Uncaged

“Two weeks.  Two long weeks.”

“Oh my God.”

“You’re here now, and we just need to focus on getting all my girls out of this damn place and home.  I need my family home.”

We spend the rest of the night and into the morning whispering softly to each other in between small bouts of my sleeping.  Every time I wake up, he’s still sitting in the same chair, his crystal blue eyes just watching me sleep.

Finally, sometime when the sun is creeping into the sky, I open my eyes from another nap to see his head against my thigh and hear soft snores echoing through the room.

Chapter 16 – Melissa

“I’m so nervous.”  I look over at Greg, who is standing against the wall of the elevator as it climbs the two floors that will take me to my girls.  “So damn nervous,” I whisper again.

“Stop, Melissa.  Once you see those two little princesses, all of those nerves will just wash away.  When you feel their soft skin against your own, look at their small faces that are little mini versions of your own…all of that will just vanish, and the love you’ll feel take its place is like nothing you have ever felt.”

I have to blink away the tears that his words cause.  My nose burns with the force of my emotions.

The doors open and Greg takes his place behind my chair, pushing me onto the floor where my girls are.  With every step he takes, my wheelchair moving closer and closer, I feel like I can sense my girls.  Like my body knows that I’m nearing my daughters.

We stop so that he can help me wash what feels like my whole body and push my arms through the gown I have to wear.  It’s hard with my cast to get everything situated, and by the time we finish, my frustration is strong.  I just want to see my babies.  I’m so close to my girls.

“I can see your mind working.  We’ll be in there in just a minute, but we have to follow the steps to make sure they are safe, Beauty.”

I know he’s right, but that doesn’t stop the irrational mama bear that just wants her little cubs in her arms.

We finally get situated and he helps wheel me into the room.  I know which incubator holds my girls before we’re even all the way into the room.  I see Cohen’s bright red cape with its royal blue trim like a flag waving me home draped across one of the incubators.

“He wanted his magic in here.  You should have seen him, Melissa.  He had so much determination to get that in here so that he could save his sisters with his powers.  That boy is something else.  He’s been amazing the last two weeks.  So strong.”

“That sounds just like him.”  I smile but never move my eyes from the flash of red in the otherwise very dull room.

He pushes me closer until I’m eye level with the two little babies nestled close to each other inside the small incubator.  I don’t even realize I am crying until I feel Greg wiping the tears from my face.

“They’re beautiful,” I whisper in awe.

“They sure are.”

I just keep looking at them, taking in every single feature on their bodies as I feel the instantaneous love take over my nerves—just like Greg said it would.

“I need to feel them, Greg.  I need to hold my babies.”

He nods his head before he walks over to the nurse who is standing not that far from us and speaks softly.  I can’t hear what he’s saying to her and I honestly don’t care as long as it gets my babies in my arms.

We spend a while trying to figure out how to maneuver things so that I am able to hold my daughters.  With my cast, it isn’t possible to hold them both at the same time, so Greg helps the nurse place Lillian in my arms.  The first time I feel her against my skin, I weep.  I try to keep it together, but when that featherweight is pressed against my chest… I lose it.  Greg stays close, keeping one hand against Lillian’s back and the other arm draped across my shoulders.

I hold her for about ten minutes before Greg takes over and the nurse helps move Lyndsie into my arms.  Just like with Lillian, I bawl.  Completely lose it.  Greg pulls one of the rockers next to my wheelchair and sits next to me while he cradles Lillian against his strong chest.

“They’re so small, Greg.  You swear they’re going to be okay?”

“I promise, Beauty.”

I smile.

He smiles back, leans in, and kisses me lightly.

I place a kiss on Lyndsie’s downy head, locking eyes with Greg as he does the same to Lillian.

We sit there a little while longer until the nurse comes up and asks if we would like her to take a picture for us.

And with my girls safe in our arms, my husband by my side, and a love big enough to smother you, we take the first picture with our daughters.

“I can’t wait to get one of those with Cohen.”

“You and me both.”

“Soon?”

Greg looks over at my question, that big smile from last night back on his face.  “Soon,” he vows.

Epilogue – Greg – Three Months Later (Christmas)

“Daddy!  Daddy!  DADDY!”  Cohen’s warm breath hits my ear and his whisper is loud enough to wake the dead.

I groan, knowing that there is no way Cohen’s going to sleep anytime soon.  I feel like I just fell asleep seconds ago, which isn’t far from the truth.

“C-Man, what are you doing awake?”

“Got things to do, Daddy!”  Jesus, he’s starting to sound more and more like Maddox daily.  Ever since they bonded when the girls were in the hospital, I feel like my son is turning into a Locke clone.

“Son.”

“Daddy.”

Melissa snickers next to me, and I know she gets a kick out of our four-year-old turning into some little mini alpha boy.

“Cohen, why don’t we go to sleep for just a few more minutes?”  Or hours, I silently add.

“Can’t.”

“Annnnd why can’t we do that?”  I finally peek my eyes open and jump when I realize how close he is to my face.  “Jesus, son, do you have to sneak up like that?”

He giggles softly.  “I didn’t sneak up on you.  I was just talking to you, Daddy.  We have to go… Go now!”

“Okay, okay.”  I throw back the covers, remembering a second too late that I’m still naked from taking Melissa just a few hours before.

“HA!  Daddy has his wiener rings in!  Daddy, your wiener is funny looking with Mommy’s earrings in there!”  He starts dancing around the room, chanting about my goddamn wiener rings.