by Melody Dawn
Sleepily, he says, “Lu you, daddy.”
I hug him and say, “I love you too, little man.”
Trying to be quiet so we don’t wake his brother, I stroke his back and softly sing the words I’ve sang to them both since they were born; the words from Creed’s “Arms Wide Open.”
As I sing, I feel his body relax against my chest and it reminds me of the first time I held them both. The instant they were in my arms; my heart felt like it was going to explode with love. Even now 18 months later, that feeling has only gotten stronger. I work a lot of hours so every bit of time with them is special to me.
Thinking back to 18 months earlier, I remember one of the ER nurses giving me a message: “Dr. Reece, your wife just arrived in L & D.”
I stared at her in surprise; I hadn’t gotten a text from Chloe saying she was here. I knew she was going to her OB appointment today and I made her promise to text me if anything was wrong. I took off running, hopped in the elevator and made it to the L & D nurse’s station just as one of the older nurses was coming around the corner.
“So, Dr., I was just coming to look for you. I hear we have your wife in labor suite 3 and she is dilated at a 4. She is requesting an epidural so I just paged Dr. Brady, the on-call anesthesiologist.”
Still staring at her, she says, “Come on Jayson, let’s go.”
I see the eye-roll and she mutters about men being idiots during childbirth. She grins at me and pats me on the shoulder. I’ve always liked Nurse Jeanette, she’s older and no-nonsense, but kind to her patients. I was hoping she would be one of Chloe’s nurses.
On the way to the labor suite, my brain finally comes back online and I ask, “Is she ok? Do you know why she’s here? She still has a week to go.”
She laughs and says, “Well, mother nature, God, or whomever you talk to wants them born today…it is them, isn’t it?”
I nod my head and my heart skips a hard beat; I’m meeting my sons today!
I open the door to the hospital room and Chloe is in the bed attached to a fetal monitor.
Her face lights up when she sees me and says, “Hey you! It looks like we are having our babies today.”
Rushing to her, I sit on the bed and say. “What happened…I thought you were fine…you didn’t text me.”
She says, “I didn’t get a chance to. I was in the Dr.’s office waiting to be seen and my water broke. So they sent me over here. I decided to wait until I got here to tell you. I knew you would start worrying.”
I give her a hug and say, “Ok, but you’re getting a spanking later!”
Just like I knew it would, her face turned bright red.
I forgot her nurse was in the room until she said, “None of that, Dr. J; we have to work on getting these two here before you do anything that will get her this way again.”
I try not to look at Chloe because I am getting the death glare, but I think it’s funny. I bet Connor would have liked it anyway. Speaking of, I need to call them because I need some reinforcements. I have a feeling all this sweetness coming from Chloe is going end soon and she will turn into Carrie or Linda Blair anytime now.
Jeanette comes over to the bed to see if Chloe is any discomfort and says that she is still waiting on the anesthesiologist.
While we are waiting, she says, “Let me check you, honey, to see if you have progressed anymore.”
I quickly volunteer to do it when I get a resounding NO from Chloe.
“Jayson, you are not checking to see how far I’m dilated; that’s gross! I would rather Jeanette do it for me.”
I don’t know why she is acting like this so I ask, “What’s the big deal? I’m down there all the time anyway.”
Chloe glared even harder and said, “Well, maybe not anymore!”
I smirk and say, “We’ll see, princess.”
Jeanette pats me on the back and says, “I think we’re in for a very long day.”
I excuse myself for a moment because I need to talk to the Chief of residents and let him know that Chloe is here and I either need to be with her completely or get someone to help me with my patient load. Unfortunately, the residency program doesn’t stop for family events, but I’m hoping for some sort of a miracle. I also have to call Connor and Madison as well as my parents. I do not want to hear from Madison if she isn’t called right away!
Evidently, somebody upstairs likes me because the Chief got someone to cover the rest of my rounds for me. I make the call to Connor and my parents; they all say they will be at the hospital as soon as possible. I also ask Connor to stop by our house and have Madison get Chloe’s birthing day bag so she will be more comfortable. Now that I have everything done, I can get back in the room and help my girl. I’m secretly dreading what is to come. I can’t stand the idea of her in pain in any way, shape, or form.
I see Chloe’s nurse standing at the nurse’s station and stop to ask how she is doing. She says Dr. Brady is in there with her about to do the epidural.
I take off like my pants are on fire and she yells after me, “You can’t be in there while he is administering it!”
Fuck that! I am going to be in that room.
Wanting to throw the door open, but not wanting to startle the man about to stick a large needle into my wife’s spine, I quietly walk in.
When he sees it’s me, he rolls his eyes and says, “You know you aren’t supposed to be in here.”
I flip him off, which makes him laugh. Luckily, we know each other from my OB/GYN rotation so he is only giving me a hard time.
At this point, he has Chloe in position for the epidural and I kneel down in front of her. I hate the look on her face; I hate that she is scared and I can’t do anything about it. I take her hands in both of mine and start talking about the babies. It helps enough to relax her and Dr. Brady gets the epidural done without a hitch. He explains that she will now just feel pressure instead of pain when having a contraction.
Knowing I’m probably going to get yelled at by the nurse, I get in bed with her. I tell her she needs to get some sleep for what is to come. We talk for a while and then I hear a knock at the door; it’s Jeanette with a disapproving look on her face, but she doesn’t say anything. She tells Chloe again that she needs to check her and I don’t try to help this time, although I still don’t see what the big deal is. Jeanette smiles and says we’re at 5 cm and things are progressing. I think to myself how easy all this has been and wonder when the shit is going to hit the fan.
Not too much later, my parents and Connor and Madison show up at the hospital. Madison calls me while they are parking and I leave Chloe asleep and step out to wait at the elevators. Of course, it’s like a hurricane with my mom and Madison as soon as the doors open, I get 5 zillion questions while my dad and Connor are laughing at me behind their backs. I try to answer all questions and assure them everything is going extraordinarily well. At this point, Madison informs me that she is going to be in the delivery room.
I just stare at her like she has grown a second head and she snottily says, “Don’t try to intimidate me with the Reece stare; it’s not going to work.”
I look at Connor and ask, “Can you get your wife under control because I am in the delivery room and I would hate to have to pick her up and physically put her out.”
I tell her that she can go in now, but that is all. I hear some really rude things coming out of her mouth, just loud enough for me to hear. She also has an evil smirk that lets me know to watch my back.
Right before I push the door open, I hear Connor pop her on the ass and say, “Behave and leave him alone; stop messing with him.”
I’m kind of surprised; he’s just as bad as she is in the practical joke department. Definitely two peas in a pod as Chloe calls them. Of course, Madison has to have the last word or gesture so when she walks by me, she elbows me in the ribs. I start to say something and Connor shakes his head; I guess he’s right…I need to give her some slack…she’s pregnant again. I swear that all they do is fuck becaus
e she is a freaking baby making machine. I think back to the first time they met. He told me he didn’t want anything serious with her and I predicted they would get married and have 5 kids. Not only did they get married, but she is carrying baby #6. Wish I had bet some money on that one!
All of them get to visit Chloe until I kick them out for a while. She hasn’t been sleeping well and I can tell she wants to go back to sleep. Deciding to go for something to eat while they wait, I tell them I will call or text them if there is any action. With each room having a laptop connected to the hospital intranet, I decide to get some work done while she sleeps.
I wish I could say that she woke up when it was time to push and the boys came easily. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. It took a while for her to progress, but once she started, it went like lightening. The worse thing is that the epidural was wearing off and it was too late to give her anything more. It’s a horrible thing to listen to your wife cry and beg for medication, knowing she can’t have it.
It took several hours of pushing for Brendon to be born and by that time, I was wondering how she was going to deliver a second one. Fortunately, there was a little while in between the two because she kept telling me she couldn’t do it again. I prayed for an easier delivery with Braxton and though it wasn’t easy, it was a lot quicker than with Brendon.
While the nurses were doing their thing with both babies, I took a cold washrag and wiped her face.
Pushing her hair back, I told her, “You did it. Our boys are here.”
The nurses brought them both to us and laid them in her arms. Looking down into their little faces along with the love on Chloe’s face made my heart feel like it would burst.
She smiles up at me and says, “They have your girly mouth.”
I couldn’t help but laugh because it was true; there it was, my mom’s mouth that had been given to me and Connor were on my boys. Even this little, it was more than apparent who they belonged to, but that was ok with me. Just like Chloe, they are mine and I wanted the whole world to know.
I stood over her staring at my family. My brain flew back to the day I saw Chloe walk in the door of our shared class. Somehow I knew we would end up here.
Seeing the look on my face, she asks, “Don’t you want to hold them?”
And I did, but I could feel my hands shaking as I took them both from her. I sat in the chair next to her bed and looked down at their twin faces. My eyes burned and my chest hurt. I knew right then that I loved them more than I ever thought was humanly possible. I would give up everything to keep them safe; I would give them the world if I could.
My mind filled with pictures of me taking them swimming, camping, fishing, and every other guy activity I could think of. But one thing I would never forget is getting to sit and hold them up against my body, feeling their breathing and heartbeats against my chest. Knowing I made these beautiful little boys with my soulmate just made it all the more perfect. I knew I would never forget this moment even when they were grown men.
With that thought I came back to the present and I realized I was doing what I loved best, holding my son. But I hated that it was just one of them. Knowing I risked waking up Braxton, I moved a sleeping Brendon to my shoulder and got up to go over to Braxton’s bed. Although it was awkward, I was able to maneuver him into my arms without waking either one of them. I sat back in the rocker with them both in my arms. I leaned my head back against the chair and rocked, thinking about what I had been blessed with. Somehow I must have relaxed enough to fall asleep because the next thing I remember is hearing a click.
I opened my blurry eyes to see Chloe standing there holding her phone taking pictures.
“What are you doing, you crazy woman?” I ask.
She winks and fans herself while saying, “There isn’t anything hotter than seeing you holding them both and all three of you asleep.”
I roll my eyes at her because this is not the first time I have heard of this; in fact, I think it is becoming an obsession that I love to tease her about endlessly.
Chloe leans over and takes Brendon and says, “Let’s bring them to our room so we can all be together.”
I stand up with Braxton in my arms and we make our way to our bedroom.
Lying down with the two of them in between us, I take Chloe’s hand and say, “Thank you.”
She looks at me with a puzzled look and I say, “Thank you for giving them to me. And for making a life with me.”
She sighs and says, “Crap, here I go with the tears. Are you doing this on purpose?” she asks teasingly. Then with a more serious look, she leans over and kisses me softly before saying. “You’re wrong, you know. I should be thanking you. You accepted me when I was almost insane with grief and guilt and made me see that I was just a breathing shell. You crashed through every boundary I erected and pushed me when I just wanted to hide in a corner.
So, thank you for giving me the life I never allowed myself to dream that I could have. But more than anything, thank you for showing me how to live. Without you, I would have missed out on so much. I have the three of you, wonderful in-laws, a great extended family, a crazy best friend and a hilarious brother-in-law; what more could I ask for?”
I kiss her back because there aren’t any words that I can say right now.
Holding her hand with our sons between us, we fall asleep, but before I drift off, I hear, “I love you.”
I squeeze her hand and say, “I love you, too.”
And with that, I knew I could never top this. No matter what path my career took or how much money I made; this is what life is all about. She’s right; this is living.
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you for purchasing and reading my very first novel. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have had this story in my head for so many years that it is almost incomprehensible that it’s actually in a book. The characters in my story are like friends to me because they have been with me for so long. Having said that, there are times in the book I didn’t particularly like their actions, but I wanted them to be real. After all, everyone has their faults, but at the same time, I felt their good points outweigh the bad. When reading, please remember these characters are young and don’t always make the right decisions; but most importantly, they are living!
Though there are parts of this story that may be loosely based on events, the tragedy endured by Chloe is not. I tried to make it as real as possible and researched the California Penal Code for the correct sentence for her part in the accident. I also tried to be as accurate as possible when discussing anything in the story that is real, including the characters’ curriculums at Rice University, the roads listed that are in Houston, etc. If you do find any errors, I sincerely apologize.
For anyone that is interested, this will be a series, and the next book is for Jayson’s twin: Connor. The name of the book is Living Out Loud and it will follow Connor and Madison’s love story as well as some events in each of their lives that shaped them into the characters I’ve created. I’m hoping to have it published by the end of 2015. Finally, there will be one last book in the series that is for Jayson and Connor’s cousin, Brayden. I do not have a title or release date yet; it’s only an idea right now.
Hugs to you,
Melody Dawn
Spotify Playlist
Direct link: https://open.spotify.com/user/melodyslove4books/playlist/3ya59vslvbphEJ0RLdHdLf
I’ll Follow You by Shinedown
I Never Told You by Colbie Caillat
Angel Eyes by The Jeff Healey Band
Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
It Will Rain by Bruno Mars
If I Knew by Bruno Mars
All of Me by John Legend
Just a Fool by Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton
Here Without You by 3 Doors Down
You’re Gone by Diamond Rio
Stupid Boy by Keith Urban
Unconditionally by K
aty Perry
Fight Song by Rachel Platten
Don’t You Wanna Stay by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
I Choose You by Sara Bareilles
Heartbeat Song by Kelly Clarkson
Stronger by Kelly Clarkson
Unkiss Me by Maroon 5
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
For You I Will by Monica
Wanted by Hunter Hayes
My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson
Invincible by Kelly Clarkson
With Arms Wide Open by Creed
I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz
Just Give Me A Reason by Pink and Nate Reuss
No Air by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown
Sugar by Maroon 5
Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum
Stay With Me by Sam Smith
Wherever You Will Go by Charlene Soraia
Author Links
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