Hope for All-chapter 45
The family was up early the next morning to make sure Samantha was ready to go when Bonnie's family picked her up. Tony made them all a big breakfast and packed her snacks for the car ride.
"Alright Samantha… remember to listen to Bonnie's parents, keep to your curfew, no boys allowed alone with you without supervision…" said Tony as both Samantha and Angela rolled their eyes.
"Yes Dad… basically no fun for two weeks… got it…" she said sarcastically.
"Have fun sweetheart and enjoy yourself!" said Angela as she wrapped her in a hug.
"I will Angela. Take it easy okay? Remember if you need me to come back, I will. Okay listen up you two… this is your big sister Samantha. Don't even think about coming early while I'm away! I want to be here when you both make your appearance so stay put for the next few weeks!" said Samantha as she placed her hands on Angela's stomach, feeling them move. Just then, a car honked from outside.
"Alright that's Bonnie! I love you Angela! I love you Dad!" she said as she gave them one last hug, grabbed her luggage and headed out the door.
"We love you too!" they both said as they as they watched her from the doorway. Once they pulled away, Tony and Angela walked back into the living room and sat down together on the sofa.
"So what would you like to do with our new found aloneness?" asked Tony as he held onto her hand, rubbing gentle circles over her knuckles.
"Well the second thing I'd like to do…" she chuckled.
"Oh Angela… if we could right now, that's all we'd be doing for the next two weeks… trust me… I'm sick and tired of cold showers!" he laughed.
"Well since that's off the table indefinitely, I'd like to finish up the nursery- the curtains need to be hung up, the clothes all put away and everything organized. By the end of the month, if they still aren't here, we should wash all their clothes. I read that they recommend doing that now. We also need to probably look at packing each of us a bag for the hospital" she said.
"We also have the childbirth video to watch and pamphlets to read from the last class we missed. It was so nice of Rose to bring us all the information" said Tony.
"Yes it was! I hope Mary and her baby are doing well…" she said.
"Yes me too… maybe if I see her sister Kathleen around campus, I'll ask her" said Tony.
"Do me a favor… don't. I don't know why, but something about her rubs me the wrong way" said Angela.
"Really? I thought she was really nice… but I'll avoid her if you want" he said as he saw the serious look on her face.
"Alright… how about we start on the nursery. While I still have some energy!" said Angela as Tony helped her up and then up the stairs.
"Alright let's divide and conquer! You sit on the chair over there and start folding clothes. I'll start putting away the other stuff in the drawers and closet" said Tony.
"Can you believe they will fit into these outfits? They are so small! How much did Samantha weigh when she was born?" she asked as she started folding the clothes.
"She was a chunky little one! Eight almost nine pounds! Nineteen inches! How about Jonathan?" asked Tony.
"He was also a little chubby one! He was nine pounds exactly and twenty inches! He kept that baby chub until his second birthday… since then, he's been a skinny little one!" she laughed.
"It's amazing how tiny they are in the beginning and how quickly they grow! You know the one thing we didn't get Angela? Bathtubs! I saw some at the store we can look at when we go back this week. I remember putting Samantha in the kitchen sink! Boy have times changed!" laughed Tony.
"We should make another list of anything else we can think of that we still need. I want to buy outfits for them to come home in as well as some boys and girls clothing since all we got was gender neutral stuff. Not too much though… I have a feeling this little girl will take after her big sister and be a tom boy for a while!" she said.
"With all the kicking she does, I think so! Alright I think I'm done with this stuff… how's it going with you Angela?" asked Tony.
"Almost done! Just need to put the rest of the clothes in the drawer" she said. They spent the next hour or so finishing up the final touches on the nursery, stepping back into the doorway once they finished to admire their work.
"It's beautiful Tony! I love it so much!" she said through tears of happiness.
"All it's missing is these two little ones! Pretty soon you will get to see your room for yourselves! Only seven more weeks!" he said as he rubbed her stomach.
"I can't wait!" she said as she turned around in his arms and kissed him gently on the lips.
The next few days went by relatively peacefully. They managed to get into a routine with Angela working in the morning and resting in the afternoon. Tony headed over to Ridgemont to register for his fall classes. He was able to get the two classes he needed and headed home. When he got home, he stopped in the backyard and saw that their pink rose bush was blooming. He cut off the four or five blooms and took them inside, finding a vase for them. He smiled as he remembered going to buy the rose bush so many months ago and being so very thankful things had changed for the better.
On Thursday morning, they decided to go back to the baby store for the remainder of the baby items. By the time they were through the store, their cart was filled to the top with more diapers, bathing stuff, boys and girls outfits and other items for the babies.
"Look at this Angela! They have baby carriers for twins Angela! I can carry them both while doing my chores!" said Tony as he picked up the box and put it in the overflowing shopping cart.
"That will be absolutely adorable! When I finish maternity leave and start working a bit from home, that will definitely come in handy!" she said.
"Okay let's check out before we go broke!" laughed Tony. They paid for all the stuff and headed back out to the car. They headed back home and unloaded the stuff into the house before spending the rest of the day lounging around the house. The next day, they headed out to her doctor's appointment. Tony helped her into a seat in the waiting room until they were called back.
"Hi Angela! How are you feeling?" asked the nurse as she took her vitals.
"Pretty good actually! I'm hoping this cast can come off in a week or two. It's hard enough getting around at almost thirty three weeks pregnant but with only one working hand, it's nearly impossible!" she said.
"I can imagine! Well everything looks good!" The doctor will be in shortly for your exam" said the nurse.
"Good morning everyone! How are you doing Angela?" asked the doctor.
"I'm good thank you!" said Angela.
"Alright let's hear some heartbeats shall we?" said the doctor. Soon Baby A, followed by Baby B's heartbeats could be heard on the monitor.
"All looks good here! Nice and strong heartbeats, both in the normal range! Everything is looking and measuring right on track. Okay let's talk more in the office" said the doctor. Tony helped her down off the exam table and they headed into his office.
"Well you are almost thirty three weeks- almost there! I'd like to repeat the stress test in two weeks, just to make sure they are doing okay and will do okay during labor. If everything comes back okay by then, I will say you can go back to normal activities but still no working in the city. After thirty six weeks, as long as the babies and you are doing well, we will let you go as close as possible to your due date. There is a chance if something happens that we would look to induce you earlier but hopefully that wouldn't be the case" said the doctor.
"Everything looks alright though right? I am going for a few hours tomorrow to our son's camp and I will be away from Angela. Is that still okay? Should I cancel?" asked Tony in a very worried tone of voice.
"Everything is fine Tony! Go and have fun! This is all precautionary things we are discussing. There's just as much chance these babies are born on their due date with no interventions!" said the doctor.
"A little early wouldn't be the worst thing in the world…" said Angela as she tried to get comfortable in the chair.
"Alright I will see you back in a week!" he said as they headed out the door and to the car. Tony helped her into the car and got into the driver's seat.
"I don't think you should be alone tomorrow Angela. I'm only two hours away but I'd feel more comfortable if someone was here with you. Maybe we can call Mrs. Rossini" said Tony.
"How about I call Wendy? I'm sure she'd be good to come over for a few hours… any excuse to get out of her house!" laughed Angela.
"Alright then it's settled! Call Wendy and have her come over. Maybe Isabelle too… ya know since she's a doctor…" said Tony.
"Okay I'll call them both. I'll be fine Tony! The doctor told you to go. Jonathan is looking forward to you and Mother coming to visit. It will be okay!" said Angela. They arrived home and spent the rest of the day relaxing after confirming Wendy would be able to keep Angela company.
The next morning, Tony and Mona were up early getting ready to go. They had packed him a care package that Tony was finishing putting together when Angela came downstairs.
"Do you have everything Tony? The clothes, books and food?" she asked.
"Check, check and check!" said Tony.
"Okay good. I wish I was going too. I miss him so much!" said Angela through tears. Tony came over and wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her as Mona came in through the kitchen door.
"What's causing the waterworks this time?" asked Mona sarcastically.
"Mona! She misses Jonathan that's all! Show a little compassion!" shouted Tony.
"Alright, alright! You know you're no fun since you two got together… what, did your lack of personalities and sense of humor merge after saying I do?" laughed Mona.
"I'll have you know…" started Tony until Angela cut him off.
"Okay I think that's your cue to head out! It's a long ride if all you two are going to do is bicker! I'd like you both to return in one piece please! Tony I love you and I am going to miss you so much! Please give Jonathan a big hug for me and let him know that we are all doing great! Mother… behave yourself…" said Angela as Mona rolled her eyes.
"I will sweetheart. I'll call as soon as I get up there and we won't stay too long. I want to be back by late afternoon if possible. Now Wendy should be here soon. I gave her strict instructions to not do too much and let you try and rest. Okay little ones… Daddy is going with Grandma to visit your big brother Jonathan! Don't even think about making an appearance while I'm away! I love you both!" he said as he knelt down and kissed her stomach. They hugged each other one more time as Tony and Mona headed out the door.
In true Wendy form, she showed up four hours after they left, allowing Angela to take a nap on the sofa. Tony called letting her know they arrived safely and would be seeing Jonathan soon. Wendy ordered them lunch and set it up in the living room.
"So Wendy… what has been going on in your life? You can basically guess what's new in mine!" laughed Angela.
"Oh you know… same old, same old… Herb's away at yet another dentist convention. It's the third one this year! Part of me really isn't complaining but the other part is definitely complaining when I'm the only one dealing with the kids and the house!" said Wendy.
"Three conferences in one year does seem like a lot…" said Angela.
"That's what I thought… I mean if I didn't know any better I'd think he was having an affair!" laughed Wendy. While Wendy kept laughing, Angela remained quiet and serious.
"What? C'mon that's funny! My Herb having an affair! The man is as boring as they come!" laughed Wendy.
"Yes of course Wendy! That's absurd! He's madly in love with you! He's just had a busy work schedule with… dental conferences…" said Angela.
"Yes… oh my god… he's having an affair! Who goes to three dental conferences in a lifetime let alone in six months? Oh my god! I'm going to kill him!" she shouted in a panicked voice.
"Wendy calm down! You don't know anything! There's probably a very reasonable explanation and you need to go and talk to Herb to find out what it is…" said Angela.
"Yes I'm sure it will be a very reasonable explanation! A very reasonable, perky, blonde, twenty two year old explanation! I'm going to kill him!" shouted Wendy as she stood up and headed to the door.
"Wendy wait! Don't do anything rash!" she shouted as Wendy grabbed her purse and opened the front door. Two detectives were standing at the front door, ready to ring the doorbell when Wendy opened the door.
"Oh good officers! I'd like to report a crime in progress! I'm going to kill my cheating, no good husband!" said Wendy as she pushed past the officers and headed to her car.
"Please ignore my friend! She's just blowing off steam. It's good to see you again detectives. Please come in" said Angela.
"Thank you. Is this a good time to talk? We've got some additional questions and information to gather about the incident" asked Detective Green.
"Yes of course… whatever you need. Is he still in jail?" asked Angela.
"Yes he was denied bail. He has quite a rap sheet with multiple priors. We are seeking charges of robbery and assault, hoping he gets at least ten to fifteen years" said Detective Stewart. They spent the next hour getting more information from Angela. As the detectives were finishing up, the front door swung open loudly, hitting the coat rack.
"Angela! Are you alright? We pulled up and there was a police car out front! Is it time? Are the babies coming? Where's Wendy?" shouted Tony.
"Tony calm down! I'm fine! The detectives came back for follow up questions to the incident, that's all" said Angela as Tony ran over to her side.
"Thank you for all your help. We will be in touch again once we know more about the trial" said Detective Green as they left the house, passing Mona on the way out.
"Good afternoon gentlemen…" said Mona as she winked at Tony and Angela and followed the detectives back outside.
"You sure you are alright? My heart was in my throat from the moment I saw the car" he said as he rubbed her stomach.
"I know sweetheart but we are all okay! The guy they caught was denied bail. They are hoping he's convicted and gets ten to fifteen years for what happened…" she said.
"Good! He deserves that and more for what he did! So where is Wendy? She didn't bail on you did she?" asked Tony.
"No, not exactly… but boy do I have a story for you!" she said.