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“You’re right.” Mac nods somewhere behind his brother, his flopping hair all I catch. “It’s baby girl’s fault.” His head pokes up over the group and he rests his chin on his own twin’s shoulder. “Can I go tell her?”
Chuckling, Rex nods his head. “Aria needs her rest, bro. So two at a time. And bechill.”
“Oh, then it’s me and you, baby sis. Let’s go.” Mac breaks off from the group to hook his arm with Aurora. “I’m not giving those babies back once I get them.”
The rest of our group breaks away as Mac and Aurora disappear down the hall, leaving me to hold Rex back up from the grip I never released.
“Can’t believe my girl wants to see this fucker,” Rex pauses and drags in a deep breath before leaning farther into me and Cedar, who still clings to my side. “You two are next.” Rex shakes his head, but chuckles when I scoff at him.
“Next time, I’m letting you eat the tile.This fucker,my ass.” Rolling my eyes, I haul Rex into my side as he drapes an arm across my shoulders. “How’s some coffee sound?”
“Like magic,” Rex answers and I maneuver us through the waiting family members to the short and private hallway where a single coffee machine stands, guarded by Jordan, with Cedar tailing us but hanging back.
“Congrats, man.” Jordan tips his head and Rex returns the sentiment in a true testament to how exhausted the man must be.
“Thanks,” Rex mutters at pokes at the buttons until the smell of roasted beans fills the air.
We make it back to the waiting area in time for Mac to be announcing that Ma Thompson’s plane has landed and needs a pick-up.
“Ma’s lucky that I love her,” Mac grumbles.
And then he steals the cup of Joe from his twin, drinks half even though it’s scolding hot, and shoves it back into my free hand.
Huffing, Mac steps aside and clears the path as Cedar slides in on Rex’s other side and lifts his arm across her shoulder much the same as I have.
I keep all of the weight of a snickering Rex that he can’t handle as the three of us step in stride down the long hallway that leads us back toward the sterile room I left him in. “By the way, fucker, this better not be vagina blood on me.”
“Fin,” Cedar snaps.
“What?”
Rex snickers and shakes his head as we reach the door just down the hall from the windowed room. “They had to cut her open to get them out, man. Once the first one was out, it was pure chaos. Doc let me cut the first cord, but then something happened and he went to hand the baby over to a nurse that wasn’t there, I was. So it’s …” Rex shrugs and reaches for the handle that lets us into the washing space and bathroom area of Aria’s room, the rest of it cut off by a privacy curtain. “It’ssomething.”
Cedar laughs, the sound like music to my ears, and leans over the sink to scrub in clear up to her elbows as Aurora peeks out from the opposite side of the hanging fabric.
“Damn nurses stole them for footprints and you’re back already,” Aurora curses and disappears for only a moment before snickering her way out of the room.
“Love you, too, squirt,” Cedar calls at her back and snags paper towels to dry her dripping hands.
Rex and I follow suit while I try my damnedest not to think about what the hell transferred from him to me and I snag one of the stupid paper scrub covers that Cedar ties at my back before we slide back the curtain that leads us into a room with bustling nurses. “You don’t want to give that back to the baby.”
“Babe,” Rex sighs and goes straight to the bedside that holds a pale Aria connected to way more wires and tubes I don’t want to think about. She’s sweaty and ashen enough that I might end up with nightmares.
“Rexy,” she sighs and takes his hand in a grip even I see is painful. “We’re not doing this ever again.”
Rex chuckles and nods. “Whatever you say, baby.” He reaches up with shaking fingers but a smile as he swipes sweaty hair from her face. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay, babe.”
“Gross,” Cedar mutters on a snicker, drawing Aria’s sight to the two of us, standing off to the side, waiting for … well … I’m not sure.
“C.” Aria reaches her free hand up, beckoning her best friend to her other side and my girl goes without question. “So glad you’re here.”
“Of course, I’m here.” Cedar rolls her eyes, but she can’t hide the tears I see building as she grips her best friend’s hand and settles in beside her.
“And Finland.” Aria’s tired eyes land on me. Her head tilts to the side Cedar has taken up, and I follow the silent instruction.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, my boots move me across the tile, close enough to see the pattern on the hospital gown Aria wears, though my eyes don’t translate what’s actually there.
“How you feeling, Aria?”
