Page 145 of Power Move

“How long do they have to stay?” Eva asked. “I want to bring them home. I’m also terrified to take them home. Is that bad?”

“Totally normal,” the nurse said. “It really depends. Some born at this point stay two weeks and some that stay past their due date. It just depends on the baby. The good news is yourboys are big, and their lungs are doing well. We will need them to breathe room air, to regulate their body temps, and eat on their own before we send them home. In about a week, we’ll really want to get them feeding. If they respond well, we can send them on their merry way.”

Eva looked down, adoringly. “Can you all give it a good try? I’d like to have you home soon.”

“Hopefully, you have your mother’s iron will,” I noted. “If so, you’ll be home in no time.

Eva gave a sweet smile. It was enough to urge me on. The road would wind. The days would be long, but we’d make it. Stronger than ever before, I knew this was my little family.

40.AS IT SHOULD BE

Eva

“They really trust us with them?”I asked.

Two sleeping babies sat in the foyer in car seats. It was our first day home as a family of four. I half-expected them to never let the babies out of the NICU. After three weeks of monitoring and countless sleepless nights worrying, we returned homewiththem.

“It will be fine, baby.” Davey hung my coat in the hall closet. “They will do great.”

I hoped he was right.

“Let’s get them settled in, Eva.” He picked up the car seats.

We had a baby nurse, but she was in the burbs. She’d asked to start Monday since the boys were released on Friday afternoon as a massive snowstorm barreled into the city. Out of compassion, we didn’t want to call her in to get stranded for four days.

“Go downstairs, then. Settle in. I will change the boys and bring them down. Get whatever you want. And get loads of snacks. You’re right. We’re going to need them.”

“How will you bring them both?—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Davey kissed me. “I’ve got this.”

Somehow, I didn’t doubt him. It hadn’t occurred to me that running across the house with two babies would be complicated, but I never had twins living in my house, either. I plopped on the couch, putting in a delivery request for pizza. I ordered a delivery from the fancy grocery two blocks away—prepared meals, good cheese, and sweets galore. I added a beer delivery, too.

By the time I was curled under a comfy blanket, Davey approached carrying a laundry basket full of babies. It made me giggle as he sat them down before me like two little dolls. They still wore their going-home outfits. I’d argued these onesies with trains were aggressively masculine, but he insisted girls could like trains, too. I wouldn’t debate Davey on the matter. Since knowing him, I’d realized how much he loved the Class C 999. His brother, Derrick, had them made custom as a nod to their father’s love of the Science and Industry Museum’s locomotive. There was nothing I wanted more than to include Davey’s dad. I knew it meant a lot.

“Davey, what the hell? What is this?”

“I saw our nanny do this once with Dora. I figured it could work. I took the elevator.”

“I forgot we had that. I suppose I should use that more,” I admitted.

“We paid for it.”

“You paid for it.”

“It’s ours,” Davey said. “I will get bottles if you just watch them.”

I leaned over, observing our babies in the laundry basket—awake but quiet.

“What did he do to you?” I cooed. “How did you end up there?”

They stared back. Robbie gave me a face as if this were a personal offense. Max tried to understand what the light fixture was by the looks of his head tilt. I didn’t wonder anymore who they were. We knew who each was almost all the time. And Iknew their cries by heart. Max’s cry was more of a dull roar. Robbie’s was a slow wind-up.

Davey returned, setting the bottles down before handing me Max. I plopped a bottle in the younger twin’s mouth. After a little coaxing, he caught on.

“I don’t regret that bottle maker,” Davey said.

“I still feel guilty.”