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Chapter 67
When he reached the lighthouse, he knew Eve wouldn't be home, yet. Glad that he had a while to be alone and think made him feel better. He needed to get what was going through his mind straight before he dealt with either woman. As he opened the door, he was suprised to be hit from behind. Someone shoved him into the lighthouse and shut the door behind them. "I want some answers, Kevin. And I want them now." Turning, Kevin was shocked to find Ryan standing by the door. *************** Victor and Mary sat on the sofa, watching TV. Lucy and Serena had been asleep for a while, and they were enjoying a little peace and quiet. Lucy really hadn't been up to Serena, and Victor and Mary had played with her after Lucy had fallen asleep. Not that they minded, but they were both exhausted. "Kevin sure left in a hurry." Victor smiled. "You might say he ran out of here a little too quickly." "What do you mean? I know that look, Victor, what are you thinking?" "I'm thinking that Kevin's not so sure how he feels anymore." Shaking her head, Mary stared at him. "Well, you'd better not say anything to Lucy. She's very sure how she feels." "I know. And I also know that my son, whether he wants to admit it or not, still loves her. He's just so stubborn! Haven't you noticed that every time things get intense between him and Lucy, he practically trips over his own feet getting away from her?" "But that doesn't exactly help Lucy. He gets close, he pulls away. Then he accuses her of shutting him out. Personally, I know he's your son, but what he's doing to that woman isn't fair. She wants him to be a big part of this. But he tells her he can't be, then gets angry at her for not including him." "Exactly!" Victor nodded. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. I don't think he knows what he wants. He cares for Eve, he thinks he loves her. But then he sees Lucy, and he feels all those things he thought he was past where she was concerned. I can see it all over his face. As badly as he wants to be a part of this, I think Lucy actually scares him." He told Mary about the look on Kevin's face when he'd watched them on the sofa. "I know my son. And right now, he's confused. And he doesn't like it." "You seem highly amused by it." "In a way I am. I don't like the way it's affecting Lucy, but I have to admit it's almost fun to watch him squirm. He likes to be in control, and when he's anywhere near Lucy, control is not the word I'd use to describe his situation." Victor laughed. "The effect she has on him does amuse me. She gets to him, she's under his skin, and he can't do anything about it. No matter how hard he tries to convince himself otherwise." ***************** "Okay, Ryan. What do you want me to answer?" "Don't play shrink with me, Kev. I've had more than my full share of that. You tried to make sure of that, remember? I want to know who the hell you think you are, taking my children away from me!" "Your children?" This was the moment Kevin had known was coming, and he hoped he was ready for it. "Lucy's children are not yours." "I'm supposed to believe you, what? Knocked her up?" Ryan laughed. "Oh, yeah. A hot, steamy, one night stand. Then you ran back to Evie, and suddenly Lucy shows up at you door pregnant? Do I look that stupid to you?" Kevin knew the correct answer was not ‘yes'. "Maybe I did. Maybe after what you did to her, I tried to help her. I ended up making love to her, and she got pregnant." "Okay, I can buy that." Ryan smiled. "It's not exactly hard to believe you could end up in bed with her. I mean, she really does love you, and she is a very hot number. Man would have to be an ice cube to turn that down." Ryan's smile faded and his eyes took on a deadly glare. "But even if you did, then, at best, there is a question as to which of us gets the Father's Day card." Finally, Ryan shook his head. "But, I don't believe you did. See, I know Lucy. A whole lot better than I did. She wouldn't let you anywhere near her twins if you'd slept with her, then broke down her door to get back to Evie. I saw what she thought of sharing. No." He leaned against the wall next to the door. "You thought the only way to keep me away from MY children was to take them yourself." "They are not your children." Kevin tried to sound convincing. "Lucy and I did make love, and she did get pregnant. By me. I am their father." "I'm not really believing you. You need to sound a little more convincing. Better yet, why don't you take lessons from Evie in being believable." "Eve? What does she have to do with this?" "Relax, Kevin. I haven't done nearly as much with Eve as I have with Lucy. I just talked to her. Of course, she thinks you went to the hospital to make up with her. But she told me that she knows how important it is that ‘the bad twin' never finds out about his children. MY CHILDREN, KEVIN!" Ryan screamed at him. "Those babies are mine, and you are NOT going to take them away from me." "Why are you doing this? Why are you still trying to hurt her? Haven't you done enough to Lucy?" Kevin wanted to find out what he had in mind. "What makes you think I want to hurt her? As I remember, you're the one that hurt her. I was the one that gave her the ring back, remember? You're the one that ripped her heart out and threw your new little toy down her throat." Ryan smiled again. "Still so protective of her. Running to her rescue, claiming her children to protect them, and look at you now. Almost territorial. Makes me wonder if you really love Eve as much as you claim to. Or if it just bothers you that much that I HAD your woman." "You lied to her, used her, manipulated her, and now you're trying to kill her children." "What?! Who in the hell do you think you are? Okay, so I told her a few big ones to get her in the sack. What man hasn't from time to time? I know for a fact that I'm NOT the first man to lie to her to get her clothes off." His eyes met Kevin's, and his voice grew quiet. "But I would never hurt my own children." "What do you think is going to happen if you keep tormenting her? You say you know all about her. She's had three miscarriages, Ryan did you know that? You are the reason her pregnancy has already been compromised! She's already almost lost them." Ryan looked uncertain. "You know she's been admitted to GH twice. Why do you think that is? Because you've been calling her, going to her house," As he spoke, Kevin stepped closer to Ryan. "Keeping her upset and terrified. And stress can bring on a miscarriage. It almost has, and YOU'RE the one causing it! You've done enough to her! I would like to see you suffer for what you've done. But, I swear, Ryan, she loses those babies, and I'll kill you myself!" His whole body was shaking from the building anger in him. Kevin's rage actually suprised Ryan. "That was good. Didn't know you had it in you. Feels pretty good, doesn't it. All that anger. The intense desire to rip my throat out." He smiled. "And all over Lucy. I bet she doesn't know you feel that way, huh. Maybe I'll call her and tell her." "You stay the hell away from her!" Rushing Ryan, he grabbed him and bounced him off the wall. Both of them fell to the ground. Using his legs against the wall, Ryan pushed himself away from Kevin. "Why's that? Because you... what? Care about her? Or is that because you want her for yourself? That's what she wants, you know. For some reason, after everything you've done to her, she still loves you." Standing, Ryan leaned on the bannister and the bottom of the staircase. "Why are women like that, Kevin? After everything you put her through, I could actually be a break for her. At least I admit I have a few... issues. I don't pretend to be the poster child for mental health." Now Ryan's rage started to take control of him. "Why is it? When she thought I was you, she adored me, she told me how much she loved me." Kevin stood, waiting for the Ryan to lose control. Ryan saw it, and his voice got quiet again, while he stared at Kevin. "You know what she's like. That look in her eyes when she looked at me. The hundred times she told me she loved me. The look on her face when I put her ring back on her finger. It was really nice, you know. For a few minutes there, I could actually believe she loved me. The things she did to me....." His eyes grew hard again. "Well, let's just say a lot of men pay big bucks for what she did to me because she loved me. But, see, it wasn't me. Every time I even started to forget, you know, get caught up in the role, I'd try to make it really good for her. It was, I'll tell you that. I know that because she screamed YOUR NAME at the top of her lungs." Kevin stared at Ryan, stunned by what he was saying. "You want to know what I want? That's what I want. I want the life I should have had. My children with a woman that loves me like that. Maybe a little quieter. Half the time I wondered how in the hell you walked away from that woman. The other half I wondered how you walked away from her without killing her." Ryan stepped towards Kevin, now almost whispering. "She gave up everything she had for you. I even think she'd give her life for you. And you don't have a clue, do you. You're either a real idiot, or you just don't give a damn. Either way, you don't deserve the way she loves you." With no warning, Ryan punched Kevin, knocking him to the ground. Standing over him, Ryan whispered. "That's for everything you did to her. The only reason I'm not going to kill you is that it would hurt her. And, if you're telling the truth, hurt MY children. And don't think I'm going to let you have them. One way or another, I'm going to have MY children." And he was gone. It took Kevin a few moments to get to his feet. By the time he reached the driveway, Ryan was gone. In a panic, he checked his watch. Eve was still on duty. Running back to lock the door, he jumped in his car and dialed Mac while he drove. It was late, so he dialed the home number. "Hello?" "Mac! It's Kevin. Ryan's finally making his move." "Ryan contacted you?" Nodding to the phone, Kevin was almost shouting. "He went to GH! He tricked Eve into telling him about Lucy." The other end of the phone was silent, and Kevin heard Felicia in the background, saying. "No! He knows, doesn't he." "Mac! Lucy doesn't know, yet. I'm afraid to tell her. She's had enough complications-" "It's not good, either way, mate. Either you tell her, and risk the stress factor, or you don't tell her, and risk him showing up at her door." Mac's voice was quiet. "Look, I'll send a car to GH to keep an eye on Eve, but if he's already talked to her, I don't think he'll go back to her. I'll tell the car that's cruising Lucy's to be ready. What do you think he'll do?" Stopping in traffic at a light, Kevin put his forehead on the steering wheel. "I don't think he'll do anything to Lucy until the babies are born. Now that he knows they're his, he wants them. But he wants them alive, and he knows she's already almost lost them. But I'm beginning to wonder if the twins are all he wants." "What do you mean?" "I mean he punched me and told me that it was for Lucy. It's like he has these moments of fantasy about a family. I don't know how to explain it. One minute he..... First he asked me how I walked away from the way she loves me, and then he asked me how I walked away without killing her." The light turned green and Kevin hit the gas, passing the cars in front of him and continuing to speak to Mac. "He was back and forth. First it was how wonderful Lucy is, then how she irritated him. He went on and on about what I'd done to her, and that he'd be a break for her. He actually told me I didn't deserve her." "Sounds like he's really out of control. That's bad." "I know." They were both thinking the same thing. About when Ryan had a similar fixation on Felicia. "I don't get it. Lucy doesn't fit his history. Except that she's close to you." "I know that, too. Maybe..... I think it was how she treated him when she thought he was me." Kevin's voice got quiet. "Believe me, Lucy can make you feel like you can walk on water. You look in her eyes, and you feel like she's looking at your soul. Everything else in the world disappears, and all you can think about is her. The way she gave herself to me, no question, no hesitation, just opening herself up and giving me everything she had inside. I-" A horn honked, and Kevin realized the car was drifting into the next lane. Mac listened to Kevin, stunned. The voice speaking to him sounded like the voice of a man that was still in love with Lucy. "He's never had that. He's never had anyone love him like that." Kevin looked around. "Look, I'm at....." When he realized where he was, he shook his head. He'd intended to go to GH, and call Victor, but he hadn't been paying attention, and now he was sitting at the end of Lucy's street. "I'm at Lucy's. Make sure your guys know I'm here. I'm going to tell Luke's friends what's going on, and then I'm going to talk to Victor and Mary. We need to figure out what to do about Lucy. I'll get back to you." The phone went dead, and Mac actually smiled. Turning to a curious and worried Felicia, he shook his head. "He still loves her, you know that? I don't think he knows it, but I'm telling you, Kevin Collins has a lot more feelings for Lucy Coe than he'll admit." ***************** Once again, Luke's friends were quick to get to Kevin, but as soon as he showed them his ID, they backed off. After telling them about Ryan, he went to the door. He continued to knock softly on Lucy's door until a bleary-eyed Victor opened it. "Monk?" "We need to talk." Brushing past him, Kevin turned on the living room light. "What happened to your face?" He'd forgotten all about it. Stepping to the mirror hanging on the wall, he took a look at the bruises Ryan had left on him. "It's not bad. But Ryan's the one that did it." "Ryan?" Victor tried to keep his voice down. "Are you sure you're alright?" "I'm fine, Victor. But we have to tell her. He knows." "We thought he did." "No, we thought he suspected. He told me tonight. He caught Eve at the hospital. She thought he was me, and...." "And he got it out of her." Victor finished for him. "How is Eve?" "I need to call her. I was just afraid this would be his next stop. But then, I still don't think he will until after she delivers." Staring at the stairs, Victor shook his head. "I don't know if we should tell her or not. She's already so upset. We don't want her to panic." "I know that." He took out his cell and dialed Eve's pager. "I also know she can't be left alone here, waiting for him to make a move." A noise on the stairs caught both men's attention. Lucy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, tears running down her face. **************** "Eve!" Chris half jogged down the hallway to get to her. "Planet Earth to Eve!" Reaching her, he stepped in front of her. "Hey! Are you here?" "Yes. Sort of." "Do I have to guess what's on your mind? Dr. Stalker, perhaps?" "Don't call him that!" Chris feigned hurt. "Why not? You did!" "Well, that was before I knew him." She remembered how embarrassed she'd been when he been standing right behind her. Wincing at the memory, she shrugged. "You don't understand. I mean, like today. We had lunch, it wasn't great, but it was nice. Then he came here to try to talk to me, and I got really-" Her pager vibrated against her hip. "That's me." Checking the number, she went to the phone without a word to Chris. **************** "Lucy! We didn't hear you." "Obviously, since you were discussing not telling me that MY children are in danger." Slowly, she approached them. "You're sure Ryan knows the truth? There's no chance he could still-" "He knows he could be the father. Right now, he's not entirely convinced that I'm not a candidate. And, since requesting a paternity test is out of the question, given the current circumstances...." Kevin stopped. "He's just going on the assumption that he's the father, right?" The color had drained from her face and she was starting to shake. "I will kill him myself before I let him anywhere near my babies." She stared at both men, and her voice was quiet. Going to her, Kevin took her arms. "He's not going to get near you. I'm going to do everything I can, you've got guys out there. Big guys, with no sense of humor. A squad car from the PCPD. He can't get anywhere near you." Gently, he led her to the sofa. Sitting with her, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm the reason he did this to you." "Kevin, don't. You're not responsible for every evil move Ryan makes." She took a deep breath. "Or every stupid one I make." Before he could interrupt her, she shook her head. "It's done. What we need to do right now, is deal with it. Ryan's out there, and now he wants them." Still crying, she put her hands over the babies. Putting his hands over hers, Kevin squeezed them gently. "He's not going to get them." His eyes met hers, and he became aware that her face was only a few inches from his. Just as the thought of kissing her began to overwhelm him, his phone rang. "Hello?" "You beeped?" Eve's voice was cheerful. "I take it you haven't seen Mac's men, yet?" "No. I mean, other than the one that's been periodically checking on me since this whole thing started. I.... Kevin, what's happened." "I need you to not panic. But I need you to tell me exactly what you said to me this afternoon at the hospital." "What do you mean what I said? Kevin you......" Chris saw the blood drain from Eve's face. "Eve? What's wrong?" Taking her phone, Chris yelled into it. "What the hell did you say to her, Collins?" "Chris?" Kevin sighed. "It wasn't me at the hospital. It was my brother." "Your brother? The one that's dead?" "That's the one. It's a long story, but the most important part is that Eve could be in danger." "Not as long as I'm around." "Good. But you need to get a good picture of what you're dealing with, Chris. He's a killer. I don't think we'll ever know how many people he's killed. Don't try to deal with him alone, I'm telling you, Chris. This has nothing to do with you, or what I think of you. This has to do with the fact that Ryan is deadly. PCPD is on the way, and they're going to watch her." Reaching out to take Eve's hand, Chris shook his head. "If she's in that much danger, where the hell are you?" "I.... I'm at Lucy's. Tell Eve to explain everything to you. I honestly believe this is where he'll eventually end up, but I don't want to risk Eve's life on a hunch." "You know what, Collins? You go take care of your girlfriend and your babies. I'll take care of Eve." The line went dead in Kevin's hand. "Eve's with Chris. And he knows what's going on. Eve will tell him the rest of it." "How is she?" "Fine. He didn't do anything to her except get the information he wanted." Suddenly, Lucy felt uncomfortable this close to him. Pulling away, she stood. "I want to do something, but I'm not sure what. I mean, this sitting around, waiting for him to make his move will drive me crazy, but I know there isn't much else I can do." Standing, Kevin followed her around the room. "It's not ‘I', Lucy. You're not alone in this. I told you I would take care of them, and I will." Lucy stared at Kevin for a moment, wanting desperately to go to him and have him hold her. But it wasn't real. Pretending it was would only hurt more in the end. Trying to ignore the feelings inside her, she walked to Victor. As Victor pulled her into his arms, he looked at Kevin over her shoulder. Kevin turned and looked out the window, but not quickly enough. The look on his face almost broke Victor's heart, and he wondered how two people that loved each other so much could get so far apart. ***************** "You're kidding, right? This can't be real." Chris was shaking his head. "It's real, alright. Kevin never cheated on me. Ryan went after Lucy to get to him." "So, now that Ryan knows, what happens?" "He'll probably wait until Lucy delivers, then try to kill her to get them. At least that's what Kevin always thought. That's why he was going to put his name on the birth certificate. Maybe now that Ryan knows, he'll let go of this, and be the uncle." "You sound like that's more wishful thinking than fact." Eve sighed. "I don't know, Chris. I mean, I do think this started out to be about Kevin feeling guilty, and about protecting the twins. Now, I don't know what he's going to do." "You're afraid he's going to want to play Daddy now, regardless of what Ryan does or doesn't know, right?" The look on Eve's face told Chris everything he needed to know. "Do you think Kevin would leave you for Lucy?" "I know she wants him to. At first, she didn't even want to see him, but she's had so many complications, he feels like he has to help." Chris shook his head. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you gotta feel for Lucy. I mean, I know she's done a lot of lousy stuff to you, but what he did to her, man, nobody deserves that. I mean, it's never been a secret that Kevin ended the relationship, and that Lucy still loved him. And for Ryan to use her like that….." "I know, Chris. I really do. And I'm sorry it happened to her. But that doesn't mean that Kevin wants to go back to her, or that he and I don't love each other." "But right now, it's Lucy he's protecting." It wasn't that Chris wanted to hurt Eve. He just wanted her to take a good look at what was going on. "And if he still wants to be the Daddy, what will that do to the two of you?" Tears came to Eve's eyes, and she shrugged. "I'm afraid it will end us, Chris. I'm not prepared to take a back seat to Lucy. I was ready to help Kevin protect the babies, but if Ryan knows the truth, there's no reason anymore. So, if he still intends to go through with this….." "You'll know exactly where you stand." The hurt flashed across her face, and Chris sighed. "I'm sorry, but someone needs to be the voice of reason, here. You can't pretend to not know there will always be some connection between them. Twins or not. So, now he's tied to her forever, whether he claims to be the father, or just plays Uncle Kevin. You know if they don't have a father, Kevin's going to be the doting uncle. He couldn't walk away from his fatherless nephews or nieces." "I'm not asking him, to, Chris! Family is very important to him. I would never tell him he can't see them. I just hate the fact that Lucy Coe is part of the deal." "Then walk." "What?!" "Eve, Lucy is part of the deal. You know that. If it's going to be like this for you for the rest of your life, it's time to cut your losses." Chris took her hands and looked into her eyes. "You don't deserve to be with someone with this kind of baggage. The kids are going to come before you or Lucy, and you'll always wonder if Lucy comes before you. So, at best, you spend the rest of your life 3rd or 4th in the food chain for Kevin's affection. And you deserve better." Eve couldn't answer. She knew Chris was right, and if she were thinking with her head, she would run back to the lighthouse, pack her things, and get out. The problem was that her heart was in charge at the moment. And her heart refused to give up on Kevin. Chapter 68
''Hi.'' Kevin stood a few feet from Eve, suddenly
feeling guilty.
************* ''I don't understand him. I feel like he's trying
to confuse me. I mean, I know he's not, but that's how it feels. He tells
me how much he loves Eve, then he kisses me like that? He's been telling
me he wants to be the father. Then when I take him away from Eve, she's
upset, so he takes it out on me. But if I don't take him away from her,
and leave him to his own life, he's angry because he's left out and he
takes it out on me. I feel like no matter what goes wrong, it's my fault.
And I resent that he can make me feel that way. I hate the fact that he
can still hurt me like that. If he doesn't love me, fine. I'll deal with
it. But if he's going to keep doing this to me, I can't, you know? Part
of me feels like telling him how much I still love him, and that I want
to be with him. I want the four of us to be a real family.'' Lucy stared
at Mary and wiped her face. ''And the rest of me wants to tell him I don't
need his torture and to go to hell.''
Mary found Kevin back on Dr. Newman's floor, having
headed back up after not finding Lucy in the lobby or the parking lot.
*****************
Chapter 69
******************** Eve took the last bag out to the car and stood
in the doorway.
********************** ''This is where I'm coming from, Lucy. I'm sitting
here, admitting how I feel about you. Admitting how I feel about them.''
******************
Here I am, playing with those memories again
Holding you, A feeling I never outgrew
Just when I thought I was over you.
Lucy laid on her bed, facing the wall away from Mary, crying. As much as she'd dreamt of Kevin saying exactly what he's said to her tonight, a part of her was too afraid to take the chance on him again. Part of her wondered if he would have said those things if Eve hadn't decided she'd had enough. On my own I've tried to make the best of it alone
I just can't live without you
Finally driving home, Kevin thought about everything
that had happened today. When he'd kissed her, it had brought back everything
that he knew he's always felt inside. He knew, now, that he belonged with
her, but how was he going to convince her that Eve had nothing to do with
it?
Just when I thought I was over you
Song credit: Here I Am by Air Supply
Chapter 70 Kevin took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
After a few moments, Victor opened it. “Have you thought about what you’re
going to say to her now?”
******************* Shutting off the TV, Ryan smiled to himself. Julie
has escaped Ferncliff. Evidently she was a little smarter than he gave
her credit for. Figuring she would stay missing until after she gave birth,
Ryan wondered what she was going to do. The state would take the baby away
from her unless she named the father. Then he would be given sole custody,
and she still wouldn’t see her baby. Maybe. What he needed to do was find
out what her options were. Maybe he could go by the same avenues.
******************* “I would almost think you’re enjoying this.” Exiting
the Lamaze classroom with Kevin, Lucy smiled at him.
************************************************** Ryan hung up the phone and stared at the wall.
So many options. None of them really appealed to him, but if he wanted
to claim his babies, he would have to decide on one of them.
************************************************** Kevin entered Luke’s and looked around. It had
been ages since he’d walked through those doors. Eve didn’t really like
the blues, and she hated being around all of Lucy’s friends. Sadly, he
realized how much of his life, how much of himself, he had rearranged to
be with her. And how badly he’d managed to hurt people along the way.
Ryan sat in the car across the street. Sooner or later, he’d get his chance. Kevin was too preoccupied to notice that he’d been followed all day. ************************************************** “Are you okay?” Mary’s voice was soft, and Lucy
nodded.
************************************************** Kevin went home to pack a bag to take to Lucy’s. He knew that she loved him, but she was also afraid of him. Not that he could blame her, he hadn’t exactly ended up being all of her dreams come true. But this time he would be. Smiling to himself, he thought about the last Lamaze class and how connected they were. * * * * * * He held her hand and pretended to time her contractions.
But their eyes met and they couldn’t keep straight faces.
* * * * * * Shaking his head, Kevin forced himself to look
at what he was doing. The entire class had been forced to stop and wait
for the two of them to get themselves under control. It had been a great
afternoon with her. Until Eve had made her appearance.
************************************************** Lucy rolled over slowly and opened her eyes. The
uncomfortable feeling was still there, and she shifted. As she slowly made
her way to her feet, a pain in her lower back actually made her moan softly.
************************************************** The door to the lighthouse broke open easily and
Johnny entered. “Dr. Collins?!”
************************************************** “She’s crowning, Lucy. On the next contraction,
you need to bear down and push.” Ryan looked at her. “You hear me?”
Jumping out of the car, Kevin ran to the door
and opened it as Lucy’s screams echoed through the house. The EMT’s were
on the stairs, and they slowed Kevin down reaching the top. Sliding past
them roughly, Kevin pushed past the guards, glaring at them as he did,
and entered the bedroom. He saw Lucy on the bed and his heart stopped for
a moment before he realized what looked like blood was actually afterbirth.
Ryan removed the tube from the baby’s throat and
lifted her by her feet. A small hacking sound accompanied the sound of
the baby drawing her first breath and crying. Tears ran down Ryan’s face
and he smiled at the EMT. “We’ve got her. She’s fine.”
“She’s coming, Lucy! She’s coming!” Kevin’s voice
was almost as loud as Lucy’s, and he watched the baby move closer. The
contraction subsided, and Lucy was too tired to cry. “We’re almost there.
One more contraction.”
Chapter 71
Kevin touched Lucy’s head gently. “Lucy.” Keeping his voice low, he repeated her name until she opened her eyes. When she saw his face, she jumped for a moment and looked around. For a moment, fear crossed her face and a stab went through Kevin. He wondered if she’d ever be able to look at his face again and not wonder if he was Ryan. She tried to sit up, and even as the pain shot through her, Kevin stopped her. Her hands instinctively went to her abdomen and she looked at him. As he raised the bed for her, he smiled. “There are two very hungry little girls who want to meet their mother.” “They’re okay? Really? You’re absolutely sure?” Nodding, Kevin gestured to Connie, who was holding them. “See for yourself.” Taking one of them, he handed her to Lucy, who was already crying before she even had the baby in her arms. “Doc, she’s beautiful.” Not trying to stop her tears, Lucy opened the blanket and inspected every inch of her daughter. After a moment, Kevin took the other baby from Connie and traded with Lucy. Again, Lucy had to examine her baby, but this time she looked up at Kevin and the scene made her stop and bite her lip. Holding the baby in his arms, Kevin was staring at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on. His fingers traced the small fingers as they balled up in tiny fists, and he unconsciously began to rock gently back and forth. It was THE picture that Lucy had in her imagination ever since the day she’d told him she was pregnant back in 1997. The one that she’d seen a million times in her dreams, and she knew this was meant to be. For all four of them. The baby in her arms began to squirm and a few short cries escaped her throat. “She’s hungry.” Connie approached Lucy from the other side of the bed. “They cover this in Lamaze, you think you can handle it?” Laughing, Lucy nodded. “I only breastfed Serena for a week, but I remember every single second of it.” Shrugging out of the side of her hospital gown, Lucy guided the baby to her breast. “Looks to me like you’ve already got the hang of it.” Smiling, Connie pointed to the call button. “Call me if you need anything.” “I’ve got everything I need, but thanks.” Lucy nodded, but her eyes never left the baby in her arms. Kevin finally tore his eyes from the baby in his arms and looked at Lucy. Slowly, he sat on the side of the bed. For a while, they sat and watched the baby feed in silence. When she was finished, Lucy put her to her shoulder and patted her back gently. Kevin handed her a small blanket he’d purchased in the gift shop and she smiled. “Already out shopping for them?” “Guilty.” He smiled. “Tell you what. You can do this, let’s trade.” She took the other baby in her arms, and Kevin lifted the one that had just been fed to his shoulder. “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Laughing, Lucy pointed to the blanket. “Put that between her and your shirt. Just warning you.” “Okay, now what?” “Just pat her back. Gently.” He was awkward, and she laughed harder. “A little harder then that, Doc. She needs to burp.” As Lucy fed the other baby, Kevin became more accustomed to the feel of the one he was trying to burp. Finally the baby’s body twitched a bit in his arms and she spit up a little on the blanket. “First lesson learned and will be remembered.” His voice was low. “What’s that?”
“I warned you.” As he shifted the baby to his arms, Lucy looked at the wet spot on his shoulder. “It will come out.” “I don’t care. No, I do. I love it.” Gently he tucked the blanket around the baby he was holding, and looked at Lucy. “We do need to talk.” “I know.”
“Not for me.” Kevin quickly responded and reached for her face. “As far as I’m concerned, I AM their father, and I will do anything to protect them. And you.” “Then I guess their name is Collins.” Lucy leaned her face into his hand. “How about their mother?” “What?” Stopping, Lucy leaned away. “You heard me. I want their name to be Collins, but I want your name to be Coe-Collins. In our hearts, we ARE a family, Lucy. I want to tell the world. Marry me.” Staring at him in shock, Lucy bit her lip. “You don’t want to-“ Kevin started to speak.
“Doc, I love you. You know that. But right now, the ONLY thing I want to think about is them.” He looked away, and she continued quickly. “I’m not saying no. Really, I’m not. I’m just so…. Overwhelmed right now. Can you understand that?” Her eyes pleaded with him, and he smiled. “Yes, I can definitely understand that. Okay, let’s work on their names right now, and yours later. Deal?” Nodding, she stared at the baby in his arms. “Victoria Lynn Collins.” He stopped and looked at her. “Are you sure?”
After mentally following everything she’d said, he smiled. “I love it. And her sister?” “What’s going through your mind.” Kevin opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and he smiled. “I had about a hundred go through my mind, but I can’t think of one right now.” “I need input here, Doc.” Staring at the baby Lucy was feeding, he sighed. “What about the obvious? Dominique.” Lucy looked at the baby thoughtfully. “Middle name. How about a first name?” “Heather?”
Lucy thought about it for a moment. “Marissa. It means the perfect one.” “Marissa Dominique Collins.” They smiled at each other and Kevin nodded. “I like it.” “Me, too.” Lucy shifted Marissa to her shoulder and patted her back gently. After a moment, Kevin looked at her intently. “What’s on your mind?” “I want to talk to you about…..” He hesitated. “What?” Reaching for his hand, she squeezed it. “Just say it.” “You haven’t finished the nursery, yet.” “I haven’t even really started it. I mean, I really thought I had a few more weeks, and the smell of paint and all that was NOT having a good effect on me, and….” Her voice trailed off and she looked at him. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to your point than the nursery?” She went back to burping the baby, and Kevin moved closer to her. “I want to take MY family home.” “Okay. We’ll need to get car seats, and-“
Her jaw literally dropped and she stared at him. “I can’t tell from that. What are you thinking?” She opened her mouth to speak, and hesitated. “I’ve been thinking about this. I’ll take Victor’s room and set it up for all three of you. Two cribs, and you can sleep in there with them as long as you want to.” Reaching for her, he touched her face gently. “I’m not talking about putting pressure on you, Lucy. I’m talking about taking our daughters home together and working together to take care of them.” “You’re also talking about protecting us, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question, and she took his silence as confirmation. “Ryan is locked up, Doc. He’s in a cell again, where he belongs.” “He’s been locked up before, Lucy. I don’t trust the system to keep him there.” Admitting it, Kevin held Victoria tighter. “That’s part of it, but the biggest part is that I feel like you belong there.” Thinking about it for a long moment, Lucy sighed. “I feel it, too. I don’t want to do this alone.” Smiling, he reached over and took her hand. “This is right, Lucy. We both know it.” “This isn’t just about feeling right, Doc. This is about them.” She gestured to the babies in their arms. “We need to be sure about this before we do it. I’m not going to move them around every time we have a fight. I’m not keeping diaper bags packed for the next time you decide to throw me out.” As Kevin shook his head, tears came to her eyes but she continued. “Don’t. Don’t say it won’t happen. You promised me that before. I’m not saying you don’t mean it, but you meant it when you wanted to marry me before. What if I can’t live up to your standards, Doc? What happens to them the next time I screw up?” “Lucy, I can’t promise you a tranquil life with no conflicts. But I can promise you that I’ll never walk away again. I was the one that gave up on us, you didn’t. You fought for what you knew in your heart was right. What we have right here is worth fighting for. We have the chance to have the family that we’ve both dreamed of having. Don’t throw it away because I was an unforgiving son of a bitch.” Shocked, Lucy stared at him for a moment. Finally, she tried to talk. “I don’t know what to say, here, Doc. You know I love you. And I do believe you love me. But I can’t just forget how much you hurt me.” A look of pain crossed his face, and she continued. “I need time for this. Right now I just want to take my babies home and be a mother.” He looked so disappointed that she reached for his hand. “I want them to have their Daddy, too. I guess I’m asking you if can you have our room ready in two days?” Shifting Victoria in his arms, Kevin leaned over to Lucy and hugged her.
Ryan sat across from his attorney and sighed. “What can I do? She had my babies, I delivered them, I saved their lives.” Stan Hopkins leaned back in his chair and sighed. “You have rights. Even in here, you have rights as their father. But from what you’ve told me, your brother is claiming that he’s the father, not you.” “He’s trying to take them away from me.” “Mr. Chamberlain, I can get a court order to submit the babies to a paternity test, but the fact that you and Dr. Collins are twins makes this a lot more difficult.” “The test will say that I’m the father.” Ryan insisted. “And the same test will say that he’s the father.” “No!” Ryan shook his head. “We need what they call an RFLP test. It breaks down the DNA to the point that even identical twins will have a distinct pattern. From that we should be able to tell who the real father is.” “Which means forcing him to submit to the test as well. That could be the problem, legally.” “So what can we do?” “We can force a standard DNA test and have you named as the father, but then I’m sure they’ll fight it.” Stan thought about it for a moment. “Is there any chance the mother will press charges? I mean, you DID impersonate your brother to get her in bed.” “She might when she finds out what I’m up to. Can you handle that?” He nodded. “Probably. All we have to do is make the jury even question her statement that she didn’t know who you were. Your best bet might even be to plea to that.” “WHAT?” Ryan tried to stand, but the chains on his wrists that held him to the chair prevented it. “It’s non violent, and I could probably plea it to a misdemeanor. And it forces her to admit that there is a chance you are their father.” “I AM THEIR FATHER.” Ryan was adamant. “What about the fact that I’ll probably be in here until they graduate from college?” “You turned yourself in. You need to make a show of wanting to get better. You’ve also never done any physical harm to the mother. Let me tell you something. I worked a case a few years back. Serial rapist. Broke into the woman’s house, tied her up, beat her, and raped her. Also got her pregnant. He has visitation with his child.” “That’s sick.” Ryan shook his head. Laughing, Stan stared at him. “How many women have you killed?” “Bastard.” Ryan glared at him. “You better be glad I am. It would take a bastard to want to fight for your rights as a father with everything in your dossier.” “So what’s the first step?” Ryan waited to hear what Stan was planning.
Mary opened the door to Lucy’s room and peeked in at her. “I’m awake.” Lucy looked at her. “Well, I have someone out here who is dying to see you and the twins.” Opening the door wider, Mary allowed Lucy to see Victor and Serena. Kevin was right behind them and he crossed the room to take Lucy’s hand. “I wasn’t going to tell them what we named them until we were all together.” “The suspense is killing me!” Victor approached the bed and hugged Lucy gently. “Well, your timing is excellent. They’re bringing them in a few minutes, and we can have a formal introduction.” Lucy smiled at him. “That means waiting a few more minutes.” “MOM!” Serena whined. “You get up here and give me a real hug.” Climbing on the bed, Serena hugged Lucy. “Where’s your father?” “He’s outside.” “Would somebody get him? I want him to hear this, too.” Turning, Mary went to the hallway to get Scott. “Can you give me a hint? Please?” Serena batted her eyes at Lucy, who shook her head. “Nope! It’s a surprise.” Entering the room with the twins, Karen smiled at Lucy. “I hear that you’re about to fill out a birth certificate.” “Yep.” Crossing the room, Kevin checked the bracelet on one of them. “DOC!” “Sorry!” He shrugged. “Just checking.” Taking the baby from Karen, he took her to Victor and handed her to his father. “I think I can tell them apart, but I have to be sure.” The sight of Victor holding his granddaughter for the first time brought tears to everyone’s eyes. “She’s absolutely beautiful.” His voice was soft, and he touched her hands gently. “Okay, I’m here!” Scott’s voice was soft. “Let’s hear them. Moon beam, Harvest, Sunshine,…” His voice trailed off when he saw them. “Well?” Lucy looked at him. Crossing the room to her, Scott grabbed her nose playfully. “You did good, Pal.” “You want to hold her?” Lucy gestured to the baby in Karen’s arms. Gently, Scott took the baby and held her. “You got lucky, kid. You look like your mother.” After everyone laughed for a moment, Kevin moved closer to Victor. “We wanted you all here to meet our daughters. Victor, meet Victoria Lynn Collins.” It sunk into Victor, and tears came to his eyes.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Well, his hands are full, but mine aren’t.” Mary
moved to Kevin and hugged him. After releasing him, Lucy was next and Mary
hugged her tightly. “You know what this means to him, don’t you.”
“What about this one?” Scott’s voice interrupted them. Lucy smiled at him. “Scott, you’re holding Marissa Dominique Collins.” Stopping, Scott stared at Lucy, and for a moment she was afraid he was going to object. Finally, he smiled. “She’d love it, Luce.” “You named her after Mommy?” Serena looked at Lucy. “We sure did.” “I can’t wait till nighttime to tell her star!” As Serena jumped to hug Lucy, she winced as the girl crushed her chest. Seeing the agony on Lucy’s face, Kevin moved to them. “Hey, I named her, too.” He pulled Serena gently away from Lucy to hug her. His eyes met Lucy’s, and she mouthed the word “Thanks” to him. Marissa started to fuss in Scott’s arms. “She’s already learning.” Lucy laughed as Scott handed her over. “You mean she’s already starting to complain like her mother when she’s hungry.” Scott turned to Kevin. “I guess the best revenge would be to hope they turn out just like their mother.” But he was smiling. “Scott Baldwin, you bite your tongue!” Lucy was laughing. Sitting next to Lucy on the bed, Kevin shrugged. “Gee, having two girls that are as beautiful, smart, and strong as their mother. I could think of worse things.” “You forgot hyper, bossy, and a total pain in
the-“
“Mom is NOT a pain in the butt!” Serena put her hands on her hips. “Sure she is. That’s what friends are for. To REMIND them what a pain they are.” Turning to Lucy, Serena leaned over the baby. “Hello, Marissa Dominique. I’m your big sister.” Lucy’s throat tightened, but she smiled at Serena. Seeing her reaction, Kevin put his arm around her shoulders. “That’s right. You’re their big sister. That’s a lot of responsibility. You have to teach them all about the cool video games, the best movies,” He glanced at Lucy questioningly. “the Dixie Chicks?” “She-Daisy this week.” Lucy smiled at him. “Yeah, and I’ll teach you all about boys.” Serena
grinned.
“They can wait a while before they learn that one.” Kevin shrugged. “Like maybe 20 years?” “You BETTER not be able to teach them about boys for another 20 years yourself.” Scott ruffled Serena’s hair gently. “Let’s get out of here and let Lucy feed them before they start screaming louder then she does.” Reaching out, Scott shook Kevin’s hand. “Congratulations.” “Thanks, Scott.” Leaning down, Scott kissed Lucy’s forehead and hugged her. “They’re beautiful, Lucy.” “Thanks.” Kissing Marissa on her forehead, Serena leaned over carefully to hug Lucy. Jumping down, she ran to Victor and kissed Victoria. Then she went to Kevin’s side of the bed and he hugged her. As Scott followed her out the door, Lucy called him softly. When Scott turned, Lucy kept her voice low. “We’ll be calling you probably in the next couple of days. We’re probably going to be needing your help. Legally.” “I heard what happened. I’m already on it.” “Thanks, pal. We’re going to have to tell Serena, aren’t we.” “It would probably be a good idea.” Kevin answered. “There’s a good chance it’s going to hit the papers, and it’s better she hears it from one of the two of you.” “I’ll take care of it.” Scott nodded. “She’ll
probably ask you questions, though.”
After Scott was gone, Victor moved closer. “I don’t know what to say.” Taking the baby from Victor’s arms, Kevin smiled
at his father. “There isn’t much to say.”
Shaking her head, Lucy glanced at Kevin before continuing. “I’m not going to finish that one just yet.” “What?” Mary stared at her for a moment. Wrapping his free arm around Lucy’s shoulders, Kevin smiled. “Actually, whatever Lucy picked out is going to be just fine. Just not at the cottage. If the two of you could oversee it, Victor’s old room at the lighthouse is going to be a nursery.” Victor and Mary grinned at them. “I guess we better get on it.” Hugging both of them quickly, Mary turned toward the door. “I’ll call the workers and give them the address, then I’ll get the furniture moved, and then I’ll call you back and get more details.” “Thank you.” Lucy smiled at her. “You just take care of them, and let us take care of the rest.” Waiting for Victor to hug Lucy and Kevin, she led him out of the room. After they were gone, Kevin slid his legs up on the bed, gently pushing Lucy’s legs out of his way. “What are you doing?” “Move over. You think I’m going home to THAT?” Laughing, Lucy moved over to give him room next to her.
Alan pushed the door open with his back and entered Lucy’s room carrying the twins. “Since when does the Chief of Staff do baby duty?” Lucy grinned when she saw him. “Since the favorite ex wife of the Chief of Staff is a new mother.” Smiling, Alan handed one of the girls to Lucy and held the other in his arms. “They’re beautiful, Lucy.” “Thank you. I think they are.” They both laughed.
“And thank you for the flowers.”
“I never knew I had that many friends. But I appreciate all of you.” Sitting on the edge of her bed, Alan sighed. “There’s also another reason I’m here. The legal department contacted me this morning.” Not answering, Lucy stared at him. “I’ll help you any way I can, Lucy. But I can’t jeopardize the hospital.” “What did the legal department tell you?” “We received a Declaration of Paternity, requesting that the name Chamberlain be on the birth certificates.” Unconsciously, Lucy held the baby tighter and stared at Alan. “They’re name is already Collins.” “I understand that. And I’ve already had the legal department draw up an identical one for Kevin. The birth certificate isn’t enough.” Reaching for her hand, Alan stared in her eyes. “And it will be dated yesterday. The same time the birth certificates were signed.” Lucy closed her eyes and sighed. “Alan, I-“
Nodding, she began to cry. “Hey,” Alan’s voice was soft and he pulled her
and the baby into a hug. “I don’t need to know what happened to know this
isn’t how you wanted it to be. I’m going to help you every way I can. Kevin’s
a good man, and I hope for all of your sake’s you two can work it out this
time.”
“They got a Declaration of Paternity from Ryan.” Moving to sit on the other side of her, Kevin
touched her face. “We knew he was going to make a move on them.”
“Believe it.” Kevin stared at him. “And he wants them.” Gesturing to the girls, he sighed. “We’ll get a hold of Scott and find out what he can and can’t do.” “You need to sign a Declaration yourself, Kevin.”
Alan looked at him. “There isn’t much more I can do. But I can file the
document with the birth certificates.”
“I want to go home.” Lucy looked at them. “Lucy,” Kevin wasn’t sure she was physically up to it. “Don’t. You’re a doctor, and Mary is a nurse. Don’t tell me that we can’t make sure they’re fine in their home.” She looked at Alan. “Unless there is something wrong with them that no one has told me.” “No.” Alan shook his head. “They’re fine. They’re
lungs are a little underdeveloped, but that won’t be a problem after a
few weeks.”
“All it means is that they need to be monitored. Their oxygen levels. But they have been steady.” Alan’s voice was calm. “I’m just not sure they’re ready to go home yet, Lucy. It’s safer for them to be here for another couple of days.” “Dr. Newman said I can go home tomorrow. You mean you’re going to send me home without them?” She shook her head. “I can’t leave them here, Alan. I can’t.” The baby in her arms reacted to her and began to squirm in her arms. Taking a deep breath, Lucy patted her gently. “I’ll talk to the doctors and see what we can do.” Kevin put his hand on her back and rubbed gently. “She’s right, Alan. Between me, Mary, and a few others that we would be more then willing to pay she should be fine to take them home.” “I’ll talk to the nurses and see if there are any volunteers.” Smiling, Alan stood. “And I’m sure we can get a list of what you might need if there is a problem.” “Really?” Lucy looked at them. “Really.” Taking the baby from Alan, Kevin sat on the side of the bed again with her. “I’ll give Mary a call and see how the nursery is coming along.” The babies started to fuss, and Alan smiled. “Sounds to me like they’re hungry. I’ll get started on getting you out of here.” After Alan left, Kevin looked at Lucy while she fed the baby. After a moment of silence, the baby in his arms started to cry. Shifting, Kevin started to rock her. It didn’t work. She only cried louder and Kevin looked at Lucy. “You’re on your own, Doc. I can only feed one at a time.” She laughed at the completely lost look on his face as he tried to quiet his daughter. “We can start alternating them on bottles soon.” Lucy tried to give him some hope. “Then we can feed them both at the same time.” “How soon?” Lucy laughed harder.
“Glad to see you up.” Victor went to Mary, who had just crawled out from under the blanket on the sofa. “I’m sorry, Victor.”
Stepping to the doorway, Mary smiled. “Victor, it’s perfect. Kevin and Lucy are going to love this.” The room was a light shade of pink with a top border of families of ducks. The bed had been done with a deep burgundy bedding, and the cribs had white bedding with ducks on them to match the border. A small, fully stocked white changing table and a big white rocker at the window completed the bedroom. “Now we need to go get car seats before we go back to the hospital.” Mary smiled at Victor. “They’re coming home, Victor.” “I know. And between you and me, I don’t think Lucy’s going to be able to keep Monk at a distance once she’s back home where she belongs.” “Victor!” Mary shook her head. “And my sons accuse me of meddling!” “What do you think?” Victor smiled at Mary slyly. Dropping her voice to a conspiratory whisper, she grinned. “I think you’re right.” Arm and arm, Mary led Victor to the car.
“Hey, Darlin’.” Luke stuck his head in the door and smiled at her. “Hey!” Lucy grinned when she saw him. “Come on
in.”
“Thanks. You see their names?” “Yep. Marissa and Victoria Collins.” Luke stared at her and shrugged. “Could have been Spencer, but no. You’ve got a thing for doctors, and I just can’t compete with that.” “Just one doctor.” Lucy smiled at him. “I can’t
begin to thank you. For everything.”
“It wasn’t their fault, Luke. I don’t think they really understood what they were up against. He showed them Kevin’s ID and they thought they did their job. Do I need to remind you that he fooled me, too?” “No. Don’t remind yourself.” Luke took her hand. “What’s going on there?” “He’s filed a Declaration of Paternity. He turned himself in to fight for them, Luke.” She was near tears. “I guess it’s better then waiting for him to try to grab them….” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged. “Not much better, but I’m not jumping at every sound.” “I wish there was something I could do.” Luke
shook his head. “If I’d been there….”
“No.” His voice was soft, but he was stressing a point. “I don’t care what he did, Luce. You still know what he is.” “I know. I do. Really. But I saw his face when
he held them. He doesn’t want to hurt them.”
“I know. He’s dangerous. I know that.” “But….”
Luke started laughing. “I have many talents, some of which you’ll never even HEAR about. But that’s a new one for me.” “I know. It was worth a shot, though.” They were still laughing when Kevin entered the
room with a wheelchair. “I miss something?”
“Talents.” They both began to laugh again. “Should I be glad I missed it?” Kevin stared at them strangely. “Yep.” Lucy smiled at him. “Does that chair mean what I think it means?” “It means we’re going home.” Moving the chair to the side of her bed, he handed her a bag. “I had a feeling you’d want something new to go home in.” Luke laughed. “I thought she ALWAYS wanted something new.” “Yep.” Agreeing with Luke, Lucy looked in the bag. “I guess that’s my clue to get going. I’ll come by in a few days to see how you’re doing.” Kissing Lucy’s forehead, Luke moved to the door, shaking Kevin’s hand on the way.
Victor and Mary met them at the driveway to the lighthouse. Reaching into the back of Kevin’s car, they each took one of the babies. Opening the Lucy’s door, Kevin waited for her to stand up. As she stood, Lucy winced. “You okay?” “Yeah. Just sore. I think that’s normal, Doc.” Taking his hand, she walked to the door slowly. “Okay, REALLY sore.” “I wasn’t sure you were ready for this.” “I’m ready to be home! I’m just not ready to walk the mall yet.” She inhaled sharply. “Give me another two days for that.” “I’ll hold you to that.” Kevin smiled and moved her across the living room. “You ready?” Victor and Mary were waiting for her to see the nursery. “I’m ready.” When she reached the doorway, she stopped. “It’s….” Tears came and she couldn’t talk for a moment. “You want to put them in their cribs?” Mary looked at Lucy and moved closer. Still crying, Lucy nodded. Taking Victoria from Mary, Lucy moved slowly to the crib. “Don’t just stand there, Doc. Marissa needs to be put down, too.” Smiling, Kevin took Marissa from Victor and put her in her crib as Lucy tucked the blanket around Victoria. When he turned to Lucy, he realized she was hanging on the crib to stay on her feet. “You need to lay down, too.” “I’m fine.” She sighed. “I just love to look at them.” Putting his arm around her shoulders, Kevin whispered to her. “They’re beautiful.” Gently, he pulled her towards the bed. “Come on. Getting you home was on the condition that you rested.” “Okay.” She pretended to pout at him.
Laughing, Lucy allowed Kevin to help her to the bed and tenderly sat on it. He kneeled in front of her and smiled. “I guess it’s time for me to show you the rest of what we got you.” “Another surprise?” Her eyes lit up as they met his. “You know how much I love surprises.” “Yes, I do.” Laughing, Kevin reached under the bed and pulled out a box. She took the box and pulled it open. Inside were four matching sets of satin pajamas, with color coordinated cotton baby blankets, underwear, and nursing bras. “Where did you find these? I thought they only came in white.” She touched the bras. “Mary dyed them for you.” Kevin was stunned at her reaction. Lucy stopped when she realized how much time and love had gone into it for her. Unable to see her face, Mary moved closer. “It’s not really healthy, you’ll have to make sure you keep the pads…” Her voice died out when she realized Lucy’s shoulders were shaking. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Lucy was crying so hard she could barely speak. “I… I’ve never had…. I can’t believe you’d all do this for me.” Sitting next to her, Mary put her arm around her shoulders. “Why are you still so surprised? After all this time you still don’t believe we all love you?” “Well…” Lucy took a deep breath. “I knew everybody wanted to help with the twins. I mean, this was all for them.” She waved around the room. “But this…. This is just for me.” Sighing, Mary looked at Kevin. “Lucy, this wasn’t all just for them. You’re part of the family, and I for one am very glad you are.” Unable to speak, Lucy nodded at Mary. Finally she took a deep breath and whispered. “Me, too.” Wincing, Lucy shifted and Mary stood. “NO arguments out of you. You get into one of those nightgowns and get into bed.” Laughing at the tone of Mary’s voice, Lucy nodded. “Okay, okay. I will.” “Gentlemen?” Mary gestured towards the door. Victor and Kevin stood. “We can take a hint.” Kevin laughed and moved towards the door.
Chapter 72
“Hello?” Holding the phone to her ear, Lucy tried
to will herself awake. The phone ringing had actually startled her for
a moment. There was no one on the other end, and she sighed before she
heard another ring. It actually took her a moment to realize that the ringing
was coming from her purse on the nightstand. Reaching for it, she pulled
her cell out and answered it. “Hello?”
Instantly, Lucy’s eyes flew open and she started to sit up. “Ow.” Taking a deep breath, she laid back down. “You okay? What happened?” Ryan’s voice sounded concerned on the other end. “I sat up too fast.” She took a few deep breaths.
“What do you want?”
“Kevin is their father.” Lucy tried to sound convincing. “A piece of paper with his name on it does NOT make him their father, Lucy!” Shouting for a moment, Ryan sighed. “I didn’t call to argue with you.” Lucy waited for him to speak. “How are they, Lucy?” “They’re fine.” “DON’T DO THAT!” Ryan screamed again. “I was there, remember? They were premature. How are they?” “They’re fine, Ryan. Really. We have monitors for their oxygen levels because their lungs aren’t fully developed yet. But other then that, they really are fine.” As if they knew Lucy was talking about them, Victoria began to cry. The sound of the baby’s cries over the phone brought tears to Ryan’s eyes and his voice was shaking. “That’s one of them. She sounds strong.” “I have to go. She’s hungry.” “Wait! I want to hear her for a little bit longer. Lucy, please.” The sound of him begging surprised her, and she continued to hold the phone as she slid to the side of the bed. As she sat up, the bedroom door opened and Kevin entered. “She okay?” Kevin looked at Lucy, and the expression on her face told him something was wrong. “Tell him to go away, Lucy! I want to hear MY daughter!” Ryan began to shout and Lucy put her finger to her lips in a sign to Kevin to be quiet. “Okay. He’s gone. But I need to go. She’s crying, Ryan. You can hear her. I need to go take care of her.” “You go do that. Just remember, Lucy. They’re mine and I’m going to fight for them.” The line went dead and Lucy put the phone on the nightstand as Kevin handed her the baby. “What are we going to do, Doc? We’re not going to convince him that they’re not his.” “We call Scott and get his phone privileges cut.” Feeding Victoria, Lucy kept her voice quiet. “I’m not sure that’s the way to go.” “WHAT?!” Seeing her jump, Kevin lowered his voice. “What are you thinking?” “I’m thinking that pissing him off might not be the smart way to handle him.” Lucy sighed. “He’s not out of control at the moment. Do we really want to set him off?” When Kevin continued to stare at her, she sighed. “We both know what he’s capable of. But he didn’t. He could have killed me and taken them. He didn’t. Whatever he’s planning, we’ll be able to see it coming this way. He told me that he was going to claim them. That he was going to be a responsible parent.” “And you think that means…..” Kevin was waiting to see what she had on her mind. “I don’t know what that means. But I do know that as long as he’s rational and genuinely worried about them he’s not going to try to hurt them. Which is why I’m just saying that until we can get a clue of what he’s planning, taking the offensive isn’t the best way to handle him.” “So now you’re an expert on Ryan?” Kevin’s voice was sarcastic. “”Well, gee, I don’t know, Doc. I spent three days with him and I lived to tell about it. He could have killed me and dumped me on your doorstep. But he didn’t. I gave him every opportunity to do anything he wanted to do to me, and he didn’t.” “No, he just wanted to have sex with you. That’s all. No big deal, right?” He shouted, but the look on her face made Kevin instantly regret his words. “I’m sorry.” Before Lucy could answer him, Marissa began to cry. Sighing, Kevin picked Marissa up out of her crib and sat on the bed next to Lucy. Her eyes were still glued to Victoria. “I’m really sorry.” “Nothing to be sorry about. You’re right. As usual.” Her voice betrayed how much he’d hurt her feelings. “Lucy, I wasn’t trying to be right.” “But you are. I gave him what he wanted. Ryan
played me, and I believed every word he said to me.”
“Let me tell you something, Doc. What ever I had to go through, the lies, being with Ryan, thinking he was you, all of it. I have them.” She gestured to Victoria and Marissa. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. I’m sorry he’s their father for their sakes, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re right. Having sex with him in order to have them?” She shrugged. “No big deal.” He knew what she was saying, but it still sent a wave of rage through him to think of Ryan touching her. “It IS a big deal!” He struggled to keep his voice low. “I want you to promise me that you will NEVER say he’s their father again.” Finally looking at his face, Lucy knew how much her words had bothered him. But it was true. “Kevin, to us this is what’s best for them. I want to know what it is to him. We need to trade.” Not saying anything, Kevin handed Marissa to her and took Victoria and burped her gently. Finally he spoke quietly. “What do you think it is to him?” “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Is this about them? Or you? Or me?” Lucy sighed. “That’s what we need to know before we go poking him with a stick. Is this really about Ryan wanting to claim the twins, or is this about him just wanting to hurt either of us.” Suddenly, Kevin realized what she was saying,
and he couldn’t answer the question. “How do you propose to find out?”
“You really need to stop that.” Lucy smiled at him. “I’m trying. But you are NOT going to see Ryan.” “He’s in Ferncliff. He can’t hurt me.” “I don’t care. I don’t want you anywhere near him.” “Well, I can’t get any nearer to him then I’ve
already been.” She sighed. “That came out wrong, but you know what I mean.
He’s not going to hurt me.”
“Face it, Doc. IF Ryan wanted to kill me, I’d
be in a grave somewhere. You know that. He would have strangled me and
dumped my body somewhere out on the island in some unmarked grave where
you would have never found me. Or maybe even-“
“No.” This time he kept his voice soft, but he was still insistent. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“That did. But this doesn’t.” Lucy shook her head. “He didn’t know I was going to get pregnant. And I was just as shocked that it happened. But once he found out, I honestly believe it became about Victoria and Marissa.” “And what do you plan to say to him? IF I let you go see him.” “IF you LET me?” Shaking her head, Lucy took a breath to calm down. “To tell you the truth, I’m beginning to wonder what this is about where YOU’RE concerned.” “What does that mean?” “It means are you just being overprotective of
me? Or are you letting your testosterone run away with you and being territorial?”
“He didn’t kill me! And he won’t, unless I do something stupid and piss him off before I find out what he’s really after.” Kevin realized that he wasn’t going to be able
to talk her out of seeing Ryan. But he also knew that he had a few weeks
before she’d be physically up to it and it gave him time to talk to her.
“Okay. Let’s stop this for today.”
“And what is that?” Kevin returned her smile, but he was wary. “Don’t look so paranoid. We get to give them their first real baths today.” This time when Kevin smiled, it was broad and relaxed. “That sounds like a great plan.”
“They moved quicker. He’s the legal father.” Stan continued before Ryan could interrupt. “It just means that the judge has to issue an order to change the birth certificates. We’ll get it done. But it’s going to take a few days to push the order for the DNA test. I’ve done some homework on the RFLP test. It’s very involved, and it takes longer. We’re going to start with the standard DNA test. Once the results come back that there’s a 99% chance that you’re the father, the mother will have a few choices.” “Which are?” “Well, she can let the judge order the change.”
“She could press charges against you. A whole slew of things that they’ll start out with that I can get bumped to a few misdemeanors. Or your brother will get his lawyer to demand a DNA test that will prove 99% accuracy for him as well. Judge will order the RFLP test you were talking about.” “And if Lucy refuses?” “Contempt of court charges.” “She goes to jail?” Ryan sat up straighter and stared at him. “She could. You really think she’d go that far?” Sighing, Ryan nodded. “She thinks I’m the worst thing that ever happened to her. Well, I might be. But she also believes she’s doing what’s best for them, and if it meant she’d go to jail, I think she’d do it.” He shook his head. “I don’t want her to go to jail.” Stan was surprised. “You still care about her?” Ryan wasn’t about to admit it to Stan, but he really didn’t want her in jail because she thought she was protecting her babies. “Keep in mind, what happens to them if she’s in jail? KEVIN gets them all to himself.” Stan looked at Ryan for a moment. “There is one
big thing we haven’t discussed. I mean, getting you named as the father
if you are isn’t going to be a big problem. It’s going to take time, but
if you’re right it won’t be that hard. But what comes next? I mean, it’s
not like I have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting you out of here.
At least not anytime soon. So what’s next after you prove their yours?”
Standing, Stan nodded. “I’ll get started on this. You do need to remember one thing. I’m not saying this to get on your bad side, but it’s a fact. I can get the birth certificates changed. I can force the mother to bring them here to see you. I can get you parental rights. But I can’t change the fact that you’re in here and your brother is out there. With them. I can take any parental rights he may think he has, but I can’t block him from their lives completely. Especially if everything you’ve told me is right and he’ll end up being their stepfather eventually. I can’t stop the mother from marrying him.” Leaving Ryan to his thoughts, Stan knocked on the door and left the room. Alone, Ryan stared at the walls. His mind was going a million miles a minute, and he couldn’t begin to put together two of the thoughts running through it. Kevin was out there. Kevin was with Lucy. Kevin was being a father to his twins. His mind tried to picture what the girls looked like, but it had been several days, and he was sure they’d changed so much that anything his imagination could produce wouldn’t be close to the truth. But he could picture what Lucy looked like. He remembered every inch of her. She was at the lighthouse giving his babies to Kevin. Giving herself to Kevin. An image of Lucy making love to Kevin went through his head. “DAMN HIM!” The rage coursed through his veins and he jerked his arms towards the table. Even with the chains holding him, he managed to knock the table over, and suddenly his mind went white with pain. He didn’t know if he heard or only felt the sharp crack that accompanied the bone in his wrist breaking, and he didn’t care. The pain was sharp, and it cleared his head. The door opened and two guards rushed inside. “What the hell happened?” They both stared at Ryan, who only shrugged. “Nothing that you would understand.” His wrist was already beginning to swell around the chains. “Well, I think you can understand there’s a chance my wrist is broken.”
Lucy opened her eyes and rolled over. The sight of both cribs being empty sent a moment of panic through her, and she sat up quickly. Ignoring the protests from her muscles, she got to her feet and left the bedroom. “I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day.” Kevin’s voice was soft, and Lucy realized that he and Colleen were standing next to the bassinets and playing with the girls. “I think I already slept through enough of it.” She moved to them and smiled at Colleen. “How have you been?” “I’ve been fine. I came by to see how you were.” Victoria started to fuss a bit and Colleen waved the stuffed duck in front of her. “I checked them out, their oxygen levels are perfect, and I think by the time you take them for a checkup, you’ll be able to get rid of some of the equipment.” “Thank you. I really appreciate you all coming here to check on them.” Lucy watched Victoria grab at the toy in Colleen’s hand. “Are you kidding? Lucy, you have done so much for the entire nursing staff at General Hospital, I actually had to argue to get my turn.” She laughed. “I love this. Checking them out is a lot more fun when they’re healthy. Then I get to play with them.” “But home care isn’t exactly in your job descriptions.” “I offered to pay them.” Kevin interrupted Lucy. “None of them would take a dime from us.” Marissa began to fuss and he reached down and played with her hands. “There isn’t one nurse on staff that hasn’t benefited in some way from something you’ve done for GH.” Colleen shrugged. “So when Alan came to us and asked for volunteers to come by and check on them, Mary had to start making a list.” She laughed. “Victor threatened her with something that he called a…..” She searched for the word. “A yarn chart.” Lucy and Kevin both laughed. “I didn’t get it, but Mary looked like she was about to panic.” “You had to be there.” Lucy and Kevin answered at the same time. “But this is the best part of the job for me. Whether they’re in the hospital or at home.” Victoria seemed content with Colleen’s attention, but Kevin was beginning to lose the battle with Marissa and she started to actually cry. Lifting her, Kevin turned to Lucy. “I think she’s hungry. Victoria took her bottle fine, but Marissa just fussed.” “She wants her mommy.” Colleen gently grabbed her feet while Kevin held her. “I’d say that Marissa is definitely going to be a mommy’s girl.” “She wouldn’t take a bottle last night either.” Lucy took her from Kevin and bounced her gently in her arms. “Victoria was just fine.” Kevin shrugged. “But this little girl is already developing Lucy’s temperament.” They all laughed. “She wants the real thing when she wants it.” Colleen laughed. “Sounds like you’re already teaching her right to me.” Lucy and Colleen laughed, while Kevin tried to share in their amusement, but wasn’t quite getting it. “It’s a woman thing.” Colleen tried to explain to Kevin. “Oh. I thought it was just a Lucy thing.” Lucy glared at Kevin, but she was smiling. Having everyone’s attention diverted from her did not make Victoria happy and she began to fuss again. Colleen laughed and moved the stuffed duck in front of her again. “I love this part of it. Even at a two weeks old, their personalities are different.” As Colleen continued to play with Victoria, she completely missed the effect her words had on Kevin and Lucy. As both of their minds went to Ryan, their eyes met and Lucy replied. “They’re two completely different people.” “Yep.” Lifting Victoria into her arms, Colleen continued. “You wouldn’t believe how many people expect twins to be the same because they look…” Her words trailed off and she looked at Kevin. “You would, wouldn’t you. I’m sorry, Kevin, I didn’t think about it.” “Don’t worry about it. You’re right. I had people I’d never laid eyes on before screaming at me. A few actually took a swing at me because of Ryan.” “It’s good, though.” Colleen shrugged. “I mean, you don’t have those kinds of expectations of them. You won’t compare them to each other the way most parents of twins do.” Sitting down, she placed Victoria on her lap and played with her hands. As she nursed Marissa, Lucy thought about Colleen’s words. “In a way we already are, aren’t we.” It wasn’t a question, and Kevin stared at her. “I mean, you just said that Victoria took her bottle, but Marissa wouldn’t. I don’t want them to feel like they have to compete with each other, Doc.” “I didn’t mean it that way. I meant that Victoria ate, and you had to nurse Marissa. Just like when you tried to feed them in the middle of the night, Victoria didn’t want to nurse. She wanted her bottle.” “Well, that’s normal-“ Lucy began, but Kevin cut her off laughing. “You didn’t think that last night. You were convinced that Victoria didn’t love you.” “I’m hormonal.” Lucy whined at looked at Colleen. “At 4AM things take on a really different meaning. I was upset because Victoria wanted her bottle, not me.” “Upset.” Kevin looked at her, them turned to Colleen. “How about ‘she’s only a week old and she already knows what a horrible mother I am’. It took almost an hour to feed Victoria because I had to keep trying to convince Lucy that Victoria wanting a bottle didn’t mean she didn’t love her.” Smiling sweetly, Lucy turned to Colleen. “Would you burp Marissa while I beat her Daddy?” Colleen started to laugh, but thought better of it when she realized how close she was sitting to Lucy. “Sorry. But it is normal for a baby to be fussy about going back and forth between nursing and a bottle. That wives tale about switching back and forth easily is just that. A wives tale.” Then she turned to Kevin. “But, it’s also normal to be overemotional when it comes to being a new mother. She is hormonal. YOU should know that, DOCTOR.” “Actually, no more then normal. For Lucy, that is.” He grinned wickedly at Lucy, then looked at Colleen. “I figure I have a couple more weeks before I’ll have to actually run from her.” “And god help you if she catches you.” Laughing, Colleen shook her head. “I have a feeling you will pay for all of it at once.” Marissa finished nursing, and Lucy transferred her to her shoulder. “I just realized that we do tend to compare them. And we need to stop. NOW. Before they begin to understand what we’re saying.” Before Kevin could answer, someone knocked at the door. Going to it, Kevin found a man he’d never seen before standing there. “I’m looking for Lucy Coe.” “Can I help you?” Kevin’s voice took on an edge, and he stepped into the doorway to block his view of the living room. “I’m supposed to deliver this to Ms. Coe. Can you accept it for her?” “Yes.” Warily, Kevin took the envelope and the man turned away before Kevin could ask any questions. Shutting the door, he held up the envelope for her to see. “What is it?” “I don’t know. He just handed it to me and….” Kevin thought about it for a moment before literally tearing the envelope open. His eyes scanned the paper inside and he sighed. “I’m not going to like this, am I.” Lucy shook her head. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” Going to the coffee table, Kevin sat on it and looked at Lucy. “Court order. For a DNA test.” Colleen suddenly felt like she was intruding.
“I’ll get going if you-“
“I heard that he delivered them. I don’t want to pry, but I did wonder how that happened. He… he really could be their father?” Lucy bit her lip. “I’m sorry. Nevermind. It’s none of my business.” “It’s not that.” Lucy looked at Kevin for a moment before saying more. “It’s possible. Physically. But it’s just as possible that Kevin is their father. That’s what I choose to believe and that’s what I want them to grow up knowing.” “It doesn’t make sense.” Kevin and Lucy both stared
at Colleen for a moment. “No, I didn’t mean it… that wasn’t what I was
saying. I’m saying that what does he hope to accomplish? I mean he’s never
going to be free, right?”
“So what would he hope to accomplish by stirring
this up?”
“Not really.” Colleen reacted to Victoria’s cooing by taking her hands and moving them gently. “They’re here. With you. He can’t change that.” Looking at Kevin, Lucy nodded. “That’s what I want to get across to Ryan.” “We’re not going to discuss you seeing him again, are we?” Kevin looked at her, and she shook her head. “No. We’re not.” After an awkward moment of silence, Colleen turned to Lucy. “We’ve been checking up on them, what about you?” “Me? Oh, I’m fine.” Lucy shrugged. “You look pale.”
“You have circles under your eyes from being tired. But you look really pale, Lucy.” Colleen thought about it for a moment. “How’s the bleeding?” “Getting better. But I know that’s normal, too.” “What are you thinking?” Kevin stared at Colleen. “I’m thinking maybe we should draw some of her blood and get an iron count. She’s too pale, and she looks exhausted. I mean, most new mothers do, but with her normal energy level, I’d expect her to be a little more awake then she is.” Nodding, Kevin looked at Lucy, but directed his comments to Colleen. “I think you might be right. Can’t hurt. And if her iron count is that low-“ “Hey, I’m right here. Can you both talk TO me instead of ABOUT me?” Lucy stared at them. They both laughed, and Kevin reached for her knees. “Well, do I have to repeat everything, or were you eavesdropping?” With her free hand, she smacked his hand. “I heard. You both think my iron count is low. Okay, what does that mean?” “It just means you’re tired.” Colleen shrugged. “Nothing to really worry about. I’ll draw some blood and let Dr. Newman get the results. Odds are she’ll just order some iron pills for you. You’ll be more awake. You still taking the prenatal vitamins?” Lucy shook her head. “You should probably continue to take them. Nursing twins is almost as taxing on your body as carrying them.” Nodding, Lucy looked at Kevin. “All I’ve really thought about is how sore I am.” “Talk to Mary. She’s got this….” Colleen laughed for a minute. “It sounds funny, I know it does, but it really works. Cabbage leaves.” “What?” Lucy stared at her. “I’m serious. Ask her. It’s some old recipe that she knows about. And I’ve heard mothers that have tried it and would swear by it.” “Okay.” Lucy didn’t look sure, but Kevin stood. “I’ll call her and ask her.” As Kevin moved to the phone, Lucy sat Marissa on her lap and bounced her gently. “I love to see them every few days at this stage. They change every day.” Colleen lifted Victoria and they held the girls side by side. Victoria turned towards the sound of Kevin’s voice as he talked to Mary, while Marissa looked at Lucy and cooed at her. “Yep. Definitely a mommy’s girl.” Colleen laughed. “Yes she it.” Lucy talked to her daughter and lifted her in the air. “She’s a mommy’s girl.” As Lucy held Marissa against her, Colleen stood with Victoria. “This little girl is in need of a fresh diaper.” “I’ll do it. You can take her.” Lucy offered to trade. “It’s okay. I’ll be right back.” As Colleen took Victoria into the bedroom, Lucy stared down at Marissa. She was so intently watching the baby’s tiny movements that when Kevin put his hand on her shoulder, she jumped. “Sorry.” He squeezed her shoulders gently. Sighing, Lucy tilted her head back. “That feels good.” Smiling, Kevin dug his fingers into the muscles at the base of her neck. “You have three days to stop that.” Lucy sighed again, and they both laughed. “Lucy?” Colleen reappeared with Victoria. “She’s about to fall asleep. You want her in the bassinet out there or in the crib?” “Crib is fine.” Moving around Lucy, Kevin took Marissa out of her arms. “I think as soon as you finish with Lucy, she’ll be asleep, too.” Lucy didn’t argue, which told Kevin a lot. “I’m going to go put her down. Tell Nancy to call me as soon as she has the results of Lucy’s blood work.” “Okay.” Turning, Colleen headed back into the bedroom to put Victoria down in her crib.
Ryan looked at the soft cast on his wrist and shook his head. The doctor had offered him something for the pain, but Ryan welcomed it. It cleared his head and made him concentrate on what was important. The twins. Definitely NOT Lucy. A thought occurred to him and he smiled. It was time to deal with another one of his demons. It took a few minutes for the guards to make the arrangements, but he soon had a phone in his hand. It rang a few times before he heard the voice
at the other end. “Hello?”
“Wrong again.” The other end was quiet for a moment. “Ryan.” “Second time’s a charm.” Smiling, he tried to stop the pounding in his head from the anger building. “What do you want?” “I just wanted to congratulate you, Grandpa. Twins. Aren’t you proud?” “Why do you want to hurt them, Ryan?” Victor was almost pleading with Ryan for the answer. “HURT THEM!” His voice rose, but he realized that the guards would return and take the phone away if he continued. Grimacing, he slammed his freshly broken wrist on the wall. Instantly the pain shot through his arm and his head cleared. “I don’t want to hurt them. I’m their father, and I’m NOT going to abandon them. I’m not you, Victor. I’m not going to just walk, no make that run, away from them.” “Is that what this is about? You want to prove you’re a better father then I was?” Closing his eyes, Victor searched for the words to say to Ryan. “That wouldn’t be hard, son.” “DON’T CALL ME THAT! I WAS NEVER YOUR SON. I WAS HER SON AND YOU KNOW IT!” “That was my fault, Ryan. Not Kevin’s, and certainly not the girl’s fault.” The guards appeared and Ryan smiled at them. “Family squabbles. I’m sure you understand that.” They didn’t look convinced, but Ryan made sure to keep his voice down for the next exchange. “I’m not blaming MY daughters for anything. And you’re right. It wouldn’t be hard to be a better father then you ever were.” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You know, for years I thought you and Kevin were living the good life. But it seems that you screwed up with him almost as badly as she screwed up with me. The real difference is that I don’t pretend to be anything I’m not. I live with what I am. What you and HER created. Kevin never quite learned to go with the flow.” Laughing again, Ryan shifted the phone a bit and struggled to keep his voice low. “He’ll never admit it, but you know it as well as I do. He likes to point at my face and call me the demon. But see, my face IS his. So I guess that he can’t stand to take too long of a look in the mirror.” Victor had no idea where Ryan was going with this, but he knew that the best chance Lucy had to free her children from him was to find out. “And what do you see when you look in the mirror?” “Nothing you could ever imagine.” Ryan whispered into the phone. “Not in your worst nightmare, Victor.” “What do you want with Lucy and the twins, Ryan.” “I want to be exactly what I am. Their father. I created them with her, and I’m NOT going to stand back while she gives them to him. I can’t stop her from giving herself to him, but I can stop her from giving him MY daughters.” The tone of his voice when he talked about Lucy giving herself to Kevin confused Victor, but he didn’t comment on it. Whatever his intentions were for Lucy, there was nothing he could do while he was in Ferncliff. But legally, he could do something to hurt her where the girls were concerned, and Victor had no intention of letting that happen. “Ryan, I’m not sure what you want me to say. I can tell you that I was wrong. I know I was wrong.” “Doesn’t really do me a lot of good, now.” His voice was sarcastic. “I’m not really sure what I wanted you to say. I just knew that I had to say a few things. I know Lucy’s got this idea in her head that you’re the perfect grandfather, but I know you. The real you, Victor. The one that would walk away from them and never look back.” Victor stopped and thought about what he said.
“Is this about you or them?”
Speechless, Victor waited to see what Ryan was going to say next. “But I’m not, Victor. Those little girls have no idea what kind of family they were born into. And I’ll be damned if they’re going to turn out as completely messed up as Kevin AND I are, thanks to you and HER. Something good is going to come out of this disaster we call a family, and I’m going to make sure it’s them.” Hanging up the phone, Ryan sighed and closed his eyes.
Lucy opened her eyes, and even before she rolled
over, she knew Kevin was standing between the bed and the cribs. “Doc?”
“You didn’t.” She stared at him for a moment, unable to see him, but she knew he was looking at her. “You don’t need to watch over us. We’re fine.” “I know. I just….” He shrugged. “Just can’t help yourself.” Laughing softly, Lucy continued. “I know you’ve been prowling the halls instead of sleeping at night.” Again, she didn’t need to see his face to know how surprised he was. “You don’t think I remember the signs? You need to sleep, Doc. We’re warm and safe. You don’t need to stand guard over us.” He didn’t answer and finally she patted the side of the bed. “Come here.” Softly, he sat on the side of the bed. “No, I meant come HERE.” Sliding over, she gave him room beside her. “I’m right here, they’re right there, and maybe you can get some sleep.” Stretching out on his back beside, her, Kevin fought the urge to reach for her. “You don’t need to watch over us. I know you can’t help yourself, and I love you for it, but you need to relax.” Turning over on her side, she faced him. He didn’t answer her, and she reached for his hand. When he returned her grip gently, she bit her lip. “Stop fighting it.” His tone was light and she knew he was smiling. “Fighting what?” “There’s something on your mind just fighting to get out. What is it?” “We need to plan the Christening.” “At 2AM?” Laughing, she tugged on his hand. “I’ve been thinking about it.” “White.” “What?” “They wear white.” “Stop!” They both laughed softly. “Really, Doc. I’ve been thinking about who we’re going to ask to be their godparents.” “Mac and Felicia.” “Of course. But for Victoria or Marissa?” “And who else do you have in mind?” His tone took on a higher pitch. “You say Luke or Sonny, and I’m going to prepare myself to never sleep again.” She laughed and squeezed his hand. “No. Luke and Sonny aren’t exactly the godfather type.” “At least not in the way you’re thinking at the moment.” “Stop!” She laughed harder. “Stop picking on them. To be honest, I’m thinking about someone that you might be just as unhappy with.” He tensed a bit and waited for her to say it. “Scott?” He thought about it for a moment, then relaxed. “I can live with that.” “Really?”
“I don’t know. I don’t exactly have a selection of female friends.” She thought about it for a moment. “What about Karen?” He didn’t answer. At first Lucy thought he was trying to find the words to voice his objection, but he snored softly and she realized that he’d fallen asleep. Smiling to herself, she moved closer and put her face against his arm. His body was warm and strong against her, and she closed her eyes.
“Victor?” Mary found him staring out the window. “Please give it a rest and come to bed. There’s nothing you can do about Ryan tonight.” “He’s right, you know. I failed them both miserably.” Victor sounded so lost that Mary went to him and put her arms around him. “You did the best you could, Victor. What happened to Ryan was so far beyond your control…. And Kevin doesn’t blame you. Maybe it’s time you forgive yourself.” “I wish it was that easy. Kevin would have never even looked at me again if it hadn’t been for Lucy.” “But he did, and the two of you are closer now then you’ve ever been. And now you have two beautiful granddaughters. They named one of them after you. That should tell you something.” “It does. But I look at them, and I wonder if Ryan might be right.” “About what?” Mary stared at Victor. “About the family they were born into. Mental illness, psychosis, the list is long and not very pretty.” Victor turned to her. “I can’t tell you how much I worry about them.” “Victor, please stop.” Taking his face in her hands, she stared into his eyes. “Lucy is nothing like Melanie.” “And Kevin is nothing like me.” Victor sighed. “Or is he? I mean, when things got tough for him before with Lucy, he walked away from her. He ran. You can argue the point all you want, but he did learn that from me.” “Victor, I have a feeling that you’ve both learned a lot about sticking around and working through it.” Smiling, Victor pulled her into his arms. “And if we forget, we’re very fortunate to have you and Lucy to remind us.” As Mary moved into his arms, she didn’t see the smile leave his face as he stared out the window over her shoulder.
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