Cory led her back to the room to wait for their baby and started with the breastfeeding again.
“Will you at least try it, Lex?”
“I don’t want to breastfeed, Cory. I want to go back to work and I don’t want to worry about pumping all the time.”
“Please, just try it for a few days. You’re not going back to work for a couple months.”
“You said six weeks. Why is this such a big deal to you?”
“I’m a doctor. I know that formula is manmade. Breast milk is made by you. She’ll have less gas, diarrhea, constipation, a better immune system, fewer allergies, and less risk of asthmas, less risk of SIDS, not to mention, breastfeeding promotes bonding for you and the baby.”
Great. Make her feel like the bad guy. “I don’t even know what to do, and I’m not faking it just so you will give me your doctor’s lecture on it, either. I never read that part of the books. I wasn’t planning on doing this. What do I do?”
“Just turn her toward your nipple and put it on her lip, she’ll know what to do.”
Kinley didn’t know what to do. The nurse pinched and pulled, trying to get her to latch on. She wasn’t having it. “See, she wants a bottle.”
“Dr. Baker is right. This is much better than the bottle. We just have to get her to latch on, but don’t worry, she will.”
They were both right. Once Kinley latched on, she was an expert. The noises she made while she nursed were heart stopping.
“Cory, she is so precious. I love her so much already.”
Cory kissed her on top of the head. “Me too, and I think she likes breast milk.”
“I guess it’s not so bad,” Alexis admitted. It wasn’t bad at all. It felt natural, like it was her duty to make sure she had everything she needed. They gazed at their new daughter and discussed her features. She had long fingers like Cory and she and Riki had the same nose. Her hair was dark, but not quite as dark as Riki’s.
“You might want to burp her now,” Cory explained after a few minutes.
Kinley’s little body stiffened when Alexis lifted her to her shoulder. Her little legs curled to her chest and she made that squeaky, little newborn noise again. Be still my heart. They smiled at each other when a rather loud burp escaped on the third pat.
“How do I know if she’s getting enough?”
“She’ll let you know. Put her on each breast for ten to fifteen minutes. That should be plenty.”
Kinley did fine on both breasts. She was hours old and already smart. Once she had it, she had it. She knew exactly what to do as soon as her little lips felt the nipple.
Cory could tell Alexis was exhausted and the pain pill she’d been forced to take had kicked in. Cory had to assure her, along with two other nurses, that it was safe for the baby. She was worried about her getting it through her. “I want you to rest while she goes back under the lights. I’m going to get Riki.”
“Bernie was going to bring them later,” Alexis said with a yawn.
“Yeah, I know, but I sort of want to do it. Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course it is. Bring my bag. I want my camera.”
“You got it. I love you to the moon and back.”
“Love you, too.”
Alexis dozed off the happiest she’d ever been in her life. Whether it was from exhaustion, the pain pill, or the excitement, she was tired enough to sleep until Cory returned with Riki.
“Lexis!”
Alexis’s eyes instantly opened and she sat up with a moan. Damn, that hurt. “Come here, baby.”
“Where’s the baby?”
“Daddy can go get her. Are you excited?”
“Yes, can I hold her?”
“Of course you can.”
Cory dropped Riki to the bed and kissed Alexis. “I’ll be right back with your sister.”
“Can I come?”
“How about you wait right here. I’ll only be a minute. I promise.”
“Okay.”
“Wait until you see her, Riki. She’s so little.”
Riki opened her hands about a foot apart. “This little?”
“A little bit bigger, but not much.”
The nurse followed with a small bed on wheels. Not that Kinley would ever be in it. Once Cory carried the baby wrapped in a blanket and sleeping, nobody could put her down. He laid her in Riki’s lap and Alexis helped support her. Riki was fascinated with her new baby sister.
Riki kissed her and petted her head, back and forth. “I love her.”
“I love you,” Alexis said.
“Her can go home with us now?”
Alexis didn’t correct the sentence. She could have said whatever she wanted and it would be fine by her. She was too happy to care about proper English.
“Not today. Alexis and the baby have to stay a couple days.”
“Days?” Alexis questioned. She didn’t want to stay days. She wanted to be home with her family.
“We’ll see how she is in twenty-four hours,” Cory offered, staring down at his two baby girls. Life just didn’t get any better that this.
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with her?”
Cory tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her lips. “Nothing is wrong with her. She’s perfect, but she was early. I just want to make sure she’s healthy before we take her home. She’s fine, I promise.”
Sam showed up next with Walt and Lola. The joy on Alexis’s parents’ face was undeniable. They were so happy to see Alexis this way. Neither of them thought they would see the day. Not from Alexis. She was too damn bullheaded.
“I don’t know if I have ever seen such a beautiful baby,” her dad assured her.
Alexis beamed with pride. “Do you want to hold her?”
“Oh no, not until I know her head won’t fall off.”
Lola smacked him in the arm and volunteered herself. “Come to Grandma Kinney, I’ll hold you.” Alexis handed her over and Lola sat in the chair with Riki hot on her heels. Cory and Alexis exchanged a glance and smile. “She’s so perfect, Alexis. I’m so proud of you, both of you,” she added with a nod toward Cory. Sam made a fuss next, kissing and cuddling the newborn to her neck. Baby Kinley was going to be loved so much. She already was.
A tap on the door and something that smelled delicious reminded Alexis that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. That’s when her family decided to leave.
“Riki, do you want to come home with Aunt Sam?” Sam asked while handing Cory the baby.
“No, I want to stay with Kinney.”
Alexis dropped the lid on her food.
“What?” Cory questioned the look.
“Kinney? We have two girls with boy names. What were we thinking?”
Laughter enclosed the air and Cory handed her the baby. “I love it.”
Alexis had to admit, she sort of did, too.
“Riki, why don’t you go home with Grandma and Papaw Kinney? Daddy will come and get you in the morning,” Cory asked with a pleading tone, trying to get her to go home with Sam.
“No, I’m staying with Kinney.”
“Let her stay, Cory. Bernie’s coming later, she can go with her.” Cory lifted Riki to the bed. She wouldn’t let her sister out of her sight. It was the cutest thing ever.
“I need to go check on a couple patients downstairs. Are you okay here with Riki?”
“Yes, we’re fine. We’ll just stay here and eat this, hmm, what is this, Riki?”
Riki snarled her nose at what might have been a spinach quiche. “I don’t want to eat it.”
“Yeah, me either.”
“Eat it, it’s good. I’ve had it before. You’re feeding our baby now, remember?”
“Lex, you’re breastfeeding?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, I guess so. Cory’s sort of making me.”
“Good for you,” Lola proudly said. “You were all breastfed and I don’t think any of you got sick the first year of your life. You’ll be glad you did it.”
The group lined up and k
issed the baby, Riki, and then Alexis before following Cory out.
“What her gonna eat?” Riki pondered.
Crap. Why couldn’t she wait to ask Cory that? Alexis kissed baby Kinley and placed her in Riki’s lap. “What is she going to eat? Remember when Bella had her baby?”
“Yes, Scarlett.”
“Yes, do you remember how she ate?”
“Uh-huh, she ate her mommy’s milk. Is that what Kinney is going to do, too?”
“Yes, until she can eat food like you.”
“When her gets teeth?”
“She, yes. When she gets teeth, she’ll eat food like you.” That was it. It was that simple and Riki was more concerned about how she was going to get teeth than how she was going to nurse. She watched very observantly when the nurse suggested Alexis try to feed her again, but it was okay, almost like a bonding with Riki as much as Kinley.
“Alexis, you didn’t touch this. You have to eat to produce milk,” Cory said with a disapproving tone, sliding the untouched tray to the side.
“Cory, taste it. It’s horrible.”
“You’re crazy, it’s not that bad. What would you like? Riki and I’ll go get you something.”
“Can I have Chinese?”
“You can have Chinese. Come on Riki lets go get Lexis some food.”
“No, I want to stay here with the baby. She has to eat milk from Lexis’s boobie.”
Cory looked to Alexis, remembering the fact that they hadn’t talked to her about that. “Come on, we’ll come right back,” he coaxed. He would leave it at that. No need to rock that boat yet.
“She can stay, Cory. You’re not going to be gone that long. She hasn’t left my side. She’s fine.”
“Do you promise to sit right there and not make Alexis get up and chase you?”
“Yes, I will just hold Kinney,” she promised.
That was a bonding moment. Alexis loved the way Riki loved her sister. She was so attentive toward her, so loving, and gentle.
“Don’t shoot me, I couldn’t wait.”
“Bernie! What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to close for three hours,” Alexis chastised.
“Yeah, I know, but I couldn’t stand it any longer. Don’t worry, I rescheduled them. Oh, my God, Lex. She’s gorgeous.”
“You can hold her, Aunt Bernie, but you have to hold her head so it doesn’t fall off,” Riki explained. Alexis and Bernie laughed.
“I don’t know if I remember how to hold one this little. Taylor was a ten pounder. My God, Lex. She’s so tiny.”
“Her name is Kinney,” Riki offered.
Bernie snickered. “Of course it is. Only Alexis would have two girls with boy names. Riki and Kinney, Lex? Really?”
“I know, right?”
“You have to sit down,” Riki ordered when Bernie scooped her up and kissed her little head. Oh boy. Riki was going to be very protective.
“I can’t believe you were in labor for an hour, it’s so not fair. I was in labor with Taylor for almost a day,” Bernie complained while her eyes gazed at tiny features. Bernie lifted Kinley to her cheek when she squirmed and fussed a little.
“Her wants us,” Riki assured her. Bernie and Alexis smiled at each other.
Alexis pulled Riki into a hug and kissed her head. “I love you so much.”
“She might be hungry again, I would try feeding her again.”
“How do I know how often to feed her?” Alexis questioned while the nurse took the baby from Bernie.
“It’s really hard to say, all babies are different. It could be as much as once an hour and maybe only once every four hours. I would just watch for signs from her. You’ll pick them up fairly quickly, it’s our motherly instinct,” she added with a wink. “I’ll check back in a little bit. Dr. Dalton wants her back under the lights for a while.”
Alexis watched Riki more than Kinley. She lowered her gown and Kinley latched on with Riki’s eyes inquisitively glued to the suckling. “Her belly is hungry.” Riki giggled.
“Is your belly hungry?” Alexis asked.
“I’m going to eat with you and stay all night with you, okay?”
“You can’t stay all night, baby. You’re going to ride home with Aunt Bernie.”
“I don’t want to. I want to stay with you, Lexis.”
“Don’t cry, sweetie. Kinley and I will be home before you know it. The hospital doesn’t let little girls spend the night.”
“But I want to.”
“Do you want to burp, Kinley?” Alexis asked. She turned toward the tissue box and grunted. Bernie jumped up and handed the tissue to Riki.
“How?”
“I’ll show you when she’s done. We have to burp her so her tummy doesn’t hurt.”
“You’re breastfeeding,” Bernie stated in shock. “I thought you said no way, you weren’t doing it.”
“I didn’t want to, but Cory talked me into trying it for a couple days and I said I would. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It actually feels kind of natural.”
“I don’t know who you are anymore, Lex”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good, just different from the Lex that I’m used to. I am so happy for you. So are you going to get married now?” Bernie had asked this same question a hundred times and she always got the same defensive answer. Alexis wasn’t going to get married because she got pregnant. That never made any sense to her.
“Eventually,” Alexis quietly said as she watched Kinley nurse and Riki hold her little fingers. She wasn’t going there. Not this day. She was too full of love to argue the marriage thing again.
Riki helped eat the shrimp lo mien while Kinley went back to her glowing cocoon. She ate most of it and then cried when Bernie was ready to go.
“I want to stay with Kinney and Lexis,” she cried.
“Daddy will come and get you tomorrow and you can come back. Emily is going to stay with grandma and grandpa with you tonight,” Cory explained while lifting her up, trying to coax her to go with Bernie.
“Why can’t she stay here, Cory? She’s little. She can sleep right there,” Alexis persuaded as her eyes nodded to the bench seat under the window.
“No, Alexis. She can go home with Bernie.”
“We’ll stop and get ice cream,” Bernie tried with no avail. Riki held on to Alexis and cried while she begged to stay.
“Cory?” Alexis pleaded with her eyes while her hands rubbed up and down Riki’s back.
“You’re breaking all the rules.”
“I don’t care. I want her here.”
“Fine, you can go, Bernie. I’ll drive her home if she gets to be too much.”
She wasn’t too much at all. She stayed close to Alexis, propped right beside her watching cartoons. When Kinley came to eat, Riki burped her and held her, kissing her over and over. When she went back to the nursery, Riki stayed next to Alexis. They tried to send her away again when Paige and Jordan showed up. She wasn’t having it. Riki wasn’t leaving.
By nine o’clock Riki was sound asleep with her little body curled next to Alexis. Alexis looked at Cory, staring at her.
“What?”
Cory pulled his chair closer to the bed and took her free hand. He kissed her knuckles and stared up at her. “I love you so much.”
“I love you,” she countered with a warm smile, touching the side of his face. “I have to pee again, but I don’t want to, it’s going to burn.”
“Do you want to sit in the sitz bath again?”
“What about Riki?”
“I’ll get Linda to come in and sit with her.”
“I don’t want to be a bother. Why don’t you go home and rest? The nurse is here to help me.”
“I don’t want the nurse to help you. I want to take care of you myself. I’m too high to rest right now anyway. I would just be sitting there all alone wishing I was with you. Do you want to sit in the sitz bath?”
Cory helped her. He was as bad as Riki, not wanting to leave her al
one. Riki left with Sam the next day and it broke Alexis’s heart. She cried when she left and she cried when Alexis called her later that night. She couldn’t wait to be home with her and out of the hospital.
The following day was torture. Dr. Dalton took forever to make her rounds and release her. A set of twins decided to show up and hold everything up. By the time Alexis was seated in the backseat with Kinley, it was nearly three o’clock, she was hungry, and sore. She wanted to get Riki and go home.
“You doing okay?” Cory asked through the mirror.
“Yeah, just sore. We should have installed one of those sitz baths. I’m going to miss it.”
“You can sit in a tub.”
“It’s going to hurt. It’s so far down.”
Cory laughed. “I’ll help you. What’s my baby doing?”
Alexis looked down and smiled. “She’s actually looking around. Her eyes are wide open.”
“I love her.”
“I know you do. I love her, too, and I love Riki. I can’t wait to get her. She’s called four times already.”
“You’re a good mom. I’m so happy you’re the mother of my children. Now, if I could just get you to be my wife.”
“Someday.”
Cory didn’t go there, either. He knew the outcome before he ever mentioned it and he, too, was too happy to go into that at the time. Another day, another time. Not this day. He was worried about one thing, getting his family home.
Riki ran to the car when they pulled up to Sam’s. Sam walked out with Emily to show her the new baby and helped Riki in her seat.
“This is my baby,” Riki assured Emily.
Emily reminded her of her manners. “You have to share.”
“Well, you can hold her once.”
“Can I hold her, Aunt Lex?”
Alexis smiled at her great niece. “You can hold her later, okay, baby?” Alexis said as her lips met Emily’s little cheeks. “Aunt Lex wants to take her home now. Make Grandma Sam bring you over tomorrow, okay?”
Riki rode the short drive home with Kinley’s hand in hers. She was so in love it wasn’t even funny. Mr. Dog was happy to see her, too. Just like Riki, he met them in the driveway.
“Hi, buddy. I missed you so much,” Alexis fussed as she squatted as much as possible without feeling the pain.