Chapter 145
Lynn opened her eyes and glanced up at William. Throughout the day, the smile on his face had never faded, even when Morgan grew brave enough to ask for a piggyback ride. After Morgan climbed down from his shoulders, Calista decided it was her turn. Gone were the mixed emotions she’d been experiencing. Despite everything that happened in the past, he was her father. She could not deny the joy she felt just by having back in her life. “Just as long as you don’t buy him a motorcycle,” she said with a smirk.
“Aw,” William chided. “Not even if it’s a Little Tykes one?”
During her childhood, William had terrified her when he took off on a Harley Davidson he’d purchased. He tried once to get her to go for a ride with him, Lynn was too terrified to even sit on the seat. “I’d prefer it if he had a toy car instead.”
William sighed. “A car it is then.” He looked over and caught Lynn staring at a nearby juice stand. “Thirsty?”
“Very,” she admitted. “I’m just too lazy to walk way over there and buy one.”
“That’s not lazy, Lynnie Bear. You’re just exhausted because these little ones are consuming all of your energy.” He rubbed Lynn’s stomach through her striped blouse before he stood. “What flavor do you want and I’ll go get one for you?”
“Thank you,” she squeezed William’s hand. “An apple one sounds lovely.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Lynn settled against the hard bench, wiggling her butt around to try to get comfortable. Although at this stage in her pregnancy, comfort did not seem possible. She glanced back towards the petting zoo. Alexis was hard at work taking photos with their new camera. Their photo albums were already overflowing with pictures where they both took so many. She looked back towards the juice stand with a smile. Spending time with William continued to bring back memories of her childhood, mostly happy ones.
She’d asked Katie and Aimee if they too wanted to join them at the zoo today. Katie was still a bit reluctant to venture into a relationship with their father, so she politely declined. Plus, Katie had been wrapped up in her new job. While she loved being a stay at home mom, Katie also found she liked working part-time at the rape crisis center with Aimee. It had taken Katie a year to come to terms with what happened, and with Shania’s conception. All during her pregnancy Katie feared she would see her rapist every time she looked at the baby. Once Shania was born, her feelings completely changed. Lynn only hoped she was half as good at being a mother as her sister. Loving Calista and Morgan came easy; taking care of two crying newborns would be a little bit different. William walked back over, carrying a bottle of Minute Maid apple juice. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, Lynnie Bear.” William kissed the top of Lynn’s head before sitting back down next to her.
“It seems so strange hearing that name again!” Lynn sipped from the apple juice container as she thought back on the first time William had called her Lynnie Bear. At the time, she’d been no older than Morgan was now.
“Are you okay with me calling you that?”
Lynn nodded. “I kind of like it.”
“I called that realtor I was telling you about this morning. She’s agreed to meet with you on Tuesday.”
“I can’t. I have a concert on Tuesday. I have to fly out that morning. Do you think she’d be okay meeting with Alexis?”
“I’m sure that will be fine. She’s already got a couple places in mind.”
“Great! I’d like to move into a new place soon. There’s no way we can setup a birthing pool at the apartment.”
“So why is it that you want to have a home birth?” William turned towards Lynn to block the blinding sunlight.
“Well, for one I don’t trust the hospital after that baby switch that recently occurred. I also know the paparazzi will be stalking the place. Too many sleazy nurses could snap pictures. I don’t want to have a C-section either. I’d rather have my babies the natural way,” she shrugged. “When I tweeted about it several fans sent me negative messages. Some of them even said that if I went through with a home birth, I wasn’t a good mother. How does that make me a bad mother? I just don’t want to give birth in a hospital and have my babies taken away from me. I don’t want to be told when I can or cannot hold my own children.”
“Don’t listen to what they say.” William leaned over, squeezing Lynn’s knee. “You’re not a bad mother. So maybe a home birth is unconventional, but if that’s what you want, then the choice is yours. Not everyone will support your decision. What does Alexis think of it?”
“I think she’s a little nervous because she’s afraid something will go wrong. Other than that, she seems on board. She’s been reading books on midwifery.”
“Will you still have a doctor on call for backup?”
“Absolutely,” Lynn quickly answered. Upon deciding she wanted a home birth, one of the most important aspects was making sure she did have a backup plan. If something went wrong, she’d already discussed it with Doctor Rollins. Even though he wasn’t supportive of the home birth idea, he would still be there if she needed him. “As soon as we find a new place we’re going to plan out the quickest route to the hospital with my midwives.” She laughed. “I cannot believe I’m discussing this with you.”
William laughed. “It is a rather odd conversation, isn’t it?”
“Um yeah, it is.” She crunched up the empty apple juice bottle and shifted on the hard bench. “I think I’ve rested enough.”
“Let me help you.” William quickly stood, holding out both hands as he helped Lynn stand.