A/N: Granger Family Saga. The birth of the triplets.
Yep, you got it. I know very little about medical procedures, just what I managed to understand from WebMD. But I do know that the bit about the ultrasound is definitely not true, I'm just using it for effect.Thanks to AnnieD for this plot bunny.
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"Colby, wake up. Something's wrong," Hannah's soft, frightened voice jerked Colby out of his restless sleep. "I'm sorry, honey, I know it's been a long day for you..."
"Shh, don't worry about it," Colby soothed her, "What's wrong?"
"It doesn't feel right, somehow. It doesn't feel the same as when my water broke for Keeley," Hannah's forehead was creased in a frown.
Colby turned the light on, and Hannah gasped with fear. She was bleeding. "Stay calm, Hannah, I'll get you to the hospital."
They left Keeley with Mrs. Whitby next door and Colby put on the siren in his FBI suburban.
"Are you sure you're allowed to do that?" Hannah asked anxiously, worried that she was bleeding all over government property.
Colby rolled his eyes, which, for some strange reason, made Hannah smile.
"How far along is she?" The ER doctor asked calmly when they got there. No one seemed to find it strange that they arrived in an unmarked SUV with sirens blaring.
"35 weeks," Colby answered tersely, his hands gentle as they soothed Hannah.
"I'll call your OBGYN. She might need an emergency C-section."
"Eveything's going to be fine, honey," Colby murmured softly when he met her anxious eyes.
She smiled at his words, "You say that like it will come true just because you promised it."
He grinned, "Have I ever let you down?"
Her eyes softened with tenderness, "No."
----
"Hello, Hannah," Dr. Sarah Chang greeted Hannah as she hurried into the operating room. She smiled at Colby, "You must be Mr. Granger."
"Agent Granger," Hannah murmured drowsily.
Colby grinned at Dr. Chang as he brought Hannah's hand up to his cheek. "She's the boss."
Sarah Chang laughed. "Agent, huh? That explains the sirens on the unmarked SUV everyone's been talking about. Going to have some explaining to do to your superiors, aren't you?"
He shrugged, it was the last thing he was worried about.
"Alright, Hannah, we've talked about the possibility of a C-section. Are you ready?"
Colby put Hannah's mask on before putting on his own, eliciting amused looks from Dr. Chang and the nurses.
"We're going to strap you down for your safety. And we'll be administering a spinal anesthesia. This curtain is going across your chest. We'll show you your babies as soon as they get cleaned up a bit, okay? And you might feel a little pulling as I deliver each baby."
Hannah smiled at Colby, who was starting to look a little queasy, despite some of the things he'd seen and heard as an agent. "Glad they have the curtain?"
He smiled, glad she was in good spirits.
"Here's your first," Sarah said, "A beautiful healthy boy."
"Tyler Ryan," Colby murmured in delight. He heard a soft laugh from Hannah as he squeezed her hand.
"And another boy!"
"Brandon Michael," Colby was grinning jubilantly now. "Both are boys, Hannah!"
They heard a gasp from the other side of the curtain, and Hannah's eyes widened in fear. "Shh. It's okay," Colby soothed her, but his stomach had dropped with that same fear.
"It's another boy," Sarah's voice sounded worried now. "Get someone from the Neonatal Unit in here now, please."
"Dr. Chang," Hannah began to ask her question.
"Hannah, I need to get your youngest son to the Neonatal ICU right now. I don't know why he didn't show up in any of our ultrasounds. But he's severely premature, and he's our priority right now."
----
"Can I hold Tyler and Brandon, at least?" Hannah pleaded softly as the nurses settled her in the recovery room.
Her anxiety tore at Colby who paced restlessly around the room. He hated the helpless feeling and fought down the fear for his youngest son.
"They're also in the NICU, Mrs. Granger," the nurse said kindly, "But I'll see what I can do. They might let you hold them for a few minutes."
"Dr. Chang," Colby stopped his pacing as the doctor came in.
She smiled wearily at him as she sat down next to Hannah, "Tyler and Brandon should only need to stay in the NICU for a few days, just as a precaution. We need to make sure that their lungs finish developing before they go home. They're in fine shape. Your youngest son, however..."
"Cameron Joshua," Hannah's voice was soft but firm.
Sarah paused, "Hannah, Cameron isn't as far along as Tyler or Brandon. It's normal for multiple babies to develop at different rates, but I'm wondering now if your bleeding started because your body was trying to spontaneously abort Cameron."
Colby was angry now, "Are you trying to tell us that Cameron isn't going to make it?"
"There's always a chance, Agent Granger, but..."
"But nothing! Cameron's my son. He's going to make it," Colby snarled.
"Colby," the sadness in Hannah's voice sent him to her side.
"We'll do the best we can, of course." Sarah said gently. "Cameron can't leave the NICU. You can go see him anytime, Agent Granger. Hannah, I recommend you rest at least another day before you try to get up and about. We'll make sure you see Cameron when you do. A NICU nurse will bring Tyler and Brandon to you for a few minutes. And for feeding if you feel up to it."
Hannah nodded eagerly, she wanted, no, she needed to hold her two elder sons. Especially with the uncertainty around Cameron.
Colby put his arms around Hannah and tried to console her.
Sighing softly, Hannah started to talk about childcare, just to take her mind off Cameron for the moment. "Call Anneliese, Colby. She'll call Kayla and Willow. We've already made plans around caring for the children, especially while I recover from delivery. They'll know what to do."
"I know," he said gently. "I'll come see Cameron every day. I don't think Don will object."
She smiled, "You'll have to explain about the SUV."
He shrugged, smiling, "I don't think he'll say anything. I have to call and tell them too. Are Olivia and Robin going to be helping out too?"
"A little," Hannah said softly, "It's just hard to ask any one person to take care of twins, let alone triplets."
Colby nodded soberly, wondering if their finances were going to hold up. They were barely going to make it when they thought they were going to have twins. Thank God for Federal Employee health insurance, or they would be sunk by the costs of using the NICU for three babies.
----
"That's Cameron's father," one of the nurses murmured to a nurse who had just started there.
"Cameron, that's the preemie who was a surprise triplet? The one who wasn't supposed to make it?" the new nurse asked.
"That's the one. Five weeks later and he's still hanging in there. The man's gorgeous, isn't he?" a third nurse sighed as the other two laughed at her. "He does the same thing every day. It breaks my heart."
Colby settled down in the chair next to Cameron, and started talking to him, "I see Mama's been by. She picked up that toy in the store yesterday. I hope you're behaving yourself, although if you're any son of mine, the ladies will be tripping all over themselves for you." Colby grinned to himself. Hannah would smack him with a pillow if she heard that.
Gently, he brushed his fingers over his son's tiny head. Cameron was much bigger now, five weeks after birth, but still tiny, even by baby standards. He remembered how terrified he had been, when he picked Cameron up for the first time, and Cameron had fit in one of his hands. Carefully, he slid one hand under his son, the other making sure the breathing tubes that kept his son alive stayed in place.
Tenderly he cradled Cameron close to his chest. A gentle finger stroked Cameron's chest. "Breathe, Cameron. Come on, you can do it. Breathe for Daddy."
Hannah choked back tears when she saw Colby holding Cameron as she walked back into the NICU. It always brought her close to a breakdown when she saw him, a gruff and tough FBI Agent, complete with badge, gun and cuffs, tenderly cradling their premature son.
"Colby," she murmured, as she pressed a kiss to his temple.
He smiled at her. "Look, Mama's back. It must be lunchtime."
Hannah laughed softly, then looked up, startled when a doctor and the nurses moved quickly towards them. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, Mrs. Granger," the doctor said gently. "We're just going to remove the breathing tubes for a bit. Cameron's breathing on his own."