*Published* Accidental Babies (SAMPLE)

Chapter 8

Jason sighed, leaning against the wall outside his room. He was still weak and listless but at least he had more energy than this morning. That was a plus. However, dealing with Janice had sapped away most of his recovered energy. He hadn't known his assistant was soo inflexible and incompetent with dealing with unexpected cock ups.

He knew he had never been ill before but he was still human. And sometimes, he could very well not come in if he didn't feel like it. Even though that had never happened before, she should have been able to adapt to changes and not trouble him with more problem. However, when he had taken the phone from April, she had inundated him with all the issues that had cropped up. To him, most of them were easily solved by turning to his vice-president but apparently, the man was missing. If that was how the higher ups in his company were behaving without him, he had to do some restructuring when he went back. He managed to resolve all the problems and left instructions that should cover the next day or two. However, it took him more than the ten minutes he promised April. Hopefully, she wasn't mad at him.

Walking into his room, he stopped short when he saw the sight that greeted him. April was lying on the bed with the twins on either side of her. Both of them were snuggled close to her side, eyes closed, and looked like they weren't willing to let go. April had her arms around them and her face was relaxed in repose.

He didn't know why but his chest felt lighter and a smile grew on his face. He wanted to join them, putting the twins in between him and April. Such a domesticated thought had never entered his mind before now. Before the twins, he hadn't thought much about children and what they entailed. Once he had the twins, his main focus was juggling their care with his work. Never had he thought to sleep with them. Now, with April, the thought was very appealing.

'Mr Halloway?'April said, her voice thick with sleep. She moved to stand but the twins cried out so she just laid down. 'Sorry for falling asleep. I didn't know I was soo tired.' A yawn engulfed the last few words. 'And sorry for taking your bed. The twins are not going to release me anytime soon.'

'It's alright,'he said, sitting beside Daphne and within sight of April. He ran his hand over Daphne's hair, finding the silkiness of her hair soothing. 'Thank you for taking care of Janice when I was out of it. She mentioned that you called the doctor. So what did he say?'

'You have an incurable disease that they are still working to identify. They'll be coming to bring you to quarantine soon. In fact, I have to keep the children away from you,'she said gravely, her face set in serious lines. He knew she was joking. Knowing he should feel offended, he arranged his face into a scowl.

'Are you sure? Because, in my opinion, exhaustion is not a new disease,'he said. It was comical watching her face change. She knew she was caught and sent him a shy smile, making it difficult for him to maintain his scowl.

'You heard what the doctor said?'she asked meekly, bringing Tanner to Daphne's side and laying on the side, making it easier for them to converse. Tanner only shifted once before falling back into a deep sleep. April shook her newly-freed arm with a slight grimace. 'Dang, my arm hurts. Didn't expect that. Wha- Mr Halloway, you need not do that.' Her arm was currently being massaged by him, over the twins' heads. He sent her a determined look when she tried to take it away. She rolled her eyes at him and left it in his care. He felt a warm satisfaction, knowing he could bring her some comfort.

'No. But I can guess. And, if you'd thought I was jeopardising the twins, you wouldn't have brought them anywhere near me.' Her face lit up at his comment but he was serious. He knew she took the twins' wellbeing seriously and he respected that. He couldn't ask for a better nanny.

'Well, then. I hope you'll take care of your health then. Unless you've updated your will in case you keel over and die. That way the twins will always be taken care off.' She made it sound like a joke but there was a bite to her words. He liked the way she took care of him so he relented.