“Lorna, do you know how the babies are doing?” I ask.
“Well, last I checked, your boy was sleeping and eating and charming all the nurses in the nursery. And Lilly was in the NICU spending some quality time with her baby sister.”
“Lilly is here?” I ask. I don’t know what Chad has told her about any of this, but it’s fair to say that she knows what is going on now. I want to talk to her. I also want to know how my baby daughter is doing.
“Could you get a nurse to ask them about my baby girl?” I ask. “When I woke up before, I wasn’t given a clear answer and I wasn’t thinking clearly myself. I didn’t really understand what was going on and I want to make sure that she is okay. I also want to see her. Can you ask the nurse if I can see her?”
“Of course, darling,” Lorna says as she gets to her feet.
I am truly starting to feel as if my little group of artisan family has become anactualfamily to me.
“I’ll fetch a nurse to send in before I leave.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Only for a little bit. The boys downtown want to know how you’re doing, and I promised them a full report,” she laughs lightly. “You know how Tom gets when he doesn’t know what’s going on. Honestly, he’s worse than me when it comes to feeling out of the loop. I’ll grab a nurse for you on my way out, and then I’ll be back soon.”
She leans over to give me one more hug and then heads out.
For a few minutes, I wait for the nurse. I am almost getting impatient and ready to push the call button, when I see someone standing in the doorway. But it’s not a nurse, it’sLilly.
“Lilly, hi!” I say with a smile. I haven’t seen her since before the holidays and I am truly ecstatic to see her now.
She looks a bit timid but smiles and walks inside. If she is anything like I was at her age, then hospitals probably freak her out a little. There’s just too many wires and screens and things that look like they should be on an alien ship.
As she walks in, she reaches for one bouquet of flowers in particular sitting on a small table at the far corner of the room. She lifts it up and brings it closer, setting it nearer to my bed.
“These ones are my favorite,” she smiles. “I helped my dad pick out the flowers, and the blanket,andthe gown. I mostly did all the picking out of things because he didn’t really have a clue what to get. Boys can be that way sometimes.”
I giggle because Lilly is wiser for her years than she knows.
“That’s very true, I say. “I’m really glad that you are here. And I am really sorry that I wasn’t able to say goodbye to you before I got ready to leave.”
“It’s okay,” she says, looking a little bit sad behind her eyes. “But Ireallyhave missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Mydadreally missed you too. He just doesn’t do a very good job of showing his feelings sometimes,” she continues. “He used to do a better job of it when my mom was alive, but after she died, I think that part of him broke or something. Now it’s like pulling teeth trying to get him to tell you how he feels.”
She rolls her eyes a little and I wonder if she learned it from Tori.
“I’m really glad that you didn’t leave though,” she says. “I’m sorry if you went through something scary on the drive, but I’m really glad that it wound up bringing you back here. Is that selfish of me to say?”
“No, not at all,” I answer. “I’m glad that I am back here now too.”
“Have you been able to see the babies?” she asks as her face changes suddenly and lights up with a big smile. “They aresocute!”
“No, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see them very much at all,” I frown. “I’ve been sleeping and recovering most of the time, and one of the babies was in the NICU last I heard. Have you heard anything about her?”
“Oh yes, and I’ve even been able to hold her!”
“You have?” I feel instantly uplifted knowing that my baby daughter is well enough to have visitors and be held. My heart is absolutely aching to hold both of my newborns. I wish that Lorna would hurry up and send that nurse. I wonder if she got distracted by something in the hall. She has a tendency to get distracted quite easily.
“They are both so beautiful!” Lilly gushes. “The little girl looks like you, I think, and the boy looks like my dad. I sat in the NICU and read her one of my favorite stories. My dad said that he has been telling her stories too. That is probably why she is getting so much stronger. Stories are good for the brain and your brain is a muscle so—”
“So, your stories are making her stronger,” I interrupt her wonderful rant with a grateful smile. “Thank you so much for doing that for her, Lilly.”
“You don’t need to thank me. That’s what sisters do. I’m going to be a really great big sister, I promise.Ifyou will stay?”