At seven weeks old, little Anthony had finally gained enough weight to go home. Elizabeth was beyond relieved. Arianna and Cecilia would be able to meet their brother for the first time. Anthony's room was ready and waiting. Grace was staying on another month to help Elizabeth adjust to having three babies at home. Everything was falling into place.
She carefully tucked Anthony into his car seat. He was still so tiny. She strapped him in, then slid into the passenger seat beside Nathan. His easy smile filled her with a sense of peace. "You ready to take our son home?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
Elizabeth nodded. "Absolutely."
The drive was a short one. In no time, Nathan was unbuckling the car seat while Elizabeth pulled her hospital bag from the trunk. They walked into the quiet house. Grace had taken the twins to the beach, wanting to give Nathan and Elizabeth time to settle back in with Anthony. Elizabeth knew this time was precious. Nathan had been granted the day off, though he was in the midst of a case that was getting increasingly urgent. He couldn't give her many details, but she had picked up on the fact that it had the potential to be dangerous. She tried not to think about it too hard. For all she knew, she was borrowing trouble that didn't exist.
Pushing the thoughts away, she set Anthony's car seat on the couch as the little boy began to fuss. Her milk began to let down, telling her that he was hungry. She'd been able to wean her daughters in the weeks since Anthony's birth, a process that both pained and relieved her. She missed the bonding it provided, but she also loved watching the girls discover new foods that they loved. Arianna was particular to carrots and bananas while Cecilia loved peas and squash.
Lifting Anthony from his car seat, Elizabeth sat on the couch, adjusted her clothing, and began feeding her son. His fussing quickly subsided as he latched on and suckled hungrily. Elizabeth let out a sigh, making herself comfortable against the couch. "If he keeps eating like this, he'll reach a normal weight in no time," she said, smiling down at the child.
Nathan began unpacking the hospital bag. "Good," he said. "I'm glad his appetite has improved."
"Me too," Elizabeth said. She watched as Nathan quickly and efficiently walked around the house, putting away the items in the bag. As she was switching Anthony to her other breast, Nathan completed his task and settled in beside her. He drew her close, and she happily nestled against him as she continued feeding their son.
Eventually Anthony's suction broke as he fell asleep. Elizabeth stood with Nathan's help, then walked to the baby's room and placed him in his crib. There was also a bassinet in her and Nathan's room for nighttime, but during the day she wanted their son to get used to sleeping in his own room. She stood at the crib for several long moments, just watching the baby sleep. Nathan stood beside her, an arm around her waist.
Finally, Nathan spoke. "You must be tired, sweetheart. Why don't you get some rest while Anthony is sleeping?" He gently guided her to their room, intent on getting her to take a nap.
Alone with her husband, Elizabeth suddenly wasn't the least bit sleepy. Her mother wasn't due back with the girls for quite some time. She locked the door behind them, then pressed herself into Nathan's arms. "I don't feel like napping just yet," she said boldly, honing in on the spot where his top two shirt buttons were undone. She nuzzled his bare skin with her lips, reaching up to slowly unbutton the remainder of his shirt.
Nathan inhaled sharply. "Are you sure about this?" he whispered. "It's only been seven weeks…"
"Carson said I'm fully healed," she interrupted, finishing with the buttons and sliding his shirt from his shoulders. She could feel his body responding to her touch. He groaned and claimed her lips with his, kissing her hungrily. Catching her up in his arms, he laid her on the bed. They lay intertwined, sharing kisses that grew more and more intense. Nathan's hands found the back of her dress, working on her buttons as she had for him. He paused once more, desire clouding his eyes. "You realize the last time we did this following a birth, you became pregnant again," he said softly. "Do you want to take that chance?"
Elizabeth pressed a kiss to his neck. "It's highly unlikely that would happen again," she said, working her way from his neck to his jaw. "But yes, I'm willing to take that chance." Her lips found his again, kissing him deeply.
Nathan stopped arguing and kissed her back, giving in to the desire they both felt.
Two weeks later, Lee walked into the conference room, waving a file in the air. "That second body was Eliana Daniels," he said, his voice grim. "Bill is pacing in his office, beside himself. I think he knew the confirmation was coming, but now that it has, he's insisting we find the killer as soon as possible."
"How?" Nathan asked, feeling weary. "We have no evidence, no leads, and no idea where to begin." He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the lack of sleep from being woken multiple times a night by a newborn. Anthony was now a little over two months old, and he woke often to be fed. Nathan knew it was a good thing that his son was eating so often, but it had the unpleasant effect of sleep deprivation for him and Elizabeth. He was very thankful for Grace. Knowing that she was around to help Elizabeth care for the children was a huge weight off his shoulders. Now that summer break was upon them, Allie came by often to help as well. She delighted in getting to know her young cousins, and she was a natural with babies.
It made it a little easier for Nathan to go into work in the mornings, knowing that his family was being well cared for.
He turned his attention back to Lee, who was spreading out pictures on the table. "These are the eight women who went missing," he said, sounding tense. "Bill said the killer had a type. He's right. These women are all blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauties."
Nathan immediately guessed the reason behind Lee's tension. "It could have been Rosemary," he said quietly.
Lee's throat worked, and he simply nodded once. "This hits close to home, Nathan," he said, his voice low. "What if the killer is still out there? What if he decides to revive his murdering streak?" Lee shuddered. "I can't imagine losing my Rosie."
"Let's not jump the gun," Nathan said cautiously. "For all we know, this man could already be dead. Or woman, I suppose. There's no way of knowing who our killer is, not yet." He nearly growled in frustration. "We have nothing to go on until we get some physical evidence." Pursing his lips, Nathan studied the chart on which they had written everything they knew so far. After a few moments, he had a plan in mind.
"I'm going to order a search in all our forest reserves," he stated. "We need to find the other six women. We'll have the teams search every banyan tree until we find them, and once we do we'll have forensics sweep the scene, searching for any kind of physical evidence."
Lee nodded. His eyes hardened in a steely reserve. "The sooner we solve this mystery, the better," he muttered. "I only hope it's a cut and dry case."
So did Nathan.
After three weeks, every missing woman had been found. All of them were found hidden under a banyan tree in a forest reserve. All had their skulls smashed in the back, indicating a blow they hadn't seen coming. Only two of the skeletons showed signs that they had put up a fight. Those two scenes were also the only ones that produced blood splatter with DNA other than that of the victims.
Nathan prayed this was the break in the case that they needed. It would take some time for the lab to identify the blood, but it would give them a starting point. The Banyan Killer, as they called the perp, had a date with justice.
After a long day, Nathan finally made his way home. He was greeted by his daughters' laughter as he walked in. "Dada!" Cecilia called, toddling toward him on unsteady feet. Both girls had recently learned to take halting steps. Their first birthday was coming up quickly. The plan was to celebrate with the Coulters and the Shepherds. Faith had recently had her second little girl, an adorable baby named Charity. Between the three families, there was much to celebrate.
Cecilia made it all the way to Nathan without falling. She grinned and gripped his pant leg, holding up one arm. "Up!" she said.
He lifted her easily, planting a kiss on her soft cheek. "How's my big girl?" he asked, grinning.
She squealed in response, clasping his cheeks in her hands. "Dada!" she said again.
A responding "dada" came from the floor. Arianna was looking up at him on her hands and knees, having crawled over when she couldn't walk the distance. Nathan scooped her up in his other arm, bouncing his daughters until they shrieked with laughter.
Elizabeth chuckled from her spot on the sofa where she was feeding Anthony. Nathan walked over to give her a kiss in greeting. "Where's Grace?" he asked, looking around for his mother-in-law.
"She had to go to the store," Elizabeth answered. "She should be back any minute." She gave a little sigh. "I can't believe she goes home next week. I'm going to miss her. At least she'll be here for the girls' first birthday."
"I think we all will miss her," Nathan said softly. "She's been a godsend as we adjusted to life with three children under the age of one."
Elizabeth laughed. "True. I'm glad she was here. And she already informed me she's planning on coming for Thanksgiving this year. That's only four months away."
Nathan shook his head. "This year is flying by. I can't believe we're already near the end of July." He placed the girls onto the floor as Elizabeth lifted Anthony to her shoulder to burp him.
Cecilia climbed onto the couch, carefully leaning in to kiss her brother on the cheek. Nathan's heart warmed as Elizabeth smiled. The twins had taken to their little brother almost immediately. Arianna had been slightly more reticent about the new arrival, but within a week she had accepted his presence and was clearly in awe of the tiny boy. Their family was strong and cohesive. Nathan couldn't have been more thankful.
Grace walked in with groceries in her hands. Nathan took the bags from her as the twins excitedly made their way to their grandmother. He put them away, then went to sit beside Elizabeth. Anthony had fallen asleep on her chest, his little back rising up and down as he breathed in contentedly. Nathan slid an arm around his wife. Things at work might be tense, but here at home, surrounded by his family, Nathan felt a peace inside that couldn't be shaken.
Elizabeth couldn't stop crying on the morning of the twins' first birthday. She lay in Nathan's arms in their bed, shaking. "How are they a year old already?" she wailed. Knowing her reaction was irrational only made her more upset.
Nathan didn't laugh, didn't tease, didn't beret. He simply held her and kissed her forehead. "Let it out, sweetheart," he murmured.
"I don't know why I'm crying," Elizabeth said, peering up at him through the tears. "I should be happy! Our daughters have given us so much life and joy since their birth."
Nathan smiled, running a hand down her cheek and wiping away the tears. "I think you are happy. But I also think you're exhausted from caring for an infant and two little girls who still require a lot of care and attention themselves. That takes an emotional toll."
"I've had so much help," Elizabeth whimpered. "You, Mother, and Allie have been so good. I shouldn't feel this tired…"
Three fingers pressed against her lips, halting her words. "Elizabeth, your body has been through a lot in the past two years. You've been almost constantly pregnant, suffered a miscarriage, went through a pregnancy while caring for two babies, been breastfeeding every day for a year, and now your body is healing from nearly two years of carrying children. Our son spent the first two months of his life in the NICU, causing emotional upheaval." His lips tilted in a crooked smile. "I think you're allowed to have a meltdown."
His words soothed her, though the tears kept coming. She let Nathan comfort her for nearly half an hour before Anthony's cries sounded from the bassinet. Elizabeth tried to push herself up, but she felt so tired. Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder, halting her. "I'll bring him to you," he said. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, her husband walked to the bassinet and picked up their son. "Hey, buddy," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to the boy's cheek. "Your mama is ready to feed you. Are you hungry?"
Anthony let out a wail in confirmation.
Elizabeth adjusted her nightgown as Nathan laid Anthony beside her. The baby latched on immediately and hungrily ate. A smile made its way to Elizabeth's face. She traced circles on his back, admiring his dark hair and the bright blue eyes looking up at her.
He looked exactly like his father.
She looked at Nathan with a smile. "Have I mentioned how thankful I am that our son looks like you?"
Nathan chuckled. "You might have said it a time or two." He leaned down, kissing Elizabeth's cheek. "You rest, sweetheart. I'll make sure the girls are cared for this morning." His hand brushed the hair from her face. "When you're done nursing Anthony, I'll take him to the living room with us. You need some more sleep. You were up too much last night."
She was very tired. A smile of gratitude lifted her lips. "That sounds wonderful, Nathan. Thank you."
He nodded, bestowing another kiss on her forehead before heading out the door to make breakfast for the twins. True to his word, as soon as she had fed and burped the baby, Nathan came back and whisked him from the room, shutting the door behind him. Elizabeth quickly fell into a deep sleep.
By the time she roused several hours later, Anthony was ready to eat again. She fed him and then placed him in his crib for a nap. Going into the living room, she saw her mother with the twins. Both girls squealed when they saw Elizabeth. She sat on the floor, welcoming them into her arms. She received kisses and snuggles from her sweet children.
"Happy birthday, Cecilia! Happy birthday, Arianna!" she said, hugging each girl in turn. "You're one year old today! We're going to have a party tonight to celebrate."
Her girls grinned at her, neither one understanding what she said but happy that their mother had all their attention. She played with them for almost an hour before setting to work on the birthday cupcakes for their party.
Lee and Rosemary, Carson and Faith, and Steve and Colleen were all coming over with their assortment of children. They were having a backyard barbeque to celebrate. Everyone was bringing food and drinks to commemorate the first anniversary of Nathan and Elizabeth becoming parents.
By the time their friends and family knocked on the door, Elizabeth's emotions were stable and happy. The cupcakes were frosted and decorated, and the meat was ready to be grilled. Nathan, Lee, Carson, and Steve headed to the backyard to cook the variety of meats while the women chatted in the living room, watching the children play.
"My goodness, we have quite the brood!" Rosemary exclaimed. Lucas was sitting next to Hope in the middle of the floor, laughing as Arianna and Cecilia rolled around happily in a quest for more laughter. Elizabeth and Faith held their infants in their arms. Allie was showing Jesse and Clara how to play cat's cradle.
"That we do," Elizabeth agreed. She smiled, feeling perfectly content and relaxed. Being with her family, surrounded by their friends, she knew a moment of perfect happiness. Grace reached out for Anthony, and Elizabeth surrendered him to her mother. She'd found happiness here on Kauai, a happiness she wouldn't trade for anything, but she'd been doubly blessed by the reconciliation with her family. Mother and Viola had become a part of her life once again. For that, she was incredibly grateful. Her father still refused to speak to her, but Elizabeth was starting to accept the fact that he would never come around. A small ache nudged at her heart, but it was soon gone.
She had everything she needed right here.
