New Life For Richard

New Life for Richard - Part 5

True to his word, Richard took care of everything. During the last few months of your pregnancy, if he wasn't on set, he was in the studio. He got sick once and lost his voice a few times, but he kept going, regardless of the warnings you gave him. He'd just smile that beautifully breathtaking smile of his and kiss your forehead. "I can rest a bit when the babies are here. Don't worry, okay?" Then, he'd be off again, working as hard as he could.

When the contractions started, he was right there. When you were told, after so many hours of labor, that you hadn't dilated enough and that an emergency cesarean would be needed in an hour, he was holding your hand as you cried from fear, after the doctors left. "What if something happens? What if I lose too much blood and die? What if our babies die?!" He shushed you and held you, trying to calm you down so you'd stop hyperventilating. "Nothing is going to happen. They know what they're doing. You stressing out right now is only going to stress our children out more. Just calm down. I'll be right there by your side. I'm not leaving you." You smiled through your tears and nodded, making a conscious effort to calm down and steady your breathing.

When they rolled you to the operating room, Richard was right next to you. He kept you calm while they operated, and brought each of your children to meet you: both of your precious boys and your precious girl. After they took the babies to be cleaned and examined, he went with you. As they wheeled you into the recovery room, he didn't gag when you vomited. You had looked up at him, smiling tiredly. "Richard...you're still here.." He chuckled softly and brushed your damp hair off your forehead. "Of course, I am, love. I'm not going anywhere for a long time." You closed your eyes and hummed, softly. "I'm glad... " You had then passed out from exhaustion, and Richard left you in the care of your family, while he went to the nursery to check on your three children.

When you awoke, he was sitting in the chair next to you, looking at your three children, with the tv on low, as background noise. Richard had changed into a comfy button-down shirt - one that you had only seen him wear around the house, when all his other t-shirts were dirty. You made no sound and were very still, just watching him as he watched your children. After a while, one of your sons moved a little and fussed quietly. Richard smiled softly and tucked the blanket around him. "Shh. Be still, my son. You'll wake everyone up. You all worked hard, today, so get as much rest as you can." When your son fussed a little more, Richard opened his shirt, revealing his toned chest. He hadn't waxed it in a while, so his soft chest hair had grown back, just a little bit. He gently picked up your fussy little boy, and held him close to his chest. Your son fussed a little, rubbed his face in his chest hair, then moved into a comfortable position and went back to sleep, nestled in Richard's arms.

You couldn't help allowing a soft giggle to escape, capturing the attention of your love. His eyes sparkled when he looked at you. "Good evening, love. How do you feel?" You chuckled and tried to move, finding that the stitches were still very sore. " I'm hungry...and sore. " He nodded, trying to stay quiet and still. "They should be bringing your food by, soon. They came by to ask what you wanted, so I picked some of your favorites. Keep in mind, they'll probably be rather bland." You sighed and shrugged. "I've survived this much. I'm sure I can survive bland food...maybe." His chuckle was deep and soft.

The nurses came by, soon after, and checked your vitals. They checked your stitches, and made sure your were comfortable. "Is there anything else you need, before we go?" When you voiced your desire to shower and to eat, they smiled sweetly and nodded. They showed you to the shower room, where Richard had already placed all the toiletries you'd brought into the shower, ready for use. They showed you how the shower worked, and gave you some mesh underpants, a few sanitary pads, and a clean hospital gown. "You're going to be bleeding for a while. It's like you're having a long menstrual cycle. Make sure you put a sanitary pad on after your shower, and change it frequently." You stated that you would remember to do so, and they left you in peace to take a shower.

Moving around while you washed yourself was slow and difficult. You found that, due to the stitches, you couldn't move around as well as you had. For a while, you didn't even want to move. You just stood there, letting the warm water run over you. Despite this, you had soon finished your shower, dried off, pulled on the mesh underpants (which you found strangely comfortable) and the sanitary pad, and dressed yourself in the clean gown.

Upon exiting the shower room, you saw Richard sleeping soundly upon the couch while your children were still there, also sleeping. You shuffled across the floor, as quietly as you could, and grabbed your phone. You found the perfect angle and took the photo. You laid your phone on the table next to your bed, then crawled back in and watched your family as you fell back into a peaceful sleep.

~~~

Life hadn't quite been the same, since your little family had left the hospital. The triplets kept you and Richard on your toes. It was as if they had decided to take turns on who would be awake, hungry, crying and who would be asleep. Despite the frustration and lack of sleep that the triplets caused, neither of you had ever been so happy to be tired. During his off-time, he had started to update his Twitter more often. Every once in a while, some of your friends and family would visit, take photos, and those were the pictures that the media got a hold of. It seemed as if every one of Richard's fans were joyously celebrating the birth of your children, often remarking upon how your sons had Richard's face, but your features, and how your daughter had your face, but Richard's features. "Look at all these little Armitage heart breakers!" You weren't always happy with their nicknames, but you were happy that his fans were so accepting.

Richard stayed home for many months, making sure that you were all well-taken care of. When he finally did return to work, with a new exciting role waiting for him, you all shared a tearful goodbye. He called every night, sent texts during his downtime, and video chatted whenever he could. When he came home after filming had ended, you had decided it was time for you to return to your own job. However, all it took was a week for you to decide that maybe, just maybe, you wanted to be home more than you wanted your career. You stayed long enough to train someone else to take your place, then returned home. From home, you started your dream business, which eventually earned you more money than you had earned from your previous job. As your children grew (as happy and healthy as possible) and expressed interests in various subjects, the two of you were as supportive as you could possibly be. However, whether the pair of you decided to have more children after your perfect triplets...was completely up to you and to your wonderful love, Richard.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Note:
That's it! This is the final chapter! I'm not sure if I will add to this story, but I may, in the future. For now, however, it feels completed.

By the way, the shirt he's wearing in the media is what I pictured him wearing in the hospital, except more worn in and loose fitting.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, constructive criticism is always welcome! I hope you have a great day, and remember to be awesome to each other!