Chapter 87
Alex and Aurora: age 4 years.
“Baby?” Aurora fluttered her eyes as the twins sat dutifully next to me while I laid down on the bed. Her little fingers lay on my baby bump and she stared at it as if she was expecting the baby to rise out of it any moment.
I was six months pregnant, and had started to show. We had waited to tell the twins about it for a long time because after my complications with the twins, this was a high–risk pregnancy. We wanted to be safe and make sure the little baby was
safe before we involved our toddlers into this.
“Mama?” Alex was frowning. “Why one more baby?”
“Well…” I trailed, looking at my husband for help, who despite sitting on that very bed behind the twins, just shrugged.
I glared at him before giving Alex a smile. “Don’t you want a younger brother or a sister, sweetheart?”
His s frown deepened. “Brother or sister?”
“Well, we don’t know the gender yet,” I provided. “I didn’t even know before you and Aurora were born.”
“Girl,” Aurora grinned.
“You think it’s going to be a girl?” Gabriel mused from behind.
She nodded quickly, taking her hands off me and shifting towards her father, who was very quick to take her off the bed and take her in his arms, kissing her crown.
My eyes flickered back to Alex, who looked like he was in deep thought.
“Alex?” I called him softly, resisting the urge to laugh at his antics. He was four, but he could behave like he was fourteen, really.
“Big brother, mama?” He asked, and I smile.
“Yes, my love, you’ll be an elder brother.”
He huffs. “Unnecessary!”
My lips part in surprise, and I looked at my husband who decided it was finally time to intervene. “Alex Whitlock,” Gabriel called him, his voice a little stern, “Do not call your younger sibling unnecessary!”
Alex’s frown deepened and soon turned into a sob, and his eyes quickly flickered from me to Gabriel. “You no love me!”
“Alex!” My eyes widen and I straighten to get hold of him, but he was already rolling down from my bed. “Of course we love you!”
Gabriel was shaking his head and getting Aurora off so he could follow behind his son by the time he was stomping out of the room. “If you love me then why new baby?!”
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“Alex, wait!” I call after him, getting up slowly and with support while Gabriel sighs and follows him.
“Can you not run?” Gabriel’s voice echoed in the hallway outside our room.
“I’ll be right back, okay Auro?” I tell my baby girl before walking behind the father–son duo, not keen on leaving them alone.
I could swear they were insane together. Alex would throw a tantrum and demand the craziest thing from his father who would agree to it without batting an eyelash.
The last time Alex was upset over something, I promised to get him a new car and forgot to follow up on that while prepping for the wedding, so when he complaint to Gabriel about it, guess what Gabriel got him?
A car. A shiny, new, black BMW car.
I had to conceal my smile thinking about the morning I had woken up to the new car and accepted it thinking it was my husband’s love for cars that drove him to buy another one till my son was screaming in the daycare telling all his friends how his father bought him a car so he can get it here every day.
I had gotten really mad. Really, really mad.
But now, in retrospective, it was funny.
“Alex? Gabriel?” I called, wondering where they disappeared to. There was no noise coming from the twins‘ room or their play area.
“Sophia! SOPHIA!” Gabriel screamed.
Screamed.
He didn’t call me Freckles
Keeping my hand on my bump and my heart beating so fast in my chest that I thought it would make its way out, I ran towards the source the stairs.
Blood.
Blood was the first thing I noticed.
Not too much. But not too little.
Alex was sobbing, crying, wailing.
“Soph.. Sophia.” Gabriel’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He was leaned down, pressing on Alex’s head. “He was running up the stairs and he tripped. I–I think he needs stitches. I’m going to take him to the hospital, okay?”
I was frozen.
I was staring at it all, but I was frozen. Alex was crying, but his cries were lesser and silenced with each passing second, his eyes drowsy. Gabriel was talking to him in an attempt to keep him awake while holding him, telling him it’s going to be okay. Gabriel’s hand was covered with enough blood for it to be dripping down his palm.
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A nightmare.
That’s what this was.
A nightmare.
I would have been frozen for a long time if Aurora’s cry hadn’t shaken me out.
“Mama! Mama! Alex! Mama!” Aurora was tugging at my dress, and I snapped out.
I grabbed my little girl, taking her in my
in my arms.
My pregnancy being high–risk, I wasn’t supposed to pick up weights which included my babies, but I didn’t care right now.
“Sshh.” I coaxed my daughter who was now crying, “Alex is going to be okay, okay?”
I rushed out, and I think I don’t know what I screamed out in my daze but it was something because Luna rushed inside and yelped so loud, and the driver got the car out.
Gabriel rushed Alex into the back se
Gabriel drove.
and I got in from the other end, buckling Aurora before cradling my son in my arms.
“Alex? Alex, baby?” I called, tears filling in my eyes. He wouldn’t respond. His eyes were shut. He wouldn’t respond.
Aurora sobbed incoherently.
“It’s going to be okay, baby,” I mumbled, and I had no idea which one of them I was even talking to. “It’s going to be okay.”
I don’t know at what speed Gabriel drove, how many times I whispered I love you to Alex because when we reached the hospital, Gabriel carried Alex into the emergency ward.
Aurora was in my arms, sobbing silently into my shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay, baby,” I coaxed, my hand rubbing her back.
“Alex! Blood, mama!” She sobbed even more, and I repeated that he was going to be okay till Gabriel reappeared and took Aurora from my arms, holding her in one.
His other arm wrapped around me, pulling me close.
I let the tears out. I know I should be strong, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t be. “He’s my baby, Gabriel,” I sniffed, trying to not let Aurora see my tears. “He’s my baby.”
Seconds turned into minutes, and it seemed like every minute was forever. I was in the waiting area, staring at the dried blood on my skin.
Gabriel went to fill in some forms and give his signature a couple places, taking our daughter with him.
I stayed there for what seemed like eternity, but it was just about fifteen minutes until the doctor reappeared again.
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I stood up, slow and steady, and Gabriel was already making his way. Aurora was silent in his arms with an unopened candy bar in her hand, quietly sucking her thumb, her head rested on his shoulders.
“Doctor?” I asked, fearful.
“The bleeding stopped and we had to give him four stitches for the cut,” he tells me. “There are no signs of a concussion or anything more serious as of now, but we’ll know more once he gets up.”
I sniff, wiping away the remnant tears from the clean part of my hand, careful not to smear blood all over my face and scare my doughter more than she already was.
“Will he- Will he be okay?” I stammer.
“He will be in pain for a week or so and we’ll keep him under observation for a few days since he’s just a child.” The doctor says, “We’ll give him all the medicines we can to keep the pain away, and plenty of rest and fluids, and he should be as good as new except for that tiny scar.”
I nod, silently thanking God.
“Thank you,” Gabriel tells the doctor, and we both pass a slightly relieved look.
We play with Aurora keeping her entertained until the nurse comes out and tells us Alex is awake, and then we rush inside together despite the nurse telling us only one visitor at a time was allowed.
“Oh, my baby.” My tears break free again when I see him on the bed silently sobbing.
“Mama! Pain!” He cries as I collect him in my arms.
“Alex! My silly boy. I love you so much.” I kiss his forehead, then his cheeks, then his nose. I smother him in my kisses until he manages to let out a small smile despite the pain.
“I love you, baby,” I tell him again. “And having a another baby will not make me love you any less. Instead, it will make me love you even more than I do now”
His eyes turn towards his father, who I bet he was looking for since the moment we came in but I smothered him instead.
Alex hops from my arms into Gabriel’s who sits on the other side of the bed. Unlike me, Gabriel doesn’t smother him in kisses. He just holds his sons tight, and when they pull away, I see tears glistening in his eyes.
“You scared us, Alex,” Gabriel tells him, wiping Alex’s tears away. “Your mother and I love you and Aurora the most in this world. And that will never change, okay?”
Alex nods hesitantly before Aurora hugs him from behind, making both of them tumble on the bed.
They both blabber something to each other in a baby language that neither me or Gabriel understand, but it makes both of us giggle watching them.
I
When they were both done with incoherent words and yelps and Aurora even pushing him once, I take Alex in my arms again. I squeeze him so tight that he wiggles to get out of my arms.
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“I’m going to hold you like this forever and never let you go,” I hold him closer.
“Mama!” He scolds in his little baby voice, making me burst out in more tears. “No cry! Mama!”
“Yes. Yes. Sorry!” I wipe the tears away. “Is it still hurting, love?”
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He shakes his head even though I knew he was still hurting, that the doctor had instilled only a very light dose of painkillers to check for any allergies.
My strong boy.
“Is baby okay?” He bobbles his head, and I nod, placing his tiny palm on my bump.
“Baby loves you so much, I tell him. “And baby can’t wait to meet you.”
“Brother?” His eyes shine.
I raise my shoulders. “You’ll be the elder brother, love.”
“Sister!” Aurora claps her hand, getting up on the little hospital bed and jumping.
Alex looks like he wants to join her but he doesn’t because of the pain, snuggling in my arms and I hold him close with no intention of ever letting go.
