The Hook-up

Chapter 158

Bruno came out of the bedroom wearing a baseball hat to cover his wet hair in a tattered Mickey Mouse shirt, straight jeans and green converse. Lauren looked over at him as she burped Everlee smiling at him. "I'm sorry I got moody earlier. I can't blame it on them anymore." She told him. "I'm just a bitch."

"No, baby...." He said to her standing close to her looking at Everlee as she started to fall asleep. "I'm sorry for being so busy. I want to be with you all the time." He said kissing her head. "Let's go see our boy."

Lauren smiled holding onto Everlee placing her gently in the car seat. She turned to see Bruno paying attention to her as she snapped the straps closed tightening them to secure her into the seat. "You can do it." She told him trying to reassure him. "You're going to be fine."

"I just don't want to hurt her." He said taking the car seat to carry her to the car.

"You aren't going to hurt her." She said again closing the door behind them. "When did you get the rental?" she asked him seeing a bright white car that looked exactly like his, just in a different color.

"Last night. Before I came home." He said placing Everlee's car seat in the back of Lauren's car.

"We need to get two more of these for when we have to use your car...I didn't even think of that..." she said reaching over to tighten the car seat in the back of the car.

"We will. We have time, Laur." He answered grabbing the keys from her.

**

Bruno looked over at Lauren who was holding Ezra close to her chest. He held onto Everlee mimicking the placement of her arms with his. He moved his arms gently above his heart to put her to sleep. He started humming to himself catching Lauren's attention. She looked up at him and smiled at him. "You're doing a good job, Bru." She said to him while they each held onto a baby. "Dr. Dahse is going to come and check on him in a few minutes. Renee said that he might be able to go home early. He's breathing is so much better than it was before."

"Are you ready for the two of them?" he asked her sitting down with Everlee asleep in his arms.

"I think I have to be. Are you ready?" she asked him.

"If I said yes I would be lying." He admitted.

"Peter...." She said softly to him in a soft caring, yet serious tone. "Quit doubting yourself. We're both going to be fine. We're going to have bad days. And you know that."

He sat next to her holding onto her hand trying to put everything together. "It would be so much easier if I could just have a drink." He said to her opening a whole new can of worms.

"You're doing so good, Bruno. You aren't doing anything wrong. Nothing at all." She said turning to face him.

"I just feel lost." He said brushing a piece of his hair away from his face. "I wasn't ready for any of this."

"Are you happy, Bruno?" she asked him.

He didn't answer for a few seconds looking down at Everlee and then over at Ezra who was just about to fall asleep. With his free hand Bruno reached for Lauren's cheek looking into her eyes as she tried not to cry as she tried to comprehend his feelings. "I am so happy." He said to her.

"Are you scared?" she asked him trying to put her finger on his feelings.

"Yeah. I'm scared. We have these two babies in our lives that will be ours forever. And I don't even know if I'm holding her right." He said pausing dramatically. "How are we going to raise healthy happy babies if I can't even hold her right?" he asked her watching her move his hands up a little to hold her head a bit more.

"You're doing everything right..." she smiled at him trying to calm him down. "I don't know what I'm doing either. I don't know a damn thing, Bruno. But there's something inside me that's telling me exactly what to do. It's been four days and I haven't messed up. It's been four days and you haven't messed up. We're batting a thousand right now." She smirked at him. "I think we're going to make it." Bruno looked up closing his eyes trying to keep himself from crying in the nursery where they were sitting with their sleeping children. "We can't both cry, Bruno...." She tried to laugh sniffing away her own tears. She looked at him again feeling his emotions still crumbling from the unplanned pressure of having two babies of his own.

"Can I talk to the two of you?" Renee asked quietly taking Ezra from Lauren's arms placing him in his crib then reaching for Everlee holding her safely and with care. "I know this is hard for the two of you. There is no way to describe what being a parent is like...." She continued to provide the two of them with words of wisdom and hope about being parents. After about thirty minutes Dr. Dahse came in providing them with the news that they could take Ezra home with them. Somehow the advice Renee had given both of them had calmed the room and erased the anxieties that they were both feeling.

"Which one goes where?" Bruno asked Lauren after carrying both babies to the curb with her.

"Umm...." She asked feeling another sense of anxiety come over her with another nurse standing next to them to help put the car seats in the car.

"I'll put him behind the driver's seat and her behind the passenger seat." Bruno said making the decision for her.

"That's fine." Lauren said not sure if that was the right answer. They got in the car and started driving home. "Bruno?" Lauren asked him.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Will you sing one of the songs you finished earlier this week? I'm getting anxious for you."

"Not one of those but the one that I finished today...." he said to her.

"You didn't go to the studio today, though..." she questioned.

"I finished it when you were sitting next to me." He said with a mischievous smile.

"Then sing it to me...." She asked him.

"So... you know I don't like talking about us and everything." He said still driving.

"Yeah. I know that. But this one I had to do...." He said starting to hum the piano pieces he had completed earlier in the morning. "I still dream of a simple life.....boy meets girl makes her his wife....but love don't exist when you live like this that much I knowwwwww...."