“She must be excited. A new cousin to boss around.”
Michael laughed. “Two new cousins. She's already planning their education. She has opinions about everything these days.”
Brea moved closer to the bed, her eyes taking in the monitors, the IV line, the general apparatus of post-delivery recovery. “How are you feeling? Really?”
Beth considered lying, considered putting on a brave face the way she usually did. But she was too tired for pretense.
“Like I've been turned inside out,” she admitted. “Everything hurts. Things I didn't even know could hurt are hurting. The nurses keep telling me it's normal, but normal feels like a very relative term right now.”
“It is normal,” Brea said gently. “I remember after Jackson was born, I couldn't sit down properly for two weeks. And he was just one baby. I can't imagine doing it twice in a row.”
“The second one was actually easier,” Beth said. “Or maybe I was just too exhausted to notice the pain. Alexander came out so fast the doctor barely had time to get into position.”
“That happened with Cora,” Brea said. “She was in such a hurry to arrive that Michael almost delivered her in the car.”
Michael shook his head at the memory. “Worst fifteen minutes of my life. Brea was screaming, I was trying to drive and call 911 at the same time, and Quinn was in the back seat asking if the baby was going to come out right there.”
“What did you tell her?” Gabriel asked.
“I told her to close her eyes and think happy thoughts.” Michael grinned. “She still brings it up at family dinners. Says it was traumatic.”
“It was traumatic,” Brea said. “For all of us.”
The laughter felt good, a release of tension that Beth hadn't realized she was holding. She looked at her brother and sister-in-law, at these people who had been through their own trials and come out the other side and felt a surge of gratitude for their presence.
Michael pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, his movements careful, deliberate. Beth noticed the way he favored his left side, the slight stiffness that had never fully gone away after the shooting. Three years, and he still carried the physical reminders of that day. The scars, the aches, the moments when his body betrayed the trauma it had endured.
But he was here. He was alive. And that was what mattered.
“Mom told us it went smoothly,” Michael said. “Relatively speaking.”
“As smoothly as pushing two humans out of your body can go.” Beth managed a tired smile. “Dr. Griffin was amazing. I really like her. She talked me through the whole thing, told me exactly what was happening and what to expect. And Gabriel...” She looked at her husband, her eyes filling with unexpected tears. “Gabriel was incredible. He held my hand the whole time, even when I was squeezing hard enough to break his fingers.”
“I'll recover,” Gabriel said. “The feeling is starting to come back.”
“I'm serious. I couldn't have done it without you, and Mom.”
“You could have. You're the strongest person I know.” Gabriel lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “But I'm glad I got to be there.”
Michael watched this exchange with a soft expression. “You two are going to be great parents. I can already tell.”
“How can you tell?” Beth asked. “We've been parents for about four hours. We haven't done anything yet.”
“You got through the hard part. Everything else is just logistics.”
“Logistics that involve sleep deprivation and constant crying and learning to change diapers on two babies at once.”
“Details.” Michael waved his hand dismissively. “You'll figure it out. Everyone does.”
“How are you doing?” Beth asked, lowering her voice slightly. “Really?”
He met her eyes, and she saw the flicker of something beneath his calm exterior. The shadow that never quite went away, no matter how many therapy sessions he attended, no matter how much time passed.
“I'm okay,” he said. “Better than I was. Dr. Wells says I'm making progress.”
“That's good. That's really good.”
“It helps that Brea and I are in a better place. After Christmas, after everything the family did for us...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I don't know how to thank you all. For giving us that time together. For reminding us what matters.”
