“I’m pretty sure with all your red curls and a dress like Merida, everyone will think you’re really Princess Merida,” Valerie said to Analise.
“I hope so,” Analise said with a smile.
“I’m going to be a dragon,” Remi said. “Papa said I have to dress up like a dragon, though, ‘cause our real Dragons are so big. And Papa is going to dress up in leather pants and a fur vest, and Mama is going to braid some of his hair.”
“Oh yeah? What is your Papa pretending to be all dressed up like that?” Janie asked.
“Drogo. It’s some guy on a show about thrones and dragons. Guess what Mama is going to be,” Remi said proudly.
“I got it!” Maverik shouted. “Mother of Dragons! Daenerys!” he said.
“Exactly,” Avaleigh said, smiling.
“It’s fitting. It couldn’t be more fitting,” Maverik said, smiling at Avaleigh. “’Cause you are, ya know?”
“And you?” Daniel asked Maverik.
“Hellen and Havoc want to be zombie lumberjacks,” he said. “Do not ask me — I do not know. But, they have a whole theme going on,” Maverik said, holding his hands up at the curious looks on everyone’s faces.
“I’ve already ordered their plastic hatchets, and we’re going to rip holes in their oldest flannel shirts and pants and put fake blood on them. And we’re going to do their make up with theatrical grease paint in gray and white and give them huge dark circles and highlight the bones in their faces so they look dead. I’m going to put leaves in their hair that have fake blood stains on them, and put some sticks in Hellen’s hair, too. It’s going to be cool,” Valerie explained.
“And what about ya’ll? Ya’ll dressing up as zombie lumberjacks, too?” Bane asked.
“We’re going to be dead werewolves,” Valerie said, grinning at Maverik.
“Yes, we are. Damn good dead werewolves,” Maverik agreed.
“Dead werewolves?” Bane asked, with a shocked expression on his face.
“Hey!” Maverik said, “You’re a big ass white rabbit. My kid wants me to be a dead werewolf, I’ll be a dead werewolf!” Maverik’s eyebrows came down over his eyes when he heard himself say his kid wanted him to be a dead werewolf.
“Aren’t you really a werewolf, so to speak? Wouldn’t that just mean they want you to pretend to be dead?” Goldy asked.
Maverik glowered at Goldy. “No different than a human dressing up like a zombie,” he grouched.
“And you, Goldy?” Kaid asked, still laughing at Maverik.
“We’re just going to man the candy bowl at the school,” Goldy said.
“We volunteered to work the Halloween event for Daisy’s class,” Ms. Sadie added.
“You could still dress up,” Janie said. “If you wanted to.”
“What could we possibly be?” Sadie asked, laughing.
“Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion?” Everly suggested.
Kaid almost choked on his drink when Everly said Goldy could be the Cowardly Lion, but his laughter stopped short when Delilah spoke again.
“I believe that since all the fathers are involved and dressing the part. You will, too. You will be Robin,” Delilah said.
“What?! I am not Robin!” Kaid objected. “I do not wear tights!” Kaid said emphatically. “Besides, you were going to be Robin.”
“No, I am not going to be Robin. I’ve chosen another costume. You should be Robin so that Barron can go as Batman with Robin,” Delilah said.
“I do not wear tights,” Kaid said evenly.
“Barron, don’t you want Daddy to be Robin so you and he can be best friends like Batman and Robin?” Delilah asked.
“Yes!” Barron said, shoving his fist into the air. “My Daddy is going to be Robin!”
Kaid glared at Delilah who smiled back at him smugly.
“I don’t wear tights,” he repeated quietly.
“You will for Halloween,” Delilah answered.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Maverik reclined right in the middle of Havoc’s bed. Havoc was all tucked in on his right, and Hellen was under the covers on his left but not fully tucked in. She expected him to carry her back to her own bed when he was done reading to them. Every night he allowed them to pick a book, and he’d read it to them at bedtime. He’d read to them in Hellen’s room one night, and Havoc’s the next so every night he had to take the twin whose room they weren’t in back into their own room when they were done. He didn’t mind at all. He loved that his babies were so bonded they wanted to be read to together rather than separately.
“So, what is it tonight?” he asked.
“The Vampire Kitties,” Havoc said.
“We read that one already,” Hellen complained.
“Yeah, but it’s Halloween. So we’re reading it again,” Havoc argued. “Besides you like that one.”
“You’re right, I do,” Hellen agreed.
“Okay, so we’re ready?” Maverik asked, looking back and forth between the siblings.
“Yeah. Ready,” they both answered.
“Alright then, here we go. ‘The Mischief Kitties, In Bampires & Ghosts & New Friends, Oh My!’” Maverik said.
As Maverik turned the pages and read the book to his twins, both kids chuckled and exclaimed over the antics of the kittens in the book. The more they laughed, the more animated he became as he read.
Valerie stood out in the hallway, listening to her mate reading to their babies and smiled to herself. Her life was so much more than she’d ever thought it would be, and it was all because of the wild-eyed wolf shifter in the bedroom pitching his voice at different levels to entertain their kids.
She stepped a little closer to the door to peek inside and smiled when she saw both kids snuggled up against him looking at the pages as he acted out the words on the pages.
Maverik caught her eye and winked at her.
Valerie blew him a kiss and walked back down the hall, her eyes all misty from the happiness that often overwhelmed her.
“Why are Mama’s eyes wet,” Havoc asked.
Maverik looked down at his son. “Because her heart is full and she’s so happy.”
“Why is she so happy?” he asked.
“Because she’s got us, you dumbo!” Hellen piped up.
“I am not a dumbo, dumbo!” Havoc shouted.
“Sometimes you are,” Hellen insisted.
“Well, it was nice while it lasted,” Valerie said from the living room.
“Hey! Quiet down. We gotta find out what happens with these Bampires!” Maverik snapped.
“Oh, yeah!” Havoc and Hellen both said at the same time.
“You gonna make the Vampire voice, Daddy?” Hellen asked.
“I vant to drink your blood!” Maverik said animatedly, sending both kids into peals of laughter.
“It doesn’t say that,” Havoc said on a belly laugh.
“Well, it should!” Maverik claimed. “Now, where was I…”
Valerie took a seat on the couch and waited for Maverik to finish reading the kids their bedtime stories. She smiled despite the bickering between the kids. Her heart was definitely full to overflowing with love. “I’m a lucky, lucky female,” she said to herself.
“You can say that twice!” Maverik called out from the bedroom. “I’m all that and a bag ‘o chips, too!”
“Yes, you are!” Valerie called back to him.
Then she heard Maverik’s voice filled with nothing but sincerity. “I’m the one who’s lucky, Valerie. I was lost until you loved me.”
Valerie smiled and blinked away the mist that suddenly distorted her vision. “Always,” she said softly around the lump in her throat.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Avaleigh sat at her kitchen table scanning through Amazon for ideas for baby gifts for Maria. Everybody had already had their showers and were ready for a little relaxing time before bed.
“Avaleigh, love? Want to come watch a movie with us? We were thinking about Abominable,” Daniel called from the living roo
m.
“Sure,” she answered, getting up and walking into the living room. She sat between Daniel and Remi and kept scrolling while Daniel got the movie ordered on satellite.
“What are you buying, Mama?” Remi asked.
“I’m looking for a gift for Maria’s baby shower. I want to find her something unique and I need to order it tonight so it’ll be here in time for the party.”
“Did you get lots of stuff for your baby shower when you were getting me?” Remi asked.
Avaleigh put her phone down to look at Remi. “No, I didn’t, baby. We picked you, remember, just like you picked us, so I didn’t have a baby shower.”
“You only have baby showers when you’re gonna get one out of your tummy?” he asked.
“Pretty much. And you were a surprise so we didn’t have any warning. You were the best surprise ever in my whole life,” Avaleigh explained, hugging Remi to her.
Remi seemed insistent that he find a way to get his Mama a baby shower party. “Well, why don’t you just have a baby from your tummy and then we can give you a party, and I can have a baby brother or a sister,” he said.
Avaleigh did a great job of maintaining her emotions, but she just couldn’t find the words to explain in a way that he’d understand.
“Remi, Mama and Papa don’t need another baby. We have you, and that’s all we need to be happy,” Daniel said, slipping an arm around Avaleigh’s shoulders.
“But just one baby wouldn’t eat that much, and Mama is always looking at baby stuff, even when Ms. Maria wasn’t having a baby,” he said, shrugging. “Makes sense to me. You just get one in your tummy and then me and Papa can give you a baby shower party.”
Avaleigh leaned over and pressed her lips to Remi’s head. “I love you, little man,” she said, as she got to her feet and hurried toward the kitchen. “I'm going to get us some popcorn. I’ll be right back.”
Remi was confused. It looked like his Mama was going to cry, she was blinking her eyes real fast and hurrying to get to the kitchen. “Is Mama okay?” he asked his Papa.
Daniel smiled sadly at his son. “She’ll be fine, Remi. She just loves so much that you worry about her and want to make her happy. But let’s not talk about babies or baby parties right now. She’s perfectly happy with you and me.”
“We fill up her heart?” Remi asked.
“We do!” Daniel answered.
Avaleigh put a bag of microwave popcorn in the microwave and pressed the timer to start it. She used a paper towel to blot the tears from her eyes and took deep breaths to get her emotions under control. She loved that Remi wanted to make her happy by convincing her to just get a baby in her stomach and giving her a baby shower, but there was no easy to way to tell him that she’d never be able to give him a brother or sister.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the beeper on the microwave went off letting her know it was ready. She took the bag out of the microwave and tore it open, pouring it into a large plastic bowl before melting some butter in the microwave and pouring that over the popcorn. Then she tore open a bag of chocolate candies with the candy shells on them and tossed those in with the popcorn.
“Okay,” she said, walking back into the living room with a bright smile plastered on her face. “Who wants buttered popcorn and candy?”
She took her place between her mate and their son, offering both of them the salty and sweet treat.
Once the movie started and Remi was engrossed in it, Daniel kissed her shoulder, making her look his way. When she met his eyes, he lifted his eyebrows and she felt his unspoken question.
Avaleigh smiled and kissed his lips. “I have all I need,” she whispered.
“Love you, Dragon’s mate,” he said.
“Love you more, Dragon’s mate’s mate,” she answered with a smile.
Chapter 3
Natalie was standing at the nurses’ station making notations in a file when Delilah arrived for her shift assisting Dr. Eastmond in the maternity ward early Monday morning.
“Morning, Delilah!” Natalie called out.
“Good morning, Natalie. I was hoping to see you this morning before we got busy. Will you, Vince, and Christian be joining us for Halloween again this year?” Delilah asked.
“We’d love to. Thanks for the invitation,” Natalie replied.
“We will have our bonfire as usual, but it will be later in the evening. We have decided to take the children trick-or-treating through the neighborhoods in town this year.”
“Oh, that’s right! They’ve only ever celebrated at the Halloween parties at your place.”
“Yes. But, with Daisy and Remi getting older, their friends speak of trick-or-treating, which means Daisy and Remi speak of trick-or-treating, so now they all wish to go trick-or-treat for candy. So, we decided this is the year. We will make a family outing of it and then go back to our place for the annual Halloween bonfire and weenie roast afterward. It’s on a Saturday this year, so it won’t matter how late we stay up celebrating.”
“Sounds like fun. We’ll be looking forward to it,” Natalie said.
“Should we wait for you to join us at our home before we all come into town to trick-or-treat?” Delilah asked.
“Why doesn’t everyone just meet at our house? We can start with our neighborhood and work our way around town from there,” Natalie offered. “Then we’ll just go out to your place when we’re done.”
“That’s a great idea. We will do that,” Delilah agreed.
“We’ll see you about 5:30 on Halloween, then? Just before dusk,” Natalie said.
“Yes, you will,” Delilah answered as she raised a hand in greeting to Dr. Eastmond who was coming down the hallway toward the nurses’ station.
“Morning, Delilah. You ready for a busy day in baby-world?” Dr. Eastmond asked.
“I am!” Delilah answered.
“Well, let’s get started. We’ve already got three soon-to-be mothers waiting for us,” he said jovially.
Delilah handed her purse to Natalie, who placed it in a cabinet behind the nurses’ station with her own, then, she fell into step beside Dr. Eastmond while he went over the details of their first patient of the morning.
Delilah had dedicated herself for the last three years to constant study. She took as many hours as she could get in school, and had worked hard to achieve honors in her courses. Now, all her hard work had paid off. She’d been offered a position as an anesthesiology assistant by Dr. Eastmond — the very same doctor that had performed Valerie’s epidural and first sparked Delilah’s interest in the practice of anesthesiology. Delilah was working as his anesthesiology technician and still taking classes in her spare time toward eventually becoming a fully licensed anesthesiologist herself.
She listened intently as Dr. Eastmond explained the physical issues their first patient was dealing with, then followed him into the room after he knocked and waited for permission to enter.
“Good morning,” Dr. Eastmond called out as he opened the door. “I’m Dr. Eastmond, and this is my assistant, Delilah Sanders. We’re here to get you all ready to meet that baby,” he said happily.
Their patient was heavily into labor and was panting through a contraction when they entered.
Delilah went to her at once and in calm, soothing tones promised the expectant mom that everything would be alright. “I promise you, it’s all going to be fine,” she soothed, laying her hands on the woman and pressing the muscles in the small of her back.
Gradually the woman calmed and allowed Delilah to ease her back onto her pillows.
“Amazing how you can do that,” Dr. Eastmond said, shaking his head as he prepared his instruments to administer the epidural.
“You’re going to stay with me, aren’t you?” the worried woman begged, grasping at Delilah’s arms. “Something’s going to go wrong, I just know it.”
“Of course, I am. For a little while at least. But nothing is going to go wrong. Once the epidural is administered, you won’t
need me anymore, but even then all you have to do is call the nurses’ station and ask them to send for me if you have any trouble at all.”
“I’m by myself here. No one is here,” the woman said. “I’m afraid.”
“What’s your name?” Delilah asked.
“I’m Angelle.”
“Nothing to be afraid of, Angelle. And you’re not alone. You have your little one with you, and me,” Delilah said, putting the woman at ease again.
“I’m ready,” Dr. Eastmond said.
“I need you to lie on your left side, facing Dr. Eastmond. Can you do that for me, Angelle?” Delilah asked.
“I’ll try,” Angelle answered.
Delilah took the sharpie from Dr. Eastmond and made a mark where the catheter and line for the epidural IV would be inserted. Then she traded places with Dr. Eastmond.
Dr. Eastmond examined their patient and nodded, smiling proudly. “Great job, Delilah. You’ve not been wrong a single time.”
“I wouldn’t be very good if I’d been wrong even once, would I?” she asked with a wry grin.
Delilah leaned over their patient and curved one arm around the patient’s upper body, and one around her legs. “I’m just going to help hold you steady. You’ll feel a cold sensation as Dr. Eastmond numbs your back with a swab, then you’ll feel like you want to arch your back away from me. Then, no pain. You’ll have to watch the monitors to see if you’re having a contraction.”
“Really?” Angelle asked. It was apparent the woman was frightened.
“Really. The best thing ever invented is the epidural. It’s a miracle in itself,” Delilah assured her.
Dr. Eastmond gave her a nod to let her know he was about to insert the epidural catheter and Delilah applied pressure to the patient’s body to keep her still. A split second later it was done, and Dr. Eastmond was taping the line in place so the patient could lie on her back.
“All done!” Delilah said encouragingly.
Halloween Treats Page 2