When I came to, I found myself in a bed in a strange room with white walls and a soft beeping sound. I tried to move my head and sit up, but a sharp pain shot from the back of it and down my neck, forcing a groan from my mouth.

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” my wife’s voice came from my left and then she was leaning over me, smoothing a hand on my cheek.

“Wha...” I tried to speak, but my throat hurt and felt like I’d swallowed a tennis ball.

“Shh, just relax.” She leaned and brushed her lips over my forehead.

The pain in the back of my head was throbbing and I reached a hand up to touch it, freezing in midair at the sight of the needle and IV that ran from the back of my hand and to a machine next to the bed. “What the fuck,” I breathed out.

Eve reached and took my hand then gently rested it back at my side. “You passed out on me,” she began to explain as I sent her a confused expression. “You fell right off the stool and smacked your head on the ground. I couldn’t wake you and then I saw the blood and called 911.”

And then it all came rushing back to me; the call from my attorney, the DNA test, waiting two weeks and finally getting the letter in the mail, being too scared to open it so my wife had and then hearing the results. I was the father and those little girls were my flesh and blood. And that’s when I had passed out and probably scared my wife to death.

“Sorry,” I croaked out.

She shook her head and with her blonde hair and the way the lights were shining down around her, it looked like she had a halo. “Don’t apologize. You’re okay; just a few stitches and a sore head for a few days. The doctor said there was no serious head injury or concussion.”

“How long do I have to stay here?” I glanced around the room that I now was able to deduce as a hospital room.

“Well, the doctor said they had to sedate you some because you were starting to wake while they were doing the CT scan and not being cooperative at all.” A small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “So, I imagine it’ll be a little while. I’m sure they’ll want you a bit more alert before releasing you.”

I frowned. I hated hospitals and doctors. “What time is it?”

My wife glanced to the silver watch on her wrist. “Ten till five.”

“Wow,” I blinked, “I was out the whole afternoon.”

“Mhm,” she stroked her fingers over the back of my hand, “they ran all kinds of tests just to make sure you were okay and didn’t have a fractured skull or swelling of the brain. And other than being a little obstinate, said you’d be sore for a few days, but there was nothing to be worried about.”

“Well, that’s good, I suppose.”

She chuckled and kissed my cheek. “That’s very good.”

“I see our patient has woken up,” the voice came from the doorway and when I looked over, I was greeted with Paige donned in some dark blue scrubs and a stethoscope hanging around her neck. Her ID badge was clipped to the left breast pocket of her top and her hair had been pulled back from her face.

I gave a low, dry chuckle. “Don’t tell me you’re my nurse.”

“Fortunately I’m not.” She approached the opposite side of my bed than her sister and checked my vitals on the machine next to her. “I hear you’re a pretty difficult patient.”

“Only when I need to be.”

Paige laughed then gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better and okay.”

“Me too, but hey, do you think I could have some water? My throat’s so dry.”

Before Paige could even respond, Eve jumped into action. “Oh! It’s right here.” And she took a glass up from the little portable table and returned to me, holding the straw down and to my lips.

I drank the water down with a sigh as it soothed my throat and chased away the dryness. After taking what I wanted, I settled gingerly back against the pillow. Both sisters were watching me with expectant looks and I shifted my eyes between them. “What?”

Paige stood up straight. “Well, I better get down to my floor and make my rounds. I just wanted to come see how you were doing.” Then she leaned and kissed my cheek in a sisterly fashion. “So glad you’re okay and please don’t ever scare my baby sister like that again.”

I chuckled low and told her I’d try my best not to then watched as she departed. Turning my gaze back to my wife, I found her smiling softly at me. “Are you okay?” I questioned her, reaching for her hand and tugging it gently down to my chest.

“I think so, though you really did freak me out. All that blood made me think you were going to bleed to death.”

I winced. “It’s probably because it was a head wound. Those tend to bleed more.”

“Mhm.” her free hand lifted to smooth over the front of my bald head. I was more thankful than ever that I kept my head shaved so they hadn’t had to shave patches of it off to stitch me up. “The paramedics said the same thing and my mom was gonna go over and clean it up so it’d be gone by the time we got there.”

I made a face. “She doesn’t have to.”

“I know,” Eve touched my cheek, “but she wanted to. And she’s a mother of four; she’s seen blood before. Once, my brother nearly cut his big toe off on some glass and bled a trail through the house and she didn’t bat an eye. She can handle it.”

“I’m going to have to get her something now.”

Eve shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I want to. She’s cleaning my blood up.”

“It’s not like you’re toxic or anything.”

I chuckled low, caught her hand and kissed it. “Hopefully I get to leave soon. Other than my head hurting some, I’m not feeling too terrible.”

“We’ll have to see what the doctor says.”

“Is it Bradley?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Well, there goes my bribery idea. I was going to let him win the next game of golf.”

She laughed at that then leaned over and kissed my lips. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.” I held her hand to my cheek and watched her with a loving gaze. “When we get outta here, I need to call Brett. He probably got the same letter we did today.”

“He actually called earlier, but I was a little too worried about you to talk to him. I let the call go to voicemail and we can check it once we’re back home. But,” she arched her brows at me, “let’s not talk about that or worry about it right now. Let’s just concentrate on making sure you’re okay and this head wound of yours.”

I chuckled low at that and obliged, liking the way she was taking charge and making sure I was okay. It felt nice to be taken care of and have someone there to look out for you. The whole thing made me love her even more and every day I wondered how it was possible to love someone more and more. Yet it happened over and over. It was amazing how much love the human body could hold for someone.

It was another two hours before I was finally released. My doctor came and checked me over, gave me some pamphlets about head injuries and some warning signs to look out for that might signal something more severe, then he finally signed my release. Eve and I made it back to the house sometime after eight.

I was starving but dreading the idea of having to make up something to eat, or Eve to, when all I wanted was to cuddle in our bed together. We also needed to talk about the test results and call the attorney. But a wonderful surprise greeted us; her mom had made up a beef stew of some kind with yummy carrots and potatoes and chunks of beef and it was waiting in the crock pot ready to be served.

We dined on beef stew and bread then retired to the bedroom where Eve helped wash me since I couldn’t get my stitches wet and then we were finally together, snuggled into the bed. It was there that I phoned my attorney, apologizing for calling so late. Then we discussed the results and that Melody Porter’s attorney had been in touch after receiving them as well. Her attorney, a Mr. Jeffries, wanted me to fly to Ohio as soon as possible. There was apparently quite a bit of paperwork I needed to look over and sign and get started through the courts and the sooner the better. He also wanted me to meet the girls who were temporarily in state custody.

I agreed with him, but it scared me inside thinking about flying to Ohio to meet two daughters I didn’t even know I had had a month ago. Two, two; not just one, but two little girls who were going to become dependent on me and expect me to raise them and care for them and love them. And it wasn’t like I was going to get to learn like a new parent does with the waiting time between finding out about a pregnancy and the birth and then the learning process as both baby and parent learns and grows. I was being thrown into this cold and I had hit the ground running. I just hoped I wouldn’t trip and fall flat on my face. The last thing I needed was to screw this up.

After telling him I would speak with him tomorrow about the trip, we finally hung up then I settled down into the bed with my wife, holding her close and secure in my arms.

“When do you think you want to fly out there?” She questioned softly after a moment of comfortable silence between us.

I peeked down to her face to find her watching me. “I don’t know. I don’t want to wait too long, but,” I hesitated then plunged right in, “it’s a lot scary.”

“I know it is, baby, but I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“And I’m so very grateful for that.” I hugged her tighter. “You have no idea how grateful I am that I have you with me through this.”

“I think I have a little bit of an idea.” She kissed my chin then settled against me again.

My fingers smoothed through her long locks. “What if they hate me?”

“Why would they hate you?”

I shrugged. “I dunno, because they don’t know me….because I’m their dad and haven’t been around for the first four years of their lives….because they’re upset that they’re mom is gone and they take it out on me. Because we take them from the home they know in Ohio all the way back here to Los Angeles.” I could go on and on, but forced myself to stop after that last one.

Eve was silent for a moment then reached and touched my cheek with her fingertips. “Then you love them that much harder and you’ll earn that trust and love right back.”

“How do I do that?”

“By taking care of them and not giving up if it gets hard. By being there and someone they can learn to depend on and someone that isn’t going to disappear or ship them off. By loving them and teaching them and showing them all that life has to offer.”

My wife was so wise sometimes. “I’ll do my best.”

“And I’ll be right there helping.” She smiled and kissed my chin again.

That made me smile. “Thank you.”

My heart melted when she returned the grin. “You’re very welcome.” A pause. “Oh and hey, tomorrow when you talk to Brett again … do you think you could ask him the girls’ names?”

I blinked and gave a low laugh. The thought hadn’t even come into my head and that was horrible of me because I should want to know their names. I guess with the shock of the news and the stress of the situation, I had let it slip my mind. “I’ll ask that first thing. That might be important to know going into meeting them.”

“Just a little bit.” She held her fingers up to measure the little bit she meant.

I chuckled low and brushed my lips across her forehead. “Okay, how ‘bout we get some rest and tomorrow we can get all the details ironed out.”

“That sounds good. You need to get as much rest as possible so you’ll heal faster. The doctor did say to do that.”

“Mm, I know and I’m pretty tired.”

Eve snuggled more into me and held me close to her. “I know you are, so just close your eyes, rest and get some sleep.”

And I did just that; with a little smile on my face and my wife safely tucked in my arms.

~*~*~*~*~

The following day it was decided that Eve and I would fly out Thursday into Columbus, Ohio then drive north on I-71 to the town of Berkshire; a city so small it wasn’t even a city but a township with a population of just over 2,000. Eve and I were headed into the middle of nowhere and it made me wonder the type of people we’d meet and just what these girls would be like.

As for their names, it surprised me slightly they weren’t named Sue, Mary or Jo Ellen, but had more unique names and it pleased me that their mother hadn’t named them twin type names that started with the same letter or rhymed. Instead, they were Ashlyn Grace, who was older by three minutes, and Ireland Faith.

And then my attorney forwarded a photo of the two girls and my breath left my body. There were no words to describe how beautiful they were and it made my heart knock around in my chest at the thought that these two amazing and precious little girls were mine. How was it so possible that I had helped to create two something’s so perfect?

They were definitely identical, no question about that, with light brown hair that hung in ringlets down their backs with flecks of reds and golds visible. The hair looked soft and as innocent as their sweet little faces were. Both girls had skin like mine; olive colored and easily tanned and cute little freckles dotted their button noses. Identical grins with left cheek dimples adorned those beautiful faces and it made their eyes twinkle. And it was those eyes that really drew me in and made my heart stop. They were round, big and expressive and a deep chocolate color exactly like my own. Long, dark lashes, also like my own, framed the eyes and I felt like I was staring into my own four year old eyes for a moment. I just could not believe these were my little girls, my sweet babies and within 48 hours we would finally be face to face.

“Oh, Alex,” my wife breathed out upon seeing the photo. “They look just like you.”

I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

“They really, really are.” Her eyes met mine and she grinned.

I felt a warmth seep into my chest. “I think this photo has really helped. I’m getting more excited to meet them than I am nervous.”

Eve kissed my cheek. “I’m so glad, baby.” Then she turned back to the picture. “Which one is which?”

I pointed to the right side of the computer screen where I had pulled up the email. “That one is Ashlyn Grace, she’s the oldest by three minutes, and that one,” I shifted my finger to the left and the other twin, “is Ireland Faith.”

“Those names are as gorgeous as the girls are.” She studied the picture intently like she was trying to memorize everything about it. I was hoping she was feeling as warm and excited as I was feeling.

“They really are.” I looked the photo over with her. “I really hope I don’t get them mixed up.” The thought hadn’t even occurred to me until now.

Eve slipped into my lap. “Well, it might be a little difficult at first, but I think as their personalities shine through we’ll know who is who.”

I kissed her shoulder. “I certainly hope so. And I hope as they get older, they don’t try to pull any switcheroos.”

That made my wife laugh. “Gosh, could you imagine? Though I’m sure by the time they get to the age where they’d try that, we’ll know them both like the back of our hand and know what’s going on.”

“That’s right.” I slipped my arms around her waist and gently guided her back to my chest. Then I blinked. “Shit, we don’t have a single thing for them.” I shifted my eyes around my office. “The house isn’t even childproof.”

Eve was up and pacing in front of me in a flash. “We can call a decorator to do their rooms. Though, we’ll probably want to find out what kind of things they like first. And we might want to put them in the same bedroom, at least until they feel more comfortable or ask for their own rooms.” She glanced to me as if she was thinking, still continuing to move back and forth. “And maybe Paige and my mom can come over and childproof things. They’d know best what is safe and not safe for a kid. Which, we might want them to do that while we’re gone so when we return with the girls, the house is safe.”

“What about clothes? And what do four year olds eat? Do we need to get car seats?” Suddenly question after question was hitting me and the excitement I had felt over the girls was starting to turn back into a panic, but this time about being prepared and able to handle them.

Eve stopped and turned to me, her hands on her hips. “I have no idea. We need to buy books; lots and lots of books. And maybe we should have your mom come out and stay for a bit so we don’t like…feed them the wrong thing or something. And then Paige can give us pointers on the safety things.”

I nodded at that. “Having my mom stay with us might be a good idea. It’ll be nice to have someone in the house for when a situation arises or until we get the hang of things.”

“And she’ll be tickled pink to meet her grandchildren.”

I tilted my head. “An added bonus. Okay,” clapping my hands together, I rose from the seat. “We have a lot to do before we leave tomorrow.”

“Right,” Eve snapped her fingers then held her hand toward me, “but first, we have to change your bandage and check on those stitches.”

I reached a hand gingerly to the back of my head where the white square of gauze was covering my wound. I had nearly forgotten about it in all the excitement and it wasn’t but a dull throb now. Nothing a little Tylenol couldn’t control.

Eve eyed me and my hesitance. “Alex, c’mon; doctor’s orders. We can make our phone calls and all that as soon as we’re finished.”

I sighed and let her take my hand then lead me from the room. “Okay, but only under one condition…”

She laughed. “No, we’re not playing doctor and patient later tonight. You know that scenario always makes me wig out.”

“Then cop and speeder?”

“No.”

“Principle and corrupt school girl?”

“No.”

“Pirate and his captive wench?”

She paused a moment in her response, “Maybe.”

I smirked. I’d hooked her, now only to reel her in. I quickly moved up behind her and scooped her into my arms despite her protest that I needed to take it easy. “After we fix my head and make our phone calls, I’ma take my bounty back to my ship and devour her.”

She just laughed at that and we disappeared upstairs.