Chapter Twelve:
Another Little Stranger
When the hospital finally let the twins go, things just got more chaotic. Everyone wanted to see them and they were traveling around like some circus show.
Lydia was the one driving, too. Norah ached all the time and Greg was always so tired from his 5 a.m. wake-up call, everyone else called 'the twins.' This didn't help Lydia's stress level, which didn't help her pregnancy. Her doctor told her repeatedly to calm down and rest, but she couldn't just say 'no' to her niece- and nephew-in-law.
One afternoon she drove Norah, Greg, Lucy, and Melody home after the twins met their grandparents and Aunt Mandy at the airport. All of which were staying at a hotel not too far from Greg and Norah's house.
Lydia came home to find Nick eating junk food and laying on the couch. "Can you hand me the remote?"
"Hello to you, too." Lydia said walking past him and into the kitchen. She tossed her keys on the counter and sat on a chair.
Nick walked into the kitchen at the exact moment Lydia's water broke.
"Call the doctor's," Lydia commanded.
Nick picked up the phone and called the hospital.
Lydia walked to Abby's bedroom. "Abby, we have to go to the hospital."
Abby looked up from her crayon drawing. "Why?"
"The baby's coming."
"It can't come! I'm not pretty yet!" Abby jumped off her bed and walked to her closet. "Hmm ... do you think this is too casual for the baby?" She held up a purple shirt and matching floral-print stretch pants.
"Abby, you look fine. We HAVE to go!" Lydia said.
"You're no help!" She shut the door in her mother's face and proceeded to try everything on in her closet on.
"Nick, make her hurry up! This baby isn't going to wait for her fashion show!"
Nick walked into Abby's room and picked her up. He threw the 5-year-old, who was now wearing a pink princess dress, over his shoulder and followed Lydia outside.
-----
After the long labor the baby, a boy, was finally born. They named him Jonathon.
"Can I see my brother?" Abby asked Nick.
He held her up to the nursery window and pointed to the newest addition to the Stokes family.
Abby scrunched up her nose. "He's ugly! Send him back!"
"Shh, Abby." Nick placed her on the ground again.
"Send him back! Send him back!" She marched in a circle, chanting.
Nick picked her back up, after nursed and doctors started staring. He placed her on his hip and covered his mouth. How can such a little person have such a big mouth? He carried her into her mother's hospital room.
"I don't want that brother," Abby told Lydia and Nick. "Can't we take him back and exchange him for a cuter baby?"
"That's not how things work, Abby," Lydia told her.
Abby shook her head. "Oh, mommy, you're so peas-and-misses."
"Pessimistic, honey," Nick corrected.
"That's what I said, daddy." Abby rolled her eyes. Someone knocked on the door and Abby opened it.
Norah and Greg came in.
"We just came to say congrats." Norah smiled warmly.
Greg handed Lydia the flowers he had carried in.
"Where are the twins?" Nick asked.
"With Cath and Linds," Norah responded. "In the car. They send their love."
Only a couple of minutes later they were gone as quick as they had come.
-----
Two weeks later and the women's wishes had come true. Their husbands decided to be good dads and wait on them and their children hand-and-foot. Water, food, diapers, pads, everything.
They thought it would be easy, but taking care of two grown women and three tiny babies wasn't all fun and games.
"We're going to work, guys." The tired men would say every night as the women laid on Norah and Greg's couch.
"Bye," They'd reply in unison. As soon as they left the women would laugh, even though they swore they were grateful.
"Man, do you KNOW how long it's been since I've been laid?" Greg whined.
"Do you know how long it's been since I've slept?" Nick groaned.
Warrick laughed. "It's so good to be me."
Nick and Greg rolled their eyes and walked out of the break room. Greg headed to his lab, Nick to an autopsy he was meeting Sara at in five minutes.
Greg plopped on his chair and turned on his stereo. He felt something stiff in the pocket of his jeans. As he pulled the paper out, he remembered that Nick and him were supposed to get diapers for Jonathon, Melody, and Lucy. "Shoot." He knew he would get it if he didn't do it.
He lazily walked out of his lab and walked down the hall back to the break room. "Hey, Warrick?"
Warrick looked up from the magazine he was reading. "What's up?"
"Can you do me a favor?" Greg asked.
"Man..." He didn't want to be mean but he heard about the "favors" that he made pretty much everyone else in the building do.
"Please," Greg begged.
Warrick shook his head. "I'm busy."
"You look really busy." Greg glared him and nodded at his magazine.
Warrick gave in. "What do you need?"
"Diapers."
"Oh, come on!" Warrick moaned.
"Please, man?" Greg pouted.
Warrick rolled his eyes. "Fine. But never make that face again."
Greg smiled and handed him a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet.
Greg grinned to himself as he walked back to his lab. 'I'm getting good at his manipulating thing. I can't wait 'till the twins can walk! Then I could get them to do the dishes and clean the bathroom. Score!'
When the hospital finally let the twins go, things just got more chaotic. Everyone wanted to see them and they were traveling around like some circus show.
Lydia was the one driving, too. Norah ached all the time and Greg was always so tired from his 5 a.m. wake-up call, everyone else called 'the twins.' This didn't help Lydia's stress level, which didn't help her pregnancy. Her doctor told her repeatedly to calm down and rest, but she couldn't just say 'no' to her niece- and nephew-in-law.
One afternoon she drove Norah, Greg, Lucy, and Melody home after the twins met their grandparents and Aunt Mandy at the airport. All of which were staying at a hotel not too far from Greg and Norah's house.
Lydia came home to find Nick eating junk food and laying on the couch. "Can you hand me the remote?"
"Hello to you, too." Lydia said walking past him and into the kitchen. She tossed her keys on the counter and sat on a chair.
Nick walked into the kitchen at the exact moment Lydia's water broke.
"Call the doctor's," Lydia commanded.
Nick picked up the phone and called the hospital.
Lydia walked to Abby's bedroom. "Abby, we have to go to the hospital."
Abby looked up from her crayon drawing. "Why?"
"The baby's coming."
"It can't come! I'm not pretty yet!" Abby jumped off her bed and walked to her closet. "Hmm ... do you think this is too casual for the baby?" She held up a purple shirt and matching floral-print stretch pants.
"Abby, you look fine. We HAVE to go!" Lydia said.
"You're no help!" She shut the door in her mother's face and proceeded to try everything on in her closet on.
"Nick, make her hurry up! This baby isn't going to wait for her fashion show!"
Nick walked into Abby's room and picked her up. He threw the 5-year-old, who was now wearing a pink princess dress, over his shoulder and followed Lydia outside.
-----
After the long labor the baby, a boy, was finally born. They named him Jonathon.
"Can I see my brother?" Abby asked Nick.
He held her up to the nursery window and pointed to the newest addition to the Stokes family.
Abby scrunched up her nose. "He's ugly! Send him back!"
"Shh, Abby." Nick placed her on the ground again.
"Send him back! Send him back!" She marched in a circle, chanting.
Nick picked her back up, after nursed and doctors started staring. He placed her on his hip and covered his mouth. How can such a little person have such a big mouth? He carried her into her mother's hospital room.
"I don't want that brother," Abby told Lydia and Nick. "Can't we take him back and exchange him for a cuter baby?"
"That's not how things work, Abby," Lydia told her.
Abby shook her head. "Oh, mommy, you're so peas-and-misses."
"Pessimistic, honey," Nick corrected.
"That's what I said, daddy." Abby rolled her eyes. Someone knocked on the door and Abby opened it.
Norah and Greg came in.
"We just came to say congrats." Norah smiled warmly.
Greg handed Lydia the flowers he had carried in.
"Where are the twins?" Nick asked.
"With Cath and Linds," Norah responded. "In the car. They send their love."
Only a couple of minutes later they were gone as quick as they had come.
-----
Two weeks later and the women's wishes had come true. Their husbands decided to be good dads and wait on them and their children hand-and-foot. Water, food, diapers, pads, everything.
They thought it would be easy, but taking care of two grown women and three tiny babies wasn't all fun and games.
"We're going to work, guys." The tired men would say every night as the women laid on Norah and Greg's couch.
"Bye," They'd reply in unison. As soon as they left the women would laugh, even though they swore they were grateful.
"Man, do you KNOW how long it's been since I've been laid?" Greg whined.
"Do you know how long it's been since I've slept?" Nick groaned.
Warrick laughed. "It's so good to be me."
Nick and Greg rolled their eyes and walked out of the break room. Greg headed to his lab, Nick to an autopsy he was meeting Sara at in five minutes.
Greg plopped on his chair and turned on his stereo. He felt something stiff in the pocket of his jeans. As he pulled the paper out, he remembered that Nick and him were supposed to get diapers for Jonathon, Melody, and Lucy. "Shoot." He knew he would get it if he didn't do it.
He lazily walked out of his lab and walked down the hall back to the break room. "Hey, Warrick?"
Warrick looked up from the magazine he was reading. "What's up?"
"Can you do me a favor?" Greg asked.
"Man..." He didn't want to be mean but he heard about the "favors" that he made pretty much everyone else in the building do.
"Please," Greg begged.
Warrick shook his head. "I'm busy."
"You look really busy." Greg glared him and nodded at his magazine.
Warrick gave in. "What do you need?"
"Diapers."
"Oh, come on!" Warrick moaned.
"Please, man?" Greg pouted.
Warrick rolled his eyes. "Fine. But never make that face again."
Greg smiled and handed him a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet.
Greg grinned to himself as he walked back to his lab. 'I'm getting good at his manipulating thing. I can't wait 'till the twins can walk! Then I could get them to do the dishes and clean the bathroom. Score!'