Chapter Twelve
Holidays with all the Trimmings Part Two
A/N – Well as I said the last chapter was going to be big. Well, it became so large I decided to break it into two parts. To many ideas floating in my head. Amy and the little Nugget are good. Plans are still in place to finish out the holiday fun with special focus on Amy. So here we go. Enjoy!
As the morning came the first to stir was of course Maddie. She was still concerned about her mom and the little Nugget, but she was also anxious to see if Santa a had come. She was a little worried that he might be mad because they forgot to leave out milk and cookies, but she was sure he would understand. Her biggest surprise came when she rolled over to stretch. "Daddy!" She screeched, "you are here, is mommy here to, is everything ok, when did you get home, why didn't you wake me." Ty hugged her tightly to get her to stop. "Well let's see what everyone is up to and check on you mommy. But little girl we have to be calm because although mommy is feeling a lot better, and so is the little Nugget, we don't want to get her to excited." She took a breath and went with her daddy to their bedroom. When the walked in they say Lyndy and her mom quietly talking to each other. "Mommy you are up," Maddie cried jumping on the bed with them. Amy said, "Well we kind if heard someone scream Daddy and it woke up us. Who do think that was," tickling her baby. Maddie went to hug her mom tighter but then remembered what her dad had said so she was gentle. After a few moments Ty asked Lyndy and Maddie to go wake everyone up and they would be down in a few minutes.
As the girls walked out of the room Ty snuggled his wife, "Merry Christmas Amy, how are you feeling." Amy smiled against his chest, "I am really, really good. Lyndy and I had a good discussion, she is so wonderful. She filled me in on how things went last night, we really have to make sure we thank Georgie, Steven, and Katie, they were rock stars. I missed you last night, but I have to say this might be the best Christmas morning I have ever had." Ty tearfully said, "Well, Lyndy is you. I am so happy you and the little Nugget are Ok. I," Amy put her finger on his lips then kissed him with all of her love. "We are good, let's get ready and head downstairs, I need your help. And a little of that new massage might help too, "She winked.
When they headed down the stairs Lou was there to get Katie. She hugged her sister as Ty thanked and hugged Katie. The said their farewells and said they would see them later in the day. Katie tickled Maddie and said, "I hope you get everything you asked for." Maddie went over to her mom holding her hand and said, "I have already" Lyndy, Annie and Addie joined them as Lou and Katie's eye moistened. "Stop it, you guys are killing me," Lou smiled as they left.
When things were settled, Lyndy took her mom and set her in her comfy chair that was set up for her. Ty and Amy looked around and saw that the girls had took the time to clean up, start coffee and water for tea, and had gathered up everything needed for breakfast which, as was tradition Ty cooked up. "So, presents then gifts or vice versa'" Ty asked the ladies. Of course, Maddie and the twins wanted presents and Lyndy didn't care, so he looked at Amy, "Mom's decision." "Well, I am a little hungry so let's do this. If I can have a snack and cup of 'no flavor' tea, then you all can open presents," rubbing her belly. "The little Nugget is really hungry too." "Your wish is my command," Ty bowed and went to get her drink and snack. The girls started sorting the gifts and when Amy was taken care of the present opening began.
As with tradition Maddie got to start and each child by age went after her. Only one gift at a time was opened. Ty and Amy had decided early on that quantity was not as important as quality and thoughtfulness, so each girl only had 4-5 presents to open. Although Ty and Amy didn't generally buy anything for each other the girls always made things for them so they cot to open them. As each present was opened smiles, thanks yous and hugs followed. This year the girl's gifts to their mom all focused around the baby, books, toys and Lyndy added free babysitting coupons. And for their dad, everything was focused on him. He got some motorcycle stuff but what moved him the most was a picture frame. It had Amy in the middle and pictures of each of them around her. But he shuttered when he saw a fifth empty slot for the new baby. "Girls, this is wonderful, I don't know what to say," hey whispered. The came up to hugged him as Amy tearfully watched. Annie then spoke up for the group, "Well dad we want to make sure you know that we love you and although mom is getting most of our attention we though after the little Nugget is born this would be nice to set on your desk." All Ty did was smile tearfully and hugged his girls again.
While the girls played with ant tried on their new stuff, Lyndy helped her dad make breakfast. Amy moved into the kitchen to watch them. The we in light conversation when Maddie ran in and said, hey we missed a present holding a medium size box. Maddie mover her eyes down and blushed, "That is for Wyatt, I wanted to make sure I didn't forget it when he comes this afternoon." Before Maddie could give her trouble her mom looked sternly at her. She rebounded quickly, "Well I will put it on your bed next to you clothes you have set out for today, so you don't forget it." She smiled and ran off. "Good recovery hey," Ty joked. Late breakfast was served up and the family sat around the table talking about their presents, how Amy was feeling and random topics. It was pajamas for the day until they left for Heartland. As Amy rested with Ty by the fire, the girls brough their outfits for them to approve as the Christmas meal at Heartland was a little more formal. Ty struggled with the grown-up look of Lyndy's clothes. Needless to say, the teenage year would be a struggle. Maddie and Annie were approved but when Addie came out Ty and Amy both chuckled under their breath. She immediately saw their look and proclaimed, "This is what I want to wear, you always tell us to have our own personality, and this is mine." Basically, her all black biker outfit was definitely her but for Christmas maybe a little too dark. She huffed and went back to her room. After a consult from Annie, she came back out with a little color added to her outfit. Amy smiled and considered it a small victory.
The twins and Maddie helped their dad load up the car while Lyndy was with her mom as she got dressed. The girls looked cute, although Amy and Ty didn't' say that out loud and Ty had a buttoned shirt and sport coat. When Amy came down the steps in Lyndy's arm, Ty's mouth dropped. "Amy, you look beautiful, doesn't she girls." The all giggled and agreed, and Amy's eyes rolled, "Yea since I am wearing a tent!" Maddie spoke up immediately, "Mom you are almost ready to have a baby and you look beautiful, you are the most beautiful person in the world." Amy stopped in her tracks taking in what her youngest daughter had said. She quietly hugged them and went to take her husband's arm. Taking his arm was important to both of them. As they walked to the car Lyndy held her mom's other arm and whispered in her ear, "Mom she's right, you are amazing and beautiful. We all love you with all of our hearts." No words were spoken and when Ty helped her into the passenger seat, she smiled at him with a passion only meant for him.
The calm of the morning and the easy trip to Heartland were soon displaced with the frantic chaos of Christmas at Heartland. Although most were in control this was one of those times when Lou was on overdrive. As the girls headed in followed by Ty and Lyndy walking with Amy, Lou was commanding the effort of food, gift placements, seating, and every other thing on her list, that was hanging from a lanyard on her neck. Lou did stop in her tracks, went to her sister taking her to the special seat they had by the tree from last night. Lyndy took the first FAP shift, as Steven helped Ty unload the car. Grandpa and Lisa sat with Amy for a quiet conversation.
Jack was visibly shaken from the events of last night and was relieved to see she was doing much better, "Amy, you gave us a scare there, young lady. You need to let us know if you are not feeling well. You are stubborn like your mother was." Amy hugged her Grandpa and Lisa thanking them for their help. Next Tim and Casey tentatively approached her. Lyndy grabbed her hand as she knows sometimes her grandpa could be a challenge. Casey hugged Amy with tears in her eyes and Tim quietly said, "How are you doing kiddo, I was really worried about you. I am glad you are Ok, but I have to admit I was scared. If there is anything you need just let Casey and I know." Amy smiled at her dad and Casey as he kissed her forehead. Caleb and Cass visited, and Wyatt came by as well. Amy appreciated the words but was getting a little overwhelmed with the attention. Lyndy whispered in her ear, "Get used to it mom, everyone loves you so much." Amy smiled and relaxed in her comfy chair.
Dinner was announced and everyone was seated. Katie, Lyndy, Wyatt, Annie, Addie, and Maddie sat at separate table. The adults were at the main table with an expansion added. Lisa led grace adding a special prayer for Amy and the little Nugget. Jack stood up and welcomed everyone for dinner. "As with every Heartland holiday we always look back to the family history and what is means to all of us. Everyone in this room is a part of that legacy, even are guest." Glancing at Caleb, Cass, and Wyatt. " I just want to make sure that we all remember our heritage and what the strength of family means to all of us." Tears were forming in everyone's eyes. Jack's speeches were always heartfelt but this year he seemed much more sentimental. He continued shakily, "Last night shook all of us, it shook me. But again, the family was there for each other and as we know Amy and the little Nugget are alright. I just want to thank the Lord for helping them. Now as Tim would say enough of the sappy stories, let's eat." Cheers and smiles abounded. Amy asked Ty to help her stand up and they walked over to her grandpa. Nothing was said except with her eyes. She hugged him with all her might and then Ty followed. Their love for him was unmatched.
The family feasted for well over an hour. The plates were cleared and after desert and coffee, tea, or juice was enjoyed. The tradition was that each person got one final gift from their Secret Santa. Each family member picked a name out of a hat at Thanksgiving. Again, not anything extravagant just thoughtful, maybe even funny. Everyone handed out their gifts and all were opened at once, which always created a lot of laughter and detective work figuring out who had them. Tim had drawn jack and gave him a book titled, "How to Drive Cattle." Georgie laughed remembering when Tim and Jack used the dinner table and plastic cows to show her how to do it. "Hey Jack, maybe you should have given that to me when you tried to teach me," she joked.
Amy realized she hadn't received her gift yet when all of a sudden Ty came behind her and kissed her neck. Ty pulled a coop and made sure he had Amy. "Well, I kind of did something. I know our drawing is random but I kind of made sure I got you. So Merry Christmas my love." Ty beamed. Only Lou, Georgie and Lyndy knew of the plot and kept their eyes on them. Amy was startled as tears already started to form. With hands shaking she opened the beautifully wrapped box. When she looked inside, she saw a beautiful gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant surrounded by small diamonds. She opened it up and found a picture of them at their wedding and one of her, Ty, and Spartan from when Spartan had been injured. Ty then said, "Turn it over." She did and saw the names of each of her daughters listed with an open space at the bottom. He smiled and said, "We will have to fill that out in a week or so" The had names already but hadn't told anyone yet. Amy sat there for few minutes gazing at her necklace. "Ty this is amazing, wonderful, perfect, I can't think of the right word. I love you more that you will ever know."
He quietly embraced his wife as her head rested on his chest, never letting go of the necklace. Soon the group saw what was going on. Lyndy grabbed her sisters and went over to their mom. Amy held up the necklace for them saying, "Look at the present I got, isn't it beautiful. I bet you can't guess who my Secret Santa was," She chuckled hugging her husband. They all gawked at the beautiful necklace along with the other family members. Everyone was very impressed. All of a sudden, Maddie spoke up to everyone, "Wait a minute, I thought this was a random thing, how did daddy get mommy, is that even legal." Everyone burst out laughing realized what Ty had pulled off. Maddie catching on what happened pulled her daddy over to the side whispering in her ear, "Daddy you broke the rules but, I understand kind of. All I know is that the look in mommy's eyes tells me it was the right thing to do. I love you with all my heart too." Ty melted and as Amy looked over realizing what was happening, she did to. The night came to a close and everyone packed up and headed home. Amy was exhausted but looked over to Ty as he drove. This was the best Christmas ever.
The week between Christmas and New Year's was pretty routine. Ranch work was minimal as the Equine Center was closed for three weeks. Chores were still there, and horses needed to be ridden, if the weather cooperated. Like her mother, Amy boarded horses over the winter, sometimes for free. The work needed to keep them was minimal and the girls loved taking care of the horses. Amy believed that this was a good lesson for them, understanding that it's not only about money, but it is also about helping people in need. Her mom would always take in horses during the winter and Amy learned early on that helping others was important. The bonus was that the girls loved the work.
With children New Year's Eve parties had gone by the wayside, since they felt being with their girls was much more important. Normally Amy and Ty would have everyone over for appetizers and family time, nothing too extravagant. And then a New Year's day meal would be at lunch time at Heartland, the tradition being that the family had a BBQ. Nothing to heavy as the rest of the afternoon the men watched sports, with Addie and Georgie joining them and the girls going on a ride if they could. With Amy due any moment the New Year's gathering at their house was cancelled, instead having a nice quiet evening. The BBQ was still on but again there were assurances that Amy was being taken care of.
Every day since Christmas Amy became increasingly uncomfortable, her body telling her that the day was near. After 3 births, Amy has a good grasp on the signs and the day before New Year's she felt a significant drop in her baby's position. She told Ty, Lou, and Georgie. A birth plan had been developed. When Amy was ready to go, Lou, Grandpa and Lisa would take the younger girls with them and Katie and Lyndy would stay with Georgie and Steven. Bags were prepacked and stored at the place they would be at. Amy had a bag at Heartland and the Miracle Ranch, so they were prepared for either location. All that was needed for the little Nugget to start the process.
After a very restful night the Borden family woke up on New Year's Day morning. Again, the girls let their parents sleep in, handling all the chores and getting a light breakfast ready. They wanted to save space for BBQ. Amy woke up and saw her husband staring at her, "You know it's not polite to stare Dr. Borden." She cooed. Ty said with love, "It's hard not to stare at the most beautiful woman in the world." The kissed and Ty added, "So how did you sleep, really." "Well, I am not going to lie, I'm sure you felt me moving around last night. Ty, I think it is going to be any time now. I had the dream last night." She confessed. He knew the dream she mentioned. It was a dream where she was in the delivery room for the birth of their children. The dream included one extra person. Amy's mom Marion was standing next to the nurse as the child was born. She had a big smile, and her blue eyes showed all the love she had for her. She would walk over to Ty and mouth, I love you Amy and then the dream would end. Ty was the only one Amy had ever shared the dream with. "Well, we better go to DefCom 1," he smiled.
After the appreciated light breakfast and some time to talk to the girls about how she was feeling they packed up to head over th Heartland. The girls were on high alert. As a part of the plan when they got to the house, they were each to let the other assigned family members know that it was almost time. The did this in advance so that their mom would be sheltered from too many questions. Jack went out to help Ty bring Amy into the house. Once she was seated the food was dished up, Maddie was on the first FAP shift and stayed very close to her mother as she chatted with people. She kept her eyes on her without blinking to make sure she saw any signs of concern. Lisa leaned over to Jack, "Look at Maddie, she is 100% focused on her mom, that is the cutest thing ever." Jack commented that, "Maddie is just like Grandma Lyndy. And I have to say that Annie reminds me a lot of you." Lisa smiled and snuggled into her husband.
Addie brought food to her mother and took over for Maddie who whispered something in her ear. Amy questioned, "What did she say Addie." Addie laughed and said, "Nothing really, she is just like dad with this plan. She said code green, she is such a dork." Amy smiled and had a warm feeling about how wonderful her girls were. As she sat there Amy felt a small twinge in her lower abdomen. She made a note of the time and glanced over to Ty. He immediately knew what she was doing and casually made her way over to his wife. "All good Aims?" "Yea just had a little twinge," as she pointed at her watch." They kissed and he headed back to the conversation. Lyndy saw it too walked over to her dad, touched his arm, and shook her head quietly saying she understood what was going on. Addie sensed something as well and then Annie felt her sisters' thoughts.
The three girls now went into hypersensitive mode keeping continuous focus on their mom. The twinges continued to increase turning into slight pain. Addie immediately looked over to her dad. He came over with Lyndy, helped Amy up and then took her to the bathroom. Other eyes noticed what was going on but respected Amy's privacy. Lyndy went in with her mom to make sure she was ok. After a few very long minutes, Lyndy came out and said to Ty only, "Mom's water broke" The rest was a blur. As planned Lou and Georgie went to help Amy while the girls filled everyone in. Amy was taken to her old bedroom as the contractions were still pretty far apart. One by one family visited her and wished her good luck. Ty and the girls stayed with her while Lou and Georgie brought fresh wet towels and ice chips. Their bags were put in their car, Ty had one as well. The plan was to take Ty's SUV so the big one could be used for people transport to and from the hospital. Dr, Adler was alerted and she in turn called the hospital.
Later in the evening the contractions increased in pain and span decreased in time. A little after 2:00am Ty and Amy decided it was time to go. Lou and Georgie woke up the girls so they could say goodbye to their mom and dad. Lyndy really wanted to go but her parents and her decided that she would be needed at home to help her sisters. Jack and Lou went with Ty and Amy. Lou sat with Amy and Jack followed up with his truck. Lisa, Georgie, and Steven stayed back to make sure the girls were ok. Ty glanced at his wife in the rear-view mirror, "How's it going Miracle Girl." She smiled bravely and said, "Ok, I think the little Nugget really wants to meet everyone." He sped up a little, still being safe and told her they were 10 minutes out. It was about 3:00am and he texted Dr Adler that they were close. She woke her husband and headed to the hospital alerting them of the pending arrival. The stage was set for the newest Borden to join the family.