Shady Business by Silver MoonAngel @ AI and ASMR
Carley MoonAngel @ FF.Net
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: This is the second, EDITED, version of Shady Business. I'm
still going to be writing the first version we all know and love
(well, at least I do) and taking suggestions to revise it and create
this one!
Also, some new elements are going to be introduced, but it will only
prove to enhance it (I hope).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Eleven - Happy Birthday
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Serena looked up from the book she was reading to see Nerys,
Kieta, and Samantha pull into Carlin's driveway. Something big had
to be going down, especially if Sam was involved. The trio stepped
out of the car and headed toward Serena. She set the book down and
asked, "What's going on?"
Samantha turned toward her and said, "Carlin's not telling all
of us something." She squinted her eyes and looked in a window, "It
has to do with Raye."
Serena stood up and tapped her foot. "Well, if it has to do
with Raye, you have to ask me first. She's my guest," Serena said
pointedly, "not Car's."
Samantha stretched to her full height and stood beneath
Serena's nose. If Sam didn't look so serious, Serena would have
laughed at the sight of the smaller woman straining over her
stomach. Standing there, she bit back her laughter and waited until
Sam said, "Alright, someone's been sending Darien pictures."
Serena narrowed her eyes, "You know this, how?"
Sam wrapped some hair around the end of her finger and said,
"Mika hacked into his e-mail account and looked."
Serena whipped around and disappeared into the house. She
returned moments later with Carlin and Raye in tow. "Tell them what
you just told me," Serena barked at Sam.
Sam put her hands on her hips, and said, "Some one sent that
Chaucy fellow pictures of Serena. Who did it?"
Carlin rubbed her swollen abdomen and said, "What's it to you?
You have nothing to worry about. Serena and Raye do."
Raye put a hand on Carlin's shoulder. She cleared her throat
and said, "I did." Lifting her chin up and glancing down at Sam,
she added, "Darien figured she was pregnant already and the
detective is psychic. I merely reassured Darien that we were both
alright."
Nerys stepped forward, "He knows now." She turned to Serena
and said in a gentle voice, "He'll leave you alone for awhile. Just
send him pictures."
Serena turned and glared at the group. Kieta and Sam looked
grim, while Nerys, Carlin, and Raye were being encouraging. She
looked down at her stomach and thought about what she would be
giving her twins. 'A chance to know their father someday.' Looking
at her sisters and Raye, Serena let a tear slide down her cheek.
For the babies' sakes... "Where's a camera?"
* * *
Two hours later, Darien received a picture that was taken that
afternoon. He looked at the e-mail address and realized that it
wasn't Raye's. He opened the letter again and scrolled down to the
bottom. There was a letter from Serena. Taking a deep breath, he
read it.
Darien,
I'm writing this to let you know that I'm all right. As
soon as the babies are born, I'll send you pictures. I can't let
you know where I am, but right now, it's for the best.
If you ever need anything, or just want to talk, e-mail
me back. One day I'd like you and your children to meet...
Bye for now,
Serena
Darien slumped in his chair and stared at the computer screen.
She had the audacity to finally contact him after seven months...
He pulled himself up and reached for the telephone; he would get to
the bottom of this...
* * *
Serena sighed as she saw another email from Darien. She had
been keeping him up-to-date with pictures of her and Raye, as well
as photos from her sonograms. With all she had sent, she thought
he'd be placated--oh no, not Darien Chaucy--he had changed his name
back after a visit with Nerys. He wanted to see her in person and
made all sorts of demands, but he was there when she was having a
bad day...
Shaking her head to snap herself out of her musings, she
opened the mail and scanned it. She slightly chuckled to herself at
the picture he had sent her. It was a picture of Darien holding a
baby Raye as a child; below was a caption saying, "I already know
how to hold babies, see?"
Serena checked to see if he was online and laughed aloud when
he was. Clicking on his screen name, she said, "You're going to
have to settle for holding a picture."
He wrote back, "That's what you think. I'm going to find
you."
"Sure, sure. That's what you say every time."
"The only reason I haven't come and picked your ass up is my
respect for your sisters."
Before she could ask which ones, he signed off. Staring at
the computer, she turned around to see Carlin and Galen cuddling on
the couch. A month had gone by since Galen had picked her and
Carlin up from the airport and they had gotten closer. The Blade
sisters had an ass-backward way of doing things. "Carlin, can I use
your heating pad? My back's killing me."
Carlin looked up and smiled, "Sure. Make sure you give it
back though, Genevieve has been really active lately."
Galen planted a kiss on Carlin's forehead, "I thought we
agreed to name her Leala after my mom."
Carlin snorted, "That's what you thought."
Serena cleared her throat, "Car?"
Glaring at Galen, she turned toward Serena and said, "In my
closet." Turning back to Galen, she said, "I'm not finished with
you yet."
Trudging up the stairs, Serena heard Galen say, "Good, because
I've got a deal for you..." She chuckled and knew who was going to
win. Carlin couldn't resist that man of hers. When she got to the
top, Serena called down, "Keep it clean, kids. I don't want to go
into early labor seeing you two."
She heard Carlin laugh out loud and Galen say, "Don't worry,
you'll hear us first. Carlin's a...oof!" Serena imagined the
indignant look on Carlin's face and grabbed the heating pad.
Plugging into the wall and climbing into bed, Serena thought of
Darien as she fell asleep.
* * *
On the other side of the country, Chad sat in a chair, staring
at a picture of Raye. He searched his mind for their doorway and
opened it. 'Why can't you come home?'
A minute later, he felt Raye's voice fill his mind. 'I'll be
home soon. I have to stay for the babies.'
Chad's face contorted into a grimace. 'You'll stay away from
me and your home to stay with Serena. Even after what you saw?'
He could feel her getting angry and recoiled a bit when she
yelled back, 'The only reason I saw that was because I was searching
for answers I shouldn't have been looking for. Besides, I would do
the same thing for you.'
'You're so full of...'
'Shut up and say you love me already.' A moment later, she
said very softly, 'I don't want to be here any more than you want me
to be, but that's beside the point. As soon as I get back, we're
disappearing for a long while. Promise.'
'I'll hold you to it.'
'I wouldn't expect anything less. Goodnight, love.'
He felt her close their 'door' and he himself lay down for the
night. He and Raye would have to wait, but not for too much longer.
* * *
Another month went by, along with Carlin's due date. As each
week went by, Serena and Carlin became more and more miserable; that
is until Carlin's water broke.
* * *
June 29th
7:26 AM
"Serena, I think I need to go to the hospital," Carlin said as
she looked down at the floor, a puddle beneath her feet. She gave a
small prayer of thanks and waddled out of the kitchen to see Serena
scurrying around. She smiled and said, "Call Galen. He knows where
everything is."
Serena turned to Carlin and looked at her with pain in her
eyes. She turned away from her, and said, "He doesn't know where my
things are." She calmly walked over to the living room door and
showed Carlin her puddle. "They wanted to come out and play." Carlin shook her head and gave a small cry when a contraction
hit. Panting, she said, "I'll call Galen."
'Hurry, Car,' Serena thought as she breathed through a
contraction. She had been in labor since late last night, but
didn't feel like she needed to hurry. Another contraction hit and
she choked back a scream of pain. 'I'm going to kill him.'
She heard someone open the door and she gave a sigh of relief
when she saw Raye standing there. "Please get my things. Galen's
on his way to take us to the hospital."
Raye gave a little sigh of relief. She had been hoping, for
both of the girls sake's, that they would go into labor soon.
Carlin was two weeks over due and Serena wasn't due until the middle
of July. Raye went up to Serena's room and grabbed the suitcase
'full of goodies': receiving blankets, an extra change of clothes, a
breast pump, diapers, and a few other miscellaneous items. "Raye,
hurry up. Galen's pulling in the drive," she heard Serena shout up
the stairs. Hauling the suitcase down the stairs, she held the door
open for Carlin--who was being led out by Galen--and Serena before
she went out herself. She hoped for both of their sakes that it
wouldn't be a long labor.
* * *
June 29th
5:40 PM
Serena slowly panted her way through another contraction and
looked at the doctor. "Alright, Doc. What's the news?"
The doctor smiled and said, "Your delivery is progressing
smoothly. You are 6 centimeters dilated and 60 percent effaced. At
the rate you're going, the twins should be here a little before
midnight."
"What about Carlin?" Twenty minutes ago, her sister and Galen
had disappeared into the delivery room. Carlin had looked somewhat
serene--after the medication they had given her had taken affect--
Galen had looked determined and scared. 'No one had better mess
with my niece. Her daddy will clean their clocks.'
"Carlin is going through post delivery surgery and Galen is
coming with the baby."
A soft knock rapped on the door before Galen came in carrying
a small bundle. Opening the blanket, he said, "Carlin and I came to
a compromise. Serena, meet your niece Leala Genevieve McHail."
The baby was softly sucking on her thumb, something she had
done many times in the womb. Serena softly gasped when she saw the
look of total devotion on Galen's face toward his daughter. 'Darien
will have to know, soon,' Serena thought as another contraction hit
her.
* * *
June 30th
12:01 AM
"Alright Serena, push!"
Serena bore down and pushed the first baby out of her. She
felt the slight pressure as the doctor situated the baby's shoulder
so it would slide out easier. 'Think happy thoughts,' she coached
herself as she felt the baby slide from her.
"Okay, we have the boy out. Give us a couple of good pushes
and your daughter should be out shortly."
Serena let a cry rip from her body as she bore down and pushed
as hard as she could. She heard the doctor say something about the
baby crowning, but she didn't care. She wanted to hold her babies.
She felt the second baby slide from her and she laid back, content
with her accomplishment.
The nurses brought the babies over and got them to nurse.
Raye leaned over and asked, "What did you decide to name them?"
Serena gave a weak smile and said, "Meet Doran Reece and
Renata Dionne Chaucy."
* * *
When Serena woke up, Carlin was back in the room, this time
feeding Leala. 'My little squirt is a mommy,' Serena thought as a
tear streaked down her face. She took in the sight of the little
redhead feeding her daughter and sighed.
Carlin looked up and saw Serena looking at her. She softly
smiled and said, "Happy birthday, Rene." She looked down at her
daughter and smoothed back her mop of red hair. Goodbye sleep.
Shifting Leala, she turned to Serena and said, "What'd you name the
twins?"
Serena smiled and said, "My son's name is Doran Reece Chaucy
and my daughter's name is Renata Dionne Chaucy." She gave a slight
chuckle and said, "Dory and Rene for short."
Carlin scrunched up her nose and said, "You named your
daughter Renata? Talk about old."
Before Serena could defend her choice, a nurse pushed in two
bassinets, each one containing a baby. "Miss Blade? It's time to
feed them."
Serena sighed and looked down at her children. Doran had
Darien's dark hair and her blue eyes. If luck was on her side, he'd
be tall like his daddy too. Renata was blessed with her blonde
curls and her daddy's midnight blue eyes. She'd have to beat boys
off with a stick when Rene got older. She maneuvered the babies so
they could both feed at the same time. She looked up from the
babies and said, "Is the au pair we hired going to be there when we
get home?"
Carlin looked up with a not-so-happy look on her face. "For
you maybe. Galen's insisted on staying home--with us--and helping
with Leala. He's even been gracious enough to stay up the first few
nights with her."
Serena chuckled, "He wants to get back with you." Carlin
snorted right before Serena broke out in full-tilt laughter.
* * *
Raye flipped out her cell phone and called the all-too-
familiar number of her brother's house back in California. A
slightly distracted voice answered. Raye held back a sigh and
asked, "May I speak to Darien please? It's very important." The
voice said something and put her on hold. Raye sat, drumming her
fingers on the armrest of the chair she was sitting at. Five
minutes later her brother's voice said, "Hello?" Raye stilled
before clearing her throat. "Darien, it's Raye. The twins were
born this morning."
In California, Darien sat up a little straighter in his chair.
He nervously licked his lips and asked, "How did it go? What did
she name them?"
Raye gave a slight chuckle, "The delivery went pretty
smoothly. She was in labor for about 24 hours and in active labor
for about 6 hours. She had a boy and a girl. She named them Doran
Reece and Renata Dionne Chaucy."
"Doran and Renata? It's different, but interesting," he said
as he swiveled in his chair. He grabbed a cup of coffee and
motioned Chad to come in the door. "When are you going to come
home?"
Raye smiled and gave a slight sigh. Her brother could be so
impatient sometimes. "I'll be home by your birthday and I'll have a
surprise for you," she said, thinking of how she was going to break
the news about Chad.
"Okay, as long as it won't kill me."
"Alright. I'll let you go. I have to go check on Serena and
the twins." Raye heard his good byes and snapped her cell phone
shut. Walking down the hallway, she softly knocked on Serena's room
door. Hearing a greeting, she entered as Carlin started cursing
Serena with very...colorful language.
Serena turned to Raye and said, "It's a good thing you're not
Galen. Car would've jumped out of her bed and killed me." She
picked Rene up and handed her off to Raye. "You need practice,
Auntie Raye," Serena said with a smirk.
Raye cradled the baby in her arms and felt the tears form in
her eyes. Who would know that something so precious could be born
from anything but love?
* * *
In California, Darien broke out a brandy decanter and added a
small dollop to his coffee. He turned to Chad and broke out into a
smile. "I'm a dad."
Chad returned the smile and smacked Darien on the back. He
deserved some sort of happiness after the hell he had been going
through. Taking a dollop of brandy in his own coffee, he asked,
"What did she name them?"
Darien broke out a list of names Serena had given him a few
nights ago. Sure enough, Doran and Renata were two that he had
circled himself. Turning back to Chad, he answered, "She named them
Doran Reece and Renata Dionne Chaucy."
"Interesting choices, but unique," Chad said taking a swallow
of his coffee. He smiled into his coffee cup and gave a slight
chuckle.
Darien turned toward him. "What's so funny?"
Chad turned to him, gave a small chuckle, and asked, "Where's
the one place we didn't look?"
Darien paused for a moment. They had looked everywhere for
Serena since the moment she had walked out of the door. Everywhere
except... "Holy shit."
Chad raised his cup in mock salute and said, "I second that
notion." He put a hand on Darien's shoulder and said, "It seems
that Carlin's prediction was double-edged. You will finally track
her down in June and you will see her in December. The question is,
what are you going to do now?"
"Nothing." Darien turned toward a window and stared at the
falling rain. Taking a sip of his coffee, he added, "Nothing until
December that is." He stalked to his desk and said, "I need to run
a few suggestions by Samantha. Then Serena will be mine."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This chapter was kept the mostly the same because I liked how it was
written the first time.
Send Q's or C's to: silver_moonangel@yahoo.com
Carley MoonAngel @ FF.Net
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: This is the second, EDITED, version of Shady Business. I'm
still going to be writing the first version we all know and love
(well, at least I do) and taking suggestions to revise it and create
this one!
Also, some new elements are going to be introduced, but it will only
prove to enhance it (I hope).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Eleven - Happy Birthday
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Serena looked up from the book she was reading to see Nerys,
Kieta, and Samantha pull into Carlin's driveway. Something big had
to be going down, especially if Sam was involved. The trio stepped
out of the car and headed toward Serena. She set the book down and
asked, "What's going on?"
Samantha turned toward her and said, "Carlin's not telling all
of us something." She squinted her eyes and looked in a window, "It
has to do with Raye."
Serena stood up and tapped her foot. "Well, if it has to do
with Raye, you have to ask me first. She's my guest," Serena said
pointedly, "not Car's."
Samantha stretched to her full height and stood beneath
Serena's nose. If Sam didn't look so serious, Serena would have
laughed at the sight of the smaller woman straining over her
stomach. Standing there, she bit back her laughter and waited until
Sam said, "Alright, someone's been sending Darien pictures."
Serena narrowed her eyes, "You know this, how?"
Sam wrapped some hair around the end of her finger and said,
"Mika hacked into his e-mail account and looked."
Serena whipped around and disappeared into the house. She
returned moments later with Carlin and Raye in tow. "Tell them what
you just told me," Serena barked at Sam.
Sam put her hands on her hips, and said, "Some one sent that
Chaucy fellow pictures of Serena. Who did it?"
Carlin rubbed her swollen abdomen and said, "What's it to you?
You have nothing to worry about. Serena and Raye do."
Raye put a hand on Carlin's shoulder. She cleared her throat
and said, "I did." Lifting her chin up and glancing down at Sam,
she added, "Darien figured she was pregnant already and the
detective is psychic. I merely reassured Darien that we were both
alright."
Nerys stepped forward, "He knows now." She turned to Serena
and said in a gentle voice, "He'll leave you alone for awhile. Just
send him pictures."
Serena turned and glared at the group. Kieta and Sam looked
grim, while Nerys, Carlin, and Raye were being encouraging. She
looked down at her stomach and thought about what she would be
giving her twins. 'A chance to know their father someday.' Looking
at her sisters and Raye, Serena let a tear slide down her cheek.
For the babies' sakes... "Where's a camera?"
* * *
Two hours later, Darien received a picture that was taken that
afternoon. He looked at the e-mail address and realized that it
wasn't Raye's. He opened the letter again and scrolled down to the
bottom. There was a letter from Serena. Taking a deep breath, he
read it.
Darien,
I'm writing this to let you know that I'm all right. As
soon as the babies are born, I'll send you pictures. I can't let
you know where I am, but right now, it's for the best.
If you ever need anything, or just want to talk, e-mail
me back. One day I'd like you and your children to meet...
Bye for now,
Serena
Darien slumped in his chair and stared at the computer screen.
She had the audacity to finally contact him after seven months...
He pulled himself up and reached for the telephone; he would get to
the bottom of this...
* * *
Serena sighed as she saw another email from Darien. She had
been keeping him up-to-date with pictures of her and Raye, as well
as photos from her sonograms. With all she had sent, she thought
he'd be placated--oh no, not Darien Chaucy--he had changed his name
back after a visit with Nerys. He wanted to see her in person and
made all sorts of demands, but he was there when she was having a
bad day...
Shaking her head to snap herself out of her musings, she
opened the mail and scanned it. She slightly chuckled to herself at
the picture he had sent her. It was a picture of Darien holding a
baby Raye as a child; below was a caption saying, "I already know
how to hold babies, see?"
Serena checked to see if he was online and laughed aloud when
he was. Clicking on his screen name, she said, "You're going to
have to settle for holding a picture."
He wrote back, "That's what you think. I'm going to find
you."
"Sure, sure. That's what you say every time."
"The only reason I haven't come and picked your ass up is my
respect for your sisters."
Before she could ask which ones, he signed off. Staring at
the computer, she turned around to see Carlin and Galen cuddling on
the couch. A month had gone by since Galen had picked her and
Carlin up from the airport and they had gotten closer. The Blade
sisters had an ass-backward way of doing things. "Carlin, can I use
your heating pad? My back's killing me."
Carlin looked up and smiled, "Sure. Make sure you give it
back though, Genevieve has been really active lately."
Galen planted a kiss on Carlin's forehead, "I thought we
agreed to name her Leala after my mom."
Carlin snorted, "That's what you thought."
Serena cleared her throat, "Car?"
Glaring at Galen, she turned toward Serena and said, "In my
closet." Turning back to Galen, she said, "I'm not finished with
you yet."
Trudging up the stairs, Serena heard Galen say, "Good, because
I've got a deal for you..." She chuckled and knew who was going to
win. Carlin couldn't resist that man of hers. When she got to the
top, Serena called down, "Keep it clean, kids. I don't want to go
into early labor seeing you two."
She heard Carlin laugh out loud and Galen say, "Don't worry,
you'll hear us first. Carlin's a...oof!" Serena imagined the
indignant look on Carlin's face and grabbed the heating pad.
Plugging into the wall and climbing into bed, Serena thought of
Darien as she fell asleep.
* * *
On the other side of the country, Chad sat in a chair, staring
at a picture of Raye. He searched his mind for their doorway and
opened it. 'Why can't you come home?'
A minute later, he felt Raye's voice fill his mind. 'I'll be
home soon. I have to stay for the babies.'
Chad's face contorted into a grimace. 'You'll stay away from
me and your home to stay with Serena. Even after what you saw?'
He could feel her getting angry and recoiled a bit when she
yelled back, 'The only reason I saw that was because I was searching
for answers I shouldn't have been looking for. Besides, I would do
the same thing for you.'
'You're so full of...'
'Shut up and say you love me already.' A moment later, she
said very softly, 'I don't want to be here any more than you want me
to be, but that's beside the point. As soon as I get back, we're
disappearing for a long while. Promise.'
'I'll hold you to it.'
'I wouldn't expect anything less. Goodnight, love.'
He felt her close their 'door' and he himself lay down for the
night. He and Raye would have to wait, but not for too much longer.
* * *
Another month went by, along with Carlin's due date. As each
week went by, Serena and Carlin became more and more miserable; that
is until Carlin's water broke.
* * *
June 29th
7:26 AM
"Serena, I think I need to go to the hospital," Carlin said as
she looked down at the floor, a puddle beneath her feet. She gave a
small prayer of thanks and waddled out of the kitchen to see Serena
scurrying around. She smiled and said, "Call Galen. He knows where
everything is."
Serena turned to Carlin and looked at her with pain in her
eyes. She turned away from her, and said, "He doesn't know where my
things are." She calmly walked over to the living room door and
showed Carlin her puddle. "They wanted to come out and play." Carlin shook her head and gave a small cry when a contraction
hit. Panting, she said, "I'll call Galen."
'Hurry, Car,' Serena thought as she breathed through a
contraction. She had been in labor since late last night, but
didn't feel like she needed to hurry. Another contraction hit and
she choked back a scream of pain. 'I'm going to kill him.'
She heard someone open the door and she gave a sigh of relief
when she saw Raye standing there. "Please get my things. Galen's
on his way to take us to the hospital."
Raye gave a little sigh of relief. She had been hoping, for
both of the girls sake's, that they would go into labor soon.
Carlin was two weeks over due and Serena wasn't due until the middle
of July. Raye went up to Serena's room and grabbed the suitcase
'full of goodies': receiving blankets, an extra change of clothes, a
breast pump, diapers, and a few other miscellaneous items. "Raye,
hurry up. Galen's pulling in the drive," she heard Serena shout up
the stairs. Hauling the suitcase down the stairs, she held the door
open for Carlin--who was being led out by Galen--and Serena before
she went out herself. She hoped for both of their sakes that it
wouldn't be a long labor.
* * *
June 29th
5:40 PM
Serena slowly panted her way through another contraction and
looked at the doctor. "Alright, Doc. What's the news?"
The doctor smiled and said, "Your delivery is progressing
smoothly. You are 6 centimeters dilated and 60 percent effaced. At
the rate you're going, the twins should be here a little before
midnight."
"What about Carlin?" Twenty minutes ago, her sister and Galen
had disappeared into the delivery room. Carlin had looked somewhat
serene--after the medication they had given her had taken affect--
Galen had looked determined and scared. 'No one had better mess
with my niece. Her daddy will clean their clocks.'
"Carlin is going through post delivery surgery and Galen is
coming with the baby."
A soft knock rapped on the door before Galen came in carrying
a small bundle. Opening the blanket, he said, "Carlin and I came to
a compromise. Serena, meet your niece Leala Genevieve McHail."
The baby was softly sucking on her thumb, something she had
done many times in the womb. Serena softly gasped when she saw the
look of total devotion on Galen's face toward his daughter. 'Darien
will have to know, soon,' Serena thought as another contraction hit
her.
* * *
June 30th
12:01 AM
"Alright Serena, push!"
Serena bore down and pushed the first baby out of her. She
felt the slight pressure as the doctor situated the baby's shoulder
so it would slide out easier. 'Think happy thoughts,' she coached
herself as she felt the baby slide from her.
"Okay, we have the boy out. Give us a couple of good pushes
and your daughter should be out shortly."
Serena let a cry rip from her body as she bore down and pushed
as hard as she could. She heard the doctor say something about the
baby crowning, but she didn't care. She wanted to hold her babies.
She felt the second baby slide from her and she laid back, content
with her accomplishment.
The nurses brought the babies over and got them to nurse.
Raye leaned over and asked, "What did you decide to name them?"
Serena gave a weak smile and said, "Meet Doran Reece and
Renata Dionne Chaucy."
* * *
When Serena woke up, Carlin was back in the room, this time
feeding Leala. 'My little squirt is a mommy,' Serena thought as a
tear streaked down her face. She took in the sight of the little
redhead feeding her daughter and sighed.
Carlin looked up and saw Serena looking at her. She softly
smiled and said, "Happy birthday, Rene." She looked down at her
daughter and smoothed back her mop of red hair. Goodbye sleep.
Shifting Leala, she turned to Serena and said, "What'd you name the
twins?"
Serena smiled and said, "My son's name is Doran Reece Chaucy
and my daughter's name is Renata Dionne Chaucy." She gave a slight
chuckle and said, "Dory and Rene for short."
Carlin scrunched up her nose and said, "You named your
daughter Renata? Talk about old."
Before Serena could defend her choice, a nurse pushed in two
bassinets, each one containing a baby. "Miss Blade? It's time to
feed them."
Serena sighed and looked down at her children. Doran had
Darien's dark hair and her blue eyes. If luck was on her side, he'd
be tall like his daddy too. Renata was blessed with her blonde
curls and her daddy's midnight blue eyes. She'd have to beat boys
off with a stick when Rene got older. She maneuvered the babies so
they could both feed at the same time. She looked up from the
babies and said, "Is the au pair we hired going to be there when we
get home?"
Carlin looked up with a not-so-happy look on her face. "For
you maybe. Galen's insisted on staying home--with us--and helping
with Leala. He's even been gracious enough to stay up the first few
nights with her."
Serena chuckled, "He wants to get back with you." Carlin
snorted right before Serena broke out in full-tilt laughter.
* * *
Raye flipped out her cell phone and called the all-too-
familiar number of her brother's house back in California. A
slightly distracted voice answered. Raye held back a sigh and
asked, "May I speak to Darien please? It's very important." The
voice said something and put her on hold. Raye sat, drumming her
fingers on the armrest of the chair she was sitting at. Five
minutes later her brother's voice said, "Hello?" Raye stilled
before clearing her throat. "Darien, it's Raye. The twins were
born this morning."
In California, Darien sat up a little straighter in his chair.
He nervously licked his lips and asked, "How did it go? What did
she name them?"
Raye gave a slight chuckle, "The delivery went pretty
smoothly. She was in labor for about 24 hours and in active labor
for about 6 hours. She had a boy and a girl. She named them Doran
Reece and Renata Dionne Chaucy."
"Doran and Renata? It's different, but interesting," he said
as he swiveled in his chair. He grabbed a cup of coffee and
motioned Chad to come in the door. "When are you going to come
home?"
Raye smiled and gave a slight sigh. Her brother could be so
impatient sometimes. "I'll be home by your birthday and I'll have a
surprise for you," she said, thinking of how she was going to break
the news about Chad.
"Okay, as long as it won't kill me."
"Alright. I'll let you go. I have to go check on Serena and
the twins." Raye heard his good byes and snapped her cell phone
shut. Walking down the hallway, she softly knocked on Serena's room
door. Hearing a greeting, she entered as Carlin started cursing
Serena with very...colorful language.
Serena turned to Raye and said, "It's a good thing you're not
Galen. Car would've jumped out of her bed and killed me." She
picked Rene up and handed her off to Raye. "You need practice,
Auntie Raye," Serena said with a smirk.
Raye cradled the baby in her arms and felt the tears form in
her eyes. Who would know that something so precious could be born
from anything but love?
* * *
In California, Darien broke out a brandy decanter and added a
small dollop to his coffee. He turned to Chad and broke out into a
smile. "I'm a dad."
Chad returned the smile and smacked Darien on the back. He
deserved some sort of happiness after the hell he had been going
through. Taking a dollop of brandy in his own coffee, he asked,
"What did she name them?"
Darien broke out a list of names Serena had given him a few
nights ago. Sure enough, Doran and Renata were two that he had
circled himself. Turning back to Chad, he answered, "She named them
Doran Reece and Renata Dionne Chaucy."
"Interesting choices, but unique," Chad said taking a swallow
of his coffee. He smiled into his coffee cup and gave a slight
chuckle.
Darien turned toward him. "What's so funny?"
Chad turned to him, gave a small chuckle, and asked, "Where's
the one place we didn't look?"
Darien paused for a moment. They had looked everywhere for
Serena since the moment she had walked out of the door. Everywhere
except... "Holy shit."
Chad raised his cup in mock salute and said, "I second that
notion." He put a hand on Darien's shoulder and said, "It seems
that Carlin's prediction was double-edged. You will finally track
her down in June and you will see her in December. The question is,
what are you going to do now?"
"Nothing." Darien turned toward a window and stared at the
falling rain. Taking a sip of his coffee, he added, "Nothing until
December that is." He stalked to his desk and said, "I need to run
a few suggestions by Samantha. Then Serena will be mine."
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This chapter was kept the mostly the same because I liked how it was
written the first time.
Send Q's or C's to: silver_moonangel@yahoo.com