Chapter Two-Hundred and Sixty-Five
Clarissa tapped her foot in the waiting room, watching as Dominic paced back and forth over the carpeting. "They'll be fine." She smiled, trying to hide her anxiety with each tick of the clock. She knew that Jade would go into labor early, but going in at thirty-two weeks seemed too early.
Dominic nodded numbly, rushing over to see Dr. Isabell when she appeared in the doorway. "How are they?" He asked, trying to ignore the blood stains on her smock.
"They're all perfectly healthy. All four babies have ten fingers and ten toes." She smiled, patting the young father's shoulder. "Jade's recovering right now, and the babies are in the nursery for their shots."
John placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder, smiling with the relief that coursed through his body. "Can we see them?"
Isabell nodded, leading Dominic, Clarissa, and John back to the recovery room where Jade was waiting.
Jade reached for one of her girls, smiling down at her perfect little face as Dominic took their boy. "They're so cute…" She smiled, taking their other girl while Clarissa held the last baby.
He nodded, brushing his lips over their son's head. "They've got a lot of hair." He smirked, rubbing the back of his fingers over his son's cheek. "Do you know how sick you made your mommy? Flynn, you made your mommy so sick, that I got puke on my shoes most mornings." He chuckled as Flynn's little hand traced over his left peck, happy that he'd taken his shirt off to get some skin on skin bonding with his children.
Jade gave a small laugh, looking up at John as he hovered in the doorway. "Do you want to hold one?" She asked, smiling at him as he nodded. "Here, you can take Sage."
John wrapped his arms around his little cousin, biting his lip as she opened her eyes to see him. "Hey there, Sage. I'm your uncle Johnny." He bounced her in his arms, gently kissing her nose. "And I promise, I will do anything in my power to protect you."
Claire scratched at the rash on her hips, growling in frustration as she flopped back on her bed. "Stop itching!" She screamed, looking up as John pushed her door open. "What are you doing?" She asked, rubbing more lotion on her arms. "You're not supposed to be near me."
He smirked, stepping into her room. "I can't stay away from you anymore." He laid back on her pillows, showing her the photos of Jade and Dom's quads. "Jade went into labor early."
She took the pictures from him, smiling at the little faces looking up at her. "What did they decide for names?"
John pointed to the picture of Flynn. "This is Flynn Taylor." He moved to one of the girls. "Sage, has the blonde hair, Iris, has the slightly lighter blonde hair, and Violet, is the one with freckles."
Claire shook her head. "All flower names?"
"Except for Flynn, but they thought that would be a good way to remember them."
She chuckled, pushing his shoulder when she heard footsteps on the stairs. "Get out. If you catch this it won't be good."
He lifted his hands above his head, stepping out of her room. "Okay, okay… I'm out." He shut her door, gently scratching his side as the bullet wound started to itch with healing.