Alex tried to hide her huge smile as Casey edged into the office. She knew her first day back would be tough for her. "Hey," she said quietly.
Casey noticed the coffee and pastry on her desk. She grinned. "Now that's the sort of welcome back I like," she said to Alex. "I don't get a hug, then?" she pretended to put.
Alex strode over to her and hugged her tight. "I didn't want to make a fuss," she said.
"Does that mean I can expect this," Casey pointed at the coffee, "every day?"
"Don't push your luck, Novak," Alex laughed.
"I was hoping Wiggle would be here to welcome me back," Casey said. "Is he at home today?"
"Oh no, he's here. Liz has kidnapped him again. I swear she spends more time with him than I do. She'll likely bring him back soon, if only to have an excuse to look in on you. How are you, Casey? You look great."
"I'm good. I really am. I'm seeing Dr Lindström twice a week, and Wheels … Wheels has been so wonderful. She really has been like a mother to me."
Alex smiled. She knew how much Wheels loved Casey, and she was glad that they had found each other. Wheels and May had never had children, and now that Wheels had been widowed, Casey had given her another reason to grasp life. With that, and her unofficial status as Lily and Maisie's grandma, their elderly friend seemed to have regained her spark. "She loves you," Alex said.
Casey smiled. "I'm very lucky. So how about you? How's that thumb?"
Alex lifted up the offending hand and flexed it, wincing as she did so. "If Olivia asks, it's great," she grimaced.
"Hurts like a bitch, huh?" Casey was sympathetic.
Alex nodded.
Casey smiled understandingly. She went over to her desk, and dropped her laptop onto it. She took a deep breath. "So," she said. "What have we got?"
Alex grabbed a couple of files and passed them over. "Child trafficking, and a weenie-wagger," she said. "You up for it?"
"Always," Casey took a deep draught of the coffee, quietly relieved that her first day back didn't involve the prosecution of any rapists. She would cross that bridge when she came to it.
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Three months later
Olivia lowered herself onto the couch, and held out her arms, smiling when Lily climbed into them. Lily put her hand on Olivia's now rather prominent bump. She grinned. "The baby's moving, Mama!" she was very excited.
"I know, Lily-bean," Olivia smiled, putting her hand softly on Lily's. "Isn't that great? The baby's doing its exercises!"
"Is it sore, Mama?" Lily looked concerned.
"No, baby girl, it's not sore. It's a little uncomfy sometimes, and I have to go tinkle more often, but it's not sore."
"Was it the same when I was in your tummy?"
Olivia smiled, her heart filling with joy at the remembered first pregnancy. She and Alex had been so excited when Lily was on her way. "It was just wonderful," she said. "Your Mommy and I were so excited. We couldn't wait to meet you. And it was the same when your Mommy was carrying Maisie, do you remember?"
Lily nodded solemnly. "Mommy was sick when Maisie came."
Olivia pulled Lily into her ever-diminishing lap, and hugged her. "It was hard for Mommy, 'cos we had the car accident. But then she met Maisie, and it was all worthwhile."
"I love Maisie," Lily said, letting out a big yawn. "When will she and Mommy be home?"
"You tired, baby girl?" Olivia looked at her closely, seeing her face was a little pale. She pressed a hand to her forehead, which she thought felt just a little too warm. "You feeling okay, Lily?"
"I'm just tired, Mama," Lily buried her face into Olivia's neck.
"Well, we'll just sit here for a while, until Mommy and Maisie get home," she said. "Maybe we'll have a little snooze."
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Olivia smiled as Alex let herself into the apartment, pushing a sleeping Maisie in her stroller. Olivia held a finger to her lips, and pointed to Lily.
Alex immediately realized what she meant. She went over to them, and kissed Olivia softly. "She okay?" she whispered, gesturing to the sleeping Lily.
"Tiny fever," Olivia said. "Likely just a bug. We're just having a snuggle."
Alex smiled lovingly. She ran a finger down Olivia's face. "And you?"
"I'm great," Olivia reassured her. "You got Maisie's shoes?"
"Eventually," Alex said, rolling her eyes dramatically.
Olivia grinned. "She's definitely your daughter," she teased. "If she had my taste in shoes, you'd have been done in ten minutes."
"You have no taste in shoes," Alex replied, huffily.
"But I have comfortable feet, and I don't have to spend half my life shopping," Olivia shuddered.
Lily started to stir. She hated feeling bad. At least she was in her Mama's lap, which always made her feel better. She looked up and saw Alex. "Mommy," she said, and then surprised herself by starting to cry.
Alex lifted her gently from Olivia's arms and held her close. "I'm sorry you're sick, baby," she whispered.
"I'm okay," Lily sniffed.
"You want some dinner?" Alex asked her, but Lily's only response was to cry harder. "Okay, baby girl. How about I put you down in our bed to have a sleep, and we'll come join you soon, once your sister's had some dinner and her bath?"
Lily nodded.
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Jay held out her arms as Tomász swam determinedly toward her. She lifted him out of the water and swung him round delightedly when he reached her. "My clever boy!" she said. She looked over to the side, and saw the huge smile on Sarah's face. "Wave to Mommy," she told him.
Tomász looked over and saw Sarah, and waved excitedly at her.
Sarah held up both thumbs in congratulation, and blew him a big kiss. "My hero!" she called. She loved that he liked swimming so much, and was grateful that they were still able to use the hydrotherapy pool at the hospital. He had been so nervous the one time they had tried to take him to the public swimming baths, and she also thought that he felt self-conscious about his leg. So they came to the hospital once a week. She would have to look into finding a gym that wasn't too busy, and was also happy to have children, maybe that would be better for him.
Sarah looked over at Jay, and her eyes crinkled with pleasure. Jay had texted her earlier to tell her where they would be, telling her to stop in on the way home from work if she could. Jay looked so healthy and happy. She no longer had any self-consciousness about her own injuries, and had just in the last week dispensed with the cane she had used for walking. She was a little more nervous about her balance without the cane, but she was improving every day. The only time Sarah remembered her terrible illness was at the end of the day when Jay was particularly tired, when her speech became just the tiniest bit tentative. Nobody else had ever noticed, but Sarah knew her wife so well she picked up on every little thing.
Sarah loved watching Jay in her bathing costume. Usually, she dressed casually, and avoided showing too much flesh. But the thin lycra hid nothing, and Sarah had a proper view of her glorious figure. She was so strong and athletic, and Sarah had to force herself not to think about what Jay could do to her with those strong hands of hers. She smiled; swimming always wore Tommy out, so he would sleep well tonight. If she had her own way, she and Jay would not...
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Caryn collapsed on Olivia and Alex's couch, letting out a dramatic sigh. She patted the couch next to her, and was delighted when Lily climbed up on one side, and Maisie on the other.
"I swear you have magic powers," Olivia laughed.
"Like the child catcher," Alex muttered darkly, but her eyes sparkled with humor.
"So, Lily," Caryn said, as she scooped Maisie into her arms and kissed her on the cheek. "You're all better now?"
Lily nodded. She didn't want to talk about it.
"It was just a tummy bug, wasn't it peanut?" Olivia said. Lily had been mortified when she had gotten sick all over her mothers' quilt. "All gone now."
"I'm good," Lily said. She eyed Caryn's stomach. "Your babies are getting real big now, Vilanti," she said.
Caryn laughed. "They sure are, Lily. They're nearly baked now, we're going to meet them soon."
"Are you real excited?"
"I am. And a little bit scared too," Caryn admitted.
"'cos it hurts when you have a baby?" Lily wanted to know.
"Yeah. Not just that, though. We'll have two more people to take care of. I just hope that I'm a good enough mommy for them, and that they like me well enough."
Lily laughed. "Everyone likes you Vilanti," she said.
"Well aren't you just the best girl in the world?" Caryn gave her a wide smile. "And you too, of course," she said to Maisie who was in her arms.
"Mama's having a baby too," Lily said.
"I know," Caryn lowered Maisie to the floor when Wiggle came into the room, smiling as she set off toward him. "And that baby's gonna be real lucky, to have you and Maisie to be big sisters. What do you think it's going to be, Lily? A boy or a girl?"
Lily pondered. "Sometimes I want it to be a girl, so's Maisie might have someone who wants to play with her dolls with her properly. I don't really like dolls," she whispered to Caryn. "I think Maisie can tell. And sometimes I want it to be a boy, like Daniel or Tommy."
Olivia stood and watched the interchange from the doorway. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned and went into the kitchen. Alex noticed her emotional response, and quietly followed her in. Olivia stood, her hands on the kitchen table, her shoulders shaking gently as she tried to control her sobs.
"Liv?" Alex stood behind her, and put her arms gently around her waist. "Baby, what is it?"
Olivia sniffed, and smiled wanly. "It's just these damned hormones. Lily's so sweet. She wants Maisie to have someone who'll play properly with her. She plays with her all the time. Maisie worships her."
Alex smiled, turning Olivia gently in her arms until they were facing. She wiped her tears from her face, and leant in for a soft kiss. "She's like you. She wants everyone to be happy."
Olivia nodded. She knew she was being overly emotional. "God, I love you, Alexandra."
They went back into the living room, hand in hand. Caryn grinned. At that moment, her phone beeped, and she looked at the text message. "Abbie says she's real sorry, she got held up. She and Daniel'll be here in ten."
"There's no hurry," Olivia said. "Casey's not here yet, or Wheels or the girls and Tommy. C'mon, Lily," she held out her hand to her elder daughter. "We'll go find the garlic bread, huh?"
Lily nodded. She loved to help her mommies in the kitchen.
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"Carolyn and Graham want to talk about mother's house," Alex was tense as she looked up from her emails. "I don't know why they want to involve me. She left it to them. She made it very clear that I was being cut out."
Olivia rested a soft hand on her shoulder. "And they have made it very clear that you're a very important member of the family," she reminded her gently.
"I don't want anything from mother. We don't need anything," Alex said, stubbornly.
"Maybe they need you, now, though, have you thought of that? This is hard for them. They at least want you to be consulted. You did grow up in that house," Olivia said.
Alex took a deep breath. "You're right. It just seems so … formal. Having a meeting about it, for God's sake."
"Let's have it here," Olivia suggested. "We can keep it all light, and not dwell too much. I'll help you."
Alex turned to her. She placed her hands gently on Olivia's growing belly, and smiled. "You're so beautiful," she said.
"Cornball," Olivia smiled.
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"CW?" Abbie called as she let herself into their house. She was just back from taking Daniel to the hotel in mid-town where his father Jeff was staying for the week.
"Here," Caryn was grumpy.
"Hey, sweetheart," Abbie sat next to her on the couch, and reached over to kiss her deeply. "Did you get any sleep?"
"Not much," Caryn admitted. "It's this damned heartburn. Your children are playing havoc with my insides."
"My children, huh?" Abbie smiled. She knew she should be patient. Caryn was going into the hospital in ten days' time to be induced, as was common practise with twins, and she was finding the last few weeks of pregnancy unbelievably hard. Abbie cast her mind back to how she had felt when she was at the same stage carrying Daniel, and she tried to double the discomfort in her mind, and knew that Caryn's grumpiness was not misplaced.
"How about a hot shower and a massage?" she suggested to Caryn.
"Abs, I'm real tired, I don't think..." Caryn started.
"Just a massage," Abbie said, smiling. "I swear. I know you're unbelievably uncomfortable right now, but let me try and ease your back a little."
"Will you hold me after?" Caryn wanted to cry.
"All night," Abbie promised.
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3.20am
Abbie woke to the sound of toilet flushing. She heard a low moan, and was on her feet in seconds. Caryn was on the floor of the bathroom, leaning awkwardly over the toilet. She was pale and sweaty; one hand rested under her ribs, and she was trying to control her breathing.
Abbie knelt on the floor next to her. "Honey?"
Caryn whimpered as she gagged again. "Something's wrong," she managed to say, as she grasped the toilet bowl. It was then that Abbie noticed her hands seemed swollen. She placed a hand on her back, which was drenched with sweat. "Head hurts," Caryn whispered.
Abbie sprinted for her phone, and filled a basin with ice water as she called for an ambulance. She was back at Caryn's side in seconds. "Bus is on its way," she said softly. She dipped a washcloth in the cold water, and bathed Caryn's face. "They'll be here real soon. It's going to be okay, my darling. I'll make sure of it."
"Don't leave me," Caryn begged.
"Not for a second," Abbie promised.
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"What do you mean, pre-eclampsia?" Abbie demanded.
"Please try not to worry," the doctor was trying to calm her. "It's not uncommon at this stage of pregnancy, and twins makes it worse."
"Well, what in the hell are you going to do to help her?" Abbie asked angrily, her hand on Caryn's brow.
"We're going to deliver the babies by Caesarian section," the doctor said calmly. "And we're medicating her. In a few hours, this will just be a memory."
"I promised her I wouldn't leave her!" Abbie tried not to cry.
"And you don't have to," the doctor promised. "We just need you to wear a set of scrubs, and to promise to do whatever the nursing staff tell you, and you can be there."
"When the babies come?" Abbie asked.
"That's right," the doctor said. "And you, Miss Wright," she addressed Caryn, who was trying not to panic. "You're going to be just fine. In less than an hour, you'll be meeting your babies."
Caryn smiled wanly. "You'll know what sex they are soon," her voice was rough as she teased Abbie, who had wanted to know right from the beginning of the pregnancy.
Abbie took her swollen hand and kissed it gently. "I already know," she smiled. "I sweet-talked the sonographer. But I had to promise I wouldn't tell you I know."
Caryn let out a small laugh, and then pressed her hand against her side as another wave of nausea washed over her. "Tell them to hurry up," she whispered.