Hand in Hand

Chapter 45

"Sweetheart, that wasn't your fault." Don turned to Meryl as he gently kissed her lips, and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand after they remembered that visit with his mother all those years ago. "It was a respiratory infection that caused that swelling and pain; if anything it was her fault, like usual. You didn't put me in the middle; if anything, you have put yourself in the middle time and again in order to protect me and the kids and to make her happy. No more; I think she finally got the picture."

Meryl nodded with a weak smile. Intellectually, she knew that; but she couldn't risk anything happening to her husband. "My head knows that, but my heart is different. When I think of how pale you were and how much your chest hurt I can't stop thinking it was because of the stress..."

"It was a bacterial infection, baby; that's all." Don tenderly kissed her lips. "If I remember correctly, my beautiful wife barely left my side as I healed. Best nurse ever."

Meryl knew he was trying to make her smile, and it worked. "So, are you. Don Man, it's been a lot of stress. I should have insisted that you get checked out as well when we were in the hospital. You have been a rock, Don Man; but surely this stress...."

"It's not stress when I'm taking care of my family and doing what I know is best for all of you." Don said honestly as he looked at the babies who had fallen asleep on the bed in front of them, and then he saw the incredibly worried expression on his wife's face. "Alright, Hal wants to see you in a week just to see how you're progressing. How about I call him and see if he can do a workup on me as well when we're there for your appointment?"

Meryl felt a huge weight being lifted from her shoulders. "Really?"

"Really." Don knew he made the right decision when he saw how relieved his wife was when he said that he would get checked out. "I mean if I insist on you getting checked out; then it is only fair that I do the same isn't it?"

Meryl leaned over and kissed her husband's lips; feeling like that now he reassured her and promised to get checked out she felt like she could really sleep. "I love you, Gummer; thank you for taking such amazing care of all of us."

"No one takes better care of us than you; and I love you too, baby, so much." Don stroked her cheekbones as he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. "Well, our little love babies are sleeping. Would you like a snack I brought up?"

Meryl could feel the exhaustion and medications taking over her body. "I'm sorry, baby, I know you went to all that work to make these wonderful snacks but I feel so..."

"You need sleep." Don said as he went and carefully moved the babies up on the bed beside her and helped her get comfortable under the covers. "How about you take a nap with these little love bugs?"

Meryl reached out for her husband's hand. "What about you? You need to rest as well."

"Let me put this stuff in the refrigerator in the media room up here." Don said kissing her hand that was holding his, and putting pillows around the babies so they didn't roll off the bed before he came back in and could sandwich the babies between him and his wife where he knew they were safe. "Then I'll be right back."

Meryl smiled largely, yet tiredly, at her husband; wondering what she ever did to deserve such an amazing husband to her and father of their many, many, children. "Don't be long; I love you."

"I love you too, beautiful; all three of you." Don whispered as he kissed the babies' heads; and then his wife's forehead, running his fingers through her beautiful blonde hair as she quickly started to fall asleep. "Just rest; I'll be back."

***

A little while later, Meryl woke up when she thought she heard grunting coming from the corner of the room. She had to laugh that it was her husband when it kind of sounded like their almost 4-month-old son when he was trying to roll over. She leaned up on her elbow as she saw her husband leaning over one of the babies' cribs pulling on something showing her his strong forearms, and also giving her a great view of his ass. "What are you and those amazing arms and cute ass doing over there?"