“Deven?” he whispers my name. “Oh, thank God. They said you’d wake up any time now, but fuck, you scared the shit out of me.” He stands up and presses kisses to my head, hair, and face.
“What…what happened?” I ask. My memory is fuzzy.
He sits back down and take my hand in his. “You did it, babe. You delivered all the babies and they’re beautiful, Deven. They really are. And just like we were told, there are two boys and a girl.”
I smile weakly, happy that they’re here and all okay and healthy.
“After the last one though, you lost a lot of blood. And you lost it fast. They ended up having to give you two units of blood, and you’ve been unconscious since yesterday, but they said that you’d wake up. They said that you just needed to rest and let your body heal from the trauma that having three babies took on your little body. And here you are. You’re here with me and the babies, and they’re here and healthy. I think they miss you. They miss hearing your heart and your laugh and being all warm inside of you.” He kisses my hand.
“Where are they? Can I see them?”
“Of course. I’ll ask the nurse to bring them in. They’re in the nursery. They said we both needed the rest.” He stands up and leaves the room, coming back within minutes. “They’ll be here in a couple minutes,” he says, taking the empty chair beside the bed and taking my hand in his once again. “You did so good, baby. Everyone has been here to see the babies, all my family and yours. They’ll be glad to hear that you’ve woken up.”
“I wish I hadn’t been out so long. They’re already a day old.” Tears sting my eyes at the thought of missing my first day with the babies.
“It’s okay,” he assures me. “They haven’t done anything but poop and cry anyway,” he jokes as the nurse comes wheeling them into the room.
She puts them at the foot of my bed, and Hudson picks up one and brings him over. “This is baby boy number one,” he says, placing him in my arms. “And baby boy number two,” he says, placing him on the other side. “And here, we have baby girl.” He holds her against his chest, showing me her face.
“They’re all so perfect,” I say, staring at them all in awe.
He smiles and nods. “I know. They all have my blue eyes and your dark skin and hair. They’re gorgeous.”
“You haven’t given them their names yet?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No. I didn’t know which baby boy you wanted to name which. Thought maybe it was a mom thing, like you’d hold them and be able to tell which is which.” He laughs out.
I look down at baby boy number one. “This is Axle, after your grandpa,” I say, thinking about my dad. Then I look at baby boy number two. “And this is Aiden, and that is Adrienne. Our three As.” I smile up at Hudson.
He returns my smile. “Want to trade?” he asks.
“Yes,” I reply, giving up one of the boys to hold my daughter.
It’s four weeks before we get to leave the hospital, but with the babies being born so early, they wanted to keep a close eye on them and me since I lost so lost so much blood. The first few days were rough, but as time passed, I felt better. Other than the extra weight I’m still sporting, I feel back to my normal self. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. The day comes when we finally get to take the babies home, and excitement surges through me at the thought of having them home and all in their cribs.
Hudson and I are finally able to sleep in our room, and I’m finally able to take in the upstairs of my own home. Everything is perfect and beautiful, just like I knew it would be, and having everyone under one roof is just how it’s meant to be.
We get guest after guest when we get home, and everyone brings over food and gifts. Nobody stays too long, knowing that we need to rest and get settled. By the time the sun is going down, I’m completely exhausted. Hudson pulls me in for a long kiss that makes my toes curl. I’m not even healed from having the babies yet, but