Loving Lacey Ch 31

*** All characters engaging in sexual activity are depicted as being over 18 years of age ***

Early January

Year 4 of Us

New Year's Day

We were in bed, I was spooning Lacey, and Mir and Cathy were behind me. I was sleeping, holding my Beloved to me when she stirred.

"Wyatt?" At her whisper, I opened my eyes. "Are you awake?"

I pulled her closer and then whispered into her nightcap. "I am now, my love. What do you need?"

"I want to start a tradition," she turned her head slightly, enough to kiss my upper arm, then slid off the bed. I could see her gesture, so I carefully followed her off the bed, grabbing my glasses as I did so.

She pulled her nightcap off, and bundled into a thick robe, followed by one of her coats. Still confused, I pulled a hoodie on and my slippers, then she took my hand and led me to the office. Once there, she opened the door to the balcony and slipped outside.

I followed and softly closed the door. Lacey was grinning widely, and she hugged me.

"So, little girl, what's this tradition you want to start?" I could our breaths turning into clouds as we talked, our voices still low.

"I heard about this from a friend of Roni's." She looked to the east, and when I did so, I could just see the golden glow creeping over the tops of the ridges that rested above us. "She said that her parents would stand outside on New Year's Day. The first light of the new year was special, and that it would bring blessings to them, as a couple."

"So, you liked the idea and wanted it for us?" Lacey nodded, her face still to the east.

"What about Cathy and Mir?"

"Next year." Lacey smiled. "Cathy needs her sleep, and so does Mir."

"Fair enough. Gonna have to do something nice for Erica, calling Mir's pregnancy so early."

Lacey giggled, then shivered. I stepped behind her, wrapping my arms around. The sun began to rise over the ridges, and soon we were fully in its light. I could see her face from the side, her expression a combination of awe and delight.

"I've not seen many sunrises. They're always just so... so..."

"Awesome?"

"Yes!" She smiled again. "You always know the right words!" She patted my arms, then turned in my arms. She looked up at me, those blue eyes shining in the early light. "What do you think of when you see the sun come up?"

"Until now, sunrise usually meant that it was almost time to go to bed. Or maybe, it was time to go to work. Now? Now I think of the glory of you." She started to cry and grabbed me tightly.

"Kiss me? Please?" She turned her face, her lips hungry for a kiss.

"Always, Beloved. Whenever you want a kiss." We kissed then, deeply and warmly.

When we broke it, I looked into her eyes. "Answer a question?"

"If I can."

"How do you three determine who sleeps where?"

She giggled. "We take turns."

"Turns?" Before she could reply, both of our phones signaled messages. I got to my phone first and read the message from Mir: Cathy's water has broken. Where are you?

I moved to the door and held it open for Lacey, then followed her in, locking it.

"Where is she?" Lacey's voice was calm.

"Bathroom," Mir answered, already partially dressed.

Lacey went in and I started quickly dressing. Lacey's head came around the door.

"Mir, get Roni and Tina. Follow the plan."

Mir nodded and left the room.

"Plan?" I asked, getting my shoes on.

"Yes. Mir, Roni, and Tina take care of the kids. They'll stay here until either the twins wake up, or I send a message telling them that the baby's here."

"Okay." I looked at the door and saw the bag sitting by it. "That her bag?" Lacey nodded. I kissed her.

"I'll have the car by the front door, waiting." Lacey nodded and pulled back into the bathroom. I scooped the bag and stepped to the bathroom door. "I'll be downstairs,"

I looked at Cathy and our eyes met. "Mom." She flashed a shaky grin, and I went downstairs quickly and quietly. I saw Mir leading Tina and Roni to our room.

I waved to them and flipped on a couple of lights as I went into the garage. Once I had the car in front of the house, I saw the front door open. Lacey and Mir were helping Cathy, so I hopped out of the car and opened the front passenger door. Lacey was carrying a thick towel, and she handed it to me. Once it had been placed on the car seat, Cathy was settled in and Lacey slipped into the seat behind her.

Once in the driver's seat, I looked at Cathy. "Ready?"

She had both hands holding her tummy, but she nodded. I patted her thigh and then we were off. I could hear Lacey on her phone, and as I drove us through the early morning light, Cathy grabbed my hand.

"Wyatt?"

"Yes, love?"

"I'm scared." She swallowed and then her grip tightened. "That wasn't fun," as she relaxed her hold.

"The doctor's on her way, and she'll meet us at Labor and Delivery," Lacey said, calmly.

"I think she just had a contraction, Beloved."

"Okay." Lacey sounded calm, but I saw the concentration on her face as she worked her phone. She looked up and saw me in the rear-view mirror. A quick smile and then, "I've let Erica know, and things are moving with our friends." She smiled. "The twins are still asleep, but the dogs are restless."

It was a bit of a drive, but the time of day made it an easy one. Cathy's contractions were steady, and their separation got shorter and shorter. I pulled us into one of the parking spaces by the entrance to the delivery room, and the door opened as I started to get out. A nurse that I recognized came out, followed by an orderly pushing a wheelchair.

We got Cathy into the chair, and she looked at me, near panic in her eyes. "I'm sorry I got that towel wet, Wyatt, I'm so sorry!"

I took her hand, and she clutched mine tightly. "Cathy, love, it's fine." She started to tear up, then her eyes widened.

"Contraction?" the nurse asked, looking at her watch as Cathy nodded. "How far apart?"

"Six minutes, now," Lacey answered.

The nurse nodded and they began to wheel Cathy inside, her hand still clutching mine. I followed and Lacey just grinned at me as she locked the car. "Go ahead, cowboy. I totally understand!" She blew me a kiss, which I caught. Cathy saw and giggled.

As we entered the hospital, I looked down at her. "I'm glad we made you giggle, Kitty-cat."

She started to giggle again, but another contraction cut it short. The nurse looked at me as she directed us into a delivery room. "Cutting it close, weren't you?"

I looked at her as the orderly stopped Cathy's wheelchair next to the table. "Her water broke, we got her in the car, we got here."

Lacey came in, following the nurse. "Her first contraction was just as we got to the front door, before she was in the car."

Her eyes widened, she looked from Lacey to me, and then I saw the recognition strike. "Mr. Roy! Mrs. Roy! Sir, you look different than the last time you two were here!"

Cathy and Lacey laughed. "His Santa beard has been trimmed down. Then he had been growing it out for about a month."

"That's it! You were also limping, too!"

I stood back and watched as they got Cathy onto the bed. "Yeah, that was a rough delivery. For me, at least." Lacey patted my upper arm and then Dr. Kilgore walked in.

She took charge and they got Cathy's sweatpants off of her, attached monitors, and then the doctor checked Cathy. "You're dilating, Cathy, but you're not there yet."

Cathy nodded and looked at Lacey. "Okay. They can stay with me, right? Please?"

Doctor Kilgore smiled gently. "Of course they can!" She patted Cathy's arm, then headed for the door. "I'm going to get myself some coffee," she said before leaning in to speak with us. "Are you going to support her during delivery, Wyatt?"

"Of course!"

"Good! Since you're the father, you being there will be very, very important."

"I know, Doc. You remember when Lacey delivered the twins."

"Oh, yes." She looked at me. "You're not recovering from any surgeries, are you? If you are, we need to be prepped for *that*, too!"

I shook my head. Lacey patted my shoulder and went over to Cathy, who smiled in relief as they began talking quietly.

"So, when's the redhead, Miriam, due?" Dr. Kilgor asked.

I thought for a second. "Six months? Give or take."

"I don't know how you handle your harem, but more power to you. Lacey is healthy, and so are Cathy and Miriam." She looked at me. "You really love them all, don't you?"

"You bet." I was watching them, looking over Dr. Kilgore's head.

She chuckled. "I need that coffee. Once she's fully dilated, we'll get you up on the bed behind her." She turned and the nurse nodded. "I'll be back shortly."

As we sat there talking, the nurse would check Cathy. The monitors were keeping track of her contractions, and we would look up at them.

"Will you take those sweats home today and put them in the laundry? Please?" Cathy was holding up, but she was getting tired.

"Of course we will, Kitty-cat!" I grinned at her.

She relaxed a bit, then a big contraction hit. The nurse checked her just as Dr. Kilgore walked back in. "She's ten centimeters, doctor, and nearly fully effaced."

"Okay, Wyatt, let's get you ready and into position." With two nurses and Lacey helping, Cathy sat up long enough for me to get into position. "Wyatt, you know all this from last time, and Cathy, you hold onto him."

As they positioned her for delivery, I started talking. "I've got you, love. You're safe, and I love you." I said more things, just talking, trying to keep her mind as calm as possible. Lacey was beside us, holding one of Cathy's hands.

One of the monitors began making strange sounds, and Cathy stiffened in my arms as she cried out.

"What?"

"Relax, Wyatt," Dr. Kilgore's voice was calm. "She's starting to have double contractions, so this baby is on her way. She wants her mommy and daddy to hold her." She looked at the monitors and nodded. "Both heartbeats are fine, no distress."

Within probably fifteen minutes, it was time for the final pushes, and Cathy did them well. She had her hands gripping my forearms, and the final push involved her nails digging into my skin. Finally, Dr. Kilgore said, "And here she is. Mom, Dad, your little girl is perfect!"

Jean Catherine was laid on Cathy's stomach as they cut the cord. "Oh, my!" Lacey smiled. "Look at her black hair!" The baby turned her head and buried her face between Cathy's breasts.

"Not there, little one," Cathy said softly as she shifted our daughter slightly and presented her nipple. Jean latched on and began to suckle.

"How are you doing, dad?" Lacey's voice was gentle, and she smiled.

I smiled at her and leaned my head a bit so that we could kiss. When we separated, I saw one of the nurses giving me a disapproving look. I simply smiled at her.

"We're going to clean Cathy up, Wyatt. If you want to step away, it's understandable," Dr. Kilgore said, smiling at us.

"No, I think I'll stay here." I rested my head against Cathy's as Jean suckled.

"I wish I had my phone out," Lacey said.

"Why?"

"To save the look on your face, cowboy." She reached and pulled my left arm out.

"You're bleeding."

"What?" I looked down and there were bloody marks on my forearm.

Cathy looked down at my arm. "Oh, my God!"

Dr. Kilgore looked up. "Really? What is it about you, delivery, and bleeding?" Her voice was light.

"Hey, don't blame me!" I kissed Cathy's head. "Those are her finger marks."

Cathy lifted a bit. "Check his right arm." One of the nurses moved up and pulled that sleeve up.

"There's blood here, too." She looked at me and grinned, shaking her head. "I'll get both arms cleaned up."

I leaned close to Cathy's ear. "You're dangerous, my Kitty-cat."

"Kitty-cats have claws," said Lacey, a grin on her face, too.

"I'm sorry, Wyatt."

"No need to be sorry. I'm just glad that I was here for you."

"So am I. I'm glad that both of you are here." Cathy yawned, and I snickered when Jean released the nipple and yawned, too.

They finished cleaning up, and after my arms were treated, they settled Cathy into another bed. She and Jean were being wheeled to a room to spend the rest of the day, and I slipped off the delivery bed. Lacey looked torn, but I smiled at her. "Go ahead, Beloved. I'll be along in a minute."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." As she started to walk away, I added, "Let everyone know, Beloved."

"How are you really doing, Mr. Roy?" I had thought that Dr. Kilgore had left.

"Not bad. The knees are screaming at me, and now that my daughter is here, it's going to be time to get them replaced."

"Both of them?"

I nodded. "At the same time. Going to get it over with at one go."

"Any idea of when?"

"Probably early next month."

We went through the door, and she pointed to our left. "She's that way, third door on the left. Good luck with everything."

"Thanks, Doc."

I walked into the room, where Cathy gave me one of the biggest smiles ever, and I had to respond with my own smile. Lacey was on the far side of the bed, and there was a huge flower arrangement on a table at the end of the bed.

"We love seeing you smile, Wyatt," said Cathy, with Lacey nodding her agreement.

"Everyone has been notified," Lacey told me. "The twins were scared, but I talked to them and calmed them down. They want to meet their little sister!"

"That's good." I moved over and looked into the bassinet where my new daughter lay sleeping. She looked up at me, her hands groping the empty air. I put my fingers in with her and she immediately grabbed two of them. "Welcome to the world, Jean Catherine Roy. I love you very much, and you've got a big family already who are eager to meet you." When I looked up, both Cathy and Lacey were watching me intently, smiling gently. "You have two older brothers, and one of them, Duncan, is three. Your older sister, Samantha, is his twin sister. They were very excited when you were inside Mommy, and they took turns hugging you and talking to you. I think you'll be meeting them later this afternoon," I looked at them again and both nodded, "as well as Mommy Miriam, Aunt Tina, and Aunt Roni.

"I'll do my absolute best to make sure that you have a wonderful childhood. We're a loving family, sweetie, and we're going to love you forever." I choked a bit, then, and just looked at her. I heard a couple of sobs and saw Cathy wiping her eyes with a tissue while handing the box to Lacey.

"Did you say something like that to the twins?" Cathy's voice was gentle.

"Yes, he did," Lacey reassured her. "Both of us were crying by the time he finished."

"First day?"

I simply nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I said similar things to Adam. It seemed the thing to do, and here we are."

"Who wants lunch?" I turned slightly and grinned when Erica slipped into the room.

"Wyatt will be paying, but Travis will stop and bring food." Erica's smile lit up the room, a trait she shared with Lacey. She crowded next to me, putting an arm around me and she caressed Jean's cheek. "She's beautiful!"

"Takes after her Mommy," I grinned. "I could use some food. I'm feeling a little dizzy, to be honest."

"Wyatt!" Lacey jumped up and hurried to get her purse. She pulled something out, walking over to me. "I forgot that we haven't eaten since around midnight!" she pushed something into my hand. "Eat this!"

I looked at the dark chocolate candy bar. "Okay." I gently slipped my fingers from Jean's grasp, and Erica volunteered her own.

Lacey pointed at a second chair. "Sit down and eat that!"

"Please, Wyatt?" Cathy added.

I waved a hand as I sat down. Lacey called Travis, relayed our food requests, and came over to sit in my lap.

"Sometimes, I worry about you, mister man."

"I know, Love. I'm sorry."

"You're not bad, Wyatt. You just get wrapped up in things and forget." She kissed my forehead as I hugged her. "Love you."

I said, "Love you, too," as Jean began to fuss. Erica laughed gently, picked her up, and moved to hand her to Cathy.

Cathy looked into her daughter's eyes and smiled. She shifted a bit, and then moved Jean so that she could suckle. Cathy's eyes widened a bit, then closed, a lovely smile on her face.

"You know who else has had that expression on her face?" Erica asked.

I smiled. "I know *two*." I nodded to Erica. "You and this sexy woman sitting in my lap."

"Me?"

"Yep. I saw Lacey's every time she fed either of the twins. I saw you feeding Amanda quite often, too."

"So did I," Travis said as he walked into the room, carrying two bags.

"You saw me lots more than Wyatt did, love," Erica replied, smiling.

"God, I hope so!" Travis gave Erica a kiss before setting his bags down. He dug into them handing out food. Erica, Lacey, me, but when he turned to Cathy, he stopped.

"We'll keep hers in the bag for later," his voice soft. I looked past Lacey and saw Erica gently taking Jean into her arms, since Cathy was asleep.

Deftly, Erica checked Jean's diaper, replaced it, and rewrapped the baby in her swaddling. She stepped over, tossed the used diaper into the bin, and began to eat.

"And how are you two doing?" She stopped. "What the heck happened to your arms, Wyatt?"

"I did that," Cathy said.

"We thought you had drifted off to sleep, love," I said. "You can get some sleep, you know. We're here, and she's safe."

Erica looked at me once more, then turned back to Cathy. "How did you do that? Why?"

"I was gripping him really hard, and I think that happened during the last contraction," Cathy's smile was sheepish as she looked at me. "I'm so sorry, cowboy. I really am!" Lacey got off my lap, then pulled me up. I got to Cathy's side as she started to cry, and I put my arms around.

"It's fine, love, it's fine. It really is." I kissed her and she wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tightly. I kept whispering reassurances into her hair while she kept apologizing. I caressed her, and then I felt Lacey cuddle close to me. She joined in on assuring Cathy that everything was fine, until I felt her start to relax.

"Get some more sleep, love," Lacey said softly, and Cathy nodded.

"But, what about...?" she protested weakly.

"Someone will be here to help, Kitty-cat," I smiled at her. "You get some sleep."

"Okay..." she whispered before she faded out.

"Thank goodness we've got the whole clan at the house for her," Lacey smiled.

Erica nodded her agreement. "When are they bringing the twins to see their new sister?"

"After nap time. How about your three? Where are they?"

"Mom and Dad are with them," Travis answered. "But, we should probably head on out. No telling what trouble my dad's gotten them into!" He grinned and I laughed softly.

"I like your dad, Travis!"

"He likes you, too, Wyatt. He claims that you're a bad influence, though!" Erica tugged on Travis' arm.

"Let's go, love," she smiled at us, "I don't want you two to get laughing and wake either Cathy or Jean."

Travis nodded. "Okay. Her lunch is still in the bag."

"Okay. I'm so glad you came by! Lunch was delicious," Lacey said we all stood and exchanged hugs and kisses.

"You did another great job making a baby, Wyatt," Erica whispered after we had kissed.

I shook my head. "No, it was these two, not me."

"Don't put yourself down," I heard all three of them say, in unison.

I rolled my eyes, and my shoulders sagged. "I'm not putting myself down, y'all. I know that it's the beauty of Lacey and Cathy that shines through with the babies." I looked into Lacey's eyes and put a hand on her shoulder. "If we were married, I'd say that I married up, and I would be right about it, too."

"Oh, you!" Lacey said softly, then she flung herself into my arms. We hugged and then kissed quickly. As we turned, Travis and Erica were grinning at us, and we did the only thing that made sense -- we grinned back. After they left, I headed back to the chair.