Chapter 14 - Molly

“This is my brother’s other sister,” I said with a giggle as I introduced Emma to Tyler’s parents. “That is probably the weirdest introduction I’ve ever given in my life.”

We all laughed, and Susan hugged Emma after Mike shook her hand.

“Family is family,” Susan said with a smile. “I love that you two are getting to know each other.” Man, Susan’s mom-talk made me miss my Mimi even more.

I remember being so nervous when I first met Tyler’s parents at the game when he first got called up to -A. In reality, it hadn’t been that long ago, but here I was sitting next to his mom and Emma, laughing about anything and everything. We especially laughed at his dad, who was really taking the game seriously. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t been to a game in a long time because he was watching every action very closely, and the pride that he showed for his son was amazing. When Tyler got a double in the third inning, his dad jumped up and cried out, “That’s my boy!” Don’t get me wrong, I was so proud of Tyler, too, but knowing how he had felt about his dad’s disapproval and seeing his dad do a complete one-eighty and be supportive, meant everything.

When Ty got out one of the opponents trying to steal second, we were all up on our feet and screaming. We got a lot of looks since we were the away team, but we didn’t care. When Hunter Montogomery got a three-run homerun in the next inning, I was on my feet, cheering for Tyler’s friend.

“You are really lucky to be surrounded by hot baseball players!” Emma said as she watched Hunter round the bases. “I would love to get to know him better.”

I didn’t want to tell Emma that Hunter was not only not single but that if he were available, I think he would have eyes for my best friend, Meadow. I decided to change the subject and told Emma and Ty’s parents about the open lot next to the bakery. I mentioned I wasn’t sure what to do with it yet, but I couldn”t wait to have more space upstairs with the babies coming.

“I’ll rent it from you,” Emma said suddenly.

“What?” I asked, in shock.

“I have a child and family development degree with a business minor because I had hoped to own my own preschool someday. If I could rent the space from you, I could make it into a daycare. I could watch the babies when you’re ready to go back to work. I don’t know if there is a need for a daycare in your town, but there might be. I’d also love to be closer to Dominic. I miss both of my brothers being so far away from me. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

I looked into Emma’s sincere eyes, and I hugged her. “There are no daycares in Riverbend at all. I was planning to put a space in the bakery to keep a playpen for the babies, knowing I would be distracted but would make it work somehow. This would be so much better! I bet Pen would love it, and it would give her sister a break, too. Hell, her sister, Shiloh, might want to help you at the daycare. She’s so good with the kids but is trying to go to school, too.”

“That would be awesome. I’d love to meet Shiloh and Penelope. I’ve heard all about her awesome kids from Dom. He said they are hilarious, especially the little girl.”

I had to laugh and nod in agreement. Pen’s kids really were awesome.

“See what I mean. Family helps each other out,” Susan said with a smile, beaming at both of us.

“Where would you live?” I asked Emma.

“I’ll find a place. I’m not worried about it,” Emma said with a shrug. “And if I can’t find a place right away, I’ll just stay on Dom’s couch.”

“I’m not sure when the bakery will be back up and running, but you can talk to the contractor with me, and we can figure out how to design a space that will be a perfect daycare. I love this idea!”

“Little Slugger’s Daycare!” Emma said excitedly. “It would go along with your Batter Up! theme, and maybe other players and their families will need daycare. I could also offer childcare during some baseball games so parents could go to the game kids-free.”

“I am so excited about this!” I said, and I had to hug Emma again. I suddenly had the urge to use the bathroom right away. “Damn, these babies are laying right on my bladder. I’ll be right back.”

“I need to go, too,” Susan said. “I’ll come with you.”

As we walked to the bathroom, I caught Tyler’s eye as he was checking us out from the visitor dugout. He winked at me, and I blew him a kiss.

I went to the bathroom, and as I looked down, I gasped. I was suddenly very grateful Susan had come to the restroom with me.After finishing my business, I found Ty”s mom washing her hands.

“Susan…” I began as I washed my own hands.

“What’s wrong, honey?” she asked, suddenly right at my side.

“There was some blood on my underwear,” I said and realized I was shaking. I was only 25 weeks along. It was too early for my babies to come.

“That sometimes happens,” Susan said very calmly. “But we are not taking any chances with these babies. You and I are going to sit on the bench I saw just outside the restroom, and I’m going to text Mike. We’re going to go to the nearest emergency room since no doctors offices or urgent cares are open at this time. While I text my husband, you will text Tyler, let him know exactly what is happening, and have him meet us at the hospital after his game.”

I nodded and was very glad she was taking charge and telling me what to do. Having a nurse for a mother-in-law was very comforting at this exact moment. With shaking fingers, I texted Tyler exactly what his mom said. I knew his phone was in his locker in the locker room so he wouldn’t get it until after the game was over. I hoped he wouldn’t worry too much when he noticed we weren’t back in the stands.

Before I had even pressed send on Tyler’s text message, his dad and Emma were at the bench.

“Mike, I changed my mind. Do you feel comfortable staying here at the game so you can make sure our son doesn’t freak out about us being gone?” Susan asked him.

Mike nodded. “I like that idea. I’m sure we can find a ride to the hospital.”

“No, take my car,” Emma said and held out her keys. “I’ll go with Molly and Susan. I’m parked in Lot D. Just hit the panic button, and you’ll be able to find it. It’s a silver Jetta.”,

“Are you sure?” I asked. She had just met Tyler’s parents, and here she was, offering to let his dad borrow her car.

“Without a doubt. They are family,” Emma said and pulled me into a hug. “My nieces and/or nephews are very important. Getting their dad and grandpa to the hospital is important, too.” I wasn’t sure what Emma would technically be to my babies, but I knew I would be proud for them to call her Aunt Emma.

“Get a move on, and make sure those grandbabies of mine are okay,” Mike said after he gave his wife a quick kiss. He gave me a big hug and patted Emma on the shoulder.

“Molly!” I heard from the hallway and sat up in my hospital bed. I awaited my husband coming into the room. He was still wearing his baseball uniform, and I could see he hadn’t even showered. He rushed over to my bed and took my face into his hands. “Are you okay?” He leaned down and hugged my stomach. “Are the babies okay?” He noticed the bands around my stomach that were attached to a monitor. The monitor beeped loudly. “Oh, crap! Did I mess it all up?”

“This must be dad,” my doctor said from the other side of my bed. “And, no, you didn’t mess anything up. That was baby A showing some excitement.”

“Yes, Dr. Cowan, this is my husband, Tyler,” I said with a smile. “The babies love when he talks to them.”

“So does that mean the babies are okay?” Tyler shook my doctor’s hand and then took my hand in his. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Mr. Stone, your wife had some vaginal bleeding, and with twins, that could be a concern. We have drawn some of her blood to see if we can determine the cause, and those results should be back tomorrow. I would like to keep her overnight to monitor her and the babies.”

“Of course,” Tyler said. “Am I allowed to stay with her?”

“As long as you take a shower,” I said with a grin.

“There is a couch over here with your name on it,” Susan said to her son. “We wouldn’t have expected anything else.”

Ty turned around and hugged his mom. “Thank you for taking care of Molly and the babies and for bringing her here.”

“Of course!” Susan said and hugged him back. “We already got a hotel room close by. We won’t be far if you need us. But Molly is right. You do need a shower.”

A new nurse I hadn’t met came into the room. She was wheeling a small table behind her with a computer on top. There were lots of wires and handles hooked up to the computer. “So, twins, I see! How exciting! Are we finding out the sexes of the babies?”

“No!” a collective cry around the room sounded.

“We want to be surprised,” Tyler said.

The doctor excused herself to check on other patients but said she was on call tonight and to let the nurses know if she was needed at all.

“I see it here in your chart now. I always ask because sometimes people do change their minds,” she explained. “I’m Tia, the ultrasound tech. We want to just check in on these two and make sure everything is okay.”

“Do you want us to go out in the hallway?” Emma offered.

“Are you kidding? You guys are more than welcome to stay,” I said.

“Well, we usually recommend anyone other than the significant other go in the hallway. If something is wrong and needs to be discussed, it can be done in private.”

“If something is wrong, I’ll want my family here more than anything,” Tyler said as I squeezed his hand. I agreed with him.

“Alrighty,” Tia said and lifted my hospital gown. She squeezed some gel on my stomach and warned me it would be cold. She took a cable from the computer and hooked it to the monitor that had been showing the babies’ heartbeats. The screen went blank. She took the wand from the side of the computer and began moving it around. We heard the thump thump thump of a heartbeat, and I felt the tears streaming down my face.

“Here is Baby A,” she said. “As you can see, they are very active and moving around wonderfully. Baby A is measuring a little behind schedule at 23 weeks, but that is normal for twins.”

“Look at that cute little nose!” Susan exclaimed. “We will be able to get pictures of this, right?”

“Of course, ma’am,” the ultrasound tech said. She then moved onto Baby B.

“Awww, this baby is a little bigger. They are measuring right on schedule at 25 weeks. This baby is also very active. They must be keeping you on your toes already.”

I had to laugh. “I love how active they are.”

“I took a couple pictures of some things the doctor asked for, and she will go over the scans before speaking with you. The babies are active and measuring well. If there are any signs of complications, Dr. Cowan will let you know.” She handed me an envelope of ultrasound pictures and smiled at my family. “I made four copies of each picture.”

“Thank you so much!” Susan exclaimed.

Soon, Susan and Mike left for their hotel. Emma gave us hugs, and we promised to chat soon about all the plans we talked about at the game.

Tyler tried to lay on the couch for a whole half a second, but he was just too tall. I got a good laugh from his legs sticking out over the arm of the couch.

“We could switch,” I offered. “That couch would fit me perfectly.”

“Fuck that, baby,” Tyler said with a laugh. “Move over. I’m joining you on the bed.”

I knew that was exactly where he wanted to end up. He lay on the opposite side of the bed from all my wires. I lay my head on his shoulder and snuggled into him as close as I could with the bands still around my stomach. While we lay there, I told him all about the new plans Emma and I came up with. We also had a good laugh about how his dad acted at the game. He said he usually tried to tune out the crowd, but he had been able to hear his dad.

“You know Montgormery wanted to come to the hospital with me. He was worried about you, too.”

“I’m so glad you have a good friend on this team,” I said. “I really like him.”

I must have fallen asleep while we were talking. I woke up to the night nurse coming in to check my vitals.

“Sorry, not sorry, if this is against the rules,” I said in a whisper while Tyler snored softly next to me.

“It happens a lot more than you think,” the nurse said with a kind smile. “Just make sure he’s out of the bed before the doctor or the head nurse make their rounds in the morning.”

“I can do that,” I said and thanked her.

I gently shook Tyler awake after the nurse”s next visit, and he got up and moved back to the couch. It was perfect timing because a few minutes later, the doctor came in.

“Good morning,” she said while she looked down at her tablet. “So, I have good news and bad news.”

Tyler got up off the couch and took the seat next to my bed. He took my hand and laid his head on my stomach. “Start with the bad news and then end with the good news.”

“Well, they kind of go hand in hand,” Dr. Cowan said. “The high stress of the tornado and your home and business being demolished is the most likely cause of the bleeding. I would recommend that Molly take it easy and try to keep away from as much stress as possible. Unfortunately, I would highly recommend that she not go on the road with you, Tyler. I am so sorry.”

I felt the first few tears roll down my cheeks. I knew that was a very likely outcome, but it still hurt hearing it out loud. I had really looked forward to spending the next couple of weeks with him on the road but had only made it for one game.

“Shhhh, baby, it’s okay.” Tyler had turned to face me and wiped away my tears with his thumbs. “You and healthy babies are more important than following me around.”

“I only made it one game.”

“And what an awesome game it was,” Ty said, kissing my nose and making me giggle.

“What was the good news, Dr. Cowan?” I asked.

“Well, it looks like the babies are doing just fine. With rest and taking care of yourself, my hope is that you will make it to full term for twins, which is thirty-seven weeks.”

We were excited to hear that our babies were okay but sad that I couldn’t go on the road with his team. The doctor mentioned that I would be released soon, and we just had to wait on the discharge papers. As we were waiting, my phone rang.

“Hi, brother!” I said to Dominic as I answered the phone.

“Hey! Are you with your husband? I tried his phone, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“Yeah, he’s here. I’ll put you on speaker.”

“Hey, Dom,” Tyler said. “I forgot to charge my phone night. What’s up?”

“Well, I’m guessing you haven’t seen the news yet. Russell Hamilton is out.”

“What do you mean by out?” I asked.

“They did a random drug test, and he tested positive for steroids as well as cocaine. He must have partied hard after they won their game last night.”

“Holy shit,” Tyler said and grabbed the controller to turn on the TV. He scrolled until he got to the Sports Network Corporation channel. “Man, you really should be an agent.”

“If I were your agent, I’d be calling Schroeder and making a play for you. You’re better than Kraig Johnston is on Triple-A’s Storm. Even if they call Johnston up and not you, then you would move up to Triple-A. It wouldn’t hurt to get some playtime there.”

“Ty”s only been playing in the minors for six months! Do you really think he’d be called up so fast?” I asked with a huge grin on my face.

“Sis, your man is fucking awesome. With the way he studies every player and trains, he’s every coach’s dream,” Dom said and then let out a chuckle. “Damn, I like calling you that.”

I had to laugh. “I love it, too, bro!”

“Charge your damn phone, Stone. I bet your agent, Henderson, or even Jim Berger, the manager of the Storm, will be calling you soon.”