by Tigris Eden
“Everything is going to work out,” Treat says, bending down to touch Noll’s knee.
He doesn’t respond, but his little brown eyes focus in on Jackson, and are asking all sorts of questions Jackson just doesn’t have the right answers for.
Ava sits on the other side of Noll and offers him a hug.
“It’s going to be okay, Noll. Mommy did this with you and Nia and everything turned out fine. Now we just have to wait. Once the doctors come out, then we can go in and see Mommy and our new brothers, okay.”
That got Noll to smile. Even if it was a small smile.
“I don’t want to wait, Daddy,” Nia complains. “Mommy said I could be in there with her.”
She probably had told their daughter that, but Jackson was glad they weren’t. As it was with the three of them all under the same roof, they weren’t controllable in the least.
The door to the waiting room opened, and his mother Corrine walked in with her new husband. She’d come around right after the twins were born. She’d even been the one to take Anna to the hospital because he’d been on his way back from a job in Houston.
“I came as soon as I heard, Jackson. Is she going to be okay?”
“We won’t know until the doctor comes back out,” Pearl said. She was holding Nia’s hand, who had also started to cry.
Jackson had the family he wanted and wasn’t about to lose it. Not for anything.
It had taken the doctor over three hours, and when he returned, his apron was covered in blood. Jackson was thankful his children were downstairs in the cafeteria getting something to drink.
“Mr. Storme, the babies both came in at three pounds. There was fluid in their lungs because they are still severely underdeveloped. We have them in the NICU.”
“What about Anna?”
“She hasn’t woken up yet from surgery. We were hoping she’d be awake by now, but she’s not.”
“Take me to her.”
“Mr. Storme, we—”
“Take me to my wife right now, goddammit.”
The doctor didn’t say another word, just led him into a hallway, through a set of double doors, and past other rooms where he could clearly hear babies crying. He couldn’t be bothered with any of that. What he needed was Anna. She was his and the kids’ entire world. They wouldn’t work without her. If she even thought for one second she was going to get a free pass into the hereafter, she was wrong. The doctor stopped in front of a door, and Jackson could hear the ventilator. He never wanted to hear that sound again.
Quietly, he walked inside, saw the tube in her mouth, and her head turned to the side. There were blankets on top of her to keep her warm. And her stomach, that just hours ago held life, was now empty.
“Annabelle Storme,” Jackson whispered. “You have three sons and two daughters counting on you. Two of them still need names. You can’t honestly tell me you want to miss out on raising those heathens, do you? I haven’t even seen the boys yet, but I bet they have a head full of hair like Nia and Noll. They’re in the NICU, baby, so I need you to wake up so we can go see our babies. Not gonna go and see them without you, Anna.”
Jackson squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek.
Long seconds passed, and nothing happened. The only sound was the sound of the machine. Jackson counted the seconds, worried over if they should have stopped after the first set of twins. You shouldn’t have pushed for more kids. The doctor had warned them that there was a good chance there could be some complications, but Jackson hadn’t listened. He was listening now.
“Come on, darlin’, wake up for me. Please. I need you.”
Her hand squeezed his, and Jackson looked over to see her staring up at him. He took a second to appreciate his luck in the world, and then he was out the door, grabbing the doctor. The nurse and doctor tried to get him to leave the room, but he wasn’t having any of that, he stayed. When the tube came out of her mouth, he was there with ice chips and cool water.
“How are the boys?” she croaked.
“NICU, haven’t seen them yet.”
“You need to go to them.”
“Not without you.”
“No, they need to see their father. Once they give me the okay, you know I’ll be in there, but don’t let their first moments here on Earth be without the sound of their father’s voice or the comfort of your touch. They need you, Jackson.”
She was right. As always.
“I’ll go.”
She smiled. Her eyes were tired, and he could tell she wanted to be there with him, too.
“Give Taj and Tian my love.”
They hadn’t gotten around to names, but he wasn’t going to question it. If that’s what she wanted to call the boys, then those were their names.
“I will darlin’.”
Jackson turned to go, but Anna stopped him with her words.
“I’ll always come back to you, Jackson, every chance I get. My heart will never forget the sound of your voice.”
“Good, because I’m always going to call you home. Now get some rest. I’ll be sure to bring the kids in once you’re feeling better.”
“Sounds good. And, Jackson?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t forget the ice cream.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell her it was most likely a melted mess on their counter back home. Instead, he smiled and said, “Anything for you, Anna. Anything.”
You haven’t seen the last of Anna and Jackson…
Next in the Beauville Series
New Beginnings
India and Rudy’s Story
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Other Titles by the Author:
Shadow Unit Series Paranormal Romance
Enslaved in Shadows Book
Burned in Shadows Book
Bonded in Shadows Novella
Redeemed in Shadows
Awakened in Shadows
The Black Prince Coming Soon 2017
Romantic Tale: Bedtime Stories Series Multi-Genre Romance
Season 1
Season 2
Red Hawk Mercenary Group Series
Ghost Free on Wattpad
New Earth Series Sci-Fi Erotic Romance
The Genesis Project
Origins Coming Soon
Arctic Wolves Series Paranormal Romance
Arctic Bound
The Reaping
Dire Cravings Coming 2017
Southern Contemporary Romance
A Slow Burn
Give and Take
Until Her
New Beginnings Coming 2017
V Vices Series
Diamond: Beyond the Red Door
About The Author
Tigris is the Amazon #1 Bestselling Author of Arctic Bound, book 1 in her Arctic Wolves Series and Give and Take, her Southern Contemporary series, Stories from Beauville. She’s a military brat who's done her fair share of travelling, thanks to her Army father. She's married to the infamous LL and has three amazing boys. She currently resides in Houston and is actively seeking a book-buddy for the end of the world.
You can find Tigris on Twitter @Tigris_Eden, Facebook: facebook.com/TigrisEdenAuthor and at her website: AuthorTigrisEden.com
