Part 247
As Nick headed down the hall with Garrett, Sarah started to crumple. Howie moved quickly catching his wife in his arms. Looking around, he spotted a bench in an out-of-the-way corner. He carried her over and sat down with her in his lap. "Sarah, you’re exhausted. How much sleep have you had in the last 48 hours?"
Sarah shook her head, "I don’t know…not much."
"Please, let me take you back to the hotel. We can see Becca later in the day and she’ll understand."
"I need to see her, Howie," whispered Sarah. "I’m the reason her blood pressure is up."
"No, you’re not, Sarah. She’s had problems all along with her blood pressure and you know it. DO NOT blame yourself for this!"
"But she had it under control, Howie."
Howie felt her tears through his shirt and his heart was breaking. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close and make all the nightmares go away. Rocking her as she cried, he sang softly to her.
"Angel, please stop. This can’t be good for the babies," begged Howie after some time had passed. "Look at me!"
Through bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks, Sarah looked up into those brown eyes that meant security to her. He reached up to wipe the tears away.
"Angel, you did your very best to get through to us. You couldn’t control what happened any more than I could. Please…stop blaming yourself."
"But…"
Placing a finger on her lips, he silenced her. "Shhhh….I’m taking you back to the hotel."
"No, please!! Let me see her!"
Howie smiled, "You gonna be my good girl?"
Sarah nuzzled his neck taking in his scent and said, "I promise to be a good girl."
"Come on. Let’s go see if they’re ready for company."
Quietly, Howie pushed the door open and led Sarah in to find Becca nestled against Nick sleeping peacefully. Howie pulled Sarah to him as they watched and he whispered, "That’s what you should be doing."
Sarah looked around at him. "Snuggling with Nick?" she teased.
"No! Sleeping," said Howie.
"Okay! I give up," whispered Sarah rolling her eyes. Then, mumbling, "Like you’re REALLY going to let me sleep."
Howie laughed quietly, "Okay, so I have SELFISH reasons for wanting to take you back too."
Sarah moved over to the bed and leaned to kiss Becca on the forehead. She looked at her best friend closely to see the IV taped firmly to her hand and a cold chill passed through her. Without warning, nausea hit and she rushed from the room. Stopping outside the door, she leaned against the wall and looked down at her hands shaking.
Howie stepped out, holding the door so it didn’t slam. He saw the look of sheer terror in Sarah’s eyes and all the other signs; the color gone from her face, the sweat, and the shaking hands; none of it escaped his notice. He reached for her hands and kissed them.
"It’s okay," he whispered. "She’s NOT gonna get addicted to them."
Before Sarah could say anything, Kevin, AJ, and Brian appeared in the hall causing a commotion at the nurses’ station.
Sarah rolled her eyes, "This hospital will never be the same when the five of you get out of here."
"Hey, where’d you two disappear to?" asked Brian.
"Just giving Bec time to feed Garrett," answered Sarah.
"They named him Garrett Thomas, for Becca’s father," explained Howie. "Guys, Bec and Nick are both asleep so we should leave them alone. You could go take a peek at the nursery though, if you want."
"What about you two?" asked AJ noticing too that Sarah was pale and shaking.
"I’m taking Sarah back to the hotel."
Sarah had put her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder as the four talked. She had a blank expression on her face but her eyes told the story.
Kevin knew the look all too well and he reached over to brush her hair back for her. "D, why don’t you wait for us? The press is pretty bad according to Carlos."
"We won’t take long," promised Brian.
Howie looked down at Sarah and said, "Okay." He wanted her to get some sleep but he wasn’t ready to let her face the press either.
The five made their way to the nursery where Howie pointed Garrett out to the others. They stood staring at the infant sleeping peacefully, awestruck by how perfect he was.
Kevin said quietly, "Damn, the boy did something right."
Sarah corrected him, "The MAN did several things right…like marrying Becca and creating that beautiful little bundle."
Kevin looked down at Sarah as she stared at the baby. "You’re right….he IS a man."
Sarah looked up to see the tears in Kevin’s eyes and she moved to him. Putting her arms around Kevin’s waist, she said softly, "He still needs his big brother…we ALL need you."