The Bonds We Keep

Back Story

14 years ago...

New York, October 12th, 2000

Third Person POV

Cadence was tending to her youngest, five-year-old Milo, who had tripped and skinned his knee while playing outside with his brothers. At nine months pregnant with twins, simple tasks had become difficult, so she called for her husband. Caspian quickly rushed into the living room, making sure his wife wasn't pushing herself too hard— this pregnancy had been much tougher than the previous ones. Assessing the situation, he went to the downstairs bathroom of their two-story home to grab the first aid kit.

Their oldest son, 13-year-old Luca, came inside to check on Milo. Seeing that his little brother was in good hands, he returned outside to keep their other siblings distracted and out of the way. Cadence cradled Milo, singing softly to calm to calm him down, while Caspian knelt beside them, gently cleaning and bandaging the wound. When he was done, he wiped away Milo's tears and praised him for being so brave. Cadence smiled at the sight of her loving husband and their youngest, but her expression quickly changed when she felt a tightening in her abdomen—her contractions had begun.

She shot Caspian a knowing look. It was time. The twins were coming.

"Luca!" Caspian called. Luca dashed inside, sensing the urgency in his father's voice.

"Quick, take Milo and do what we practiced, okay? Grab my phone and call your gram. I need to get your mom to the car," Caspian instructed.

"Okay, Dad!" Luca responded with determination.

Once Cadence was safely in the car, Caspian hurried back inside to check on Luca, who had already called his grandparents. Caspian was anxious to get his wife to the hospital—he knew from their previous births that time was of the essence.

"Gram and Grandpa are on their way. They said they were already heading over to visit, so they'll be here soon," Luca explained.

"Good boy. Will you be okay until they get here?" Caspian asked, proud of his son's calmness and responsibility.

"Yes, Dad. Go help Mom," Luca urged

At the hospital.....

Two hours later, Cadence had delivered a heathy baby boy. Exhausted but ready, she prepared to meet her second twin.

"All right, Mrs. Blackwood, one more big push," the doctor encouraged. Cadence took a deep breath and gave it everything she had. But instead of hearing the familiar sound of a newborn's cry, there was only silence.

Panic gripped Cadence and Caspian. "What's happening? What's wrong with my baby?" Cadence asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Doctors and nurses sprang into action, working to stabilize the newborn. Every second felt like an eternity. For what seemed like hours—but was only seven minutes—Cadence and Caspian sat in agonizing suspense, fearing the worst. Then, finally, the room was filled with the unmistakable sound of their baby's cry.

"Oh, thank God," Cadence sighed, her body releasing the tension she had been holding.

The doctor approached them with a soft smile. "Congratulations, you have a baby boy—and a baby girl."

The couple looked at each other in disbelief. "They said it was supposed to be two boys," Caspian whispered, his confusion giving way to joy as he gazed at their new babygirl.

Cadence, exhausted smiling through her tears, admired her daughter while Caspian held their son in one arm and gently touched his daughter's hand with the other.

"We need to take your daughter for some tests," the doctor explained. "She's significantly lighter than her brother, and it took some time for her to start breathing. We just want to make sure everything is ok regarding her health."

Reluctantly, Cadence and Caspian agreed, watching as their baby girl was whisked away. As soon as she was gone, their son began to cry, missing his twin sister. Cadence calmed him, stroking his tiny face.

"What do you want to name him?" She asked softly, looking at her son's sleeping face.

"Ethan" Caspian answered, a proud smile spreading across his face.

"I love it. Hi, Ethan," Cadence whispered, her fingers brushing against his cheek lovingly.

A little while later, Cadence's parents entered the room, followed by the rest of children. "They said we could come in—is that alright?" Her mom asked. After introductions to baby Ethan, the grandparents took the children down to the cafeteria, after Cadence and Caspian explained to her mom where their other baby was.

Once they were alone, Cadence began to cry. "What if something's wrong?" She whispered scared.

Caspian, though equally worried, tried to ease her fears, knowing she was already exhausted from delivering their children. "How about we start thinking of a name for our angel?" He suggested, gently stroking her hair. "We had two boy names picked out, and I don't think we should call our baby girl Angelo," he added with a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

After a quiet moment, Cadence smiled through her tears. "How about Estella?" She whispered, "Estella our little star" Caspian whispered smiling.

Hours later....

Caspian knew something was wrong the moment the doctor walked back in the room without their little Estella. "Where is she? What's wrong?" He demanded feeling his heart sink.

The doctor gave a sympathetic smile, "she had to undergo emergency surgery. We believe she has a condition called pulmonary atresia. It's a birth defect where the pulmonary valve doesn't form properly, preventing blood from flowing from the heart to the lungs. She's in surgery now."

Cadence clutched Ethan close to her chest, sobbing fearing for her newly born daughter. Caspian wrapped his arms around her, letting his own tears fall as they waited, clinging to hope for their baby girl.

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A/N

988 words

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