Just as Elizabeth fell asleep, the babies started waking up. It was almost midnight and they had been driving for an hour. There were eight hours to go before they arrived in Clearwater.
"Luke, can you please find a place to park? I need to change them."
"Sure." Luke pulled off the interstate and found a well lit parking lot in Lancaster.
"Mommy?" Mattie mumbled. "Babies crying."
"I know, honey. Go back to sleep."
"I can't," she whined. "They are so loud."
Elizabeth handed her a pair of headphones and put on a movie. She was asleep within about two minutes.
Elizabeth changed Lilly and Luke got out and changed Ethan.
Lilly quieted once dry but Ethan continued to fuss. Lucas covered him with a blanket and walked around a bit to settle him. Elizabeth rocked in her seat with Lilly.
Ten minutes later, they were on their way again.
Lucas took her hand and held it as she drifted back to sleep. She was amazing. Having just given birth four weeks before, a typical mom wouldn't think about driving 8 or 9 hours with her husband, new babies and young daughter. But Elizabeth wasn't typical. She thought more about others and wanted to be with her best friend so she wouldn't need to give birth alone.
Amazing, kind, thoughtful woman. He loved her fiercely.
He kissed her knuckles and then concentrated on driving. It would be another two hours before the twins needed to eat again.
Thirty minutes later, Mattie woke up, needing to use the bathroom.
"Sweetie, can you hold it? We need to find somewhere that's open."
"I gotta go, Daddy!"
"Okay, Sweets. I'll find a bathroom."
There was thankfully a twenty four hour grocery available and they were again on the road ten minutes later.
When Elizabeth brought Mattie back, the babies were screaming. Why weren't they sleeping?
"Babe, I think they are hungry. We need to make bottles…unless you want to nurse them."
"I'll nurse them." Elizabeth climbed in the middle of the Tahoe where the windows were tinted for privacy. Once Lucas assisted in getting the babies latched on, she sighed.
"What, babe?"
"Its not even one am. I'm exhausted. Mattie and the babies are exhausted. You look tired. Maybe we should have flown."
"After everyone is asleep again, I'll get to the next big city and see if I can find us a hotel. How does that sound? Then, after we all are rested, we can finish the trip to Clearwater."
"Sure, Luke. I think we will all appreciate that."
"I'm thirsty," Mattie announced.
Luke grabbed a sippy cup of juice out of the cooler and handed it to her. "Now close your eyes, Mattie-girl."
"OK, Daddy. Thank you."
"You're very welcome."
"Beth? You thirsty?"
"I'd love some water once I have a free arm."
He grabbed a bottle from the cooler, put a straw in it and held it up to her lips.
"Mmm. Thank you, honey."
"I love you, Beth." She blushed and looked down at the tiny babies in her arms, then back up at him.
"I love you too."
Lucas leaned back toward her and kissed her. "A lot, Beth. I love you a lot."
She giggled and returned his kiss. "I love you a lot too."
"And you're a great mom."
"Mm. Definitely don't feel that sometimes but thank you for saying so."
He watched her feed the twins and then he burped Lilly when it was time. Finally all was quiet and they were back on the road.
"I can't imagine not having my husband there when I'm giving birth," she muttered, thinking about Rosie.
"It probably happens to many military wives and I can guarantee you, Lee doesn't want to miss it either."
"Yeah."
"I'm glad I got to see our babies being born. What an amazing experience."
….
Clearwater, Rosie and Lee's house
Rosie sighed as she rolled to her other side to find a measure of comfort. Baby Coulter was exhausting.
Whether it was Claire Anna or Connor David, thinking about giving birth without Lee made her sad and scared. Taking care of him or her while caring for the others was very daunting too. It wasn't as if Elizabeth and Lucas could stay forever.
Rosie heard Betsy start crying in her room. She hoped she would go back to sleep but at not even eighteen months, she usually needed a diaper change or a cup of milk.
Rosie rolled over again and groaned as she sat up. Two weeks left. Four until Lee returned home.
Rosie waddled to the small nursery across the hall. "Hi, Betsy boo. Mama's here."
"Why are you naked?" She had recently learned to take off her clothes so she would randomly find her naked like it was totally fine to be that way.
Rosie picked her up and promptly got peed on. "Are you serious? Betsy, come on."
Rosie now needed to clean Betsy and change her own clothes before she could go back to bed.
"Mommy?" Zachary said from the doorway.
"What are you doing up, Zachy?"
"Can I sleep with you?"
"Me too!" Zane chimed on.
"Alright. Boys, go climb in Mommy's bed. I'll be in soon."
Ten minutes later they were all in the big bed, the boys squirming.
"Boys, please stop. Time for sleep."
Thankfully, Zane would be off to kindergarten the next day and Zachary off to preschool. She'd only have Betsy to keep track of after Cammie from next door dropped them at the elementary school with her own children.
It wasn't that Rosie didn't love her life, her children. It was missing her husband, the exhaustion that came from carrying their fourth and still needing to care for three others. She knew what she had signed up for when she and Lee married. They wanted a large family but this deployment thing had come out of nowhere. She hadn't expected it and nine months without setting eyes on her husband was the most difficult thing she'd ever gone through.
Until now, when she'd give birth without him. She sighed and looked at her sleeping children next to her. They were wonderful. She plucked Zane's glasses from his face so they wouldn't get bent and put them on the side table.
"I love all of you. You are my babies," she whispered, kissing Betsy's soft curls. She said a prayer of thanks and finally was able to sleep, the babe inside settling down too.
…..
Hotel, halfway between Charlotte and Clearwater
Lucas held both twins who were thankfully sleeping peacefully on his chest. It had been a very long night. They made it halfway to Clearwater before exhaustion took over for all of them and they got a room.
Now Beth and Mattie were asleep in the bed next to him and he really didn't want to wake them. His stomach growled and Elizabeth giggled. "You really should do something about that."
"You're awake?"
"Yeah." She sat up and reached for a baby but he shook his head.
"I really think you should take advantage of this moment and grab a nice hot shower."
She got up, came over and kissed him and walked into the bathroom with her robe. He was so right. The kids were sleeping. At the same time. That never happened.
About ten minutes in to her steamy shower, the door opened. "Mommy, I gotta go."
"Okay, Mattie. Go ahead."
"I'm so hungry!"
"Me too, love. After we get dressed and I feed the babies, we can go get breakfast, alright?"
Elizabeth turned off the shower, wrapped herself in a towel and started brushing her teeth and combing her hair.
Mattie started to leave but Elizabeth stopped her. "Freeze, Matea. What did you forget?"
"Dunno?"
"Flush and wash your hands, please."
She sighed dramatically and did as she was told. Then the babies started whimpering in the other room. "So much for a quiet few minutes," Elizabeth muttered.
"Babe, can you give them bottles, please? I need to pump." She needed to pump a few more times each day so that she'd have a supply for Lucas when she went to the hospital with Rosemary.
"Sure."
About an hour later, the babies were fed, everyone was dressed and they were off to get breakfast before heading down to Clearwater.
"Crap!" Lucas said as they heard a "thump thump thump" when they were driving down the road.
"Bad word, Daddy," Mattie told him.
"Yeah, well. We have a flat tire. I think that warrants the word."
However easy they thought this trip would be, everything that had happened had proved them wrong. Not easy. LIfe would throw curveballs.
After changing a tire, getting breakfast, buying a new tire and getting gas, not to mention stopping to feed and change the babies again, they finally arrived at Rosemary and Lee's house around 3pm.
"We're here," Elizabeth texted.
"I'll open the garage door. You can come in through there."
"Got it."
Elizabeth grabbed both carseats and headed into the house. Mattie unbuckled herself and put her backpack on before following Beth.
"Rosie!" Elizabeth squealed as she entered the home and put the twins down. "You look wonderful!"
"We both know that's not true," Rosemary scoffed. "I'm exhausted, ready to pop, and still in my pajamas. I need a shower and the boys should be home soon and will be starving."
"Mamama!" Betsy said, wandering into the room, raising her arms.
"Betsy Boo!" Elizabeth said, trying to distract her. "Look, do you see the babies?"
Lucas made a couple trips to the house and then worked on setting up the pack and play that the twins would sleep in. By the time that was finished, Mattie, Zane and Zach had turned on a movie. Elizabeth insisted that Rosie go shower and she would take care of getting some snacks together for the kids.
She put two bottles of breast milk in warm water to be ready for Ethan and Lilly, put Betsy in her high chair and cut up a banana for her and started some tea.
She heard the twins start to whimper and Lucas attempting to quiet them. "Babe, are the bottles ready?"
"Yep."
The front door opened, confusing Elizabeth. "Who…." Her eyes grew big. "Oh my gosh! Lee Coulter!"
"Daddy!" The boys yelled, running to tackle him.
"Seems we have a full house," Lee mentioned, holding both of his boys in his arms. "Good to see you, bro," Lee said, nodding at Lucas.
"It's good to see you. Rosie is going to be so excited to see you."
"I'm starving," Rosie said, waddling in the room. "Who wants to spring for pizz….WHAT? Lee!"
"Hi, love. Oh wow, I missed you so much." He wrapped his arms around her, getting her as close as he could with her belly in the way. "I'm so glad I didn't miss it."
"How are you….oh my goodness." She burst into tears and just held on. It didn't matter. He was here. He was safe and he would be there to welcome their fourth child into the world. That's all that mattered.