Separated

Part 3

With his knee bouncing, Mick set beside the hospital bed in which Stevie was lying, asleep. A part of him wished she would wake up sooner, it wasn't like him to sit still and be quiet for hours. However, he understood, she had given birth to twin girls, she was exhausted. He smiled at the thought, reaching to brush her hair out of her face, then suddenly stopped himself, he shouldn't wake her up.

It had been a very long journey for them until they finally got pregnant. Successfully. Stevie had always wanted to be a mother more than anything else and Mick didn't know how much he wanted to become a father until the moment a number of pregnancy tests turned out to be positive and the doctor reassured them that this time things were finally okay.

A deep intake of air, caused Mick to face Stevie, as she slowly opened her eyes and winced as soon as she tried to move. "Hey." He smiled, leaning in closer, reaching for her hand.

"Hey." Stevie replied, her voice groggy, she yawned. 

"How are you feeling?" 

"Empty." She chuckled lowly, placing her palm on her middle. "It's weird."

"I know. Well, I don't." Mick laughed, the sound bouncing of the walls of the nearly empty hospital room.

"Has anyone been in here, a nurse?" Stevie asked, attempting to lift herself up a little. "How are the babies doing?"

"One of the nurses has come in earlier, but she found you sleeping, so she left and asked me to get her, when you're awake." Mick said, getting up to his full height, he was nearly twice as tall as Stevie and a lot of people found the pairing odd looking. "I'll go get her, so she can bring you something to eat."

"No, I want to see my girls first."

Mick knew that was going to be her response and he shook his head. "Nuh-uh. First, you have to get some strength back into you." Leaving no space for discussion, he walked out of the room.

Closing her eyes again for a moment, Stevie sighed, feeling content. She smiled to herself, thinking of the beautiful, angelic faces of her two daughters. Daughters. She would never admit it to anyone, given her history with pregnancies, but Stevie was elated that both babies were girls. She couldn't wait to dress them up in cute tiny outfits.

"Good morning, Stephanie." An older nurse, with a smile on her face, entered the room, followed by Mick. "I've brought you breakfast."

"When can I see my babies?"

The woman chuckled, giving Stevie the tray with food. "As soon as everything on this plate is gone."

Stevie didn't argue. Even if she wasn't particularly hungry, she knew that the sooner she finished eating, the sooner she would get to hold her girls.

"Done."  Stevie announced, Mick raised an eyebrow. He head never seen her eat that fast.

"Alright." The nurse smiled and let the eager parents know she would return with their twins in a few minutes. 

However, few minutes turned into ten, fifteen, then half an hour. Stevie had started worrying and Mick tried to calm her down, holding her small hand in his. He reassured that the nurse probably ran into some other business on her way and that she would come in any second.

And she did. With a girl. One girl.

Stevie was immediately alarmed, sitting up fast. She noticed the expression on the older woman's face wasn't the soft, calming one anymore. A doctor came in with her.

"Wh-what's going on?" Stevie asked, worry evident in her voice, but she still smiled at her baby girl being placed in her arms. "Where's our other daughter?"

The serious faces made Mick's heart beat faster and he blindly sought out Stevie's hand, both of their eyes now on the doctor, who seemed to be struggling for words.

A scream. A literal, gut wrenching scream echoed  in the hallway of the hospital. Everyone who was out there stopped and turned towards the sound, everything instantly went quiet. Even a couple in a room next door stopped speaking.

"My God... What do you think happened?" A woman asked her husband, who was dotting on their newborn baby girl. 

"I don't know, but I don't think nothing good can cause such- such heartbreak." 

"Could you come over here, Lindsey?" She requested, feeling a sudden urge to hold her daughter.

"Of course." He nodded, getting up to bring their baby to her. "Michelle? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I am. I just wouldn't want to be in that woman's shoes right now."

Lindsey nodded in silent agreement and looked down at his daughter, her face bringing a smile back to his. "Does anyone in your family have blond hair?"

"No." Michelle shook her head after thinking for a second. "I don't think anyone has."