Caroline & Lost Love

Chapter 8

By: Jana~

*****~*****

--"Ok, ok, let's all just settle down…" Richard tried to be the voice of reason, Caroline and Annie both well past that point and well into completely emotional… "Annie, just… here…" he offered her a chair… "Sit down a minute, ok?"

Annie sat down, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her over-sized, long-sleeved maternity shirt, her belly showing her to be the six + months she was… "I didn't mean for this to happen!" she sniffled… "You gotta know that!"

Caroline sat crying, only half listening as her mind replayed Annie's words over and over… 'I don't think I can give up these babies.'

"Just calm down Annie, alright…" Richard soothed… "Getting this upset isn't doing anyone any good."

Annie nodded, taking in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself…

"Annie, hun, you knew this might happen, right?" Richard reasoned… "They told you, you may become attached to the babies…"

"I know! But I wasn't expecting the feelings to be this strong! I mean, come on! It's me! Annie Spadaro! Since when have I ever wanted kids?"

Richard nodded… "I can understand that… and these feelings are normal, but--"

"You hate me now, don't you Caroline?" Annie asked, interrupting Richard…

Caroline sat silent, except for an occasional sniffle, and Richard took the liberty of answering…

"We don't hate you Annie, but, you know, we're going to want our children."

"They're my children too ya'know! I'm, like, the mom."

"Like the mom." Richard repeated… "You are the surrogate mother, not the biological mother. Caroline is their mother."

"I'm not just nothing in this!" Annie snipped…

Richard sighed… "No, you're not nothing. We never said you were. But, you can't just deny us our children either. It's Caroline's eggs. It's my sperm. It's our baby. You're like, the babysitter."

Annie leapt from the chair… "Is that all you see me as?! The babysitter?!"

"I didn't mean it like that…" Richard corrected himself… "You are so very important in this process, but, we…" he gestured to himself and Caroline… "Are the parents."

Annie turned to Caroline… "Are you going to say anything?!" she snapped… Caroline just bowed her head, a tear falling on her lap… "Fine! I'm going then!" Annie marched out the door and slammed it.

Richard knelt beside Caroline, taking her hand in his… "It won't happen, Caroline. They are our children. We'll fight if we have to. But, she'll probably come around on her own…"

Caroline just nodded sadly.

*****

--It was more than a week before they heard from Annie again… Richard thought it best to give her time to 'cool down', so they didn't attempt to contact her.

When Caroline opened the door to find Annie on the other side, she was surprised to say the least. She briefly looked back into her apartment, wanting to call for Richard but remembering that he had gone to the gallery…

"Can I come in?" Annie asked softly, shifting uncomfortably…

Caroline nodded and rolled out of the way of the door… "Sure."

There was an awkward silence, Caroline not sure of what to say, Annie not sure of where to begin.

Finally, Annie spoke up… "I was being silly, Caroline…" her voice was quiet, apologetic… she couldn't even look at her… "Of course they are your children, and should be with you." she sighed… "And will be with you." she added…

Immediately, Caroline began to cry…

Annie immediately felt bad, shedding tears of her own… "I'm sorry I put you guys through that." Annie apologized sincerely… "It's just, I can feel them moving…" She placed her hand on her swollen abdomen… "And I watch these shows with babies and stuff… I think my priorities are changing." She shook her head, wiping the few tears that fell from her cheeks… "Where as before, the most important things to me were kick-ass parties and a string of cute men, now I think what I want is a family. But, I need to do that with my own kids… not yours." She scoffed at what she was about to say… "In a way, I envy what you and Richie have. I never have before… but I do now."

Caroline remained silent as tears continued to fall…

"I am so sorry I put you through such grief. With everything you've been through, and I was just being selfish and mean…"

"You weren't being either…" Caroline replied… "You were emotional."

Annie chuckled… "That too. I swear, your kids are doing a number on me!"

Caroline smiled, a slight chuckle escaping… "Yeah, sorry about that."

"So…" Annie hesitated for a moment… "Are we ok?"

"Of course." Caroline replied easily… "I thought I lost two of the three most important things to me…" When Annie looked confused, she clarified… "My kids and my best friend."

"You haven't lost either." Annie assured her, hugging her…

*****

--Richard and Caroline were in the room with Annie when she had her scheduled cesarean, one on either side of her for moral support, and so they could see their babies as they entered the world.

The boy was born first, Richard Jr. Healthy at 6 pounds 8 ounces. Autumn Rose was born at 6 pounds 3 ounces, also healthy.

--Caroline cried as she held their daughter, watching as Richard held their son awkwardly…

"I feel like I'm going to drop him…" Richard worried… "He's so light!"

Caroline chuckled through her tears of joy… "You'll get the hang of it…" she told him… "And they don't stay little forever."

"I know…" he smiled, "Soon they'll be running through the house and getting into trouble…" He laughed… "I'll have to practice my fatherly voice…" he cleared his throat… "No running in the house!"

She nodded her approval… "Sounds like you got it covered."

"Guys?" Del poked his head in the door…

They gestured for him to enter…

"Annie is awake… back from recovery. She was hoping to see the babies?" It was more a question than a statement.

"Ok, Del…" Richard nodded… "Thanks."

When Del left, Caroline looked to Richard, unsettled… "I knew she would want to see them, but, what if she decides after holding them--?"

"Sweetie, it'll be ok… ok?" He took their daughter from his wife's arms and placed her next to their son in the bassinet… "C'mon…"

*****

--Annie held Autumn as Del held 'little Richie', as Annie called him, much to Richard's displeasure…

"Caroline…" Annie whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping baby in her arms… "They're beautiful."

Caroline, being the proud parent she was, beamed… "I know."

A tear fell down Annie's cheek… "Thank you so much for letting me be apart of this…"

"Thank you, for helping my dreams come true." Caroline started to cry at the sight of Annie's tears, and Del and Richard shared looks, Del then rolling his eyes…

"I was happy to do it! And I know you musta been nervous about letting me hold them, cause of the 'incident' a couple months back… but I want you to know, I will always see these babies as your babies. I was just the…" she smiled… "Third party uterus."

*****

--And they lived happily ever after? Well…

Annie was made honorary aunt of the twins, and Del was made uncle.

Del proposed to Annie before the twins turned one, and by the time the twins turned three, they were expecting their first child.

Caroline and Richard moved to a house in the suburbs, and within a year, before little Del Jr. turned one, the Cassidys moved too… three doors down from the Karinskys.

So… they all lived happily ever after? Well, for the most part…

THE END

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