As the sun peeked over the horizon Molly walked into the kitchen where Spot
and Sippi sat drinking coffee.
"It's over with," she said tiredly. "You can come in now."
Spot jumped to his feet and raced down the hall. He burst into the room and China whirled, giving him a death glare. "Quiet!" she hissed, gesturing to Rae, who was very much fast asleep.
"Where are they?" he whispered.
China pointed to her right.
He crept over to the cradle. "I thought you said two...."
"I did."
"Then why are there three?"
She shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are."
He dropped to his knees beside the cradle. "Three..." he said with a slight laugh.
"Even I can't believe it," China said. "I was stunned by twins... But three?"
He looked over his shoulder at Rae. "How is she?"
"Worn out... But she'll be just fine."
He sighed in relief.
She smiled. "Rae's a fighter."
He glanced back down at the babies. "What are they?"
"Two are boys. The littlest one is the girl. She came out last."
"They're so tiny."
She smiled. "Aren't they though?"
"Can I?" he asked, pointing at them.
China paused and finally nodded. "Just be extra, extra careful."
"I promise," he said, gently lifting his daughter into his arms and cradling her close to him.
"What do you think, Conlon?"
"She's perfect."
She smiled. "That's what I expected."
He kissed her tiny face and gently placed her back beside her brothers. Standing, he walked over and sat next to Rae.
"Don't wake her up now," China warned.
"I won't," he whispered.
"Good."
He gently brushed the sweat-soaked hair from her face and kissed her forehead lightly.
"Did she go through it okay?"
"I suppose so...I've never delivered three before..."
"Three is a lot... no wonder she was so uncomfortable."
"Look, Spot...I'm only going to stay another couple of days...but I want you to make sure that she stays in that bed for at least two weeks."
He nodded. "Make sure you let her know too.... she'll likely listen to you over me."
"I really don't think you'll have any problem...it will likely take her a while to get her energy back."
He glanced at Rae again. "But she will be all right?"
"There weren't any problems...so I don't see any reason why not."
He sighed in relief.
"Is there a fire in the stove in the kitchen?" she asked.
"There should be, unless 'Sippi let it die out."
"Good. Take the cradle in there. It's bound to be warmer than this room. Set the cradle close to the stove, will ya..."
He nodded. "How long should we keep them that way?"
"I'll let you know later."
He nodded. He carefully picked up the cradle and carried it into the kitchen.
Sippi looked up from the table. "What do you have there?" he asked curiously
"The babies," Spot replied with a smirk.
Getting to his feet, he went to go see. "Uh... Spot? There are three babies in here."
Spot laughed as he set the cradle on the floor near the stove. "I had the same reaction."
"I thought China said two..."
"That's what she thought. It appears that my baby girl was hiding behind her brothers."
He laughed. "Leave it to you to go big or don't go at all."
"What's everyone doing up so early?" Chris asked, walking into the room and rubbing his eyes.
"Rae had her babies," they said simultaneously.
"Babies? As in more than one?"
"More than two," Spot said.
"MORE than two...that would mean...three...he's kidding right?" Chris asked Sippi.
'Sippi simply laughed and shook his head. "You've got to see this for yourself," he said, stepping back from the cradle.
Chris peered in. And he stared. Yes... there were three little heads in there. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Not unless China is pulling one on me," Spot replied.
"I bet Rae sleeps all week."
"Without a doubt."
China walked in. "Spot..."
He looked up. "Hmm?"
"Take the babies and go wake up your wife..."
Spot blinked at China. "I thought you said not to wake her... now you want me to?"
"Those babies need to eat don't they? Besides she's been asleep almost two hours."
With a nod, he hefted up the basinet with the babies in it, and carried them back down the hall. Carefully, he slipped into the dark room and approached Rae's side. "Rae, darling..." Gently, he shook her shoulder.
She moaned softly.
"Wake up. The babies need to be fed, China says."
"Hmm?" she asked, not opening her eyes.
"China says you need to feed the babies," he repeated, kissing her forehead.
"I wanna sleep," she pouted.
"I know sweetheart," he said, pushing her tangled hair from her face.
Sighing, she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Where are they?"
He scooped each one from the cradle at the side of the bed. Rae was silent as she fed the boys. "Spot?" she finally said, sleepily.
"Yes?"
"Are you still gonna make Molly leave? After last night?"
He was quiet for a while. "I don't know... I should... so they will know I mean business... But I'm having trouble bringing myself up to it. 'Sippi's right. I've gone soft."
"If you still think she should leave...just give her another day...don't force her to leave after staying up half the night with me..."
He nodded. "The biggest problem is that I don't know whether or not she SHOULD leave..."
Rae sighed as her eyes drifted closed.
Taking the last baby, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before taking the cradle back to the kitchen.
"Uncle Sippi won't let me go see Mommy," Kendra said when Spot walked into the room.
"She needs her sleep, sweetheart."
"But I wanna see her," she said, stomping her foot and putting her hands on her hips.
"I'm sorry little bit, but you can't."
"WHY?"
"Because she's very tired from having the babies, and if you don't stop arguing with me, you're going to be in trouble, little miss."
She cocked her head to the side. "Babies?"
He nodded and showed her the cradle. "Be very quiet," he told her.
"Lots of babies," she whispered.
He nodded. "So Momma is very tired after having them all."
She nodded as if she understood.
"It's over with," she said tiredly. "You can come in now."
Spot jumped to his feet and raced down the hall. He burst into the room and China whirled, giving him a death glare. "Quiet!" she hissed, gesturing to Rae, who was very much fast asleep.
"Where are they?" he whispered.
China pointed to her right.
He crept over to the cradle. "I thought you said two...."
"I did."
"Then why are there three?"
She shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are."
He dropped to his knees beside the cradle. "Three..." he said with a slight laugh.
"Even I can't believe it," China said. "I was stunned by twins... But three?"
He looked over his shoulder at Rae. "How is she?"
"Worn out... But she'll be just fine."
He sighed in relief.
She smiled. "Rae's a fighter."
He glanced back down at the babies. "What are they?"
"Two are boys. The littlest one is the girl. She came out last."
"They're so tiny."
She smiled. "Aren't they though?"
"Can I?" he asked, pointing at them.
China paused and finally nodded. "Just be extra, extra careful."
"I promise," he said, gently lifting his daughter into his arms and cradling her close to him.
"What do you think, Conlon?"
"She's perfect."
She smiled. "That's what I expected."
He kissed her tiny face and gently placed her back beside her brothers. Standing, he walked over and sat next to Rae.
"Don't wake her up now," China warned.
"I won't," he whispered.
"Good."
He gently brushed the sweat-soaked hair from her face and kissed her forehead lightly.
"Did she go through it okay?"
"I suppose so...I've never delivered three before..."
"Three is a lot... no wonder she was so uncomfortable."
"Look, Spot...I'm only going to stay another couple of days...but I want you to make sure that she stays in that bed for at least two weeks."
He nodded. "Make sure you let her know too.... she'll likely listen to you over me."
"I really don't think you'll have any problem...it will likely take her a while to get her energy back."
He glanced at Rae again. "But she will be all right?"
"There weren't any problems...so I don't see any reason why not."
He sighed in relief.
"Is there a fire in the stove in the kitchen?" she asked.
"There should be, unless 'Sippi let it die out."
"Good. Take the cradle in there. It's bound to be warmer than this room. Set the cradle close to the stove, will ya..."
He nodded. "How long should we keep them that way?"
"I'll let you know later."
He nodded. He carefully picked up the cradle and carried it into the kitchen.
Sippi looked up from the table. "What do you have there?" he asked curiously
"The babies," Spot replied with a smirk.
Getting to his feet, he went to go see. "Uh... Spot? There are three babies in here."
Spot laughed as he set the cradle on the floor near the stove. "I had the same reaction."
"I thought China said two..."
"That's what she thought. It appears that my baby girl was hiding behind her brothers."
He laughed. "Leave it to you to go big or don't go at all."
"What's everyone doing up so early?" Chris asked, walking into the room and rubbing his eyes.
"Rae had her babies," they said simultaneously.
"Babies? As in more than one?"
"More than two," Spot said.
"MORE than two...that would mean...three...he's kidding right?" Chris asked Sippi.
'Sippi simply laughed and shook his head. "You've got to see this for yourself," he said, stepping back from the cradle.
Chris peered in. And he stared. Yes... there were three little heads in there. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Not unless China is pulling one on me," Spot replied.
"I bet Rae sleeps all week."
"Without a doubt."
China walked in. "Spot..."
He looked up. "Hmm?"
"Take the babies and go wake up your wife..."
Spot blinked at China. "I thought you said not to wake her... now you want me to?"
"Those babies need to eat don't they? Besides she's been asleep almost two hours."
With a nod, he hefted up the basinet with the babies in it, and carried them back down the hall. Carefully, he slipped into the dark room and approached Rae's side. "Rae, darling..." Gently, he shook her shoulder.
She moaned softly.
"Wake up. The babies need to be fed, China says."
"Hmm?" she asked, not opening her eyes.
"China says you need to feed the babies," he repeated, kissing her forehead.
"I wanna sleep," she pouted.
"I know sweetheart," he said, pushing her tangled hair from her face.
Sighing, she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Where are they?"
He scooped each one from the cradle at the side of the bed. Rae was silent as she fed the boys. "Spot?" she finally said, sleepily.
"Yes?"
"Are you still gonna make Molly leave? After last night?"
He was quiet for a while. "I don't know... I should... so they will know I mean business... But I'm having trouble bringing myself up to it. 'Sippi's right. I've gone soft."
"If you still think she should leave...just give her another day...don't force her to leave after staying up half the night with me..."
He nodded. "The biggest problem is that I don't know whether or not she SHOULD leave..."
Rae sighed as her eyes drifted closed.
Taking the last baby, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before taking the cradle back to the kitchen.
"Uncle Sippi won't let me go see Mommy," Kendra said when Spot walked into the room.
"She needs her sleep, sweetheart."
"But I wanna see her," she said, stomping her foot and putting her hands on her hips.
"I'm sorry little bit, but you can't."
"WHY?"
"Because she's very tired from having the babies, and if you don't stop arguing with me, you're going to be in trouble, little miss."
She cocked her head to the side. "Babies?"
He nodded and showed her the cradle. "Be very quiet," he told her.
"Lots of babies," she whispered.
He nodded. "So Momma is very tired after having them all."
She nodded as if she understood.