Chapter 100

I finished with my phone calls and headed back to the group. They were finished eating and waiting for me. The hour the delivery room staff told us was just about up. I scooped up Jenny, and together with the rest of the family, we headed for Carol.

A nurse was just leaving Carol's room. She stopped in the open doorway, barring our entrance. I asked her if Carol was ready to receive visitors. When she saw the size of the group (Fifteen of us!), her eyes got huge. She was hesitant, but remained friendly and professional. "Yes, we just got her and the little ones settled in. The babies are fed, and Mrs. Lloyd is just finishing her supper, but... but... you can't all go in there at once. Only spouses, siblings, and grandparents may visit during non-visiting hours. All others must come during regular visiting hours. If she was in semi-private, you would be limited to two visitors at a time not including spouses and siblings. In private, you're allowed four, plus I don't think there's room for all of you at once."

I looked at my wives and grinned. I handed Jenny to Dad and scooped each of my pregnant lovelies into my side. We all had the same thought. I nodded and My Wives did their three-persons-in-one-body routine as from inside the room I heard Carol's voice saying the same words. The poor nurse didn't know what hit her when she heard their patented surround sound effect. "We are all Mrs. Lloyd." Diane and Riekie indicated themselves. "And these are our children. Please let us in to see our babies."

I saw the nurse note that three of the ladies, especially the two I was holding, were pregnant (And if she was smart, remembering Rule One <grin>), but she still acted like she would continue to block the door. Riekie got a very stern look on her face and spoke directly to the nurse. "I am not only Mrs. Lloyd, I am Dr. Lloyd. As the physician present, I take full responsibility. My wife and our babies will be receiving their family NOW, thank you. We'll work out our own rotation, but these people are all Carol Anne's family, and she wants to see them. If there is a problem, take it up with the Chief Surgeon, who also happens to be our family doctor." (In our small hospital, the Chief Surgeon was second only to the Administrator, and therefore God.)

The nurse blanched when she realized this was the same Dr. Lloyd who worked with Dr. Hackett. She stepped aside, then, to allow us to enter. "All right, Dr. Lloyd, as long as Mrs. Lloyd isn't overtaxed and she and her twins get their rest."

Riekie stepped to the door, glanced in the room, threw Carol a kiss, then turned to us. "The nurse is right about crowding. We'll go in first, David, with Mom and Dad and Grandpa Paul and the Oma's; and then you guys, Joanne, Jim and Judy. Is everyone Ok with that? Each group will only spend fifteen or twenty minutes with her. That should give each person a chance to see the babies and have a short visit with Carol Anne. Despite what she might say, she does need her rest, so we won't stay too long. The kids and any of us spouses can stay as long as we like."

Everyone agreed, I took Jenny back from Dad and we went in. The kids rushed in ahead of us, eager to see their new brother and sister. They babbled and giggled. "Mommy Carol! Mommy Carol!"

Carol was just finishing her supper as the nurse had said. She had changed to a soft blue nightie that went well with her blue eyes and the red highlights in her freshly brushed hair. She looked adorable. It was obvious she was tired, but she also looked extremely happy and proud, and so she should — just look at the wonderful, magical results of her labour lying in the cot at the foot of her bed!

When she saw the kids coming, Carol pushed the table away and held her arms out to them, momentarily diverting their attention from the new babies. The three oldest climbed on Carol's bed and gave her huge sloppy kid kisses and hugs. I set Jenny down with the other three and she crawled up the bed to give Mommy Carol a wet kiss and a hug. She was delighted to see them and hugged each tightly. "Hey! Munchkins! Come see me first! I wanna hold you guys! Let your grandparents have some time with the babes, then you can meet them and maybe we'll even let you hold them. Whaddaya say?"

Rhiannon, after a brief glance of silent consultation among them, spoke for all of them. Lately, when addressing someone for the four, you would see this glance then only one would speak, leaving the other three attentively silent. Rhiannon, as the oldest, was often that spokesman. They took the four-bodies-one-mind to levels even My Wives couldn't attain. "That's OK, Mommy Carol. We've already talked to them. They're real glad to be out of your tummy, but they miss how warm you were. They were scared, but we told them it was OK."

Those four never ceased to amaze My Wives or me! Just when we thought we had a handle on their abilities, they'd surprise us with something even more profound. They still do.

While the kids babbled away to Carol, full of questions, the rest of us gravitated toward the twins. I thought how progressive this hospital seemed, as they were together in one of those portable baby beds, but Riekie said that was just to save moving two cots from the nursery. She thought in the nursery they would be separated. After our experience with the older four, none of us liked that idea, and wanted them to stay together especially at night. I resolved to look into how difficult it would be to keep the babies with Carol all the time.

The twins were awake and alert, and seemed to be looking for the source of the kid noises in the room. Riekie and Diane picked them up, cooing and fussing over them. Damn! They looked good holding babies! Soon the little ones were being passed from parent, to grandparent, to grandparent. The little ones never made even a peep, and appeared to enjoy the attention.

Daddy seemed to take a back seat as the babies were held and loved by everyone. Finally, though, there seemed to be some unspoken agreement reached, and I received both in my welcoming arms. As their tiny fists wrapped around the index fingers of both my hands, I was once again overwhelmed with love and awe for these two tiny miracles. Both babies looked into my eyes and I became lost in their ancient gaze.

A soft voice from the direction of the bed broke me from my reverie. "Did I do good?"

Tears in my eyes, I turned to her and breathed, "Oh, yeah, Baby, you did real good. They're perfect!"

Carol held out her arms. "Bring Benji and Katelyn over here so the kids can meet them, and I need a hug, Lover."

While I'd been holding the twins, I'd been oblivious to everything else in the room. I noticed that almost all eyes were on me. I felt the heat rise in my face. "Whut?"

Riekie laughed. "Oh, you know... We were just watching the proud father. You looked a million miles away, and you had the dreamiest smile."

Mom smiled. "You were looking at those babies the way you and Your Wives look at each other. They might not have recognized that look of total love as observers, because they're always on the receiving/giving end, but the rest of us see it all the time. It has always been the sweetest thing to see — total love and total commitment. Now, the other children have been very patient, David, it's their turn to meet their new brother and sister."

Smiling uncomfortably at Mom's observation, I moved to the bed as the four older children gathered close by Carol, watching eagerly. Carol hugged them then had them move farther down the bed to give them room. Benji smiled and seemed to reach for her as I handed him to Rhiannon. Diane moved in to show her how to hold the baby. When I gave Katelyn to K.P., I saw the same interaction. Riekie moved to instruct her in safe baby-handling as well. J.D and Jenny moved in close to their sisters as they held the babies and waited their turn. I was pleased there was none of that 'Me first!' or 'Hurry up, it's my turn!' behavior from any of them. D.J. and Jenny waited their turns patiently and quietly.

Both mothers hovered close to ensure small arms were able to hold them safely, especially when they switched from one child to another. Even two-and-a-half year old Jenny got to hold them for a few minutes. The kids were mesmerized, and the babies seemed to recognize them all. The kids cooed and fussed over their new siblings, but were strangely quiet until we saw the significant glances and knowing looks and realized they were communicating among themselves and probably with Benji and Katelyn at that non-verbal level they were perfecting so well.

With Diane and Riekie supervising the four older ones with the babes, I was able to properly greet My Wife. She held out her arms and I took her into mine. We became totally oblivious to the rest of the room as we exchanged a very sweet and tender kiss that lasted forever. It wasn't a kiss of passion, but, OH! the love! As we gently separated, I whispered, "I love you, Baby, more than I can ever express. How do you feel?"

"I love you too, Lover. I feel wonderful, but I am pretty tired — I think I could sleep for a week. Oh! Twice now you've called me Baby and it hasn't brought up the old hurt. I always liked when you called me that. It made me feel so loved and warm. Now that we're finished with Daddy, just that good feeling is back, and I want to hear it all the time again. What made you start calling me that again?"

"Couple of things. I noticed earlier today you'd dredged up an old name for me — 'Lover'. The two always went together, and somehow it was fitting when you finally had your babies."

She sighed. "You're right. I was kinda daydreaming earlier today until the contractions started, remembering our first summer, and I guess that's why I called you that today. Damn! That was a good summer! Now, kiss me again, like you mean it, Lover!"

I lowered my lips to hers. Once more we became lost in each other as we exchanged our souls and hearts in a timeless kiss.

"Get a room!" <Giggle> "Somebody else would like to say hello to the new Mom and babies!"

Reluctantly we parted. Somewhere during our kisses, the grandparents had quietly exchanged places with Joanne, and Jim and Judy. I gave Carol a little peck on the tip of her nose and stepped back. "No rest for the wicked, Baby. I'll let you visit with your other guests. We won't stay long. You and the whiffets need your rest."

It felt so-o-o-o good to be able to use one of my favourite pet names for her again! Often times, since September, I'd had to bite my tongue to refrain from using it. Now that I could use it again, I felt liberated.

Joanne and Judy fussed over Carol and the babies as they had their visit. Jim seemed a little uncomfortable, but loosened up when he held each of the twins. He'd never held a baby before, and felt a little awkward at first, as most men do on their first time. Too soon for them, their allotted time was up. They kissed Carol and the babies good bye and said they'd drop in again tomorrow. Joanne said she'd call all our friends, like Jim and Julie, and Al and Karen to let them know the good news.

The grandparents all came back in for a few minutes to say their goodbyes for the evening. They didn't really want to leave, but Mom sensed how tired Carol really was, and hustled them out, saying. "Carol and her babies need some sleep; let's leave them to their rest. I'll call all your aunts and uncles, David and let them know. Praise the Goddess! I don't know when the arrival of new babies has been so widely anticipated! And... it's going to be the same for Muffin and Princess!"

With the other visitors gone, My Wives and children stayed with Carol for another hour or so, by which time she was fading fast, and hardly able to keep her eyes open. The new twins, freshly nursed (The older kids were fascinated to watch as Benji and Katelyn suckled hungrily at Carol's beautiful, bountiful breasts.) and in fresh diapers were sound asleep in their cot at the foot of the bed.

While Carol was feeding them, Doc Hackett came in to check on her and the babies as part of his evening rounds. I asked him, "Doc, any chance Benji and Katelyn can stay all night with Carol Anne? We don't like the idea of them being separated from each other in the nursery, and they're so content right now, I think they'd cry constantly."

Doc laughed. "Oh, for sure, David. We're not in the Dark Ages of post natal care here! We don't take the newborns away to the nursery anymore unless there's a medical problem that requires monitoring. These two are healthy and eating well already. They're best being left with their mother. Twins always do better if they're kept together. There's already a note on their chart that they're to stay with Carol."

My next question was on all our minds. "When will we be able to take them home?"

He surprised me. "If Carol and the twins continue as healthy as they are now, and as long as they keep eating so well," he indicated the youngsters smacking noisily and happily at Carol's breasts, "You should be able to check them out Monday — Tuesday at the latest. I'll be able to let you know tomorrow for sure. We don't keep them long now. Having babies isn't a disease, it's a natural, normally healthy process, and the sooner they're in their normal home environment, the better." My Wives and I heaved a sigh of relief. We wanted them home as soon as possible as we didn't want to be separated from Our Love, Carol, or the babies any longer than necessary.

Doc asked Carol a couple more questions and made a discrete examination of her tummy, then left. After the twins had sucked up their fill, been burped and changed (Diane and Riekie got that job), they soon fell asleep cuddled in their mother's arms. We gently removed them from her arms, placed them in the cot, and prepared to say our goodbyes to a very sleepy Carol.

The four older kids kissed Mommy Carol good night and tarried longingly at the twins' cot as I gave her a sweet, lingering kiss. "Good night, Baby. I'll miss you in our bed tonight. Come home to us soon. I love you. I'll see you as soon as we can get here tomorrow, but it might be after lunch. Get some sleep now; those little munchkins'll be hungry again soon."

Carol smiled sleepily at me and pointed to her heart. "I'll be with you here, Lover. It's only a couple of nights. You'll survive. Now get those other kids home to bed. It's getting close to their bedtime. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

I kissed her lightly one more time then gathered up the kids as Riekie and Diane said their own goodbyes. They both kissed her tenderly and murmured words of love to her. The nurse came in while Diane and Carol were sharing one of their patented lover's kisses. She coloured brightly when she saw it. I'm sure Carol and Diane saw her coming and purposely deepened the kiss for her benefit. Pausing briefly to kiss the new twins, we reluctantly headed out the door. I looked back and Carol was already sound asleep, a sweet smile on her beautiful face.

The trip home only took a few minutes. We were all tired and a little quiet, but very happy. I called Mom to let her know we were home again and advise her Carol could be home as early as Monday. She said she'd called all our relatives already plus Hank and Celia who said they'd let Tom and Sandra know.

The wives took the kids up for their bath and got them ready for bed. We tucked them in and read them a story, the girls acting out all the parts. Soon they were sound asleep in a heap with Ahab woven through them somehow. My wives and I retired to the kitchen to unwind and share a few quiet moments. It had been a long tiring day for us, too, and we would be hitting the sack early ourselves.

Diane looked thoughtful. "I heard you call Carol Anne 'Baby' a lot today. Why was that?"

I sighed. "I used to call her that all the time, didn't I Princess?" Riekie reached over the table, took my hand and nodded. "But... Bob Sr. called her that when he tried to rape her, and so whenever I used it, she'd get a painful memory flashback. She said today that she doesn't anymore, so now I can use my favourite pet name for her again. Way back when, we had a bit of fun over that name, and it became our favourite. Princess knows the story. It was part of the 'Name Thing' when we did the phone sex as our first intimate act."

Riekie sighed at happy memories. "Yeah! It was so sweet! Ya know, I almost lost David and Carol Anne's friendship over my stupid actions that day, but I also mark that day as the beginning for me, for that was the day I first admitted to myself my true feelings for David. I felt it before that, probably since I met him, but that day crystallized it." She squeezed my hand and mouthed, "I love you."

Diane said, "Well! That settles it! I've been wracking my brain for a good pet name for Mrs. Lloyd that we can all use. From now on, if she's agreeable, Carol Anne is 'Baby'. So say I." Diane hung 'Princess' on Riekie permanently, so I guess she thought giving Carol a permanent pet name was her special privilege as well.

I laughed. "Oh I don't think there'll be a problem with that. She told me today she wanted to hear it all the time, now. We'll just start using it. If she has any objections, she'll tell us." Thus, Carol became 'Baby' to all her spouses. I've never heard a kid slip up and call her 'Mommy Baby', though, like we sometimes hear 'Mommy Muffin'.

We were all tired, the conversation ran down and before long, we were yawning, fighting to keep our eyes open. We closed up the house and headed to bed. It was a little lonely without Carol. It was supposed to be Riekie's private time, but she insisted Diane join us for the night, else she'd have been alone. The three of us simply cuddled together and were soon asleep. I was awakened in the morning by two warm wet mouths licking and sucking my morning woody. My orgasm left me drained and happy. After a morning shower where I explored the nether charms of both to screaming orgasms, we got on with our day.