Ranger's POV
I close my eyes and listen to my children playing. It makes me smile. My life is full of love and laughter. Meeting Stephanie Michelle Plum was the best day of my life. We've had many ups and downs over the years. But I wouldn't change a thing.
Stephanie and I travel to Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta during the summer. The children love meeting new people and getting along with the staff. I find it humorous how my beautiful daughter, Clara, gets my men under her spell. She gives them the big blue puppy dog eyes and instantly has them wrapped around her finger. I've never seen a man so easily disarmed before.
My namesake and firstborn, Ricky, is a miniature version of me. He has my mannerisms, which freaks out Stephanie. Ricky is a quiet observer. Nothing fazes my oldest son. He is protective of his siblings, including Angie and Mary Alice.
"Dad, Mom says it's dinner time. The guys brought food," Alejandro, my youngest son, announces. Alex squeals as I pull him onto my lap and tickle him. I'm thankful he's in my life. Of the three children, he resembles Stephanie the most. We almost lost him at birth. Clara has wavy hair, and Stephanie's blue eyes, but the rest of her features are mine.
I carry Alex on my shoulders as we walk along the beach. He's singing a Spanish song he learned from my Abuela. It's the same song she sang many days as she held him against her chest in the hospital.
I'm thrown back in time as I remember that day.
"Carlos, is that you?" Stephanie cries as I enter the apartment from a workout in the gym.
"Babe?" I asked, walking towards the bathroom.
"My water broke. We have to get to the hospital immediately." I rush to her side as I press the panic button on my watch. It's December 12th. I'm not surprised our children would be born on the twelfth day of the twelfth month.
"Boss?" I hear Lester ask.
"Stephanie's in labour," I reply.
"HUA," he says before disconnecting our communication.
Ella rushes into the apartment a minute later. She leaves me to handle Stephanie as she watches the girls. Angie and Mary Alice stand in their bedroom doorway, looking afraid. "Let's get you girls changed while your uncle takes care of Stephanie," Ella says. I nod in appreciation. Ella disappears into the girls' room to prepare them for the day.
"I want to see Stephanie," Mary Alice cries.
"I know you do, but your Aunt Stephanie needs to get to the hospital right now. The doctor has to operate on Stephanie to deliver the babies safely," Ella explains.
"What does that mean?" Mary Alice asks. I smile when Angie answers her questions using Bobby's explanation. "Okay. Do we have time for pancakes?"
I chuckle at Mary Alice's request. She has her aunt's eating habits. Ella giggles, "Of course, dear. Angie, what would you like for breakfast?"
"Scrambled eggs," she replies. I smile at her request. Angie prefers the protein options. I laugh when she adds, "And pancakes." Mary Alice giggles and says she'll eat eggs if Angie eats pancakes. I love how the girls compromise.
"Help," Stephanie cries. "I don't want to wear wet pants to the hospital." She's pushing the damp pants down her legs. I have another pair of yoga pants in my hands. Stephanie moans as another contraction hits. We don't have time for her to dress.
"Babe, we need to leave now." I grab a sheet from the linen cupboard and lift Stephanie off the toilet. She groans as I quickly work to cover her from the waist down.
The girls are in the kitchen with Ella as I carry Stephanie out the door. She's holding the ends of the sheet to keep me from tripping over them. I'm thankful I didn't take the time to shower before returning to seven. I had a feeling Stephanie would need me.
Bobby waits in the open elevator for our arrival. He smiles and presses the button for the ground-floor garage. Lester is in the SUV outside the elevator doors. Bobby helps me situate Stephanie in the backseat before hopping inside. "Go," he orders.
Lester grins as we exit the garage. We have a police escort to the hospital. I shake my head. "How?" Stephanie asks when she hears the sirens.
"They were up the street when I called Bruno," Lester replies. Bruno is Marco's brother. The police officer knows my wife through gatherings at Rangeman. Bruno's wife, Rebecca, works at Rangeman. She's an asset to the company and helps Stephanie with client calls and meetings. Rebecca also does distractions whenever we need them. Bruno often participates by monitoring our communications from the van. I understand his desire to be around when his wife works in the field. I'm hoping he reconsiders the job offer.
"We're here," Bobby announces. I try to maintain Stephanie's modesty as I remove her from the SUV. Her face flushes red as Bobby quickly looks up.
"Never tell anyone," Stephanie groans as another contraction hits.
Dr. Jansen is waiting with a gurney for Stephanie. She smiles and waits to cover Stephanie with a blanket once I place her on the bed. "Thanks," Stephanie mumbles.
"We're taking her to the procedure room. Are you coming inside, Carlos?" Dr. Jansen asks.
"Yes," I quickly reply. "Bobby, too."
A nurse hands Bobby and me gowns to cover our clothes. Bobby slips the cap over my head to cover my hair. It's unnecessary, but I abide by Dr. Jansen's rules. "Did you shower after your workout?" Bobby asks. I shake my head. He understands there wasn't time. Bobby sends a message to someone at Rangeman. In thirty minutes, a duffle containing my shower gel and a change of clothes will be delivered to the hospital by Tank.
The anesthesiologist arrives to do the local anesthetic to numb Stephanie. Two nurses block Stephanie's abdomen from our view. Bobby moves to watch the procedure, leaving me to hold my wife's hands. Once Dr. Jansen confirms Stephanie can't feel anything except for the pressure, she makes the first incision.
It takes a few minutes for Dr. Jansen to deliver our son. "Is that Ricky?" Stephanie asks when she hears him cry.
"Yes," Dr. Jansen replies. "I'm ready to deliver the second baby." A few minutes later, she announces Clara's birth.
Stephanie hears Clara's cry and gives me a watery smile. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. She feels the doctor tugging on her abdomen. "Is Alex okay?" Stephanie asks.
Dr. Jansen calls for the neonatal nurses and assistance. Stephanie cries as she thinks the worst. Something happened to our youngest son. The obstetrician on call arrives. "Take care of the boy," Dr. Jansen orders. I watch as they work on my youngest child, the smallest of the three. Stephanie and I understand the risks. She cries as I try to comfort her. I'm broken inside.
"He's breathing," the second obstetrician announces. Stephanie sobs in relief, though we know Alex has to face the fight of his life.
After Stephanie was moved to the recovery room, I visited the chapel to pray. Once I begged God for Alex's survival, I took a shower in the hospital room where Stephanie would stay for several days. Stephanie is groggy when she finally arrives. Our babies are under the watch of the neonatal nurses. "Have you seen Alex?" Stephanie sleepily asks.
"Not yet. I wanted to see you first," I reply.
"I've got Hector and Lester to keep me company. Please, Carlos. Check on our babies," Stephanie begs. I can't deny my wife's request. My phone chimes after I kiss Stephanie.
"Angie and Mary Alice are here to visit," I say after reading the message on my phone.
"They need to see me," Stephanie says. "I'll handle our daughters while you check on the babies." I hear Stephanie praying for Alex to be okay.
When I arrive at the NICU to visit my children, the nurse asks for identification before permitting my entrance. She slips a band on my arm, "It's to prove you're Ricky, Clara and Alex's parent. Dr. Jansen will put one on Stephanie's wrist. You're allowed to have two other family members access the children." The nurse hands me a clipboard to provide the names of the other two adults permitted to visit the babies. I immediately add Abuela Rosa and Isabel to the list.
"Is my medic, Bobby Brown, allowed to monitor my children inside the room?" I ask. The nurse smiles and nods.
"Dr. Jansen has written approval from your wife," she replies. "I'm Camilla." I nod at the nurse. She directs me to my children. They're the only infants in the ward.
Clara and Ricky are in a bed together. My youngest son is alone. He's hooked up to tubes and other monitors. A tear slips from my eye. "Mr. Manoso, would you like to hold him?" Camilla quietly asks. "It's good for the babies to feel the warmth of their parent and hear the heartbeat."
I'm numb, but I nod. She has me sit in the rocking chair beside Alex's bed. I watch as she carefully removes him. "Remove your shirt," she orders. Camilla waits for me to follow her instructions before placing my son in my arms. For the first time since his birth, I relax.
"How long do I hold him?" I ask.
"At least thirty minutes," Camilla replies.
"Dad, where did you go?" Clara asks. I glance at Stephanie, who's giggling.
"She was telling you about running the obstacle course with Ricky," Stephanie says.
"I'm sorry, princesa," I reply. "I was thinking about your birth."
Clara glares and gives me a Burg-worthy eye roll. I smile at my daughter. "Mama says that upsets you. We need to have happy memories," Clara says. How did my six-year-old daughter get so bright?
Abuela Rosa smiles and winks. I nod at my Abuela. She extends her hands to remove Alex from my shoulders. My son is careful with his Bisabuela.
I'm thankful for my family. I love my wife more than ever. Stephanie's the perfect mother and partner. My life is better because of her.
~~~~~~~
Stephanie's POV
I can tell by the expression on Carlos' face that he was remembering our triplets' birth. We thought Alex wasn't going to survive the first week. There was a lot of stress and worry about his health. Thanks to Abuela Rosa, our child is alive. She spent time talking to Alex and holding him against her chest. It gave Carlos and me time to bond with our other children, who also needed us.
My babies stayed in the hospital for weeks. I got released before them. Carlos and I spent every waking hour with the babies; I felt like a horrible aunt and mother to Angie and Mary Alice. Abuela Rosa and Isabel were remarkable with the girls. They brought them to the hospital to visit their siblings.
Angie and Mary Alice sat on Carlos' lap whenever he held a baby. The girls were more cautious with me because of the incision from having a C-section. I smiled at the memory of watching Angie and Mary Alice feeding Ricky and Clara.
Everything improved when Carlos and I brought the babies home. Abuela Rosa and Isabel visited daily to assist with the babies and the girls. I asked Rosa why she returned daily. She insisted it was the unspoken rule in families. They help family members whenever needed without being asked.
"Do you need help, Mom?" Angie asks after everyone finishes eating. I smile at my oldest girl, who resembles Valerie more than ever. It makes me glad and sad. I miss my sister. It's a shame Valerie and Steve didn't see their daughters grow into beautiful young ladies. They are kind, generous and loving - the opposite of the girls in the Burg.
"I have it covered. Thank you for offering. Where's Mary Alice?"
Angie giggles, "She's helping Clara bury Tio Lester in the sand."
I hugged Angie and asked her to watch her sisters. She hugs me before following my orders. I know Tank and Hector are on the beach, keeping the children out of trouble. It wouldn't hurt to have more eyes.
My wonderful little boys Alex and Ricky hold Abuela Rosa's hands as they accompany her inside the house to rest. I sigh, knowing Carlos and I are raising them right.
Carlos wraps his arms around me. "Babe, what's on your mind?" He kisses the back of my neck before turning me to face him.
"I was thinking about how far we've come since the day you saved my life," I answer honestly. "Were you thinking about the triplets' birth earlier?"
"Yes," he replies.
"I can't imagine my life without little Alex. He will be a handful when he gets older," I tease.
"Not if Mary Alice has anything to say about it," Carlos laughs. I couldn't agree more. Mary Alice was particularly protective of Alejandro Mateo Manoso. She also encourages him to fly. I'm proud of my youngest niece, whom I proudly call my daughter.