“I’ll call Axel.I’ll see what he has to say about them trying to take the girls away from you.This is just stupid.Don’t they realize how much stress they’re putting you under by threatening you like this?”She said they wouldn’t care; it would just be one more thing to add to their list of how she’s failing as a mom.“There will be no more talk about how you’re failing as a mom.You’re a good mom, or you wouldn’t be here right now trying to figure things out.I’ll call and see what he can do.Or better yet, I’ll call my wife.I sometimes forget that she’s an attorney too.We’ll get this figured out.In the meantime, call Charlie and have him bring in the girls.Charles too.We might as well make sure that they’re all healthy.”
While Debra was talking to the parents, he examined the kids.They were all doing well, and the twins’ weight was right on target.But if she wasn’t sleeping because they were nursing all the time, he thought it was a good time for her to introduce formula to them.Just at night for their last feeding, and it would give her a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.At least he hoped so.
Charles seemed to like his little sisters, but he was worried about his mom.She was crying all the time, and it worried him.People should watch what they say around little ones; they had stress too from their cruel words.
After talking to Charlie and Milly, he thought that they were in a better frame of mind.Charlie said he wasn’t worried about her parents, but from what Debra said to them, he might should be.They were dangerous, and if they got the kids, they had enough money to get them out of the state.That would be bad for them when caught, too.
“I think if I could just get one night’s sleep a week, I’d feel better.But when one is asleep, the other is awake and hungry.I knew that raising twins was hard, but I didn’t have time to prepare myself for this.I need to get some sleep.”Debra spoke up then.She said that she’d help with the twins tonight,and she could get some sleep.“I don’t want to do that to you.I’m exhausted, and I’m getting used to them.You’ve never had children before.No offense.
“None taken.I can watch them for a few hours.Charlie can take a shift, and so can the rest of the Hathaways.You look terrible, and if your parents could see you now, they’d think that you weren’t getting any rest at all.Just let us do this for you for a couple of nights.You’ll feel better, we’ll all feel better knowing that we’re helping you out.”She said that she couldn’t ask them to do that.“No one was asking.I’m telling you that you need to get some sleep before you have to deal with your parents.We can help you get a good night’s sleep or a couple of them and take over the care of the little ones.Even Charlie will help.I’m betting right now he’s agreeing with us in that you need your rest, too.It wouldn’t be that bad.”
In the end, it was settled, and she would go home and take a nap.The children would all come to his house, and they’d hang out with them for a while.Once Charlie and Dani found out about Milly’s parents and the children, she went to make sure that Milly laid down and took a nap.
“I had no idea this was going on.I mean, I could see that she wasn’t getting any good rest, but I figured that if she needed any help, she’d ask for it.”Kahana explained about her parents and what she was afraid they’d do if they found out that she was giving the children formula instead of breast milk.“Oh, pea shaw.She had twins that she didn’t know about.I think she’s doing a fantastic job of raising them without any prep work.Why, we had to go out and buy them another crib; they were so unprepared for them both.She’ll get some rest now, even if I have to get up in the middle of the night and make her.”
He knew that was what would happen.They were good families, and they would do it without asking.Milly was so exhausted when he took her home that she fell asleep in his car.He wondered why she’d let it go for so long and not ask for help.He couldn’t wait to meet her parents.They sounded like a bunch of ass holes.Well, now that everyone was involved, things wouldn’t go the way that they had hoped.Who would threaten a new mom about taking her children away just because she had to give them formula?He supposed there were people who only believed in nature’s own way, but there were circumstances where things were just out of their hands that they couldn’t just breastfeed.
After getting her settled in and her mother-in-law watching over her, he made his way back to the office.He knew that there were going to be some rules made, and he couldn’t wait to hear what they were.His family was involved now with the Booths, and they’d make sure that things went well, or he’d sic Mac onto them.That would be the best way to deal with them, having Charlie’s little sister pounce on them.That would be funny.
Chapter 8
Yolanda couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see her granddaughters.They were all staying with the Booths instead of her home, but she could handle that since her daughter had just had them, and there would be the mess to keep up with.But that didn’t mean she couldn’t see what she was doing to the children.They were her grandkids, too, weren’t they?
Of course, her house was miles away from anyone.They had purposely built themselves a home out from town so that they’d have the privacy that they desired.As it was now, it was over an hour from their home to the hospital and even more to the Booths’ home on the other side of town.That’s why she didn’t visit her daughter any more than she did.It was just too much work to go that far when it was just to see the girls for a few minutes.
“Why can’t we see them more than a few minutes at a time, Daddy?I’m betting that the Booths get to hold them all the time.If we were to get them, then we’d have them as much as we want.”He told her again that he didn’t want to raise twin girls, he was finished with being the one who raised children, as his were all grown up.“She’s not going to do a good job of raising them.Remember how she was when she was a child?Forever into something that caused us trouble.I won’t have her embarrassing me again.”
“For God’s sake, Yoland, she’s nearly thirty years old.She’s a damn sight better mother than she would have been at six.And she’s done all right with that boy.Though why they named him after his father is something I don’t like.Should have named it a good solid name like Wilbur.But that’s water under the bridge.I’m not going to help you with those girls if you manage to get them from our daughter.Not that I think you can, but you won’t be bringing them here to mess with my quiet time.Do you hear me?”
“We’ll hire nannies to help out.We won’t even know they’re around until we want to see them.I just don’t like that she’s had them two little girls and we’re not there to help her raise them.She should have come here so that we could have taken over their care and taken them from her.”He just stared at her.“Well, I’m going to try and see what sort of things she’s doing as their mother so that I can get the courts to take them from her.”
“You do that, and she’ll never speak to you again.You heard what she said at the hospital about those girls.They were hers, and she wasn’t going to have you fooling around in their lives like you tried to do with Charles.”He stared at her before speaking again.“I don’t want a bunch of kids running around here, Yolanda.If you so much as try to bring them into the house, I’ll divorce you so quickly you won’t know what happened.And you signed a prenup.If you try me, you’ll be raising those girls all on your own.What’s a sixty-six-year-old woman without a home or money going to do with two infants and a toddler at their feet?I’m telling you right now, just leave well enough alone.”He snorted, but before she could tell him that was a nasty way to speak, he spoke to her again.“I’m going to tell her what you’re up to.So she can be prepared.And I’ll help her, too, to keep you from taking those girls.I won’t have it.Not one bit.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”He told her to try him.“Daddy, what if she tries to keep them from us?What will you do then?”
“What you’re doing is a sure-fire way of her keeping them away from us because you’ll be in prison.And they’ll know for sure that I knew because you don’t make a move without telling me what’s going on.Not that I have to agree with you, but I’d know what you’re doing.Don’t do it.I can’t make myself any clearer than that.You do this, and you’ll be on your own and without my support.I hate to threaten you, Yolanda, but I swear to you that if you try this, I’m going to move heaven and earth to have you arrested.You no more need to be raising those kids than I do being called a daddyat my age.People already look at me oddly enough when you call me that.My name is Wilbur, not Daddy.Your daddy died more years ago than he’d been living.”
“Dad…Wilbur, they’re your grandkids too, you know.Why can’t we raise them like they need to be raised?I know that there are rules that are supposed to be in place about babies anymore, but I raised her to be a good person; I can do it again.”He asked her if she was going to be changing shitty diapers again.“Get real.I never changed them when Millie was little.What do you think nannies are for?No, I’ll take them from her because she’s going to be a terrible mom, and the two of us will be happier for having them around us.Children make you feel younger; I’ve always heard that.”
“You’re not going to get the chance to see if that’s true or not because as soon as I can get to a phone, I’m going to tell her what you’re up to.I swear to you that I’m going to do it.I might even hire her a lawyer so that she can win the case against you.”He shook his head.“You might be able to get around me with getting them, and that would be on you.But the moment that you try to set foot into this house, I’m going to kick you to the curb.I’m not kidding you, Yolanda.I will turn you out of this house so fast you won’t know what happened to you.”
“Why would you do that to me when I’ve given you nearly fifty years of marriage?I’ve been a good wife, too.”He said that she had until she started talking nonsense about raising babies at their age.And he wasn’t going to have it.“You say that now, but as soon as one of them snuggles up to you, you’ll change your mind.”
“There will be no chance of them snuggling up to me because as soon as you leave here to do this, I’m going to call the police.You’ll not get out the door without—how are you going to get them?Just grab up three children in your arms while your daughter is screaming her head off at you to stop?How are you planning on getting from there to here?I’m going to make it so you can’t take a car anywhere.Which brings me to this.There won’t be any nannies.If you want to raise them, then by god you’ll do it on your own.No help, no money, no house.If you think I’m kidding you about this, you walk right on out of here and try it.In fact, I’m going to call my daughter now and let her know what you’re planning.That should nip it in the bud as far as you’re concerned.”
“If you don’t help me, then I won’t speak to you anymore.”He asked her if she was making a promise, one she couldn’t keep.“I’ll leave you then.What would all your friends say if you were to suddenly be without a wife?”
“They’d ask me what took me so long to get rid of you is what they’d ask.”She didn’t care for his answer and told him so.“I don’t care, Yolanda.I really don’t.You can’t raise them babies any better than our Millie can, and that’s the truth.You’ll be into so much of a mess with her that she’ll never have another thing to do with you.And I’ll get to see the babies even if I have to sneak around to do it.I won’t allow what you’re doing to ruin my relationship with my grandbabies.And especially not my daughter and her husband.I like Charlie.He’s a good man and has worked hard all his life.If you do this, and I’m not telling you again, I will not help you.You’ll be completely on your own if you try.And trying will be the same as doing, as far as Millie will be concerned, and she won’t have another thing to do with you.”
“You do whatever you think you have to do, but I’m taking those children away from her.She’s not been a good mom to Charles, and she won’t be to those girls either.You just wait and see that I’m right.”He just picked up his newspaper.“I’m telling you right now, Daddy.If I can’t have those babies to raise on my own, then there will be hell to pay by you and Millie.She no more deserves them than I need to be treated the way you’re treating me right now.”
“No.”That was all he said, and she was about as pissed off at him as she’d ever been.How did he get to choose what she did or didn’t do just because she signed a prenup when they married?Damned man.She was going to do it to spite him if she had to.He’d see she was right as soon as they were all in her house together.And Millie would understand too.She knew she couldn’t raise those three little ones on her own.It would take her to show her how she was messing up all the time.
Yolanda decided that she was going to go and see her daughter and the babies first thing in the morning.Spend the day with them to get the lay of the land, so to speak.She’d record in her notebookevery misdeed that her daughter did while raising the girls.It wouldn’t be that hard.Millie had always been a scatterbrain when she’d been little, and she didn’t believe that she was any different than she was right now.While she liked Charlie too, he was a bendable man, and she’d have him agreeing with her in no time.Then Daddy would see.She would be a good mom to all three of them, and Charlie and Millie would be just fine without anyone to raise.
“Mr.Stanford, you have a phone call.”He never cared who it was from, but would get up and leave her to answer the phone in mid-conversation.It annoyed the piss right out of her when he did that.“Would you like to take it in the library, sir?”
“Yes, that’ll be fine.And could you please bring me a cup of tea, April?You know the kind that I like.And a couple of cookies before dinner would be great too.”
