Chapter 404
This week?” I couldn’t process it. “That’s only four days away.”
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‘I know it seems fast,‘ Dr. Chen said, her expression kind. “And I know the NICU has become familiar, safe. But your babies are ready. They don’t need us anymore. They need their parents and their home.”
Athena was crying, her hand pressed to her mouth. “I can’t believe it. We get to bring them home.”
“There will be conditions,” Dr. Chen continued. “You’ll need to complete infant CPR training, which we can do here. They’ll need to stay on monitors at home for the first month, we’ll send you home with equipment that tracks their breathing and heart rate. You’ll have weekly appointments with their pediatrician for weight checks. And absolutely no visitors who are sick, their immune systems are still developing.”
“We can do all of that,” I said immediately. “Whatever they need.”
“I know you can,” Dr. Chen said, smiling. “You’ve been wonderful parents these past three weeks. Very involved, very attentive. These babies are lucky to have you,”
After Dr. Chen left, Athena and I just stood there in the hallway, holding each other, both crying.
“We get to bring them home,” she kept saying. “Tristan, we get to bring them home.”
“I know, baby, I know.”
“I need to call Sarah. And Orion. And we need to make sure the nursery is completely ready. And we need car seats. Do we have car seats? 1 can’t remember if we bought car seats…”
this.”
“Athena.” I cupped her face in my hands. “Breathe. We have car seats. The nursery is ready. Everything is ready. We’ve been preparing for
“But I thought we had more time,” she said, laughing through her tears. I thought we had at least another month.”
“So did I. But our kids are overachievers, apparently.”
“Just like their father, she said, reaching up to kiss me.
We spent the rest of the day in the NICU, unable to leave even though we probably should have gone home to rest and prepare.
But how could we leave when our babies were about to come home? When this might be one of our last days in this strange liminal space we’d inhabited for three weeks?
Sarah and Orion came by in the afternoon, bringing Lily and Liam.
“Guess what?” Athena said the moment they walked in, unable to contain her excitement.
“What?” Sarah asked, immediately picking up on her energy.
They’re coming home. This week. Possibly Friday.”
Sarah shrieked, actually shrieked, right there in the NICU, causing several nurses to look over with amused expressions.
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10:28 Fri, Feb 13 BBD.
Chapter 404
Are you serious? she demanded. “Really coming home?”
“Really,‘ I confirmed. “Dr. Chen said they’ve met all the criteria. They’re ready.”
“That’s incredible,” Orion said, clapping me on the shoulder. “I’m so happy for you both. For all of you.”
“Can I hold them? Lily asked, already moving toward the isolettes. “One more time before they go home?”
“Of course,” Athena said.
We spent the next hour passing the babies around. Lily held each twin carefully, singing to them in her sweet six–year–old voice.
Liam, who’d been wary of the babies at first, had warmed up to them and now insisted on touching their hands through the isolette openings whenever he visited.
Addy and Ari are coming to your house?” he asked me, his three–year–old face serious.
“They are,” I confirmed,
“Can I visit them?”
“Every day if you want to, I promised, ruffling his hair.
That evening, after everyone had left and the NICU had quieted down for the night, Athena and I sat between the isolettes like we did
every evening.
‘I’m scared,‘ Athena admitted quietly. “Is that crazy? I’ve been desperate to bring them home, and now that it’s actually happening, I’m
terrified.”
“It’s not crazy,” I assured her. “I’m scared too.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
