "Ok. I get it. This is your revenge for not talking to you when you called from New Jersey, right? Listen, I had every right to be mad. You disappeared for over a year, Lori. If you had told me you had a baby I would have listened.'
Lenora forced her voice still as she recited the carefully planned story Janis Initiative had helped her establish, "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about. I was in New Jersey, yes. But Eli was born here at Arcadia Oaks Hospital last month."
"Right. Then Why haven't I seen you around?"
"I...don't think that's much of your concern, Ms. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be." Lenora made a bee line for the cafe.
"Hold up," Maranda called, "Isn't that Herr Scarrbach's brat?"
Lenora stopped again and turned, "Toby, yes. And he's certainly no 'brat'."
Maranda straitened and looked down her nose at the babies then at Lenora, "Hmp. I wasn't aware Herr Scarrbach had a wife. I mean, who would choose that…"
Lenora had barely opened her mouth before her twin ran off once more. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Her blood ran cold.
"Lenora? Vvhat's wrong? VVhat happened?" Otto reached her side.
Lenora's tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth.
"Lenora? VVas somevvone here?"
"I think I just messed everything up…" Her voice cracked.
"Hey. It's ok. VVe can fix it. But I need to know vvhat happened."
Lenora swallowed and took a deep breath. She looked down at Eli then back at Otto. "It was Maranda. She...She thinks we're married."