Chapter 3

"Here we go Nicky." I said as I handed her some apple juice and checked on the boys playing cop and robber in the living room.

A sound of a crash and shattering glass upstairs broke me out of my musing. My blood ran cold in panic.

"Kids stay here."

"Yes ma'am."

"Laura! Laura!" I yelled, panicking as I sprinted up the stairs, stumbling briefly.

As I slammed open the door, she was sitting on the floor near the bed surrounded by glass. I rushed over to pull her up and help her to the bathroom to wash the cuts.

"I'm fine Skye."

"What are you doing out of bed without calling me?" I was angry.

"I don't want to be too much of a trouble, you have the kids to also care for."

"And I have you."

"Yeah, well I hate being dependent."

"Join the club. And I have depended on you more times than I would care to admit to."

"But Skye, you know it's no trouble—"

"Well take your own advice. It's not trouble to take care of you. You are the easiest patient in the history of the world. And you are my family. So please let me take care of you." Even I heard some of the desperation sneaking into my voice. "Please. I couldn't handle it if anything happened to you."

She looked at me, before she silently nodded. I grabbed the tweezers, band aids and the rubbing alcohol out of the cupboard. We sat in silence, while I cleaned up the cuts and plastered them up.

"Um, Skye."

"Yes."

"I need to pee."

"Okay. While you pee, I will go grab the vacuum and a bag to clean up the glass."

Another nod and I ran downstairs. I peeked in on the kids who were still happily playing. I grabbed the supplies and sprinted back up the stairs. I put the things in the corner so I could help Laura back to bed. As I cleaned up the glass, I reflected on the last few weeks. I had settled into a routine, taking care of the kids, while Laura dealt with her difficult pregnancy. Neither of us were prepared for the doctor to tell us she had twins, and as a result of her age, three children, and the expectation of twins, she was at risk for several other complications.

I started to hear crying downstairs, I rushed to finish vacuuming up the area. As I went downstairs and dumped the bag of broken glass in the trash and went into the living room, I found Nicole in tears with her art project topsy turvy. I saw the boys trying to apologize and fix what I now assumed to be the mess they accidentally made.

"Nicky." She turned and ran to me clutching onto my legs. "I am sure whatever the boys did, it was an accident."

"But, my art for mommy is messy."

"No its not. It just has more artists that originally intended. In fact, why don't we start again and this time Callum and Lewis will help us. That way mommy can have something from all of us."

"Will Cal and Liu really help?"

I looked at them.

"I guess." They looked at the ground while they agreed to help.

"In fact, why don't we make some pretty art and while it dries, we can make cookies."

"Cookies?" Three expectant eyes turned to me.

"Yes, but only if you make the prettiest painting possible."

"Of course, of course." Callum started. "In fact, we can do this art stuff, so you can make the cookies."

I laughed. Leave it to Callum to jump on the opportunity to get cookies faster.

"Okay, okay. And if you agree to clean up the mess in hear after you finish, you can lick the spoon."

Callums eyes glowed as he quickly agreed in place of his siblings. I helped get them situated at the low table while I went to the kitchen. As I started to pull out the ingredients, I pulled out my phone. I opened the contacts. Nat's contact stared back. I needed advice. My finger hovered over the dial button, contemplating.

"Auntie." I quickly stuffed my phone back in my pocket and turned to Lewis.

"Yes honey."

"Can we get more juice?"

"Of course."

I filled up three sippy cups and handed one to Lewis while I carried the other 2 to the art studio in the living room. I collected the 2 empty ones while I was there and tossed them in the dishwasher. As I threw together the cookies, I knew I needed to call Natasha to ask if she could pull some strings. I may have promised Laura I wouldn't tell Clint, but I never said I would talk to Natatasha. But what if they were in the middle of a mission?

As I heard the connection to the phone on the other end, I started to think about how this conversation would start. How would I explain the situation? Would I explain the situation? If they were on a mission, they didn't need the distraction. But Laura needed Clint, the worry wasn't helping the pregnancy any. The phone continued to ring, and I worried. Maybe they were on a mission. Then nothing. The phone cut out. But that was expected. We set up the emergency phones to not have voicemail and to be entirely untraceable. No connections.

"Aunt Skye! Aunt Skye! Can we have pizza tonight?" Callum asked.

"Hmm…only if you promise to do some things for me?"

"Is this like one of those eye for an eye things?"

"Where on earth have you heard that phrase?"

"Daddy uses it when he talks to Aunty Nat about work."

"Of course he does." Clint was a menace to parenting books everywhere. "Well, Cal, this is more of a…if you help your wonderful adoring aunt, then your wonderful adoring aunt will help you get what you want for dinner. It's a win-win situation."

"Okay, I'm listening." Sneaky kid was just like his father.

"If you can get your sibling to clean up the living room and neatly put the toys away, then you get pizza."

"Half the living room."

"Nope, all of it."

"But Aunt Skye, I don't want to do ALL of it."

"And you have 2 helpers, though you have to do your fair share."

"Ugh…but—"

"No buts. Clean the living room and you get pizza."

"Fine!" And out stomped a frustrated Callum.

As I climbed up the stairs, I made a note to ream Clint out for talking about work at home and ream him out for unleashing mini versions of him onto the world.

"Laura. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Can I fluff you pillows?"

"I'm pregnant Skye. Not on life support. I have done this before…well maybe not as extreme. But I am experienced in the art of pushing out a baby."

"So I gathered by the previous trials downstairs."

"But a glass of water would be nice and can you add another reading book to the list next time you do errands."

"Of course. Also, is pizza okay for dinner or are the twins feeling like something else?"

'I think the twins can handle some pizza."

"Excellent. Any requests?"

"No olives or mushrooms. The twins aren't feeling the olives or the mushrooms."

"Good because if you kept eating olives at the rate you were last week, there may be a world olive shortage."

"Skye, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Waddle around, risk your pregnancy, then call Clint in a panic."

"Thanks for the pep talk. I am sure I could have handled it."

"I'm sure you could have. Let me grab that water."

Once the water was presented, I went to the ordering pizza stage of today's operation. With pizza on its way, I decided to give the kids some help cleaning. My mind drifting back to the lack of an answer on the call to Nat.

Over the next few weeks, I waited for a call. Nothing. Laura's due date was approaching, we had a go-bag packed and in the car and did drills with the kids. Yet as the due date loomed, no word from Clint or Natasha. I didn't know who to call. No way would the team on the Bus know and even if they did, I doubt they would tell a traitor like me.

Then Laura's water broke.