Okay, okay...I know that you've been waiting and once again I apologize for taking so long. This time it wasn't the story, my computer decided to take a vacation for a few weeks. I thought my work was lost, but fortunately for me it wasn't ;-) Read, vote, and post comments because I love that stuff!
Kitty
*
They stood in silence for a few minutes; looking in the face of the baby girl...his baby girl, one of a matching pair. She was wiggling frantically, trying to escape the covers and the nurse that held her. The hurt in his heart subsided just enough for him to appreciate the gift that had just been given to him and he smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"You didn't know did you?"
"No; I had no idea. Did you?"
"When she opened her eyes this morning; I knew something was very different. When you walked into the waiting room it hit me like a ton of bricks. You're my newest grandchildren's father and you're clearly very much in love with their mother."
"I can't believe she would keep this from me. I missed out on everything for the past months; the first kick, the ultrasounds...I just don't understand" he said with a frustrated sigh.
"Jason; what did you expect her to do? I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I do know that my daughter is a very married woman. If; and I do mean if she knew this entire time, she was probably frantic trying to figure out just how to handle this situation."
"This situation? This situation is that I'm very much in love with her, I'm miserable without her, she's just given birth to MY twin girls and..."
"She's married to someone who isn't you and has been for 15 years. Even if she did know; and let me reiterate that is a BIG IF" she started; beginning to get very agitated, "could she really have just come out and said that they were yours?"
"She could've told me anything!" he said almost yelling.
"But could she have told her
husband
anything? When would it have been appropriate Jason? How would that conversation go? Hi honey...I've been having an affair and the twins that you love so much might be the result of that affair.
And if you had known eight months ago; would you have stayed away? I can tell the answer to that question just by the fact that you're here; hell, you beat us here! How would that have turned out? Fist fights and a stressed out pregnant woman who could've very well miscarried. I know you're hurting, but be realistic will you?"
He stood in silence while contemplating what she'd said. He knew that she was right and that all practicality had been thrown out for Nigha. He loved her so much and knew that he couldn't have stayed away.
"Elise; I'm sorry" he said in an attempt to bring things down a notch. "I know that you didn't have to do this right now, and I really appreciate it. Please don't misunderstand me..."
She reached out and took his hand and patted it as she began to speak. "Jason; I'm sorry too. I can't imagine what you're going through right now and I'm always going to defend my daughter, but I do understand that you have a mix of emotions to work through and it's not my place to try and influence you one way or the other. Just try and do one thing for me; for all of us please?"
"I can't imagine what that is."
"Remember where we are and remember what's going on right now. I know that there are some serious things that need to be hammered out between you, Nigha, and Brett; but I know that you're a brilliant young man and that you know that now is not the time. Please give them a chance to come out of this and give her a chance to heal."
"I'm not going to cause a big hospital scene; I can promise you that. But the time for me to be kept in the dark is over. Out of respect for you and the situation, I will wait for now and I won't mention anything when we get back to the others."
"Do you still love her?"
"I can't imagine that there will ever come a time when the answer to that question is no; but we have a long talk in a series of long talks ahead of us. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I will be a part of my daughters' lives no matter what happens between their mother and me."
"I would expect no less from any man, let alone the father of my only granddaughters. I know it's a lot to ask, and I can't imagine the amount of pain that you're in right now; but thank you. They are beautiful aren't they?"
"They're more than I could've ever wished for" he replied; looking at the babies through the window.
**********
When they returned to the waiting room; Kane, Bria, and Simon were there waiting. Bria sensed the change in her mother's attitude toward Jason immediately and was quite curious as to what had happened in the 20 minutes that they were alone together. Before she had a chance to investigate; the attending physician came out to brief them on Nigha and Brett's conditions.
"Mr. and Mrs. McShay; Nigha has stabilized and her body is in the process of healing itself and we're going to be moving her to a private room this afternoon. She has however slipped into a coma and it is our hope that she'll come out of it soon, but in these situations it's very difficult to tell. She suffered a severe head trauma, but no brain damage so her overall prognosis looks good...if she can come out of it without too much time elapsing."
As the tears started to stream down her face; Bria asked the question that was on all of their minds. "What about Brett?"
"To be honest; we didn't think he'd make it through the night, but that one's a fighter and he's still hanging on. He's made some marginal improvements, but it's still touch and go at this point. There's definitely more hope to be had this morning, but it's still a good idea for those close to him to be here."
"Suzanne and Bill are in Europe trying to get back. They should be here tomorrow" Simon volunteered, "but I love that boy like he was my own so we'll stand in in the meantime" he said as he grabbed Elise by the waist and pulled her close.
"After she's moved; when will she be able to have visitors?" Elise asked.
"Personally, I feel that with her situation; the sooner the better. The visits should be limited to one person at a time for no more than 45 minutes for the first few days. Everyone that visits will need to wear scrubs to decrease the risk of infection, but it's my personal opinion that these visits will make the difference in her coming out of this coma."
Kane spoke next, "Well if it's visitors she needs; it's visitors she's got!" he said as he hugged Bria close to him.
Jason stood in silence next to Elise and when she saw the look on his face; she reached out and took his hand. "Yes doctor; my Nigha is lucky to have so many people around who care about her" she said with a squeeze of his hand.
"You're absolutely right Mrs. McShay. I'll go and make the arrangements to have her moved and when she's settled; I'll have one of the nurses come out and explain the visiting procedure."
"Thank you doctor" they all said one by one.
By the time they got Nigha moved to a private room; it was late in the day and she only had time for two visitors. Of course, everyone insisted Elise go first and then Simon would follow. Each of their visits was uneventful but comforting because regardless of what the doctor said; they knew that it was only a matter of time before she opened her eyes.
Bria and Kane went to grab some food for everyone and when they got back; Jason realized that it was the first thing he'd eaten since leaving Atlanta. He made quick work of the sandwiches and drinks (Kane had noticed that he hadn't eaten also, and got him two of everything) before dozing off in the waiting room.
The next day came with the news that Bill and Suzanne were stuck in Heathrow airport and wouldn't be able to make it until the next day; but Brett continued to surprise the hospital staff. The man that they hadn't expected to make it through the first night had now made it through two and though his improvements were marginal at best; they were improvements nonetheless.
Simon and Elise had been in constant contact with Brett's parents since the accident. It was of little comfort to Bill and Suzanne; but the continuing updates and Simon's optimistic outlook had given them some hope. Hope was all that they had to hold onto; hope that he would somehow hold on and defy the odds.
********************
"Mom; what's going on with you and Jason? At first you couldn't stop staring at him and now something's different and you're sort of treating him like...family."
"Bri; I think a better question is how long has your sister been
involved
with Jason?"
