Thank you so much for the sweet reviews! And thank you for continuing to read and stick around while I'm fail. =)
And lots of thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty and to anhanninen for prereading.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters.
Esme POV
Four. Such a small number, but it was our magic number for discharge. Dr. G wanted Alice to have gained four ounces over her baseline weight, and if she had, our hospital stay would be over. It was a small step toward the bigger goal of four pounds, but we still needed it. Since Alice had been consistently gaining ten to twenty grams a day, I wasn't too worried. Carlisle had explained that four ounces was a little less than 114 grams, so we were going to be close.
"This is it, huh?" Lauren asked with a smile as she placed the paper over the scale and zeroed it out.
"It is. And we're hoping for four, right Alice?" I looked down at her as I slowly swayed back and forth. She glanced up, meeting my eyes for just a second before looking back at her hand which was resting on my chest.
In the past few days, we'd witnessed heaps of progress with our baby girl. She showed signs of recognizing not only me and Carlisle, but also some of our extended family and, surprisingly enough, Rosalie.
Out of all the kids besides Edward, Rosalie was at the hospital the most. We quickly realized that a hospital room was not the best environment for two active little boys, and though the hospital didn't make them nervous any longer, they were still happier at home or with Carmen and Eleazar.
We'd been worried about Jasper being separated from me, but there hadn't been any anxiety that we'd noticed. It definitely wasn't as bad as when Pumpkin was born, and for that I was thankful. For this week, he was happier to play with Emmett than to be with us.
But Rosalie loved staying with Alice. She held her any chance she had and helped me or the nurses with anything she could. I'd always known that Rose was a nurturer like me, but this made it even clearer. And Alice needed to be loved and nurtured so they were the perfect pair.
Besides the recognition from Alice, we'd also been getting a few seconds of sporadic eye contact. It still wasn't normal, but anything was better than the way she avoided faces when we first met her. The cuddliness was developing too, especially after a meal. She was up to draining one breast every two to three hours – much more than she started out eating – and every time she finished, she preferred to be close to either me or Carlisle. We loved it of course and did whatever we could to encourage her.
Now we were at the final test to see if Alice could come home with us. Shelley had already taken care of the home visit and cleared everything legally, so all that was left was to see if she met the weight.
"Are you that ready to get away from me?" Laruen teased as I placed Alice on the scale. "Jess and I can't be that bad."
I laughed, shaking my head. "You two are perfect. I think we'd take you home with us if we could, but we're more than ready to leave the hospital."
"Aww that's sweet," she said with a smile. "And I completely understand. You'll just have to bring her back to visit us. We expect updates."
"You'll get them," I promised her. "We have to come back to see Dr. Gerandy anyway, so you'll be seeing us a lot."
"Good. Because it looks like you're going to be free to go in a few hours."
"Really?" I asked excitedly, leaning over to look at the number on the scale.
"Really," she confirmed. "Four point two ounce gain over all. Good job, Alice!" She gently ran her hand over Alice's arm, but she was not in the mood – not that she ever was when she was on the scale.
I quickly scooped her up into my arms and carried her over to the bed, kissing her repeatedly. "Oh my little love bug, you're doing so good! Mommy's so proud of you."
Laying her down, I covered the top of her body with a blanket as I reached for a new diaper.
"Pumpkin," I called, turning to look at him. He was playing on a blanket with a few of his little toys. He looked up when he heard his name and smiled at me. "Pumpkin, baby Alice gets to come home with us today. Can you clap for her? Say 'yaaaay'!"
He brought his hands up and clapped. "Aaaaay, baby. Lo baby aaaay."
"Do you hear that, baby girl?" I leaned down, putting my face directly in front of Alice's. "Your big brother is proud of you, too. And he loves you so much." Grabbing her hand, I placed it on my cheek and dragged it to my lips so I could kiss her palm. She rewarded me with another second of eye contact which was more than enough to make my smile widen.
"Okay," Lauren said, heading for the door, "I'm going to page Dr. Gerandy and then we'll see about getting your discharge papers started."
I thanked her and then finished dressing Alice in a clean outfit. Carmen, Kate, and Charlotte had been shopping without me because I couldn't leave the hospital, and they were keeping Alice well stocked with clothes, socks, and hair bows. I was very thankful to have them, and I was sure Alice was too – if only for the fact that her clothes kept her warm.
Since she was wide awake and it wasn't time to eat yet, I carried her over to sit on the blanket with Edward. I placed her on her stomach, thinking it was a good idea for some tummy time. While our top priority was attachment and weight gain, her motor development was important too, and she needed as many chances as possible to reach new milestones.
Pumpkin was happy to have us in his area and went back and forth from sitting in my lap to offering his toys to Alice. The last few days had been a challenge for him, but he was adjusting. I'd been worried at first that all of the gradual self-weaning he'd been doing was going to be back to square one, but so far, he was nursing at the same intervals. Being around Alice almost constantly was helping and showing him that we weren't going to ignore or show him any less love.
There was going to be an adjustment time for the whole family, just like there'd been with the addition of every child. We'd already contacted Siobhan though, and she was more than willing to help us through this time. Our first appointment was scheduled for next week, assuming that Alice would go home today. And since it seemed like she was, I was hopeful we'd be able to keep our appointment.
Carlisle was supposed to be on his way already, so I didn't call him after the weight results. Sure enough, he walked through the door fifteen minutes after Lauren had left and sat beside me to greet us all with kisses.
"Any word yet?" he asked after kissing me for the third time.
"Yes," I said simply.
"Annd? You're killing me here," he chuckled.
"Four point two ounces."
He immediately kissed me again and then picked Alice up, cradling her in his arms. "Sweet girl, you're showing off today, huh? I guess you're ready to come home and see your new bed."
"Oh, you got it all put together?" I asked excitedly.
I was very grateful for the hospital's internet service which made it possible for Carlisle and I to shop for Alice together, all without leaving her side. With rush delivery, everything had arrived yesterday, and Carlisle, Garrett, and Eleazar were in charge of the manual labor. I had no doubt that Carmen had kept them organized and made sure everything would meet my standards.
Carlisle nodded. "We did. Our bedroom now has two cribs plus I pulled out the bassinet. And Carmen organized the new dresser which in Edward's room for the time being. It won't be hard to move later."
"Good. And you brought the car seat?"
"It's in the car. So all that's left to do is wait for Dr. G."
Pumpkin kept us entertained while we waited. Alice dozed in Carlisle's arms so it was easy for us to give him our full attention. Even though he was having to adjust to having another baby around, he'd actually been getting more attention lately than he usually would at home. I knew that was helping him, and we hoped the positive adjustment would continue at home. We'd gone from three to four kids fairly seamlessly. Four to five couldn't be that much different.
As if he could sense our impatience, Dr. Gerandy didn't keep us waiting long.
"I heard someone passed the mark today," he said with a smile as Carlisle shook his hand.
"By point two ounces," I bragged. "I think she's as ready to go home as we are."
"Well, I won't keep you long," he chuckled. "I'd just like to take another quick look at her, and as soon as Lauren is finished with the papers, you'll be free to go."
"Sounds perfect," Carlisle said, laying Alice down on her bed.
She was mostly asleep, only stirring slightly as Dr. Gerandy examined her. But when he tested her reflexes, she was not a happy baby. Her angry grunts and squeaks only ended when she was back in my arms.
"You've got an opinionated one there," Dr. Gerandy teased. "You'll have lots of fun when she's a teenager."
Carlisle and I laughed, but there was an undercurrent of relief. The fact that she would probably make it to being a teenager meant more than anything.
"Do you have any instructions for us?" I asked before he turned to leave.
He thought for a second and shook his head. "I don't think there's anything we haven't already gone over. Remember four ounces every three hours by whichever method she'll take it. And it doesn't have to be exact. Just estimate and weigh her every day. As long as she's gaining steadily, you won't see any complaints from me. I would like to see her next week, so I'll include a card with my number for you to call and make an appointment. Sound good?"
"Works for me," Carlisle said, wrapping his arm around my waist, and I agreed.
"Thank you. So much." I felt my eyes fill with tears as I went to give Dr. Gerandy a hug. "It means so much that you've really cared for Alice."
"It was no problem at all." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, hugging me as best he could with Alice in my arms. "This little angel could make anyone fall in love with her. As long as she grows up healthy, that's thanks enough for me."
After shaking Carlisle's hand, high-fiving Pumpkin, and rubbing Alice's head, we said our goodbyes and Dr. Gerandy left us to get ready for discharge.
As we packed up our bags, Lauren brought the papers by along with a bag of extra NG tubes. She didn't think we'd have to use them or at least not all of them since Alice was doing pretty well on her own. Though we had the option to feed her twenty-four hours a day, we hadn't needed to use it. Feeding every few hours seemed to be working fine, and I hoped soon the tube could be removed for good.
Our goodbyes to Lauren were teary for me as well. She and Jessica had been our main nurses during our entire stay, and they'd been perfect. I had every intention of keeping my promise to give them updates and to bring Alice back to see them.
Lauren finished going over everything with us and declared us free to leave. Carlisle doubled checked the room and bathroom, making sure we hadn't left anything behind, and then scooped up Pumpkin.
"Time to go home, buddy," he said, tickling his belly.
"Hopefully he remembers what it looks like," I joked. Carlisle had taken him home for a few hours each day, but the majority of his time had been at the hospital.
"He'll get it figured out," Carlisle assured me. He grabbed our bags, slinging them over his shoulder and reached for my hand. "Now, let's get out of here before they decide to hold us hostage."
I laughed and took his hand, letting him lead me out of the room. Though we were ready to be home, we took our time walking down to the lobby. Once there, we separated so Carlisle could bring the van around to the front door.
"We'll be home soon, love bug," I murmured to Alice. I kissed the top of her head and held her a little closer. She nuzzled her head against my chest as she sucked on her pacifier, making me smile. "You're catching on to this cuddling thing, aren't you? My baby girl is so smart."
I stood close by the door and watched for Carlisle, smiling at the people who walked by with their little ones. The hospital was a bright and happy place, but seeing so many sick kids hurt my heart. I prayed each one of them would recover while also giving thanks for the health of our children and Alice's recovery.
When Carlisle made it to the front, he was able to park to the side and give me a chance to buckle Alice into her car seat. The new experience did not make her happy, and though I sat beside her in the back, comforting her the best I knew how, she cried the whole way home.
Our driveway was the most welcome sight and as soon as I safely could, I unbuckled Alice and had her in my arms.
"You're okay, baby. You're okay. Mommy's got you now." I shushed her quietly and exited the van so Carlisle could get Edward out. He toddled over to me right away and hugged my leg.
"Mama, baby uh oh?" he asked, furrowing his brows.
I knelt down and gave him a hug. "It's okay, Pumpkin. Baby Alice was scared. Can you give her kisses to make her feel better?"
He smiled, showing his dimples before puckering his lips and kissing Alice's head. "Baby uh oh bebber. Lo baby."
"That's a good boy," I praised. "We love Alice, don't we?"
Proudly, he nodded and smiled but quickly lost interest and ran over to Carlisle.
Carlisle declined my offer to help him with the bags, so I headed to the family room. The house was quiet since Carmen had the rest of our brood, but it was welcome for the moment. Grabbing a blanket, I sat in the recliner and set to work making us comfortable.
It was almost time for Alice to eat again, so I went ahead and removed my shirt and covered us with the blanket. We weren't exactly skin to skin since Alice was still wearing her outfit, but it was close enough for the time being. She was comfortable enough to relax and quiet down from her crying in the van, and as soon as I removed her pacifier, she began rooting around.
"That's my girl," I whispered as she latched on without any help from me. "It's your first meal home. I hope you'll like it here with us."
I continued talking softly to her as she ate, but after a couple of minutes, she started squirming and unlatched. The noises she made were not her usual content noises. These grunts and gurgles were more frustrated than anything.
"What's the matter, baby? Not comfortable?" Every position I tried was rewarded with the same unhappy noises, and the longer it took, the angrier she became. I didn't think there was anything left to do until I realized what was different from most of her feedings. "Oh," I gasped. "You don't like these clothes being in the way, do you, baby?"
Once I removed everything but her diaper, I placed her back against my chest. This time, she latched on and continued eating without complaint, as if her frustration had never happened.
Laughing softly, I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. Alice was very opinionated – that much was clear – but I loved it. She had so much fight in her and being able to see it added to my hope for her full recovery.
"How's it going?" My eyes popped open, and I smiled as Carlisle entered the room, placing the bags by the couch before sitting down. "Sorry it took so long. Pumpkin wasn't happy about coming inside."
"We're just fine now," I answered with a smile. "Where is Pumpkin?"
"In the kitchen. I poured him some juice, but I think he's still unhappy." Turning toward the kitchen, he called out for him, and a few seconds later, Edward came toddling past the couch. There were tears shimmering in his eyes, and the frown was evident as he drank. Carlisle tried to pull him into his lap, but he wasn't having it.
"What's wrong, buddy?" I asked, motioning for him to come over to me. "Did you not want to come inside and see me and baby Alice?"
He ran over and climbed into my lap, settling on my free side with his head leaning against my shoulder. As soon as he stopped drinking his juice and yawned, I knew exactly what was wrong.
"I guess that answers that," Carlisle said softly, coming to the same conclusion as me. He stood and came over, taking Edward into his arms and rubbing his back. "I'll take him upstairs so he can get a good nap in. It's been a long week."
Nodding, I agreed. Staying with Alice hadn't been a hardship, but relaxing in a hospital was difficult, no matter the situation. I was looking forward to hopefully sleeping in tomorrow morning or at the very least, going to bed early tonight. Our days of getting a full night's sleep every night were over for a while now, but at least I'd get to sleep in my own bed next to my husband.
Alice finished nursing and fell asleep while Carlisle was upstairs, so I rocked her while I pumped the rest of my milk. The longer I sat in the chair, the more I realized that I needed a nap as much as my little ones. Thankfully, Carlisle recognized this as soon as he returned and said nothing as he offered me his hand.
"I think it's nap time for you too, beautiful," he said, placing a kiss on my cheek and lips. "I'll put the milk away if you want to head on up."
"Nap with me?" I asked, smiling as he nodded.
"Of course."
After sharing another kiss, I carried Alice upstairs and quietly entered our room. Sitting on the bed, I took in the changes of the room. Edward was snoring softly in his crib, and right next to it was the crib I had ordered.
The crib was exactly what I'd hoped for, slightly different than Pumpkin's but still close enough that they could coordinate. The bedding was soft pinks and greens with polka dots and birds. It was girly enough without being too over the top and, like the crib, it would go well with Pumpkin's lamb bedding.
The bassinet was also back in its old spot beside Carlisle's side of the bed, so that's where I chose to place Alice. She sighed in her sleep as I wrapped her in a soft blanket but otherwise didn't make a sound.
I couldn't hold in my own sigh as I crawled under the covers on my side of the bed. The hospital couch and cot had nothing on our perfect bed. I didn't think I ever wanted to leave this spot.
"Did you start without me?"
I looked up, finding Carlisle smirking in the doorway. "Of course not." Patting the bed, I smiled and turned on my side. "You're just in time."
"Good," he said, slipping his shoes off at the closet. He wasted no time before crawling into bed beside me.
Our routine was well remembered. As soon as he offered his arm, I scooted over and snuggled close. He held me to him tightly and kissed the top of my head.
"This is perfect," I whispered. "I missed being beside you."
"I missed it, too. But hopefully we won't have a reason to not be beside each other again."
"As long as Alice doesn't get sick." My worry for her was constant. While we were getting her better, I knew her immune system couldn't be that great. And with her being so weak, any illness could probably send us back to the hospital.
"Shh." Carlisle kissed my forehead and pulled the covers over us. "Alice is fine, and we'll do our best to keep her that way. Now let's relax for a while."
I nodded. The plan sounded perfect to me – so perfect, that it took less than a minute for me to fall asleep.
When I started to wake, I stretched and found no one beside me. Opening my eyes and looking around, I realized I was completely alone. Pumpkin's bed was empty, and Alice was gone too.
After using the bathroom and straightening my crazy hair, I headed downstairs. The clock had told me that I slept much longer than I'd planned to, and it was almost time for me to make dinner. I needed to call Carmen as well so she could bring the kids back. I couldn't wait to have anyone back together.
Once I was downstairs, I heard noises in the family room, so that was my next target. I stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt anything, and I was glad I did. Carlisle was in the recliner, shirtless as he held Alice against him. Pumpkin was in his lap too, and they were reading a big picture book. The scene was perfect and brought tears to my eyes. This was right.
"We know you're watching, Mommy," Carlisle said with a chuckle, not taking his eyes from the book.
I laughed and fully entered the room, going over to sit on the arm of the chair. "Oh, you do, huh? What have you been up to while I was sleeping?"
"You tell her, Pumpkin."
Pumpkin looked up at me and grinned as he pointed to the book. "Mama,book. Moo moo moo!"
"You're reading a book with moo's?" I asked, tickling him. "Is it about a cow?"
He giggled and squirmed, nearly kicking Alice in the process so I pulled him into my lap. "Mama, moooo!" Pointing to one of the pictures in the book, he made the sound again. I looked over and saw that it was a cow as well as other farm animals.
"Good job, Edward," I praised, kissing his cheek. "A cow says moo. What do these other animals say?"
Carlisle and I went through the rest of the page with him, making the different animal sounds for him to mimic. Sometimes, being a parent involved some crazy things – like quacking and neighing.
Pumpkin grew bored after a few more pages and scooted down to the floor to find some of his toys. He seemed to want to play with everything at the same time, and I knew it was because we had been gone. He needed the time to re-acclimate and get used to our new normal.
"Have you talked to Carmen?" I asked Carlisle as I scooted close to him and started rubbing Alice's back.
"I called her when I woke up," he said. "She's going to bring the kids by when she comes with dinner. And she said not to argue with her bringing dinner. She knows you can do it, but she and Katie wanted to do something."
I chuckled and nodded. "She knows me well," I admitted. "But I don't think I'll be complaining. Even after that nap, I'm still tired."
"I am, too. Hopefully we can call it an early night."
"Because we'll be up every three hours."
"And on that note," he said, shifting Alice so she was cradled in his arms. "She's been rooting around on me, but I don't have the necessary equipment to give her what she wants."
He passed her to me and scooted out of the chair, helping us settle in comfortably. This time, I made sure there was no fabric between us as I led Alice to my breast, and she had no complaints as she began to steadily nurse.
"So beautiful," Carlisle murmured, running his hand over Alice's head as he kissed me. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
As Alice nursed, Carlisle and Edward played together in the floor. I talked softly to her, letting her know what her daddy and brother were up to, and she rewarded me with a few seconds of eye contact. I loved seeing her blue gray eyes. They were beautiful, and I hoped that eventually we'd be seeing them meet ours all the time.
When she finished, I carried her upstairs to change her diaper and put her in a new outfit. Pumpkin's closet had been taken over and was now half pink and purple. I couldn't hold him my laughter as I searched for something comfortable for Alice. The family had gone overboard, but I didn't mind. This was how they showed their excitement, and since I hadn't had time to shop, it was very helpful.
I found a soft, pink jumpsuit and dressed her in it, along with a matching headband with a pink bow. I wasn't sure if she'd tolerate having something on her head, but after a minute of her quietly sucking on her pacifier, I decided she was fine.
While upstairs, I finished expressing my milk and spent the quiet minutes alone with Alice. Soon, we'd be losing this quiet, and I wanted to take advantage.
The quiet ended even sooner than I imagined.
Alice and I both jumped as many little footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.
"I think you're siblings are coming to see you, love bug," I said softly, kissing Alice's head. "I know they're all excited to see you."
A few seconds later, Rosalie appeared in the doorway and rushed over to me, followed by Emmett and Jasper.
"Mommy!" she exclaimed. "You and baby Alice are home!" She held onto the arm of the chair as she bounced up and down. "I wanna hold her, Mommy. Please?"
"When we go downstairs, you certainly can," I said with a smile. "Now, you and you and you come over here and give me some love." I glanced at each of them and laughed as they all tried to climb into my lap at the same time. "Okay, okay. One at a time."
Emmett managed to crawl up first, throwing his arms around my neck in a big hug. "I missed you, Mommy. But Nana said you get to be home all the time now!"
"Nana is right," I said, squeezing him tightly. "Alice and I are home for good now."
"Mommy, Alice stays here now, right?" Jasper asked.
I nodded, and after kissing Em, pulled Jasper up for a hug. "Alice does stay here now. So now you have two sisters. What do you think about that?"
He puckered his lips for a kiss, giggling when I gave him one. "I like it, Mommy. I love baby Alice." Leaning over, he gave Alice a kiss too, making her squirm and gurgle. "What's dat mean?"
"I'd say that means she loves you too. You're a good big brother."
He grinned, pulling his shoulders up in his adorable way. Once he was thoroughly loved up, Rosalie nearly pushed him out of the way to get her turn but quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, J. I just needs a Mommy hug."
"Well I need a Rosalie hug too," I said as she hugged me tightly. "I missed my baby girl. I missed all of you guys. But tomorrow, we're spending the whole day together, okay?"
They all agreed at a very loud volume, so I decided it was time to go downstairs. The kids filled me in on their night with Nana and Pops and everything they'd been doing. I needed to thank Carmen again for taking such good care of them. They were all fed, clean, happy, and didn't seem to be having any issues from our time apart.
I found Carmen and Eleazar in the kitchen with Carlisle. I wasn't sure what she'd brought for dinner, but it smelled incredible.
"I'm guessing they found you?" Carlisle asked with a chuckle.
I laughed and nodded. "They did, and it was hard to miss them. I don't think Alice knows what to think about this craziness."
"She'll be used to it in no time," Carmen said, coming over to take Alice from me. "She's a Cullen now, and Cullens – all together – aren't exactly quiet."
We all agreed, and as she cooed to Alice, I went over to hug Eleazar.
"I'm glad you're home now, Ezzie." He kissed the top of my head and patted my back. "We've all missed you."
"Thanks for taking care of them while we were gone," I said, stepping back to look at both him and Carmen.
"We can't exactly say we didn't enjoy it," he chuckled. "We actually had the six of them several nights."
"And several 'campouts,' as I'm sure you've heard," Carmen added.
We had heard all about it. The den campouts were going much better now compared to when they were all younger. Carmen usually only ended up with Corin or Rosalie in bed with her – everyone else loved sleeping on the floor in the den.
After chatting for a while longer, we gathered the kids for dinner. Carlisle and I didn't allow Carmen and Eleazar to leave, instead making them share the dinner with us. The pot roast Carmen and Kate had made was delicious and was made even better with the company. Being confined to the hospital had left us without much adult interaction, so conversation was welcome to both Carlisle and me, especially since it didn't have to be about medical conditions or treatments. Finally, we could relax and move on together as a family.
Carmen and Eleazar didn't stay long after we finished eating. After they both had some cuddle time with Alice, they left with promises to see us soon.
Grateful to have our family back together, I sat on the couch cuddled up to Carlisle as we watched the kids play. A simple thing like having everyone home could put a smile on my face, especially since Alice was here with us. She slept peacefully in Carlisle's arms, only waking to nurse. Once she was finished, Rosalie couldn't be deterred any longer.
"Mommy, can I hold my Alice sister now?" she asked, leaning against the couch. "Please?"
I chuckled and nodded, helping her climb up. "Of course, sugar. I'm sure Alice is happy to see you."
Rosalie smiled brightly as I placed Alice in her arms. "Hi, baby Alice," she whispered. "I missed you while I played with Nana and Pops." She kissed Alice's head several times and held her close. Alice was perfectly content, not making a sound as her big sister loved on her.
My heart felt like it would burst seeing my girls together. Rosalie had wanted this for so long, and really, I couldn't blame her. This was so perfect.
"Daddy," Rosalie said, turning to look at Carlisle. "Alice needs to sleep in my room, okay? She likes purple and butterflies like me."
Carlisle smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure she does, baby," he agreed, "but for right now, Alice needs to stay with Mommy and Daddy. Maybe when she's bigger, okay?"
She frowned, obviously not happy with his suggestion. "But Daddy…I want her with me now! Em and J get to sleep in the same room."
"Baby, Emmett and Jasper aren't babies," I reminded her, reaching over to run my fingers through her curls. "They don't need to be close to Mommy and Daddy at night. Alice wakes up a lot, and we don't want her to wake you up, too."
She looked at me and pouted before looking back at Carlisle. "Please, Daddy?"
Turning my head, I tried to keep myself from laughing at her attempt to split us. Maybe this was a sign of them growing up, trying to get their way. Right now, it was comical, but I knew that if we didn't stop it, we'd have headaches down the road.
Carlisle was thankfully more composed than me, and I turned my head back just in time to see him gently pull both girls into his lap.
"Listen, baby girl," he said softly, placing his head next to hers. "Mommy and I say you need to wait. If you want, we can show Alice your room now. And maybe Pumpkin wants to have a sleepover with you. How about that?"
She perked up slightly, her pout lifting at the edges. "Tonight?"
"Tonight," he confirmed, kissing her cheek. "Want to give Alice a tour now?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed. Alice jumped, whining slightly, so I took her into my arms and stood.
With no complaint, Rosalie slid off Carlisle's lap and took off toward the stairs. Carlisle and I shared a laugh as we followed her. There was no stopping that girl when she set her mind to something.
Emmett and Jasper opted to keep playing downstairs, so it was just us, the girls, and Pumpkin in Rosalie's room. She showed Alice everything she could think to show, ending with cuddles on the bed. Surprisingly, she only asked once more if Alice could stay with her, but it seemed as if she finally realized we weren't budging. I could see them sharing a room in a couple of years, and I hoped they would be close then. But right now, it just wasn't going to happen.
After spending time in Rosalie's room, she decided to show Alice the rest of the bedrooms and bathrooms. Alice wasn't all that interested, not even trying to fight her heavy eyelids. I definitely didn't blame her. As nice as they were at the hospital, there were still late night interruptions and not much sleep had by any of us. The nap had helped, but our bed was calling me once again.
Carlisle noticed and wrapped his arm around my waist, kissing my temple. "I'll handle bath time, sweetheart. You go lay down with Alice."
I tilted my head back and kissed him. "Are you sure?" I'd missed bath time with my little ones, but I wasn't going to protest too much. There would be other nights when I wasn't almost dead on my feet.
"I'm positive," he insisted. "Rest, okay?"
Nodding, I kissed him again and headed straight to our bedroom. Placing Alice in the bassinet, I quickly changed into my pajamas, skipping a shower for the time being. Right now, the only thing I could think of was lying in bed and snuggling my girl.
She slept peacefully in my arms, and if it hadn't been for the giggles and voices I could hear from down the hall, I would've been asleep too. More than anything, it felt good to be back with everyone, and the smile wouldn't leave my face.
An hour later, it was about time for Alice to eat again. I hated to wake her, but I wanted to stick to the schedule as closely as possible.
"I'm sorry, love bug," I said softly as she fought waking. "Mommy just needs you to eat for a little while and then you can go right back to sleep."
Her eyes never opened as she rooted her way to the right spot and started drinking, but I knew she was awake enough. Her sucking power was definitely proof of that. Right before she reached her usual stopping point, Carlisle brought Pumpkin into the room.
"I asked him cup or Mommy, and you can guess which won."
I chuckled and patted the bed beside me. "Come on, baby. Are you all clean?"
He grinned as Carlisle placed him on the bed and crawled toward me, his little diapered covered bottom in the air. As he settled at my other breast, I kissed the top of his head and breathed in his clean scent. It didn't take him long to fall asleep after he finished, content to be snuggled beside me.
Carefully, I rolled out of bed with both of them and placed Edward in his bed. He didn't stir, so I tucked him in after giving him one last kiss. I then went to find Carlisle and was successful in the boys' room. They were both in bed but were firing question after question about every topic imaginable. They tried to include me, but Carlisle and I managed to settle them down quickly enough after a few goodnight kisses and hugs.
Rosalie was sitting on her bed waiting for me with a comb in hand. Carlisle took Alice, and I set to work on taming her hair.
"Where's Pumpkin?" she asked once I was finished and had tucked her in.
"Oh. I was…going to put him in bed after you were tucked him, so I'd know what side he could sleep on." My excuse seemed to cover up the fact that I'd forgotten all about our deal, and she accepted it with no question.
After a quick trip to get Pumpkin, they were soon settled in Rosalie's bed and the lights were out. According to the clock it wasn't even close to nine yet, but my body had other ideas.
"It's kind of weird not having Pumpkin in here tonight," I murmured as I crawled into bed beside Carlisle. He'd turned out the lights except for one lamp, and he and Alice seemed completely relaxed as she snoozed on his chest.
"Maybe it's a good thing," he said, wrapping his arm around me to pull me closer. "He doesn't really wake up when Alice does, but his sleep can't be as good as when there aren't interruptions."
"Mmm. Maybe."
Carlisle chuckled and kissed my head. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. You're almost there now. I love you."
I nodded. "Mmkay. Love you."
He chuckled again, but I didn't care. My family was all home and happy. All that mattered now was sleep.
A/N: Sorry I'm so late...again. I'd like to say I'll be quicker next time, but I doubt that will happen. School is insanely overwhelming right now so I'm in survival mode. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave me a whole lot of writing time.
Just remember that I'll NEVER abandon this story. It's my baby and I love it too much to do that. I might not be able to update for a couple of months or so, but I really hope you'll be patient with me. =)
Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!