Page 15 of Coming Innocent

“Yes, and I’d like to try to feed them, please.”

“Absolutely, we can draw the curtain to give you a bit of privacy as well.”

“How are they doing?” Avery asks as Logan helps her into the rocking chair.

“Well, we had a bit of an episode with Everett about an hour ago, he was having trouble breathing. So we decided to see if placing the twins together would help, and it did. He’s been doing miraculously well since then. And Caroline is a strong little girl. I believe they’re going to be just fine.”

Avery settles herself into the chair with a new sense of determination. If her children could be strong then so could she; she had to be.

“Ok, I’m ready.”

***

IF THIS CAR RIDE takes any longer Nikki may very well strangle her husband. She realizes that it isn’t his fault that the traffic on the highway leading to Asheville crawls at the pace of a snail, or that he is leading the caravan to the hospital, making sure he maintains a good speed to keep everyone together, but she is anxious. She had just witnessed her best friend give an unexpected delivery to two premature babies and all she can focus on is getting to her scared friend. So, yes, she realizes that it isn’t Austin’s fault that the one hour trip is creeping into the two-hour range, but he is about to get smacked by her large purse sitting at her feet.

She turns her glare away from the slow moving traffic and sets her sights on Austin.

“How much longer?”

“I don’t know, maybe another thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes?” she shouts.

As the car comes to a halt once more he turns his attention away from the road.

“I know it’s frustrating, but there isn’t anything any of us can do. Why don’t you lie back and take a nap?”

“Take a nap, Austin? My best friend is at a hospital probably terrified and you want me to take a nap?”

“Darlin’, she has Logan with her and I’m sure she’s had a chance to see her babies. Freaking out isn’t going to get us there any faster. Just relax, we’ll get to the hospital soon enough.”

Nikki searches his eyes as she takes a few deep breaths, his handsome face never leaving his focus on her.

“I suppose that you’re right. I’m just scared, Austin. What if that had happened and Brooks or any of us weren’t around? I can’t believe that Everett wasn’t breathing.”

Taking her hand into his as he moves the vehicle a few feet, Austin admits, “I think about what I would have done if it was you and Grace? I almost choke on my fear thinking about that. But it wasn’t and Brooks was there so we can’t live in the what ifs, just trust that everything has happened the way it was meant to.” Nikki nods solemnly as Austin adds, “And look, it seems it was a broken tractor blocking most of the lanes, so once we’re through this we should be there in about ten minutes.”

Finally, a sense of peace calms down the urgency that had rushed over her and Nikki closes her eyes and rests back against the seat.

“I’m just going to rest my eyes,” she claims and ignores the chuckle coming from Austin’s direction.

A sudden jerking of her shoulder causes Nikki to sit up straight from her rest against the seat and her arms slash around wildly.

“Calm down, beautiful. It’s just me. We’re here,” Austin whispers as he strokes his hand from her shoulder down to her hand, leaving a chill of goose bumps in its wake.

“I’m sorry, I must have passed out.”

“That’s ok; you’ve had a busy and eventful day. But I think you have two very important people waiting to meet their aunt Nikki.”

In her typical fashion, since her hormones change her emotions in the drop of a hat, Nikki excitedly claps her hands.

She and Austin follow the rest of the group up to the maternity floor where they are placed in a small waiting room.

The nurse advises that only a few go at a time and Joseph and Amy, carrying a bag of clothes, follow the nurse towards Avery and Logan’s room as the rest all wait staring at the small television in the corner. No one speaks, or laughs, or moves, everyone simply waits patiently for their rotation.

Brooks comes into the room thirty minutes later and takes the only empty seat, which happens to be next to Everleigh. Nikki watches with interest as he places a muscled arm on the back of her chair and whispers something into her ear. Everleigh nods once and then turns her attention back to the television.

Finally, Joseph returns with a teary-eyed, yet smiling Amy.