Chapter 17
Jo couldn't get enough of the babies and she was currently holding both of them three days later, Lizzie's as well as the triplet's release had been delayed because Gabriella wanted all of them to be a little stronger before they went home. "Lizzie, just to warn you they've planned a little surprise party for your coming home, but I just wanted to give you a heads up."
Lizzie smiles at her mother as she clings to her father's arm, her legs feel like jelly from being on bed rest for so long, "thanks Mom."
Gordo pulls the door open to reveal a small crowd gathered in the living room, Matt, Melina, Lanny, Ethan, Larry, Miranda, Roberta and Lizzie's grandparents were all present and anxious to hold one of the babies. "Surprise!" The group choruses once Lizzie has walked through the room and Lily who had been sound asleep offers a soft mewing sounds as she is awoken.
Miranda cringes slightly, "sorry Lizzie."
Lizzie shakes her head, "it's all right." Sam leads Lizzie over to the couch and Lizzie can't help but notice that while Sam had been holding Michael earlier he wasn't any longer, "where's Michael?" Lizzie asks suddenly panicked despite the fact that she didn't need to be.
"It's all right Lizzie, I've got him." Gordo suddenly appears right beside Lizzie so that she can see that Michael is safely in his father's arms.
Lizzie lets out a deep breath as people flood her with congratulations and wishes to hold the babies. Nervously she grants permission to everyone but her heart rate seems to escalate and her eyes dart back and forth between where the babies currently rest. Finally thought Lizzie's attention is taken off the babies with the appearance of LeeAnne MacGreggor.
"Congratulations." LeeAnne greets warmly.
"Thank you." Lizzie smiles, "I'm really sorry about not calling you back..."
LeeAnne smiles, "you've been busy, I understand, I was wondering if you had given it any though?"
Lizzie shakes nods, "I have and I've talked it over with my parents and Gordo and I realized I can't take the kids away from Gordo. But thank you so much for the offer."
LeeAnne nods, "I understand completely, you are very lucky Ms. McGuire very few girls have a support system they feel comfortable in."
Lizzie nods, "I know how lucky I am, thank you."
"Listen though if you change your mind let me know before September 15th, that's a week and a half from today."
Lizzie nods, "all right, thank you."
"I should get going back to the school, but I talked to your mother and she invited me down."
"Well thank you for coming." Lizzie responds cheerfully, "and thank you again for the offer."
"Where'd you get clothes so small to fit them?" Melina asks walking up to Lizzie carefully holding Hanna.
Lizzie smiles, "they are actually baby doll clothes."
Melina smiles, "how cute. You know Lizzie if you and Gordo ever need a baby-sitter I baby-sit for a fee."
Lizzie laughs lightly at Melina, "I won't leave them with a sitter any time soon, but I'll keep that in mind Melina."
"So how are you going to tell them apart anyway?" Melina asks, "I bet Hanna and Lily will be switching places all the time."
Lizzie shakes her head, "I don't think they'll be able to do it, unless their hair colors change as they get older. Under their little hats Hanna is blonde and Lily has darker hair."
Melina grins at Lizzie, "you're lucky, I've always wanted to be a twin so I could switch spots."
"Lucky for your parents you aren't I guess." Lizzie laughs as she takes Hanna back from Melina when she is offered and then Melina walks over to join Larry and Matt who suddenly seem bored with the whole deal. Lizzie gently brushes Hanna's cheek and kisses her on the forehead, "welcome home sweetie."
"Someone's kind of fussy." Miranda appears holding Lily who is screaming at the top of her lungs, which is a lot softer than a normal newborns.
Lizzie and Miranda quickly switch babies and Lizzie attempts to quiet the crying baby by gently rocking her but when she doesn't respond to that she states, "she's probably hungry," and struggles to her feet to retrieve the special formula for premature babies the hospital had provided her with.
"Lizzie, I'll get it." Gordo offers appearing suddenly beside her.
Lizzie shakes her head, "I can handle this, it's all right."
"You're sure?"
Lizzie nods, "I'm sure, there's still two babies here you can be taking care of, I'll be back."
The next morning Lizzie woke up exhausted but physically feeling better than the day before. But she hadn't slept by the time two of the babies were asleep the other one would be crying and it seemed to have continued through the entire night. Gordo had offered to help but since school was starting back in a week for him he was working full time and since Lizzie wasn't working at all she refused to let him get up with the babies. She was woken by the sound of Michael fussing, she now could easily distinguish between the cries of the three babies and she knew enough to know that Michael would have his sisters up in no time if she didn't get him out of the nursery immediately. The instant Lizzie scoops him into her arms Michael settles down so Lizzie checks on the two peaceful girls and then returns to her bedroom to grab the baby monitor and heads to the kitchen to prepare Michael's bottle and get a jump start on Hanna and Lily's.
Walking into the house Lizzie is slightly surprised to see that Gordo, Miranda and her parents and Matt are all sitting at the kitchen table. "Good morning everyone, Gordo I thought you had to work?"
"I traded a later shift." Gordo states.
"Dad don't you have to be at work?" Lizzie asks curious as to why everyone is sitting at the kitchen table, all of them unmoving as if judging Lizzie.
"Gordo needed to talk to your mother and I so I called and said I was going to be late. I should be going now." Sam states standing up and then glancing at his wife and son.
"I need to get a shower." Jo adds.
"I'm meeting Melina and Lanny and we are going to head over to the school to get our schedules." Matt states.
"They couldn't clear out of here any faster." Lizzie comments, "what's going on?"
"We have to talk Lizzie, it's kind of important." Miranda's voice is twinged with sadness.
"Can it wait until I get Michael's bottle together?" Lizzie asks.
Gordo nods, "yes."
Lizzie watches her two best friends as she prepares Michael's bottle, she could tell something was up by the lack of help offers she had gotten and by the way that they sat completely still at the table. Returning to the table Lizzie takes a seat at the head of the table with Gordo and Miranda on either side of her, "so what's going on?"
"Lizzie there is something we need to tell you, something we've been lying about." Gordo takes a deep breath before continuing.
Jo couldn't get enough of the babies and she was currently holding both of them three days later, Lizzie's as well as the triplet's release had been delayed because Gabriella wanted all of them to be a little stronger before they went home. "Lizzie, just to warn you they've planned a little surprise party for your coming home, but I just wanted to give you a heads up."
Lizzie smiles at her mother as she clings to her father's arm, her legs feel like jelly from being on bed rest for so long, "thanks Mom."
Gordo pulls the door open to reveal a small crowd gathered in the living room, Matt, Melina, Lanny, Ethan, Larry, Miranda, Roberta and Lizzie's grandparents were all present and anxious to hold one of the babies. "Surprise!" The group choruses once Lizzie has walked through the room and Lily who had been sound asleep offers a soft mewing sounds as she is awoken.
Miranda cringes slightly, "sorry Lizzie."
Lizzie shakes her head, "it's all right." Sam leads Lizzie over to the couch and Lizzie can't help but notice that while Sam had been holding Michael earlier he wasn't any longer, "where's Michael?" Lizzie asks suddenly panicked despite the fact that she didn't need to be.
"It's all right Lizzie, I've got him." Gordo suddenly appears right beside Lizzie so that she can see that Michael is safely in his father's arms.
Lizzie lets out a deep breath as people flood her with congratulations and wishes to hold the babies. Nervously she grants permission to everyone but her heart rate seems to escalate and her eyes dart back and forth between where the babies currently rest. Finally thought Lizzie's attention is taken off the babies with the appearance of LeeAnne MacGreggor.
"Congratulations." LeeAnne greets warmly.
"Thank you." Lizzie smiles, "I'm really sorry about not calling you back..."
LeeAnne smiles, "you've been busy, I understand, I was wondering if you had given it any though?"
Lizzie shakes nods, "I have and I've talked it over with my parents and Gordo and I realized I can't take the kids away from Gordo. But thank you so much for the offer."
LeeAnne nods, "I understand completely, you are very lucky Ms. McGuire very few girls have a support system they feel comfortable in."
Lizzie nods, "I know how lucky I am, thank you."
"Listen though if you change your mind let me know before September 15th, that's a week and a half from today."
Lizzie nods, "all right, thank you."
"I should get going back to the school, but I talked to your mother and she invited me down."
"Well thank you for coming." Lizzie responds cheerfully, "and thank you again for the offer."
"Where'd you get clothes so small to fit them?" Melina asks walking up to Lizzie carefully holding Hanna.
Lizzie smiles, "they are actually baby doll clothes."
Melina smiles, "how cute. You know Lizzie if you and Gordo ever need a baby-sitter I baby-sit for a fee."
Lizzie laughs lightly at Melina, "I won't leave them with a sitter any time soon, but I'll keep that in mind Melina."
"So how are you going to tell them apart anyway?" Melina asks, "I bet Hanna and Lily will be switching places all the time."
Lizzie shakes her head, "I don't think they'll be able to do it, unless their hair colors change as they get older. Under their little hats Hanna is blonde and Lily has darker hair."
Melina grins at Lizzie, "you're lucky, I've always wanted to be a twin so I could switch spots."
"Lucky for your parents you aren't I guess." Lizzie laughs as she takes Hanna back from Melina when she is offered and then Melina walks over to join Larry and Matt who suddenly seem bored with the whole deal. Lizzie gently brushes Hanna's cheek and kisses her on the forehead, "welcome home sweetie."
"Someone's kind of fussy." Miranda appears holding Lily who is screaming at the top of her lungs, which is a lot softer than a normal newborns.
Lizzie and Miranda quickly switch babies and Lizzie attempts to quiet the crying baby by gently rocking her but when she doesn't respond to that she states, "she's probably hungry," and struggles to her feet to retrieve the special formula for premature babies the hospital had provided her with.
"Lizzie, I'll get it." Gordo offers appearing suddenly beside her.
Lizzie shakes her head, "I can handle this, it's all right."
"You're sure?"
Lizzie nods, "I'm sure, there's still two babies here you can be taking care of, I'll be back."
The next morning Lizzie woke up exhausted but physically feeling better than the day before. But she hadn't slept by the time two of the babies were asleep the other one would be crying and it seemed to have continued through the entire night. Gordo had offered to help but since school was starting back in a week for him he was working full time and since Lizzie wasn't working at all she refused to let him get up with the babies. She was woken by the sound of Michael fussing, she now could easily distinguish between the cries of the three babies and she knew enough to know that Michael would have his sisters up in no time if she didn't get him out of the nursery immediately. The instant Lizzie scoops him into her arms Michael settles down so Lizzie checks on the two peaceful girls and then returns to her bedroom to grab the baby monitor and heads to the kitchen to prepare Michael's bottle and get a jump start on Hanna and Lily's.
Walking into the house Lizzie is slightly surprised to see that Gordo, Miranda and her parents and Matt are all sitting at the kitchen table. "Good morning everyone, Gordo I thought you had to work?"
"I traded a later shift." Gordo states.
"Dad don't you have to be at work?" Lizzie asks curious as to why everyone is sitting at the kitchen table, all of them unmoving as if judging Lizzie.
"Gordo needed to talk to your mother and I so I called and said I was going to be late. I should be going now." Sam states standing up and then glancing at his wife and son.
"I need to get a shower." Jo adds.
"I'm meeting Melina and Lanny and we are going to head over to the school to get our schedules." Matt states.
"They couldn't clear out of here any faster." Lizzie comments, "what's going on?"
"We have to talk Lizzie, it's kind of important." Miranda's voice is twinged with sadness.
"Can it wait until I get Michael's bottle together?" Lizzie asks.
Gordo nods, "yes."
Lizzie watches her two best friends as she prepares Michael's bottle, she could tell something was up by the lack of help offers she had gotten and by the way that they sat completely still at the table. Returning to the table Lizzie takes a seat at the head of the table with Gordo and Miranda on either side of her, "so what's going on?"
"Lizzie there is something we need to tell you, something we've been lying about." Gordo takes a deep breath before continuing.