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“Yeah,” Rafe agreed, putting his arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss into her hair.
“Let’s go to Tracey’s. I need sleep,” Nora said, slipping her hand in John’s.
As they moved out of the waiting room, Georgie felt Ryan link his fingers with hers and looked up at him with a smile. Her smile faded as they walked out of the hospital behind the rest of the group. The last few hours had been overwhelming and grueling. She wasn’t sure she could have got through it without Ryan’s strength to lean on. And there was the problem. She just couldn’t afford to become to accustomed to that.
* * *
Georgie and Ryan stepped into Leah’s hospital room on quiet feet. Everyone had spaced the visits out to give Leah plenty of rest, so it was well after lunch before Georgie got her turn. “Hey, you,” she said softly, putting the bouquet of flowers on the shelf under the wall mounted television screen.
“Hey.” Leah lay with the bed propped up, her dark hair loose. She was deathly pale but her gray green eyes were luminous.
Georgie moved to the side of the bed and leaned down to give Leah a hug, careful not to disturb the IV line she had coming out of her hand. “God, it’s so good to see you. You had us so worried.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Georgie stepped back to allow Ryan to greet Leah, giving Callum a smile. “You look like shit,” she said cheekily.
He laughed. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Where did you end up sleeping last night?”
“Here.”
Georgie’s eyes widened. “What, in that chair?”
Callum nodded and Georgie’s heart melted. He obviously hadn’t been prepared to leave Leah’s side. She couldn’t blame him. “I’ve got a bed in the room next door. Might go and use it for a bit, since I clearly need it. Is that okay, sweetheart?”
“Of course.”
Callum went out after pressing a soft kiss to Leah’s lips and telling her he’d be back in an hour, unless she needed him before then.
“And who have we got here?” Ryan asked, standing over the two mobile cribs holding Leah and Callum’s babies, one wrapped in a pink blanket, the other blue.
“We’ve got Harrison John and Charlotte Rose.”
“Oh, they are gorgeous names!” Georgie exclaimed, moving to stand next to Ryan.
“Thank you. Charlotte is named for Mikayla. Rose is her middle name.”
“Did she blubber when you told her?”
Leah giggled. “Yes, a lot. Even more when Callum told her she earned it.”
“She sure did,” Georgie agreed.
“She did. I’m glad I was out to it for most of the time. I didn’t come to until we were nearly at the hospital. I think it would have freaked me out being awake the whole way in the ambulance, not knowing what was happening, not knowing if the babies were going to be okay.” She paused for a moment. “I feel for Callum. And Mik. And Rafe. And Billy. All of you, actually. Rushing here in the middle of the night, not knowing if we were going to make it. Awful,” she finished quietly.
“It sure was. Please don’t do it again.”
Leah chuckled. “I won’t. You can hold them if you like.”
“Yes please!” Georgie said immediately, reaching for Charlotte.
“And you, Ryan?” Leah asked. “We’ve got plenty to go around.”
“Aye, don’t mind if I do.”
Georgie sat down, carefully holding Charlotte, smiling at Ryan when he sat next to her. She gazed down at the little bundle in her arms. “How big were they?”
