Six and a half months later…
Ani was bored. She sat at her desk as the other kids colored in their pictures. She glanced around the classroom and saw a little boy sitting away from everyone else. Sky and Alec were in the other class, and were making friends, but for some reason, Ani really couldn't find anyone that liked the same things as she did.
All the other little girls were into dolls and clothes. She liked to do karate with her brother and put things together. She loved going to the SGA with her parents and seeing all the computers and buttons… maybe someday she'd get to play with them.
The little boy was sitting in a corner, tinkering away at something or other. She stood up and walked over to him.
She looked and smiled as she saw that he was trying to put a truck back together.
"Hi," she said. The little boy turned around and smiled a little at her.
"Hi," he said as he turned back to his truck. Ani looked closer and saw that he was wearing gloves.
"Why are you wearing gloves? Are you cold?" she said as she sat down. The little boy looked sad then and continued away at his toy.
"No… I have to wear them."
"Why?"
"I don't want to tell you."
"Why?"
"Because you'll make fun of me."
Ani smiled. "I won't make fun of you. I promise."
The boy looked at her and took off one of his gloves. Ani wondered what was going on, because the boy didn't say anything, but he smiled.
"You're nice," he said. "I'm Bridge." He held out his hand and Ani took it.
"I'm Ani," she said. Bridge stiffened a little and pulled back nervously.
"Are you ok?" Ani asked. Bridge quickly put his glove back on.
"Yeah… it's just… I need to wear these 'cause I can feel what you feel when I touch you… my dad said it's nothing, but my mommy thinks it's kind of weird…"
Ani smiled as Bridge continued to ramble on a little. She knew she'd like this kid.
"… then I got the gloves for Hanukah from my grandma."
"Cool," was all Ani said.
"You don't think I'm weird?" he asked.
Ani shook her head. "Nope… I got powers too," she said.
"Really? I've never met anyone else with powers. What can you do?" he asked anxiously.
Ani held her hand out with her palm facing the truck. The toy levitated and flew to her hand.
"Whoa! That's awesome! Send it back!"
"I can't," she said. "I can only make stuff come to me. It's weird. My brother can make these shields and –"
"You have a brother?"
"I have two… maybe another one soon. Mama won't tell us yet."
Bridge grinned. "You want to help me fix the truck?" Ani grinned happily and they went to work…
Meanwhile, Taylor was sitting at her desk looking over some paperwork Cruger had left for her. The ranger training was in full swing and things couldn't be better. The papers were regarding a sort of academy that would be formed in order to assure that there would be rangers for years to come.
Andros had suggested it. He had told tem all that he and Zhane had been trained since they were thirteen. The number sounded good enough. Plus the children would be hand selected to attend the new academy.
She was about to sign them when she felt a stabbing pain in her abdomen. Her hands were immediately on her swollen belly. Something was wrong… another pain came, and then another.
Picking up her phone, she paged Eric who was in a meeting. After what seemed like forever, Eric walked into the office and went white when he saw Taylor in what was undoubtedly labor.
"Something's not right," she said as Eric helped her to stand. "We need to get to the hospital," she said softly as another contraction hit her.
"It's okay," he said as they walked out. "Everything's going to be okay." He was nervous as hell as they got outside to his car. It was way to soon and Taylor wasn't acting like she had with the others. He drove like a madman, but tried to keep his cool. "Just hold on, we're almost there," he said as they pulled into the parking lot.
Taylor was white as a ghost as he helped her out of the car. "Eric… I don't think," she said as she sank to the ground.
Eric picked her up bridal style and rushed into the ER of Silver Hills Memorial. "Someone help!" he cried.
Immediately, Taylor was placed on a gurney and whisked away from him…
Back at school, Sky was waiting for Ani to get out of class. Alec was bouncing up and down humming a tune as he waited for his dad to pick him up.
Ani came running over to them grinning. "You guys! I met this really cool kid who can read minds or something and he didn't make fun of me or anything!" she said happily.
"Cool!" they both said.
"Look, there's my dad!" Alec said as Wes walked towards them. The look on his face was not his usual happy one that the children were used to. He looked very sad and nervous at the same time.
"Hey," he said as they came over to him. "Your dad wants you guys to come to our house today," he said to the twins.
"Why? I thought papa was picking us up today?" Sky said. Wes sighed.
"He was, but he had to take your mama to the doctor," he said.
The twins both got nervous. Their parents had told them that the baby wasn't going to come until school was over.
"Why?" Ani asked as tears gathered in her eyes. "I want my mama!" Wes hugged her and Sky just looked on with a blank expression.
"Is the baby okay?" he asked softly. Wes began walking with the kids next to him.
"That's what they're going to find out little man," he said using his nickname for his nephew. Sky, Alec, and Ani climbed into the car and drove back to the Collins' house.
At the hospital Eric was sitting in one of the private waiting rooms. An hour ago, the doctors had delivered his third son… but Taylor was still unconscious. The tiny baby was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) while Taylor was in surgery.
The doctors had told him that Taylor had developed some sort of virus that had caused her labor. The virus was attacking her uterus, and her body knew to get the baby out of danger, causing her premature labor.
The baby was born, but Taylor was far from out of danger. She was bleeding… more than she was supposed to. The said as soon as the baby was born Taylor had started to bleed out.
He knew he had to get out of the room… do something to get his mind off the worst possibilities. Wes and Jen were taking care of the kids, but Eric wanted to see the twins to let them know everything was alright.
He walked to the NICU and stood outside the window, looking at the tiny body of his son inside the enclosed basinet. He was so very small compared to his brothers and sister. Tears stung his eyes as he thought about Taylor up in surgery.
He refused to let himself fall apart. He had been nervous when Taylor went overseas, and then again when she had been injured, but this… this was more than either one of them could have imagined. Taylor was literally hanging on by a thread… but then there was their newborn who had yet to be named.
His heart ached, as did his body. He was physically and emotionally drained, but he had to put on a brave face for his children.
"Papa?" He turned and looked down the hall. His eyes softened with his unshed tears as he saw Sky walking down the hall carefully. He looked almost afraid to go near his father.
"Come here Sky," He said as he bent down to his level. Sky ran into his arms and flung his arms around him.
"Is mama going to be okay?' he asked as Eric stood with him.
"How'd you get up here?" he asked carefully.
"Uncle Wes brought us… he said my brother was on the third floor and a nurse helped me," he said softly. Eric felt small tears on his shirt and rubbed his son's back comfortingly. "Where's mama?"
"Mama's with another doctor," he said. Sky lifted his head and Eric saw that his eyes were full of fat, wet tears. "Do you want to see your little brother?" Sky nodded his head slowly. Eric walked over to the window and pointed to the little boy in front.
"He's so little," Sky said. Eric nodded and father and son watched the newest member of their family squirm slightly.
"He is little… that's why you and Ani and Collin need to look out for him." Sky watched his little brother with a new sense of pride. He needed to take care of him…
A loud crash was heard and Sky instantly raised his fist, placing a shield around himself and his father. Eric turned and saw a cart that had been tipped over. A very nervous orderly looked on in shock at the shield.
"It's okay Sky," Eric said. Sky took the shield down and the orderly ran down the hall.
"I'm… I'm sorry," Sky said as more tears gathered in his eyes.
"Why are you sorry?" he asked. "You thought I was in danger and you protected me… you should never feel sorry about protecting someone Sky."
Sky wiped his eyes and hugged Eric tighter. "I promise papa… I'll always protect people."
Eric grinned and kissed his son's forehead. "That's very noble of you Sky. I'm very proud of you."
Sky looked at him and smiled. He was proud of him… he would always make sure to make his papa proud…
"Let's go see if we can find you sister and Uncle Wes," he said as he placed him on the ground. With one last look at the baby, Sky and Eric walked back to the waiting room.
Hours seemed to drag on, and soon Wes took Sky and Ani back to the house. Collin was with Alyssa and Cole, and Jen was on her way to pick him up.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright here alone?" Wes asked. Eric nodded his head slowly and kissed his children goodbye.
As he sat there in the dim light, his mind drifted back to the first time he had laid eyes on Taylor…
It was a gorgeous day in Silver Hills and he and Wes were out on duty, pulling over speeding cars and what not. The Yellow Mustang caught his eye immediately as it sped passed them.
They pulled the car over and Eric was prepared to give an earful to the maniac behind the wheel. That all changed when he saw the beautiful head of blonde hair in the window…then she looked at him and he knew he was done.
She hadn't tried to get out of the ticket like he suspected her to do, and when he returned to the car and commented to Wes that she was trouble, he knew he was right in saying that she was just his type.
After that, things progressed extremely quickly… images of the first time they made love… their children being born… their impromptu wedding… the look on her face when she was all riled up…
He couldn't take it anymore… he placed his head in his hands and cried…