DISCLAIMER:
I own NOTHING!
~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)
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~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~
So my friend with Covid, her boyfriend and his mom both just tested positive as well. It's spreading bad you guys! And now they're saying that new evidence is showing that it is airborne. This is so scary serious! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.
I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.
Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages! But I have to say that I am almost disappointed that I didn't get a single topless Logan comment from any of you. I thought for sure certain people would be drooling. I mean really, I did that just for all of you. Because you all know exactly how HOT Matt Czuchry is! =-D
"Dayum! Someone is sure popping out of their shirt this morning." Honor said as Logan walked into the kitchen wearing a tight t-shirt and basketball shorts. "And that someone sure ain't my baby belly!"
"Haha!" Logan said kissing her on the cheek, then heading to the fridge and pulling out a carton of orange juice.
"You had better use a cup for that!"
"Yes mother."
"Dayum dude! If my wife wasn't your sister, I would tell you to go put some clothes on!" Josh said a minute later as he joined the siblings in the kitchen for some breakfast.
"Hey Honey! Pancakes will be ready in a minute." Honor told them.
"Does your wife know that you're dressed like that?"
"My wife is the one who gave me the shirt."
"Gave it to you when? Back in high school?"
"Oh, you're a funny one! So very funny!"
"Who's funny?" Rory asked as she joined the trio.
"They're making fun of me for wearing this shirt that YOU insisted on this morning."
"You guys don't like it?"
"He's practically wearing a bra." Josh commented.
"But he's HOT!"
"Which is the entire problem! Nobody should look that good! I stand by my previous comment; if my wife wasn't your sister, I would tell you to go put some clothes on."
"Shut up Josh! I think he looks sexy as hell." Rory said, wrapping her arms around her husband, and giving him a kiss.
"And I think I'm about to lose my appetite." Honor spoke up.
"What are you doing out of bed? I thought you were on bed rest?" Josh asked.
"I am. But I'm bored and needed to get out of that room for a while. The walls start to close in on you after a while."
"I let her come down for breakfast, but she's supposed to be on the couch with her feet up." Logan told her.
"That living room is way too fancy. I feel bad putting my feet up in there. I feel like I'm going to get yelled at or something.
"Go sit down at the table. Logan, get her an extra chair." Honor told him. "Paris and Collin should be here pretty soon. Dad's lawyers are on their way too."
"Where is Dad?" Logan asked.
"He's in the gym with Blake."
"I guess I'm not getting a work out in this morning."
"I'd say that you got a pretty good work out in last night." Josh snickered.
"You think that you're so funny this morning Joshey boy!" Logan said sarcastically in a childish voice. "But no! For your information, there are certain things that you don't get to enjoy when your wife suffers from a high risk pregnancy."
"Ew ew ew ew ew my ears! Please shut up!" Honor begged, throwing her hands up over her ears. "There are certain things that I never want to hear coming out of my baby brother's mouth! The only love life that I should ever know anything about, is my own!"
"Yeah, ok, that is totally not what I meant at all." Josh laughed.
"Josh! Shut up!" Honor scolded him.
"I meant when you beat the crap out of all that junk last night."
"Yeah, that was pretty fun." Logan agreed as he helped Rory get settled.
"Hey, I heard that you and Blake were quite the animals with the sledge hammer." Rory commented.
"Maybe, but Logan was beating the hell out of way more stuff than we were."
"Please tell me that there are pictures?"
"Pictures? Please, pictures are for amateurs! We have video!" Josh told her with a beaming smile.
"Really? Can I see?"
"Are you sure that you want to?"
"Please, I've dealt with angry drunk Logan before."
"But this is angry SOBER Logan."
"Which means that it's way more entertaining!" Rory told him.
"Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you." Josh said as he pulled up the video, and handed his phone to Rory.
"Dang baby! Look at you go!"
"Rory, would you like some pancakes?" Honor asked.
"Yes please!"
"Would you like fruit on them?"
"That would be great! And whipped cream if you have it."
"I actually do. I got up really early and ran to the store. Your mom left donuts and muffins last night, but pancakes sounded good to me this morning."
"Are there still donuts?"
"You want chocolate?"
"Yes please!"
"Logan, they're on the island." Honor told him.
"That shirt needs to go." Josh told him.
"Oh come on Josh. Don't be jealous."
"Yeah Josh, you heard your wife. Don't be a hater!" Logan agreed.
"Dude, that's your sister!"
"And my sister appreciates all the hard work I put in."
"I don't know if I would use the word appreciates, but I've definitely seen your dedication to it." Honor told him.
"It's ok to be jealous Josh. Not everyone can look this good."
"Dayum! I wish I looked like that after working out!" Blake said as he joined everyone in the kitchen. "Dude, this is just unfair! What is your secret?!"
"See Josh! At least SOMEONE appreciates my efforts!"
"Hey! I'm sitting right here!" Rory spoke up.
"Doctor Huntzberger, I knew that you were in good shape man, but I had no idea that you were so built!"
"Because I never wear anything like this. But SOMEONE found this shirt hanging in the closet upstairs, and made me put it on." Logan told them.
"Hey, we're away from home. There is no need to dress so nice. We're relaxing while we're here, remember?" Rory told him. "Plus, I like the way you look!"
"Josh is jealous." Honor commented. "No matter how hard he works out, he's never bulked up."
"I'm with you there Josh. I wish I was that lucky! If you went to the beach or a public pool, girls would be throwing themselves at you!" Blake told them.
"Who says they don't already?" Rory chirped.
"Yeah well, I can't say that I even blame them! You're a lucky man!"
"Eh! There's only ever been one girl that matters, and she's right here." Logan said as he handed Rory a donut, and kissed her on the cheek.
"Yeah, you two are definitely starting to get a little nauseating." Blake chuckled.
"How did Dad's workout go?" Honor asked.
"He did really well. He's getting stronger every day. I got him on the treadmill and on the bike, and he even lifted some light weights. That is a really great gym that you've got down there."
"That is all Logan. Dad had it built for him and his friends."
"They're all jealous that they don't look like me too." Logan told them as the doorbell rang.
"Logan, will you go grab that please?" Honor asked as she set a plate of pancakes with fruit on it in front of Rory, then handed her a can of whipped cream.
"Thank you! You are my favorite person right now!" Rory told her.
"You are very welcome! Logan, go answer the door while I get yours ready. We don't have any staff right now."
"Fine." Logan agreed as he got up from where he had just sat down, and headed out of the kitchen.
"Dude! It took you long enough!" Collin said when the door finally opened to reveal his best friend.
"'Ello Mate! What the hell are you wearing?! Did you steal your wife's clothes again!?"
"Funny!" Logan said as he stepped aside to allow his friends to enter the house. "Everyone is in the kitchen."
"Really Huntzberger, did you forget to pack clothes or something?" Collin asked.
"You two are hilarious! You damn well know why I'm wearing this."
"Yeah, because whaapisssh!" Finn said, making a whipping noise and motion.
"Shut it jealous one!"
"Is there food? Because I'm actually quite hungry after our early adventures this morning."
"Collin, why did you bring Finn with you?"
"You thought that I was going to drive three hours by myself, in rush hour traffic, leaving New York?! Have you lost your mind!?"
"Why couldn't you bring Stephanie with you?"
"She's working today, and Valerie doesn't like long car rides."
"Hello Darling!" Finn said as the boys entered the kitchen.
"Finn!" Rory cheered seeing her friend across the room as he pecked Honor on the cheek, then headed in her direction.
"Hello Love! And Little Love!" Finn said as he gave Rory a hug, then rubbed her stomach.
"Finn, I've missed you!"
"I am very glad to see that someone here has because someone else was quite rudely questioning my presence."
"How dare he!"
"Well someone quite rudely accused me of wearing your clothes." Logan told her.
"But he looks so hot like that, doesn't he?!" Rory said with a smile, winking at her husband.
"Well I definitely wouldn't kick him out of bed, that's for damn sure!"
"Collin, Finn, are you guys hungry?" Honor asked.
"Only if you have enough to go around." Collin answered.
"There's plenty. Come help yourselves. And there are donuts too. Josh, Honey, here's your plate." Honor said holding out a plate for Josh. "Logan, how many do you want?"
"Just two for now." Logan answered.
"Finn, check this out. Logan went to this rage room place last night, with Josh and Blake."
"Uh Babe, should you really be showing that to Finn?" Logan asked.
"He'll be fine! I'm sure even Finn isn't dumb enough to do this stuff outside of a protected area." Rory said, waving him off."
"Is that a sledge hammer?" Finn asked.
"Yeah! So they gave him a sledge hammer, and he was allowed destroy everything in sight! How cool is this?!" Rory asked, showing Finn the video she had been watching on Josh's phone.
"Dude, look at him go! I've never seen anything like this! Collin, come check this out! This is incredible! We must go here! Where is this place?!"
"It's right here in town, about fifteen minutes away." Logan told them.
"Uh, guys, if this hasn't been posted to social media yet, can we please keep it that way? And if it has been posted, let's get it down. Like NOW!" Collin told them.
"I haven't posted anything." Josh told him. "I don't even have a Facebook account, so no worries."
"You don't have a Facebook account?" Finn asked. "What kind of alien life form are you?"
"Josh is just cooler than the rest of us sheep." Honor told them. "He has better things to do than to waste his time online."
"I can't even remember the last time that I was on Facebook." Logan spoke up. "I only rarely get on there."
"I don't really get on either, unless someone tells me to check something out." Rory agreed. "Doyle usually posts things for me."
"Well I submitted a bunch of screenshots of old pictures and Facebook posts from college, to the hospital board this morning. I blacked out other people's names and faces, but it's really not too hard for them to find on their own, if they were to go looking."
"What stuff did you submit?" Logan asked.
"I sent you an e-mail this morning. Have you not seen it yet?"
"I haven't even touched my phone since last night, and I haven't checked any email in the last 36 hours." Logan told him.
"Give me a minute, and I'll pull it up. But you should probably think about checking your phone and e-mail every once in a while."
"Why? You and Doyle both know how to get a hold of me if you need me, and Rory is right here with me. I have no reason to need it. Anybody who needs to talk to me, knows exactly where I am and has several different ways to reach me. If anything urgent comes up, I figured you and Doyle would just call Honor."
"The man has a point!" Honor agreed.
"So Doyle is checking your e-mail then?" Collin asked.
"Both mine and Rory's. We're hiding out, and Rory has decided that since we are away from home, there is absolutely no reason why we should have to dress nicely at all. So while we're here, we are going to enjoy ourselves and wear lounge wear the entire time."
"Rory just wants to wear pajamas all day, doesn't she?!"
"Stephanie does this too?"
"All the time!" Collin told him.
"Wow, party in my kitchen! Hello Gentlemen!" Mitchum upon entering the kitchen. "Long time, no see!"
"Mitchum, Hello Sir. How are you doing? You look great!" Collin told him.
"Why thank you Collin. I am doing very well. How is business going? Are you staying busy?"
"Never better. Just took the day to come down here, and help you guys out with your little problem."
"And I see that you brought Finneous down for the ride. How are you Finn?"
"I'm good Sir, and you?" Finn asked.
"I'm doing very well."
"Daddy, would you like some pancakes?" Honor asked, holding a plate out in his direction.
"Pancakes sound great! Thank you my dear! Logan, what in the world are you wearing?!"
"Oh geez, not you too!"
"Well at least you have the body to pull it off. You know, I had a body like that once. About forty or so years ago."
"Were you as ripped as your son Mr. Huntzberger?" Blake asked.
"Oh no. I was never in as great shape as Logan is. Logan puts a lot of work into looking like that. I was never that dedicated. I was a runner. I ran a 4 minute mile back in college."
"Wow! That's incredible!"
"Looking like Logan is way too much work for me. I gave all of that up a very long time ago."
"Logan, do you ever run?" Blake asked.
"I do sometimes. I'll take my dog out and run through Central Park, or around the neighborhood. I don't get as much time for it as I used to. Actually, speaking of my dog, where is Rocky?" Logan asked.
"He's outside." Honor told him. "I turned the heater on out there for him. Do you want me to let him back in?"
"Yeah, he probably needs to eat." Logan said as he got up and headed for the back door. "Rocky! Rocky come here! Are you hungry? Come on, let's go eat!"
"Rocky! Buddy!" Finn said excitedly as Rocky walked in the door, and hurried right over to him.
"Finn, he needs to eat. You can play with him when he's done."
"Oh, but Rocky loves me, don't you Rocko?! You and I are good friends, aren't we?! Yes we are! You and Uncle Finn are best friends!" Finn said as he hugged the dog, causing Rocky to lick his face.
"Logan, you know that your mother would completely freak out seeing your dog in the house."
"Please Dad, Mom grew up on a farm. Mom probably had cows in her house as a kid. The only person in this family who would actually freak out over having a dog in the house, is Grandpa, and he's dead! In fact, maybe we should get Mom a puppy. It'll give her something to do when she comes home. We can get her a golden retriever. They're pretty, snuggly, and good dogs for taking on walks. Heck, maybe we should get you guys a Pitbull and a Doberman too. You can have the huge house with the super mean dogs that everyone is completely afraid of. It'll complete the rich person stereotype."
"Babe, let get your mom a Cocker Spaniel like in Lady and the Tramp. They are gorgeous dogs!" Rory piped up.
"We can do that. Heck, we can get Mom ten dogs!"
"Logan, don't be ridiculous. Your mother does not need ten dogs."
"But I'm definitely getting her at least one. Maybe two."
"That's fine Son. She'll probably love that. That is very nice of you."
"Hey babe, can I have a dog too?" Rory asked.
"Whatever dog you want as long as it's not an ankle biter."
"What's wrong with ankle biters?" Finn asked.
"They bite! Rocky, come get your food!" Logan said as he set a bowl of food down in the corner next to the fridge.
"Honor, Honey, you should sit down and eat some breakfast too." Mitchum said as Honor flipped more pancakes at the stove.
"I actually already ate. I had the first pancakes that were made."
"So you're just cooking for everyone else now?" Logan asked.
"Well, you all need to eat too. And I really don't mind. It gives me something to do."
"Logan, why don't you call the maid service. Have them send us some help today." Mitchum suggested.
"Daddy, we really don't need it. I am perfectly happy to do things myself. Maybe we can get someone to come once a week, but we definitely don't need anyone here all day every day. We're all adults. We are perfectly capable of cleaning up after ourselves."
"Honor is right. After everything that's happened lately, we don't need a full staff of people. We've been entirely too spoiled in this house, and it's been pretty ridiculous. Collin doesn't have a staff at all at his house."
"You don't?" Mitchum asked.
"Stephanie says that we don't need it. She makes me do the dishes and help clean the bathrooms." Collin answered.
"See Daddy? If Collin and Stephanie can raise their kid without a full staff of people, we can do it too. Logan and I both only have Rosalinda coming a couple days a week to help out with the deep cleaning because we are so busy. And I only have Frederico coming to cook when both you and Mom are at my house. We haven't needed anything else."
"I guess maybe we can try it."
"Daddy, we really don't need it. You'll see. Mom knows how to cook and clean, and we can teach you how to do laundry. It'll be just you and Mom living here, so you really won't have much that needs to be done." Honor told him as the doorbell rang again. "I'll go get it, you guys eat."
"Thanks Honor." Logan said as Honor turned off the stove, and left the kitchen.
"Attie Honor!" squeals were heard a minutes later.
"Paris brought her kids?" Collin asked.
"I guess so."
"It'll be fine." Rory told them. "Those kids are incredibly well behaved. You won't even notice that they're here."
"And Dad should probably get used to having two kids terrorizing this place. It'll do him some good." Logan added.
"Unca Ogan!" The kids cheered as they ran into the kitchen, launching themselves at Logan.
"Hey Munchkins! I've missed you guys!" Logan said as he hugged the twins.
"Attie Ory! We got you pesents!" Catherine said holding out a gift bag to Rory.
"You got me presents? You guys are just the sweetest!" Rory said holding her arms out toward the twins.
"Hey, remember, you need to be gentle with Auntie Rory." Paris reminded the kids as she followed Honor into the kitchen. "Good morning everyone!"
"Good Morning! It's nice of you to join us." Mitchum told her.
"Mitchum, you look well. How is retirement treating you?"
"So far so good. Nice and relaxing."
"Paris, you remember Dad's nurse Blake, right?" Honor asked.
"I do. It's nice to see you again Blake. Thank you for taking care of Rory for me."
"Thanks for coming Doctor Gellar. Your patient is doing well this morning."
"I see that. Logan, did you check her stats this morning?"
"I did. Her blood pressure has continued to decline. It is almost back to the normal range."
"Excellent! The medication is doing its job then. I have a heart monitor to hook her up to. It has its own WiFi connection, and will send me Rory's information every hour unless there is an episode where her numbers suddenly go up, and then it will send an emergency alert to my phone."
"What about sending one to me?" Logan asked.
"Yes control freak, I have it set to alert both of us."
"Control freak? Really Paris? You are enjoying this investigation way too much!"
"Eh, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?"
"You suck!"
"You know, I would have a really good comeback for that one, but there are children in the room, and I would really rather not have my kids repeating certain things, so I am just going to let that one go."
"Eh! Finn is here. I'm sure they'll hear a lot worse." Rory told her.
"Finn, if you corrupt my children, your balls will be hanging on my office wall by the end of the day!" Paris threatened.
"Don't cross her Finn, you know that she'll do it!" Collin reminded him.
"Catherine, Bradley, did you say hi to Poppa Mitchum?" Paris asked the children.
"Hi Poppa!" the kids said in unison as Catherine set Rory's present down on the floor, and ran to give Mitchum a hug.
"Hey kids. Are you hungry? Aunty Honor made pancakes, and I think I saw some donuts up on the counter."
"Donuts!" The twins cheered as Mitchum got up from his seat and handed both kids a donut.
"Can I open my present?" Rory asked.
"Go ahead. It's not much. The kids saw it at the store with their nanny yesterday, and Catherine insisted on getting it for you." Paris told her as Logan handed over the bag.
"Honey look! It's a cute baby outfit with Minnie Mouse on it!"
"Catherine is obsessed with Minnie."
"Thank you guys! This dress is absolutely adorable! Ayribella will definitely wear this!" Rory told them.
"You'll probably get a ton of Minnie stuff from her. I don't tend to say no to the kids when they want to do something nice for someone." Paris admitted.
"Well I love it! Thank you guys so much! This was very sweet of you."
"Honor, we got one for you too. They're a matching set." Paris said holding a bag out for Honor.
"For me? Thank you guys!" Honor said as she took the bag and pulled out an adorable Mickey Mouse outfit.
"Rory look! We'll have to get pictures of the babies together wearing these. They're so cute! Thank you Paris! Thank you munchkins! I love this!"
"You are very welcome."
"So Paris, what happened at the hospital yesterday after we left?" Logan asked.
"Before I answer that, I have a question for you."
"I wouldn't." Rory told her, giving Paris a look.
"What's with the pretty boy outfit? You couldn't find a shirt that actually fits?"
"Oh Paris!" Rory sighed.
"Why don't you ask your friend about her thoughts on the subject." Logan answered.
"Well she's clearly pregnant for a reason."
"Alright Paris, you can stop drooling now." Rory told her.
"Can I touch it?" Paris asked, holding a finger up.
"Are you freaking kidding me?! You too?! What is with you women?!" Logan asked, slapping Paris' hand away from him.
"It's as solid as it looks." Rory told her.
"Damn! I never thought that anyone ever actually looked like that! It's like looking at a photo shopped magazine."
"And it's glorious!"
"Can you two please stop ogling me?! Maybe I should go change." Logan said, starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Don't you dare!" Paris and Rory both snapped together, causing all the adults in the room to laugh.
"So anyway! What happened at the hospital?" Logan asked again.
"I completely decimated the little twit that started this whole nightmare. She's currently suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. And once it's proven to be false, she'll be terminated. I've already filed a complaint with the medical board. She'll never work in the state of New York, ever again! I need both of you to file a complaint against her as well."
"Collin, do it!" Logan told him.
"Already taken care of." Collin told them.
"So how much longer until I am no longer suspended?"
"I don't have an answer to that. The hospital board believes that you're innocent. They all know you. But that idiot in Internal Affairs is insisting on going forward with the investigation. She is completely ridiculous! I want to say that I understand that the hospital needs to take these kinds of things seriously, but the accusations are completely unfounded." Paris explained.
"So this is an internal affairs investigation then."
"That is correct. They've pulled your file, and they are digging into your past to see if they can find any indiscretions that prove the abuse allegations."
"They won't find shit."
"Logan! Mouth!" Paris snapped at him.
"Sorry. They won't find diddly squat."
"Children, don't ever repeat the naughty things that Uncle Logan says. That was a very bad word."
"Yes Mommy." the twins repeated in unison.
"Anyway, they're digging up your past and using this investigation as an example of how strict the hospital is about the treatment of patients."
"So basically the entire hospital now knows what is going on. That's just awesome!"
"Oh don't even worry about that. Everyone is completely pissed about it! You are pretty liked around that place, and the entire staff is upset that you are being singled out and treated so unfairly. There have already been several resignation threats made should something happen to you. Everyone is demanding that Patrice be fired, and thinks that you should sue her for filing a false report. They've also started planning you a staff baby shower set for 3 weeks out. Hopefully your suspension will be over by then so you can have contact with everyone again. If not, screw it, we'll just do it anyway!"
"You expect this crap to last for 3 weeks?"
"It's possible. You never know with internal affairs."
"But my record is clean!"
"They're interviewing everyone who has ever worked with you, or taken care of Rory. My entire clinic staff is being interviewed."
"Good lord!" Rory commented.
"Paris, I have a calendar full of patients to see!" Logan told her.
"I know. And I'm working with Doctor Greenley to take care of them for you."
"Wait, you are working in my clinic now?"
"I am tomorrow, yes. Doctor Greenley is scheduled to be in the ER all day, and you have 6 patients scheduled. He didn't want to have to cancel anyone, so I offered to step in. It'll be fine. I can handle it."
"Please be nice to my staff." Rory told her.
"I will be. I am actually making a conscious effort be easier on people lately. I don't need the next IA investigation to be me. That Annie chick is brutal!"
"Well Rory and Honor gave her quite the show yesterday." Collin told her.
"Yeah they did. Annie told Doctor Schultz that she's never met a more entertaining duo in her life. You two had gummy bears and everything."
"Hey, we had to stall her somehow. Honor and I were just being ourselves. We both know better than to actually tell that woman anything, so we just enjoyed ourselves. Plus, it was super entertaining for us knowing that you and Logan were about to storm in and rip her head off. It was actually a little bit disappointing that we didn't get to see it."
"See, as much as I wanted to do that, there were way too many witnesses, and I had to remain professional so that I didn't lose my job. That witch could end my career if she wants to. But trust me, she's got another thing coming if she dares to come after me. Karma will get her for what she is doing to you guys. And I may just know a way to help it along."
"What did you do?" Rory asked.
"I may have gotten Doctor Schultz to agree to watch her like a hawk and to dig into her past and make sure that you aren't the only person that she's tried to make an example of. If she hasn't gone this hard on every investigation, he'll can her for discrimination. That woman doesn't get to pick and choose which cases to go harder on. She has to treat them all exactly the same."
"Nice! Well thank you Paris!" Logan told her.
"So now we just have to fight back, and make sure she doesn't find anything in your past that she can use against you."
"What would she find? I've been in love with my wife for the past almost 13 years now. No one we know will tell her any different."
"What about your sister's bridesmaids?" Paris asked.
"What about them? How would she even find out about that?"
"Definitely not from me, but you never know who's mouth will start running.
"What about your sister's bridesmaids?" Mitchum asked.
"Nothing." Logan told him.
"Logan might have had a thing with a couple of them back in the day when him and Rory were on a break. It was a drunken mistake, a really long time ago." Honor explained as Logan shot her a look.
"I agree with Paris, that you never know who's mouth will run, but I highly doubt that woman would even know who to ask that would even know about that break up. The only people who know about it are in this room, and even Finn isn't stupid enough to bring that up. If she interviews any of us and asks why Rory and Logan broke up, we just refer to when they broke up after Rory's graduation. As far as she knows, that's the only one that ever happened. Rory and Logan both got jobs on opposite sides of the country. They weren't ready to get married 9 years ago. None of us were. And if she asks why, we just tell her that we were all fresh out of college and needed time to figure our lives out. The only one of us who really knew what they wanted out of life, was Paris. You always wanted to be a doctor. I never wanted to take over my dad's business. It was just expected of me. I don't regret taking it over, but it's definitely not what I wanted at 22 years old. All I wanted back then was to get drunk and party irresponsibly. I wasn't ready to be an adult. It took me several years to grow up enough to realize that Stephanie was completely right about me, and that I was being a selfish jerk with the way I was acting. Logan wasn't ready to get married when he asked Rory the first time. He was just afraid of losing her, so he pushed too hard, and ended up losing her anyway."
"Ok, can we please change the subject? This is all getting way too depressing, and Rory really doesn't need the added stress." Logan told them.
"Unfortunately, Collin does have a point. This is all going to be brought up in during the investigation." Paris told them as the doorbell rang.
"That is probably my attorneys. Logan, why don't you take Paris and Collin to my office." Mitchum told him.
"Finn, Josh, let's take the kids to the tv room. I'm sure we can find a fun movie to watch." Honor suggested. "The rest of you guys, have fun with the attorneys."
"I'll meet you guys in Dad's office. I need to talk to Rory." Logan said getting up from his seat, and holding his hand out for his wife.
"Rory, this may be too much for you. You can sit all of this out. No one will fault you." Paris told her.
"No, it's ok. I'll be fine. I'll let you hook up the heart monitor in a few minutes before they get started. Let me just talk to Logan first." Rory said as both Paris and Logan helped her up. "We'll meet you guys in Mitchum's office."
"Are you sure that you're ok?"
"I'm fine. I promise. I've dealt with worse things."
"Let's get you hooked up really quick since everyone else has left the room." Paris told her. "Logan, help me out. You should know how to do this." Paris said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a small pouch. "This is basically a continuous echo cardiogram. You just wear this monitor all day unless you are in the shower, and it will send your numbers right to my phone, so I can monitor how you're doing. I have one for the baby too."
"So I have to wear this all day every day?"
"Every day until you deliver, and probably for a couple weeks after, just so we can make sure that your condition was pregnancy related, and didn't actually cause you to develop a heart condition." Paris told her as she handed the pouch to Logan. "That one is for Rory's heart. I'll take care of hooking the baby up.
"You should teach me how to do that since I'll need to do it after Rory's shower."
"Good point. Do you have a sharpie? I'll mark where to put the leads."
"Probably in a drawer . . ." Logan said as he moved across the kitchen to where his family usually kept writing utensils, while Paris pulled out the equipment she needed to get Rory hooked up.
Would it be easier for you guys if I was sitting down?" Rory asked.
"It doesn't matter to me. We can do whatever is easiest for you. Standing, sitting, laying. It's your choice. Logan can get inside your bra to hook up your monitor. I just need access to Ayribella."
"Ace, why don't we sit you up on this counter, that way we have you up higher and neither of us has to crouch down on the floor Logan told her.
"And how in the world am I supposed to get up there?"
"I am going to pick you up, and put you up there, that's how." Logan said as he set the monitor and a sharpie on the counter. "Put your arms around my neck."
"Logan, I don't want you hurting yourself try to lift me."
"Babe, you've gained less than twenty pounds. You weigh nothing." Logan said as he effortlessly scooped her up into his arms, placing a kiss on her lips, then setting her down on the kitchen island. "I bench more than twice your weight in the gym. I could carry you around all day and not get winded."
"Alright, stop being cute, and let's get you hooked up." Paris told them.
"Do you guys need any help?" Blake asked, coming back into the kitchen.
"We've got it, but you can watch and learn." Paris told him. "Have you ever placed an echo cardio monitor before?"
"I have."
"Excellent! Logan is placing that one, and I'll teach you both how to place the fetal echo."
"No funny business." Rory said looking at Logan as he pulled the monitor and leads out of the case Paris had given him.
"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, when have I ever messed around with anything medical?"
"You forget that I know you."
"Too many witnesses." Logan smiled, giving her another kiss, before he began placing the leads on Rory's chest.
"Alright, so these monitors track right to an app on my phone. And yes Logan, you can get the app too. You'll need your hospital log-in to access it. Give me your phone, and I'll download it." Paris told him.
"Let me know when you need my log-in." Logan said, handing Paris his phone.
"Please, I already have it. You forget who trained you."
"You don't know my password."
"You keep on thinking that. Your wife might know you best, but I'm her best friend. And I've spent more than enough drunken nights studying with you."
"I gave you my password?"
"You didn't have to."
"You guys have all known each other way too long." Blake commented as he watched Logan hook his wife up to the monitor.
"Sixteen years for Rory and I." Paris told him.
"That's longer than most marriages these days."
"Longer than my parents."
"Speaking of your parents. Are you going to take the kids to see your mom while you're down here today."
"If I didn't and she found out, I wouldn't live to see another day."
"Your mom wouldn't kill you."
"She would definitely try. We are having dinner with her tonight. Honor said it would be ok if I brought the kids to hang out here. She said she's happy to watch them while we deal with the drama."
"Paris, you know your kids are always welcome with us. We would never tell you not to bring them."
"Your kids are adorable! Do you mind if I hang out with them while you guys are in your meeting? I love kids!" Blake told her.
"No, that's totally fine. The more the merrier." Paris agreed. "They can never have too many aunts and uncles to love on them. "Alright, Logan, here's your phone. You know how to read an echo, right?"
"Yes Paris." Logan told her.
"Do I need to log in?"
"You are already logged in."
"How?"
"Like Blake said, we've all known each other way too long. Plus, you married your password."
"You suck Paris!"
"Rory, make him change his password. It's too easy."
"It's three letters and six numbers."
"It's your wife's initials and birth date."
"Yeah, you should probably change that." Blake agreed.
"Or at least mix up the order."
"Anyway! Blake, do you know how to read an echo monitor?"
"Mitchum has one."
"So you have this app on your phone then."
"Yes I do."
"Oh excellent! Alright, so if Logan wants to give you access, then he can do that. Let's get Ayribella hooked up." Paris told them as she reached for Rory's shirt, pushing it up over her stomach. "Hey Ayribella! It's Auntie Paris. I'm going to put a monitor on you, so I can make sure that you're doing ok. You just keep being cute in there, and keep kicking away, alright? I can't wait for you to come out, so I can spoil you rotten. Your cousins are super excited to play with you." Paris said, rubbing Rory's stomach, then reached for her stethoscope, and the fetal Doppler that she had brought with her. "Alright, so we are going to use both the stethoscope and the Doppler to find Ayribella's heartbeat. We have six leads to place. Because babies move so much, especially when they are this small, it can be hard to keep continuous monitoring going. This monitor is different than Rory's. The leads on this monitor actually signal each other to provide a more spatial monitoring system. Generally, we place the leads in kind of a circle on the mother's stomach. We want to make sure that we have good planes of coverage, that way when the baby moves, we don't lose her on the monitor. Most nurses, unless you work in my office, don't know how to determine the difference between the baby's heartbeat, the mother's heartbeat, and the pumping placenta. I wouldn't expect either of you to be able to determine the difference.
"I know the difference." Logan told her.
"You do?" Paris asked, surprise evident in her voice.
"I'm a doctor, and my wife is pregnant. Plus, I've worked in the ER for the last 5 years."
"This is true." Paris conceded. "I am going to have you place these leads then. Here's the stethoscope. Go ahead and find Ayribella's heartbeat, and place your first lead. Blake, you can double check his work with the Doppler. Make sure you mark the spot with the sharpie."
"If this is how I need to do it every time, I don't need the sharpie." Logan told her.
"Good point. Alright Mister smarty pants, go ahead and find your daughter's heartbeat and place your lead. As soon as it's placed, it will register on the app on our phones. That was perfect. Now move the stethoscope to the left about 20 degrees, and place your next lead."
"So I just do this all the way around?"
"Pretty much. Just make sure that you can still hear her heartbeat, even if it sounds faint. The leads send signals back and forth to each other, so even with the baby moving, one of them should be in perfect range of Ayribella's heart at all times."
"This is actually pretty cool. Hi baby. Daddy's got you." Logan smiled as Ayribella kicked his hand. "I love you so much, Princess."
"She loves when you are nearby." Rory smiled.
"Babies can tell who is nearby by your voice, and also by your touch. When you touch Rory's stomach, it blocks out a certain amount of light. Your hand is obviously bigger than Rory's, so Ayribella knows that when a certain amount of light dims, Daddy is touching her."
"That is fascinating." Blake commented.
"Have you guys tried the flashlight trick yet?"
"What flashlight trick?" Rory asked.
"You shine a flashlight on your stomach, and Ayribella will move to follow it. You can literally have her flipping around in circles. It's pretty entertaining to do, especially with twins. They fight to get to the light. Toward the end of your pregnancy, you can watch a big blob in your stomach move. It's kind of freaky to watch. The whole baby will flip around. Or you'll see them stretch. Mine liked to shove their foot into my side to make it stick out and look weird."
"I remember that." Rory chuckled. "It looked like you had a tumor or something popping out."
"It was crazy to watch."
"Alright, leads are all on."
"I hate to say it Huntzberger, but I'm actually very impressed! If you got some additional training, I may allow you to work in my office someday."
"Yeah, I don't know about that." Logan told her. "Daddy has you all hooked up to the monitor Sweet Girl. We are going to make sure that you're ok. You and Mommy are the two most important people in my life, and I love you so so much." He smiled, rubbing a circle on Rory's stomach, then placed a kiss in the middle before replacing Rory's shirt.
"Alright, so now we just watch the monitors. The fetal monitor detects not just Ayribella's heartbeat, but also every kick and movement that she makes. It also tells us the rate of the placenta's pump, and level of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. If you start leaking fluid, I'll be able to tell."
"Which numbers are which?" Logan asked.
"The top line is Ayribella's heart rate. The second one is just showing that she's moving well. That line won't fluctuate much. The third one you will see X's when she kicks. The higher up the chart it goes, the more powerful the kick was. You will see them get more powerful as the pregnancy progresses. The bottom line should just remain steady. If it begins to dip it means that there is fluid leaking. Toward the end of the pregnancy, a little bit of leaking is normal. But if it's too much, we'll be forced to do an emergency delivery."
"So what numbers are we watching for that signal a problem?"
"The monitor is set to automatically alert us. If the baby stops moving for too long of a period, the monitor will start beeping, and an alarm will go off on your phone. You can usually just push on the baby to get her moving again, and then everything will be fine. If for whatever reason the baby doesn't start moving within 5-10 minutes, I want you in my office for an ultrasound."
"Or in my office, right?"
"If you are at HPG, that is fine, but I'll still probably need you in my office, unless I am able to come to you. If the baby's heart rate slows too much, an alarm will go off. Whenever an alarm goes off, open the app, and it will tell you exactly what is going on. As soon as you open it, it will have a red bar flashing on the screen with a message telling what you what is wrong. If it says fetal heart, you call 911 and get to the ER immediately. If the placenta begins to rupture, the pump rate will either slow down or increase depending on the type of rupture. If the monitor says O2, you dial 911. Do not move, or allow Rory to move unless the paramedics are assisting you. Any movement can cause the rupture to expedite. If you are standing or walking, you immediately lie down."
"So basically, if the alarm goes off, and it's the baby, we call 911?" Logan asked.
"That is correct. Unless it's the baby's movement, and then you just push on her. The alarm should immediately stop as soon as the baby begins moving again. If it continues for several minutes, you can silence the alarm, and get to my office as quickly as you can. There is a silence button that you will see on the app any time an alarm sounds. You will never have to suffer through an alarm until you can get to the hospital. You will be able to turn it off with the app."
"What if I'm not with Rory when it happens?"
"Same plan as always. Unless it's the baby's movement, you call 911. If it's Rory's monitor, it means that her heart rate is too high, and it needs to be lowered. Just remember, any monkey business that you two get up to, I'll be able to see. I know you two, and I know your habits. Rory's heart rate needs to remain in the resting range. I don't want to see it elevated higher than walking up and down the stairs. I'll allow Rory out of bed only because I know you, and I know that you will make sure she's not doing anything strenuous. You can walk from your car to the office, slowly. No rushing. I prefer that you work at home though. This alarm will go off, and it will alert me if Rory's heart rate climbs too high. If the numbers change more than twenty beats per minute, I will know about it. Heck, I'll know about it anyway, but the alarm will go off on my phone when it goes by twenty beats of where her resting rate is. The monitor will determine what is normal for you, based on your behaviors, and once you go twenty above, there will be an alarm. It usually takes it about 24 hours to get your average set."
"So I have to wear this 24 hours a day?" Rory asked.
"That is correct. And don't think that you can take it off to have sex, because I'll be able to tell. Most people think that they can just disconnect the monitor, but they forget about the baby monitor, thinking that it won't tell me anything. WRONG! I'll know immediately!"
"Please, I'm not that stupid." Logan told her.
"Oh, I know that you aren't. I actually expect all kinds of tricks out of you. But just know, if this monitor is disconnected for more than a certain amount of time, I'll know about it, and I'll be letting myself into your house to smash your knees up."
"So no longer than how long it takes for Rory to shower. Got it."
"Rory, if you want to take a bath to help you relax. Call me, or shoot me a text. Please don't make me come after you guys. We're close, but I don't want to be involved in your sex life, ok? So please Logan, keep it in your pants."
"You realize how completely unfair you are being, right?"
"You'll survive! Once you have that little baby girl in your arms, you'll realize just how worth the wait was. And don't even think for a second that you can hide your habits by suddenly taking 5-10 showers a day. No one showers that much!"
"I've showered that much!" Logan protested. "I shower every time I leave the hospital, just to make sure I don't go transporting germs in my car. If I take a break to go get lunch, I shower. Then I shower again when I leave to go home. If I'm working in the ER, any time I have to leave the building, I shower. I keep 5 sets of clothing in my locker at all times."
"Ok, well Rory doesn't shower that much. I know Rory. I lived with her for several years. Don't try to hide from me Huntzberger. I know how to find you, and I'm not afraid to hang your balls on my wall."
"Whatever you say Paris." Logan said, rolling his eyes as his friend.
"I'm not kidding Logan. I will cut them off."