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“Bobby! Point the phone toward my new baby niece.” As ordered, he turns the phone toward Bean snuggled against his chest. “Oh, Izzy! She’s so beautiful. You did so good– Oh shit, here comes Jon–”
“Kit!”
She snickers back at us. “He’s on a warpath, Iz. Bunker down.”
The phone is shuffled roughly and almost dropped. Just like me, Bobby, and Jim, Jon squishes his face against Kit’s. “Sissy, why are you in the phone? I wanna see you right now.”
“I’m just inside those double doors. Relax, we’re okay. We’re only allowed one visitor at a time, though.”
“Alright. B, get the fuck out and tap me in.”
Chuckling, Bobby passes Lucy back to Jim and the phone to me. “I love you, Sissy. I’ll see you again in a second, I’ll go get in Kit’s side of the call.”
“Okay.” I squeeze his hand. “Thanks for coming to see us.”
“Don’t worry, hon, I’m not leaving. I’m just tapping Jon in before he has an aneurysm. I’m sticking around.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” He leans in and drops a kiss on my cheek. “I love you. Just let me know if you need anything.” He walks away and slaps his broad palm over the door release lock. Instantly, Jon barrels in to pass, but Bobby stops him with a hand on his shoulder. Leaning into the hallway, he has Kit throw him a stack of clothes, then he walks out and the door closes at his back.
Stopping at the sink for the world’s fastest hand washing, Jon dries them with paper towel and sprints toward us, only to stop with a screwed up nose. “Woah, you really do stink.” He tosses the clothes onto the chair beside me, since Jim is still holding Bean. “What the hell happened?”
“Your sister puked all over me.” Jim’s not even mad. He simply smiles and kisses Bean’s fuzzy head.
Dismissively, Jon rolls his eyes and turns to me. “Asshole probably deserved it. Sissy.” Carefully, he takes my hand and works not to bump my tubes. “Jesus, Sissy. Look at you.”
“I’m okay, Jon. Everything’s okay.”
* * *
Over the next couple of hours, each of my siblings visit with us, but not once does Jim leave my side.
Just like he promised.
Aiden came through right after Jon. He sat in silence and molded his broad chest protectively around my tiny baby. She only has to exist for them to fall in love with her. By the time Jon left to let Aiden in, everyone else was outside the doors waiting.
Aiden enjoyed only twenty minutes before he got a phone call from Jack. Our newest little brother can hold his own, and not even Kit’s ‘don’t swear’ threats deterred him. Two minutes after making his call, Jack’s hands were washed and Bean was snuggling against a new chest.
As each visitor came and went, each new set of arms that held her, each new set of lips that vowed a lifetime of love, as it all went on around her, Bean slept.
Kit and Tink snuck in together after Jack, because… well, they’re above the law… apparently. Plus, Tink’s so small, she hardly counts as another person.
“She’s amazing.” Kit presses her lips to Bean’s eyelids as a nurse pricks her tiny little foot. It’s bruised purple and looks so sore. And yet, she sleeps. “You’re so brave, huh? Hey! That’s too much blood.”
The nurse smirks and goes about her business. “One drop. That’s all I took. That’s all I need.”
Tink holds her fingers to her eyes, then points.I’m watching you, lady.
Rolling her eyes, Brandi, our nurse wipes over the small smear of blood on Bean’s foot. “We’re just checking her sugar levels. If she stays level, she gets to escape this place sooner. These tests are good, overprotective fairy.”
Tink snarls. “You stab my baby,andyou pick on my size.” She practically growls. “Watch yo’ back, Mildred.”
Mildred – whose name isnotMildred – snorts and steps away. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Thank you.” I smile at the nurse, then turn and smack Tink before she spits another mean retort. I turn back to Brandi, “You keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll keep the security to a minimum.”
She winks. “Send those boys back in. It was a hell of a lot more fun to make them snarl.”
