Eeper of the Stars

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and it was created solely by me as the author. Any similarities to characters, businesses, places, or things are all happenstance, though my appreciation to those who have

inspired

my works is immense.

Author's Note:

This is the eighth part of many to come in a series I believe many of you have come to love. Please keep in mind that my stories are STORIES, so many details make for fun, exciting, and interesting plot lines. Please remain calm in awaiting the next installment, but I assure you, it'll be worth it. Questions and comments are welcome. I hope everyone will be kind. Please take the time to rate this story, and don't forget to follow me if you haven't!

Recap: "It's a boy!" ME announced and laid their son on her chest. "Oh, what a surprise you are, little man!"

"Van! We've got one of each!" Luke claimed excitedly, and then his face dropped. "Oh my God. We have three kids."

"Come here, little guy," ME welcomed the baby and got his cord ready to be snipped. "You were quite a shock to round out our night. At least you beat the clock by three minutes! 11:57pm for this guy. Now let's get weights and measures. Both have brilliant sets of lungs."

Savannah hadn't said anything because she wasn't sure where to begin. How had the one hidden in front of the other every time they checked for the heartbeat? Is the fact that there were two in there the reason her labor hadn't started? Or that her water broke early this time around? They didn't have a second crib. And now they'd need to have a second baby's room! At least they had three rooms over there. Oh, was this going to mess with Patience? Oh gosh! Patience!

Keeper of the Stars - pt. 8

"Alright," ME announced. "Baby Girl born at 11:47pm is five pounds, one ounce and 19 inches long. Baby Boy born at 11:57pm is five pounds, eight ounces and 20 inches long. Both appear to be quite healthy and are gorgeous, naturally. Now, Mom will bathe and dress them if you guys are good with that, and I'm going to get Vanna cleaned up so she can go take a shower. Luke, do you have the outfits?"

"In the bag," he answered and shook his head. "How are you doin', sweetheart?" Luke took Savannah's hand in his and kissed it. "I'm, um, I'm a little in shock," he whispered.

"You? I'm freaking out! I thought we were crazy to get engaged after a day, but that still didn't freak me out like this is!" she whispered back. "What are we gonna do? Are we gonna be OK? What about Patience?"

"What are we gonna do?" Luke asked back. "Well, I don't have answers about any one thing, but I do know we're gonna be the best parents to these guys, Van. And, of course we're gonna be OK! And Patience is gonna love them. Both of them. You saw how she was with Jono. She's gonna do just as well with these guys. Now," he said and looked over at ME as she cleaned up Savannah's midsection. "Names?" he mouthed.

"Definitely the one for her," she answered. "We never finished with the boy names game."

"I think we both have an idea though," Luke responded and smiled. "D.L?" he asked.

"David Luke?" she mouthed to him and smiled when he nodded.

"That's what I thought too," he answered.

"Alright, Daddy," Lori told Luke and handed him first his newest daughter, and then his son. Luke looked down and shook his head. "Congratulations, sweetheart," she told him and watched her son holding his children for the first time. "They're absolutely wonderful. And twins, Luke. Do they run in her family? You know they don't run in ours."

"No, well, I don't think so," Savannah admitted as she began getting up off the bed. "My parents were only children, and as far as I know about my grandparents, there were only single births on either side too. Don't go being surprised, Mom," she told Lori and shook her head. "I'm a sure thing when it comes to random flukes. Appendicitis? Three other incidents landing me in this room? If I'm not careful, she's going to name this room in honor of me. 'Oh, just head to the Savannah room,'" Savannah mocked.

"Well, I know one thing," ME told them and sat down in her rolling chair. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to love this story. Not one person knew. And Luke, seriously, I would never have kept that secret. I will swear to you up and down until I die, little brother. I only ever heard one heartbeat. I texted both Steph and Anthony, and they are as shocked as I am. They both met with Savannah at least once during this pregnancy. There were no signs."

"I was kinda bigger than normal, I think," Savannah called from the bathroom.

"So were Ana and Sara too, though," ME argued. "Honestly, if I had thought there would have been a chance of them, or if I had heard anything a little bit off, I'd have done more research and checked."

"OK, the shock is wearing off," Lori announced and stood so that Savannah and Luke could hear her. "Let's assess the situation. Are we upset about this? Are we upset that not only do we have one beautiful little sister to add to your family, but a baby brother too now? I really doubt that anyone in this room is upset.

"Are we nervous about handling two babies with a toddler at home? Yes, probably. I know I would have been. But what better family to be born into than the Heartland family? Gammy and PopPop, and Aunts ME and Tabi are here to help, always. Savannah, this might make things a bit more difficult for you, but you're determined and strong, and you will make it work, I just know it because I know you."

"You're right, Mom," Luke agreed and nodded as he sat on the chair and admired his children. "We've got this. Now, I have an idea. I want to make sure Savannah is on board, but I think we should wait to share the news until people come to see them. Word will get around, but what if we had them come here instead. What if we decided to share that Baby Girl H is here, and we really want the aunts, uncles, and cousins to come meet our little family. That way, we aren't lying, but we can surprise each visitor as they come in."

"I love that idea," Savannah yelled from the bathroom. "But we need to introduce them to the immediate family first. Mike needs to meet his namesake," Savannah shared and then stepped out of the bathroom to see Lori's reaction.

"Namesake?" Lori asked. "Oh, I have to be here for that one."

"Well, Dad's on chores today, and he tends to do them earlier than I do because he likes to get a head start at the daily tasks," Luke explained. "That might still be a few hours though. Maybe go back to bed and get up when he does?"

"I can't go back to sleep now," Lori countered and shook her head. "Besides, I doubt Savannah is planning to go to sleep either. We have a few lists to make."

"What lists?" Savannah asked as she stepped out of the bathroom for the last time. She felt, once again, like a new person. She definitely marked the shower and special spray as some of her favorite parts of giving birth. She was wearing that awful stretchy underwear and a pad large enough to cover her from her belly button to the top of her butt crack, but she felt protected, and the sweatpants she'd had Luke get were big and yet fitting enough for her to feel secure. And he had treated her to his favorite shirt which, as simple as it was, made her feel warm and even more loved by him.

"Well, we have some shopping to do!" Lori announced. "And you can't quite go out and get this stuff. We're looking at a whole new baby's room! Crib, dressers, decorations, changing table, diapers, wipes, boy's clothes of which I believe you have very little! Not to mention another car seat and a double stroller."

When Savannah sat down on the bed, she took a deep breath and laid back against the raised part of the bed. She opened her arms and welcomed her children in her arms. As she looked to her left, she admired the gorgeous little face of Michaela Valentina. She already looked just like her sister and slept peacefully in her little pink outfit. When she looked to her right, she was greeted by her son's beautiful eyes as he looked around and fussed quietly.

"Uh-oh," Savannah whispered as she looked up at Luke. He took Michaela and smiled at Savannah as she focused on her son. "Someone is already ready to eat, isn't he?" Savannah brought him to her breast and held him as he latched on and began eating. It was like riding a bike. Well, something like that. When she brought him up to burp, he made tiny noises and then fell asleep. She carefully brought him back down into her arms and smiled. "We've got this, buddy," she assured him quietly and closed her eyes.

"You amaze me, my beautiful girl," Luke whispered and sat on the bed next to her. "Look at what we made, Van," he noted and kissed her on the side of her head.

"They look like you," she shared and smiled. "I love that. And look how much she looks like Paish," Savannah noted and put her head on his shoulder.

"Should we tell them?" Luke asked.

"You know they're dying to know," Savannah responded and nodded.

"ME, Mom, would you like to meet our children? Again, but you know, with names?" ME looked up from her computer, and Mom put down her list.

"Please," they both begged and then laughed when they caught each other saying the same thing.

"Mom, meet Michaela Valentina, named for Dad and for the day she was born," Luke introduced his daughter and handed her to Mom.

"ME, meet David Luke, named for my father, and for the man whom he'll always look up to, his father," Savannah explained and handed her the sleeping boy in her own lap.

"Now, Mom," Luke inquired, "do you think we may have managed to add a wrench into this whole competition thing, or do you think people will overlook it since it's not his name?"

"I think it depends on how it's presented," Lori answered and smiled.

"I think I have an idea," Savannah told her and smiled as she laid her head back on the pillow. She was tired though. She needed a quick nap.

A knock on the door woke Savannah who jumped and immediately felt her belly. She opened her eyes and saw that Lori and Luke were holding the babies. Luke turned to place David in the bassinet and Lori walked over and handed Savannah her daughter.

"Come in," Savannah told the person at the door whom she assumed was Mike. When he entered, he smiled at her and looked over at Lori, ME, and Luke and gave them a nod. "Hey, Mike. Could you come sit here, please?" Mike hesitantly sat on the bed and looked at the bundle in pink in her arms. "Late last night, we had a daughter. We wanted you to meet her before anyone else. You are her namesake after all. Meet your granddaughter, Michaela Valentina. She was born at 11:47pm and weighed five pounds, one ounce and measured 19 inches."

To her surprise, Mike put out his arms to hold his granddaughter. He smiled down at her and nodded. "She's beautiful, Savannah. Luke, great job, son." To Savannah's delight, Luke took that as his cue to walk over with David.

"Thanks, Dad. Wait till you see how handsome our son looks," Luke told him, and everyone let out a little laugh when Mike suddenly jumped upon seeing the bundle in Luke's arms.

"Wait, what?" Mike asked and turned to look at Savannah. "Did you know?" Savannah shook her head and smiled. "Total surprise to everyone last night. In case you didn't know it, that was why Mom was woken up frantically just before midnight. I had her," Savannah shared and motioned to her daughter in his arms, "and then this guy apparently wanted out too. I had no idea."

"I never heard another heartbeat," ME reaffirmed and stood next to Luke.

"We're going to have our hands full of these gorgeous grandbabies, Mike," Lori told him and smiled as she looked at her list. Savannah noticed that Lori was into the third or fourth page of the pad of paper in her hands.

Mike looked down again at his granddaughter and smiled. "Michaela," Mike began and rubbed his finger along her cheek, "I'm your PopPop. You and I are going to have some fun times, I think." He turned to Savannah. "Were you trying to buck the system?" he asked her and smirked. "I guess the jury might be out on that one. It is a form of Michael, but it's a whole different name. That's a tricky one, Savannah." He leaned in as he kissed Savannah's forehead. "I love it. I love you. Thank you for this." He had tears in his eyes which only made Savannah tear up. He handed her Michaela and then turned to walk briskly out the door.

"You made my dad cry," Luke accused Savannah as he sat down on the bed with David. "I love it. And I love you. How are you feeling?"

"Overwhelmed and utterly content and decently rested, actually," Savannah admitted. "We have twins, Luke," she whispered. "And you have a son now. It's not just you and your girls anymore."

"My cup runneth over," Luke claimed and leaned forward to kiss her lips softly. "I know it's a shock, but telling people is going to be a lot of fun. Here's what we came up with," Luke offered and sat back to lie against the bed with her to finish sharing their ideas. Meanwhile, Lori and ME went to lay down to get a couple hours sleep before the family began coming to meet the newest additions. And Savannah got her first experience of feeding two babies at once. She'd seen a video of tandem feeding of twins in her research of breastfeeding back before Patience came along, so she found the video again and studied it before she began. It would take some getting used to, but she loved that it worked.

"Hi, Ana," Savannah whispered into her phone when it rang and nodded when she heard Ana asking something. "Yeah, my water broke yesterday but my labor didn't start until I was put on Pitocin. I'm at the main house. When you and the family are up and ready, would you guys want to come meet your new niece?"

"It's another girl?" Ana asked and then squealed. "Oh, congrats, honey! Yes, we'll head over. See you soon!"

Savannah then called over to her own house to see if Tabi would answer. Tabi answered on the third ring. "Hold on, Paish! Hello?"

"Up already?" Savannah asked.

"Yeah, she woke up and ran to your room assuming you'd be in there since you weren't there to put her to bed, and she's been sitting by the window looking for you since."

"Aw, well, get her dressed if she isn't already, and when you're ready, come on home, Tab," Savannah instructed her. "We have someone we'd like for you two to meet."

"You're going to make me wait until I get there to know?" Tabi asked and huffed.

"Well, if you must know, Patience has a new little sister," she shared and then smiled when she heard Tabi's reaction. "See you soon. And thanks, Tabi. You're a lifesaver." Savannah told her this often, especially because it was Tabi's mess that led Luke to realize that Savannah had been lost in the woods four years earlier. But Tabi was often coming to the rescue with babysitting and card things, so she just began telling her this to remind her own much she valued Tabi's worth.

Savannah texted her three besties and requested that they come to the main house as soon as possible to come meet their new niece. And when Nicholas woke up, he knocked and entered the room to see what was going on.

"Hey, buddy," Luke greeted his little brother and waved him over to see David who was asleep in the bassinet. "Check out your nephew. We named him David after Savannah's dad, plus, it's a pretty strong name."

"Like David and Goliath," Nicholas nodded and smiled. "I like it. What's his middle name?"

"Luke," he answered and patted his brother's back. "Gotta have me in there somewhere, you know."

"Congratulations," Nicholas offered and then turned to look at Savannah. And that's when he saw Michaela in her arms. "Um, what?"

"Yeah, so you'll probably be the only one who got to meet your nephew first," Savannah informed him and smiled as she watched him admiring the babies. "Michaela Valentina came first at 11:47pm last night, and we thought that was it. It turned out that David was hiding behind her the whole time. We had no idea. He came ten minutes later, just beating midnight! Phew! It was a close one. And there was a lot of bustling and banging on a certain door (Luke) to get Mom's help. What do you think?"

"That's crazy," he responded, and then tapped Luke's arm. He waved for Luke to bend down so he could whisper something. Luke nodded and walked over to take Michaela from her. "Could I give you something?" Nicholas asked and pointed to the bed. "Is it OK if I sit here?"

"Sure, bud," Savannah answered and nodded. "What's up?" Without saying anything, he sat and then wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly just as he used to do when he was a few years younger. As he grew, she got less of these hugs and often teased him that she missed that the most about the little Nicholas she met when she came into their lives. Savannah hugged him back and ended up crying.

"Oh, my gosh, buddy! Thank you! Oh, I've missed these! I knew you had one more tucked away in your back pocket there somewhere!" Savannah laughed and wiped away a few tears and shook her head. "Oh! That just made this my favorite hug yet. You're awesome, Nicholas. Don't ever change, at least how thoughtful you are. I'll always appreciate that about you."

Nicholas gave Luke a high five as he left the room, and when Luke looked over at Savannah again, she shook her head and cried some more. Luke laughed and sat back down next to her before handing her their daughter. Just then, Tabi opened the front door, and Patience was holding her hand. When Patience saw Luke and Savannah, she gasped and went running.

"Mommy! Daddy! Is the baby here?" she screamed and ran into the room. "Can I see?"

Tabi stood by the bed after Luke helped Patience up onto it to see her little sister. "Oh, Savannah, Luke," Tabi reacted and touched Savannah's leg. "Guys, she beautiful. She's just like Patience. You guys! Congratulations!"

"What is her name?" Patience asked as she touched Michaela's tiny hand. "Joshie has Jono. Do you gonna call her Jono too?" Luke laughed and shook his head.

"Her name is Michaela, Paish," Savannah answered her and looked at Patience's face. She was already feeling emotional, so seeing her little girl so grown up after just being that little girl in her arms only a couple years earlier hit a little hard. "Josh has a baby brother. But guess what, Patience. So do you!"

"What?" Tabi asked and watched as Luke brought Patience over to the bassinet. "You're not making sense." She then turned to look at what Patience was clapping at. "What is... who is that?!"

"Surprise!" Luke announced and laughed. "After Michaela was born, we were surprised that there was another baby in there. Whenever ME checked the heartbeats, there was only ever one that she heard. And before you ask, yes, Steph and Anthony had both checked her a few times, and they never noticed it either."

"Oh, my goodness!" Tabi exclaimed and covered her mouth. "May I hold him?"

"Of course," Luke told his little sister and motioned for her to pick him up. "Yep, hold his head, just like that. You got it."

Patience ran back to sit with Savannah. "I have two babies?" she whispered and held up her two fingers to show that she knew how many it was.

"Yes, you have two little siblings," Savannah responded and laughed. "I think Josh and Jono will be coming to visit soon. Tabi, did she eat breakfast? Maybe you two could go get something to eat before anyone else gets here? Oh, and no one knows about the two babies. Everyone was told that we had another daughter. We figure that if even we were surprised, everyone else can enjoy the shock too!"

"Got it," Tabi confirmed and laid David back down in the bassinet. "Come on, Paish! Let's go eat. Aunt Tabi is hungry!"

A steady stream of family began coming in, beginning with Ana and Andy. Luke was holding Michaela when Andy walked in, and Ana rushed him to take her new niece away. When Andy looked past Luke, he had wide eyes as he turned to look at them. Savannah put her finger to her mouth and nodded when Andy burst out laughing.