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Elle cackles.
“After surgery, she’ll be in recovery and then she’ll be able to take a visitor or two at a time. However, I need you all to remember, there are women on this floor in active labor, and some who have given birth. Unless the babies are in the NICU, they are in the rooms with their mother’s. Please keep your voices low.”
“I feel like we’ve been scolded.” I hear my father say to Liam. Leave it to these two to make jokes right now.
Dr. Harmon doesn’t wait for them to agree before she motions for Noah to continue pushing me into the room. There are blue and pink roses on the nightstand and a banner that reads: Welcome Westbury Babies, hanging from one corner of the window to the other.
“Isn’t this a bit premature?”
“I think our moms wanted you to feel the love before you had them,” Noah says into my ear.
“Okay, Peyton. We’re going to get you changed and hooked up to these monitors.”
Noah helps and takes advantage of seeing my bump for one last time. “I’m going to miss this,” he says as he kisses my stretched skin. “But knowing I get to hold them today is pretty freaking awesome.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Noah leads me to the bed and helps me get settled. A nurse comes in and tells me she’s going to start an IV. I’ve been poked and prodded so many times, needles don’t bother me as much as they used to. Still, Noah has me focus all my attention on him.
“Can you believe these three still don’t have names?”
“I know. Does that . . .” I take a deep inhale when the needle pinches my skin. “Are we going to be bad parents?”
“Nope,” he says as he shakes his head. “As long as we call them something one, two, and three, we’ll be okay.”
“It’s Thing One,” I tell him.
“Nah, I’m sure that’s trademarked or something. We need to come up with our own moniker for them.”
“Elle says boy A is going to be a drummer.”
“He can be whatever he wants as long as he’s healthy.”
“They’re healthy,” I tell him. He wasn’t in town when I had to get the steroid shots to help their lungs develop before today. “Dr. Harmon is convinced they’re done cooking.”
“She would know, right?”
“She would.”
I’m so busy focusing on Noah, I don’t realize until I hear the sound of rushing horses echoing in the room.
“Those are some strong heartbeats,” Dr. Harmon says. “What do you say we go meet these three?”
Noah and I nod as my bed is pulled away from the wall and heading toward the door. I expect to see our immediate family, including Nick and the kids. But when I see Quinn, I start to cry. Elle told me not to expect him because of the tour.
“Quinn,” I cry out as I reach for him.
“Hey, kiddo. You didn’t think I’d miss your big moment, did you?”
“Elle said?—”
“Sometimes I like to keep you in suspense.” Elle interrupts. “Now go have those babies because someone has to get back for his show tomorrow.”
Quinn rolls his eyes. “I’ll be here when you’re out. I’m not leaving until I’ve met my niece and nephews.”
“We’ll be back soon,” Noah says.
We continue down the hall. I’m taken into one room, while Noah follows a nurse into another. I look around in a panic and pause when I see three cradles in the corner, each with three nurses. They’re waiting for my babies. I close my eyes, afraid I’m about to hyperventilate if I watch what everyone is doing around me.
