"Oh my God. He's gorgeous," Stevie says as I put William into her arms. She tears up, resting him on her belly. Kristen watches from the hospital bed, biting her lip to keep from crying. The whole situation is heartbreaking. I can barely even look at her.
Stevie and the nurses gather the assorted gifts and things in the room while I go talk to Kristen one more time. "We'll come visit, okay?" She nods. "If you need anything, please let me know."
She looks miserable. I hug her and hold on to her shoulders for a minute. "Go, okay?" She smiles at William one more time, who is still asleep in Stevie's arms. We are escorted into the hallway when we hear Kristen. "Stevie? Can I talk to you? Alone?" Stevie glances at me before she steps back into the room.
I shut the door, mostly so I can lean against it and listen. I still can't hear anything, but Stevie is clearly emotional when she steps back into the hallway.
"What was that?" I ask, purely to satisfy my own curiosity. She shakes her head, focusing again on the baby in her arms.
"Let's get you home," she says, her voice high and sweet as she bounces him.
She sets him up in the room she so painstakingly decorated, standing in the doorway to watch him, long after he's fallen asleep.
"Lindsey, look what she gave us."
"I know." I wrap my arms around her from behind, rest my chin on her head.
"Bella won't have to grow up by herself."
"And I get my little boy." I kiss her hair and hug her.
"I wanted to hate her. I just... I can't."
"What did she say to you today?"
"She told me to take care of him. That she knew I'd be a good mother."
"You will."
"Why doesn't she hate me? I took you from her. While she was pregnant."
"We never had any delusions that we could have a life together. And we've been... very civil throughout this. We made something amazing. She wants to know he's going to be loved." I don't know what else to say, so I hold her and stare at my sleeping son for a while.
Life with William is... exceptionally hard. Stevie is sick and miserable, but she's a natural mom. The rooms look perfect. When I feel lost, she knows exactly what to do. She doesn't even seem to mind being up all night with him, as long as I'm willing to let her sleep during the day.
Bella gives us a scare, coming six weeks early, but she's healthy and beautiful. We may as well have twins at this point, them being just six weeks apart, and even though she's exhausted, she's happier than I've ever seen her. Having Bella early was a blessing - she gets ten weeks to recover instead of four.
I'm downstairs playing when I hear her yell. "LINDSEY!" She screams, and I know better than to take my time getting to her. She leaves in two weeks, and she's scrambling through tour prep, workouts, diets, fittings, and rehearsals. I have no idea how she's doing it.
"What?" I say, jogging into Bella's room, where she's got both babies on the floor, one of them in a diaper, the other wriggling around while she tries to change it. She's still in her photoshoot clothes, her make up flawless, her hair cascading in ringlets down her shoulders.
"Will you help me please? You know I have rehearsal in less than an hour..."
"I'm sorry, honey, give me Will," I say, bending down to take my son while she wrangles Bella into a velvet onesie Sharon had made. Having baby clothes made is so much more fun than dressing the dog. It's out of hand. But they're so cute I won't complain.
