Unmistakable (40 page)

“What’s wrong?”

As soon as she looks at me, I know something is terribly wrong. I, immediately, press the call button, letting the nurse know my wife needs her. I keep my eyes on Trish, while she has hers closed with her lips in an ‘O’, breathing in and out. I reach for my phone to call Brian, telling him I need Tami and Roxy ASAP. Thankfully, my mom and mother-in-law are here already.

I lace my fingers with my wife’s, needing contact, while the other holds her stomach where my babies are. “Hold on, baby. Eyes on me, Trish.” As soon as her eyes lock on mine, I know she’s in pain, and my heart stops, wanting to take it away; but knowing I can’t. Feeling one of my kids move starts my heart back up, a reminder that today is about them.

“I love you. Breathe for me, sweetheart,” I give her instructions. She told me I need to constantly remind her.

A nurse walks in, checks her, and walks out. A couple of seconds later, two nurses come back. One pushes something on her IV port, while the other is prepping Trish to move to the Operating Room. I stand to the side, away from my wife, letting the nurses do their thing while she looks at me for strength. I’m hoping, I’m able to give it when she needs it. I change into the scrubs the nurse gave me, put on the booties and hat. I walk next to my wife, holding her hand to the OR, praying as we go for God to protect my wife and kids.

As soon as she gets wheeled in, the OR is buzzing with people. I do my quick scan of the room, four baby beds, I do a head count of the nurses, doctors, and seeing our moms calms me down a bit. A couple of minutes later, in walks my sister and Roxy, both giving me smile and a wave.

Now, I focus on Trish, looking at her brings me to tears, knowing what she’s been through to give me a life full of happiness and absolute completeness. I run my finger on her cheek, trying to get her attention. Of course, I get it; it’s me, after all. I’m her Jake.

“Hey.”

I give her my smile, and she takes in a breath of pure contentment. My heart jumps for joy. “Hey, babe.”

“Are you behaving, Jake?”

“Of course, I am, babe. I always do.”

Roxy hears me and moves closer to Trish. “He’s driving everyone crazy. This one nurse forgot to show her badge and almost got kicked out. Can you believe that? Your husband is craazzzyyy, with a capital C!”

Trish frowns at me, and I can’t help it, I just need to kiss her. So, I do. I give her four small pecks on her lips, plus another one. From here on out, it’s going to be four plus mine. I’m going to teach my kids to love her as I love her.

“Go to your post!” I tell Roxy, and her response is to stick her tongue out as she tells me I’m crazy.

Trish’s OB walks in, and over the blue curtain that separates her from us, she smiles and asks if Trish is ready. I’m freaking ready, so I answer for my wife.

I lean toward her ear. “Here we go, babe. We’ll see our babies soon.”

Another smile from my wife, which means she gets another kiss.

Our first baby comes out, and my heart grows bigger with more love in it for…ah there he is! My heart grows bigger for my son…her son…our son.

I keep my eyes trained on him until he’s placed in his crib. A quick glance to my mom, and she gives me a thumbs up sign. Thank you, God! I turn back to my wife.

“First son is out, babe. I love you, so much.” I can’t help it, I kiss her again.

Dr. O’Connor announces the arrival of another baby. Anxiously, I wait, watching her hand over my…oh God, in her hands is my baby girl. I feel Trish squeezing my hand, and I squeeze back; but my eyes are, once again, glued to my daughter. All this time, she’s crying as though someone spanked her. Actually, I do check if someone did. I only peel my eyes off her when Laura gives me a thumbs up sign.

“Our very loud daughter says hello, mommy.” Watching tears roll out of her eyes, I do what I do best to calm her…of course, I kiss her again.

The third one out is my other son. A smile spreads across my face as I see his little fist in the air, as if to say ‘I’m here world. Watch out.’ I follow the nurse’s every move until she puts my son gently in his bed, and they start working on him. My attention swings to Roxy when she shrieks and jumps away from the crib. My heart just about falls on the floor, but Roxy, quickly shows me her thumb.

“Last son is out, babe. You’re doing great. You okay?”

Another nod and a smile, and she earns yet another kiss from me. From her Jake, and my kids. For the five of them, I’ll be their everything in anything, and in anything, I’ll be their everything.

A voice clears the fog in my brain. “Alright, say hello to the last of the fantastic four.” Dr. O’Connor hands over my baby girl and a few hands starts working on her. No sounds, nothing, and my brows furrow in worry. I notice she’s moving her hands and legs, and then, I realize my quiet as a mouse princess, is just fine.

I turn around, giving one hundred percent of my attention to the source of my overwhelming joy. “They’re all fine, babe. You’re amazing, Trish. I love you, so so much, baby.” Peppering her with kisses. “Dr. O’Connor is just cleaning you up, okay? Give me my kisses, please?”

Puckering her lips, I lower mine, and I make contact. Kissing my wife will never, ever get old. It feels brand new, every single day. Then, I realize, it’s because our love grows, it changes for the better, it gets stronger in time, it matures in its giving, it’s unbreakable in its existence.

Licking her lips, my wife says, “Check on them, babe.”

I give her a one nod answer, followed with a kiss. Then, off I go to check up on my two angels and my two caveman. I chuckle silently on that one, because my boys will be just as I am. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, after all.

“Mom, sit rep, please.”

My mom rolls her eyes, but answers me anyway, “He’s absolutely perfect, Jake. He’s not as loud as the other one. He’s so calm and patient, so not like you.”

Wiping tears away, I say, “He’s the first one out, so he’s my Tyler,” I say this with a smile.

“He’s ours, Jake. Ours. Why is he Tyler?”

Shaking my head, I try to ignore my mom’s last comment. Of course, I don’t. “He’s mine, mom. I’ll give you a couple of hours, that’s it. His name means ‘tiler or roof maker’ well, obviously, since he was the first one out, he basically broke the roof.”

I know it’s Roxy the moment she opened her mouth, “Thank God, he didn’t come out of Trish’s vagina, because then, you’d say your son broke your wife’s vajayjay.”

Looking at the floor with my hands on my waist, I ask myself why I picked her to begin with. I would have chosen her mom, but Trish loves Roxy; and what Trish wants, she always gets. I shove my camera toward Roxy as I wonder how many times she was dropped as a child.

“Just give me a sit rep, Roxy?”

“Ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, one adorable nose, two perky ears, one head full of light brown hair, the other head just showered the nurse.” She looks at me then asks, “How’s that, sir, for my oral presentation?”

“What’s his weight?”

“He’s the biggest of all. He peed on me, too.” The middle age nurse winks at Roxy.

Smiling, I say, “That’s my, Trevor.”

Roxy scrunches her brows. “Does Trevor mean, ‘he who pees’?”

I smile, “No, it means large.”

“Oh, he’s large alright!”

“Roxy!”

Three voices belonging to the three women on guard bellow out, and correct her, and I enjoy watching her flinch slightly. “Okay…okay I can’t help it. This dude’s name means large; hence, the shower he just gave her,” Roxy says as she points at my son’s nurse.

I go to my angels, standing between their beds, because I can’t decide which one I want to meet first. They’re both special to me, and for a while, I was afraid I couldn’t share my heart with anyone, because it’s always been Trish’s. But now, I marvel at the greatness of how God created the human heart. I know now that it has different rooms, each one specifically for that special person you have in your heart. My girls, now hold two specific rooms in mine. One that’s only meant for each of them, and totally different from Trish’s. A sadness grips my heart, because I am Trish’s
one
. In my heart, I want to be their
one,
but I know I can’t…more importantly, I couldn’t. I push the thought away, needing to enjoy my moment with my girls…by myself…just the three of us.

With fingers on each of their cheeks, I caress both of them gently. Bending over slightly, I begin talking to them, wanting the first time they hear my voice to be full of love and adoration.

“Hey, my angels, it’s daddy. I can’t wait to hold you both. I love you both, so much, more than you’ll ever know.” I watch as the one on my right seems to sink into my touch, while my other daughter’s tongue sticks out a bit. Taking a deep breath, thinking she’s giving me an attitude already.

“Which one is which, Jake?” I turn toward Laura, mouthing ‘thank you’ for standing guard.

“Well, let’s see. My quiet princess, here, is Jaelin. Her name means tranquil, one who heals.” Looking at my other precious princess. “My loud very vocal princess here, is Jillian. Her name means youthful, vibrant. And, that she is.”

“Mr. Oliver, we need to take them to the NICU. Give us an hour to get them situated.” I face the nurse you interrupted my time with my girls, and before I can say something, my mom speaks for me.

“Oh, yeah right. Jake, tend to your wife. We’ll follow the kids to the NICU. See you there in a bit.”

My mom pushes me aside, and my heart hurts a little, seeing them wheel my life away. Then Trish calls me, and the ruler of my heart pulls me to her slowly…strongly….lovingly.

I run my hand over her head, comforting my very tired wife. Placing my forehead against hers, I say another prayer of thanks to the One who has blessed me with so much…given me more than I deserve, and faithfully rains down mercies from heaven that others neglect to notice. As for me and others who have faced death’s door, moments such as these are treasured more than they’re forgotten, and valued more than they’re neglected.

“Ready for our fast five, Jake?” He nods, overwhelmed by his own emotions as he buries his face in my neck.

“Tyler?”

“Our Point Man, the first one out, clearing the way for his brother and sisters. He’s calm and patient, nothing like me, my mom says.”

“Trevor?”

“Our fighter. He’s strong, solid like my dad and yours. He peed on his nurse, what a show off.”

I giggle knowing in my heart, my Trevor will surely light our world, or more than likely shake our mostly quiet life, but excitedly and willingly, I’ll embrace and wait patiently for those moments.

“Jillian?”

“Our diva. The second oldest. She’s gonna break a lot of hearts, and I’m all for that, just not mine, babe. Tell her not to break mine.”

Shaking my head, I tell myself my husband will probably say this until my daughters turn fifty. His open kisses temper the need to want to see my children, again. If I could only run to them right now, I would.

“Jaelin?”

“Our quiet healer, just like her mommy. My heart instantly calmed when I touched her cheek, babe. I only ever feel that with you. Tell her not to leave me, please.”

I can’t help, but play around with him. He has always told me that he’ll never favor one over the other. Testing his resolve is a good source of distraction, right now.

“So, you favor Jaelin over Jillian? What happened to ‘I won’t have a favorite’?”

He pulls back from me, he gives me a shocked look. “Jaelin quiets my heart much like how you calm me, where I can see things perfectly, but Jillian sparks my heart as you always do, too. It was the same feeling when I first saw you, babe; when my heart told me you’re my one.” He scrunches his brows and sadness covers his eyes, then he looks away from me.

“Eyes on me, husband. What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with them?” Panic is rising from my belly and now stuck in my throat.

Shaking his head, probably to clear the cloud in his brain, he says, “No, they’re fine. It’s just imagining I’m not going to be their ‘
one
’, already breaks my heart. I just want
my
angels to
only
love
me
, you know? I mean, they can love you, of course, but I just want
me
to be
their
world as
they
are
mine
. I’m their dad, after all, and I’ll give them everything. Other stupid, ballless, idiots won’t even come close to how much I love them. So, maybe you can teach them to only have eyes for me, just their daddy. Maybe, we should move somewhere, out of the city. Somewhere remote, it’s safer anyway. What do you say?”