Thank you all so much for continuing to read and review! It means so much to know that you're still with me and enjoying the story!
And lots of thanks to anhanninen for prereading and to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters.
Carlisle POV
On the way home from the hospital, Esme and I stopped at Kate and Garrett's house to pick up the kids. They were all happy to see us, especially Pumpkin. He was ready for some time with his mommy, so while Esme nursed him, I filled Kate and Garrett in on everything we knew so far.
Overall, I thought the day went well. Dr. Gerandy's diagnosis was worrisome, but at least there were ways to treat it. How anyone could not bond or love their child was beyond my comprehension, but it was the Brandons' loss and our gain. Alice would never lack for love or affection with us.
I was ready for this evening and my own turn of kangaroo care with Alice. It reminded me of when Pumpkin was born and stayed for hours on Esme's chest. Even now, it was his favorite way to sleep, chest to chest with one of us. Watching Esme today, I could tell that the time between her and Alice was just as special, and I wanted to experience it.
But first, we had dinner to take care of as well as getting the kids ready to meet their new sister.
Before leaving my cousin's house, we made sure to show them the pictures we'd taken on our phones. Little Alice succeeded in capturing two more hearts, and we had to promise that they could meet her soon. No, Alice definitely would never lack love in our family.
During the drive home, the kids alternated between asking questions about Alice and telling us about their trip to the park. Thankful that they continued to take everything in stride, Esme and I did our best to answer every one of their questions and listen intently.
Once we were home, we unloaded the kids and herded them inside. Esme headed to start packing a bag for her and Alice, and I threw the kids into the bathtub. I figured they should at least be clean for the hospital visit.
They splashed around, drenching me in the process, but I just laughed. I had to change clothes anyway.
"Daddy, you all wet!" Rosalie exclaimed, giggling as she pointed to me. "How'd you do that?"
"How did I do it?" I reached into the tub and grabbed some bubbles, placing them on her nose. "I think it has something to do with you, sweetheart. And maybe your brothers, too."
She giggled again, spinning in the water. "Yeah, but bubble bathin' is fun! Then it's time for jammies and bed!"
I shook my head. "We're doing something different today, baby. After we all get dried off and changed, we're going to dinner and then to see Alice."
"Oh!" she gasped, moving back over to the edge of the tub. "Daddy, we're going to see my girl sister Alice? Like now?"
"We sure are."
Turning toward the boys on the other side of the tub, she threw some bubbles. "Em! J! We're goin' to see Alice! We needs to get out right now."
Emmett shrugged, half-heartedly throwing some bubbles back. "Rosie, keep your bubbles. We's playing now."
Jasper nodded. "Yeah. The battleship boats need us, Rosie. We get out later."
Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to me as she pouted. "Daddy, they won't get out. But I wanna go!"
"We'll still go," I promised. "Let's get you cleaned up, and you can go find Mommy to help you find something to wear while I get the boys out, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy," she said, reaching out to put her hands on my face. She pulled me in for a big kiss, splashing more water on me in the process. "Ooops," she giggled. "You can be all clean too!"
"Mmhmm. But let's focus on you for now."
I washed Rosalie's hair and helped her with the rest of her body. Once she was finished, I pulled her out of the tub, wrapping her in a towel and sending her off to find Esme. The boys were still engrossed in their battleship game, but after waiting a few minutes, I ended their fun. They weren't very happy with me but cooperated enough to make my job easy.
With everyone out of the tub, I took a few minutes for myself in the bathroom, showering and dressing in dry clothes. Esme was waiting for me when I finished, greeting me with a kiss and passing Pumpkin to me.
"Rosalie is dressed and downstairs, and the boys are in their room," she informed me. "They're supposed to be putting their clothes on, but I'm not sure how that's going."
I smirked. "What me to check on the rascals?"
She nodded. "Please. And Pumpkin is dressed and ready, or was ready anyway. He left you a nice present in his diaper."
"Pumpkin, did you do that to Daddy?" I narrowed my eyes at him but he just grinned. "You're proud of it, huh? Well, all right. We'll get that taken care of." Turning back to Esme, I asked, "Anything else, sweetheart? I'm pretty much ready to go."
She thought for a few seconds and shook her head. "No, I think we're good. I got bags packed while they were in the tub, and now I just need to change. I'll meet you downstairs."
As she headed into the bathroom, I carried Pumpkin to his room. I figured the boys could manage themselves long enough for me to get this taken care of. Pumpkin wasn't known for his patience when it came to dirty diapers.
"Why didn't you give this one to Mommy, huh?" I asked as I laid him on the changing table. "Why Daddy?"
"Eeeey, Dada," he said, waving at me.
"Hey, buddy." I chuckled, tickling his belly with one hand as I grabbed a clean diaper out of the bin with the other one.
"Dada, uhhhp. Moohh." He brought his hands up, putting his finger tips together a few times before placing one hand against his mouth.
"More eat?" I asked, trying to translate his signs. "Are you ready to eat dinner?"
Clapping his hands for me, he grinned again, this time with a giggle.
"We'll eat soon," I assured him. "Good job." I held my hand out for a high-five, and he met my hand with his. "Now, let's get you cleaned up."
Passing him one of his stuffed animals, I set to work unsnapping his shorts. Pumpkin wasn't a fan of having his diaper changed lately, and I counted on the distraction to work. Thankfully, it did, and he was happy enough to talk to his stuff puppy long enough for me to have him smelling nice again.
After throwing the trash away and fixing his shorts, I placed him on the floor, letting him walk behind me as I went to check on the boys.
Instead of putting their clothes on, Emmett and Jasper were spending their time running around their room in just their superhero underwear. When Edward toddled into the room, he squealed and went to join them.
"Be careful," I warned them, watching with an amused smile. They included their brother right away, slowing down to let him run beside them.
"We're superheros, Pumpkin," Emmett told him. "We save the world, and you can be the sidekick. Watch out for bad guys."
The "bad guys" were strategically placed stuff animals and, as I learned from my observations, the goal of this game was to avoid the bad guys or kick them over.
I felt Esme come up behind me, placing her arms around my waist. And though I wasn't doing what I was supposed to, I didn't worry about potential chastisement. Being able to watch them in action was special to me, especially when they included Edward.
It was even more special now. To know we'd been successful with bringing Rosalie and Jasper into the family and then having Edward without anyone suffering ill effects made our next challenge seem possible. Alice could be added to this crazy bunch. She would be added and accepted. If any family could do it, ours could.
"I know they're cute," Esme whispered, kissing my shoulder. "But we really do need to go now."
"Give me ten minutes, and we'll be down stairs." I reached back, pulling her around to my front as she laughed. "I love you," I said softly.
She sobered, smiling as she kissed me. "I love you, too." I released her, and she started to leave the room but quickly turned back. "Oh, and I think I'll call Charlotte real quick. Let her and Peter know what's going on."
I laughed, making her look at me questioningly. "Sweetheart, there won't be anything quick about that conversation." Sighing, she rolled her eyes, trying to frown at me. "You can't deny it. And you can't not smile either."
She finally stopped trying to control her expression, and her smile came back full-force. "Fine. You're right about both. But seriously. We want Peter to come check on Alice soon, right?"
"That's what I was thinking," I agreed. "Alice will probably still see Dr. Gerandy – at least for a while, but Peter will probably be glad to work with him. We'll work it out."
She nodded. "Okay. I'll let them know. Come on, Pumpkin. Come downstairs with Mommy."
He toddled after her, leaving me with the superheros. I proposed that their next mission be to put their clothes on which somehow worked. They were both dressed within minutes and then ran down the stairs without me, declaring me the next bad guy.
Playing along, I quietly followed them downstairs, sneaking up on them as they played behind the couch. They squealed but jumped into my arms. With the game forgotten, I quickly carried them out to the van before more distractions hit us. They buckled themselves in as I went back to get Rosalie and Edward.
Soon, we were all in the van, Esme still talking to Charlotte as I knew she would be. The conversations ended before we could get to our chosen restaurant, and Peter and Charlotte were both ready to meet Alice within the next couple of days.
Having so many people stand behind us provided much relief. We were blessed to have friends and family whose support and love never waved.
Our dinner was quick, and honestly, I wasn't sure if the food was good or not. There was too much excitement and anticipation. The kids felt it too, and though they were usually well behaved and quiet when we went out, tonight they could barely sit still. But Esme and I couldn't scold them too harshly when we felt the same way.
As soon as everyone had eaten their fill of the unmemorable food, we headed to the hospital.
"Okay, guys. This is a hospital," Esme reminded them as I found a parking spot in the deck. "It's like where Daddy used to work. We have to be really quiet and not run around. Understand?"
They all agreed, minus Pumpkin who was passed out in his car seat. He was no match for the soothing power of a car ride.
I unbuckled him from his seat, setting him against my shoulder as Esme helped the other three out. Jasper ran over to me, lifting his arms to be carried. Hospitals still weren't his favorite places, so he took his spot on my other side.
After Esme took Rosalie and Emmett's hands, we headed inside. The kids remembered what Esme had said, staying quiet and calm as we walked through the lobby. Once on the elevator, Emmett pushed the button for us, and a few second later we were on the fourth floor.
Not knowing whether Alice was in her new room yet, we started to walk toward the room she'd been in, but a cry stopped us. It was a pitiful cry, miserable even, and definitely not one I'd ever heard any of our kids make.
Esme looked to me, eyes wide. "Alice?"
Before I could answer, she knocked on the closed door we were stopped in front of. Once given permission, she opened the door and peeked in. I stepped up closer so I could see, and knew right away that she had been right. This was Alice's new room, and she was clearly unhappy.
"Sorry if we're disturbing you," the nurse said with an apologetic smile. "I'm not sure what's wrong, but she doesn't seem to want to stop crying." She rubbed Alice's stomach, but it did nothing to calm her.
Esme looked down at Rosalie and Emmett. "Can you stand with Daddy real quick?"
"Mommy," Rosalie whispered. "Is that Alice? Why she so sad?"
"I'm not sure yet, baby, but we'll see if we can make her feel better."
I stepped into the room and moved over to the side. Jasper tightened his grip on my neck, and Rosalie and Emmett followed me, holding on to my leg. They were all obviously worried. And since I was too, there wasn't anything I could say to calm any of us.
Esme walked over to the crib, surprising the nurse when she carefully picked Alice up and settled her against the center of her chest. "What's the matter, baby girl? What's got you so sad, huh? You're okay."
Alice didn't stop crying right away. It looked more like she was fighting against Esme – as much as a tiny thing like her could fight. But as Esme talked softly to her, she gradually settled and her cries grew softer, turning into whimpers.
"That's it," Esme encouraged. "Listen to Mommy's heart. You're okay." She swayed slowly back and forth and kissed Alice's head. "We don't need to be sad now. Mommy will be with you all night." Looking up, she smiled at the nurse who was watching with wide-eyes. "Do you think maybe we could get a pacifier for her? I didn't think to bring one, but I don't think it could hurt to try."
"Um...s…sure," the nurse stuttered. "I'll uh…be right back." She left the room, looking back toward the door as she quickly walked to the nurses' station.
"I think you shocked her, sweetheart," I said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, Mommy," Emmett agreed. "She's scared of you because you made Baby Alice be quiet."
Esme shook her head, smiling. "I couldn't just stand back and let her cry. Sometimes babies just need a mommy to hold them."
As she stepped back to sit in the rocking chair off to one side of the crib, I took a moment to look around this new room. It looked to be the size of a double room but instead of having another bed, there were two reclining chairs along with the usual couch. It seemed perfect for us with enough room to move around if we wanted to have the kids here for an extended period of time.
And this room had a door. Privacy was limited in a hospital, but at least we would have a little more than before.
Emmett seemed to have relaxed now that Alice wasn't crying and the nurse had left, so I gave him permission to explore as long as he didn't touch anything. Rosalie and Jasper, though, were still uneasy, so I led us over to the couch. Placing Jasper beside me, I helped Rosalie climb into my lap before holding both of them close.
As much as I wanted to be right in front of Esme, helping to soothe Alice, these little guys needed me for the moment. I was impressed that we'd been in the hospital this long without any major panic, but I didn't feel like pressing our luck.
"Daddy?" Jasper whispered, looking up at me. "Can I see baby Alice now?"
I glanced at Esme, and seeing her nod, looked back to Jasper. "Sure, buddy. You can all go see her. Just be really quiet and listen to Mommy, okay?"
He nodded, as did Rosalie, and they slid to the floor together. Taking each other's hand, they cautiously crossed the room and went to stand with Esme. Emmett joined them, and once they were all together, Esme introduced them to their new little sister.
But before they could really get acquainted, there was a knock on the half-closed door that sent Rosalie and Jasper running back to me.
"Knock, knock." We recognized this voice, and both Esme and I smiled as Lauren entered the room. She grinned, laughing at the site in front of her. "Well, I can see how you scared Cindy."
"Did we scare her?" Esme asked, frowning slightly. "We didn't mean to. We were going to check in to let you know we brought the kids, but I just couldn't let Alice cry."
Lauren shook her head. "Oh, no, no. You are not in the wrong at all," she assured her. "I think everyone is still used to Miss Alice resisting any kind of comfort. That was more of the shocker than your family. But it's no problem, and I'll be Alice's nurse for the rest of the evening."
I sighed and relaxed against the couch, relieved that we would have our favorite nurse.
"Now, I have a few things to go over," she continued," but then I'd love to meet the rest of the family. First, I put a sign on the door to designate that you breastfeed just to give you a bit of privacy. Everyone will knock and wait for permission before entering when you have the door closed. And, here's the pacifier you requested. We've tried it once or twice with no luck, but I don't doubt that you'll be able to work your magic."
"Thank you," Esme said, smiling as she took the blue pacifier from Lauren's hand. "I figured anything is worth a try."
"Of course it is," she agreed. "Honestly, today has been nothing short of incredible – the way she's been with you has just blown our minds in the best way."
"Ours too," I said. "We'd just planned to try to start forming a bond, but it seems Alice had other plans."
"We'll I say just keep doing what you're doing. And that brings us to the next thing. I'll have your wrist bands ready in a few minutes. The parent bands are green, and you can use them for free parking. The kids' bands will be orange, and those will allow them to be in the room whenever you'd like. The only thing I'll ask is to give us a count of how many are here at each change of shift, just for safety reasons."
Esme and I both agreed to that stipulation. Really, we'd probably be willing to do just about anything to let us be together here as a family. Giving a head count was not a big deal at all.
"Excellent. I think that's all for now, so I'd love to meet everyone." Lauren knelt down, waving to Emmett who was still standing halfway behind the rocking chair. "Hi! My name is Lauren. What's yours?"
Emmett smiled and stepped out, offering his hand to Lauren. "I'm Emmett. You're pretty."
Lauren threw her head back and laughed while taking Emmett's hand in her own, shaking it. "It's very nice to meet you Emmett. And I think you're very handsome, too."
Emmett's smile grew, and Esme and I just rolled our eyes. School had only made Emmett's flirting worse. All of the little girls loved him, as did their moms. We thought we were right in teaching all the kids manners, but he took it to the next level. We would have our hands full in a few years thanks to his dimpled grin and charm.
"So, Emmett," Lauren continued after composing herself. "Can you introduce me to your brothers and sister? I'd love to meet them."
"Um…yeah!" Emmett nodded, taking Lauren's hand again as he dragged her toward the couch. "This is Rosie and Jasper and Pumpkin."
She waved again. "Hi, guys. Do I need to guess who is who?"
"Go for it," I encouraged, hoping the short game would alleviate some of the shyness. Rosalie and Jasper had been glued to my legs since she walked in the room and definitely weren't going to make the first move.
"Hmm…well, I think you're…Jasper." She pointed to Jasper, and he nodded with a giggle. "Oh, awesome! Nice to meet you Jasper. And…I think this is…Rosie!"
"Rosalie," she corrected in a whisper.
"What was that, sweetheart?"
"Rosalie," she said again, this time slightly louder. "I'm Rosalie. Em and J say Rosie and Pumpkin says Leelee and Charlotte says Rose."
I glanced up at Esme, and based on her raised eyebrows, I could tell she was as shocked as I was. Rosalie wasn't one to volunteer information to someone she didn't know, but it seemed this was an exception.
"Wow," Lauren said, nodding appreciatively. "That's a lot of names. What would you like me to call you?"
Rosalie shrugged, turning shy again as she hid her head on the couch beside my lap.
"Rose is fine," I answered for her. "And I think you've almost won the game."
"Yeah, you doing good!" Emmett cheered. "Alls you gots left is Pumpkin."
"Well, I'm going to guess that Pumpkin is the one snoozing away," she chuckled, rising from her crouched position. "I'll just have to meet him officially later. And speaking of later, I'll be back with your wrist bands in just a minute, but after that, I'll be leaving you alone for a couple of hours. Need anything before that?"
"When was the last time Alice ate?" Esme asked. "I never did find out the schedule."
Lauren looked at her watch. "It was about an hour ago, and she'll eat again in two hours. But if you do the kangaroo care before then and she wants to eat, I say let her."
Esme smiled, nodding. "Perfect. That's what I was hoping."
After assuring Lauren that we didn't need anything else, she left the room, returning minutes later as promised with our wrist bands. We helped her put them on the kids, making them tight enough to not fall off but loose enough to be comfortable. There was no way to know how long Alice would be inpatient, but the hope was that these bracelets would last through the stay. I wasn't holding my breath for that with so many little ones in the mix.
Once we were finally alone, Emmett skipped back over to Esme and tried to get a good look at Alice. Carefully laying Pumpkin down on the couch, I followed him with Jasper and Rosalie. I knew Rose definitely wanted a chance to see her new sister.
"What do you think, guys?" Esme asked softly as we gathered around the rocking chair. "Alice is little, huh?"
"Mommy, she so little bitty," Rosalie said, as if in awe. "Can I hold her?"
"Me too?" Jasper asked hesitantly.
"In a few minutes, you can all take turns holding her," Esme proposed. "But just for a few minutes today, okay? She needs to sleep as much as she can."
The three of them continued to ask questions while gently exploring, rubbing her arms and holding her hands. Most of their questions were the same ones we had asked, wanting to know why Alice was so little and why she was in the hospital. We explained the best that we could, being as honest as possible without scaring them. The tube in Alice's nose was enough to make them wary, but after assuring them that it didn't hurt her, they were a bit more relaxed.
When we were sure that Alice had completely calmed from her earlier bout of crying, Esme and I helped each of the kids hold Alice. They were all very gentle and careful not to hurt her, impressing us greatly. Though we knew this didn't mean adding Alice to our family would be completely without issue, seeing the kids happy for the moment meant a lot. Our decision didn't seem as rash or sudden as we watched Jasper smile while holding Alice, Emmett kissing his new sister's head, and Rosalie refusing to let her go. This was right.
Alice didn't seem to mind being passed around for the most part. She stayed awake, not making eye contact with anyone, but not fighting either. But after awhile, she started to get restless.
"Okay, you guys," I said as I led them over to the two reclining chairs. "Alice is going to take a nap, so you can watch some cartoons. How does that sound?"
"I like that, Daddy," Rosalie assured me, patting my hand before climbing into one of the chairs. "Pumpkin can sit with me when he wakes up, kay?"
"I'm sure he'd love that, baby," I said with a smile.
Making sure Emmett and Jasper were settled in their chair, I turned the TV on and found a good channel, keeping the volume low enough to not disturb Alice. I then checked on Pumpkin who was still sleeping soundly. It wasn't his usual nap time, but I wasn't about to wake him up.
"Can you help me?" Esme asked when I went back to stand beside her.
"Sure, sweetheart. What do you need?"
"Can you change her while I change?" I nodded, gently lifting Alice into my arms. "Sorry you haven't been able to do this with her yet," she said, frowning as she removed her shirt and covered herself with a blanket. "I just…I think we both need this after earlier."
"You don't even have to explain," I assured her. I removed Alice's sleeper quickly so she wouldn't get cold. Leaning down, I kissed Esme's forehead and lowered Alice back into her arms. "There will be plenty of time for me to hold her."
"After she eats again," she promised. "I'll feed her and then take the kids exploring so you can have some time together."
I smiled and nodded. "Sounds perfect. Now, you don't even worry about me. Focus on our baby girl, and I'll go sit with the sleeping Pumpkin."
Reaching out, she caught my hand in hers and squeezed. "I love you."
I gave her another kiss and squeezed back. "I love you, too."
As Esme settled in with Alice, I returned to the couch. I went back and forth from watching Pumpkin sleep to watching the kids to watching Esme. She was beautiful, holding and singing to Alice like she was. From what I could tell, Alice was content too, staying quiet and still.
Finally, after almost two hours, Pumpkin began to stir. I scooped him up, cradling him in my arms as he stretched and yawned.
"Oh, is Mommy's Pumpkin waking up?" Esme asked, looking over at us with a smile.
"I think so." I kissed his forehead, chuckling softly as he wrinkled his nose. "Is your nap over, buddy?"
"Um…Dada," he mumbled, putting his hand on my face. I kissed his palm and nibbled on his fingers until he opened his eyes. He focused on me and smiled. "Eeey, Dada!"
"Hey, Pumpkin. Did you have a good nap?"
He nodded, rubbing his eyes once more before sitting up. Calmly, he looked around the room and took in his new surroundings. While he was occupied with checking out the room, I leaned over to pull his sippy cup out of the diaper bag. He took it from me without a word – at least until he caught Esme's eye.
"Mama," he squealed, waving his hands around. "Mama, eeey. Baby!"
"Shhh, baby's sleeping," I whispered in Pumpkin's ear, not knowing if it was true or not. Either way, we had to get him using his inside voice somehow. "Do you want to meet the baby?"
"Baby?" he asked, turning to me with wide eyes. "Leelee baby. No no."
"Not Rosalie's baby. Our baby," I corrected. "Let's go meet her, okay?"
Taking the cup from him, I let him slide down from my lap and once I had his hand in mine, we walked over to Esme's side.
"There's my Pumpkin," Esme said softly, smiling as she helped him climb into her lap. She kissed his forehead, and he cuddled close to her, staring curiously at Alice.
"Baby?" he asked her.
"Mmhmm. This is a baby."
"Baby Alice," I added. "Can you say Alice, buddy?"
"Ahhl-sss." He giggled as he made the s sound and began buzzing his lips, babbling away too fast for us to understand.
Esme chuckled, kissing him again. "Yes, Alice, silly boy. Good job."
He repeated it with a laugh and reached out to pat Alice's back. "Baby nigh nigh."
"Gentle," Esme said, grabbing his hand just in time. "We have to be gentle with baby Alice." She held his hand in hers, helping him to rub Alice's back through the blanket. "There you go. We can love on the baby, but not too rough. Gentle."
"Lo baby." Leaning forward, he puckered his lips, so I reached out to help lower him down to kiss Alice's head.
"That's it, Pumpkin," I praised as I helped him sit up. "You're so sweet with the baby. Such a good big brother."
Esme sniffled, tears filling her eyes as she looked down at the little ones she was holding.
Pumpkin quickly grew bored with the baby, opting instead to slide back to the floor and run over to the other kids. Rosalie quickly set him straight, telling him to sit with her. With them still occupied for the moment, I turned back to Esme.
"Doing okay?" I asked, running the back of my hand over her cheek.
"I'm perfect, Carlisle." She sniffled again, leaning into my hand as I cupped her cheek. "This is just so…so much. It's like now she really is part of our family. The kids are okay so far, and I just feel so..."
"Happy?" I supplied. "Nervous? Like it's almost too good to be true even though I know it is? That's what I'm feeling right now."
"Yes," she laughed as she reached up to wipe her eyes. "Definitely all of those. And so full of love."
"Exactly as it should be." I kissed her cheek, making my way to her lips. After sharing several kisses, I placed a quick one on Alice's head and returned to my seat on the couch.
The next couple of hours seemed to both fly by and drag. The kids were only entertained with cartoons for so long, but I did my best to find other forms of entertainment – quiet entertainment. My games and stories grew old even faster than cartoons, but luckily, Alice soon woke up. Esme settled her to nurse without too much fuss, and I let the kids explore again. They fired questions after question to me until I answered everything to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, that left us once again with nothing to do.
"Either Mommy or I will take you to explore the hospital soon," I promised them. "We just have to wait for baby Alice to finish eating, okay?"
They begrudgingly agreed and went back to watching cartoons. Except for Pumpkin. With a whine, he attached himself to my legs, hiding his face. Lifting him into my arms, I kissed his cheek before he went back to hiding against my neck.
"Hey…what's wrong, Pumpkin? What's made my boy sad, huh?" He whined again and head-butted me, clearly upset. I rubbed his back, shushing him softly. "It's okay, buddy. Can you tell me what's wrong?"
This time, he whimpered, alarming me further until he brought his hand up to sign. His rapidly opening and closing fist left no room for misinterpretation.
"Milk," Esme provided with a guilty smile. "I wondered how long it would take him to notice. Bring him over."
I kissed Pumpkin's head. "It's okay, buddy. Mommy has milk for you, too."
Esme shifted Alice over, enough so that she could fit Edward on the other side.
"Are you sure this will work?" I asked as I placed him in her lap.
She shrugged. "I hope so. I had a feeling Pumpkin would be jealous, especially with this. So tandem it is. Now, let's get you settled, baby."
I just stood back and watched, admiring how easily Esme assured Pumpkin. Their position didn't look very comfortable since Pumpkin wasn't anywhere near as small as Alice, but they made it work. As Esme talked softly, they both nursed, content to listen to her voice. It was definitely something we needed to talk more about later, but for now, I was just happy that we avoided a breakdown.
When Alice decided she was finished, I took her into my arms, placing her against my shoulder. I made sure her stomach was air free and then cradled her, rocking back and forth as Esme and Pumpkin finished up. There was still no eye contact, but in my opinion, her body was much less tense. Not quite to the point where she cuddled against me, but much closer.
"Hi, sweet girl," I said, giving her forehead a quick kiss. "You were such a good girl for Mommy. Eating so good. Now I think we'll get to spend some time together. How does that sound?"
"I think that sounds perfect," Esme answered for her. I turned back to face her, and she was already redressed with a clingy Pumpkin on her hip. "Want some help with your shirt?"
I paused for a few seconds, not knowing what she meant, but as soon as I understood, I nodded. She helped me as best as she could with Pumpkin hanging on her. Alice wasn't too excited about being moved around but calmed shortly after I sat in the rocking chair and placed her against my chest.
"There." Esme smiled, draping the blanket over Alice. "You two enjoy your time together, and we'll be exploring." After kissing me and Alice, she motioned for the kids and they headed out the door.
"We're alone now, baby girl," I whispered. "Yeah. Now Daddy can have some special time with you."
She grunted, wiggling just enough to reposition her head. Realizing she was putting her ear over my heart, my smile widened.
"What a smart girl you are, baby! Daddy's so proud of all the progress you made today." I placed a kiss on her head before leaning back and closing my eyes. "What should we talk about now?"
Wanting her to get used to the sound of my voice, I talked about anything and everything, only stopping to hum or pat her back if she started squirming. I told her about everyone in the family and everything we'd do as soon as she could come home. She was content for the most part, blinking lazily and staring at her hand that was placed on my chest.
I was more than content to have this special time with her. Within seconds, I had understood why Esme enjoyed doing the kangaroo care with Alice so much. Whether Alice was bonding or not was unknown, but I could definitely feel my attachment. I loved this little girl, just like with our other four kids. She belonged in our family.
"Daddy loves you so much, sweetheart," I said softly, kissing her again. "Mommy and I are going to do everything we can to get you better, so you just eat and grow. We'll make sure you're okay."
I hated the thought of leaving Esme and Alice here tonight, but that was the reality. As long as Alice needed to be here, one or both of us would be here, too. Having the family split wasn't preferable, but we would make it work. With the whole family backing us, I knew it would be as smooth as possible.
Shaking the less than happy thoughts from my head, I focused on Alice and enjoying this special time together. It was my hope that every minute of this was bringing her closer to recovery, closer to knowing Esme and me as her parents. Nothing would stop us from saving our baby girl.
A/N: I meant to get this out sooner, but it just didn't happen. Hopefully the next update will be in 2 weeks instead of 3. That's my goal. =)
I hope everyone who celebrated had a great Thanksgiving, and to those who didn't, I hope your day was just as enjoyable.
Thanks again for reading!