Top of the World
Chapter 4
25th December 2009
When I woke up, I could hear cooing and hushed voices. I let my heavy eyelids slide open, and saw Snoz sitting on a chair beside my bed, the others crowded around him, all talking to or cooing at the bundle of light blue blankets in Snoz's arms. After a few seconds, Jamie looked up and smiled at me.
"Hey buddy." He said softly, and they all looked up at me. Snoz gave me a sad smile, then, after Sean and Lee had helped me sit up, he sat on the bed beside me and gently placed the bundle in my arms.
"Say hi to Joe." He told me softly, and I grinned down at Joe, drinking in his light brown hair and bright hazel eyes.
"He has your eyes." I said softly, stroking Joe's tiny cheek with my pinkie.
"Yeah, but he has your everything else." Snoz replied, laughing slightly, until I looked up at him.
"Where's Alex?" I asked slowly, and he sighed, his smile slipping from his face.
"He's in the NICU." He told me, and I frowned.
"I don't know what that is." I replied, and he sighed again, closing his eyes.
"The neo-natal intensive care unit." He explained, and I bit my lip.
"I was right, wasn't I?" I whispered, and he nodded, still not opening his eyes.
"Yeah, he was only 2 pounds and 1 ounce, and his heart and lungs are failing." He told me softly, tears slipping out from under his eyelids, wrapping his arms around me as I moved closer to him, rested my head on his shoulder and started sobbing.
After a few minutes, we'd calmed down enough for him to take a photo from his pocket and hand it to me.
"Alex." He said simply as I looked down at it, tears threatening again when I saw him.
"He's so tiny. Too tiny to have so many wires attached to him." I whispered, and Snoz nodded.
"I know, but those wires are keeping him alive." He told me softly.
"They're doing something to help him, though, right?" I asked, and he nodded, smiling slightly.
"They're pumping him full of steroids to try to strengthen his heart and lungs, but they've put him on the transplant list, just in case the steroids don't work." He told me, and I nodded.
"Did the doctor say when I can get out of bed? I wanna go see him." I asked, and Snoz smiled.
"He said you can get up whenever you want; the sooner the better, it'll help you recover, apparently." He told me, smiling more as I gave Joe to Stuart; then started slowly heaving myself from the bed.
At the insistence of the doctor, I was wheeled into the NICU in a wheelchair, in case I burst my stitches. When Mike stopped next to the incubator, I lifted myself up slightly to see Alex, within a second of seeing him, I burst into tears. We spent the whole day at Alex's side, Joe being passed around us all slowly, talking to them both as much as possible. I tried to stay positive, but all I wanted to do was hold him, and the fact that I couldn't was killing me. The doctor let Joe and me go home the next day, but I was hardly home, as me and Snoz were taking turns at being at the hospital with Alex, while the other was home with Joe.
2nd April 2010
The tears just kept coming, nothing I did stopped them, but I didn't care, I finally had both my babies home. The steroids had slowly but surely worked, until they stopped giving him them last week, after he'd gotten up to a healthy weight, his heart and lungs healthy and strong, and he was kicking his tiny legs, giggling like a maniac, just like his brother.
I was curled up on the couch, my head on Snoz's shoulder, the tears still pouring, still grinning as I watched the twins in their bouncy chairs, giggling and babbling to each other. As we sat and watched them, his hand slid into mine, and he rested his head on top of mine.
"So, I've been thinking...." He started slowly, and I moved away so I could look at him.
"About...?" I asked, and he smiled softly.
"About how our boys deserve to be part of a proper family..." He continued, and I felt slightly hurt.
"We are a proper family." I replied, frowning.
"Yeah, I know, but..." He paused as he pulled a small black box from his pocket.
"I want us to be officially a family." He finished, opening the box to reveal two silver bands, a small gem in each, the exact shade of turquoise as Alex's eyes.
"So, will you marry me?" He asked, and I nodded, my eyes filling with tears as I kissed him.
When I woke up, I could hear cooing and hushed voices. I let my heavy eyelids slide open, and saw Snoz sitting on a chair beside my bed, the others crowded around him, all talking to or cooing at the bundle of light blue blankets in Snoz's arms. After a few seconds, Jamie looked up and smiled at me.
"Hey buddy." He said softly, and they all looked up at me. Snoz gave me a sad smile, then, after Sean and Lee had helped me sit up, he sat on the bed beside me and gently placed the bundle in my arms.
"Say hi to Joe." He told me softly, and I grinned down at Joe, drinking in his light brown hair and bright hazel eyes.
"He has your eyes." I said softly, stroking Joe's tiny cheek with my pinkie.
"Yeah, but he has your everything else." Snoz replied, laughing slightly, until I looked up at him.
"Where's Alex?" I asked slowly, and he sighed, his smile slipping from his face.
"He's in the NICU." He told me, and I frowned.
"I don't know what that is." I replied, and he sighed again, closing his eyes.
"The neo-natal intensive care unit." He explained, and I bit my lip.
"I was right, wasn't I?" I whispered, and he nodded, still not opening his eyes.
"Yeah, he was only 2 pounds and 1 ounce, and his heart and lungs are failing." He told me softly, tears slipping out from under his eyelids, wrapping his arms around me as I moved closer to him, rested my head on his shoulder and started sobbing.
After a few minutes, we'd calmed down enough for him to take a photo from his pocket and hand it to me.
"Alex." He said simply as I looked down at it, tears threatening again when I saw him.
"He's so tiny. Too tiny to have so many wires attached to him." I whispered, and Snoz nodded.
"I know, but those wires are keeping him alive." He told me softly.
"They're doing something to help him, though, right?" I asked, and he nodded, smiling slightly.
"They're pumping him full of steroids to try to strengthen his heart and lungs, but they've put him on the transplant list, just in case the steroids don't work." He told me, and I nodded.
"Did the doctor say when I can get out of bed? I wanna go see him." I asked, and Snoz smiled.
"He said you can get up whenever you want; the sooner the better, it'll help you recover, apparently." He told me, smiling more as I gave Joe to Stuart; then started slowly heaving myself from the bed.
At the insistence of the doctor, I was wheeled into the NICU in a wheelchair, in case I burst my stitches. When Mike stopped next to the incubator, I lifted myself up slightly to see Alex, within a second of seeing him, I burst into tears. We spent the whole day at Alex's side, Joe being passed around us all slowly, talking to them both as much as possible. I tried to stay positive, but all I wanted to do was hold him, and the fact that I couldn't was killing me. The doctor let Joe and me go home the next day, but I was hardly home, as me and Snoz were taking turns at being at the hospital with Alex, while the other was home with Joe.
2nd April 2010
The tears just kept coming, nothing I did stopped them, but I didn't care, I finally had both my babies home. The steroids had slowly but surely worked, until they stopped giving him them last week, after he'd gotten up to a healthy weight, his heart and lungs healthy and strong, and he was kicking his tiny legs, giggling like a maniac, just like his brother.
I was curled up on the couch, my head on Snoz's shoulder, the tears still pouring, still grinning as I watched the twins in their bouncy chairs, giggling and babbling to each other. As we sat and watched them, his hand slid into mine, and he rested his head on top of mine.
"So, I've been thinking...." He started slowly, and I moved away so I could look at him.
"About...?" I asked, and he smiled softly.
"About how our boys deserve to be part of a proper family..." He continued, and I felt slightly hurt.
"We are a proper family." I replied, frowning.
"Yeah, I know, but..." He paused as he pulled a small black box from his pocket.
"I want us to be officially a family." He finished, opening the box to reveal two silver bands, a small gem in each, the exact shade of turquoise as Alex's eyes.
"So, will you marry me?" He asked, and I nodded, my eyes filling with tears as I kissed him.
♠ ♠ ♠
Done! As said in the new summary, the sequel shoud be up soon!<3