Glacial

29

two weeks, it had now been two weeks since our beautiful girls came into the word with a scary start. Ed and I were still wondering if this was some of dream, we had been given the best gift of our lives. As I was packing my bag to leave the hospital, I thought of something. "Ed?" I said as he played with the fingers of Iris, her tiny hand wrapping neatly around his thumb. "yeah love?" he said, not looking up from his daughter. "have you told your parents?" I said and he froze. he turned his head to look at me before removing  Iris's hand from around his thumb and standing up, "shit" he whispered and he pulled his phone out of his pocket and rung his mum. "hi mum" he said and he laughed as is mum spoke loudly and excitedly down the other end. "yeah, im great, I have some news" he said casually, not a touch of nervousness in his voice . "no, im not touring again in spring" he said chuckling, turning to me and rolling his eyes. "okay okay, fine ill tell you" he started, "mum you know how I have a girlfriend?" he said, and I shot him a look like how does she know  and he winked at me. "yeah, Lanie that's it, well..um she had twins two weeks ago" he said and I heard a scream down the end of line followed by his mum screaming out his dads name in excitement. "oh uh hi dad - yeah - yup - sure" he said and I wondered what he was allowing.

"they're coming over" he said and I laughed, I had a feeling they would want to meet their grand daughters and James. "oh yeah, you know what, we don't have anything for the girls at home" I said and Ed gave me a cheeky look. "what.." I said nervously. "i had that sorted out by Stu and Murray" he said and he took out his phone again. " Murr, its Ed, yeah is it all done?" he asked and I heard someone blabbering on about something exciting, as there was a lot of expression. "thanks, we'll be home soon" he said and hung up, smiling to himself. "i have to get something from down stairs" he said and I nodded. he walked out the door with a mysterious smirk on his face and he left me to wonder what he was doing. I walked over to the corner of the room and stood above my Estelle and Iris, they were both awake now and they looked at me with their speckled eyes and their lips in slight pouts. "hello my girls" I said and I reached down to pick up Estella, who looked as if she were about to cry. I cradled her in my arms for the second time ever and she looked at me with a confused expression, like the world was all to big for her. as I gently rocked her back and forth, her eyes became droopy and then I eventually closed. she wriggled her nose and her toes twitched as I placed her back in the little bed.

just as I sat back on my bed, the door opened revealing Ed with his hoodie up, holding a large box. he stepped into the room and he was followed by Stu, who carried another box. "whats this?" I said as they placed them on the floor next to me. "the carseats" Ed said as he began to open the box. He pulled out a seat that was black with a pink trim and a p[ink head rest. "that's so cute!" I said, and Stu did the same with his box, although this one was black and purple instead of pink. "now we can go home" Ed said and he walked over to Estella, wrapping his hands around her and lifting her up gently. He placed her into the pink carseat and strapped her in gently, his fingers almost clumsy with excitement. I did the same with iris, and soon enough we were signing out.

the car ride home was interesting. Stella decided that she was going to cry the whole way home, which then made Iris cry too. Ed sat in the back with them, trying to calm them down with pacifiers and he stroked their hair while Stu and I both laughed at his desperate attempts. "shhh, its okay baby" he said to each of them, but no matter how hard he tried, they have decided they don't like cars. We pulled up into the drive and Ed practically flew out the door, and round to my door, opening it for me like a true gentle man. I opened the door and unclipped Stella's carseat, taking it by the handle and walking it slowly inside, being careful not to bang it on anything. Ed followed with iris, but instead of stopping next to me, he carried on walking down the hall. "come one love" he said and I followed him, down the hall and into the spare room. He pushed open the door to reveal a beautifully setn up nursery, with everything we needed to bring up the girls properly. "oh my gosh its beautiful" I said as I stared at the two white bassinets that had matching pink blankets and the hanger which held matching oufits, in all different colors. "you can thank Murray and Stu for this" he said and Murray walks in, holding a present box. "for you miss"  and he smirked at me, handing it to m e like I was a queen. I took the box from him and turned to Ed, who shrugged with a cheeky grin on his face. I turned to him and began to open the box cautiously, I unwrapped the ribbon from around it and placed it on the change table. I pulled out a small jewellery box, which made me laugh because Murray had put it in such a big box. As I opened it, I heard a cough from Stu, I looked up at him and giggled, but when I turned back around, Ed had taken the box from me and was on one knee standing infront of me.

"Lanie, From the day I rescued you from the rubble as Cory, and the moment you knew who I was I felt like you and I were mean tot be together. The way you spoke to me so casually made me melt, and when you left, those five months were the most painful moments of my life, which I want to never lose you again, will you marry me?" he said and his eyes were nervous. I had tears rolling down my cheeks and I pulled him  up to my level and wrapped my arms around his neck, nodding into his chest, "yes, I will" I whispered, and everyone clapped, including James, who had walked in mid speech. " I love you" he whispered and he placed his lips gently on mine.

"what'd we miss" a voice said everyone in the room turned around. It was Ed's parents. "You missed the proposal!" Murray yelled and we all hushed him at the same time, pointing to the babies, asleep in their seats. "oh my gosh!" Ed's mum said as he rushed over to hug  me, "you are beautiful, well done" she said and she kissed my cheek, making my blush.

'Look at my grand babies!" she said excitedly as she knelt down next to them both and touch their little feet and hands. "aren't they gorgeous John?" she said as she lifted Estella from her seat. "they're beautiful" he said, "whats their names?" John asked. "That one is Estella Rose" I said, referring to the baby being kissed repeatedly by Eds mum, "and this one is Iris Maddison" i said as I picked up iris, placing her in johns arms. "they were both three pounds, and they have both had heart surgery" I said, making both of Eds parents stare at the babies infront of them in shock "both of them?" Imogen asked. "yeah, They had holes in their hearts" I said. "wow" she whispered, "well theyre still perfect" she added.

"they really are" john agreed.