Chapter 21

The next few days were a blur for most of the Stetson/King family as they settled into their new life with the twins. Even the boys were not immune to the constant fluctuation of crying, diaper changes, and bottle feedings. And it became clear early on, as it could typically happen with newborns, each girl had their favorite person of the day, which, also, unfortunately, varied from day to day.

"Mom?" Jamie groaned sleepily Thursday morning. "Can I get some earplugs?" he asked as he rested his head in his hand while he attempted to eat his cereal.

Amanda blinked back, just as sleepy, and gave her son a weak smile. "I know it's hard right now, but it shouldn't last too much longer, I don't think. But if you really want to get some, I think that would be okay. I'll see if Lee can run to the store for you," she sighed.

"Thanks," he exhaled. He took several more bites and declared, "I'm going to go back to bed if that's okay." He carried his bowl to the sink and stopped when Amanda draped her arms around him in a hug. Silently, he left the room, leaving Amanda sitting at the counter, sipping her coffee.

Several minutes later, Lee padded into the kitchen, where he found Amanda leaning onto her arms, sound asleep. "Hey," he gently shook her and guided her to the couch to lay down comfortably. "Go back to sleep," he whispered before she closed her eyes and quickly settled into a deep sleep. He tugged a lightweight blanket over her and left the room to pour himself a cup of coffee. He glanced up at the clock on the wall. He honestly wasn't surprised to find it was after ten in the morning. The previous night was a tough one as the twins woke up every two hours and were seemingly inconsolable. He swallowed back the coffee in several large gulps before he refilled his cup.

"That was a rough one," Dotty announced when she entered the room. She gave Lee a pat on the arm before she pulled her favorite coffee mug from the cabinet.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't know what's wrong with them. I was thinking about bringing them to the doctor, but Amanda keeps telling me it's normal."

Dotty nodded reassuringly, "Well, part of it's normal, no doubt. I mean, think about it. One day, they're all snuggled up tight, and a week later, they're in a big scary world alone. Wouldn't you cry?"

Lee took another sip of his coffee, and his eyes widened as an idea dawned on him. "Dotty, you are a genius!" he declared before he quickly left the room and ran up the stairs to their bedroom.

"What did I say?" Dotty questioned the empty kitchen, completely bewildered.

In the master bedroom, Lee stood over the two bassinets where his daughters were sleeping. He watched their little brows furrow in their sleep, and he couldn't help notice how much they looked like Amanda at that exact moment. He paused for a minute, then gently reached into Lily's bassinet and lifted her out. She squirmed slightly in his hands at his disruption and began to scrunch up her face, preparing to cry, but when he softly placed her beside DJ in the same bassinet, she stopped and sighed. Instinctively, the twins tipped their heads closer together, and almost immediately, Lee could see them both visibly relax. He watched for several more minutes as their breathing evened off, and they appeared to settle into a deeper sleep than they'd just been in. He reached out and tucked their blankets around them a little tighter. He took the baby monitor with him when he left the bedroom and headed back down the stairs. Dotty was no longer in the kitchen, and Lee found himself alone in the eerily quiet house.

From the other room, he heard the soft jangling of the office phone. Taking his coffee and the monitor with him, he closed the office door behind him and lifted the phone receiver off the cradle, "Scarecrow," he muttered automatically.

"Lee, it's Billy," the voice on the other end crackled.

"Hey," Lee responded.

He could hear Billy's muffled voice telling someone to close the door before he heard him loudly announce, "I have news on Sorenson."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to be involved," Lee laughed before he leaned back in the chair and took a long swig of his coffee.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter anymore," Billy informed him. "Sorenson's dead."

"What? When?" Lee hammered. He sat up rapidly, spilling his coffee onto his desk and pajama pants. Lee looked around for something to wipe it with but found nothing, so he leaned forward and used the bottom edge of his t-shirt.

"Last night. After what happened to Robicheau, we reached out to Gagne and told him to keep an eye out for Sorenson. You remember, Gagne retired a few months ago," Billy began.

Lee lifted his chin and focused on the ceiling as he tried to remember if he knew about Gagne's retirement. "I don't remember that," Lee admitted.

"Well, you were a little distracted with everything going on with Amanda. You probably just forgot. Gagne didn't want a big deal made about it either," Billy reminded him. "Anyway, he was out walking his dog when he noticed someone dressed like a delivery man carrying a package to his front door. When he called out to say thanks, Sorenson made the mistake of turning around, and Gagne recognized him immediately. I guess old habits die hard because he was still carrying his weapon, and he fired on him."

Lee inhaled sharply as an image formed in his mind of Gagne holding a gun on Sorenson. "He shot him?" Lee questioned.

"Not exactly. He shot at him. Funny thing is, Gagne's aim is probably as bad as Amanda's, but he still managed to hit the box Sorenson was carrying. Gagne and his dog only suffered a few minor cuts and bruises, although I think his hearing's going to be off for a while. And the porch on his house is pretty much destroyed, but it could have been worse," Billy explained.

Lee shook his head, "Wow, I don't believe it. Killed by his own bomb. When are these terrorists going to learn?"

Billy chuckled into the phone, "I just wanted you to know, you can finally relax. And enjoy your family without that stress. I'll pull the guys watching your house as soon as I get off the phone."

"Thanks, Billy. Now, if we can get the girls to sleep more than two hours, we might be able to relax," Lee yawned. He immediately felt relieved he no longer had to be vigilant because Sorenson couldn't target them again.

"They having a rough time adjusting?" Billy asked.

"A little, but I'm hoping the little trick I just pulled on them will help all of us," Lee teased.

Billy coughed loudly and demanded, "You pulled a trick on your one-week-old daughters, Scarecrow?"

Lee laughed, "Sort of. I'll let you know if it makes a difference." He took another sip of his coffee and added, "Hey, Amanda and I were talking yesterday about having a cookout for the Fourth of July. You know, kind of like a… come meet the girls and celebrate at the same time. What do you say… you and Jeannie interested?"

"Of course, we'd be interested. Especially when the steaks are on your dime," Billy assured him.

"Great, I'll give you some more details in a day or two. Right now, I'm going to see if I can get an uninterrupted shower in before anyone wakes up," Lee stated. "I'll talk to you soon." Without waiting for Billy's reply, Lee happily hung up the phone and left the office with a little bounce in his step for the first time in over a week. He slipped quietly into the bedroom, and before he disappeared into the master bath, he peeked a look at the twins still sleeping slightly huddled together. He smiled when he noticed their tiny fingers were entangled together, and they were breathing in unison.