by Lane Hart
"This is baby girl A, the first one born and the bigger one by almost a pound," she said, placing her on my chest. My hand covered her entire little body. She was warm, and felt delicately light against me. Then she placed the other baby on the other side, even smaller and more fragile.
Lauren sniffled. "Can I … can I take a picture, Tyler?"
"Sure. I wish Jess could see them. I wish she was here."
More sniffles, and I looked up to see my parents. I had a new appreciation for them. I saw their love and constant worrying in a whole new way, one I couldn't begin to understand until a minute before when I became a father.
"Oh sweetie. They're absolutely beautiful," my mom said, kissing the top of my head, and I nodded my agreement. "How's Jess?" she asked, and I shook my head not knowing the answer to that one.
"I need to see her. Will you stay with them?" I asked her.
"Of course. Try and make me leave," she said. "Could I … can I hold them?" she asked the nurse and she nodded.
"If you're not wearing any perfume or lotions, try and hold them to your skin," the nurse said and my mom pulled her sweater off. Thank God she was wearing a tank top underneath.
"Jesus, mom," I teased.
"What? I'll do whatever I can for these little girls. They are too precious."
"We'll put them together in one bassinet in a few days, so they'll have the comfort of each other."
"Can you tell me where the ICU is?" I asked the nurse.
"One floor up, and to your left off the elevators."
"Thanks."
"Can I come with you to see her?" Lauren asked. "Then I'll go with Caleb to find Jonathan."
"Of course."
"I'm so sorry, son," my dad said, pulling me to him before we left.
They were just bringing Jess into ICU when we got down there, and they finally let us in a few minutes later.
"Any change?" I asked the nurse in the room with us.
"No, not yet. But you can talk to her, if you'd like. She might hear your voice and find comfort in knowing you're close."
I nodded and grabbed her hand that was free of wires and devices.
"Jess? Baby, can you hear me? You've got to wake up and meet your daughters. They're … you won't believe how tiny and amazing they are. They're doing okay, and Jonathan is doing great. We just need you. We need you to be okay. I'm so sorry, baby. I shouldn't have pushed you to report him. I heard him. He was so angry, and if you'd never … oh God."
"Tyler, don't say that. They shouldn't have let him out. There's nothing you could've done," Lauren said with a hand on my shoulder.
I wanted him to go to jail so Jess and Jon would be safe. I never imagined he'd make bond or come after them. Someone should have told us, warned us. Now I hated urging her to turn him in. If I'd known he'd do this … I just had to make sure he'd never hurt them again, and I'd do whatever I had to do to keep them safe.
"I need to make some calls. Tell them what to charge him with so he never sees daylight again. Because so help me God if he steps foot out of that jail again I will kill him myself."
"Cell phones aren't allowed back here with the equipment in ICU, but you can use the room phone. Call whoever you need to," the nurse said.
I picked it up and dialed the station, asking for the shift supervisor.
"Sergeant Moore, its Evans. Please tell me that son of a bitch Mike Dodson is still in lockup."
"He is. We were holding him in the infirmary until we could talk to you and your wife about what to charge him with."
"Four attempted murders, four assaults inflicting serious injury, assault on a female, assault on a minor, violating conditions of release, breaking and entering, trespassing, and whatever the fuck else you can think of. You better make damn sure the magistrate doesn't give him a bond."
"He'll never get a bond again after what he just pulled. How are they?"
"My wife's in ICU unconscious with a concussion and brain swelling, they delivered the babies that don't weigh but about three pounds each, and her brother just got out of surgery."
"Jesus, Evans."
"You have no idea."
"Let us know if you need anything. Don't worry about Dodson. We've got him."
"Sarge?"
"Yeah?"
I looked at Jess's small, pale body, so damaged to the point she may never recover. I thought about how I could still lose our daughters born too early, and everything he'd put Jess and Jonathan through during their childhood.
"Put him in general."
"Evans, we can't-"
"Put him in general population, and release the story."
"We can't deal with a lawsuit-"
"No one is going to sue you. He just tried to kill almost all of his family."
"He's got a wife."
"She's going to be committed to a mental hospital for the rest of her life. Put him in general."
"I hope you aren't saying this in front of any witnesses."
"Don't worry," I told him, then hung up. "Neither of you heard that did you?" I asked Lauren and the nurse.
"No. But I might get arrested tonight just to get in on the action myself," the nurse said.
"Tyler, he's not worth it," Lauren said.
"No, he's not. But they are, and I'm not willing to risk him ever touching them again."
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jess
I came to with the mother of all migraines. What the hell? I knew I hadn't been drinking last night. I haven't had alcohol in … Oh God! The babies!
My eyes flew open and I realized after a minute that I was in a hospital room. It was dark and quiet. Tyler's head was bowed on the side of the bed with his hand in mine on my stomach. My belly was too small and flat, and I couldn't feel the babies moving.
"No! God no," I tried to make sound come out but my voice was too hoarse. Tyler's head came up though when he heard me try and speak.
"You're awake! Thank God. I've been so worried about you," he said, wrapping me in his arms.
"The babies … they're gone. I lost them." I couldn't force the words out through my sobs. Tyler was going to hate me. Think I did it on purpose. "I wanted them. I loved them so much. I'm so sorry." I should have protected them better.
"No, no, no. Shh. The babies are fine. Tiny, but okay so far. They're in the NICU downstairs."
"They are? I … I didn't lose them?" I asked against his chest, trying to catch my breath around the sobs.
"I’ve even held them a few times. Here, I've got pictures," he said, pulling back to get out his phone and show me the screen. Two small bundles of pink and white were sleeping in bassinets with all sorts of cords attached to them.
"Oh my God. That's our babies? They're so little. But I was only thirty-one weeks. They're too early."
"They've seen them smaller, the nurse said, and they're doing good compared to you."
"When can I see them? I want to hold them."
"Do you know where you are? Your name?" a woman in scrubs asked.
"Yes, I’m in the hospital, and my name’s Jessica Dodson. No, it's Evans now. We got married a few months ago in Vegas. And this man and I have two twin daughters."
Tyler smiled even though tears ran down his face. "Damn right."
"Wait! Jonathan! He yelled at him to stop hitting me, then he was on him until he wasn't moving!"
"Jonathan's fine. Several broken bones, broken rib, ruptured lung, but I just saw him a few hours ago. He's one floor up in a regular room. Your babies are downstairs. Everyone's okay, I swear. You were by far in the worst condition. You're in the ICU."
"Intensive care? But I'm fine. Hell of a headache, a few aches and pains, but that's all."
"You've got a concussion, and when you came in there was brain swelling, which can be fatal."
"Oh yeah. I think he beat my head into the floor. Oh shit! Where is he? Did our dad get away?"
"Fuck no. He was trying to leave when I got there. He's back in jail, and even Johnny Cochran'
s ghost couldn't get him bond again. He will never hurt you or Jonathan again. They've got new charges on him a mile long. Combining those with the old, he'll probably get a sixty year prison sentence, and that's if he takes a plea deal."
"Thank God. But I'd feel better if the bastard was dead."
"He might be soon."
"What do you mean? Tyler, no, you're not going to-"
"I'm not, no. The other inmates in the jail might be criminals, but they have kids of their own that they love, and they really don't like child molesters."
"Good," I said in an exhale
"I'm glad you agree."
"He almost killed me, my brother, and our babies…that's not even counting all the fucked up shit he did to me and Jonathan when we were little. I hate that son of bitch, and he doesn't deserve to live."
"No, he doesn't. But don't worry about that. Let's get you, Jonathan, and our girls healthy and forget about him."
"When can I see our babies? I need to hold them. And see Jonathan."
"I've paged the doctor and told him you're awake. Once he clears you to go to a regular room we can take you down to the NICU. That might take an hour or so, though."
Tyler grabbed the room phone and dialed. "Hey Lauren, sorry to call so late, but I thought you'd want to know Jess is awake," he said, smiling at me. "She's good, no memory loss, she's fully coherent. She just wants to see her babies and Jon. Hold on," he told her then turned to me. "You feel like talking to Lauren? She's up in Jon's room."
"Yes, can I talk to him too?"
"Sure," he said handing me the phone.
"Lauren?"
"Jess! I'm so glad to hear your voice! You scared the shit out of us. We've been worried to death, girl. And wait until you see your babies! They are too adorable. Hold on, here's Jon."
"Jess? You're okay?" my brother asked.
"Yes, are you?"
"I'm fine now that I know you are, and I’m an uncle."
I sobbed out a laugh in relief. "I'm glad. I can't wait to see you. Maybe they'll put us in the same room."
"Yeah, tell them to do that."
"Okay, see you soon baby brother. Love you."
"Love you too, sis."
I handed the phone back to Tyler and tried to wipe the tears from my face with my hand that had cords attached, until he handed me a few tissues.
"Will you ask them to put her in Jonathan Evans's room?" Tyler asked the nurse, and she smiled and nodded before leaving the room to make some arrangements.
"Baby, you have no idea how relieved I am that you're okay. I thought I was going to lose you. All four of you," he said, and his eyes watered again before he leaned down and wrapped me in his arms.
…
Tyler
I pushed Jess's wheelchair through the NICU, then we washed up at the sink before heading to the bassinets in the back. I saw my mom and dad who'd been with the girls for seven hours straight. The words "visiting hours" were not in my mom's vocabulary.
When I saw her holding the girls I wondered if she'd been sitting there the entire seven hours with them. She was in the same spot she’d been in when I left hours ago, still awake while my dad snoozed in a recliner.
"Jess!" my mom exclaimed, and my dad jerked awake. "Oh, honey, we were so worried about you! Thank heavens you're okay. I know you can't wait to hold your little girls."
Jess’s eyes had teared up, smiling as she looked at our babies. I reached down and unsnapped the top of her hospital gown to fold it down. She looked up at me like I was crazy, making me smile wider.
"The babies need skin to skin contact. Especially yours," I told her, and she nodded.
I picked up the first bundled baby and laid her on Jess's chest, then reached for the other one, cords still attached to them in all sorts of places, but long enough to reach.
"Our baby girls," she said between sniffles, as she ran her fingertips over their tiny faces. "I'm sorry little girls. We shouldn't be seeing you this soon, but I'm so glad you're okay."
"One weighs three pounds, eleven ounces and the other weighs two pounds and fourteen ounces."
"Wow. How can they be alright?"
"The doctor came in earlier and said there's a ninety-five percent chance they'll make it. A hundred would be better, but ninety-five is pretty good," my mom informed us.
"Did they say how long they'll have to be here?" I asked.
"Probably at least six weeks … more if needed."
"Six weeks? Jesus!" I exclaimed.
"They have to help them get to their due dates."
"May twenty-fifth is a long time from now," Jess said. "I'm so sorry Tyler. I should've kept them safe."
She sobbed as she held them, breaking my heart. "Baby, there wasn't anything you could do. This is his fault, and I'm sorry I pushed you to charge him. I didn't think he'd ever make bond."
"I needed to turn him in, and I feel better for it. I just … I hate him for what he did to hurt them and Jonathan."
My mom got up and headed to the door with my dad. "We'll give you four some alone time together, and go get some coffee. Do you need anything? Jess, can you eat or drink something?"
"I'm okay, thanks," she said without looking away from the girls.
I sat in the chair across from her and reached up to rub their backs.
"What are we going to name them? We can't keep calling them A and B."
"A and B?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah that's what the doctor and nurses call them. That's what's on their bassinets, see?" I pointed to the cards on the front. "Evans Baby A and Evans Baby B."
"We were each going to name one, have you decided on yours?" she asked.
"How about Brienne for Baby B and call her Bree" I asked, picking one of the names from Game of Thrones.
She laughed. "Fine, that's not so bad. Maybe Ella for Baby A? What do you think?"
"Ella and Bree Evans? Sounds perfect."
"Now which is which?" she asked with a laugh.
"Well, let's see. Follow the cords back to the bassinets, and the one on your right is B, the smaller one, or now Bree, and the one on your left is A or Ella."
"We'll never keep them straight, you know."
"We can get little onesies with their names on them."
"But what if we put them on the wrong baby?"
"Shit. Oops. Sorry girls, I mean shoot. I didn't think about that," I laughed.
"I love you," she said with a smile.
"I love you too, baby. And these little girls."
We sat in the room both taking turns holding our babies for several hours, until Jess couldn't hold her eyes open anymore.
"Alright, Jess. Let's put them down so you can go get some rest, okay?"
"I don’t want to leave them."
"I don't either, but we both need some sleep. And we can check on Jonathan."
"Okay, fine. Put them to bed."
I grabbed the smallest one first and laid her in the bassinet. "This is Bree. And this one is Ella,” I said, picking up the second baby. “Oh yeah, we’ll figure out which is which in no time," I assured her.
My parents were waiting to come back in when we left the NICU. I knew they needed sleep too, but my mom refused to leave them.
"We named them. Baby B is Bree, and A is Ella," I told them.
"Oh I love them, the names and the babies. Go sleep and we'll call you if anything changes, okay?"
"Thanks, Mom," I gave her a kiss and hugged them both.
"Now, let's find your new room," I told Jess as we headed for the elevator, taking it to the third floor.
Jonathan's room was dark when we walked in, but I saw where they'd put the second hospital bed, and had it all ready for Jess. Lauren was sleeping on a couch and Caleb was leaning back in a recliner.
"Hey, man," I shook Caleb awake.
"Ty, oh wow, hey Jess. You look good. I'm glad you're okay"
"Thanks, how's my baby brother?" she asked, glancing over at his sleeping form.
; "Good, but it's hard to sleep in this place. The nurses are in and out every hour."
"You and Lauren can head on home and get some sleep," I told him.
"Are you sure? How are the babies?"
"Ella and Bree are still doing okay."
"Good. Cute names. Lauren can't wait to get her hands on them. She keeps going on and on about how adorable they are, and I'm afraid she might want one soon."
"Oh Caleb, you have no idea. Lauren has wanted one for months. When are you going to pop the question and give her a ring, anyway?" Jess asked. “You two have been together almost a year.”
"Wow, you woke up feisty, didn't you?" he laughed, but didn't answer. I wondered what his hold up was. Marrying Jess was probably the best decision I'd ever made.
"My wife is always feisty. Now take Lauren home and get some real sleep," I told him.
Standing up to stretch, he didn't bother waking Lauren. He just scooped her up and carried her out the door.
"You ready to get in bed, baby?" I asked Jess.
She looked at the hospital bed and frowned. "No."
"No? You've got to sleep."
"Oh, I'm about to fall asleep sitting up but I don't want to sleep in that bed. I want to sleep with you."
"I feel the same way. We could try the couch together. It might recline."
"Okay."
I grabbed the pillow and sheet from the bed and laid them on the couch to help Jess up.
She stood up like her entire body hurt, which it must with all the bruises and her C-section incision. Pain and anger threatened to overwhelm me before I reined it in. Jess didn’t need me bitching about her father right now.
She sat down on the couch and I sat slowly down beside her, afraid to even jostle her. Shit, I probably shouldn't try and sleep so close to her until she healed.
Jess saw me hesitate and turned to her side, grabbing my shirt and laying her head on my chest. "I need you."
"I need you too."
"You can touch me. I'm fine, other than a headache and a sore belly."
I slid my arm around her, and when she settled against me I pulled up the recliner for us to stretch out.
"Good night, Ty. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. So damn much. I thought I'd lost you … God, I'm so glad you're okay."
