Month Twelve:
The cries of infants wake her. Liza sits straight up in bed. Adam grabs her arm. "I'll get them, you need your rest."
"No, they need feeding and only I can do that." He smiles knowing that she is happy to be breastfeeding. Liza pulls on her robe and stumbles to the end of the bed. She picks up the crying Ben and takes a seat in the rocking chair. He immediately takes to suckling. Adam watches her. Liza smiles at him knowing that he is not going back to sleep. When Chris starts to fuss, Adam picks him up. "I feel like I've always done this." She whispers, lightly tracing Ben's cheek.
"Well, with twins and four days of little sleep I'm not surprised." She rolls her eyes.
"I can't believe they are almost two weeks old." They exchange boys. Adam rubs Ben's back gently.
"Liza, tomorrow I need to run home. Stuart wants to see pictures and Colby has bought something for her brothers. And …"
"That's fine. It will be good to have them to myself. Besides I need to get use to dealing with them without any help." He starts to say something but lets it slide. Now is not the time to start a possible fight over getting more time with them. He watches her coo to Chris while he feeds. It is too soon to push the house on her. It is almost remodeled. He decided to have it restored and painted with neutral colors. She will want to decorate it herself, he thinks smiling. They fall asleep quickly when the boys go back down.
"Ooh." Dixie sighs looking at the boys pictures. She smiles up at Adam and passes them to Colby and JR. She walks over to him. "How's she doing?" She whispers.
"Tired but happy they
are out of the hospital."
"I bet. Does she need
anything?"
"She's Liza; I never know what she needs. It is
very strange hearing you, of all people, ask about her."
"A
lot has changed. It is just not as important to hate her." He
chuckles.
"Tell me about
it."
"I left a baby gift for them on your bed." He nods. Adam takes a seat next to Colby.
"Dad, they are adorable." She smiles at him.
"But, will we ever meet them?" JR grumbles and tosses the pictures on the table. Stuart picks them up again, showing them to Marian, who is uninterested.
"Hopefully soon. I am hoping to bring them here in the next few months." JR looks unconvinced. Colby however is excited. Something about this relationship has made her feel good since hearing about it.
"Good, I would like to meet her. She is good for you. I like you happy." He hugs her.
"Me, too."
Adam drops his bag on the floor as he enters the penthouse. It is quiet. He smiles, they must all be asleep. He pushes open the bedroom door but she is not in bed like he expected. He checks the bathroom, no Liza. The boys' room is empty. Their diaper bag is gone. He takes out his cell and calls her. It rings unanswered until voice mail picks up. He leaves her a message then waits. Maybe her hands were full. If something was wrong, she would've called, right? He waits an hour with no sign of her. After a few more calls unanswered, he goes through her things. Some clothes are missing and her suitcase. The boys have clothes missing plus toys and blankets. Now, the panic sets in. He doesn't have any contact numbers. He goes through her desk looking for anything useful. Her laptop and address book are gone. Surely, she is coming back. He checks her closet again. The realization hits him. The only clothes left are the ones she can't wear, maternity and some tight fitting clothes. "Damn it." He begins pulling open all drawers again and finds a journal underneath some extra blankets. He is too mad and scared to care about her privacy. He skims it looking for his name. He begins to read all of her doubts about his sincerity. She doesn't trust that he won't hurt her, won't take the boys away. All of her fears in print. "She'll never love me again no matter what I do." He looks around the, now, dark and deserted penthouse. "She took them."
There must be lights
Burning brighter,
Somewhere.
Got to be birds,
Flying higher,
In a sky more blue.
If I can dream of a better land,
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand.
Tell me why,
Oh why,
Oh why, can't my dreams come true?
There must be peace,
And understanding,
Sometime.
Strong winds of promise,
That will blow away all the doubt and fear.
If I can dream of a warmer sun,
Where hope keeps shining on everyone.
Tell me why,
Oh why,
Oh why, won't that sun appear?
We're lost in a cloud,
With too much rain.
We're trapped in a world
That's troubled with pain.
But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream,
He can redeem his soul and fly.
Deep in my heart
There's a trembling question.
Still I'm sure that the answers
Gonna come somehow.
Out there in the dark,
There's a beckoning candle.
And while I can think,
While I can talk.
While I can stand,
While I can walk.
While I can dream,
Please let my dream
Come true
Right now.
Let it come true right now.
End of All Over Again.