Leaning in, I kiss her lips, sitting beside her as we both stare at our sons.
“I nearly lost you,” I mention, keeping my voice low and reliving the pain. “I don’t know what I would have done—”
“Shush…” she murmurs. “I’m here, and you didn’t lose me. No way can I leave the three of you.”
I place my lips on top of her head willing that trapped tear to escape. Never underestimate the power of your soulmate. Just when I think I have to be the strong one to carry us through this hardship, she surprises me with her own strength.
And it’s exactly what I need at this moment
***
The first few days are a blur. The babies refuse to settle, and when Zoey feeds one, burps, changes his diaper, and places him down to sleep, the other needs the exact same treatment.
Zoey’s exhausted and struggles with her movements. She vents her frustration, buzzing for the nurse whenever she needs to, battling with needing help and unsure how to feed the babies.
I help her as much as I can. Zoey’s milk supply is short, and given the babies’ appetites, we top them off with formula. At first, Zoey’s reluctant given one of older nurse’s pep talk on the benefits of breastfeeding. I don’t argue that, yet I know my kids are hungry, and her supply isn’t enough.
“This is all types of weird. I feel like a human experiment. Do you see the size of these things?” Zoey winces as Oliver latches on.
“Yes. Hard not to. How are your nipples?”
“They hurt. I think they’re cracked.”
“I read that continuing to breastfeed will help the nipples heal.”
“Thank you, Mr. Know It All.” She laughs.
Family and friends are desperate to visit. By day two, Lucille has been twice. The first time, bringing Bob and a bunch of balloons and flowers. The second time she brought home-cooked meals. She refuses for Zoey to be subjected to hospital food.
Whenever she came, I’d make a quick trip home to shower, sleep a few hours, and get the nursery ready as much as I can. Due to Zoey’s impromptu labor our bags were left at the resort, and we didn’t have time to collect them nor finish the nursery. Thankfully, Mia and Troy have done all that for us. Troy collected our bags, and Mia got everything washed, sterilized, and ready for the babies to come home.
According to Zoey, things are much better between Mia and Troy. They’re attending marriage counselling to work through their marital issues and have booked a family vacation to visit Greece. A toddler on a plane for sixteens hours? Good luck to them.
For extra precaution, the hospital wants Zoey to stay for five days.
By day four, the baby blues have well and truly kicked in, and Zoey’s a complete mess.
“I stink. I’m so tired, and Henry won’t stop crying,” Zoey sobs uncontrollably the second I walk in the room.
It is common for hormones to be out of whack after giving birth, and Zoey is no exception to this. I do my best to support her, but many of her frustrations stem from her difficulty in feeding the babies.
She needs rest, and with Lucille dropping by on her usual lunch route, we take the babies around the hospital for a walk so Zoey can sleep without interruption.
We opt to take a seat outside the small garden where many patients gather for sunshine and fresh air.
“Zoey tells me you’ve been offered a job in Australia,” Lucille raises the topic, much to my surprise. “You know, Drew, Bob and I love you very much. You’re the best thing to happen to Zoey.”
I’m not sure what to say, but given it’s a compliment, I simply thank her.
“Bob’s retired now, and he’s getting bored. I want to tell you if you move to Australia, we can come and help. Our boys are old enough now, and a change in scenery wouldn’t be so bad.”
“You’d move to Australia?”
Lucille is the spitting image of Zoey only thirty years older. They have the exact same eyes. Uncanny, really.
“We wouldn’t move per se because of visas and so forth, but we can have extended holidays whenever you need us. In fact, we’ve already been looking on the internet. There’s one place that Bob loves near a river, of course… a small holiday home and the perfect place for him to go fishing.”
Since our argument on the marina, I still haven’t raised the topic with Zoey, but I’m surprised to learn she’s discussed this with Lucille.