Toddlers, Husbands, and Why I had to be Mature by 18

Chapter Nine: Worry

Hannah's POV

Later that day, I was allowed to leave the hospital. I had to be taken away in a wheelchair by Jasper. Dr Robertson would be checking in on me daily. 

The trip back to the house was excruciating. My head rested against the freezing cold window, my eyes closed in exhaustion and sadness.

Jasper managed to keep an upbeat tone with the kids as I stayed deathly silent. 

"So, Bella, what's Santa going to bring you this year?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know, I haven't asked him for any yet."

"Well, I'll take you guys to meet him tomorrow," Jasper said. This seemed to deploy an excited bomb in the backseat of our van. I massaged my temple with my fingers. Jasper rubbed my arm.

I couldn't think of anything but my baby in the hospital. I hadn't even held him. He could have been dead or alive right then and I would have had no idea. A tear rolled down my cheek as we pulled into the driveway.

Jacob was waiting outside for us. Of course he was. Elise was on his arm, cocern filling her face. Jasper got out of the car first and quickly explained the situation to Jacob. The latter broke away from his fiancee gently and came up to my side of the car as Jasper took the kids into the house with the help of Elise. 

I looked up into Jacob's eyes, so much like my own, and broke down in tears. 

"C'mere," he murmured, pulling my curled form to his chest. I cried heavily into his shirt as he held my head like a child's against his collarbone. "Dad's gonna come soon," he said after a few minutes of my weeping. "He'll be here any minute."

Jacob helped me into the wheelchair and rolled me into the house. Jasper took me from there, getting me to our room where I showered and changed into fresh clothes. I managed to walk to the living room, where my dad was waiting. 

He got up immediately and gathered me into his arms. I numbly wrapped my right arm around him, a few tears leaking out of my eye as my head throbbed dully. 

 "Everything'll be alright, sweetheart," he said, kissing my hair. I kept myself from lashing out at him for his condescending tone. It wasn't his fault.

I glided through the rest of the day on auto-pilot. A mug of tea was put in my cold hands. Sip. People trying to comfort me. Sip. "Maybe she should go to bed." Sip. Bed with clothes on. Trying to sleep. Can't.

Eventually, I managed to sink into a stupor, half-asleep, half-awake. I was vaguely aware of Jasper curling into me at one point in the night. I heard him cry. 

I woke up late morning to the ringing of our telephone. I heard Jasper answer it from outside our bedroom. I got out of bed and found him in the kitchen.

"We'll come down right away. Thank you so much, you're a miracle worker, doc!" Jasper cried into the phone and hung up.

My heart leapt into my throat. "What was that about?" I asked Jasper, nodding at the phone.

"Our baby's okay! He'll be just fine!" Tears sprung into my eyes and I launched myself into Jasper's arms. My legs wrapped around his waist and our lips locked onto one another's. 

"Where are the kids?" I asked when we finally broke apart. 

"Eating lunch," Jasper laughed, and I ran into the dining room. 

"Mommy!" Bella cried, hopping out of her seat and into my arms. 

"Hello, love," I said, kissing her forehead. I picked up the twins too and gave them each a big kiss. I was feeling so happy, I felt as if my heart would explode. 

"Let's go see Santa, eh?" I said.

***

"So... where did Annabelle disappear to?" I asked Jasper as we drove to the mall. 

"Well, she caught you when you fell, she called me up, told me what happened, came with us to the hospital, then said she was going back to her hotel. No one's heard from her since."

"Did she say which hotel she was staying at?"

"Nope," Jasper shrugged, one hand on the steering wheel. I played with his hair idly. 

"Huh," I said thoughtfully, and sank into a silence that lasted until we got to the mall. The twins didn't know what was going on, but they could sense that their sister was excited, so they got excited too. 

The santa in the mall was wonderful. He was very gentle and jolly, the perfect image of what Father Christmas should be. Bella asked him for a plush dolly. The twins babbled excitedly as we took the picture with all three of them and "Santa".

We stopped by the hospital on the way back from the mall and we were brought into the intensive care room. And there he was. Our little baby boy was on a bed surrounded by glass. He had tubes stuck into him and he was small and weak.

My eyes filled up with tears, and suddenly a chair was beneath me. I sat there, crying and looking at our son. Jasper's hand was on my shoulder, and I found myself standing up all of a sudden. I curled myself into Jasper's arms as Bella ooohed and aahhhed at her baby brother.

"Sebastian," I breathed into Jasper's chest.

"What's that, sweetie?" Jasper asked.

"I like the name Sebastian," I sniffed.

"Me too. His name is Sebastian," Jasper mumbled into my hair, kissing me. Dr Robertson came into the room and patted my arm.

"You're being so brave, Hannah," he said, smiling sadly at me.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "When will he be....out?"

"I would imagine some time in the next month," he said, his mouth pulling down at the corner. I nodded soberly, taking a deep breath.

We left the hospital after I had dried my tears. We got into the van and went home. On the car ride back to the house, Bella was talking about the Santa at the mall happily, and then she started babbling about her new baby brother.

When we arrived back at the house, I picked up the phone and called the hotel that Annabelle and I had stayed at once during high school. I asked them if Annabelle Jamieson was staying there.

"Yes, she is. Would you like us to call her room?"

"Yes please," I grinned, realising that there must be something left in the shattered remains of our friendship.

The phone rang a few times, and then Annabelle picked up. "Hello?" she said.

"Annabelle! It's Hannah," I smiled.

"Oh my God, are you okay? I was so worried about you!"

"I'm fine," I said softly. "I have another son, now."

"Wow, really? What's his name?"

"Sebastian," I said.