Did you miss me?! If you haven't been here before, there are four other installments that are the precursor to this one, starting with Golden Joinery. This installment picks up a little bit after the end of Golden Hour.
"You okay back there?"
Detective Jay Halstead glanced into the rearview mirror of his car as he carefully drove along the icy street. His fiancé, the love of his life and the mother of three of his children was seated in between two infant car seats, one hand on each of their sons in an attempt to provide as much comfort to the two new members of their family as possible. Erin Lindsay was an incredible mother and truly the strongest person he'd ever met.
She had really been through the ringer being pregnant with twins. The first few weeks of pregnancy meant morning sickness that should have been renamed as all day sickness, because his girl was sick for days on end for what felt like months. Twins meant that her body grew and changed at an unending pace, her usual slender frame taxied by two energetic and growing Halsteads.
Preeclampsia forced his ordinarily active girl to be relegated to the couch or bed for most of the day in an attempt to keep her blood pressure down. Erin was determined to ward off the symptoms as best she could and muscled through the nausea and headaches for weeks until it all came crashing down.
A partial placental abruption had her in the hospital for almost a week, hooked up to fetal monitors and IV lines of sedatives and fluids to keep the boys growing but also to keep her alive. It had been some of the scariest moments of her life, and Jay hadn't been there to help.
He was recovering down the hall from a knife wound to the back after running into a crime scene without backup. It was stupid and a big mistake, and Jay was seriously beating himself up for it. So much so that he wasn't sleeping, or when he was sleeping, he was consumed with horrific and gut-wrenching nightmares.
Instead of joining his fiancé in their home on bedrest, he stayed with his boss and future father in law, Sergeant Hank Voight. Jay spent weeks in intensive therapy sessions with Erin by his side to weed out the root cause of his spiral and breakdown. While his girl should have been able to just focus on herself and their children, Jay found himself leaning on her as well as he dug through much of his past trauma.
He wasn't past it, by any means. He was still working through it all, but he was better. He was well on his way back to himself and was finally headed back home with his whole family, which now included two newborn baby boys – Ryan George Halstead and Liam Lincoln Halstead.
Their sons were perfect.
They were little, having arrived at thirty-five weeks in a blaze of glory. Jay was honestly still processing the traumatic delivery but had put the thoughts about how he'd almost lost the love of his life out of his mind while he focused on his family. Liam quickly established himself as the rowdy twin who did not hesitate to make his presence known. He had strong lungs, big eyes and a nose just like his daddy.
Ryan was more subdued compared to his brother, but he made up for his quieter personality with a near full head of red hair, just like his Uncle Will. He was snuggly and curious, with those same wide eyes and nose from his daddy.
Both boys were healthy and strong, and after nine days in the hospital with their mommy, were ready to go home.
Jay, on the other hand, was not exactly ready to bring them home. More specifically, he wasn't ready to bring Erin home.
His girl had been through hell and back. She was his hero, his angel and the most incredible woman and mother he'd ever met, as he liked to remind her every chance he got. The nine days in the hospital was to keep an eye on their boys given their premature nature, but it was really to keep an eye on Erin.
With all the pregnancy complications and the emergency delivery, Erin was delicate. Her blood pressure was still high and being managed with IV drugs for a week after delivery. Jay didn't leave her side even when the postpartum emotions got the better of her. He knew how frustrated his girl was with herself as she tried to keep her blood pressure under control all while feeding and loving and getting to know their baby boys.
But again, Erin was determined. Jay was in awe as she forced herself to walk gingerly around the hospital room and followed the doctors instructions to the letter. He knew how hard it was to be patient with herself when all she wanted was to be home with all of their babies, but his girl pulled through. Her blood pressure finally stabilized, and while she would need to monitor it closely, Erin and the boys were discharged. They were headed home and soon, Jay and Erin would be with all of their babies, including their first baby.
"I'm okay," Erin promised, offering a small smile to her fiancé when she caught his gaze in the rearview mirror, "They're okay too. Just excited to get home to our little bug." She dragged a hand through her hair carefully. "I miss her so much."
Jay nodded in agreement. He missed their little bug as well.
Piper Lindsay Halstead.
At ten years old, Piper wasn't as much of a baby as her ten day old little brothers, but she was Jay and Erin's first baby. Technically, she was Erin's biological little sister, though Erin and Jay were officially her mommy and daddy.
Piper had been through a lot in her ten years, having spent nine of those years in the foster care system as a result of their biological parent's negligence and poor choices. After finally having a stable home and consistent parental figures with Jay and Erin, their baby girl was doing a lot better. She was no longer so timid and nervous, and she was incredibly excited to be a big sister to Liam and Ryan.
But as much of a big girl as she was, Piper was still a child, a child who desperately missed her mommy and daddy while they were at the hospital with the boys. Erin and Jay had done their best to prepare her for when the boys arrived, and Piper knew that there may be a few days in the hospital for her mommy, but she hadn't been prepared for nearly ten days without her parents.
Their little bug had been at the hospital for the boys' arrival, waiting in the waiting room with Detective Hailey Upton and Sergeant Hank Voight while Jay, Erin and his brother, Dr. Will Halstead, were in the delivery room to greet the boys. After a day in the hospital and getting to meet her little brothers, Hank brought Piper to his house where the plan was for her to spend the weekend until the rest of the family was discharged from the hospital.
Unfortunately, Piper spending the night in Erin's old bedroom at Hank's house didn't go as any of the adults had hoped. Jay and Erin knew that their little girl had spent many nights growing up sleeping in strange houses and waking up not knowing where she was. In weeks prior Piper had two successful sleepovers with Hailey so they had hoped a night at Hank's would go smoothly. Instead of sleeping through the night, the little girl had woken up from a nightmare and upon not knowing where she was when she woke, had an absolute meltdown.
When Jay lifted his phone to see to a series of text messages from his future father in law after waking up to both of his sons crying early in the morning, he was struck by just how difficult it was going to be to raise three children. Piper was ten years old and in fifth grade, but she still needed her parents in different ways than her brothers. He and Erin would need to juggle the needs of each of their kids while also being there for each other. It was a daunting task he knew they were up for, but the immediate realization was a gut punch.
His little bug was also trying so hard to be brave. Will brought Piper by the hospital to visit her parents and her brothers the following morning, which had gone incredibly well. Piper was so sweet with the boys and clearly loved them so much. She didn't allude to missing her mommy and daddy and continued to wear a brave smile throughout the visit. It almost hurt worse to know that their little girl didn't want to need them so badly, but so clearly did.
But when Will brought her home to sleep in her own bed in the hopes it would help, the little girl practically shut down. The turmoil of seeing and saying good bye to her parents and brothers had been so difficult that she cried herself to sleep while Jay and Erin watched from several miles away on the baby monitor. Jay cradled Ryan against his shoulder while Erin nursed Liam in the hospital, tears steadily trickling down her cheeks. All Erin wanted to do was head home to be with all her babies, but she couldn't.
Piper was an incredibly strong little girl, albeit physically fairly fragile. Years of neglect and a tumultuous upbringing had her well behind on the growth charts in addition to asthmatic and sensitive lungs. Erin had been on high alert about her child after a memo about classmates of Piper coming down with the flu prior to the holiday. It seemed to have skipped over the little girl until Erin got a phone call from the nurse three days into her hospital stay, alerting her that Piper had sneezed and gotten a mild bloody nose, and was found to have a low-grade fever when the teacher sent her to the nurse.
Jay knew that Erin was a Mama-bear, but watching his fiancé lose her mind at the unsuspecting school nurse on the other end of the phone was another level entirely. A temperature at barely over 100 degrees wasn't cause for any major concern but the fact that Erin couldn't be there had her reeling. The boys were still under observation and Ein was taking IV medication to keep he blood pressure down, which meant they couldn't leave the hospital.
Erin, despite her insistence, wasn't yet strong enough after the c-section and preeclampsia to handle both newborns in the hospital. Jay didn't want to leave her or the boys, but he needed to be there for his little girl, and he couldn't be in two places at once.
Thankfully, the incredible support system they had stepped in. Hank was able to pick up Piper from school and the little girl appeared to be completely fine – and incredibly confused as to why she couldn't stay at school when she felt okay.
The report from Hank that Piper felt alright and even had a normal temperature when he brought her back to his house alleviated some of the stress for Erin and Jay, but not enough. Even if Piper was feeling okay, which was better than the alternative, they couldn't risk exposing the boys to any type of sickness. And that meant that Piper couldn't be with them in the hospital.
While the newborn days were full of sweetness from their boys, there was a huge part of their family missing. Jay was fielding reports from his boss that Piper continued to be fine health-wise but incredibly sad that she wasn't able to come to the hospital. His little bug was trying to be mature and understanding on the other end of the phone when they talked, but he could sense just how upset his first baby was, and it broke his heart.
Getting to bring the boys and Erin home to Piper after a week apart was long-anticipated. Because Piper had been beside herself about potentially making the boys sick, she spent the week with Hank. Jay was honestly glad that they didn't have a baby monitor at his boss's house, because he was nearly one hundred percent positive that their little girl was struggling.
Piper thankfully remained healthy and after a week, was back at home with Will and Hailey. According to his brother and his partner, Piper was beyond excited to have her parents and brothers home. It was the good news that he and Erin both needed.
"Do you think she's going to hate us?"
Jay widened his eyes and glanced into the rearview mirror again after getting lost in his thoughts. "Who? Pipes?"
Erin nodded and bit her lip. "It's been a week," she said shamefully, "A week without her. And I know we've talked to her on the phone every night and done FaceTime and whatever but it's not the same. And even though she was saying she was okay and that she understood why she's still a ten year old who spent a week without her parents." She swallowed. "And those same parents spent the week with her little brothers."
"We're not leaving her again," Jay promised as he turned onto their street, "She's going to be okay, babe. I'm optimistic. Trying not to catastrophize, right?"
She let out a heavy breath. "You're right," she agreed, "Positive thoughts. We're the most positive parents in Chicago, aren't we guys? Yes we are." Erin smiled when Liam cooed. "Are you guys ready to see your home? I told you we didn't live in that prison cell."
Jay rolled his eyes and pulled into the driveway. "Hospital is a little different than prison."
"Not by much," she quipped, "Only thing I didn't get was yard time." Erin stroked Ryan's belly gently. "But it's too cold out anyway. We can't have those twenty perfect fingers and twenty perfect toes falling off, can we?" She glanced up when she realized Jay had pulled into the garage. "Wait. How did you organize the garage for us to fit both cars in here?"
"Our little bug loves a project," Jay said, turning to face his girl and his babies in the backseat of the car, "And Hailey might have offered a few ideas, and this is the one our kid picked."
"Your kid," Erin corrected him, "I swear, she's your mini-me, babe. Loves a label maker." She shook her head in amusement when Jay just grinned. "You boys are gonna appreciate a mess like your Mama, right?"
Jay carefully removed Liam's car seat from the car before extending a hand to help Erin out of the backseat. She was still supposed to be incredibly cautious with her stitches, though the extra days in the hospital did help to alleviate some of his initial concern. "You okay?" he asked, dropping a kiss atop her head, "Dizzy?"
"I'm good," she assured him, "Ready to see our girl. And before you say anything, I know I can't lift her yet. I know you've got the no-no list memorized."
"I got the boys," Jay said, lifting Ryan's car seat out of the vehicle, "You ready to head inside?"
Erin nodded and carefully pushed open the side door to their house. Making room in the garage for both cars really was a smart choice so that nobody had to brave the cold. Leave it to her partner to think of everything. "Hello," she called out, taking a step into their mudroom, "Noodle? Will?"
"Mommy!"
She could have burst into tears right then and there. The postpartum hormones heightened every emotion, but seeing her baby girl for the first time in over a week had Erin wanting to melt into a puddle on the floor.
Piper looked like she wanted to jump into her mommy's arms but was holding back because she knew that her mommy was still fragile after the boys arrival. She was clutching Will Halstead's hand tightly, unsure of what her next move should be. "Hi sweet girl," she choked out, holding out her hands to her first baby, "I missed you so much."
"Did you bring the boys and Daddy?" Piper asked, cautiously releasing her uncle's hand to approach her mommy, "Are they okay?"
Erin nodded and wiped her cheek quickly. "They're right behind me," she whispered, "And they're excited to see you, but I don't think anyone is as excited as I am." She swallowed. "I um, I have to be careful since I'm still a little sore."
Piper gave a nod of understanding, eyes scanning her mommy as if to determine if she could come closer. "Can I…can I still hug?"
"Please," Erin managed, nodding fervently, "C'mere, baby girl."
Her heart swelled when Piper wrapped her little arms around her waist and gently leaned into her mommy's side. Tears sluiced off her cheeks. Her first baby was back in her arms. Well, not physically in her arms, but she was holding her closely which would have to do until she was cleared to lift anything. "Are you hurting?" Piper asked, looking up at her mommy worriedly, "Am I hurting you?"
Erin shook her head. "No, no. I just missed you so much, Noodle bug." She smoothed some of her hair back. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Piper said, offering a smile, "I never felt sick at all." She wrinkled her brow, the smile falling from her face. "Can I still stay? If the boys are here?"
"You aren't going anywhere," Jay said, carefully setting the car seats with his two sleeping sons onto the living room floor, "Mommy and I aren't letting you out of our sight until you're forty-five."
"Daddy!"
Jay lifted his little bug into his arms and held her tightly. "Boy, did I miss you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Piper's head as she melted against him, "How's my favorite kid in the whole world?"
Piper pulled back in alarm. "Daddy," she said seriously, "You have three kids now. You can't call me your favorite kid."
He smiled and tapped her nose lightly. "They're my favorite babies. You're my favorite kid." Jay leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "And my best friend."
"She's doing well," Hailey offered to Jay, handing him a cup of coffee, "Voight's been taking her temp every few hours this week and she never had a fever after getting picked up from school last week."
"Might have been mild," he said noncommittally, gratefully accepting the mug, "Or she might not have even been sick. We talked to the pediatrician who said that sometimes high amounts of stress can cause fevers and Pipes is-"
"She's really been okay," she interrupted, "Could have been a fluke or something, but either way, you're home now." Hailey wrinkled her brow when Jay didn't reply, "You alright? Looks like you haven't slept."
Jay turned his gaze from watching his girls and his boys. Erin was sitting on the couch, Liam in her arms, while Piper rocked Ryan in his car seat. Both of his boys were sleeping still and he could sense Erin was about to drift off as well. "Me?" he managed, clearing his throat after taking a large gulp of coffee, "I look like shit?"
"I didn't say that," Hailey replied, rolling her eyes, "But it does look like you haven't slept. Will and I are here. You and Erin should go lie down for a bit." She shook her head when Jay's eyes widened. "Didn't you tell me about the whole 'parents should sleep when the baby sleeps' thing last week? We got it, and you'll both be right upstairs if they need you."
He titled his head to the side, feeling his neck crack. A nap did sound good. Erin was fading, and he was too. If they wanted to be there for all three of their kids, they needed to at least attempt to take care of themselves. "Maybe an hour," he said, taking another sip of coffee, "You sure you don't mind?"
"Don't worry," she assured him, gesturing to Will who was carefully taking Liam out of Erin's arms, "You've got a doctor and a detective here."
Jay nodded. "Babe," he murmured, putting a hand on Erin's shoulder, "Why don't we lie down for a little bit?"
Erin startled and looked around rapidly at the realization that Liam was no longer in her arms. "Will's got Liam," Jay said quickly, "And Pipes is keeping Ryan asleep." He gave a proud smile to his little bug. "Hailey's still here too, and she and Will offered to keep an eye on everyone so you can close your eyes for a little."
She glanced over to her little girl and back to Jay. "We're both going to nap?" she asked skeptically, "I don't know-"
"We got it," Will promised, keeping his voice low, "You ready to put all our fruit wrapping skills to use, Munchkin?"
Piper swallowed. She had just gotten her parents back after a long week of being apart from them and the boys. She missed them so badly when they were in the hospital and while she was staying at Hank's house. Hailey, Will and Hank all tried their best to make her feel better, but Piper just wanted to be with her mommy and daddy.
But after seeing how tired they looked, Piper knew she had to be brave. She couldn't hold onto them tightly, no matter how much she wanted to. She knew the looks on their faces, and she knew that if she told them how sad she had been the week before, both of her parents would be even more upset. And they didn't need that.
She forced a small smile and a nod. "We practiced again," she said softly, "'cause the boys are going to use a lot of diapers."
Jay smiled proudly and stifled a yawn. He really was exhausted. "Are you sleepy too, Noodle?" Erin asked, carefully tucking some loose hair behind Piper's ear, "Do you want to come nap with us?"
Piper looked down at Ryan, who was sleeping soundly, and then back up to her daddy. She did want to go upstairs but her mommy and daddy were so sleepy. They needed rest. "I can help with the boys," she said after a moment, "You'll just be upstairs?"
"Just upstairs," Erin promised, pressing a kiss to Piper's head, "Right up there if you need us."
The little girl gave a nod of understanding. She didn't need her mommy and daddy. She wanted them, but she would be okay.
Erin exhaled softly, the warmth and comfort of her bed at home doing wonders for her sore body. The bed at the hospital wasn't big enough for both her and Jay to lay together comfortably, and the wires and monitors and hospital paraphernalia proved to make sharing the bed a huge challenge. Her partner had been good about staying with her until she fell asleep, but Erin hated waking up without him by her side. And she was fairly confident that the stiff couch in her hospital room wasn't the best for his healing back.
He never complained. Jay was incredibly gentle with her and their boys and had been her rock in the hospital. The steady man she'd always known was back, his confidence in all things baby and post-partum care causing her to resist rolling her eyes every few minutes. In some ways, Erin was grateful for her own fragility because it seemed to help get her partner back to himself even more quickly. Jay had been doing a lot of healing in the weeks before the boys arrived, both physically and mentally, but seeing him as a dad to two newborns seemed to expedite it even quicker.
But Jay's confidence in their parenting abilities didn't change the fact that she was still feeling very much unlike herself. Her body was healing slowly. There was a laundry list of things that she wasn't permitted to do and even the slightest wrong movement managed to remind her of the large wound at her stomach. All the nurses and doctors had assured her that her body would heal with time.
It was her head that was worrying her.
Erin loved her boys. They were the most amazing little people and she already couldn't imagine life without them. At ten days old, they already had distinct personalities. For what he lacked in hair compared to his brother, Liam made up for it by being loud and wriggly. Ryan was quieter and more snuggly with an almost full head of strawberry red hair that they were told would likely fall out but that Erin was secretly hoping would stay forever. Both of her boys had big appetites and were getting stronger every day. All their tests indicated that they didn't have anything to worry about. It was truly a miracle to have two healthy Halsteads.
Despite all the good news, something was off. Erin knew that she had tons of hormones wrecking havoc on her body. She and Jay both read about the fourth trimester and he'd been good about taking her emotions in stride. They were both learning on the job and Erin hoped that once they were home and back with Piper, she would start to feel better.
"You are incredible," Jay murmured, pressing a kiss to her shoulder when she let out another breath, "I don't think I can tell you that enough, babe."
Erin rested her head back against his chest, Jay's gentle kisses on her neck and hairline filling her heart. He really, really loved her. "I don't feel incredible," she said dejectedly, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "Helps that you think so."
Jay looked down at her in alarm. "Nausea?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. He immediately brought his fingers to his forehead. "Are you-"
"I'm okay," Erin interrupted, "I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm fine." She exhaled, relaxing further against her partner's body. "I just feel guilty."
He was quiet for a moment. Erin didn't have anything to feel guilty about. She'd just brought two incredibly perfect Halstead boys into the world and had endured far more discomfort and pain than anyone should have to in doing so. He was the one who should be feeling guilty, not her. "Babe-"
"Something's different about her," she insisted, "I don't know what it is and that's what's bothering me because normally I feel like I know our kid and I can sense what is going on but today I just-" She drew in a shaky breath. "I don't know what's going on in her head."
"We're not mind readers," Jay said gently, "We're never going to know everything that's going on in her sweet little head. She's her own person." He stroked her hair back gently. "And she's growing up."
Erin wrinkled her brow. "I know that," she argued, "But I'm telling you Jay, there's something wrong. I can feel it." She pulled away and hissed, forgetting for a moment that she'd had a major surgery not even two weeks prior.
"Careful," he warned, resuming his gentle motions, "I get where you're coming from. But we gotta let her come to us at some point. This is a big change for her and she's been through a hell of a lot." Jay kissed the side of her head, hoping to bring some semblance of calm to his fiancé. "It's like when we first met her, right? We gotta let her take the lead, let her feel comfortable. We can push, but we can't push too much."
"It took months last time," Erin croaked, emotion rising in her throat, "It…it took a few days for her to trust you but it took her months to trust me." She swallowed. "Even…even after we moved in together. I don't want to wait that long and I don't want her to have to feel like she can't be herself around me or tell us about the nightmares or-" Erin gasped. "She's been having them, hasn't she? At Hank's?"
"Hank didn't say anything was out of the ordinary," Jay said, treading carefully. In truth, Hank hadn't specifically mentioned bad nightmares with the exception of the first night, but he knew his kid and unfortunately, nightmares were very much ordinary.
"Nightmares are her ordinary." Erin reached for her cell phone that was on her bedside table. "Can you pass me that, please? I want to call Hank, see if he can tell us anything."
"Er-"
"You don't get it," Erin gritted out, snatching the phone herself, "Your relationship with her is the easiest thing in the world. I'm not like that with her, okay? I've been trying for so long to be a good mom to her and if she-"
"Erin," Jay said firmly, "Babe, please, stop for a second. I hear you, but you are seriously discrediting yourself. Pipes loves you. You're her mama, right? She snuggles up next to you and just wants to be close to you and-"
"She used to do that," she managed, "Before the boys, before we abandoned her for a whole week." Erin brought a hand to her forehead. "I-I was so worried about the boys having to go to the NICU and feeling abandoned that I abandoned our other child. Did you see how looked at us when I asked if she wanted to come upstairs with us?"
Jay swallowed. He'd seen that look his fiancé was referring to in their little girl's eyes. It was a look he'd unfortunately grown familiar with in raising Piper – his little bug was trying to be stoic. It was the look she got when he was expecting a meltdown or at least a few tears but was doing her very best to not let the tears spill over or allow her emotions to get the better of her. Honestly, it was worse than any tears or meltdown because it meant that their baby wasn't feeling secure enough to let those emotions out.
"I did," he whispered, "I saw it." He took a breath. "Maybe um, maybe I could try to talk to her tonight. Or maybe Hailey or Will can try to ask what's going on, if we don't get anything."
Erin nodded and grasped his hand carefully. "I know we've only been home a few hours," she murmured, "And I might be overreacting or hormonal or both but I can't…I can't lose her. Our boys are incredible but so is she and-"
"I'm right there with you," Jay said in agreement, "I get it, babe. I do. It's going to take some getting used to for all of us, but I know it's going to be okay. It has to be."
"It smells amazing down here," Jay praised as he descended the steps, "What are you guys cooking?"
Piper looked up from standing atop the kitchen chair, which was her designated kitchen-helper spot. "Hailey's Yiayia's meatball soup," Piper told him, smile spreading on her cheeks when she saw her daddy, "That's what she called her Nana, 'cause it means Grandma in Greek."
Hailey beamed. "We're making giouvarlakia," she said, stirring the pot carefully, "Traditional Greek soup. Really good for when it's freezing out."
"Mm," he mused, pressing a kiss to the top of Piper's head, "Hailey's teaching you all her secret dishes, huh Pipes?"
Piper nodded. "We did cooking at Hank's house while you and Mommy were in the hospital with the boys," she said casually, "Hailey taught me and Will to make spinach pie."
Jay's eyes widened. "Spinach pie?" he asked, pretending to be shocked, "There's a spinach pie and I didn't know about it?" He grinned when Piper's lips lifted further. "I can't believe you've been holding out on us, Upton. I've been feeding my girls sautéed spinach for months and now you're saying there's a spinach pie?"
"It's really called spanakopita," Piper said excitedly, "And it took so long because Hailey made the pastry part too." She pointed to the freezer. "But we made lots of extra and it just has to go in the oven."
"And there might be one baking in the oven right now." Hailey blew on the spoon she was using to taste the soup. "You want to try and tell me if it needs anything, Snipes?"
"I haven't cooked at all," Will called from the couch, Ryan in his arms, "Between them and Hank, you guys have food covered until these guys are potty trained."
"Looks like it," he mused, watching as Hailey and Piper continued cooking, "Boys give you any trouble?"
"They certainly don't take after you," Will quipped, "My nephews are incredibly well behaved with Uncle Will. Liam is a champion sleeper and Ryan might be the chilliest little dude to ever exist."
Jay rolled his eyes. "He's not chill at two in the morning," he said dryly, "Both boys seem to take after their uncle and like to stay up late." He stifled a yawn. They'd managed an hour nap but Erin had woken up and needed to pump. Instead of falling back asleep, Jay promised to check in on the kids downstairs and see if either of the boys were up and hungry.
Piper looked up from the soup that Hailey was stirring. "Is Mommy okay?" she asked, worry evident in her voice, "Did she get to rest?"
"She did," Jay promised, quickly returning his attention to his little girl. He gave a reassuring smile. "Mommy is, um-" He paused. Erin had briefly explained breastfeeding to Piper when she was half asleep in the hospital nursing Liam, but they hadn't had a chance to explain pumping and many of the other bodily changes Erin was going through after delivery.
"Coming down," Erin called from the top of the steps, "I had to come see what smells so good."
Relief spread across Piper's face when she heard her mommy's voice. Hearing it over the phone wasn't the same as having her mommy in the same house again. She really missed her so much.
"Careful on the steps, babe," Jay cautioned, hurrying to the stairs to help his girl down. He received an exaggerated eye roll in response even though Erin gratefully accepted his hand. "Hailey and Pipes made a spinach pie."
"Pie?" Erin wrinkled her nose, "With spinach?" She placed a hand on her still-healing stomach. "Now that the boys are out of me I don't think you're ever going to get me to eat greens again." A smile formed on her lips. "But maybe if Chef Noodle makes vegetables I can be convinced."
"I'm the soup chef," Piper said, "'cause Hailey follows Daddy's rule about you and me not touching the stove."
"Sous chef," Hailey supplied, holding out another spoon to Piper's lips, "You wanna test this and see if it's ready, Snipes? I think the extra salt was a good call."
Piper took a tentative taste and paused thoughtfully. "It's good," she declared, "Maybe we can bring some to Mommy on the couch." She looked up at her parents. "You gotta be sitting, right?"
"Mostly," Erin said with an exhale, "But I'm getting stronger and I'm allowed to move around as much as I want." She padded into the kitchen to observe what her little girl had been cooking. Her heart swelled when Piper wrapped her arms around her neck, still standing on the kitchen chair. Erin buried her nose in Piper's soft hair, memorizing what it felt like to have her sweet baby girl back in her arms. "I missed your hugs, Noodle bug."
A sharp cry immediately diverted her attention. "Liam's probably hungry," Will said apologetically, "He's dry."
Erin resisted the urge to cry. She finally had her arms around her first baby and was getting some much needed time with her. "It's okay," Piper murmured understandingly, "Me and Hailey can finish up the soup. The boys need you."
Thank you for joining me again! In total honesty this first chapter was a struggle to get out but I'm hoping that being back will help me with inspiration and hopefully get the next chapters flowing more easily.
This installment is going to be a liiiiittle different. Instead of long stories, I've currently mapped out mini-stories of about one to five chapters in length that are associated with different points in time. As you know now, the first part is right after the boys arrive and the family adjusting to life with newborns.
I'm planning this installment in this way because I'm hoping it gives me more flexibility to incorporate some of the amazing requests I've gotten over the past four! installments. There's going to be a wedding eventually, maybe a little more drama…I'm not fully sure. That being said, I would loooove some requests for immediate postpartum life.
You can also leave any requests you have in general and I'll see how I can work them in. I'm excited to be back and I hope that you'll let me know if you're still here so I don't feel too crazy about embarking on another installment!