Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 26

Don quickly drove Meryl and the twins to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in Mason's Island; not far from the Mystic River. He was glad that they were quickly shown to a room in the Emergency Department so the chances of Meryl being recognized was slim. He had checked Mags in while Meryl sat in a corner with sunglasses and a hat on so she wouldn't be recognized with Brady. While Don checked Mags in he explained who they were and said that his lawyer would take legal action if news about their hospital visit broke; and he made the administrator who was on call sign a confidentiality agreement. Meryl had told Don on the way to the hospital that she wasn't worried about her; she was just worried about the babies while Don reminded her it was his job and honor to worry about all of them. She thanked him for taking care of all of them; he just hoped she, and their family, wouldn't end up on the cover of the rags.

***

"Come on, buddy." Meryl sighed as she walked around the small room with Brady, bouncing him up and down, as Don sat in a chair trying to calm their daughter down. "They both just ate, Don; and have been changed. I understand why Mags is fussy; but I'm not sure why Brady is upset."

Don sighed as he got up with their daughter, kissing her head, and walked over to his wife and son. "Baby, we have all been stressed this afternoon and tonight. He probably just feels that. Remember that documentary we watched last week on twins? He is probably just feeling whatever she is. After this things are going to calm down."

"I'm so scared, Don." Meryl choked. "What if both of them are taken..."

Don shook his head as he kissed her lips and they both tried to calm down the babies in their arms.  "Sweetheart, it will be proven that they are safe; that the safest place they can be is with us. I mean, if we hurt her then why would we bring her to the hospital to be checked out? Besides, I have the evidence on my phone."

"That was pretty smart of you to do that, Gummer." Meryl said thinking about how he recorded the situation with Dana from the baby monitor into his phone from the app. "I thought it was just so you could watch us; which was also very smart."

Don nodded. "That was the main reason; then I remembered that feature and I had no idea what the hell he was going to do so I thought I better have evidence in case we needed to take action against him."

"Always protecting us." Meryl choked.

Don nodded as he snuggled their daughter more to his chest. "Until my last breath.

"Mine too." Meryl agreed as he started to kiss her again until she looked at the door. "Don...doctor."

The doctor walked in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Thompson. You're..."

"Mary Gummer." Meryl said curtly. "That is all I am."

Don wrapped his free arm around her, protectively. "I have already talked to hospital management about that. I am her husband, Don Gummer."

"I see that." Dr. Thompson said looking through the file and seeing the confidentiality agreement as well as the HIPPA forms. "What brings you in tonight?"

Meryl nodded at Don as he started. "We have 16 day old twins. Today, my brother-in-law tried to kidnap our daughter, Margaret. He held her too tight and I found marks on her side."

"Your brother-in-law?" Dr. Thompson asked.

Don had unzipped Margaret's pajamas and was showing the doctor the marks he had found earlier. "Yes, that's right. He had been in jail; and was trying to take her from us because he is hurting."

"When was this?" Dr. Thompson asked.

Meryl was getting worried. "This afternoon."

"And you are just now bringing her in?" Dr. Thompson asked. "Has she been fussy?"