Debra was having fun finding a gift for Millie and her twins.She’d been told by one of the cashiers not to forget the older child, if there was one, or he’d be jealous of the girls.She’d already gotten him a few items for her basket and thought that she’d done well with him.As she was trying to decide on pink or purple for the girls, she got one in each color so that they could be twins but two different colors.
The little girls were identical twins.Just to look at them could tell her that, but Kahana had told her that there was a test that could be run and that told them everything they needed to know about the girls.She didn’t remember what it was called, but was assured that they were identical in all ways.Debra thought that was the nicest gift to give them that they’d always have each other, no matter how big they got.
After shopping for the girls, she decided to head over to the hospital.Millie’s family was going home tomorrow, having stayed an extra day to learn some things about caring for twins from the staff.She couldn’t wait to have Kahana’s child or children.She wanted to hold one of the babies so badly that her hands burned with the need.
The hospital was making it festive by having newborns in their nursery.You couldn’t tell until you got to the nursery floor, but it was nice that they were so welcoming of the little ones.To think that if Millie and Charlie had left one day earlier, no one would have gotten to see the little girls here in town.There were so few births around here that they made a big deal out of every one of them.
The babies and Millie were asleep when she arrived.Her plan was to just peek at the babies and leave the gifts and leave.But Charlie was there with his son, who was sleeping, and he woke Millie up so that they could talk.She felt bad for the other woman; she knew how nice it was to have a nap.
Millie gushed over the outfits and loved that she’d thought to get pink and purple.She showed her the bracelets that she’d gotten too, with the knowledge that she could take them back if she didn’t want to mark the girls with the little ‘baby 1’ and ‘baby 2’ bracelets.One was pink, the other was purple, like the sleepers that she’d gotten for the girls.Millie loved the idea as they’d used a marker and marked the bottom of their feet with their order of birth so they wouldn’t mess them up.
“I was racking my brain trying to figure out a way to keep them straight.I know, as I get to know them, that I’ll be able to tell them apart.I hope so anyway.But this will make it easier for everyone.Last night we used a magic marker on them to mark them with ‘a’ and ‘b’ so we could tell.It’s also on their hospital bracelets, too.”Debra told how there was a cashier at the store where she shopped who was an identical twin.She’d given her lots of advice.“Oh, good.I bet she said not to dress them alike.I hear that all the time from people.Even before I knew what I was having.”
“She did tell me that it’s nice to be able to express their selves when they get older.Apparently, they still dress alike when they go out.Different colors but the same outfit.And when they go home to their parents, they do dress alike for them.She said her fondest memories were when they were little, and people couldn’t tell them apart.As you can imagine, they had fun with that as well.”Millie laughed, and she decided that she liked them both a great deal.“I’m going to let you get back to your nap.I’ve heard all the stories about napping when the babies do.I do hope for you all the best when it comes to your growing family.”
“Thank you, Debra, and I wish all the happiness for you and Kahana, too.He’s a great man, but I doubt I have to tell you that.You must know him better than we do.”She just grinned, her face heating up with what she took that to mean.“I’m sorry.I’ve embarrassed myself.You go on home now, and that’ll be the end of our embarrassing stories.I can’t believe I said that to you.”
“It’s all right.I knew what you meant.”They hugged tightly, and just as she was leaving, Millie, a nurse came in with her lunch.She’d not realized how late it was when she looked at her phone andsaw that it was nearly one in the afternoon.She was starving, too.Debra decided to see if Kahana was too busy to have lunch with her and called him on his phone.He answered with laughter in his voice.
“I was just thinking about you.What are you up to?”She told him where she was and what she was hoping to do.“Perfect.I just finished rounds and was headed to the cafeteria to have a bit of lunch myself.They’re having baked potato soup today.One of my favorites they have here.”
They met in the dining area and then ordered their food.She was having a salad with light dressing because the soup had too much sodium in it.She wasn’t sure she’d like it anyway, as she didn’t care for cheese in her soups.As soon as they sat down with their water and food, she decided that the salad was going to be perfect for her, as it had all kinds of greens in it that she loved.
“I just left Millie.She told me that they’re going to be staying with his parents for a few days before they head back home.I think she wants to stay here as she’s closer to his family than she is to her own.”He said he’d caught that as well and wondered about it.“I didn’t ask, but I have a feeling it has to do with the babies.I don’t think they think that Charlie and Millie can raise twins on their own.She said her mother wants to move in with her as soon as she gets home to help out.I don’t think that Millie will need help.She seems more than capable of raising three children on her own.”
“That’s just what I get when I’m around her, too.Especially the mother.She strikes me as someone who wants to take over.I don’t believe that Millie will allow her to do that.”Debra said that she didn’t think she would either.“What did we get them as a gift so that I can be on the same page when they thank me for it?”
They both laughed at that, and she told him what she’d gotten.She even told him about the bracelets that she’d gotten for the little girls to tell them apart.Then she told him about the outfit that she’d gotten for Charlie, as well as the trucks that she’d gotten too.He’d been playing with them when she’d left the room.
“I have to go in tomorrow and release her.I could do it tonight and let her go home, but one more day of rest isn’t going to hurt her at all.”She told him how she was napping when she’d gotten there.“Yes, she is going to be good at taking advantage of them sleeping and napping when she can.I think that if anyone could handle having three kids in diapers at the same time, it will be her.Millie is a lot stronger than even she thinks that she is.”
“You’re talking about her mom.”He nodded and looked around.That made her look around, too.“Are they here?The other couple?Are they here making trouble?”
“Not trouble, but asking questions about getting in-home care for her.And what she was going to need in the way of having a nanny for the babies.I don’t think they ever mentioned they were going that way at all.”She asked him what they might think of them staying with Charlie’s parents for a few days.“I’m betting that didn’t go over very well.She just seems like she needs to be in charge of everything.Like Charlie’s grandma.Not as bad, but a great deal like her.”
“That’ll be bad.I’m betting that even Charlie will step in if it gets too difficult for Millie.I’d be so stressed out that I’d have to seek help in that area rather than raising three kids.Millie is a good mom, and she’ll do a great job despite her mom.”He agreed with her.“You’re going to have to say something if she’s going behind their back in getting help for them.Like I said, I don’t think they’re going to need it, but then I’ve never been a mom before.I’m excited about being one, but I’m not sure about babies.”
“You ever babysit?”She said that she’d not, as it was too much for her mom to take her back and forth to the houses.“That’s sad.I babysat, as did all my brothers.Mom said that there are no rules saying that a girl could only babysit children, and she got us out there in the world to do it.I really enjoyed it.”
“I bet I would have too.”She finished her salad and decided that she was too full for a dish of ice cream to go with it.Kahana had a dish of vanilla cream, and she enjoyed watching him eat it.She loved this man so much that she found that his having a simple dish of ice cream could be sexy.“I have some things that I have to do before I go home.Did you need me to do anything for you while I’m in town?I can pick up something for dinner tonight, too.It’s the cook’s night off, and I want to stay inside.”
“I’m glad you said that because so do I.Pick up something easy and something that we can puton the grill.I’ll do the cooking, and you can make us another salad.”She asked him how grilled salmon sounded.“Perfect.Maybe a small baked potato, too.That would be perfection.”
They talked for a bit more about nothing at all, and he had to go when he was paged.She made her way to the grocery store to pick up salmon for dinner and a couple of nice-sized potatoes.She was getting a bag of salad makings when she heard from Mac.She wanted to know if she and Kahana wanted to have dinner with them tomorrow night.Something on the grill.
“We’re having salmon tonight if that helps you decide.”She told her how she’d just got to see Millie and the new babies.“They’re so beautiful with all that blonde hair, don’t you think?”
“I do.I got to hold them when I was there this morning.They were having breakfast with Mommy.Charlie said that they nurse well too.It seems like they have the perfect family for them.”She told her that she and Kahana had said the same thing.“I’m going to have a baby from hell who will never sleep through the night and want to nurse all the time.I’ll be so worn out that I won’t be able to keep Axel from finding a new woman.”
“Now you’re being silly.That man loves you so much right now that it’s doubtful that he’d ever leave you.”She said that Kahana loved her just as much.“I hope so.I can’t imagine life without him around.”
“I know just how you feel.”They talked about some of the summer activities that were coming up around town, and she was happy that the Hathaways were involved in things that went on around their town.After setting up time to go to their home tomorrow night, the two of them closed the connection.She was putting her cell phone away when it rang again.It was the prison where Phil was staying.
“I need some money.I can’t have any snacks at all while I’m here, and I don’t get enough for dinner.”She asked him why she should care about that.“I’m only asking for some until I get my money from the job they assigned me.After that, the job I have will put money in my account.Just like fifty dollars is all I’m asking for.I was going to ask for a hundred, but I knew you’d say no to that.”
“Damned right I would.”She only thought about it for a minute before telling him she’d do it.“I’ll set it up here in a little bit.I’m just coming home with groceries, and they need to be put away.”
“Thank you.Are you going to put in a hundred?It will go a long way in making me have something to eat when I want it.”She told him fifty, and that was all she was going to do.“I guess since you have all the money, you’re wanting to hang onto it.All right.I see how—”
