A Fresh Start
Chapter Two Hundred Seventy Six
Jeffrey is standing by Sam as the nurse brings both babies to them. "Would each of you like to hold one of your son's?" She asks, as Jeffrey swallows. Sam reaches for one of the babies, holding him to her. Jeffrey follows her, taking the other baby.
"Twins, we had twins Beca?" He says. His voice holding nothing but awe.
"I know." She says, smiling as she looks at him holding their other son. "Twin boys, two of you." She says, as he looks at her.
"Two of me, what about two of you?"
She glances down and then smiles, looking at him again. "Two of both of us."
"The best parts of us, I think." Jeffrey says, still gazing at his son. "I think he has your eyes and mouth."
"No, they're your eyes, nose and hair." She says, as he looks up grinning. Silence falls then while they stare at the babies in their arms.
"Are they identical or fraternal?" Jeffrey asks.
"Identical, I'm afraid." Sam replies, lightly running her fingers down her son's cheek.
"So how are we going to tell them apart?" Jeffrey asks, only slightly panicked.
"Easily, you're holding Aiden Jeffrey."
"And how do you know that?"
"Aiden is older and slightly bigger than his brother."
"We only picked out one name for each, what do we…?"
"Relax J, we have time to pick out another name, besides I have an idea for one." Sam says, as the nurse comes back."
"I need to take them to be weighed and cleaned up. And we need to make sure everything is okay with Sam."
"They're o…."
"It's standard procedure J." Sam says, letting the nurse take their son.
"Okay." Jeffrey says, letting her take the other baby.
Once the nurse walks away, Sam says. "Maybe you should go tell everyone that they're here while Dr. Sedgwick checks me over."
"I can wait till…."
"I'll be fine, J. Nothing is going to happen to me or the babies while you tell our family that we have not only one but two babies." She says, smiling.
"Don't just humor me. I have too much to lose now." He says, leaning over to kiss her.
"I know, me too. Okay?" She whispers as he nods. "Go tell our family and then come back to me."
"I'll be back before you can miss me." He says, kissing her again before he steps away. Leaving the room as Dr. Sedgwick checks Sam over
Ava is the first to spot Jeffrey as he walks into the waiting room. "Dad, is she…?"
"Everything is fine, the babies and Sam are fine." Jeffrey says and everyone visibly relaxes
"Wait, you said babies." Reva says, looking at Jeffrey.
He smiles while everyone simply stares at him. "She had twins?" Megan finally asks.
"Yes, identical twin boys." Jeffrey says, while everyone gives a muted shout for joy, hugging him and each other.
"She really had identical twin boys?" Cassie asks, looking at him.
"Yes, the oldest is named Aiden Jeffrey. We haven't picked out a second name. We're going to but they wanted to check the babies over and Sam as well. She sent me out here to tell you that they're here and that she and the babies are fine."
"So is this the reason she went into labor early?" Megan asks.
"Yes, it's most likely the reason why."
"I can't believe she had twins. I guess it skips a generation." Megan says.
"Wait, there's twins in your family?" Jeffrey asks.
"Yes, on our mother's side. Our grandmother had twin girls but they didn't survive past eight years old. Officially they died of impetigo."
"Of what?" Ava asks, looking at Megan.
"Impetigo, a lot of children get it. It's a skin infection. So most likely it was complications from the infection that killed them. But this was back in the mid 1920's, and there were likely other factors that led to their death, but my grandmother had twin girls along with my mom."
"HB's father had a twin brother too?" Josh says.
"So it's from both sides." Jeffrey says, looking at them.
"It looks that way." Reva says, smiling.
"I need to go see about Sam. I think once everyone is settled and if Sam feels up to it, you'll be allowed back to see them."
"The boys are with a sitter, so I can stay." Megan says.
"As are Rj and Will." Cassie says.
"We have nowhere else to be right now." Josh says, smiling.
"Okay, I'll let you know when you can come back." Jeffrey says.
Once he's gone, Reva looks at everyone as says. "You think they'll be trying for another one."
"She just delivered twins, I doubt they're thinking about the next one right now." Josh says, looking at Reva.
"I think my Dad's a little freaked at the possibility of having twins each time if they do try again." Ava says, as her cell phone rings. "I'm going to go answer this." She says, pulling her phone from her purse.
"I'll come with you. I need to call Richard." Cassie says, digging her phone from her purse.
Royal Palace, San Cristobel, Throne room:
Mr. Roman walks into the throne room. The setup is still the same even though the new prince has the option to change things. The thrones sit to the side on a raised platform under to stain glass windows, caring the seal of San Cristobel. To the right of them, is a long table with several chairs. In front of all that is a wide open space. Royal guards usually stand beside the throne when the prince is in the room. As of now, the room is empty.
Mr. Roman had little contact with the previous rulers. Once he graduated from the military academy, he left San Cristobel for the US and to receive his Juris Doctorate. He practiced law in New York for several years before family needs brought him back to San Cristobel. After taking the required classes to pass the law examinations in San Cristobel, he went to work for Mr. Benson and quickly became an important member of Mr. Benson's firm. He hadn't made partner yet, and to be honest he wasn't sure he wanted to be a partner in the firm. None of that matter today however. Today, he has to focus on convincing the new prince to allow his client to be moved from segregation into the general population.
He hadn't returned to the island until after Edmund's reign. And he was really too young to know much about Richard's father rule. Richard always struck him as a fair and honest leader. And he knew that Richard had a difficult decision to make once he found out that he wasn't entitled to the throne. And given how the country reacted to Edmund's coup and Richard subsequent reclaiming control of the government. He felt that the best thing that happened to San Cristobel came when the country elected to dismantle the monarchy and try to establish a democratic government. Putting his political views aside, he needed to focus on today's hearing.
He's standing off to the left side of the throne, behind a banister. Sitting a few steps behind the rail is a small table with one chair. This area is the usual place for all petitioners to gather while they wait for the prince to enter the throne room. Through the open doors are two royal guards. They had allowed him to enter when he arrived. He can see that they still stand guard. Sitting his brief case onto the table, he pulls the chair out and begins to remove all the documents he brought with him to plead his client's case.
About ten minutes after entering the room, Mr. Roman notices that the guards have come to attention. Standing, he turns and waits. Three men enter the room. They walk to the right side of the platform, taking a seat at the table reserved for the Prince's advisors and cabinet. They too stand while they wait for the prince to arrive. It's only a few seconds before Prince Silas walks in. The advisors and Mr. Roman bow as Prince Silas takes the throne. "I am ready to begin." Prince Silas says.
The advisors and Mr. Roman come to attention by standing. "Your Highness, my client wishes to thank you for your audience." Prince Silas nods. "I come before you on behalf of my client Edmund Winslow." Again Prince Silas nods. "He has asked that I submit a petition on his behalf, requesting to have the order of seclusion lifted."
"I've read over your petition, Mr. Roman." Prince Silas replies. "Your client was convicted o very serious crimes against his countrymen and country. Why should I consider this request?"
"Sir, we are aware of my client's conviction and the seriousness of those charges. That is why we are not asking for the sentence to be reversed."
"You also have no judiciary reason to petition to have the conviction overturned, Mr. Roman." Prince Silas says.
Mr. Roman is quiet for a moment. "Sir, the order of seclusion was put in place by my client's brother to protect his reign. That situation no longer exists Sir."
"That does not mean that Mr. Winslow will not attempt to overthrow the new government." One of Prince Silas's advisors says.
"Sir, why would he? Mr. Winslow has been the ruler of this country and as we all know from the former princess's commission he perpetrated tremendous atrocities on the people of San Cristobel. I sincerely doubt that if my client attempted to overthrow this government he would be successful and even if he was, he wouldn't be ruling the country for long before the citizens would rise up against him." Mr. Roman turns his attention to Prince Silas. "Your highness, my client will spend the rest of his life locked up in a prison cell. And as it stands now, he gets one hour a day outside of that cell. Now while his conviction was for extremely serious charges, it seems to me to be far crueler to keep him locked away from human contact of any kind. He's not even allowed to have visitors."
"Whom would be visiting him, may I ask?" The same advisor asks.
"I don't know." Mr. Roman replies. "But his only contact with the outside world is his guards and me."
The advisor opens his mouth to say something else when Prince Silas raises his hand. "I need some more time to think on this. I will give you my decision within twenty four hours." He says, standing again. Mr. Roman moves to the side while Prince Silas's advisors stands and follows him from the room. After they have left the room, Mr. Roman gathers up his papers and puts them in his brief case before he leaves the throne room. There is a guard waiting to escort him to the front of the palace and his car.
Jeffrey taps lightly on the open door. Sam looks up as he walks into her room. She's laying in the bed with both boys in her arms. She looks exhausted but she also looks extremely happy. "Hey." He says, walking over to the bed. She smiles as she shifts over a little bit trying to make more room for him. He lays a hand on her knees, stopping her. "I'll take the chair." He says, reaching for it.
"No, I want you up here with us." She says, shifting some more. The movement makes her realize that she's sore but she ignores the pain and looks at him. "Please, J." She says and he can't resists.
He settles in beside her. Putting one arm above her head as he turns towards them. "I let everyone know that you're okay and that they are here."
"What did they say about the twins?"
"They all seemed surprised, save for Megan." He says, glancing at her.
"I guess I could've told you there was a chance we would have them." She says, looking slightly sheepish. "But Megan didn't have any and none of my cousin had any and of course Jeremiah didn't…." She trails off and he squeezes her shoulder.
"Well, it seems it's not only on your side of the family. Apparently HB's father's brother had a twin as well."
"So that would make him your grand uncle and their great grand uncle."
"Yeah, I suppose it would." He says, smiling. "What did Dr. Sedgwick say?"
"They're both healthy for being early. They're going to keep them under lights for a few days to help their liver function better."
"They don't look jaundiced?"
"They're not, but it's simply a precaution." She says, looking down at her boys. There are several moments of silence while they both watch the boys sleep. "I didn't know I could feel this way, J." She says, looking up.
He swallows hard and then says. "Yeah I know. Even though I have Ava. She's my daughter and I would do anything for her. I wasn't there when she was born. I never experienced Olivia's pregnancy so I've never felt this feeling of such unconditional love."
"I can't describe it either. They are perfect in every way."
"I know. But there is one thing that one of them needs." He says, as she looks up. "A name." He says, as she smiles.
"I suppose he does."
"Which one is Aj?" Jeffrey asks, as she looks up again. "What, it's his initials?"
"His name is Aiden Jeffrey?"
"I know, but are you going to call him that every day of his life? Aiden Jeffrey clean your room, Aiden Jeffrey do your homework, Aiden Jeffrey stop hitting your brother." He says, as she purses her lips.
"Okay, so Aj isn't that bad. But his brother still needs a name."
"Any ideas?"
"Well, I know we had Aj's name picked out and we had a name for a little girl. And I know I swore we were not naming this baby after my parent's, girl or boy and I know you swore….."
"Get on with is Sam?"
"Okay, so I know you don't like Harlan Billy." He opens his mouth but she continues on. "But I like the initials, HB."
"You like the initials."
"Yes, and I know you never knew your dad, but I thought maybe you wouldn't object to the initials, if the name wasn't Harlan Billy."
"Any idea's on what you want his name to be?"
"I was thinking Hunter for the H, but I don't know about the B."
"We picked Aiden Jeffrey because of the meaning of both names." Jeffrey says.
"Well the meanings of both names sort of contradict each other."
"That's true, but they also represent us. You have a fiery spirit and I'm more peaceful."
She looks at him. "What, I am?"
"You're the peaceful one, really." She says, lifting her eyebrow.
"Well, I've seen your fiery spirit on more occasions than either one of us can count right now."
She doesn't comment to that. "Let's get back to pick out a name for our son. "Do you want to find out the meaning of Hunter?"
"We don't have the book."
"But you do have your phone." She says, as he grins. Fishing out his phone from his pocket.
"Okay." He says, pulling up Google. "I'm searching for baby name sites." After a few moments a bunch of hits come up. "Wow, there are so many to choose from."
"Is there a site for our book that we have at home?"
"No, but they have one from the Social Security Administration, really." He says, looking at the screen again.
"Then pick one."
"The Social Security…." He shuts up when she looks at him. "Okay, here's one that's simply ." He selects that link.
"Search for Hunter, let's find out what that means first." She says, as he searches for the name.
"Okay, it says something completely different from the book at home." He says, showing her the listed meaning.
"Let's try a different name." She says, as he searches for another name.
"Okay, I'm changing sites. None of these match what we found at home." He says, Googling baby name sites. "Here's one that I think is better." He says, selecting the link. "See, it's basically the same meaning only said a different way." He says, showing the meaning of Aiden.
"That works, so what does Hunter mean according to that site?"
"Pretty much the same as what our book said. So let's look at some baby names that start with B." He says, pulling up the list.
One of the boys start to whimper slightly. "Ummm, I think we're going to have to wait." Sam says, as Aiden starts to cry. As soon as he starts crying, a nurse walks in.
"Hello, I'm your nurse. My name is really hard to pronounce so you can call me Kay." She says, as Jeffrey and Sam nod. "It sounds like he's upset." She says, coming over to the bed as Jeffrey stands up and moves to the chair.
"Is he okay? I didn't do anything. We were…."
"It's likely that he's hungry." Kay says, smiling as Sam visibly relaxes. "You're a new mom?" She says, as she reaches for Aiden's brother as Sam nods. "You'll learn their different cries."
"Do you have kids?" Sam asks, as she turns for the bassinet to put the baby down.
"I'll hold him." Jeffrey says, stopping her. Smiling, she hands him the baby.
"Okay." She says, turning to Sam. "Have you decided about breast feeding or…."
"I'm breast feeding." Sam says, as Kay nods.
"Alright, Mr. O'Neill if you want…."
"He can stay." Sam says, looking at Jeffrey. He smiles softly as Kay nods again.
Kay helps Sam with Aiden, getting him situated before she steps away from the bed. Sam looks down and watches her son, suckling at her breast and then she looks at Jeffrey with tears in her eyes. "I know." He says, swallowing as Aiden's brother beings to fuss. "I think he's getting hungry too."
"Can I do both at the same time?" Sam asks, looking at Kay.
"Yes." She says, smiling. "And I would recommend that. You might also choose to switch them out. So next time when it's time, he…." She nods at Aiden. "He will feed from your left breast and his brother from your right." Kay frees her other breast and then Jeffrey steps over to the bed. He hands the baby to her, helping her get him settled before he steps back. Jeffrey sinks into the chair again, watching Sam with their babies. He feels such a strong surge of love rush over him. He takes a deep breath and then swallows.
Sam looks at him and smiles. "Look up Brayden." She says.
He looks up the name. "It means open minded." He tells her, showing her the entry on his phone. "I think we've found our name." He says, looking up as she nods.
"Aj and HB." She says, looking down at her boys.
"That's their names, just the letters?" Kay asks, watching them.
"No, it's their initials. Aiden Jeffrey and Hunter Brayden." Sam says, looking up before turning her attention back to the babies, just as Aiden releases her nipple.
"I think it's time to burp." Kay says, reaching for the baby. "Do you want to do the honor's Mr. O'Neill?" She asks, turning to Jeffrey.
"Sure what do I do?" He asks.
"See that stack of towels by the bassinet?" Kay says, pointing to the stack. Jeffrey gets up and gets one. "Put it over your shoulder." Jeffrey follows her instructions. When he's ready, she transfers the baby to him. "Now, gently but firmly you need to pat his back until he burps." Kay says, showing him a few times before she steps away and Jeffrey takes over. She watches him and when she's satisfied that he knows what he's doing, she goes to the stack of towels and gets one for Sam. Five minutes later, HB releases her. Kay put the towel onto Sam shoulder and then repeats the process of showing her how to burp their son.
Jeffrey watches while he continues gently but firmly patting his son's back. "You didn't have to do this with Megan's sons?" He asks.
"No, Megan always did this part." Sam says, following Nurse Kay's instructions. About a minute later, Aj lets out a hearty burp and both Sam and Jeffrey chuckle, jarring the babies and they both start to fuss. "Oh, shhh little man. Momma has you. It's okay." Sam says whispers softly into HB's ear. Jeffrey follows her but tells Aj that Daddy has him and quickly both boys settle down.
About a minute later, HB follows his brother and burps heartily. "That's a good boy. Momma's proud of you." Sam says, taking HB off her shoulder and situating him in the crook of her arm while Nurse Kay walks to the door.
"Are you ready to see everyone now that they both have a name?" Jeffrey asks, looking at Sam and she nods. "Nurse Kay." He says, as he looks up. She stops at the door and turns to him. "Could you tell our family that we're ready for them to come back, if that's okay?" Jeffrey asks, looking at her.
"I'll let them know." She replies, smiling as she turns back to the door and opens it. Leaving the room to allow Jeffrey and Sam a few more moments of un-interrupted family time.
Immediately after leaving the Palace, Mr. Roman goes to the prison. In a matter of minutes, he's processed through and waiting in a small windowless room with two door ways. One is the one he just entered through and the other is to the inner hallways that is the high security ward where Edmund is being held. He looks around the room while he waits for the guard to bring Edmund to him. He doesn't wait long before the other door opens and Edmund is lead into the room. The guard leads him over to the table and after removing his cuffs and attaches his leg shackles to the link in the floor, he stands up and then leaves. Neither Edmund not Mr. Roman speak until the guard is out of the room. "Did you speak with the Prince?" Edmund asks.
"Yes, I was able to have our audience with Prince Silas this morning." Mr. Roman replies,
"And what was his decision?" Edmund asks
"I was to present our case with his advisors present."
"That doesn't answer the question I asked, what was his decision?" Edmund asks.
"He didn't make one. He advised that he will have a decision by the end of day today or maybe first thing tomorrow morning."
"Why didn't he give a decision today?"
"Mr. Winslow, we're asking him to…."
"I know what we are asking him. Are you saying he's going to say no? You have to do something. We should've asked to have the conviction…?"
"As I explained last time Mr. Winslow there is no reason for His Highness to overturn your conviction. Asking to have the order of seclusion lifted is our only option. I was able to submit that request today and make our case for having the order lifted. At this point, there is nothing more for us to do but wait."
"And after he makes his decision?"
Mr. Roman is silent for a moment before he speaks. "Prince Silas is our last option. He is the only one that can over turn your brother's decision."
"When will you know?"
"I suspect by the end of the day or by the morning."
Edmund looks at him and then nods before he calls out. "Guard."
The guard opens the door and walks in. Edmund stands up and lets the guard put the cuffs on him as well as securing his ankle chains as well. When the guards finished, Mr. Roman stands up. "As soon as I know Prince Silas's decision, I will let you know Mr. Winslow."
Edmund nods before letting the guard lead him from the room. As soon as the door is closed and they are away from the room. Edmund looks at the guard and says. "I want to speak with O'Rourke."
"High risk prisoners only get time with their attorney's." The guard replies.
"Just tell him that I want to speak with him." Edmund says, as the guards opens his cell door.
Ava is the first to come in after Nurse Kay tells everyone they can come back. She taps lightly on the door as she sticks her head in. "Come in." Jeffrey says, getting up to hug her.
When they let go of each other, Ava turns to Sam. "You look good." She says.
"I seriously doubt that, but thank you." Sam says, smiling. She's holding both babies. "Do you want to meet your brothers?" She asks, as Ava walks over to the bed. "This is Aiden Jeffrey Lewis O'Neill." Sam says, lifting her right shoulder. "And this is Hunter Braden Lewis O'Neill." She says, repeating the same process.
"Oh they are beautiful. And they're identical." She says, looking at the babies.
"You can hold them." Sam offers, as Jeffrey comes over to the other side of the bed.
"Here, I'll help." He says, taking HB and handing him to Ava. He gently places him in the crook of Ava's arm.
"Hi there." Ava mumbles, looking down into HB's eyes. "His eyes are blue. Where did he…?"
"A lot of baby's eyes are blue and then they change to their given color."
"So their eyes could change to Dad's?"
"They could." Sam says, gently stroking Aiden's cheek.
"Personally, I hope they change to your color." Jeffrey says, as Sam looks at him and smiles.
After a moment of silence, Sam asks. "How are you feeling?" She looks at Ava.
"I'm ready for him to be here. I know they came early but I want to hold him."
"There is a chance of getting your wish." Jeffrey says, as Ava looks at him. "According to your Uncle Josh, there is a possibility that you could have twins. They run on my father's side of the family."
"There's a good chance of that." Sam says.
"According to Megan and Josh there is."
"Oh man, we are doomed." Ava says, closing her eyes. As both Jeffrey and Sam smile
"What are the odds of you have more than one set of twins?" Ava asks.
"I'm not sure. I would guess that the odds increase if you've had one set already and family history but it's something I would need to research and Dr. Sedgwick could answer that for both of us." Sam says, as the door opens.
Reva, Josh and Billy walk in, followed by Richard and Cassie. "Let me see my beautiful nephew's." Reva says, as Jeffrey and Ava both turn for the door. "Oh my gosh, they are beautiful." Reva says, seeing Ava with HB.
"They are identical." Josh says, looking over Reva's shoulder and Sam nods.
"Do you want to hold him?" Ava says, looking at Reva.
"Oh please." She says, reaching out for the baby. Ava passes him over and Reva holds him close, rocking him gently as Cassie and Richard look over her other shoulder.
"Cassie, if you want you can hold Aj." Sam says. Cassie turns to her.
Jeffrey helps Sam set up a little more as she holds out her arms for Cassie to take the baby. He settles on the bed beside her, letting her lean against him while they watch their family fuss over their boys. Leaning close, Jeffrey lightly kisses the side of Sam's head. "You did good." He whispers as she relaxes against him.
"Megan said that she'll be in. She wanted to check on her boys." Josh says. Jeffrey and Sam nod. "They are so precious." Josh says, as Reva turns to him, offering him Aj and he takes him.
"Do you have names yet?" Billy asks.
"Well, we didn't... We had Aj's, which is Aiden Jeffrey Lewis O'Neill." Sam says, smiling as she leans against Jeffrey.
"So what is his brother's name, or have you picked one?" Richard asks.
"We have." Sam says, nudging Jeffrey's chin with her head.
"You want me to tell them?" He asks, glancing down.
"I think you should be the one." She replies. He kisses the side of her head before he looks up.
"As you know we had Aj's already picked out and we had a name for a baby girl, just in case…." Sam nudges him again. "Okay, I won't draw it out. We discussed a lot of names before we settled on Aj's and we discussed our parents name and both of us were… well neither one of us wanted to name them after our parents. Don't get me wrong guys but can you really see me naming…?" Josh and Billy both hold up their hands to stop him.
"We were both stuck with that same dilemma for our kids." Josh says, as Jeffrey nods. "And besides, Billy has already named his son after our father." Jeffrey looks at Billy.
"That's true, although Bill is named after me. I'm named after HB so Bill's name is Harlan Billy the third." Billy says.
Jeffrey looks at him and then nods. "As you know, I never met my father. And while I decided to add Lewis to my last name. I couldn't…."
"I think they understand J." Sam says softly.
"Alright, so we were both against naming our kids after our parents. But Sam thought it would be okay to use their initials, so we've decided to name Aj's brother, Hunter Brayden Lewis O'Neill." Jeffrey says. "And since Aj will likely be called by his initials, we thought that Hunter could be called HB."
"So we have a HB Lewis O'Neill." Reva says, as Megan walks in.
"I'm sorry." She says, as she walks over to Sam. They hug before she steps back. "You look beautiful my sister."
"I think you need your eyes examined." Sam says, reaching up to sweep her hair back from her face.
"No, she's right. You are beautiful." Jeffrey says, as she lays her head on his shoulder and he kisses the top of her head.
"Did I hear right, you picked out a name."
"Yes, Reva is holding Aiden Jeffrey Lewis O'Neill and Ava is holding Hunter Brayden Lewis O'Neill."
"Wow, that's a mouthful." Megan remarks.
"Do you want to hold HB?" Ava asks, turning to Megan.
"I would love too." She says, reaching out for the baby.
Ava slips him into her arms as Sam asks her. "Are the boys okay?"
"They're fine. Frank is watching them." She says off handedly while she gently caresses HB's cheek. "Hey there, sweet boy. I'm your Aunt Megan." She whispers, holding her finger out so that HB can wrap his fingers around it. "You're just the sweetest thing, yes you are." She looks up to ask Sam a question and notices her watching her. "What?"
"You're letting Frank watch the boys?" Sam asks.
"Yes, he's the only option I had. My regular sitter has the flu and I couldn't find anyone else. It's no big deal."
"Did you even try to find another sitter?" Sam asks as Megan looks down at the baby in her arms.
"Which one is older?" Megan asks, ignoring Sam's question.
"Aj's the oldest by about a minute and a half." Jeffrey replies, saving Megan from Sam's interrogation.
A few minutes later, the babies switch around again with Cassie and Richard getting a chance to hold both of them. Cassie looks up at him and smiles. "Are you ready to do this again?" She asks, letting Aj hold onto her finger.
He walks over to her and leans in, lightly kissing her. "I want to do it all with you again. No Edmund to…."
She pulls her finger free and lays it against his lips. "Shhh, it's done."
"I missed so much with Will. I didn't even get to be there when he came into the world."
"But everything came out and we have our son." Cassie says, laying her hand on his chest.
"You look beautiful holding him." He says, coming back to the hospital room again as she smiles.
"I have to say you're quite handsome holding him too."
"Are you still convinced you're having a girls?" Billy asks when Cassie looks up.
"I am." She says, nudging Richard.
"She's convinced, but I'll take whatever we are given."
"Both of you are sort miracles." Megan says, looking at Cassie and Richard and then Jeffrey and Sam. "I mean Jeffrey you thought Sam was gone and Richard, Cassie thought you were gone. So the fact that you're all here and having a family and building a life again is sort of a miracle, I think."
"Here, here." Reva says. "I think that's a definition of a miracle."
"Maybe, but these guys are more of a miracle than having each other back. They complete us." Sam says, as Cassie gives her Aj. Richard brings HB over to Jeffrey as Nurse Kay comes in.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but it's time for them to settle in for the night." She says.
"Thank you all for coming." Jeffrey says, as everyone shrugs into the coats, hats, scarves and gloves.
Jeffrey shakes hands with Billy, Josh and Richard and then hugs Reva, Cassie, Megan and Ava. "As soon as William comes back from Chicago I'll bring him to see them." Ava says, being the last to hug Jeffrey.
"That's fine." He says, hugging her again before she leaves.
Once everyone leaves, Nurse Kay comes back into the room. "It's time for their six o'clock feeding and then I'll take them to the nursery for the night."
"I want them to stay with us, J." Sam says, looking at him.
"Is there any way they can stay with us?" Jeffrey asks, looking at Kay.
"You both need to rest." Kay replies.
"Please. " Sam asks, looking down to watch Aj as he sleeps in her arms.
Kay smiles. "I can let them to stay till ten, but after that they need to be in the nursery while you rest."
"I'm breast feeding them. Won't it be simpler to have here with me when they want to eat?"
"We can have you pump enough milk to let them feed through the night. In a couple days, if not sooner you'll be released. I recommend that you take this time to rest."
"I'm taking six weeks maternity leave. I want my boys with me."
"And I will be here." Jeffrey says.
"Okay, I'll leave them." Kay says. "Do you need any help feeding them?"
"No, he's here. Thank you." Sam says, as she nods and then turns to leave.
Jeffrey settles on the bed beside her, taking the boys and holding them while she gets ready to feed them. When she's ready, he hands HB over to her, letting him get settled before he gives her Aj. He gets up to get a couple of burping towels for them. Settling in beside her, he watches her while she watches their boys. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of this." He says, as she looks up and smiles at him. "I love you. Have I told you that today?"
"I think we were a little busy, but I love you too." She says, as he leans over and brushes a kiss to her mouth.
"When did you decide to take six weeks? I thought you were going back as soon as you could."
"I changed my mind. I want to be with them." She says, looking down. Immediately transfixed while she watches them and he watches her with them. It's about ten minutes later when HB lets go. "I think he's through."
"Yeah, me too." Jeffrey says, putting the burp cloth on his shoulder before he takes him. Gently patting his back, humming in his ear while he waits for him to burp.
Shortly after HB finishes, Aj's through. Jeffrey stops for a moment, laying the other cloth on Sam's shoulder, he returns to gently patting HB's back while Sam settles in to burping Aj. Finally HB burps and Jeffrey turns his head and lightly kisses the side of his head, whispering words of pride in his ear while they wait for his brother to follow him.