made his way to the curious-eyed infants, who blinked up at him, stealing their way deeper into his heart.
“Hello, beautiful girls,” he said softly. Anna crinkled her nose at the sound of his voice. “Did you know that matter is never destroyed, only converted? We have to make sure you two are at the top of your class. Yeah-huh.”
A female doctor with a gray ballerina bun entered the room, cutting the science lesson short. He turned to face her, and the male nurse with a crew cut who followed, introducing themselves. Her regular OB, Dr. Odell, had gone on vacation, so his partner was making rounds.
“She’s in the shower,” Royce explained, just before the water stopped. “But as you can hear, she’s finishing up.”
“That’s fine. We’re about to undergo a shift change, but are also in the process of releasing patients that are able to be discharged this evening.”
“Oh. Well, uh, I’m not sure how she feels.”
“That’s quite all right. We can wait to ask her.” The doctor gestured to the darkening window. “Full moon tonight. And that means a lot of women in labor.”
Naomi emerged from the bathroom in a plush pink robe and nightgown, looking pretty with her hair gathered in a damp braid.
The doctor smiled, shifting her clipboard from one hand to the other. “Well, Momma, I am prepared to release you—if you feel comfortable, that is.”
Relief flooded her face. “Yes, please. I would like to go home.”
Home. Royce’s gut clenched. There’d been a time when they’d shared his house, talked of buying a larger place with space for the babies. That scenario had passed.
The doctor pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, then passed the clipboard to the nurse. “I’ll have him start your discharge paperwork. You have infant car seats?”
Naomi pointed toward the corner. “My family brought them today.”
“Good, good.” The nurse penciled a check mark on the papers before tucking the clipboard under his arm.
The doctor touched each baby’s head lightly before squeezing Naomi’s shoulder. “We have plenty of guides and emergency numbers in your baby welcome packet. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions.”
The nurse pulled the papers off the clipboard and tucked them into a sack with the hospital logo on the side. “Congratulations. To both of you. All four of you, actually. I never grow jaded about the joy of releasing a family.”
A family. Royce didn’t bother correcting the nurse. He’d actually given up on correcting that assumption at all—and apparently so had Naomi—after the second shift change had brought in yet another wave of well-wishers who assumed he was the father.
“Wow, I can’t believe we’re leaving. It’s all happening so fast.” She opened the cabinet and pulled out the clothes her sister had brought. “Thank goodness Delaney brought a bag for the babies and me. And their car seats.”
“Lucky to have all that here. Makes things easier. Although you could wear your boots with the nightgown and coat. No need to tire yourself out.” He couldn’t miss the furrows creasing her forehead. “Naomi?”
She shook her head, pulling out the loose sweater dress. “It’s just a little overwhelming. Not the way I envisioned it. Although I will go home in this, like I planned.”
“Right. And I’ll get the girls in those little outfits you picked out for them.” At least he hoped he could. Figuring out how to build modifications for a safer, more efficient oil pipeline sounded easier at the moment than wrangling those spindly baby arms into miniscule matching clothes. “Take your time getting dressed. I’ll be sure to snap plenty of photos. Your girls are going home. You’re a mom.”
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