Once again thanks to Mills or should I say Casper the ghost-writer
…Silence filled the hospital room except for the gentle beeping of the monitor; dim lighting gave the room an eerie feel to it, Paul sat with his hands wrapped around Gail's looking intently at her wedding ring, trying desperately to fight the tiredness he felt; the last thing he wanted to do was close his eyes. Beverley and Jim watched from the window outside, neither one knowing what to say; Jim looked at the clock on the wall and shook his head
"I can't stand this….it's been four hours since she came out of theatre, surely she should be awake by now!"
Beverley turned to him "Trust me…she's doing okay…in fact her vital signs are excellent; her blood pressure is stable and her heart rate is normal; there is no reason to suppose that anything is going to change…she's recovering"
Jim glanced towards Paul "He looks shattered" Jim said "He hasn't asked once about the babies..I just don't know what will happen if…."
"Don't even say it Jim…" Beverley replied "Why don't we get a coffee?"
"Okay…I'll just ask Paul if he wants to join us"
Jim walked into the room, briefly looking at Gail asleep on the bed; he looked towards Paul and said "Hey…do you want to come for a coffee"
Paul looked at him "No thanks…I want to be here when Gail wakes up" he said
"If she wakes up" Jim thought to himself "Listen we'll be 20 minutes that's all…give yourself a break, you haven't moved for the last four hours, we thought we might go and look in on the babies"
At the mention of the babies, Paul closed his eyes…he didn't want to think of them, couldn't think of them at this moment, all he wanted was Gail.
"Dad, I'm fine…go and get a coffee" Paul replied in a sterner but tired voice.
Jim walked out knowing that he wasn't going to convince Paul to move; he and Beverley looked at the dim lit room before turning and heading for the canteen, neither said a word, both lost in their own thoughts.
Meanwhile Paul sat back in the chair, rubbing his neck to release his tension, still trying to fight the temptation to close his eyes. The only sound was coming from the steady beat of the monitors which he found strangely comforting. He looked at his watch realising that he had been awake for almost 24 hours, he glanced at Gail who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but wished she'd hurry up and wake. Paul was deep in thought when he felt a squeeze of his hand.
"Gail?" Paul said quietly looking at her hand and then up to her face in search of a response.
Gail groaned as she tried to force her eyes open, Paul stood immediately and moved closer to her.
"Hey sleepy head" he said gently stroking her cheek.
Gail looked at Paul hazily and smiled, trying to make sense of her surroundings at the same time, still suffering the effects of the anaesthetic.
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked
Paul laughed "Too long…believe me"
Gail tried to sit up but Paul gently put his hands on her shoulder encouraging her to lie still.
"The babies…" she asked urgently
Paul smiled and kissed her forehead "They're fine…all of them . . . they're in incubators but being well cared for in the Special Care Unit; can you believe we've got two boys and a girl? Apparently they're a good weight for premature babies"
"Have you seen them?" Gail asked excitedly
Paul looked down, paused and shook his head "No…not yet…Dad went down earlier but I haven't seen them"
Gail looked at him "Why not?"
Paul looked at her "I couldn't…Gail, I couldn't leave you here when you needed me; I want to see our children with you…. I needed to know that you were going to be okay"
Gail looked at him; she saw the same fear in his eyes that she had seen the night before; trying to lighten the atmosphere she said "Yeah…not good enough Paul…they're your children, they're all alone and you should have been there with them"
Paul turned his head away from her, the tears forming in his eyes "I'm sorry…but you were my priority. I knew they were being cared for"
Gail realised that maybe she had gone too far and reaching for his hand she said "Paul, look at me"
Paul kept his back to her, suddenly feeling ashamed that he hadn't thought of his children, he wanted so much to be a good Father but already he had neglected the babies.
"Darling…its okay I just thought you would have been keen to see them" Gail said
Paul looked at her "you're right I should have made sure they were okay but I was scared for you"
Gail stretched out her hand and took Paul's arm "Come here"
Paul leaned closer towards her and took her hand
With her usual broad reassuring smile Gail said "I love you so much…and I do know how difficult today has been for you..after what happened to your Mum."
"But I still should have gone down and seen the babies" Paul replied
Gail smiled "You did what you thought was right..I understand why you stayed with me, I'm not angry with you darling"
"When you lost consciousness in the delivery room I was petrified, all I could think of was what happened with Mum, and praying that you'd be alright…I guess I subconsciously blanked the babies from my mind, I couldn't think about them until I knew you were okay…"
Gail looked at him "Hey do me a favour"
Paul moved closer to her and gently kissed her hand breaking his trail of thought "Name it"
"Go and see our children, please" she answered smiling
"But…I want to see them with you, besides I don't want to leave you just yet" he said
Gail smiled "I know but I'll still be here when you get back; I want to know what they're like, who they look like, are they behaving!"
Paul sighed "Okay, okay Mrs Robinson…I'm going, do you need anything..are you in any pain?" he asked
"A little bit, the anaesthetic must definitely be wearing off" Gail replied attempting to get more comfortable in the hospital bed.
"I'll speak to the nurse on my way out to see if they can give you something to make you more comfortable" Paul said "You still look a little pale"
"I'm fine but I could do with something to drink too…my throat is dry" Gail said
Paul kissed her "Okay, I'll be back shortly with all the news" he said walking towards the door, as he walked out he turned and smiled "I'm really proud of you Mrs Robinson, I love you"
Gail smiled "I know…I love you too more now than ever…get moving Mr Robbo, you've some little ones to meet!" she replied
Paul walked out, stopping by the nurses' station to advise the nurses that Gail was awake, one of the nurses headed off in the direction of her room. Paul walked into the Special Care Unit and saw Jim and Beverley standing by the incubators. He walked up to them with a sudden feeling of excitement and nervousness in the pit of his stomach. He didn't quite know what to expect or how to put the feeling in to words.
"I thought you'd be here…am I missing out on much?" Paul asked smiling at both of them.
Jim alarmed turned at the sound of his son's voice "Paul…what's happened…is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine…Gail's just woken up…she ordered me to come and check on the babies" Paul replied with a hint of his sense of humour showing through after a long 24 hours.
"I'll go and check on her" Beverley said resting her hand on Paul's shoulder as she left.
Paul looked down at the three incubators, the look of amazement washed across his face as he looked from one to the other speechless. After a few minutes Jim broke the silence.
"Well, son, meet your children!"
"I can't believe they're so small" Paul exclaimed, being the first words that he could think off "all those tubes and monitors though, they look so fragile"
"Yeah they seem healthy and lively enough though…Beverley said they're all good weights, the two boys are the heaviest but even the little girl is 3lb 9oz and seems to be thriving"
Paul looked at his sons "Hey, those two look identical don't they?"
Jim laughed "That's what Beverley said, you two are going to have to dress them in different clothes to know which is which"
Paul looked at his daughter sleeping peacefully "This one is so tiny…she's beautiful"
"Yeah she is. She won't stay that small for long…remember how small Lucy was?" Jim laughed
Paul looked at Jim "Yeah…I remember…it doesn't seem that long ago"
Jim looked at the floor more out of awkwardness "Paul, Helen told me about your dream the other night…why didn't you talk to me, you know you could have?"
"Dad...what happened to Mum was something we never talk about; I hadn't even spoken to Gail about it until last weekend. I think her pregnancy brought back all the memories… I mean I still think of Mum, on her birthday and Lucy's" Paul replied casually in an attempt to play it down.
"I must admit it came flooding back to me this afternoon; when I saw Gail being taken into theatre. I just didn't want you to have the same experience as I did all those years ago." Jim said
Paul looked back at the babies "You know I never thought this would ever happen; I always wanted a family of my own but it seemed that every woman I got involved with left me. If you had told me six years ago that Gail and I would have ended up together I would have laughed."
"Why?" Jim asked "You two were made for each other…it seems the only people who couldn't see that were you two" laughed aloud.
Paul laughed "Yeah well that was a lifetime ago…although I haven't forgotten your suggestion about a blessing and a christening . . . . . .in fact I know the perfect date"
Jim looked at him "Oh yes when…"
"Well Christmas is too soon so I thought 14 February as it will be the second anniversary of us renewing our vows" Paul said
"What a great idea" Jim replied looking at his watch "It's almost one o'clock I should ring home and let Helen know that everything is okay"
Paul smiled "I think I'll go back to the ward and check on Gail" he said with a glance towards the babies. "I can't wait for Gail to see the babies"
Jim went off in the direction of the pay phone while Paul walked back towards Gail's room, finding her sitting up in bed, smiling he walked towards her and gently kissed her.
"How's my favourite girl. Where's Beverley?" he said
"She just popped out to see another patient" Gail replied "Where's Jim?"
"He's gone to phone Gran…" Paul said
"Well, what news have you got for me, spill . . . . . . . . ."
A broad smile burst across Paul's face as if he couldn't keep quiet any longer. Gail laughed at his sudden response and for the next half hour Paul described each baby to her and how they looked, what machines and equipment they had to monitor them etc.
"I can't wait for you to see them, I want to see your face the first time you see them, I was just totally speechless" Paul said
"Well, Beverley said she would check on me in the morning to see if I am well enough to get out of bed . . . ." Gail said becoming tearful because she hadn't seen the babies yet.
Paul moved closer and wiped a tear from Gail's cheek "Hey don't cry, just think though we're going to have the next 20 years with them. I'll keep you updated until you can see them and we're go together. Remember you have been through a lot as well"
Gail looked at him "Yeah, I guess you're right" looking down and wiping tears from her cheek "Look you should go home and get some rest…you look exhausted"
"I'm fine" Paul said "Besides I don't want to leave you tonight"
"Darling I'm fine…tell me more about the babies?"
Paul's eyes brightened "They're amazing; the boys are identical I think we may have problems telling them apart and our daughter is so small but perfect…I've never seen anything so precious"
"Hmm, we need another boy's name then" Gail said
"Yes but that can wait until the morning…do you still like the two names we've already chosen?" Paul asked
"Of course" Gail replied "I still can't believe we've done it, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this would happen to me"
"What being stuck with me?" Paul laughed
Gail gently stroked his face "That I can handle" she said "No I meant having a family of my own. It just wasn't a thought for so many years after I found I couldn't have children…it just seemed unimportant at that time so I just chose to forget the idea"
"But look at us now, we have sleepless nights, dirty nappies and goodness knows what else to look forward to" Paul laughed
Paul looked at her "I'm going to make you happy; I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your life knowing how much I love you and how important you and the children are"
Gail felt the tears form in her eyes "You do make me happy…all I want is you by my side and our children." She said
Paul tenderly kissed her, neither hearing Jim enter the room.
"You two…" Jim said teasing "This is a hospital remember"
"Dad…." Paul said protesting "How's Gran…you didn't wake her up did you?"
"No apparently she's been sitting up with Lucy waiting for news" Jim said "She sends you her love and says she'll see you and her great grandchildren tomorrow"
"That's lovely, thanks Jim" Gail smiled
"By the way have you thought of any names?" Jim asked
Paul looked at Gail and winked "Yeah sure how does Harpo, Groucho and Chico sound to you?"
Jim laughed "Yeah right…"
"Well my idea was Hesiba for a girl and Augustus for a boy…but Gail won't let me name our children either of those" Paul said
"I wonder why" Jim joked "Come on you two...give my grandchildren sensible names….none of these hippy names"
Gail laughed "Oh Paul, put Jim out of his misery! We wouldn't dare…we have got two names we just need a third" she said
"Okay tell me?" Jim said
Paul laughed "Well we thought Robert James for one of the boys and Lucinda Anne for our daughter" he replied
"I still can't get used to saying that 'our daughter'!"
"You'll soon get used to it both of you. Nice names….but why Lucinda?" Jim asked
Gail paused and looked at Paul thinking of a response "Well" she said "I like the name but also I've always got on well with Lucy and she would be my/our first choice of godparent along with Scott, but she can't because of her age, so the next best thing we can do is name our daughter after her"
"but we won't shorten it to Lucy and if there comes a time when Lucinda wants to shorten her name we'll try and come up with an alternative…I don't think this family can cope with two Lucys" Paul laughed
"And of course we wanted Anne after Mum, plus it fits nicely with Lucinda" Paul said "Robert James is of course a combination of Gail Dad's name and your name, we are still trying to agree on the third name"
"I'm sure you two will think of something…eventually" Jim smiled "Hey mate, it's getting late I think I better head for home and check that my daughter has gone to bed, Paul do you want a lift home, you look tired"
"I'm fine…I want to stay a little longer" Paul replied
"You should get some rest; it's been a long day" Jim said
"I told him that but he doesn't want to leave me!" Gail laughed
"Okay" Jim said "Maybe Beverley can persuade you to go home later…see you tomorrow"
After saying goodbye Jim walked out, looking back once to look at the couple, with Paul sitting on the bed holding Gail's hand, totally absorbed in each other. When he had gone Gail said
"Your Dad is right…you should go home and get some rest. It's been a long day for both of us"
"I know but I don't think I could sleep anyway…I can never sleep without you by my side"
Gail smiled and kissed him "You're going to have to for a little while; I might be in here for a few days. Beverley thinks they might let me out at the weekend depending on how things go"
"Hmm that soon…guess I better cancel that wild party I was going to have" Paul joked
Gail laughed "Live it up while you can Paul because once the babies come home, you won't have the energy for wild parties"
Paul rolled his eyes "You do realise what we've got ourselves in to don't you? "
Confused Gail asked "what do you mean?"
"Well, we will be knee deep in nappies, bottles and feeding rotas for the next 3 years – only seeing each other over a baby bottle at breakfast!" Paul exclaimed.
"It won't be that bad…it might be hard work and take a couple of months but I'm sure we'll manage. Besides we will be spending time together…looking after our children together!" Gail replied
"Hmm that's true…you are always right!" Paul yawned
"Boring you am I?" Gail laughed, entwining her fingers with his she said "Hey you really should go home and get some sleep it's been a long day"
"I'm okay" Paul replied sleepily, "I'm more concerned about you"
"I know" Gail smiled "But really, I'm fine..a bit sore that's all"
"Hey I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Beverley asked as she walked into the room
"Chance would be a fine thing" Paul replied "Dad's already reminded us to behave ourselves as this is a hospital"
"How are the babies doing?" Gail asked eagerly
"They're fine" Beverley replied "Slightly underweight, but that's to be expected with multiple premature births but they are doing well. They're strong; we'll monitor them in the incubators for a while. Hopefully they'll be home just before Christmas"
Paul and Gail looked at each other unable to wipe the smiles of their faces. Each of them knowing what the other was thinking but not having to say a word.
"Paul do you want a lift home?" Beverley asked "I'm about to head back to Ramsay Street"
"No thanks..." Paul replied
Gail looked at him, realising how tired he was she decided to take a sterner approach "Paul…it's time you went home; I'll be fine I promise…"
Paul looked at her "Okay…Beverley I can take my own car" he replied "That way you don't have to wait for me"
"I don't think so" Gail said "Paul…you've been awake for nearly twenty four hours…there's no way I want you driving home tonight!"
"But…" Paul said "I need my car"
"No you don't" Beverley said "I've got to be back here at 9am tomorrow, so I can give you a lift…leave your car here"
Paul rolled his eyes "I'm not going to win here am I"
Gail laughed "No…just humour me…I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel and another thing…you need a shave"
Paul laughed "I didn't have time yesterday morning…my wife got me out of bed at 3am telling me she was in labour"
"Yeah well just make sure you shave before you come back here…it's like kissing sandpaper" Gail replied
Paul laughed "Thanks…oh well I guess I better go…see you tomorrow and behave" he said as he walked towards the door, silently counting in his head. Beverley laughed at the banter between the couple. They had just got outside when Paul heard his name being called.
"Go and see what she wants, I'll wait for you at the nurses station…don't be too long" Beverley said
Paul walked back into the room and walked up to the bed "What do you want?" he said
"Haven't you forgotten something?" Gail replied
"Nope…don't think so" Paul said "Get some sleep"
Gail frowned "Where's my kiss?"
"Ah…thought you said kissing me was like kissing sandpaper so I just guessed you didn't want one until I shaved" Paul said innocently
"That's where you are wrong Mr Robinson…I was stating a fact…did you hear me actually say I didn't want a kiss?"
Paul laughed "No" he said as he gently kissed her lips "Do you need anything from home?"
"Just you. I think I've got everything I need in my overnight bag. There is the baby names book beside the bed" Gail replied
"Okay…see you tomorrow" Paul said "I love you"
Gail smiled "I love you too"
Paul kissed her again before walking out of the room. Finding Beverley by the nurse's station they walked out to the car, both remaining silent, deep in thought. Once inside the car, Beverley turned to Paul and said.
"What are you thinking?"
"I don't know…I hate leaving her here; guess I'm just a little bit anxious about her" Paul replied
"That's understandable but don't worry, she's fine; I checked her blood pressure while you were with the babies and it's back to normal; her heart rate is fine, a good nights sleep and she'll be much more comfortable" Beverley replied
"When do you think she will be well enough to see the babies?" Paul asked
"Tomorrow…although she'll be quite weak still so will probably have to go down in a wheelchair…not sure if she'll be up to walking yet" Beverley replied "Hopefully she should be able to go home by Sunday or maybe early next week…the babies we'll keep in for a while longer just until they've gained weight and it will give Gail time to settle back at home before you two have to worry about the triplets demands"
"Christmas is going to be interesting" Paul said "The babies and my sister visiting"
"Yes your Father doesn't seem to be overjoyed with the prospect of seeing his eldest daughter and family…mind you I've never met her" Beverley said "What is she like?"
"She's fine…in a lot of ways she has a heart of gold but she's bossy, nosey and can be irritating" Paul replied "I just hope she's doesn't' try to tell us how to look after the triplets."
"I'm sure everything will be fine" Beverley said
Paul laughed "Your house is going to be cramped…I still think Gran and Lucy could move in with us while Julie and the gang are here, night time feeds will be more easier"
"Paul!" Beverley laughed "You can't invite someone into your house then expect them to help with night time feeds"
"Who says" Paul winked "But seriously it might help create a better atmosphere…I can see there being friction at yours"
"Jim wants them to stay at Lassiters" Beverley laughed
"He said something to me about that but I thought he was joking"
"He mentioned it the other day" Beverley said "Or even putting them off for a year, he says he wants to have a quiet Christmas…I think he wants to make sure your family are okay without having anyone else to worry about. Scott and Charlene are also coming down but they're staying with Harold and Madge"
Paul grimaced "He can't ask them not to come….I have a feeling the whole point of this visit is because she's worried that with our three, Hannah will be forgotten"
Beverley pulled into Ramsay Street and parked the car outside Number 26 "Do you want to spend the night at ours or do you want to go home" she asked
"I think I'll go back to my place, I need to have a shower and get changed, and Gail also needs a few things" he said as he opened the car door.
"Okay, I'll pick you up at 9am tomorrow…try and get some sleep and don't worry about Gail…she'll be fine" Beverley said
The following morning Paul woke to the sun streaming in through the curtains; he yawned and stretched reaching over to hug Gail before remembering she was in the hospital. He smiled to himself at the feeling of seeing the babies for the first time just hours before. Looking at the alarm clock he saw that it was 8am, he had an hour to get ready. He quickly got up and headed for the shower before going downstairs for breakfast. He hated the fact that Gail wasn't there…the silence was almost deafening. Picking up the newspaper he flicked through it as he ate his breakfast. He telephoned the hospital and was put through to the nurse's station, enquiring how Gail and the babies were. He was relieved to hear that Gail had slept well and the babies were stable. After breakfast he headed back upstairs to collect some things for Gail before going over to meet Beverley. He walked into the kitchen of number 26 and found Jim, Beverley and Helen finishing breakfast.
Helen greeted Paul with a kiss and hug "Morning Darling, how's our new Dad?"
"still in shock I think Gran!" Paul said
"You're up early, I thought I was going to collect you" Beverley said "I expected you'd be tired after the day you had yesterday"
"Just wanted to make an early start...oh any chance of stopping at the florists on the way to the hospital . . . .I want to get some flowers for Gail" Paul said
Beverley laughed "Okay"
"I thought you had to be at the hospital by 9am" Jim said
"Yes I'm running late…thanks to your sister; we couldn't get her to budge today and she wasn't too keen on the prospect of going to school; she'd much sooner go the hospital" Beverly said
Paul laughed "Sounds about right…anything to get a day off school"
"I'm going to pick her up after school and I promised her we'd go to the hospital" Helen said "How's Gail?"
"I phoned this morning and checked on them all, she's fine and the babies are stable" Paul said "Gail's already giving me orders"
Helen laughed
"Right I'm off" Jim said "See you all later"
"Sees ya later" Paul said
"Give my love to Gail and tell her I'll see her later" Jim said
"Will do" Paul said
"Right…just let me get myself organised and I'll be with you..." Beverley said
When they were both alone, Helen looked at Paul, he still looked a little tired but she knew he was happy.
"How are you feeling?" she asked
"Fine…just relieved it's over" Paul replied
"I know…I saw your face yesterday when they were taking Gail into the operating theatre" she replied
"It felt unreal…one minute she was fine…I was talking to her then next she was unconscious…it felt as though my nightmare was coming true, I felt so helpless sitting by her bedside pleading with her to wake up" Paul said "It brought back memories of Mum and I was scared that history was about to repeat itself"
Helen was cupping her hot coffee in her hands and looking down at it "I had a strange sense of déjà vu too last night…once again I was sitting up waiting for news from the hospital but this time it was Lucy by my side and not you" she looked up at Paul and met his eyes "you know the phone call from Jim came almost at the same time that he phoned 14 years ago…it was eerie" Helen said
"You still remember that day?" Paul said surprised
"Of course…don't you?" Helen replied "Tell me to mind my own business but Gail told me about your nightmare the other night, she was only worried about you"
"I know, I don't blame her. Just seeing Gail pregnant brought back that day, I thought it wouldn't affect me…the memories of Mum came flooding back and I was scared of what could happen"
"Paul has this got anything to do with you putting all your energy into Lassiters and the Robinson Corporation?" Helen said
Paul looked down "I guess so, when I was at work, I didn't see Gail so I tried to put it out of my mind; but by doing that I neglected her, I can't believe I forgot her birthday. Thinking about it now I should have talked to her. I didn't realise how Mum's death had affected me" he said
"Paul you were so close to your Mum, what happened was bound to have a lasting effect on you, the sad thing is that the one person who could help…you shut out. Gail loves you, never forget that. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for you" Helen said
"I know…I love her so much and I love our children. I'm going to make sure she never feels neglected again" Paul said
"Good" Helen said
Beverley entered the kitchen with her medical case and after saying goodbye to Helen, she and Paul went out to the car. They took a twenty minute drive to the hospital stopping along the way to pick up some flowers. After saying goodbye to each other in the car park they headed off in opposite directions. Paul walked into Gail's room with the big bunch of flowers, her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Hey are those for me?" she asked
"No they're for the nurse on Station 1…what do you think!" he laughed
"Hmmm . . . . I've missed you" Gail said
"How did you sleep" Paul asked as he kissed her
"Not too bad; I feel a lot better than I did last night. I've had a change and freshened up, so I'm feeling a little more human" she replied
Paul passed the baby name to Gail as requested. "Gran said she'll bring Lucy to see you this afternoon, apparently she didn't want to go to school today, could be something to do with the fact that she was up until 1am this morning"
Gail laughed "I bet they had problems getting her out of bed today"
"hey have you heard anything about going to see the babies?"
"no the nurse, has been in but she didn't know when I asked her"
"I'll go and find someone who can tell me more" Paul said
Gail's eyes lit up "Hurry up" she said
Paul kissed her "Okay, okay…I love you Mrs Robinson"
"Love you too" she replied "Now go"
Half an hour later, Paul wheeled Gail into the special care unit; they were the only ones in the unit apart from the nursing staff, who left the couple alone to get to know their children. Paul watched Gail. Like he was the night before she remained speechless and was looking intently at the incubators. The nurse came over and explained to Paul and Gail what each of the tubes and monitors were for and how they were monitoring and feeding the babies.
Paul kneeled down beside Gail in the chair "What are you thinking?"
"They're amazing…this feels so . . . . so unreal" Gail said with a smile slowly spreading across her face
Paul smiled "It doesn't get any more real darling. We've done it, we have the children we've always wanted. Everything we went through with the IVF, the endless tests, early mornings at the clinic and questions, the disappointment…well it was worth it because look at what we've created" he said
Gail looked at him "Thank you" she said, the tears slowly starting to roll down her cheeks
"What for?" Paul asked taking her hand and kissing it
"For this, for not giving up on our dream…I can't believe I'm actually a Mother, it was something that was never going to happen to me but you've made it a reality" she replied
"No, it should be me thanking you. You've given me so much" Paul said "You taught me how to trust again, to allow myself to love and accept love. You're the only person I want to be the Mother to my children. I love you so much and I love them because they're part of you"
"I love you too…more than words can express. You're the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with" she said
Paul laughed "That's good, we're both stuck with each other then I guess" as he wiped the tears away from her cheek and kissed the back of her hand.
Hand in hand they sat watching their children, silence filled the room, there was no need for words as both knew what the other was thinking.
"Have you thought of another name yet?" Gail asked
"No…what about you?"
"I have no idea; maybe we should give it a few days" Gail replied
Paul laughed "Well one is Robert James, we could always call the other James Robert"
Gail looked at him and shook her head half laughing "Mind you whatever name we pick it's going to be difficult distinguishing the two of them"
"We'll have to get clothes for them with their names printed on the back" Paul said "At least we haven't got that problem with Lucinda"
"Mmm, she's so tiny though" Gail said
"But adorable . . .she reminds me of Lucy"
"Gran said she had a touch of déjà vu last night…the phone call from Dad came at almost the same time as the one 14 years ago about Mum…only this time it was Lucy sitting next to her and not me"
Gail stroked his face "It must have been hard for her...the memory of what happened"
Paul sighed "I think it affected all of us yesterday"
"Darling it's over…I'm fine, the babies are doing well" Gail said
"I know sorry. I can't wait for you to come home, the house feels so empty without you" Paul said
"Don't worry I'll be home soon…and I'm sure peace and quiet will be shattered once we get these three home" Gail laughed looking back at the babies.
Paul gently touched the glass of the incubator holding his daughter "I wonder how long they'll be in here…how long it will be before we can hold them" he said
"Not long hopefully…I'm just terrified…I've never held a baby that small before" Gail said whilst she watched Paul, realising she was seeing a different side to him that she hadn't seen before, a sentimental side with such protectiveness.
"You'll be fine" Paul said "This is new for both of us…we'll learn together"
"Hey I thought I'd find you two in here" Beverley said as she walked into the unit
Gail smiled "I just can't believe they're mine…"
Beverley turned to the incubators
"How long will they be in here?" Paul asked
"It depends on how well they gain weight, at the moment they're being fed by nasal tube, but hopefully by next week they're be able to be fed by bottle. Once they can maintain their own body temperature then we can move them out of the incubators and into bassinets. I hope, but I can't promise that the three of them should be home just before Christmas" Beverley replied
"But that's ages away" Paul exclaimed disappointingly
"You're so impatient" Gail laughed
"It's only six weeks away...I think you'll find they'll probably go home one at a time and not all three together…it makes it easier on you" Beverley said, she looked at the little girl in the incubator and smiled "Your daughter is the smallest at 3lb 9oz, the boys are both similar weights, one is 3lb 11oz and the other one is 3lb 12oz"
Paul looked at his daughter "But she's going to be okay?" he said concerned
"Of course she is…you two are going to have to be patient though" Beverley replied, placing her hand on Gail's shoulder "Right I better get back…see you later and don't worry these three are doing fine"
They stayed with their children for another half hour before Paul wheeled Gail back to her room and helped her settle in bed.
"I can't believe they're so small" Gail said "And all those monitors and tubes"
"Darling, you heard what Beverley said, they're fine, in a couple of weeks they will be out of the incubators and in basinets…remember positive thinking!" Paul said
Gail laughed "I know, I know. So come on Mr Robinson give me another boy's name"
"I don't know…Stephen, David, Luke…Cameron" Paul said
"Cameron…where did that come from?" Gail asked surprised
"Just flicking through the book last night before I went to sleep; I haven't come across many Cameron's and it sounds different" Paul said
"Cameron Paul Robinson" Gail said
"Nah…Cameron Scott Robinson" Paul said "I told you we're not naming our son after me"
"But we're using your name as the middle name" Gail said
Paul looked at her and sighed "Okay you win…I like the name Cameron so I let you choose the middle name"
"Well that was easy" Gail laughed
The following few days were filled with visits from the family and seeing the babies in the special care unit, finally the day came for Gail to be discharged home. Up until then her main focus had been the babies and spending time with them for up to 12 hours a day with Paul. He arrived early in the knowledge that Gail was returning home; entering her room he found her packing, noticing how subdued she seemed he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders and lent his chin on her shoulder.
"Hey, what's wrong darling, is it the babies?" he asked, noticing her tears.
"No they're fine. I don't know, I'm really happy at going home don't get me wrong, but I…I just hate leaving them here" she replied
Paul put his hands around Gail's waist reassuringly "Ah, I should have guessed. They won't be in here forever; just for another couple of weeks, besides its not like we're going home and leaving them here, we'll be back here most of the time" Paul said snuggling up to Gail more "Besides I've missed you"
Gail brightened and turned to kiss Paul "I've missed you too…let's go and see the bundles of joy before we go"
Beverley was in the Special Care Unit as they arrived. She shook her head "Anyone would think that you were never going to see them again" she laughed "Listen I've just checked on Robert and he's making excellent progress, I think later today we might try him on a bottle…why don't you come back to the hospital at about 6pm and you can feed him"
"Really…what about the other two?" Gail asked eagerly
"I think they need to be tube fed for a while longer although having said that they're getting stronger everyday" Beverley said
"So you think they'll be home in time for Christmas?" Paul asked
"Well providing nothing happens in the meantime yes, the main thing for you two at the moment is to get settled back home before these three descend on you, especially you Gail, you still need to rest" Beverley said "Just remember you can come and see them any time you want"
"Sure, I'll make sure she rests" Paul said
Gail put her hand inside the incubator of her tiny daughter and gently stroked her face, Paul walked up behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Lucinda seems so tiny" Gail said
Beverley laughed "Don't let that fool you…she has a healthy pair of lungs on her, she's also gaining weight not as much as the boys at the moment but she's doing fine"
"I've got to get back to work" Beverley said, deciding to leave the couple with their children.
Paul turned as Beverley left the room, hugging Gail tightly he said "Are you ready to go home…we can come back later"
They stood staring at the incubators for a couple of minutes in silence before Gail turned around "I guess I'm ready to go…just wish we could take these three with us"
"Soon" Paul said "Just think what Christmas will be like this year"
Gail smiled "Just about perfect..if we're all together"
"Come on" Paul said, taking her hand and with one last look at their children they headed towards the door home.
Silently they drove back to Ramsay Street, both deep in thought. Gail felt a tinge of sadness at having to leave the babies behind, Paul sensing how she was feeling reached over and squeezed her knee affectionately, Gail put her head on his shoulder as they neared home and closed her eyes. On reaching Ramsay Street, Paul opened the car door for Gail, kissing her on the cheek as she got out of the car slowly.
"By the way Dad's invited us for dinner tonight" Paul said "We don't have to be there until 7.30pm so there's plenty of time, I'm sure they'll understand if we're a bit late. That's if you feel up to it?"
"That will be nice" Gail said "Can't believe we might actually get to hold one of our babies tonight"
As they walked in the house Paul put his arms around Gail's shoulders and whispered "Welcome home"
Gail laughed and held his hands as she saw the living room decorated with balloons and welcome home banners.
"I don't believe it…did you do all this?" she asked
"Well Lucy helped" Paul replied "But it was my idea…I just wanted you to know how much I missed you"
Paul walked into the kitchen, while Gail took in her surroundings and smelt the flowers on the coffee table. Looking across at Paul an overwhelming feeling of comfort and security came across Gail and she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist as he prepared lunch.
"I love you" she whispered
Paul turned and took her in his arms "hey I love you too…I have missed you so much while you've been in hospital"
Gail looked back at the living room "So I see…can't believe you went to all this trouble"
Paul gently stroked her face "I just wanted you to know how important you are to me; nothing else really matters apart from you and the children and I promise you will never doubt my love for you again"
Tears formed in Gail's eyes "You make me happy; the one thing I never thought was possible you made possible…I love you so much"