Visitors
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! To address the question of how I pick the baby names in my stories, I literally just go through baby name websites and see what catches my eye lol. I've wrote so many of these, it's harder to decide on names now haha.
"I'm nervous. What if they're ugly?" Becca said, walking along the hospital corridor with Lyla and Shiv.
"Did you really just say that? Out loud?" Lyla turned to her with disbelief.
"Dude, some babies are really ugly." Becca said, "I was a really ugly baby."
"They'll be perfect." Shiv scoffed, "You are definitely going to hell."
"I know I am. But I can't lie like you two. I can't pretend they're cute if they're not." Becca said.
"Then say nothing." Lyla warned, "If you say they're ugly, AJ will literally throw you out the window. And I won't stop her."
"My face will give it away." Becca sighed, "Could you have gotten a bigger teddy bear, by the way?" She turned to Shiv who was holding a human size teddy bear which had a balloon wrapped around its arm.
"This was the biggest they had." Shiv said, "It can sit in their nursery."
"It's scary." Becca shook her head.
"Ok, quiet voices." Lyla made clear, approaching the room which AJ had sent them the number of earlier on, "And do not say they are ugly out loud." She pointed to Becca who rolled her eyes.
Lyla opened up the door slowly, smiling happily as she saw AJ awake, sitting up in bed whilst Punk sat beside on the chair, her smile fading when she saw Daryl and Finn crowded around the bassinet.
"Hey, how did they get here first?" Lyla questioned unhappily.
"Snooze you lose." Daryl smirked over at them.
"That's a big teddy bear." Punk noticed, looking at the teddy bear which Shiv had in front of her, practically covering the entire height and width of her.
"It's for the babies." Shiv stuck her head out with a grin.
"I figured." Punk nodded to her.
"How are you?" Lyla asked, walking over to the bed, wrapping her arms around AJ tightly.
"A little tired and sore but… fine." AJ nodded.
"You're a mom." Lyla smiled with disbelief, cupping AJ's cheeks proudly.
"I know." AJ said with equal tones of disbelief, "They're so perfect."
"What are their names?" Becca asked, "Finally you can tell us."
"Come see them." Punk said, standing up and wandering over to the bassinet where the boys were, "Alright, let the girls see." He shooed them away.
"Man, they're cute." Daryl shook his head, moving aside with Finn to let the girls see the babies.
"I'll just… sit this here." Shiv said, sitting the teddy bear over as it slumped against the wall.
"I love it." AJ nodded to Shiv with a smile.
"Oh my goodness." Lyla beamed, setting her eyes on the babies and placing her hand over her mouth whilst Shiv and Becca joined on either side of her, all three of them staring down at the little cherubs.
"Hey, they're not ugly at all." Becca smiled as AJ raised a brow.
"What?" Punk shook his head, turning to AJ with an angered brow.
"They're beautiful." Shiv sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I think I might cry."
"Thank you." Daryl held his hand out to Finn who produced a ten-dollar bill.
"You bet that I'd cry?" Shiv turned to Daryl unhappily.
"Easiest bet ever." Daryl nodded as Shiv rolled her eyes.
"What are their names?" Becca asked, wiping the tear from her cheek.
"This is Rudy Nicolette Brooks." He pointed to the baby girl, "She was born first."
"Sweet girl." Lyla smiled, taking Rudy's tiny hand between her finger and thumb, "Gosh, she's like velvet."
"And this is Thomas Philip Brooks. Born two minutes later." Punk said.
"Rudy and Thomas." Becca smiled, "They're so precious."
"And look at their hair." Shiv said.
"How was it? The C-section?" Lyla asked. As much as she was so invested in the babies, she wanted to know how her best friend was feeling.
"It was fine." AJ nodded, "Little scary but… it was over pretty quickly. And I had Phil in my ear telling me jokes to keep me distracted."
"Sounds like my idea of hell." Daryl said as Punk glared over at him.
"So you all closed the shops four hours early?" Punk asked them.
"We thought this was a good reason to shut early." Lyla said, "I mean… this is a really special day."
"Why did you have a C-section? I thought you were doing it naturally?" Becca asked.
"That was the plan." AJ nodded, "Rudy's head wasn't the right way. It was safer to do the C-section."
"Silly girl." Becca frowned, stroking Rudy's cheek softly.
"Can we hold them?" Shiv asked desperately.
"Yeah." Punk smiled. It was fun seeing them all speak in gentle voices and be so tranquil around the babies, "You want to hold Rudy?" Punk asked her as Shiv nodded eagerly.
"Don't drop her." Daryl added as Shiv just ignored him, holding out her arms as Punk placed Rudy into them.
"And I'll just take this little guy." Lyla said, lifting Thomas carefully and cradling him into her arms.
"They look like you, AJ." Becca nodded, "You got the stronger genes."
"No surprise there." Punk smiled to AJ.
"Look at her." Shiv said, wandering over to Daryl, "Isn't she perfect?"
"Yeah." Daryl nodded, looking at Shiv as she melted over the baby girl, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the sight.
"Where's Nico?" Lyla asked curiously.
"She went home for a nap. She's been here since I went into labour." AJ said.
"And have you napped?" Lyla asked motherly.
"I got a couple of hours before you guys came." AJ nodded.
"Not to be ungrateful." Punk said, "But… what are supposed to do with that?" He pointed to the gigantic teddy bear.
"Put it in their nursery." Shiv said, as if it was obvious.
"Right." Punk nodded.
"We obviously have gifts for them." Lyla said, "But we wanted to wait until you got home and settled before we brought them."
"You've all done more than enough." AJ said, "We didn't need gifts."
"Shut up." Lyla smiled as AJ smiled back.
"They have no idea they're gonna grow up covered in flour and cake frosting." Finn said, looking over Lyla's shoulder at Thomas as they all chuckled.
"Oh, could one of you go to our house and bring us some diapers." AJ remembered to ask.
"You forgot to bring diapers?" Becca scoffed.
"I thought they were in the bag but… apparently not." AJ shrugged.
"I'm sure we can get some from the hospital." Punk assured her.
"I don't want them thinking we're bad parents." AJ said as Punk rolled his eyes.
"I'll get them for you." Daryl offered.
"Thank you." AJ smiled.
"When do you think you'll be able to go home?" Lyla asked, still keeping her eyes on Thomas, not being able to take them away from the sweet little man.
"In a day or two. Because it was a C-section, they're a little more particular about making sure I'm rested enough." AJ said.
"You basically did have surgery." Shiv nodded, "Could you feel anything? Like… when they were cutting you open?" She asked as Punk rolled his eyes. He'd never get used to the lack of subtlety the girls had.
"I didn't feel much. Just a lot of pressure and… a tugging sensation. That's the only way I can describe it." AJ said, "I was a little shaky and dizzy from the anaesthetic, though. That was the worst part."
"It's all over now." Lyla said, "And they're here. They're really here." She said as AJ smiled.
"At least Becca doesn't think they're ugly." Punk said, later that night after their visitors had all gone and it was just them and the twins in the hospital room.
"Nothing she says surprises me anymore." AJ laughed a little, holding Thomas in her arms whilst Rudy was asleep in the bassinet.
"I'm still not used to her ways." Punk shook his head.
"What is she doing?" AJ asked curiously, nodding to the bassinet where Rudy was.
"She's still sleeping." Punk smiled, looking into the bassinet, "I look at her and I want to cry." He admitted as AJ chuckled.
"Oh, don't make me laugh." She winced a little as Punk frowned.
"Sore?" He figured.
"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Feels like I've done a million sit ups." She said.
"We gotta make sure you take it easy." Punk nodded.
"I don't think we'll be taking anything easy now they're here." AJ smiled, "Do you think they'll be friends?" She wondered, tracing her fingertip down Thomas' nose gently, gazing at every inch of him, his little eyelids, his fuzzy hair, his tiny fingers which clenched and unclenched so adorably every so often.
"I mean… I'd like to think they'll tolerate each other." Punk nodded, "They'll be best friends whether they like it or not. They're twins. They got no choice." He said.
"Maybe they'll have the same group of friends." AJ said, "Or maybe they'll be so completely different." She said. She found the wonder of it all so overwhelming. How these babies were going to grow up and see the world based on their parenting. How they were going to grow up and become their own individuals. Have their own friends, likes and dislikes, jobs, relationships, and everything in between.
"If they're anything like us, they'll tease the hell out of each other. Always." Punk smiled as AJ nodded.
"We're gonna have some good entertainment." She turned to him as he chuckled.
"Yeah, no kidding." Punk smiled, watching AJ as she caressed Thomas' head softly, playing with the tiny strands of his hair, "I'm so proud of you." He said, feeling overwhelming bouts of pride, love and gratefulness.
"I barely did anything." AJ shook her head modestly.
"April. You carried two babies around with you for eight and a half months." He said, "You had a… a constant back ache. Rough sleep. Indigestion. Sore feet."
"None of that matters now." AJ assured him, "I'd do it all again in a heartbeat for them."
"I love you so much." He said, "I have no idea why I decided to come to this little town. I thought I was just losing my mind a little. Midlife crisis. No job. No motivation." He said as she looked at him, "But I'm so glad I came. I'd never have met you if I didn't. And I… I have no idea what my life would look like without you in it. I can't imagine it." He shook his head.
"Gosh, the twins aren't even a day old yet and you're turning into a soft mess." AJ smiled, nevertheless with tears in her eyes.
"Your whacky hormones have rubbed off on me." Punk nodded as she smiled.
"I'm really glad you came to this little town, too." AJ whispered with a lump in her throat, "My life was just on pause for the longest time. Ever since I was attacked. I never looked forward. It was always about making it through every day. Just getting by." She said, "You changed everything. You… helped me find the girl I was before I was attacked. I've got everything I didn't even know I wanted. A man I love, best friends, a loving home, my shop, these little munchkins." She said, "I guess that makes us even." She said as he smiled.
"Yeah, I think we're even." Punk nodded, leaning over and kissing her, cupping her cheek and making sure he filled the kiss with the passion he felt in his bones.
"That was a good kiss." AJ let him know once he pulled back.
"Glad you liked it." He nodded, looking into the bassinet again where Rudy was still asleep, "They really do look like you. Perfect." He said to himself as AJ smiled, gazing down at Thomas, her heart feeling like it was going to burst with love.
Their attention was taken away from the twins when the door opened with Lyla walking in, holding a bag of diapers, appearing dishevelled and out of breath.
"Hey." AJ laughed, "You didn't have to rush here with them." She shook her head as Lyla just stood, not saying anything.
"Lyla?" Punk stood up, immediately knowing something was wrong. He could see it in her face. The way she was standing. The lack of emotion on her face.
"What's wrong?" AJ noticed too, her heart that had just been ready to burst with love, now ready to burst with panic, "What's happened?"
"Uh… it's… it's Daryl." Lyla said, "He's just been arrested."