By Sylcastillo14
Prologue
Neveah
I’m in the bathroom, and I hear my roommate in my bedroom. I can hear their footsteps coming toward the bathroom door. They better not! The door swings open, and I scream.
“Henry! I’m naked!” I yell at him. He laughs, and I roll my eyes.
“Bitch, you swear that I’ve never seen you naked. Plus, you don’t have what I want.” I turn on the shower and step into the walk-in shower. I look at him through the glass, and he gives me his best puppy eyes.
“Henry, I told you that I can’t go with you,” I say as the water runs through my thick hair.
“Veah, I never ask you for anything. Please, you’ll have a good time at the music festival. Café Ta Cuva will be there.”
“They will be?” I say. He grins broadly, and I scowl at him. “That was low. I don’t want to camp there overnight for you to ditch me like you always do.”
“I won’t leave you. A friend is going to be meeting us there. The three of us will have a blast dancing and drinking.”
“What friend?”
“Nun of yo business, but you’ll see him, he is in my biology class, and bitch, he’s fine.”
“See, you’re gonna go off with this Toby guy and leave me,” I say.
“I’m not going to leave you. Please, Veah, say you’ll come.”
“Oh God, fine, Henry. I’ll come, but bitch, you owe me big!”
“You won’t regret this! I promise we are going to turn up.”
The next day we arrive at the campgrounds for this epic music festival. It looks fantastic, and once we get there, we set up our tents. No way in hell we’re gonna share a tent. If Henry bought back someone to the tent, I didn’t want a front row to the show. We were there for a few hours when Henry got a text, and the grin on his face tells me exactly who it was.
“My friend is here. Let me go and get him. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, I’m going to grab something to eat. You want me to get you something?”
“No, we’ll grab something and meet you at the main stage. Yeah?” Henry says as he walks away. I nod and walk toward the food vendors.
Three hours later, and still no Henry. I knew he’d do this to me, but what can I do. I decided to enjoy the music and food. I head over to a funnel cake stand, and they are huge. I won’t be able to finish one on my own, but I can have fun trying. I take my strawberry dessert and head to the grassy area to enjoy music. I didn’t think about how I would set up my place to enjoy the music while balancing my food and drink. Someone comes up at my side, and I’m stunned at his beauty.
“Looks like you can use a hand. Can I help you out?”
“Would you?” I ask, and he nods and smiles. I hand him the food. I take the backpack, take the blanket, and spread it out. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” He smiles. “Where did you get that Funnel Cake? It looks amazing.”
“Next to the tequila tasting tent,” I say. He looks toward the food vendors, and he laughs.
“I’m not standing in that damn line. It’s too long.”
“Hey, beautiful, can I buy you a drink?” A drunk frat guy says to me.
“No, thank you,” I say.
“Aww, come on,” he touches my arm, and I jerk it away.
“Don’t touch me,” I say.
“Let me just buy you a drink,” he whines and gets closer. He is yanked back hard by the guy who helped me.
“She said no, my guy. Now get the fuck out of here.”
“She’s an ugly bitch anyway,” he says as he stumbles backward. I don’t realize it, but I’m shaking.
“Hey, hey, are you okay?” I nod. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I knew I shouldn’t have come today,” I say.
“Are you here alone?” he asks.
“I wasn’t, but my friend ditched me three hours ago. Are you here alone too?”
“I got separated from the group. So I guess I am alone. Do you mind if I join you? In case that dick comes back.” He smiles. I nod and pat the blanket. “I’m TJ.” He puts his hand out, and I shake it.
“I’m Neveah. Well, Tj, would you like to share this funnel cake with me? It’s way too much for me to finish.” I take the extra fork from my backpack.
“Neveah, is that a textbook in your bag?” Tj asks, taking the fork from my hands.
“Yes, I can’t get behind.”
“Remember to have a balance, though. You’ll burn yourself out.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“I am, and that’s all you’ll get out of me regarding school and work. We’re supposed to be having fun. What do you say we finish this cake and go around and listen to all the bands?”
“Sounds like a plan as long as I get to listen to Café Ta Cuva,” I smile.
“It’s a deal! They’re my favorite too.”
We had a blast going from one stage to another. We danced, drank, and had so much fun. Tj’s one of the nicest people I’ve met in a long time. What surprises me the most is he’s a goofy guy. By looking at him, I would have never thought that. The sun is setting, and the weather is getting a bit cooler. He takes off his sweatshirt and hands it to me. I notice that he has an umbrella in his backpack, and I giggle. The sky is clear, and not a cloud in the sky.
“Why are you laughing?” Tj laughs.
“It’s not going to rain, TJ. The sky is clear,”
“Okay, we’ll see about that. This crowd is huge. Give me your hand so we can push toward the front.” He says and takes my hand into his, and the current that goes between us is undeniable. The attraction that I have toward him is insane, but I’m not experienced sexually. We get to the front of the stage, and he still hasn’t let go of my hand. “Is this okay?” he asks, looking down at our joined hands. I smile shyly at him and nod.
“I’ve never been this close to the stage.”
“It’s the best way to experience the show.” He smiles down at me. Thundering sounds made me jump. “I told you.”
The band starts to play my favorite song Eres, and I sing my heart to it, and so does Tj. He turns to me, looking me in the eyes, and the heavens part, rain falling on us. The umbrella is long forgotten as he pushes a stray piece of hair behind my ear. His lips claim mine as he pulls me closer to him, consuming me. My hands go into his light hair, and he kisses my neck. I moan out, and He moans against my neck as I can feel his hardness against me.
“You smell so fucking good,” Tj says as he pulls away. His bright blue eyes twinkled in the moonlight. “What do you want to do?” I start to feel brave and look up at him through my lashes.
“Do you have a tent?” I ask
“No, I have a cabin.” He says. “You want to go to my cabin?”
“Yes,” I say in a husky voice.
He takes me by the hand and pulls me through the crowd. Once we get to the area where the cabins are, he fishes out a keycard. Once we are inside the room, he pushes me against the wall and kisses me senseless. He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me to the bed, and I battle whether to tell him I’m a virgin or not. Maybe he won’t realize it. He lowers me on the bed as he removes his shirt, and I see his impressive chiseled chest and abs. he has intricate tribal tattoos that cover his whole chest. I take off my top, and I see his adam’s apple bob up and down as I undo my bra and my breast fall free.
“Wow, you’re stunning.” He says. He lowers himself over me, kisses my stomach, and massages my breasts. He licks and nibbles my pebbling nibbles. I moan out and squirm under his touch. He puts his hand on the button of my shorts, and he looks up for my permission. I nod quickly because I never wanted something so bad in my life. “You want me to make you feel good, sweetheart.”
“Yes, make me feel good,” I say as he pulls down my shorts and panties.
He kissed and nipped my inner thighs; my whole body was on fire. His tongue slid gently on my slit, and I moaned out. His tongue on my clit had me almost crushing his head with my thighs. He chuckles, takes my clit in his mouth, and sucks on it, sending my whole body rigid as I grip the comforter on his bed.
“Tj,” I yell out. He kisses me, and I can taste myself on him, which is the sexiest thing I have ever done. He undoes his shorts and pulls them off, showing his impressive hard as steel erection. “Wow, you’re gorgeous.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks.
“Yes, if you want to do this? I ask.
“God, yes, I do.” He says and grabs his wallet and pulls out a condom. He rolls it on quickly. He crawls up my body like a man on a mission. He positions himself at my entrance, and he pushes into me, and my face contorts in pain. A realization dawns on his face. “Neveah, are you a virgin?”
“Yes,” I say, and I can feel my face burn in embarrassment.
“Oh, Neveah,” he says pulling back.
“No, Tj, I want this. I want you.”
“I want you too. I’ll be gentle, sweetie,” he says, kissing me softly. He pushes in slowly at first, and then he pushes in quickly the last bit. My eyes get watery, and I grip his shoulders tightly.
He moves in and out until the pain I felt now feels exquisite. Our moans echo in the wooden cabin. The bed creaks from our movements, and we wouldn’t care if the bed broke. He puts his thumb on my clit and moves in tight circles, and I feel my stomach tighten; an orgasm rips through my whole, and I scream out his name. He keeps moving as he chases his orgasm and lets out a guttural yell as he reaches his climax.
We have sex two more times, once in the bed and the last in the shower. I fall asleep in his muscular arms, and I feel safe.
I wake on a jolt forgetting where I am and remembering when I look to the left and see him. Tj is sleeping peacefully, one of his arms across his rock-hard abs and the other over his face. I can’t believe what I did, and I am mortified. I put on my clothes quietly and as fast as I could. I grab my backpack, sneak out of the cabin, and run toward our campsite. I see Henry pacing near the tent, and he sees me and looks angry.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Henry yells.
“Where the fuck was I? You have some nerve, Henry,”
“Look, I’m sorry. I got worried when I came back here and couldn’t find you.”
“I’m safe. When did you get back?” I ask.
“About an hour ago,” Henry laughs.
“I guess we both did the walk of shame.” I laugh.
“Yeah, I guess so. Wait! What? You had sex?” Henry screeches. “Details, I need details.”
“I’ll tell you on the drive home.”
It’s not a big deal. It’s not like I’ll ever see Tj again.
By Sylcastillo14
Neveah
My Mama used to tell me that I'd lose my head if it weren't attached. Today has been one of those days. First, I ran over a plank of wood that punctured my tire. My Papi, my hero, came and changed the tire and switched cars with me so I wouldn't be late for work again. He was going to take my car to the shop to get new tires for me.
I get my ass to work just in the nick of time, and I run to my nursing unit as rounds are about to start. I get my assignments and find my best friend Henry at the coffee kiosk. He looks me up and down and shakes his head.
"What?" I ask him taking the coffee he offers me.
"Bitch, you got two different shoes on!"
"No, I don't...." I say, looking down and seeing clear as day. One blue and one black nursing clog. "Oh fuck!"
"Did you get dressed in the dark?" He laughs.
"Shut it up! I have extra clothes in my bag with sneakers."
"That's right. You're only working four hours today."
"Yup, it's my besties' birthdays today!"
"I'll try to make it by later, but if not, tell my besties Happy Birthday."
"I will," I say with a smile, and we go to our separate departments.
My shift went without a hitch except for Mr. Jones getting naked multiple times during the day. Working in the memory care unit can be entertaining and heartbreaking all at the same time. I redress Mr. Jones for the fifth time this shift, and I look at the time, and it's the end of my shift. I run to the time clock and tap my badge against it to clock myself out. I run to the locker room and get dressed. As I walk out, I see Henry and wave goodbye to him.
I meet Papi in the parking lot, and he tosses me my keys, and I toss him his keys. I get in my car and adjust my mirror, seeing my smiling twin besties.
"Mommy!" They both squeal out.
"Babies, how was school today?" I ask, noticing a note safety-pinned onto Norah's shirt. "Norah, what did you do, Mija?" Her eyes fill with tears as she grips another paper in her hand. I take the sheet from her tiny hands. It's a flyer for the Father/Daughter dance next month. My Papi took her last year, and they had so much fun.
"Nowah, hitted Twabis," Noah says, touching his twin sister's arm.
"Norah hit Travis," I repeat.
"That's I say, Mama," Noah says,
"Why did you hit Travis, Norah?" I ask, and again I get crickets from her: Norah's protector, Noah, chimes in again.
"She hitted him 'cause he said Nowah can't go to the dance, 'cause her don't have a daddy," he says, adjusting his eyeglasses. That little boy Travis is a little shit! Kids can be so hurtful, no matter the age.
"Norah, it's okay Papa can take you. Remember what I always tell you?"
"Yes, Mama. We have a super Papa." Norah says, and I finally get a smile from her.
"He gots superpowers, right Mama?" Noah says.
"Right!" I yell, making them giggle. "Where are we going?"
"To the doctors," they both say.
"What's going to happen there?" I ask.
"We gonna get shots," Noah says sadly. I have prepped them every night for the last two weeks.
"It's so you don't get sick, honey," I say, noticing him drifting off to sleep. "Oh, no, you don't. Noah, wake up! Where are we going after the doctors?"
"The Trampoline park!" They scream out.
"For what?"
"Our birthday party," Norah sings out.
"How old are you today?" I ask. They have the biggest grins, and their matching blue eyes twinkle in the sunlight. I look at my dark brown eyes and back at their light eyes in the mirrorâ?"his eyes.
"Four!" they squeal, holding up four fingers. I pull into the parking lot of the pediatrician's office, and I see the fear in their faces.
"It's okay, my loves. It'll be over so fast." I open the backdoor, and they unfasten themselves, and I help each of them out of the car. "Ready?" I ask, and they nod as I take them by their hands and lead them into the office.
We checked in, and I was informed that Dr. Reyes had an emergency and had to leave for the day, but they could squeeze us in with another doctor. We've never seen Dr. Jones before, but I'm worried about Noah. He's been falling asleep a lot and seems tired all the time. I want to make sure he's okay.
"Anything concerning you today, Mama?" Dr. Jones asks.
"Yes, Noah. He seems tired lately, and he falls asleep everywhere, including at school."
"Seems to me that he may be having a growth spurt. This is normal at this age. Let's check their hearts and get those S.H.O.T.S done," she says. As she is about to put the stethoscope on Noah's chest, there is a knock on the door. "Come in."
"Dr. Jones, there is an emergency call from the hospital." The medical assistant Jessica says.
"I'm so sorry," Dr. Jones says with an apologetic smile.
"It's okay, go ahead," I say, and Dr. Jones leaves the room just as I get a text.
Henry: I got coverage. I'll see you at the party.
Me: Yay, the kids will be thrilled to see you!
There is a knock on the door, and Jessica returns with two trays of vaccines.
"Sorry, Dr. Jones got called away to the hospital. She asked that I give Norah and Noah their vaccines."
"That's fine. Okay, kiddos, we have to be brave," I say, picking up Noah first, and he takes it like a champ. Are there tears, of course, but he doesn't put up a fight. On the other hand, Norah was like baby hulk fighting.
We finish up and head to the trampoline park for their birthday, and the shots are long forgotten. Henry and my Papi are waiting at the front entrance for us. The kids see Henry, and they tear off into his waiting arms. Henry has been in my life since we were in the seventh grade, and the boys would tease him because he was openly gay. I was his protector, and he was mine when the girls in high school bullied me for having big tits. Oh, how I love him.
I invited all their preschool classmates, and they all showed, which made my babies so happy. Even that little shit Travis is here. I fill Henry in on the whole Travis drama as Papi takes the kids to jump so we can have a little break. Every time Travis would pass Henry and me, Henry would give him the evil eye.
"Stop, he's just a little boy. A shitty little boy but just a boy."
"I'll trip him on the trampoline." He laughs. "I remember when you got pregnant with them. It seems like it was yesterday."
"Yeah, it was all your fault," I roll my eyes and laugh.
"Bitch, how did I make you lose your virginity to that guy?"
"Bitch, you begged me to go to music festival camp to be your wing-woman. Once we got there, you found your prey, and I got left by myself. He got ditched too, so we spent the time together."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," he bit back a smile at the memory.
"Yeah, I was young and dumb. But, look at them. They're my proudest achievement."
"I'm proud of you bitch. You did the damn thing. You finished nursing school all while nursing not one but two babies!"
"I needed to do it for them. In reality, I did it to prove that I could do it." I say, getting emotional. We look over at Papi with the kids jumping. Henry hugs me and laughs. "What?"
"Bitch, I hate to break it to you, but those babies look nothing like you. They have light skin tones, blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair. Here you are looking like Selma Hayek. What was his name again?"
"I know they look exactly like their father. His name is Tj, or that's what he told me. When I found out I was pregnant, I was on campus, and I saw him, and he acted like he didn't know who I was. He said I was batshit crazy, and I slapped him. They don't need him." I sigh. "Let's change the subject," I say as I see Noah approaching. He looks like he had water poured over him. "Honey, you're so sweaty." I notice that he is breathing a bit hard. "Are you okay, Noah?"
"I want water," he starts, and his eyes go to the back of his head. My baby boy collapses in my arms.
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 2
Neveah
Noah is pried from my arms by Henry, and he checks for a pulse, and Henry's face goes white as a sheet. He pulls off Noah's shirt and begins compressions and rescue breaths. I can't help but scream for my baby boy. Henry looks back at me, and he looks at my Papi.
"Gerardo, please get her the fuck out of here." He pleads. He continues his tireless compressions and breathing. It seems like an eternity, and finally, a little cry comes out. "That's it, mijo breath for me."
"Oh, my god, is he okay?" I cry out.
"He's breathing, but it's labored. Is the fucking ambulance here?"
"Hey, watch your mouth." A woman shouts out.
"Mind, your fucking business, you bitch," Henry yells with tears in his eyes.
"Henry, calm down." Papi scolds. "Looks like the ambulance is here now."
"Coming through! Move out of the way, please." The E.M.T. yells out. "What happened?"
"He came up to his mother and me after jumping, and he was out of breath and very sweaty, and he passed out." Henry fills in the E.M.T. named Joseph. He puts his stethoscope against Noah's chest.
"Does he have any heart issues?" Joseph asks.
"No, he had his physical today. Wait, she didn't check his heart. The doctor got interrupted. What did you hear?"
"It's just a bit irregular. We'll take him to the hospital and do an EKG. I have room for one more in my rig. Dad, you want to join us?"
"I'm not his dad. I'm his uncle." Henry says. "Neveah, do you want to go?"
"Henry, can you go with Noah? Mija is in no shape to go with him." Papi says, holding Norah and me in his arms. My poor Norah is inconsolable.
"Mama, will Noah be with Jesus like Nana did?" She cries.
"No, honey, they will see what's making him sick."
"You Prowmise?" I break down, and Papi takes Norah out of my arms. I watch helplessly as they take my baby boy into the ambulance, and Henry runs over to me and kisses my forehead.
"He won't be alone, baby girl. I'll be there with him." Henry says as he runs onto the waiting rig.
My Papi drives us thirty minutes to the hospital, but it feels like hours. The hospital where Henry and I work. My cousin Samantha who was at the party took Norah for me. We go into the emergency room, and I scan everyone looking for Henry. I finally see him sitting on a chair in the corner of the waiting room. His hands are pulling on the strands of his long hair. He does this when he is scared or worried. My heart stammers in my chest.
"What happened?" I cry, and he hugs me tightly. "Tell me what happened?"
"Sit down," Henry says.
"Henry, tell me if my baby is alive or not?" I cry out.
"Baby, he coded again, and they were able to get his heart started again," Henry says with huge tears falling down his face.
"I can't lose my baby. I can't." I cry and fall to my knees.
"Mi Amor, he's in a good hospital. They will figure out what is going on."
Papi, Henry, and I sit in the waiting room, and my stomach is in knots, waiting for news about Noah. I pace the room, and Henry sits me back down. We repeated this about ten times until a doctor came out looking for me.
"Parents of Noah Villa?" the doctor says.
"That's me," I say, standing up.
"I'm Dr. Galli," he says with his hand outstretched to me.
"Neveah," I say, shaking his hand. "How's my baby?"
"He's stable for now. He ran a battery of tests and found out that he has a mitral valve defect. Is there any family history of this condition in your family? Or Noah's father's side of the family."
"Not on my side. I'm not sure of his father's side. I have no contact with his father and no way of contacting him. What can be done for this?"
"He needs to have surgery to repair this. Usually, this condition is found quickly after birth, and surgery is done immediately. There is a doctor specializing in this specific type of surgery, and he is the head of the pediatric cardiology department. His name is Dr. Thomas Orozco, and he is based in San Francisco Bay Area."
"That's a five-hour drive," I say.
"It's a forty-five-minute flight. We'll be flying Noah there, and they are contacting Dr. Orozco as we speak. You can fly there on your own or drive. Noah will be in the best hands."
"Okay, I want to see my son before they take him," I cry.
"Of course, also, I will have you sign the consents. They usually start the surgery as soon as the patient gets there. And time is of the essence. Let's get you back to see your son. We have given him a sedative because we don't want him to get worked up."
He walks us through a corridor that I walked through just this morning. I'm shaking, and Henry grips my hand tightly. I don't know what I would do without him and Papi. We enter a very sterile room, and my breath catches when I see Noah attached to many monitors and an IV in his tiny arm. The beeping of the machines echoes in my ears as I approach my little boy. His eyes are closed, and his breathing is shallow.
"Please fight, Noah. We need you here with us," I say while running my fingers through his wet, dirty blonde hair. "I love you so much." I kiss this chubby cheek, and I weep.
"Noah, I love you, buddy, and we will be there when you walk up. I promise that we will watch all the Power Rangers you want." Henry says while crying. My Papi is too emotional to speak. He kisses Noah's tiny hands repeatedly.
"Excuse me?" A young male nurse says. "The transport team is ready for him. my name is Anthony, and I'll be with Noah on the flight. I'll be the one to contact you when they take off, land and when they are about to start the surgery. When you arrive, I'll be the one to give you updates from Dr. Orozco."
"Thank you so much, Anthony," I say. "We will be heading out to the Bay Area right now. We will see you in about five hours or so."
Anthony pushes Noah through the door on the gurney. He's careful not to disturb machine lines that are attached to Noah.
I feel like my world is crashing down around me. Please, God, be with my baby.
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 3
Thomas
Beep, beep, beep. Damn it, and I just fell asleep. My hospital pager is going off, and I roll over. My phone starts to ring, and I finally get my ass up to answer it. I know it must be important.
"Orozco," I answer as I rub my eyes.
"Dr. Orozco, it's Penny," she says. Fuck if she's calling me to hook up again. I'm going to be pissed.
"What's up, Penny?"
"We have a patient en route with a mitral valve defect from Southern California. He coded twice."
"How old is the baby?"
"He's four years old," She says. My eyes go wide because these issues are detected at birth.
"Four! They just now found this?"
"That's what they are telling us," she says. "I'm going to send you the chart to go over it. We have an OR booked already, so we can prep him for surgery once the patient gets here. Go over the chart and let me know if we need to do anything special for the case."
"Thanks, Pen." See you soon."
"Thanks, Thomas," she says. "Hey, Tommy?
"Penny, let's keep this professional, please."
"Yes, sorry, Dr. Orozco."
I get up and jump in the shower, and once I'm done, I grab my IPAD and read Noah Villa's chart. There is no family history of heart issues on the maternal side, but the paternal side is unknown as the father is not in his life. That makes me sick to think a man would do that to his flesh and bloodâ?"what a piece of shit. I noticed that he has a blood type of AB, which is rare. I grab my phone and call Penny.
"Hi, Dr. Orozco," she says.
"Penny, check the stock of AB blood products, please,"
"Hold on, let me call downstairs." She says. As I wait, I brush my teeth, look at myself in the mirror, and see the faint silverly scar that runs the center of my chest. "Dr. Orzoco, the lab says they have none, but they can ask Oakland Children's Hospital."
"Shit, okay, I'm leaving now. Tell the lab to expect me so I can donate blood."
"Will do! See you in a few minutes."
I enter my parking garage and jump into my black two-seater, Maserati. The newest model and boy, it's a beauty. I get to the hospital quickly, and I'm glad I have my parking spot. All the heads of departments have one. I'm the youngest department head at the age of thirty-one years old. I walk into the hospital and run into the lab. They are all prepped and ready for me.
"Dr. Orozco, you are such a gem for donating blood to patients. Not a lot of the docs do that." Morgan, the head lab tech, says with a smile.
"Well, that's a shame," I say, sitting down. She preps me and gives me a blue squeezy ball to squeeze. I put in my earbuds, and I listen to music. The earbuds alert me to a phone call from my brother Toby. "Toby, what's up."
"Hey Tommy, are you on the Villa case?" He asks.
"Yeah, why?"
"I will be doing the physical therapy post-operatively."
"Good, I need someone that will be on the same page as me."
"Talk to you later, Hermano," Toby says.
"Later, gator," I say, hanging up. I'm finished donating blood in about thirty minutes. Morgan gives me some cookies and juice. "Thank you, Morgan. I will have my scrub nurse call for the blood when we are ready."
"I already have a sample from the patient, and we will do the necessary testing on your blood, per hospital guidelines. But it shouldn't be a problem."
I head to the locker room, changing into my surgical scrubs and Power Ranger surgical cap, and I get in the elevator and head up to the baby nursery. My tradition before every surgery I do. I stare and the tiny babies and smile. It gives me peace, but today it makes me feel like something is missing. I stand there and sigh.
"Wow, that was a deep sigh," I turn and see Tatiana. My baby sister. "You okay, Hermano?"
"Hey, sissy, I'm okay. I'm just thinking about when I'll find the one to settle down with and start a family."
"What about Penny?" she asks.
"Penny? What about her?"
"I thought you were together."
"What, no, who told you that?"
"She did."
"What the fuck? We hooked up twice, and I told her I just wanted to be friends."
"Are you sure she understood?"
"Tati, I reminded her again this morning. I have to go. I need to scrub in for surgery. Is one of these new babies your patient?"
"Yup, good luck on your surgery Tommy. One day you'll find your person."
"Thanks, Tati," I say and fist-bump her. I make my way over to the surgical floor and see Penny. I peek into my patient's room, and he's aloneâ?"poor little guy. "How long until his family is here?" I ask, and she shrugs. I hate when she does that.
"About four hours." A male nurse says. I've never seen him before. "I'm Anthony, and I was his transport nurse on the flight."
"Nice to meet you, Anthony. What department do you work in?"
"Pediatric Cardiology in Los Angeles Children's Hospital under Dr. Galli," Joseph says. "I'm Dr. Galli's scrub nurse."
"How would you like to scrub in today. You know the patient and understand what is going on, which can benefit me."
"What?" Penny complains. "I'm your scrub nurse."
"I promised the family that I would keep them updated," Anthony says. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes."
"Penny can do that. Penny, you're an excellent scrub nurse, no doubt, but today I need Anthony in there with me." I say. She nods but rolls her eyes when she thinks I'm not looking at her. I hear faint crying, and I realize it's my patient. I go into the room near the side of the bed and touch his light brown hair. "Hi, buddy."
"Mama, mama," he cries.
"I know, bud, you'll see mama as soon as we make you all better," I say. I notice him looking at my Power Rangers scrub cap. "You like the Power Rangers?" He nods slowly. "Which one do you like?"
"The wed one," he says quietly.
"The red one! Me too! He's so cool!" I smile broadly at him. he finally gives me a tiny smile. "Anthony, can you please take my new pal to the OR for me?"
"Sure thing Dr. Orzoco," Anthony says.
"I see, Mama?" Noah asks as his lip trembles.
"Not yet, buddy. We'll give you some medicine to help you take a nap. I'll fix your sick heart; you'll see Mama after that. Anthony, give me fifteen minutes, and I'll be down there."
I go down the hall into an empty room, put in my Airpods, and push play on my phone. The sounds of AC/DC's Back in Black and start doing arm and neck stretches. I finish my little jumping up and down ritual, leave the room, nod my head to the music, and take the elevator down to the OR. I wash my hands, and Penny takes the Airpods out of my ears when I nod that the song is over. I put my feet into the sterile booties as I walk into the OR. I put my hands up and put sterile gloves and gowns on by Anthony.
"Thank you, everyone, for being here today; it looks like we're in for a long one," I say. My surgical team nods at me. "Let's do this!"
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 4
Thomas
My whole body is sore from standing on my feet for the last five hours deep in this little boy's chest. It was more involved than we initially thought, but it looks pretty good. We are ready to take him off bypass and get his heart doing what it needs to do on its own. This is always the part that makes me hold my breath until I see the heart pink up and beat on its own.
"Let's take him off of bypass, Dr. Chavez, please," I say to my Cardiopulmonlogist who helped out today. She turns it off and gives me the thumbs up. I stand there with bated breath. "Penny, let the family know we will be done here in about an hour," I say into a microphone and look up into the gallery.
"Yes, Dr. Orozco and Dr. Orozco, would you like the usual?"
"Yes, please, and get one for yourself and Anthony," I say. My tradition is to get an In and Out Burger after every surgery. I usually watch my diet, but this is a little gift to myself. I look back at Noah; nothing is happening, and my heart is pounding in my chest. I give it a gentle thump. "Come on, come on." Machines start screeching that sound that no surgeon wants to hear, the sound of a flat line. "NO! Noah, don't do this. I'm going to do manual compressions. Stand by for instructions on shocking his heart if we need to."I put my hands around his tiny heart and gently squeeze his heart.
"Come on, Noah," Anthony says in an almost whisper. "Mama is waiting for you."
"You hear that, buddy? Your Mama is waiting for you." I say. I'm getting anxious. "Okay, I am going to stop compressions." I take a deep breath, let go of his heart, and step back. It's so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The machines come to life, and it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. "Now that's how it's done! Dang, kid almost gave me a heart attack."
I usually let my surgical resident Fabian close up, but I wanted to do it myself. In case we had to open his chest again. I take my time and do the sutures I have perfected over the years that will cause minimal scarring. Anthony goes to talk to mom while I sit at Noah's bedside in the ICU. I document everything in his chart and step away to get a bite to eat in the on-call room. I take the first bite, and my pager goes off, and it's Noah's room. I swallowed what was in my mouth and ran down the hall. I run into his room and look around at the nurses for them to tell me what is happening. I examine him to ensure all his leads are hooked and notice his blood pressure is low. I grab a vial of Hydrocortisone, and as I am about to administer it through his IV, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Kingsly, enters the room.
"Orozco, I need a word with you," Dr. Kingsly says.
"Let me just administer this medication, and I'm all yours."
"Philips will take over from here," Kingsly says.
"Noah Vega is my patient," I say adamantly.
"Thomas, this is a direct order. Move away from the patient now."
"Fine, what the hell is going on."
"Let's go to my office."
I give my patient to Dr. Phillips and walk down the hallway with Dr. Kingsly. I see Toby as I'm walking down the hall, and he puts his hands up in a what's up gesture, and I shrug my shoulders. All the thoughts going through my head are getting away with me. Maybe Penny got mad that I won't date her, and perhaps she made a complaint that I let Anthony be my scrub nurse today.
We finally reach his office, and there is the hospital lawyer. Shit, this can't be good.
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 5
Neveah
I have been waiting on pins and needles for my baby boy's surgery to be over. Penny, the doctor's nurse, has come out multiple times to give us updates. Every time the surgical waiting room door opens, I look up to see if it's Penny. I get agitated when it's not her, but Henry and Papi calm me down. They have been a godsend keeping me busy with Henry and his crazy dating stories. I know Papi doesn't want to know about Henry's sex life. My phone rings, and it's my cousin Samantha on facetime. I answer it quickly and see my baby girl on the screen. She has been crying, and it breaks my heart.
"My love," I say, getting choked up.
"Mommy, I want you." She cries. "I want to see brudder."
"I know you want to see your brother, but he is getting his heart fixed."
"Mommy!" she cries. "I'm scared. I don't want to go Mimis here. I want you."
"Honey, you need to sleep there just for tonight. Papa will pick you up tomorrow." I can't deal with this. She has never been away from Noah or me since they were born. "Can I talk to Tia Samantha?"
"I'm so sorry, Veah, she hasn't stopped crying since we came home. She's just lying on the carpet crying. I offered her pizza and ice cream, but she won't eat." She sighs. The waiting room door opens, and Anthony comes in, making my heart beat faster. It makes me freak out because it has only been Penny to give us updates. "Samantha, I'll you back. Noah's nurse just walked in."
"Anthony, please tell me he's okay," I start to cry and shake.
"Neveah, he's okay. Surgery just finished, and he's going to ICU right now."
"Thank God, how did the surgery go?"
"I'm not going to lie; Noah is okay now, but we did have a scary moment, but he pulled through just fine."
"What happened?"
"His heart had trouble after being taken off of bypass. Dr. Orzoco was amazing there and got his heart beating again by doing heart massages. He will be sitting in the ICU overnight to keep an eye on him."
"He's doing that himself? Doesn't he have staff to do that for him?"
"Yes, but his staff told me he sits with all the high-risk cases. I was in awe in there. Noah is in great hands."
"When can I see him?" I ask.
"Since he is just out of surgery, the ICU would like family to wait to come up."
"How long?"
"You know what, let me check with Dr. Orozco, and I'll see if you can see him tonight for a few minutes," Anthony says, and I launch myself at him and hug the hell out of him, causing him to grunt.
"Thank you, Anthony. Tell Dr. Orozco I said thank you as well."
"It's was our pleasure. You'll get to talk to Dr. Orozco tomorrow. He'll go over the next steps with you. Give me a moment to get some food, and I'll come back."
"No, go eat and rest. I'll be waiting for you here."
"You should eat as well, Neveah. I'm almost certain that you haven't eaten anything." Anthony says.
"And you would be right," I laugh. "I'll grab something to eat."
"I'll make sure she eats," Henry says. "Thank you for taking care of my bestie Noah. I appreciate it very much."Anthony nods and walks out the door. "Okay bitch, what do you want to eat?"
"Anything, everything. Sushi?" I smile.
"You're such a brat, but okay, I'll get you sushi. I have a friend in the area. I'll call him and ask him what the best spot to get sushi this late."
"Mija, do you want me to go be with Norah?" Papi asks.
"Would you?" I ask.
"Of course, I would. Now that I know Noah is out of surgery, I can leave. I will come back in the morning."
"Thank you, Papi. I love you so much."
"Love you more, Mi Vida. See you in the morning."
I finally let myself take a deep breath and relax for a bit. I'm alone in the waiting room, so I turn on the TV and find they have Netflix, and I get excited. I log into my account and find the last episode of Jane the Virgin I watched last night. I love this show, and it gives me all the feels. I use the vending machine and grab a coke and chips because I'm starving and can't wait for Henry to come back. The door opens as I put a chip into my mouth.
"Bitch, you couldn't wait for me to bring you food." Henry laughs.
"Sorry, I was starving. Where is the Sushi?"
"It's in the hallway. My friend works at the hospital, and I wanted you to meet him."
"Okay, I would love to meet him." I look at Henry and see a blush come over his cheeks. "Why, Henry Vasquez, are you blushing?" I laugh. He playfully hits my shoulder.
"Bitch, shut your face, let me grab him." Henry laughs. He comes back into the room, and my heart falls into the pit of my stomach. I must look like I've seen a ghost. "Neveah, what's wrong?"
"You ain't gonna slap me in the face again, are you?" he says. I never thought I'd see his face again, yet here he stands.
"Tj?"
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 6
Thomas
I stand in Kingsly's office and see the lawyer Moriah Bennet standing in front of the desk. She looks at me, and her eyes give nothing away. She motions to the chair, telling me to sit down. I shake my head and continue staring at the two of them.
"Dr. Orozco, you may want to sit down for what we are about to tell you," Moriah says.
"With all due respect, please tell me what's going on. I have a patient that I need to follow up on."
"I was alerted about something while you were finishing your surgery." Dr. Kingsly says.
"What were you alerted about?" I ask, getting agitated. A knock on the door, and Dr. Kingsly's assistant comes in.
"I'm so sorry, Dr. Kingsly, but there is an emergency in the OR, and they request that you and Moriah come down immediately."
"Shit, okay, Orozco, do not leave the hospital. I will call you when we are ready for you."
"Can I go home and get some sleep?" I say, yawning.
"No, sleep in my private on-call room." He says gruffly.
"Fine," I say. I take the elevator to the ICU floor. I'm going to take a quick peek; it won't hurt. I see Phillips and lift my chin at him. "How is Noah Villa?"
"Better after the Hydrocortisone. Get some rest, man. I got this." He says with a smile. I see Penny and Anthony and motion my eyes to the on-call door. I open the door and see that my food is there, and my stomach growls. The door opens, and both Penny and Anthony come in.
"Did anyone see you come in here?" I ask. I bite my burger, and it's so good, even cold.
"You know I'm good at sneaking into on-call rooms. Well, I used to be." Penny laughs.
"Penny, stop it now," I say. Anthony looks between us, looking uncomfortable. You and me both, dude.
"What's up, Dr. Orozco?" Anthony asks.
"They took me off Noah Villas's case. I need to make sure he is taken care of correctly."
"Why did they do that?" Penny asks.
"I have no fucking clue."
"What do you need from us?" Anthony asks.
"If something happens, come and get me right away. Don't page Phillips get me first. I must ensure that Noah Villa gets to see his Mama again."
"What do I get out of it? Penny asks.
"If you don't want to help, don't, Penny," I say.
"I'll do it. I want Noah's Mama to see her baby boy again." Anthony says.
"Fine, I'll help too," Penny says. "Anthony, can I talk to Dr. Orozco alone, please?" Anthony looks at me to see if I am okay with this. I nod at him. Wow, I like this kid. Anthony leaves the room, and I look at Penny. "Tommy, what's going on?"
"What do you mean, Penny?"
"You said to give you space, and I did. It's been over eight months, and you haven't wanted to be with me."
"Penny, I didn't say give me space. I said that I couldn't be what you wanted me to be. I'm sorry, Penny, I don't have the same feelings you have for me. I didn't want to hurt you, but we were only together once."
"Well, I thought we had a connection."
"I'm so sorry, Penny, but I can't."
"Is there someone else?"
"No, Penny, there isn't."
"Would you tell me if there was?"
"I would like to think that I would."
"Maybe one day you'll be mine." She says, touching my forearm.
"Penny, please stop. I don't want you to get your hopes up."
"Have you ever met anyone that made your world stop?"
"Yes, but that seems like a lifetime ago."
"Get sleep. We'll come and get you if anything happens," Penny says. She had sadness in her eyes, but what I said needed to be said.
I eventually fall asleep and dreams of a girl that keeps getting away from me. I call her name, but she keeps running off. I feel a tap on my shoulder and awake with a start forgetting where I am for a second. I see Anthony standing over me, and I look at my watch. I've been asleep for two hours. I sit up quickly and stand up.
"Fill me in, Anthony," I say, putting on my shoes.
"All his machines are going haywire, and we can't seem to find the cause. We know his blood pressure spikes and goes low."
"Fuck!" I say, running down the hall. "Where is Phillips?"
"Sleeping,"
We look around the hall, and it's empty, and we sneak into Noah's ICU room. I take my stethoscope from around my neck. Fuck he's crashing again, and there is no time to get him to the OR. Anthony can see that urgency, and he grabs the crash cart. I get in a sterile gown and gloves as Anthony sprays sterile betadine on Noah's chest. I cut his sutures open, reopened his chest, and noticed that he had large clots in his chest. This is what is causing all the havoc in his little chest. As I am about to remove the clot, the glass door slides open.
"Orozco, step away from him now." Dr. Kingsly yells.
"No, he will die unless I remove these clots and take him to the OR to close him up."
"Someone get security now," Orozco says.
"I told you I'm not stopping." As I get the suction, I say I begin to suction the clots out. I grab the clots that are too big with my hands." I see the security out of the corner of my eyes. I know his name is Marcus, but we all call him Thor. " Don't touch me, Thor."
"Come on, Doc, I don't want to tackle you, but I will."
"If this little boy dies, it will be your fault."
"Thomas, you can't treat Noah Villa," Dr. Kingsly says.
"The fuck I can!"
"You can't."
"Why are you doing this. Why can't I treat my patient?" I say, but I'm not stopping what I'm doing.
"Thomas. He. Is. Your. Son."
He's my what?
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 7
Neveah
Five years ago
I'm sitting on my bathroom floor, staring at the ten positive pregnancy tests in front of me. I feel the bile rise in my throat, and I get sick for the tenth time today. Henry is knocking on the door, and I know he knows something isn't right with me. Tears fall down my face as I realize my life is about to be flipped upside-down completely.
"Neveah, please let me come in." Henry pleads after he hears me sobbing. I muster the strength to get up, unlock the door, and slide back down the wall when he enters the bathroom. He looks down on the floor and sees the tests. "Holy shit, Veah."
"Tell me about it." I cry, and he sits on the floor with me and hugs me to his chest. I sobbed into his chest for what seemed hours. "What am I going to do? I can't be a mama. My Papi and Mami will flip the fuck out."
"Whatever you decide, I will be here every step of the way," Henry says, kissing my head.
"What do I do?" I cry.
"First things first, how late are you on your period?"
"I'm about seven weeks late?"
"Bitch! Seven weeks?"
"I was hoping my period would come, and when it didn't, I went into denial. I started to feel nauseated a week ago."
"Let me call Josie. She works in the Student Health Center; she can get you an appointment," he says, leaving the room. I remain seated on the bathroom floor in complete shock. "Hey, they have a cancellation and can see you in half-hour."
"What will they do?"
"Well, they'll do an ultrasound to see how far you are. Depending on what you decide, the doctor will make a plan."
"By plan, you mean they will schedule an abortion if I decide to have one?"
"Yes, is that what you're leaning towards?"
"I don't know, Henry. I know I can't be a mama right now."
"Baby girl, it's okay. Let's take it one step at a time. Let's go."
We drive down to the clinic, and my legs feel like lead as I walk across the parking lot. Henry puts his arm around my shoulders, and he kisses the side of my head. He opens the door of the clinic, and he ushers me in quickly because the other students are so nosey. The front desk girl gave me a urine cup and advised me to leave it in the little window in the bathroom. I'm adamant that I want Henry in the exam room with me. I get undressed and put on the paper gown that rips as soon as I sit on the exam table, making Henry and I laugh. The door opens, and the doctor comes in with his nurse.
"Neveah, I'm Dr. Martinez, and this is Josie. She has to be in here to be a chaperone." He says, sitting on the stool in front of me. "You're indeed pregnant, but we need to do an ultrasound to see how far along you are. Do you want to see the ultrasound?"
"I don't want to see it." I cry.
"Josie, is the volume turned down?" Dr. Martinez asks her. She nods quickly. I know that it's so I don't hear the heartbeat if there is one. Henry holds my hand tightly as the doctor puts the ultrasound wand into me and begins the ultrasound. There is a woosh wooshing sound coming loudly from the ultrasound. The doctor freezes and gives a deathly stare at Josie.
"Let me see. Please!" I cry out. Hearing my baby's heart beating made me feel protective and so much love.
"Neveah, are you sure?" Dr. Martinez says.
"I want to see my baby." I cry out. "Henry, tell him I want to see my baby."
"Okay, sweet girl." He says and nods at the doctor. He flips the screen, and I see my baby on the screen. I'm shocked at how developed the baby is; tears escape my eyes, blinding me. I wipe my eyes with the tissue that Josie hands me. "Holy shit," Henry yells out.
"What's the matter with my baby," I say, startled.
"Nothing at all," Dr. Martinez smirks. "It's just that there are two of them. Neveah, you are having twins." He points at the monitor, and I see two babies. My two babies.
"Henry! I'm having twins." I yell out.
"Bitch, this is crazy, but I'm here for you."
I found out that I am nine weeks, and I'm always bad at remembering my period, and I guess I was later than I thought. Henry has a study group and offered to drive me home, but I want to walk home to think of how I'll tell my parents that I'm not only am I pregnant but pregnant with twins. I walk down by the Frat Row, where all the fraternity's houses are, and see a group of guys throwing a football around. I look up and see him standing there. I see TJ walk over to the patch of grass they are playing on. I wave at him, and he looks at me like I'm crazy. He points to himself, and I nod.
"Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" I ask. He shrugs, and all his friends make cat-calling noises at us. "Can we talk over there in private?"
"Okay, I guess," He says. We walk down the block little ways. I turn and look at him.
"I'm pregnant," I blurt out quickly. "With twins." He looks at me, confused.
"Uh, congratulations. I guess?"
"You guess?" I ask, irritated.
"Why are you even telling me this?"
"Because you got me pregnant!" I yell.
"What the fuck are you talking about, lady? I've never seen you before in my life."
"Wow, I thought you were different. These babies and I will be better off without you."
"You're fucking bat shit crazy. I feel bad for those babies." He says with a laugh causing me to snap.
"Fuck you, asshole!" I yell, get on my tiptoes, and slap the taste out of his mouth.
I run off and look back at him as he wipes blood from his nose, sees me looking at him, and flips me off.
Present-day
I'm stunned when I see TJ standing before me, and Henry looks at me, confused. I always wondered what I would say if I saw him again after that slap. Tj's phone goes off, and he looks at it. He leaves the room without another word, and Henry approaches me.
"What the fuck was that about Neveah?" he asks. As I am about to speak, the door opens, and in walks Penny and Anthony, and my heart falls.
"What's wrong? What happened to my baby?" I start to panic. Henry comes and hugs me to him.
"He had blood clots and was removed in an emergency bedside procedure by Dr. Orozco. Noah is in the OR now getting sutured back up by Dr. Phillips."
"Who is Dr. Phillips?" Henry asks. "Where is Dr. Orzoco?"
"Dr. Kingsly, the chief surgeon for the hospital, took Dr. Orozco off Noah's case after surgery."
"Why did he make a mistake with my son?" I ask. The door opens, and a woman in comes in. She outstretches her hand to me, and I shake it.
"Miss Villa?" She asks, and I nod. "I'm Moriah Bennett, the Lawyer for the hospital."
"Lawyer? What is going on? Is my son okay," I ask.
"Your son is fine, but I need you to come with me. That is all I can say right now."
"Okay, but he's coming with me," I say, pointing at Henry, and she nods.
We take an elevator to the hospital's business office section and stand in front of the office of the Chief of Surgery. Moriah opens the door, and we are led into the large office in which there is another door. A meeting room is beyond that door. She opens it, and we walk in.
"Neveah?" My name is called, and I look up, and my breath catches. Henry's face must match mine. Total confusion and shock.
Sitting in front of me was Tj, but he wasn't the one that called my name; it was the man sitting next to him.
His identical twin.
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 8
Thomas
He. Is. Your. Son.
His words whirl around my head and ears, and I feel like I'm not in my own body. I look down at my hands and see all his blood on my gloves. My son's blood, and as I realize and think about the words, I start to hyperventilate and freak out. I had my son's heart in my hands. He could have died, and it would have been my fault. I slide down against the wall and sag there. I close my eyes for a second to help shut my mind off, and thoughts are just louder. I feel like I will be sick, and I jump up and make it just in time to the sink. I start to hyperventilate harder, and the room is spinning. I can hear everything going around me, but I can't respond. All I can do is stare at them.
"Shit, he's in shock. Penny, call his brother now." Dr. Kingsly orders.
"Yes, sir," she says, running out of the room.
"Dr. Orozco, Can you hear me?" Anthony says. He bends down to me and removes my gloves and my sterile gown. "I'm going to take off your srub shirt; you have blood on it." He takes off the shirt, and I feel something cold on my neck, and I cringe. "Sorry, Doc, just putting some ice on your neck."
"What the fuck happened to my brother?" I hear Toby say.
"He just found out the little boy he just did surgery on is his son," Anthony says quietly.
"Say what?"
"Yeah, he donated blood, and we had to do all the proper testing, and something flagged, and we ran the DNA." Dr. Kingsly says.
"Wait, is that why you asked me to donate blood?" Toby asked.
"Yes, we needed to make sure it was right."
"You know that I'm gay, right?" Toby laughs. Glad he thinks this is funny. "What do you need me to do?"
"Take him to the on-call room and get him in the shower, and we'll meet in my office conference room." Dr. Kingsly says.
"Okay, buddy, let's get you up and in the shower." Toby helps stand me up.
"Do you need any help?" Penny asks.
"Penny, give it a fucking rest, now," Toby snips at her. "Bro, why did you fuck with her? Esta Loca." We get into the on-call room bathroom. He sits me on the bench and undresses me. I start to shake in sobs, and I can't help it. "Hermano, talk to me."
"I have a son Toby a fucking son! I have missed four years of his life. When I found out that they had no medical history from his father because he wasn't in his life, I called the dad a piece of shit. Well, fuck, I'm the piece of shit." He turns on the shower, and I step in. "I don't even know who the mother is. I've only had two long-term relationships and only once had one nightstand."
"Wait, Mr. respect, all women had a one-night stand? When?"
"When I came down to visit you that weekend of the music festival when you ditched me."
"Hurry so we can find out who your baby mama is?"
I get dressed in the clothes I wore to the hospital: a UCSF t-shirt and Adidas sweat pants. I comb my dirty blonde hair, the hair my siblings and I inherited from our Cuban Papa. I feel a sense of calm over me. For the last few years, I have always thought I was missing something, and now it makes sense that it was himâ?"my son.
"How do I look?"
"Like a doctor that just operated for six hours. You look fine. Let's go." We went up the elevator and walked into the conference room.
"Sit down, Thomas. The mother will be up soon. Did you not know that you had a son?" Dr. Kingsly asks
"No, you think that I would leave my child? No, I wouldn't."
"Don't get worked up, Tommy," Toby says. The door opens, and Moriah walks in.
"Are you ready?" I haven't told her what is going on, but I think she'll figure it out once she sees you." She says, and I nod. She leaves the room again and enters again with two people. I look up, and all the air leaves my body. There stands the girl that got away. The girl that I think about all the time.
"Neveah," I say quietly, and she looks between Toby and me.
"Miss Villa, this is Dr. Thomas Orozco," Moriah says. Realization dawns on her face.
"Wait, you did the surgery on my son?"
"Our son," I correct her. "But, yes, I did."
"Please sit down, Miss Villa," Dr. Kinsly says, and she sits down.
"I wish I knew that I had a son," I say quietly as I get emotional. "Do you think I can speak to you alone?"
"I think that would be best if we did," she says. Everyone nods, and they leave the room.
"I feel cheated. I missed out on four years of my son's life." I say.
"I have something to tell you, Tj, or would you like me to call you Thomas?"
"Either is fine, or you can call me Tommy. What do you want to tell me?" I ask.
"It's not only Noah. He has a twin sister. You have a daughter too."
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 9
Neveah
I always wondered what would happen if I had him in front of me again, but this seems so surreal. He is looking at me, and I feel like he's staring right through me and not giving anything away, and it's freaking me out. His speaking made me jump because of how quiet he was.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I ask.
"What is her name? My daughter, what is her name?" His voice shakes full of emotions.
"Her name is Norah."
"Norah and Noah," he repeats quietly. "I want to know them." I start to get worried, and I think he can tell. "I have the right to get to know my children, Neveah."
"I...I can I think about it? It's a lot to consider. I don't want them to get excited to meet their father and not have a relationship with him."
"Who said I wouldn't want to be in their lives? It's not my fault that I didn't know they existed." He says, hitting the desk with his fists and making me jump. "I'm sorry, but this sucks."
"It's not my fault either, Thomas, I thought Toby was you, and I told him I was pregnant, and he was mean to me, and I slapped him." Thomas has a slight smirk on his face, and it shows the Tj that I met.
"Wait, you're the one that broke Toby's nose?" Thomas laughs.
"I broke his nose?" I ask.
"You sure did. Toby said a girl hit him, but he never said why. I wish he would have known. I would have been there for you. I promise I would have been, Neveah." The door opens, and Nurse Penny comes in the door. "What's up, Penny?"
"Noah is in recovery and doing well." She says, looking at me, and don't miss how she looks at me.
"He's going to be alone and scared." I cry.
"No, he won't. I'm going to sit with him and ensure he isn't scared." Thomas says.
"Tommy, you know that Kingsly won't allow that? Penny says. Thomas gives her a stern look. "Sorry, I mean Dr. Orozco."
"Call Dr. Kingsly in here. Now. Please." Thomas says. Penny nods and leaves the room. We sit in silence for a minute, hear ticking, and look around; I don't see a clock.
"What is that ticking sound?" I asked, still looking around.
"That would be me. My heart has an artificial valve. Noah and I have the same heart defect."
"You have the same thing as Noah? Is his heart going to sound like that?"
"Yes, we have the same condition, and no, his heart will not sound like this. The valves have come a long way. He may not need a revision surgery because of his age."
"Did you have a revision?"
"Yes, but that's only because I had my surgery at two days old. My revision was done at nine years old. Noah's pediatrician missed a critical diagnosis, and Noah could have died. We need to check Norah and ensure her heart is okay, but this usually affects mostly boys and twins." The door opens, and Dr. Kingsly walks in.
"I will allow you, Thomas, to stay in the room with Noah, but you're not allowed to participate in his care, but you may make decisions if it's okay with Miss Villa." Dr. Kingsly says. Thomas nods and looks at me.
"Will that be okay with you, Neveah?" Thomas asks.
"Yes, that is okay with me. Can I see him?" I ask.
"You can see him tomorrow, Miss Villa." I nod. "Thomas, I'll be heading home."
"Yes, sir," Thomas says as Dr. Kingsly leaves. "Neveah, you'll see Noah tonight."
"He just said no, Thomas," I say.
"I heard him, Neveah. You'll see our son tonight. Unless you don't want to."
"I do, but I don't want you to get in trouble."
"I don't give a fuck about that. Let's go." He says, grabbing my hand. His touch sends a familiar zing, and I can't like his touch. My son needs me. "Shhh, be very quiet." We get in the elevator and go to the ICU, and he takes me by the hand again, and we hurry down the hall. We enter his room, and I see him on a vent, and I almost don't recognize him.
"Oh, my sweet baby boy," I cry as I touch his curly blond locks. I kiss his head gently. "Mi Tesoro, te quiero." I turn, and Thomas stands so close behind me that I walk into his chest. He hugs me to him, and I can feel him shaking. He is sobbing uncontrollably. "Shhhhh, Thomas, it's okay."
"Want to know something?" he says through hiccups of tears.
"What?"
"I looked for you."
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 10
Timothy
Five years ago
I roll over in the bed, intending to wrap my arm around Neveah, but her side of the bed is empty. I get up and squint my eyes in the room, looking around for her. I notice the bathroom door is open, and all her stuff is gone. No note was left, or her phone number. She left. Maybe she didn't leave that long ago. I can find her. I throw on basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and my crocs, and I run out of the cabin. I look around the vendors and camping grounds and don't see anyone at this early hour. I do something out of character, and I'm almost embarrassed that I do it. I yell her name.
"Neveah!" I yell.
"Hey, shut the fuck up," someone yells from one of the tents.
"Fuck off," I yell back as I walk back to the cabin. I plop on the bed face down. Worst mistake I made because I faceplant on the pillow she used, which smells like her. "Damn it"
I get in the shower to see if I can get out of this funk. Every inch of this place reminds me of her. She was amazing, and I thought we had a connection that I wanted to see if it went anywhere. I never felt like this with anyone, and when I did, she ghosted me. I know I hardly knew her, but I feel so mad at how sad I feel. I finish getting dressed, and Toby walks in.
"Can we get the fuck out of here?" I snap at him.
"Damn, what the fuck crawled up your ass Timmy," He snaps back.
"I just want to go home."
"What happened?"
"What the fuck do you mean? What happened? You ditched me and left me on my own. We were supposed to spend time together, remember?"
"I'm so sorry, but I met up with my friend, and one thing led to another, and you know how things go."
"It is what it is. Can we go? I say, picking up my duffel bag and find a butterfly clip, her butterfly clip. I pick it up and put it in my pocket. "Can I drive?"
"Whatever gets you in a better mood, hermano," Toby says, handing me the keys.
The drive home was quiet because Toby fell asleep as soon as I hit the freeway. I was listening to music, and the song Eres, the song we kissed too, came on the radio, and a tear slipped out of my eye.
A beeping brings me here and now, and I stand there hugging Neveah in Noah's hospital room. She is looking at me like I lost my damn mind, and I let her go when there is a knock on the glass sliding door. Thor.
"Doc, you know we're boys, but I got to do my job, and she has to leave the floor," Thor says in a whisper though his whisper is still booming. I sigh and nod at him.
"Okay, Thor, give her a second to kiss our son," I say, and he nods. "Go ahead and give him a kiss, Neveah." She walks over and kisses his forehead. She cries, and I squeeze her shoulder gently.
"Please, Timothy, make sure they take care of him,"
"Oh, course I will," I say.
"Timothy, please, if he walks up, don't say anything about being his father."
"Neveah, please, I want to get to know them. Give me that chance."
"Timothy, I have a lot to think about it. Give me time." She says. "Bye, Timothy."
"Wait, give me your phone to put in my number. Call me at any time to check on Noah." I say, and she hands it over, and I put it in.
Once she leaves in the elevator with Thor, I sink into the chair next to Noah's bed. I hold his tiny hand in my own, and I sob uncontrollably. My phone vibrates, and I look at it.
Unknown Number: Timothy, it's Neveah. Please take care of my baby boy.
Me: Our baby boy, and of course I will. I'll text you any updates.
I was being facetious with my text about saying he was our baby boy, but I'm so irritated. I know I irked her when she didn't respond. The door opens, and Toby walks into the room. He runs his hand over Noah's hair, and I see tears falling down his face. He bends down, kisses Noah's temple, and smiles at me.
"Damn, he looks just like us, Timmy."
"I have a daughter, too," I say. Toby's face is comical, and I chuckle. "Noah has a twin sister named Norah."
"You're fucking joking," Toby laughs.
"Nope, it feels so surreal," I say.
"Is she going to let you get to know them?"
"She said that she has to think about it," I say, getting emotional.
"What's she got to think about? They're your kids!" Toby says, getting mad. "Fuck!"
"What?"
"It's my fault that this happened. I should have told you that she came up and told me that she was pregnant."
"No. It's not your fault. Seriously though, did you forget you had an identical twin?"
"No, you never hook up with just anyone. You told me that remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember that." I laugh.
"So.." Toby starts.
"What?" I laugh.
"Henry and Neveah are staying at my place."
"Oh, you mean in the penthouse next to mine," I laugh.
"Sorry, don't be sorry. If she lets me be in the children's lives, it will be easy now with everything going on."
"If? She better!" He says through gritted teeth. "I'm going home."
"Chill, don't say anything. You may fuck things up for me if you do."
"Fine, but I won't hold my tongue if she brings it up. You may want to seek a lawyer if you need one." Toby comes up and kisses the top of my head, and I hug his waist from my sitting position. "Te amo Hermano."
"Te amo, buenas noches."
I'm finally alone in the room with Noah. I check all his machines, and all his vitals look excellent. I take out my phone and text Neveah.
Me: Vitals are excellent. Everything looks great. Get some rest.
Neveah: Thank you, Timothy. Call me if anything changes.
Me: Will do.
Neveah: Timothy, when do they usually wake up after surgery like these?
Me: Normally, we keep the patients sedated for at least two days due to the pain that they go through.
Neveah: Oh no, is he in pain?
Me: No, Neveah, he's not, but when he wakes, we won't be fun to be around. I know from experience, but we will make him as comfortable as possible.
Neveah: Thank you for being there when I couldn't.
Me: He's my son, too, and I would do anything for him and Norah.
A nurse comes in to check Noah's IV and offers me a cot, and I'm grateful for it. I'm exhausted. Before I lay down, I kiss Noah, bend down, and whisper to him.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you and your sissy papito. I'm here now. I love you."
Hours later I awake with a start when someone touches my shoulder, it's Penny, and I sigh. I don't have time for her bullshit today or any other day. I sit up straight when I hear a gurgling from Noah. He's breathing over his vent, and he's moaning. I get up and look at the monitors; everything is still okay. He's trying to wake up, but he should still be sleeping for his body to heal.
"His vent needs to come out," I say quickly. "Penny, I can't touch him, get someone, or I'll do it myself."
"Calm down, Orozco. I'll take it off." Dr. Phillips says with a laugh. I roll my eyes at him, causing him to laugh more. I flip him off.
"Just take it out," I say while holding Noah's hand. Phillips removes the vent while Noah begins to gag. Noah starts to cry, but it's raspy and quiet. "Shhhhh, sweet boy, shhhhh."
"Maaaaaama, Maaaaama," he gasps out. I try to comfort him as best as I can. "MAMA" he shrieks.
"Buddy, let's call mama. Would you like that?" he looks at me with his huge blue eyes with unshed tears. My eyes, to be exact.
I take out my cell and find Neveah's number. My son wants his mama and he's mama he'll get.
| Author Notes | The male Character's name was changed from Thomas to Timothy. (it's a long story LOL) |
By Sylcastillo14
Chapter 11
Neveah
We get in an Uber and end up at a fancy high rise, and I look at Henry in confusion. He takes me by the hand and guides me into the building.
"Is this a hotel?" I ask, looking around.
"No, it's not. Don't get mad, but Toby is letting crash here while baby boy is in recovery."
"Henry! They probably hate me right now." I say with a screech.
"Why would they hate you?"
"I told Timothy I didn't know if I wanted him to have a relationship with the kids." I look at Henry. He's looking at me in disbelief. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You know what, I better get to bed. I'm gonna say something so stupid, and I don't want to fight with you."
"No, say it. You act like this is so easy but it's not!" I yell.
"Neveah, I love you to death, but you're acting like a fucking bitch!"
"Wow, I'm acting like a bitch!
"Neveah, I didn't have a dad growing up you. It was fucking hard for me without a father figure. You know that!"
"I know that, Henry. This is hard for me."
"It's not about you, Neveah. It's about my God, babies!"
"They're my kids Henry," I say through tears.
"They're his kids too." A voice says. I turn to look, and Toby is standing there glaring at me. "He has a right to know his kids. Give him this chance to show you that he'll be a fantastic dad."
"This is so confusing," I cry.
"I know it is, but please do the right thing," Toby says. You can sleep in those rooms there." He points at the closed doors and disappears into his room. My phone rings and I see it's Timothy calling on facetime.
"Is everything okay?" I ask quickly. I notice that he's not in the room with Noah. "Where are you?"
"I'm in the hallway. I had to step out to call you. Noah started breathing over the vent, so Dr. Phillips had it removed."
"That normally doesn't happen until they are awake, right?"
"Correct," he says.
"Is he awake already, Timothy?"
"He is Neveah, and I'm calling because he's crying for you. I'm trying to comfort him, but I'm a stranger to him."
"Please tell me that you didn't tell him." I snip.
"Can you not be rude to me, please? Of course, I didn't say anything." He says, and I instantly feel bad.
"I'm sorry, but this has been so fucking stressful on me."
"Not just you, Neveah. I desperately want to comfort my little boy the way I want but can't. Do you know how fucked up that makes me feel?"
"I'm sorry. Timothy, but I need to figure out what the next steps need to be."
"I hope you don't take too long deciding what to do. The other reason I called is that I told him I would call his mama so he could talk to you."
"Thank you, Timothy," I say with emotion, "Is he in pain? Please tell me he's not."
"No, he's not, but they had to restrain his hands because he was trying to pull out his IV and hurt himself. I gave them permission because I'm his father. I'm sorry, but I needed to."
"No, no, of course. Thank you, Timothy."
"You ready?" he asks, and I nod. He puts the phone down, and I can hear the sliding glass door of Noah's room open. I hear my baby crying, and I start to sob. "Buddy, mama is on the phone. She wants to say hi to you, ready to say hi to mama.
"Mommy," Noah says in a voice I don't recognize. His face is red and blotchy from crying.
"Hi, mi Chulo," I say, trying so hard not to cry.
"Mama, I need you." He cries out. "Mama."
"Baby, I'll be there tomorrow. I promise. Timothy will make sure that you're okay while Mommy can't be there."
"Mama, I'm ouchy," he cries.
"Timothy?"
"I'm getting Noah some pain medications. I'm just waiting for them to bring it in. It's hard not taking over myself." He chuckles. "Oh, his pain medication is here now. Is there anything you want me to do?"
"This is gonna sound weird, but can you run your fingers through his hair? I do this to him before bed."
"I'd love to do that." Timothy smiles. His smile takes me back to the night we danced in the rain.
"Excuse my singing."
"Wait, you're gonna sing?" he asks, and I nod. "Let me prop up my phone so you can see us both. He starts running his fingers through Noah's hair, and I can tell that the medication is taking effect. I begin to sing Baby Mine, and Noah closes his eyes as I sing to him. I see Timothy kiss Noah's temple, and it makes me tear up, seeing how natural it is for him to do that. "Wow, Neveah, you have a beautiful singing voice. He's asleep now. I'm gonna try to get some sleep. I'll call you in the morning if anything changes."
"Good night. Give Noah another kiss for me." I say, and he nods and disconnects the call as there is a knock at the door. I look through the peephole, and it's Daddy and Norah.
"Daddy?" You came back already. How did you know we were here." I say as I take a sleeping Norah from him. Henry comes out of the room he's sleeping in, takes Norah from me, and returns to the room.
"We need to have a serious conversation, Mija." He says with a look I've never seen in my life.
Disappointment, and it shatters me.
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