Julia's baby, Bk 2 - Oh, Mama.

Chapter 16 - Coming back to the island, and the men play.

Somehow, Julia managed to get through the next month and a half, half-asleep most of the time, dazed. She spent most of her day at the hospital with the babies, feeding them, and it became like a second home. Changed them, when they let her, held them without caring who saw her half naked, and got used to the idea of feeding them at the same pace that they seemed to get used to it.

By the time the long wait was over, Julia had figured out how to feed them both at once, Angelica had improved and caught up to her sister, and the problems were more or less over. Angelica had needed some more blood and the jaundice came back but one of the nurses had the bright idea of getting the babies into sunlight for ten minutes a day when they agreed they were ready, as long as a nurse was with them. This seemed to help as much as that weird light bath thing they did.

Then she got to bathe them for the first time. Julia had burst into tears all over again when she did it right, even though she'd been so scared she'd accidentally drown them or something, or that they'd hate the water. They didn't seem to mind the water at all. The nurses kept helping her, kept teaching her about how to do things, like they seemed to like that one of the mothers actually wanted to learn.

She'd seen a few other mothers. Some of them were downright rude towards the nurses, telling them to fuck off, or telling them what to do, or that they already had x amount of kids and knew how to breast feed. It was crazy. The nurses cared for so many babies, who wouldn't want them to give instructions? Julia didn't know why they'd take their fear out on the nurses. Others were better to the nurses. But they seemed to like seeing Julia, didn't mind when she asked questions about things, and it had helped her to go home at night knowing her babies were okay.

Oliver kept insisting on sleeping with her. Kissing her. Bringing her flowers, feeding her, like he just couldn't get enough of it now. Levi called her in the morning to hear her voice.

Julia was in a daze. She dreamed about these four beings, her 'men' and her babies, she spent her days thinking about them, talking to them, snuggling them, her entire world slowly circling around the twins and around Oliver and Levi. It was bizarre, peaceful, even if the 'pump every three hours' thing overnight made her exhausted. She had to keep pinching herself and reminding herself that, even if it felt fluffy and warm, Oliver was now in danger at all times. So were the twins. Even Julia was, sort of, except she suspected she wasn't really as big an issue till the engagement news came out.

Even the news about Amanda starting to gather 'challengers' in Tasmania didn't phase her. Screw Amanda. Julia wanted to see the look on her face when she heard about the engagement. She wanted to be there and she wanted her to see the sparkly diamonds when she heard the news. Out of all the revenge ideas Julia would have had, this would be the best, and she already had a wardrobe picked out for Levi and Oliver. Mostly it involved them being half naked. Julia with her hair done up and looking hot, with her babies in cute dresses, and the diamonds sparkling in the most obvious way possible.

Julia stood in the hospital, aware that this was it, a pram waiting in her hands. She'd frozen halfway to the ward her babies were in, her heart pounding, petrified of what they were about to do.

It was finally time to take them home and it was time for Oliver to be seriously ready to fight. He glanced up at her, reaching over to squeeze her hand, and she leaned against him. Julia was nervous. Nervous about being a full time mom, about Oliver having to admit he was 'fine', about taking the babies away from a hospital that had kept them alive for so long...

“It'll be okay.” Oliver reassured her, wrapping an arm around her, and she tried to start walking. “They've got them ready for us. Beth's hats are on them. The clothes you bought yesterday. The plane's waiting.”