"Are you sure you won't need me tonight, Miranda?" Cara asked. "With Karen gone and Andrea at work—"
"Thank you, but I will be fine. Andrea is meeting us tonight. I'm going to pack all the girls into the car in a few minutes," Miranda said. "Remember, I don't want to see you until Monday. Rest up, you'll need it."
This weekend was Miranda's last weekend on maternity leave. She was planning to surprise Andrea with dinner tonight and a special gift to mark their anniversary. They never discussed when they would actually celebrate, but she was sure Andrea shared the same fond memories of their first kiss.
Not long after Cara left, Emily and Serena showed up. "Thank you so much for doing this," Miranda said, hugging each of them.
"Of course, that's what we're here for," Emily said.
"You're looking great, Miranda. Is it true you'll be back on Monday?" Serena asked. It had been months since she saw the editor.
Miranda's lip curled up in a grin as she silently answered the question. "But I won't be in for the full day. It's my first real day away from my babies, and, well, you know…" she said. "Anyway, there are ingredients in the refrigerator for homemade pizzas, and there is ice cream in the freezer. I'm not sure if they'll want to stay up until midnight or not—they'll probably just fall asleep on the couch and ask you to wake them a few minutes before. There's enough bottles in the fridge to last you through tomorrow, and I'll quick feed them before I leave. If for some reason, you run out, there is additional stored in the freezer in the garage."
"That's fine. We'll figure it out. Anything special to get the girls to sleep?" Emily asked.
"Well, it's up to you. We were going to have them start sleeping in their own cribs in the nursery, but I don't want them to keep you up all night. If you can try getting them used to the cribs, that would be wonderful, but don't worry too much about it," Miranda said.
"So, they'll sleep in the bassinets, then?"
"No. They sleep in bed with us. They're very good, and you can feed them right there without getting up. Of course, each of you has to sleep on the outside, so they don't roll out of bed."
Emily's eyes widened. "Y-your bed?"
"Don't worry. The sheets are clean," Miranda said, rolling her eyes. "Girls, why don't you come down and say hello to Emily and Serena?" she called up the stairs. "I'm going to go wake the girls up and feed them once more before I leave. Make yourselves at home."
A few hours later, Miranda was gazing out the window at the preparations in Times Square below. This year, she had the penthouse at the Renaissance Marriott, a stunning suite with a 270-degree view of the city. She was dressed and waiting, sitting on the edge of the couch, sipping a glass of wine. Their table at the restaurant in the hotel was reserved for the entire night, but she was hoping Andrea didn't get held up at work.
Her phone's buzz jolted her from her thoughts. Roy just picked me up—he won't tell me where he's taking me. ?
Miranda smiled and replied: Close your eyes and relax for a little while. I will see you soon, darling. xx
Finishing her glass of wine, she smoothed out her dress and headed down to the restaurant where the maitre'd led her to the isolated booth in the corner. She sent Emily a quick text checking on the four girls, and once she confirmed everyone was doing fine, she ordered a bottle of Veuve for the table. She reached into her bag and pulled out a flat jewelry box. Taking a deep breath, she set it on the table and anxiously awaited Andrea's arrival.
Not long afterwards, the maitre'd led Andrea to her table. She quickly took a seat next to Miranda and kissed her softly on the cheek.
After the Holiday issue of Runway, the press went into a frenzy over the couple's relationship. But now, things died down a little and they were comfortable leaving the house. Still, Andrea saved her kisses for their private moments.
"Happy Anniversary, darling," Miranda said as she handed her a glass of champagne.
She smiled brightly as she gently clinked their glasses. "Where are the girls?" she asked, sipping on the champagne.
"We have babysitters tonight," Miranda said, grinning.
"Em and Serena?"
Miranda nodded.
"All night?"
Miranda nodded again. "We have the penthouse suite here tonight."
Andrea threw her arms around Miranda's neck and hugged her, pressing kisses along her neck and collarbone. "Can we skip dinner?" she whispered.
Miranda gently pushed her away. "It's still early. We have all night, my darling. Plus, I've already ordered for us."
Andrea scrunched her nose up and made a face.
"They don't have chicken fingers, Andrea, but I think I managed to order something you'll enjoy," she said, gesturing at the server carrying their plates.
He placed Miranda's steak and steamed asparagus down before her, then placed a bowl of penne pasta with a cream sauce in front of Andrea. She looked down at the plate. "What is it?" she asked.
"Taste it," Miranda said, poking a few noodles with her fork and holding it up to Andrea's mouth.
Andrea smiled as she allowed the other woman to feed her, and once she realized what she was eating, she was torn between wanting to devour the woman next to her and wanting to devour her plate. "Mac and cheese," she said, matter-of-factly.
"As I said, they couldn't do chicken fingers," Miranda said with a smirk.
They ate in companionable silence, stealing glances here and there, offering each other bites of their food. As it turns out, Miranda likes macaroni and cheese, too. Once the server took their plates, Miranda asked that he have their dessert sent up to the room.
"Before we go upstairs," she said quietly. "I want to give you this." She gently pushed the red box towards the young woman.
Andrea set down her champagne flute and looked up. Miranda nodded softly, and Andrea opened the box.
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, clasping her hand over her mouth as she realized she probably spoke a bit too loudly for the intimate restaurant. "Miranda—this—it's—oh my god. It's gorgeous."
Miranda took the necklace out of the box as Andrea swept her hair up and out of the way. After fastening it around her neck, she gently held her hand there, admiring its beauty. "It's my gift to you—one of many to come," Miranda said.
"But—this is too much. I mean," Andrea stammered. "I don't want to know what something like this would cost. It looks vintage."
"I acquired it through a business deal and the previous owner suggested it would look stunning on you. I don't often agree with her, but she was right."
"In what kind of business deal is a diamond necklace acceptable currency? Who did it belong to?" she asked.
"I wasn't going to tell you, but I suppose you'll keep nagging me until I do," Miranda said with a sigh. "In July, Adam Moss sent a package for me to Runway. What's-her-name knew better than to bother me with it. About a month ago, our Emily got curious and opened it—it was a gift from Adam Moss and Daniel Kaizer. The card simply read 'Congratulations,' and inside the box were eight caftans. They were very high-quality and looked to be of Indian silk. The gesture was thoughtful, but I had no use for them. They were large enough to cover a horse."
"So you traded them. With whom?"
Miranda smiled. "My dear old friend Elizabeth. I hadn't spoken to her in years, but when I contacted her, she was very anxious for the garments. I didn't ask for anything in return, but she admitted that she had seen the tabloids and thought you looked like quite a lovely young woman. She teased me about dating a child, and I tried to explain that you were hardly a child, but, she has this way of not listening to what others have to say. She again thanked me for sending the caftans, and that was the end of it. Two weeks later, this arrived. With a note."
"What did it say?" Andrea asked.
Miranda gently lifted the crushed velvet lining of the box and pulled out a notecard, sliding it across the table to Andrea.
Andrea gasped as she read it: This will be perfect for her. Big girls need big diamonds. xx, Elizabeth. "Miranda, this is—this stationery—Elizabeth Taylor?"
"She apparently didn't need it anymore," Miranda said with a shrug as she tried to disguise her smile.
"I can't accept—"
"It's yours. She won't take it back," Miranda said. "It would be rude to even think such things."
"Where will I ever wear it? I'm afraid I'll lose it, or it will get stolen."
"Darling, you definitely can't wear this on the subway," she said, softly cupping her cheek. "But you can wear it when you're with me. Laying in bed on a Sunday morning or maybe even at the Met Gala this spring. Do you like it?"
"Of course. It's gorgeous. Oh my god, I never even said thank you," she said as tears started to stream down her face. "Thank you," she said, leaning closer and kissing Miranda.
"Let's head upstairs," she whispered.
Once they were in the elevator, Andrea turned to her. "Will you tell me what it's worth?"
Miranda's eyebrow quirked up. "You know, there's a reason people remove price tags before giving gifts."
"Oh, and you're now considering yourself amongst 'people?'"
Miranda smiled. "It's worth more than your handbag, but less than your engagement ring," she said as she wrapped her arms around the young woman. "If it makes you feel any better," Miranda said, "think of it as payment for everything you've done this past year."
"What? You don't—"
"It's not. I mean, I'm not trying to offer compensation, but you really did do so much for me and for my daughters. You've given me the greatest gifts—more than I could ever imagine."
"But Miranda, you already got me this enormous ring," she said, flashing her ring finger. "Remember?"
"I know," she said. "I can't help it if I just enjoy buying you gifts. Can we please stop talking about money and just enjoy our evening? It would be such a shame to waste all of this time alone arguing."
"Agreed. I love you so much," Andrea said, taking Miranda's hand and following her to the bedroom.
Saturday afternoon, they returned to the townhouse. Emily and Serena reassured them that the babies were perfect angels, and hurried on their way. Miranda curled up on the couch with her babies in her arms, hugging and kissing them. Andrea wrapped her arms around Cassidy and Caroline and asked what they did with Em and Serena.
"We got a new TV!" Cassidy said excitedly.
"You did?" Andrea asked.
"Yeah, well, it's the one Mom bought for her office and never used. Come on, let's show you!" she said, taking Andrea's hand and dragging her up the stairs.
Andrea looked over at Miranda for some sort of confirmation, but the older woman could only shrug as she was nursing the babies. She, clearly, had no idea what Cassidy was talking about, either.
"Here," Cass said, tugging Andrea into the master bedroom. "It's the awesomest TV ever."
"Cass, shut up. 'Awesomest' isn't a word!" Caroline said, punching her in the ribs.
"Hey you two," Andrea said. "None of that. What is so awesome about this TV?"
"So, you can watch regular channels or DVDs or Netflix or whatever. But then, when you press this button," she said, demonstrating, "and it's also the baby monitor."
"But, sweetie, we already have the monitors."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Andy, we moved the monitors to the cribs in the nursery and connected the feed to this TV. You can still watch it on your iPad, or you can watch it on here. Like, when you and mom are sleeping, you know?"
Andrea's eyes widened as she realized what they were saying. They had been talking about moving the babies to the nursery when Miranda went back to work, and this would make it so much easier. "Oh my gosh, girls, this really is the awesomest TV ever! Whose idea was it?"
"Well, Serena's the one who set it up—"
"And Emily knew about the extra TV in Mom's study. We all kind of helped," Caroline said.
Andrea hugged them again and kissed them each on the forehead. "Your mom will be really happy when she sees this. I think it will make her less stressed about going back to work," she said.
"Doesn't she want to go back?"
"I think she's sad to be leaving the babies at home. And she's sad because she knows she won't be there when you leave for school or when you come home—not in the way she has been for the past six months or so. But I also think she kind of misses work. You know she's really good at her job, and she's super smart, and I think it's starting to drive her crazy—talking to two six-month-olds all day," Andrea said with a chuckle. "But we need to be really nice to her next week, okay? It's going to be hard on her."
"What's going to be hard on me?" Miranda asked, carrying both girls up the stairs.
"Umm…" Andrea stammered.
"Your first day back to work. Everything is probably a mess and you're going to be super busy fixing everything Uncle Nigel did," Caroline said.
Andrea smiled and sighed in relief. Who knew Caroline could cover for her so well?
"Oh, well, then I will just have to fire everyone and hire an entirely new staff," Miranda said with a shrug. "Maybe even demand a new office, no?"
The girls giggled as Miranda handed Callie over to Andrea. "I think they're ready for a nap. Emily and Serena wore them out. Cate was falling asleep as I was feeding her," Miranda said. "Think we can start letting them sleep in their cribs?"
"Emily let Callie take a nap in the crib this morning and she was fine," Cassidy said. "Cate didn't want to."
"Well, she's really tired now, so maybe she'll be more agreeable," Miranda said gently setting her down.
Andrea sat in the rocker with Callie, who was still wide awake. "Girls, show your mom the new monitor setup," she said quietly. After a few minutes of watching the little girl's eyelids droop, she laid Callie in the crib adjacent to her sister, then went to join the other Priestly women.
"Look, you can see them clear as day," Miranda said, pointing at the screen. "I am going to miss having them in bed with us…just a little," she said.
"But now there will be room for me and Care if we have a bad dream or aren't feeling good, right? Andy won't have to come upstairs and sleep with us," Cassidy said.
Miranda kneeled and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Yes, baby, that's right. And we can all take naps together on lazy afternoons, too," she said. "What do you think you want for dinner?" she asked.
"I'm not hungry yet," Caroline said.
"Let's try to think ahead," Andrea said. "What did Em and Serena make for you?"
"Emily made this spinach salad with chicken and strawberries and nuts last night. Then we had some pizza rolls while we watched a movie," Caroline said.
"And Serena made us some steel-cut oatmeal with tons of berries. Then we had pita pockets with hummus and veggies for lunch before you got home," Cassidy said.
"Well that sounds very healthy," Miranda said, looking over at Andrea. "What do you say we order pizza later tonight?"
Both girls squealed as they hugged Miranda. They were only allowed to order pizza on rare occasions. Generally, they made their own pizzas with Cara's homemade whole wheat dough. This was certainly a treat.
"Tell me, did Emily eat while she was here?" Miranda asked, pulling away a bit.
Cassidy snickered. "We made her taste a pizza roll. She said it was 'scrummy,'" she said, inflecting Emily's accent.
"Darling, that means it was good," Miranda said.
"We know—she had to explain it after we all gave her a funny look," Cassidy said.
"Well, I'm glad she had something to eat," Miranda said.
Andrea reached up and covered her mouth as a yawn took over.
"Andy, didn't you sleep okay at the hotel last night?" Cassidy asked.
"Well," she said, trying to hide her blush, "your Mom and I stayed up pretty late watching all the New Year's festivities, so we didn't get to bed until really late."
"And I'm used to waking up to feed the babies, so we were up pretty early, too," Miranda added. "Hey," she said, sitting back on her heels. "What do you say we all take a nap while the babies are sleeping?"
Again, Miranda's suggestion was met with twin squeals. The girls quickly took her hands and led her to the bed, climbing in on either side of her. Andrea followed suit, taking her usual spot on the left side of the bed, with Cassidy between her and Miranda, Caroline on the opposite side.
"Hey! Not fair," Caroline said, climbing over so she could squeeze between Andrea and her sister.
"Is everyone comfortable?" Miranda asked as she draped her arm over her daughter.
"Yep," Caroline replied. She curled up on her side and tugged Andrea's arm around her.
Miranda smiled and reached for Andrea's hand, gently interlacing their fingers. At times like this, she had no intention of ever returning to Runway.
The rest of their evening was enjoyable, but considerably subdued. The babies fell into a crying fit when they woke from their nap in a strange room, and it took nearly two hours to calm them down. Miranda quietly fed Catherine in the rocking chair, and then Cassidy and Caroline played with her downstairs. But Callie, on the other hand, was quite resistant. When she kept turning her head and pushing away from Miranda's breast, she simply held her and rocked her for a while, hoping she would calm down. Again, she offered her breast, but this time after a few seconds of sucking, she bit down unexpectedly, causing Miranda to yelp.
Andrea warmed a bottle and handed it to Miranda, but it seemed like Callie didn't want that, either. If her arms reaching up were any indication, she didn't want her mother—she wanted Andrea.
Miranda stood from the chair and switched places with Andrea. It seemed like the instant Callie was in her arms, she calmed. And she was eager to take her bottle, too. Andrea could see the conflicting emotions in Miranda's eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to go to her and reassure her; however, Miranda waved her off and ran out of the room. Hearing the bedroom door slam shut, Andrea gently bent down and kissed Callie on the forehead, quietly whispering how she needed to be nicer to her mommy.
Once the babies were fed and their diapers were changed, the six of them gathered around the kitchen table for a riveting game of UNO, which Serena had apparently introduced them to. When it came time to put the girls down for the night, the six of them gathered in the master bathroom for what was soon becoming their nighttime ritual: bath, clean onesies, bedtime story, and nursing. Except tonight, Miranda made no attempt to feed Callie, instead gesturing for Andrea to give her a bottle.
After laying the sleeping babies in their cribs, the four of them went back downstairs for a rematch at UNO, then Miranda sent the girls up to bed. She and Andrea followed, silently tidying up their bathroom, then taking turns showering and slipping into pajamas.
When Andrea stepped out of the shower, Miranda wasn't in the bedroom. A quick glance to the baby monitor-TV showed silvery-white hair shining next to Callie's crib. Andrea grabbed their pillows and blanket from the bed and pulled their duvet from the closet. Quietly, she stepped into the nursery and shut the door behind her. She tossed the linens on the floor, and Miranda quickly turned around with a curious expression.
"We'll sleep in here tonight," Andrea said. "It'll probably be good for them to hear the familiar murmur of our voices, you know?"
Miranda nodded and crawled over to the other side of the room, pushing the ottoman out of the way so they could spread the duvet. Once their makeshift bed was set, Miranda laid down on her side, facing the cribs. Andrea fell into place behind her, softly kissing the older woman's temple as she snuggled and wrapped her arms around her.
A few minutes of laying in silence and Andrea knew something wasn't right. Miranda's breathing was irregular, and she stiffened under her touch.
"I think Callie is teething," Andrea said quietly. She wanted to reassure Miranda without making it so obvious. "When I gave her a bottle tonight, she was very content just chewing on it, and she was even biting on the washcloth during her bath. The pediatrician did say we could expect teeth as soon as four months—and it's been six—so, we should probably start using all those teething rings and toys in the closet." She heard a sniffle, but didn't say anything.
Miranda gently turned in Andrea's arms. "She was nibbling on my finger a little bit the other day, too. When the girls were babies, I used to put damp washcloths in the freezer and let them gnaw on those," she said.
"We could also try giving her some really cold water in a bottle, not really to drink, but because it will make the nipple cold."
"Have you seen those new mesh feeders?" Miranda asked. "They look like pacifiers, but you can put things like banana or apples in there and let them chew on it. I suppose we should start introducing them to some foods, anyway," she said.
"True. I'm going to go get a bottle with ice water and keep it in this mini-fridge," Andrea said. "Just in case Callie wakes up really upset. Tomorrow, in the daylight, we can check out her gums and maybe give her some Tylenol to help."
As Andrea was standing up, Miranda grasped her wrist firmly. "Thank you," she said. When Andrea didn't respond, she continued, "you know what for."
Andrea simply smiled and squeezed her hand before slipping out of the room and down to the kitchen.
Monday morning, Miranda's alarm sounded at 4:51 A.M. She awoke with a jolt and took a few deep breaths before tapping the "snooze" button. Andrea grumbled and shifted somewhere on the other side of the bed. Less than an hour ago, she was crawling into bed after feeding Catherine.
"I'm not going to last all day," she said quietly.
Andrea pushed aside the comforter and moved closer to the woman. "Good morning," she said, kissing her softly.
"I'm sorry, darling, yes, good morning. I think I'm only going to stay in the office for a half day."
"Let Rachel know now so she can start rearranging your schedule," Andrea said. "Trust me, a little kindness here and there will go a long way."
She smiled back at the young woman. "I will tell her as soon as I get out of bed. Is the breast pump—"
"—already at your office, along with any supplies you may need, and a small Louis Vuitton keepall with a cooler inside for the milk."
"And my laptop—"
"—already packed in your Kors tote, waiting in the foyer for Roy to pick it up."
"I'll need to leave a list of emergency contacts for Karen—"
"—one in every room of the house."
"And Caroline and Cassidy have that science project—"
"—the volcano? It's in the trunk of James' car. He'll deliver it when he takes them to school."
Miranda shook her head. She had no idea when the young woman had time to take care of all this considering she spent the past few days at her side. But, she trusted her, and the thought of her first day back to work suddenly made her less anxious than when her alarm clock rang.
She snuggled next to Andrea and inhaled the woman's comforting scent. "Will you be busy at work today?" she asked. Contrary to public opinion, she was not self-centered.
"Not sure yet. We have a few writers on vacation for the holidays, and if whatever's going on with Congress heats up, I might have to head down to D.C. for a few days. I'll know more when I get in."
"What? I thought you didn't have to travel? Can't you send someone else?" Miranda asked, half sitting up.
"I'm going to talk to John the minute I get in. If I send Ahmed and Liz, then we're short a writer for the local New York city desk."
"Can't you write that?"
"Yes, but I don't know how easily it will be for me to jump into that. It's been a few years since I was chasing down leads, interviewing, and rushing against a deadline," Andrea said.
"Well, you can do anything, right?" Miranda said, pecking her on the lips. "I think it would be a good opportunity for you, too. You would earn incredible respect from your staff. But," she continued, "if you need to go to D.C., I understand."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Andrea asked.
Miranda's alarm began ringing again. She sat up and turned it off, then stood next to the bed, stretching gently. "During my first or second year as Editor in Chief, one of our presses jammed up from the heat wave and damaged the plates. It was August, and we were printing the September Issue, naturally. We didn't have computers—well, not in the way we do today—so we couldn't just click a button to replicate them. My assistant called me at one in the morning with the news, and I showed up at the plant along with a handful of other employees—Nigel was there, as was Claire, Simone, George Simmons who's on the Board now. We replicated the damaged section by hand, which required creating new layouts on the spot. We needed something that worked with a more collage-like feel. I still remember stenciling the header: Soviet Style. My god, that feels like eons ago. Anyway," she said, shaking her head and smoothing out the sheets, "after that, word got out that Miranda Priestly herself spent all night printing the issue, and there was a quiet sort of respect in the hallways. Of course, much has changed since then. Somehow it shifted from respect because I pitched in to misgivings because they think I only want to redo all of their work."
"Miranda, they still respect you. Maybe for different reasons, but they do."
"I know," she said, walking towards the bathroom. "What time do you need to leave?"
"I don't have to be in until 8:30," Andrea said.
"Okay. I'm going to shower, do my makeup, go nurse the babies, wake up the girls, make some breakfast, then come back up and get dressed before I leave. Sound okay?"
"The girls aren't going to eat breakfast at 6:15 AM, you know. James isn't picking them up until 7:30."
"Oh, right. Whatever, they still need to get up at 6. I need to be out the door by quarter till, so I'm jumping in the shower now," she said.
Andrea nodded and snuggled into the warm bed.
Later that afternoon, after a series of meetings, a frantic issue with tags on the website, and Library Lunch at the NY Public Library (which, admittedly, she completely forgot about), Andrea walked into her office and closed the door. Miranda had been texting her all morning, and honestly, she hadn't had the time to talk. Picking up the phone, she dialed Miranda's number.
"Hey Rachel, is Miranda still there?"
"Hi Andy, no she asked me to call Roy and then left. I don't know where she went."
"Are the girls okay?" Andrea asked.
"As far as I know. Miranda was nervous about something this morning, though. Sorry, I have to let you go, the other line's ringing."
Andrea quickly hung up and dialed Miranda's cell. She picked up after one ring.
"Andrea! Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"Hi Miranda, I'm sorry. I had to mute it and I went from meeting to meeting, then we had the Library Lunch today…is everything okay? Where are you now?"
"I'm on my way home. Cara wasn't answering."
Andrea rolled her eyes. "Miranda…"
"Do not roll your eyes at me," Miranda hissed. "My babies could be crying or hurt or god knows what."
"I don't even want to know how you do that. Would you like me to meet you at home?"
"I thought you had some crisis with Congress?"
"Nope, we've got it covered. We were able to send one of our Financial reporters to cover in D.C. I'll come meet you—"
"Hold on, Cara's calling," Miranda said, switching over on call-waiting.
A minute or so later, switched back over. "Okay. False alarm," she said, heaving a sigh of relief. "Cara was upstairs in the nursery with them and didn't hear the phone. They're sleeping now."
"Are you still going home?"
"No." Andrea heard a muffled voice direct Roy to return to the office. "No, I'm going back. I'll try to be home when the girls get home. What about you?"
"I'll be home at the usual time, quarter past five. Call me if anything comes up, though. Promise to answer my phone."
"Okay, darling. Love you."
The next few days weren't much different. The twins spent the weekend with their father, and when they returned on Sunday evening, Cassidy had the sniffles and went to bed early. Miranda didn't think much of it, considering they probably didn't get much rest or proper nutrition with James. But, when Cassidy came crawling into their bed at two o'clock with a sore throat, Miranda thought otherwise.
"Take this," Miranda said, giving her daughter a medicine cup full of liquid ibuprofen. "Try to make a gargling sound with it so it coats the back of your throat," she said.
Cassidy did, and handed the cup back to her mother. "It still hurts."
Miranda set the cup on her nightstand and took her daughter in her arms. "Baby, you have to give the medicine time to work," she said, softly brushing Cassidy's hair out of her eyes. "Try and get some rest. Are you comfortable? Do you need a drink of water or anything?"
"No. I'm comfy," she said, snuggling closer. "Can I stay here until I fall asleep?"
"Of course, my darling," Miranda said. "Andrea will feed the babies when they wake up, and I'll stay here with you."
"Mmkay. If I feel better, can I go to school? We're getting milkshakes for Chelsea's birthday," Cassidy said.
"Just get some sleep. We'll see how you feel in a little while, and then we'll decide." With one arm around her daughter, she reached over for her cell phone, turning it on vibrate and sending a text message to Rachel that Cassidy was sick and she would be in late. She gently sighed and kissed the top of Cassidy's head before drifting back to sleep.
That morning, Cassidy still wasn't feeling better. Andrea left for the office and Cara helped get Caroline ready for school while Miranda stayed in bed with her daughter who now had a bit of a fever. She wanted to give her another dose of medicine, but didn't have the heart to wake her up.
A short while later, Miranda saw on the monitor that Callie was awake. Cassidy was still sleeping soundly at her side. She watched on the video as Cara picked her up from the crib, and about five minutes later, she quietly brought her to Miranda.
"I let her suck on a bottle of ice water for a few minutes like you asked," she said. "There isn't much milk in the fridge—can you nurse her?"
Miranda nodded and gestured for Cara to hand her a pillow. She tucked it along her side, then carefully lay Callie down to nurse. When she was finished, Cara traded her babies, and before long they were both fed and happily playing downstairs.
"Sweetie," Miranda said, gently waking Cassidy. "Bobbsey, you have to get up."
The young girl groaned and opened her eyes.
"Good morning, sweetheart. How is your throat feeling?"
"Uggh, my throat still hurts," she said. "What time is it?"
"It's 9:20," Miranda said, reaching over to the nightstand for the medicine. "I'm sorry for waking you, but you need to take more medicine and have something to drink."
Cassidy nodded and took the medicine her mother gave her. "You didn't go to work?"
"Oh Bobbsey, I can't think about work when one of my girls isn't feeling well. I'm going to run downstairs and make you a cup of tea with honey—that will feel good on your throat. Do you want anything else?"
Cassidy shrugged. "I'm kind of hungry. Applesauce? Vanilla pudding?"
"Of course—I'll be right back," she said, getting up and tying her robe around her.
By noon, the medicine was kicking in and Cassidy was feeling well enough to get out of bed. Miranda reluctantly asked her to keep away from the babies so she wouldn't get them sick. Cassidy agreed and settled for hanging out in her room with Miranda's iPad all afternoon. Miranda showered, dressed, and headed to the office for a few hours.
When she called to check on her girls a few hours later, Cara informed her that Cassidy was still not feeling well, and she hinted that it was near impossible to care for the twins and Cassidy and sanitize the house.
"Andrea."
"Miranda, how is Cassidy? Are you at work?"
"Yes, and she's still not doing well. We'll have to keep her home tomorrow. Cara is struggling at home, and I just…" she paused and set her glasses down on her desk. "Is there any way you can take the day off, or at least work from home?"
Andrea knew it was serious when Miranda was asking her a favor. "Yes, of course I'll talk to John, but I'm sure working from home won't be a problem. If nothing else, I'll call myself in sick," she said as she closed her laptop and began to pack it in her bag. "In fact, I'm leaving the office right now. Don't worry about a thing."
"Thank you, darling. Make sure that Cara can Lysol our bedroom, too. It wouldn't do for either of us to get sick."
"Don't worry," Andrea said. "I'll handle it. See you tonight."
Andrea left early that afternoon and spent some time helping Cara clean while Caroline, who was now home from school, played with the twins in their bouncers and Cassidy watched a movie in her room. When the twins were down for another nap, she made a quick call to John and he was surprisingly agreeable, allowing her to modify her schedule so she could work from home two days per week.
Miranda was relieved. That night, Andrea slept with Cassidy in her bedroom so she would be free to nurse. It was lonely sleeping in her bed by herself, and she half considered asking Caroline to come sleep with her, though she knew the young girl needed her rest.
By the time Monday morning rolled around, everyone was throughly exhausted. Cassidy's sore throat had turned into a cough, keeping everyone up at night. Andrea, too, started sneezing and blowing her nose, but aside from taking the babies and staying at a hotel, there was nothing Miranda could do.
The following week, Cassidy and Andrea were feeling much better. Miranda was sure to take her Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea, and crossed her fingers that neither she nor the babies would catch their cold.
She was sitting in a brainstorming session in the conference room on Tuesday afternoon. Miranda worked from the townhouse the previous day, so that meant today was jammed with back-to-back meetings. At first, she didn't notice Abby anxiously tapping on the glass door until Emily stood to deal with it. When she quickly walked around the table, Miranda knew something was wrong.
"It's Cara—Catherine is sick," Emily said.
Leaving her things at the table, she practically ran down the hall to her office. "Cara, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, Miranda, but it's Catherine. She's coughing and has a fever of 101 degrees. I just gave her some Tylenol, and I'm holding some cool cloths to her, but—"
"Is that her screaming?" Miranda asked.
"Yes. She won't take her bottle. I just can't comfort her. I thought you'd want to know."
Miranda glanced at the clock.3:45 PM. "Are Cassidy and Caroline home?"
"Yes."
"Cara, I want you to bring Catherine to the Emergency Room. Have the girls stay with Callie," Miranda said, snapping her fingers at Abby, who confirmed that Roy was already downstairs. "I'm leaving now—I'll meet you there. Oh, and can you bring her pink bunny blanket?"
"Yes, we'll leave right away," she said, ending the call.
Emily draped her coat over her shoulders and handed over her bag and iPhone while Abby stood holding the elevators.
"Would you like me to go stay with the girls at home for a while?" Emily quickly asked.
Miranda glanced up from her phone. "Yes, would you mind?"
"I'll take care of it—call if you need anything," she said as the elevator doors closed.
"Damnit Andrea, answer your phone," Miranda said, hanging up when she received the young woman's voicemail a second time. As she was about to dial again, Andrea called.
"Miranda, what's wrong?"
"It's Cate—" she choked out, fighting back tears. "Meet us in the ER."
TBC