Status: Updated regularly
Dark Rider
.24
The time seemed to slip by like sand through a child’s hand, neither A.J. nor Rider seemed to budge or say a word except when needed. Tiffany had grown increasingly worried for not only Kassie but A.J. and Rider, who seemed to the point of breaking down. Quiet as it was in the waiting room, no one seemed to be bothered. They were all to wrapped up in their thoughts to consider feeling uncomfortable in the stiff plastic seats and hard leather chairs, as well as the awkwardness of the time that was spent on avoiding any conversations on whether Kassie and the babies would make it or not. They hadn’t heard from a doctor since there last confrontation over three hours ago and they all seemed to sit on the edge of there seats, ready to jump for the door at any time. Around seven nineteen, a different doctor than the last walked in the room, filling it full of sounds from clothes rubbing together and footsteps and along with it, nervousness as they spotted his bloody blue and white scrubs. “Bouvier family?”
“That’s us,” as if it wasn’t obvious, Rider helped the man out as he rose to his feet and met his destiny with a cold stare. “Are they okay?”
“Mrs. Bouvier is doing fine, she’s weak and in a little bit of pain but she made it through the C-section perfectly. But the children I’m afraid, as you may have already guessed are in some danger,” the doctor started off as he moved the mask from around his mouth to his neck. “Two out of the six sextuplets are in critical condition, result of the umbilical cord being wrapped around the necks, the other four are in some danger as well but not as severe, they haven’t fully developed some of there motor skills and their lungs aren’t at full capacity. They have all been taken to the NICU, neonatal intensive care unit, but I must warn you all. That they may not make it through the night and if they do, it will be a miracle. I’m very sorry to have to tell you this.”
“Thank you,” Rider sighed as he looked from A.J. to Tiffany, their expressions somewhat relieved. They had some sort of confirmation; at least they were okay now. As long as they stayed strong would they, make it. “Are we allowed to see my wife yet?”
“I don’t see why not, just give them time to clean her up and take her to a room,” the doctor said a little more upbeat than before, he nodded his head as if to say that was that and turned to walk out of the waiting room, but once he stood at the door, he turned and held a finger up like he needed to add one more thing. “By the way, if you’d like to stop by the NICU, you may be able to see the four healthiest children, you won’t be able to touch them but you might be able to see them through the incubator.”
“I want to see them all,” Rider whispered to himself as he watched the doctor fade out of the room, he turned to A.J. and Tiffany and frowned. “Let’s go then.”
“Rider, let’s just go see Kassie. She’ll want to see them first, she’s there mother. She should be the first to see them,” A.J. grabbed a hold of Rider’s shoulder and pulled him back before he walked out the door. “Plus…I really want to make sure Kassie’s okay, I want to—not the doctors, I know her.”
“I do too,” Rider took a deep breath and walked with A.J. and Tiffany slowly up to the front desk, where they waited for a short time as the nurse checked for rooms. The nurse, who happened to be Linda, told them that she would be put back into her same room, so they all took off to the room they previously had been in before everything went chaotic and insane. “I wonder what’s taking so long.”
“They have to get her cleaned up, that’s what the doctor said,” Tiffany answered Rider, A.J. was to busy trying to grasp reality and wrap his head around it. But it took him quite some times to come to grips, he was in the middle of dragging up old memories of things he had read in his books at college in his first year that had been about children. The chance of survival when they were born early was—less than slim—his thoughts dispersed as the door opened and a man in blue rolled in the bed Kassie laid in but it had different linen and blankets, Kassie laid on the bed small again, her stomach still stretched from the size it had been but she was closer to herself than she had been in six months and she looked absolutely beautiful, even when she was paled out from the pain and blood loss and stressed with sweat covering every inch of her body.
“Kassie,” Rider stood weakly and gently placed his hands on each side of her face, he had once the bed was put into place and the two men who had rolled her in, bid her farewell and walked away. “You’re okay.”
“I’m tired,” she said weakly as she looked, her voice was hoarse from the strain and her eyes were closed from the lack of strength to open them. “Have you seen the babies?”
“No pumpkin, we waited so you could see them first,” Rider brushed the stray hairs from her face, weakly letting his fingertips slide against her clammy skin. “You look so weak…Kassie sleep; we’ll be here for you.”
“I want you to go see them,” Kassie murmured as she weakly raised her right hand and lifted a strand of hair from her face that had fell from behind her ear. It was obvious it took a lot of her energy to open her eyes, even if it was a simple task, but as her eyes opened, Rider felt like he was home again. Like all the worry and stress lifted away for just that moment, the speckles of gold in her pale blue eyes seemed prominent in the florescent lighting, so much so that they popped out and became breathtaking to look at. As Rider looked at her, through the awe he fell into, he thought he had never seen something or someone as beautiful as her. “Mh—Rider—Francis—whatever, go make sure the babies are okay, please?”
“I don’t want to leave you,” he tensed at the thought, but he didn’t want to upset her by not doing what she asked of him.
“I’ll be fine, I’m just kind of drunk,” Kassie somewhat giggled as she blinked a couple times rapidly, finding it hard to stay awake. “Where are A.J. and Tiff, they were here earlier weren’t they?”
“We’re right here,” A.J. raised his head to murmur, even if it pained him to speak, without it sounding like a cry. “Don’t worry, babe.”
“Hi,” Kassie let a peaceful grin settle on her face as she finally let her eyes shut, unable to keep the strenuous activity going. “My two favorite boys, I missed you guys. Oh, and lets not forget my favorite girl, hey Tiffy.”
“We missed you to, girlie,” Tiffany once again was the only one able to speak; both Rider and A.J. were to choked up to say a single word. “You two, go on and see the babies, I’ll keep Miss Kassie here, company.”
“Thanks, Tiffany,” as Rider turned to leave, he placed his palm against her shoulder and let his fingers give a thankful squeeze of appreciation. “You really are a great girl.”
“Thank you,” Tiffany blushed as she watched A.J. stand; he managed a grin towards her before he walked out the door with Rider.
“She’s a good girl,” Rider decided speaking of Tiffany might somehow make his returning
worries fade away but to his disappointment, it didn’t.
“She is,” A.J. cast a sideways glance to Rider as they trekked to the elevator, when they reached it they had to wait a few minutes in utter silence. Neither one of the men could continue a conversation; they had too much fogging their minds.
“That’s us,” as if it wasn’t obvious, Rider helped the man out as he rose to his feet and met his destiny with a cold stare. “Are they okay?”
“Mrs. Bouvier is doing fine, she’s weak and in a little bit of pain but she made it through the C-section perfectly. But the children I’m afraid, as you may have already guessed are in some danger,” the doctor started off as he moved the mask from around his mouth to his neck. “Two out of the six sextuplets are in critical condition, result of the umbilical cord being wrapped around the necks, the other four are in some danger as well but not as severe, they haven’t fully developed some of there motor skills and their lungs aren’t at full capacity. They have all been taken to the NICU, neonatal intensive care unit, but I must warn you all. That they may not make it through the night and if they do, it will be a miracle. I’m very sorry to have to tell you this.”
“Thank you,” Rider sighed as he looked from A.J. to Tiffany, their expressions somewhat relieved. They had some sort of confirmation; at least they were okay now. As long as they stayed strong would they, make it. “Are we allowed to see my wife yet?”
“I don’t see why not, just give them time to clean her up and take her to a room,” the doctor said a little more upbeat than before, he nodded his head as if to say that was that and turned to walk out of the waiting room, but once he stood at the door, he turned and held a finger up like he needed to add one more thing. “By the way, if you’d like to stop by the NICU, you may be able to see the four healthiest children, you won’t be able to touch them but you might be able to see them through the incubator.”
“I want to see them all,” Rider whispered to himself as he watched the doctor fade out of the room, he turned to A.J. and Tiffany and frowned. “Let’s go then.”
“Rider, let’s just go see Kassie. She’ll want to see them first, she’s there mother. She should be the first to see them,” A.J. grabbed a hold of Rider’s shoulder and pulled him back before he walked out the door. “Plus…I really want to make sure Kassie’s okay, I want to—not the doctors, I know her.”
“I do too,” Rider took a deep breath and walked with A.J. and Tiffany slowly up to the front desk, where they waited for a short time as the nurse checked for rooms. The nurse, who happened to be Linda, told them that she would be put back into her same room, so they all took off to the room they previously had been in before everything went chaotic and insane. “I wonder what’s taking so long.”
“They have to get her cleaned up, that’s what the doctor said,” Tiffany answered Rider, A.J. was to busy trying to grasp reality and wrap his head around it. But it took him quite some times to come to grips, he was in the middle of dragging up old memories of things he had read in his books at college in his first year that had been about children. The chance of survival when they were born early was—less than slim—his thoughts dispersed as the door opened and a man in blue rolled in the bed Kassie laid in but it had different linen and blankets, Kassie laid on the bed small again, her stomach still stretched from the size it had been but she was closer to herself than she had been in six months and she looked absolutely beautiful, even when she was paled out from the pain and blood loss and stressed with sweat covering every inch of her body.
“Kassie,” Rider stood weakly and gently placed his hands on each side of her face, he had once the bed was put into place and the two men who had rolled her in, bid her farewell and walked away. “You’re okay.”
“I’m tired,” she said weakly as she looked, her voice was hoarse from the strain and her eyes were closed from the lack of strength to open them. “Have you seen the babies?”
“No pumpkin, we waited so you could see them first,” Rider brushed the stray hairs from her face, weakly letting his fingertips slide against her clammy skin. “You look so weak…Kassie sleep; we’ll be here for you.”
“I want you to go see them,” Kassie murmured as she weakly raised her right hand and lifted a strand of hair from her face that had fell from behind her ear. It was obvious it took a lot of her energy to open her eyes, even if it was a simple task, but as her eyes opened, Rider felt like he was home again. Like all the worry and stress lifted away for just that moment, the speckles of gold in her pale blue eyes seemed prominent in the florescent lighting, so much so that they popped out and became breathtaking to look at. As Rider looked at her, through the awe he fell into, he thought he had never seen something or someone as beautiful as her. “Mh—Rider—Francis—whatever, go make sure the babies are okay, please?”
“I don’t want to leave you,” he tensed at the thought, but he didn’t want to upset her by not doing what she asked of him.
“I’ll be fine, I’m just kind of drunk,” Kassie somewhat giggled as she blinked a couple times rapidly, finding it hard to stay awake. “Where are A.J. and Tiff, they were here earlier weren’t they?”
“We’re right here,” A.J. raised his head to murmur, even if it pained him to speak, without it sounding like a cry. “Don’t worry, babe.”
“Hi,” Kassie let a peaceful grin settle on her face as she finally let her eyes shut, unable to keep the strenuous activity going. “My two favorite boys, I missed you guys. Oh, and lets not forget my favorite girl, hey Tiffy.”
“We missed you to, girlie,” Tiffany once again was the only one able to speak; both Rider and A.J. were to choked up to say a single word. “You two, go on and see the babies, I’ll keep Miss Kassie here, company.”
“Thanks, Tiffany,” as Rider turned to leave, he placed his palm against her shoulder and let his fingers give a thankful squeeze of appreciation. “You really are a great girl.”
“Thank you,” Tiffany blushed as she watched A.J. stand; he managed a grin towards her before he walked out the door with Rider.
“She’s a good girl,” Rider decided speaking of Tiffany might somehow make his returning
worries fade away but to his disappointment, it didn’t.
“She is,” A.J. cast a sideways glance to Rider as they trekked to the elevator, when they reached it they had to wait a few minutes in utter silence. Neither one of the men could continue a conversation; they had too much fogging their minds.
