All My Life

Chapter 23

Don woke up in a start; something wasn't right. Something didn't feel right. Something was missing. As he turned on the lamp he realized it was actually 3 somethings that were missing. He looked towards the bathroom and the door was open with the light off. The fears from the last year welled up inside of him; and he yelled for her in a panic. "Darl? Sweetheart?! Baby?"

***

Meryl had finally gotten both babies latched to each breast because they were screaming so loudly; and she couldn't get them calmed down. Don was sleeping so deep and peacefully that she hated to wake him up. She was about to sit down in the chair in the bonus room where they had the babies when she heard her husband yelling for her. She could hear the panic so strongly in his voice that she walked as quickly as possible out of the room with both babies latched to her breasts, his t-shirt she was wearing was pulled up and over her breasts; and she was wearing a pair of her husband's boxers, stubbing her toe on the doorjamb when she rushed in to the bedroom in order to make sure her husband was okay. "FUCK!"

"Baby?" Don asked jumping up when he saw her rush in with both babies latched to each breast, her stubbing her toe. "Wow! That's a sight; are you okay?"

Meryl sighed that Mags became unlatched when she stubbed her toe. "Damn it, I stubbed my toe and Mags unlatched."

"Here, I'll take her." Don said taking Mags into one arm and helping his wife, who still had Brady latched, to the bed with his other arm. "Are you okay? I was worried when I woke up and you all were gone."

Meryl put her hand to his cheek as she pulled him down for a sweet kiss. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. They were pissed at us because they were hungry; the only way I could calm them down was nursing them at the same time."

"Like their siblings." Don winked as he bounced up and down with Mags. "Why didn't you wake me up? I would have helped you."

Meryl smiled sweetly at him. "Because you were sleeping so soundly; and Hal said you still need your rest. Brain swelling is brain swelling; and you still have some."

"I always want to help you." Don said strongly as he sat on the bed and lifted her foot. "Baby, you're bleeding."

Meryl shook her head as she started to get up. "I'm so damn clumsy."

"You stay." Don kissed her lips tenderly. "I'm going to help you with that. You got him alright?"

Meryls smiled tenderly as she nodded her head. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I was just worried when I heard you screaming."

"Don't apologize." Don winked at her. "I was just worried about you."

Meryl shook her head at how they were. "It's what we do."

***

Meryl was now trying to calm down a fussy Brady when Don walked back in with Mags who was also fussy. "He's fussy too?"

"Yeah." Meryl kissed Brady's head as she tried to get him to burp. "He's not burping."

Don sighed as he continued to hold Mags close, who never really settled down, and cared for Meryl's toe. "She hasn't burped either; I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have drug you all to Maine at 11 o'clock at night. I got them all thrown off their schedule. Then I freak out when you three weren't here when I woke up; causing you to stub your toe."

"I like you still want to be around me so much." Meryl flirted. "Baby, don't worry about my toe. Besides, we NEEDED this. Nurturing our relationship as husband and wife like we needed to do so badly, and connecting like we connect, will make us better parents. We learned that with the others."