Devil's House

Motherly Instinct

Donna Shinoda sat on the couch in her son's living room, cradling Lila in her arms as she sucked down another bottle before her afternoon nap. She liked the view of the backyard patio, the landscaping and the pool, but she couldn't take her eyes off her one week old granddaughter. It was hard to believe the twins were already a week old, but also that she'd only known them for a week. Having grandbabies was something Donna thought she might never have, so it was extra special to be able to help care for them in their newborn days. She couldn't imagine going back to Colorado and being away from them, but she hadn't mentioned that to her son yet.

She looked over at Mike. His eyes were closed as he held Lily in the same way - baby in one hand, a bottle in the other. She knew he was exhausted, and thought again about offering to stay overnight to help out in these first few weeks. It was easy to remember how tired she'd been when Mike was a newborn. Even with a support system in place, two babies at once was a lot, and she frowned as she looked at Mike's tired features. He'd adamantly refused to allow her to stay overnight in the house, and she didn't quite understand why.

Her eyes left Mike and Lily to look around the large living space. It was a beautiful house, and Donna was happy to see that her son and his family had a nice place to live. She just wished it wasn't with Jason and Ryan. There wasn't anything wrong with the other couple, and Donna adored Julien. No matter which way she tried to look at it, she couldn't understand why they all needed to live together. Los Angeles was expensive, but Mike and Chester were young. They shouldn't expect to live in a grand house in their twenties. This kind of property took years to acquire, and every time she gave it more than a few minutes of thought, Donna knew that was likely the reason the four of them were living together - she simply didn't like it.

She looked past the piano to see Ryan emerge from the hallway with Julien in his arms. It was a cute picture that made Donna smile immediately. She liked Ryan. He'd been so welcoming and didn't seem bothered at all when she was in the kitchen making a bottle, or sitting on the couch with one of the twins. In the afternoons he'd lay on the rug with Julien and play, or sit with Chester on the couch and talk quietly while the girls slept and Julien crawled after the dog. It was sweet, and she enjoyed his sense of humor and the way he cared for his son and loved on her granddaughters. It was easy to smile when she saw the two of them coming into the living room, and Julien was rubbing his eyes with a small fist.

"Oh, it looks like someone wasn't ready to wake up," Donna cooed at Julien as Ryan stood with him by the back door, looking out the glass. "You're waking up just in time for the girls to go back to sleep."

Ryan smiled as he walked Julien over to the living room so they could be closer to Mike's mom. There was a part of Ryan that was thrilled by her presence. Mrs. Shinoda was gentle, not just with the girls but with Julien.

"Sadly, that's how it seems to be going," Ryan said before he sat down on the couch right next to Mike and Lily. Julien slumped against Ryan's chest as he yawned. "The moment he goes down for his nap, the girls are up, and when the girls pass out, he's up."

Ryan smiled before he nodded at Mike. "And this one and his husband are the same way," he said with a bit of amusement. "They've been sleeping in weird shifts."

Donna nodded. "That's why I'm here. To help fill in the gaps." She smiled at Julien and his big blue eyes before turning her attention back to Lila. The baby was almost asleep and was only barely sucking at the bottle now. She pulled on it gently and it popped right out of Lila's mouth without a protest. "So far they're eating so well," she commented before lifting Lila to her shoulder so she could pat her back. "I know Mike and Chester were happy to hear they'd gained back their birth weight already at yesterday's appointment."

"Yeah, that was a big deal," Ryan agreed. "Chazzy was thrilled. He's been running on fumes this week, but usually he's overly worried about everyone getting enough to eat. He was super relieved to hear his girls are eating just fine."