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“Feel a little more human?” Slater asked as Alex came out of the bathroom the next morning, fresh from her shower.
“It feels good to be in my clothes again.” She looked down at herself, satisfied to be wearing black cropped pajama pants and a soft pink button-down shirt. Even though they were larger sizes than she was used to.
“You look good,” Slater complimented her. He smiled as she walked to the bassinet to check on the boys, who were both sleeping soundly.
“I can see my feet again, so that’s a plus, but that was weird.” Alex gave a slight shudder as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Oh, Slater,” she sighed with a shake of her head. “My body seems so foreign to me now. It’s a very strange feeling to go through what I have for the last eight months, and then yesterday. I don’t recognize myself.”
“You’ll get it back,” he assured her. “You’re too stubborn not to.”
“Trust me,” she agreed with him. “As soon as the doctor gives me the green light to start working out, I’m hiring a personal trainer.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, baby. Your body just went through a lot.” He stood up as one of their sons started to cry and picked him up.
Alex looked at the clock and noted the time. “Right on schedule.” She held out her arms for the baby, traced her fingers over his face as he cried rhythmically, and grinned at Slater’s questioning stare. “Zach.”
“Very good. You haven’t gotten them mixed up at all today,” Slater praised. He sat next to Alex on the bed as she unbuttoned her shirt and guided Zachary to her breast. While he watched his wife feed his son, he ran his finger over the swell of Alex’s breast and traced the side of Zachary’s mouth as he suckled. “Lucky little bastard,” he said with a grin. “How long do we have to wait?”
“She’s off-limits for six weeks,” Dr. Green said sternly as she walked into the room.
“Six weeks?” Slater asked in shock. “That seems like forever.”
“Dr.’s orders?” Alex confirmed.
“Yes.” Kim made notes on Alex’s chart and kept her tone professional. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t be there for Slater on occasion.”
“I like her,” Slater said to Alex, then glanced at Kim. “Dr.’s orders on that?”
Kim shook her head with a laugh. “I’ll leave that between the two of you. But seriously.” She looked between the new parents. “No sex for six weeks.” She sat on the chair next to the bed and made notes as she spoke. “Her body isn’t ready for it yet, and honestly it will probably be the furthest thing from your minds with adjusting to the boys. How are they doing today?”
Alex smiled as she looked down at Zachary. “They’re both doing great with nursing and so far keeping a good schedule.”
“Good.” She looked up from her chart. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m ok,” Alex replied. “I just took a shower. How long before I’m not thoroughly disgusted with myself?”
“You’ll be back to normal in no time, Alex. Patience.”
“I think I’d be more patient with myself if I wasn’t under constant public scrutiny.”
“You’re not going to be in public anytime soon,” Slater pointed out.
“I have to see the light of day eventually and they lurk everywhere. The last thing I need is some nasty tabloid article about how dumpy I look.”
“Enough,” Slater insisted. “Stop talking about yourself like that. You just had two babies for God’s sake. Anyone who criticizes the way you look can fuck off.”
“He’s right,” Dr. Green agreed with Slater. “Now isn’t the time to be hard on yourself, Alex. As soon as I think you’re healed enough, I’ll give you the ok to get active again. With exercise.” She looked at Slater pointedly when she saw him perk up at the mention of getting active. She looked down at Alex’s chart again. “Before I let you leave the hospital, which will probably be tomorrow morning, I’m going to give you a mild birth control pill to start taking.”
“If I’m not having sex right now, why do I need the pill?” Alex asked. “I’d rather do without the extra hormones.”
“It’s very mild, and it will be effective for when you do introduce that back into your life. I don’t think you want another pregnancy so quickly on the heels of this one, do you?”
“Not really,” Alex replied and switched Zachary to her other breast.
“Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” Slater mumbled to himself.
“I heard that,” Alex laughed at his comment. “Speak for yourself, buddy. How was Mona’s ultrasound?” Alex asked, to change the subject.
“It was good,” Kim stated. “I’ll let her fill you in on that. When will she be here?”
“Any minute.” Alex glanced at the clock once more and smiled with Slater at the sound of footsteps in the hall. “And here they are.”
“Good morning!” Mona breezed into the room, all smiles with the rest of the group close behind her. She looked at her watch and corrected herself. “Good afternoon. I didn’t realize it was getting so late in the day already. It’s been a full morning with my appointment and then the ladies and I did some shopping.” She held up numerous boutique bags and smiled cautiously at Alex. “We went a little overboard with clothes for the boys, I hope this doesn’t upset you. We’ll make sure you’re the first to dress them.” She set the bags down and took Slater’s place on the bed when he stood up to greet them.
“We also brought birthday cake!” Kathleen announced and opened a small bakery box. “Slater called this morning and said you wanted cake.”
“Yum, and thank you! What did you buy?” Alex asked with excitement. She reached one-handed for the bag while Zachary continued his meal.
“We couldn’t help ourselves.” Annette assisted her with the shopping bags and displayed outfit upon outfit for the little boys. “Everything was adorable, so we pretty much bought out the newborn boys’ department at four different boutiques.”
“Isn’t this adorable?” Kathleen held up a red onesie and matching pants with fire trucks and Dalmatians on them.
“Oh, that’s so cute,” Alex gushed, as the three women showed her everything they bought. “I can’t wait to see them dressed. They’ve both been in hospital onesies since last night. They’re going to get baths soon, so I’ll dress them once they’re done.” She smiled at Mona. “Tell me about your ultrasound,” Alex insisted. “Are you having twins?”
“Nope.” Mona shook her head and grinned at Chris across the room. She rummaged through her purse and presented Alex with a printout of the exam. “And-” she started to speak, then clammed her mouth shut when Chris interrupted her with a happy exclamation.
“It’s a boy!” He shook Slater’s hand while he took a happy slap on the back from Ben. “Lots of testosterone in this group. Future band, Ben!”
“Congrats, man.” Slater grinned with him, happy for his friend.
“I released the statement this morning,” Annette informed Alex and Slater. “We simply announced the arrival of your sons, stating they were healthy and the two of you request as much privacy as possible right now. People magazine is being persistent, so if you two want to do it, say the word and they’ll come to wherever you are for the shoot.”
“Rumors are swirling all over the place,” Chris stated and shrugged helplessly at Ben when he grumbled at him.
“About what?” Slater checked on Jacob as he began to stir in the bassinet.
“Well, now that everyone knows these two arrived last night, there’s been tons of speculation about tonight’s show being canceled.”
“Is that so?” Slater picked up Jacob when he began to softly cry. Without any more questions, he reached for the television remote and clicked the picture to life. E! News featured their venue from last night with people already lined up for this evening’s show. They interviewed the fans to get opinions on the possibility of a cancelation.
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“Congrats to Slater and Alexandra!” A group of young men yelled into the microphone, one of them spoke up as his friends continued to cheer in the background. “It’s totally awesome that he had twins, but he needs to be here tonight. Look at how many people are here!” He gestured toward the crowd that had gathered. Signs were held up begging Heart & Soul not to reschedule. “Don’t let us down, Slater!” The man yelled, his friends backed him up with screams while the shot panned to a woman, more subdued with her comments, standing in the crowd with a friend.
“Alexandra Lorraine, sorry,” she corrected herself. “Alexandra Heart is my favorite actress and Slater Heart is my favorite rock star, Heart & Soul rules! I have kids of my own and I know how special that is, but this concert is special to me. I’ve been a fan for ten years, saved up tons of money for me and my best friend to come here for her birthday. If anyone who has any merit is listening, please, Heart & Soul, please! Don’t cancel tonight!”
“There you have it!” The announcer spoke into his microphone, raising his voice over the noise. “These people have been camped out here since this morning, the crowd is growing by the hour. So far, no word on whether or not this show will happen tonight, but the public is speaking. They want to see Heart & Soul!”
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Slater turned the volume down and left the story on in the background as more interviews with the fans took place. He gently rocked Jacob in his arms as his cries of hunger became louder. He turned to look at Alex and wondered what she was thinking but he didn’t want to bring it up without a private conversation. Alex kept her features even as she handed Zachary to Mona to be burped and took Jacob into her arms.
As Mona bounced softly in place while Zach quietly belched, she glanced at Chris with a subtle nod. The move wasn’t lost on Alex at all when she started to feed Jacob. She appreciated Annette and Kathleen when they steered the conversation to a lighter topic and showed off more baby clothes.
A nurse walked in and addressed Dr. Green. “It’s time for baths,” she said happily.
Mona took the moment to her advantage and placed Zachary in the bassinet. “Alex is feeding Jacob, but you can bathe Zachary, and we all want to watch. Come on, Slater.” She slipped her arm through his and led him out of the room anxiously, followed by Annette and Kathleen. Dr. Green stayed behind for a few minutes to wrap up her visit with Alex and let her know when she would return to check on her.
“That was clever.” Alex waited until the door was closed behind everyone and looked between Ben and Chris. As they stared at her in silence, she continued. “I like how Mona used Zach’s bath to get Slater out of the room while I feed Jake and you two casually stayed behind to keep me company.” She ran her hand lovingly over her son’s downy head while he suckled at her breast, the two men remained quiet. “You’ll make small talk until one of you says something about tonight’s show and the tour. Then the other one will see that as his opening to talk to me about the importance of not canceling shows, how important tonight is, and how the time will go by fast for us. So, I either need to talk some sense into my husband to fulfill his obligations or I need to find it within myself to travel on the road for the remaining two months of the tour with not one, but two, newborn baby boys.” Already an expert at breaking the baby’s suction, she swiftly moved him to her other breast and looked up at them with curiosity. “Which one of you is the good cop and which one of you is the bad cop?”
“Damn.” Ben glanced at Chris. “She’s good.”
“Alex.” Chris uncrossed his legs and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Neither one of us wants to be the bad cop, you know that. Everything you said last night, telling us what we mean to you...” He shook his head and tried to find the words. “You mean just as much to me, to us.” He looked at Ben and nodded with him. “I understand that Jacob and Zachary being born was life-changing for the two of you. I’m about to experience it myself. It doesn’t change the fact that we have sold out concerts for the next two months.”
“Alex, it’s business-”
“Not personal,” she interrupted Ben. “I know that, but if I was the one who was supposed to perform tonight, all would be forgiven because I just gave birth. It’s such a double standard!”
“It didn’t affect Slater physically,” Chris pointed out.
“It still affected him. How did the rumors about tonight being canceled start?” Alex wondered.
Chris shrugged. “Hell if I know.”
“You know how it is, Alex,” Ben commented. “All it takes is speculation for a frenzy to start and that’s what this is.”
“But,” Chris interjected. “When I spoke to him earlier on the phone and put out the feelers, he was evasive, acted like he didn’t give a shit one way or the other if the concert went on tonight.”
The three of them stopped talking when the nurse returned to take Jacob for his bath. She waited patiently while Alex finished feeding and burping him. While Alex righted her shirt, Chris stood up and cut one piece of birthday cake for her and one for himself. He looked at Ben in question and closed the bakery box when Ben declined the dessert with a subtle shake of his head. He ate a few bites and agreed with Alex when she sighed with delight over the sweet treat.
“Oh, that’s good,” she breathed. “So, it’s up to me to get him to go to work tonight?”
“I’m not sure we can get away with Mona covering his shift two nights in a row,” Ben said with a grin.
“Alex,” Chris began. “If Ben pushes him to do the concert tonight, it’s going to piss Slater off. If I push him, it’s probably going to get physical. You’re the only one he’ll listen to right now.”
“I’ll talk to him, but I can’t make you any promises.”
“Thank you,” Ben said sincerely.
Alex took another bite of cake. “Let’s say I get him to agree to tonight, that’s one night. If Slater didn’t want to miss one moment of my pregnancy, I know he’s not going to want to miss two months of the boys’ lives. Do you expect me to get him to stay on the rest of the tour when I want to go home?”
“That’s a decision you and Slater will have to make.” Ben pulled a file out of his briefcase and looked over dates and locations. “If you decide to stay, I’ll make sure you’re as comfortable as possible and I’ll make the travel as easy on you as I can. Most of what we have left are back-to-back shows at the same venues so that lengthens stay time. Some locations are close enough together that you could stay in the same hotel for a while, and I can have Slater take the plane or the bus to and from the concert locations.”
“You’ve really thought this all out, haven’t you?” Alex asked in awe.
“I was up most of last night working on ideas while Annette put a statement together.”
“Yeah, tell me that’s all the two of you were doing last night,” Chris teased. He let out a loud laugh when Ben rolled his eyes.
“Anyway,” Ben stressed the word and got back to business. “It’s a lot to think about, I know. Time is of the essence and decisions will have to be made. We have a schedule we need to adhere to.”
“Ok.” Alex nodded and focused on the television while more Heart & Soul fan interviews were featured. She realized the importance of tonight’s concert, and how important the rest of the concerts on the tour were to their fans. These people had saved up their hard-earned money for months. Slater couldn’t disappoint them and not show up, and she couldn’t be the one held responsible if she insisted on going home and Slater refused to finish the tour. The fans. It was all about the fans. Heart & Soul wouldn’t be where they were if they didn’t have the fans they did. She wouldn’t have walked that path in her career without the fans.
She smiled and thought about Annie. She was the daughter of the doctor who helped her so many years ago when she was hospitalized for losing too much weight. Alex knew what an impact she had on Annie’s life. Annie ended up having an impact on her life when she met Heart & Soul after a concert and Slater signed her A Step Ahead t-shirt right next to Alex’s autograph. She remembered how thrilled the young girl was that Alex followed through on her promise to have her family come to the final taping of her sitcom. Their fans were the reason they were all where they were.
“Ok,” she said once more. She looked between Ben and Chris. “I’ll talk to him.” She turned her attention to the door when it opened and Mona wheeled the bassinet toward her, bursting with happiness.
“Oh, these two are precious, Alex! They both put up quite a fuss at getting a bath.”
“Aw, look at them, their hair looks like fuzz! Oh, my God,” Alex sighed, as she breathed in Jacob’s scent when Slater placed him in her arms. “Oh, he smells so good and he’s so soft and I love him so much.” She held out her free arm for Zachary, embraced her boys close to her chest, sniffed their heads, and kissed them repeatedly. “I love them both so much. Let’s dress them,” she said with excitement. She placed them on the bed in front of her and picked out an outfit for each of them.
They visited for a few hours and the boys were passed around for cuddles and kisses. The room grew quiet when Slater took Jacob to the changing table in the corner for a diaper change. He looked up as he finished the task to see Alex and Mona grin at him, Kathleen swiped at happy tears and Annette smiled with Ben. He glanced at Chris to see the same dopey grin.
“What’s up with all the faces?” Slater wanted to know as he snapped Jacob’s shirt in place and put his pants on him.
Chris shook his head, dopey smile still in place. “If only the world could see bad-ass rock star, Slater Heart changing a baby’s diaper. Don’t you go soft on me, Slater.”
“Too late,” Slater said with the same dopey grin. “Let’s see how you act once your kid comes.”
“I hate to break this party up,” Ben interjected. He packed up his briefcase with a glance at his watch. “We need to get to the arena.”
“Yeah, we need to do a soundcheck.” Chris stood up. He knew this would be the opening Alex needed.
“Why the fuck do we need to do a soundcheck?” Slater asked. “We performed there last night.”
“And once Mona took over, they had to change all the levels,” Chris pointed out. “You coming?”
“I don’t know.” He turned away from Ben and Chris and spoke softly to his son in his arms.
Alex took the opportunity to speak up. “Would you all mind if I spoke to Slater alone for a minute?”
“That’s fine,” Mona said. “I was planning on keeping you company tonight if that’s ok. I figured all of us ladies would hang out with you while the concert happens. You can rest up, or we can all just chat and have a nice time. And of course, smother these two with love.”
“Sounds good.” Alex took Zachary from Annette’s arms as the five of them filed out of the room.
Slater sat on the side of the bed next to her. They watched as the pre-concert footage continued, the fans now chanted, “Slater, Slater, Slater!” Very calmly, Alex picked up the remote and turned off the television. The two of them sat together in silence, soaked up the love with their sons, and smiled together over small grunts and gurgles they made in their sleep.
Alex got his attention as she placed her hand on his knee. “How old were you when you first saw The Rolling Stones?”
“I was sixteen.” He smiled at the memory. “And determined to see them. I needed to see Mick live so I could see how he worked the stage, and how I could do it better.”
Alex nodded. She kissed Zachary on the mouth when his little lips suckled in his sleep. “I’m guessing, by what you’ve told me about your life, your mom and step-father didn’t buy that ticket for you?”
“Fuck no!” he snorted derisively. “I earned every penny to pay for that ticket and my t-shirt I bought that night.”
“How did you do that?” Alex wondered.
“Mowing lawns or shoveling snow, depending on the weather. If I wasn’t doing that, I was helping neighbors move, or painting houses. Shit...” He shook his head as he remembered all the grunt work. “Once I read they were planning a tour, I did what it took to get a ticket.”
“And what would you have done, after you earned all that money and had that ticket in your hands if Mick Jagger suddenly didn’t show up for the concert?”
He looked up at her with his jaw clenched. He knew what she was doing. “This is different.”
“Why? Because it’s you, not Mick Jagger? He has kids,” she stated. “What would you have done if he didn’t show up, Slater?”
“I would have found out what hotel he was staying in, trashed his room, and demanded a personal concert.” He stopped his sarcasm when Alex sat still with Zach in her arms, stared at him expectantly, and decided to answer her honestly. “I would have been pissed. Fucking furious. And.” He took a deep breath in his admission. “I never would have listened to The Stones again.”
“Do you really want that to happen to Heart & Soul’s fans?”
“Allie,” he said his voice just above a whisper. “I don’t want to leave them.”
“I know you don’t, but you have to,” she said firmly. “Don’t let your fans down, Slater. We’ll be here waiting for you, I promise.”
Slater knew what the answer was. He knew to do the right thing. Alex was right, how many Heart & Soul fans had worked their asses off for a ticket tonight? He remembered being in those shoes. How many aspiring rock stars were going to be in that crowd tonight? He couldn’t let them down.
“Ok, let’s say I do tonight, then what? What about the rest of the tour, Allie? I’ll be honest with you. I don’t want you to go home.”
“Tell you what.” She took his hand in hers and held on tightly. “You do this concert tonight, and after, we’ll discuss the rest of the tour. And,” she said sternly. “We come up with a solid plan, not a ‘we’ll figure it out’ scenario. Deal?”
He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a warm kiss on it. “Deal.” Slater stood up with Jacob still in his arms. He walked to Alex’s bag in the corner to sift through it, then took her cell phone out and brought it to her bedside table. “Leave that on, ok? I want to check in as often as I can.”
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“Well, not exactly the girl’s night I would have envisioned, but I’ll take it,” Alex said. She patted Zachary’s back to burp him and smiled with Mona when she held up Jacob in a new outfit to show him off.
“Doesn’t he look handsome?” Mona cuddled him close and kissed his forehead. “Doesn’t matter where we are, Alex. We know how to have a good time, don’t we?”
“Always,” she agreed. The four of them laughed at the belch that came from Zach. “Well, someone enjoyed his meal.” Alex cradled him in her arms and gazed at him lovingly when he drifted off. “Ok, little guy,” she murmured. “I have to pass you off to one of your aunties here so I can feed your brother.”
“I’ll take him.” Kathleen happily offered her arms while Mona handed Jake to Alex.
“You did good, Alex,” Annette praised. “They’re both beautiful.”
“I happen to think so.” Alex smiled softly at Jacob as he started to nurse and leaned her head against the pillows.
“You can rest if you want, Alex,” Annette offered. “We’re all here to help.”
“I’m ok, but thank you.” She lifted her head as her cell phone rang, picked it up, and showed Mona the display.
“That’s the third time he’s called since he left. It’s cute to see him so worried.”
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Slater stood under the hot stage lights, the roar of the crowd surged through his veins. “Thank you,” he said into the microphone. “You’ve all been great tonight, thank you.” He placed the microphone in the stand and took a drink of water. “I know there were rumors all over the place about whether or not I would be here tonight. Well, I’m here.” He held his hands up for silence while the screams intensified. “You can thank my wife for that. She helped me remember it’s all about the fans.” He nodded while the applause erupted. “You’re all the reason we’re here, so thank you! If you’ll all just give me a minute.” He turned away from the microphone and pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons. He held the phone up to the mic, Alex’s voice boomed through the arena with a laugh.
“Aren’t you in the middle of a concert?”
“Put your phone on speaker, baby,” Slater instructed and waited patiently while Alex did as he said. He held his phone up over his head toward the audience. “Everyone, say hello to my family.”
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“Oh!” Alex gasped, tears stung her eyes when the cheers and screams filled her hospital room. She ran her hand over Jacob’s head as he stirred while he fed, perhaps at the recognition of his father’s voice, and rocked her son while Slater continued to speak.
“I’d like to dedicate this next song to my wife and sons.”
Alex, Mona, Annette, and Kathleen all listened in silence as Slater sang I’m Home When I’m with You to his family. The four of them teared up at the sentiment.
“Wow,” Annette whispered, as she accepted Zachary from Kathleen. “He loves you so much.”
“I love him, too,” Alex stated and wiped away her tears as the song wrapped up. She said a quick goodbye to Slater after he made her say hello to the audience.
Mona waited a moment while Alex hung up with Slater. “So, any idea on the plan from here?”
“Not yet,” Alex answered. “We’re going to talk tonight.”
“You need to get some rest,” Kathleen urged.
“Good idea,” Alex yawned and happily handed off Jacob to be burped so she could try to relax and get some sleep. “When do you leave?”
“We’re all due to leave late tomorrow,” Annette said. “Mona has to get back on set and I have meetings to catch up on things.”
“I can stay for a bit if needed,” Kathleen offered.
“I think I’ll take you up on that,” Alex replied. “I’m not sure for how long yet. We’ll arrange to get more of your things here that you’ll need if you’re ok with it.”
“I’m ok with it,” Kathleen agreed. She patted Alex on the leg. “Get some rest, dear. You’re going to need it.”
Within minutes, Alex was sound asleep. The three of them enjoyed holding the boys while they spoke quietly amongst themselves. Mona rocked Zachary softly in her arms. “Wow,” she murmured, her eyes glued to the bundle of joy. “I’m already so in love with these two, and they’re not even my children. I can’t blame Slater one bit for not wanting to be apart from them. I only hope it’s not too much on Alex.”
“Well, just remember,” Annette said. “Whatever the two of them decide, it’s between Alex and Slater only. If you and Chris want to be good friends, keep your thoughts to yourself.”
Mona smiled at Annette then turned her attention to the baby in her arms. “I’ll just air my thoughts to you. But something tells me they’ll be ok.”
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Three hours later, Alex blinked her eyes open. The room was quiet, the lights were dim. Disoriented, she sat up to see Slater sitting next to her bed. He rocked Jacob in his arms while Zachary slept soundly in the bassinet.
“Hey, baby.” He smiled at her as she ran tired hands through her hair.
“Wow,” Alex muttered. “I was the life of the party, wasn’t I?”
“No offense, but with the way those three were gaggling over the boys, I’m pretty sure they forgot all about you.” He sat up straighter as Jacob began to fuss, bounced him in his arms gently to soothe him, and looked at Alex with an anxious smile when his cries got louder. “I hate to do this to you, but I think he’s hungry.”
“Story of my life suddenly, isn’t it?” She took Jacob from his arms and settled him at her breast. “At least they’re on a decent eating schedule. They both seemed to take right to it, thank God for that.”
“Can’t blame them. Like father, like sons,” Slater said with a grin. He sat next to her while she nursed.
“How was the concert?”
“Awesome, great crowd. Thank you for making me realize it’s all about the fans, Allie. It was a great show.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” She closed her eyes when he leaned in and kissed her softly.
“Everyone will be here in the morning so Mona and Annette can say goodbye.” He looked at her hopefully. “Kathleen said you asked her to stay?”
Alex nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, his green eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“It means I’ll meet you halfway.”
“Just halfway?” he asked, eagerness in his gaze.
“Yes. I’ll give you one month, Slater. I need to be home to get settled with the boys. I’m ready, but I know how much this means to you. One month.”
“Ben has some ideas-” He stopped when she interrupted him.
“And he’s already shared them with me. He said he’ll make it as easy on me as he can. I’m counting on him for that.”
Slater picked up Zachary as he started to stir as if on cue that he knew his turn to eat would be next. He switched boys with Alex while she fed Zach. “One month.” He kissed her once more, full of happiness that he would have more time with her and their sons. “I’ll take it.”