Chapter Nineteen
Meadow
W aking up in the hospital, with doctors and nurses surrounding me as they take me to an operating room, was not on my bingo card for the day, but holding my sweet girl in my arms is better than I could have imagined. Seeing her daddy stare at her adoringly as he tells her how much he loves her somehow tops that.
I never had this moment when River was born. Sure, I got all the new-baby feels of loving up on my girl, but I never got to see the other person who created her melt at her fingertips. I never had the pleasure of sharing this love with someone else and them knowing exactly how amazing this love I feel right now feels.
"Your sister is going to be so excited to meet you, Briar. She sent me on a mission to come make sure you and your mama were doing well. Imagine how jealous she's going to be when she finds out I got all this snuggle time," Colt croons to our girl as I rest in the bed.
His chest is bare so that he can make skin-to-skin contact with Briar, which is so beneficial for new babies, especially since she's a preemie. Thankfully, she's doing pretty great on her own, all things considered. We have to monitor her body temperature, she has a feeding tube for now, and she has oxygen at the ready, but her lungs have been doing pretty well on her own.
"Speaking of your sister, Wren just texted me that the doctor came and set her wrist, and she's got the all-clear to be released. What do you say I go get our girl?" The smile Colt sends my way is blinding.
"I think that sounds like heaven. I need both of my girls in one place."
"You know the rest of the crew is going to be coming with her, right?"
"I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Okay, but you need your rest, Dow. Your body's been through hell. You need time to recover." Colt looks at me sternly.
"I know, and I will. I feel a lot better after the transfusion."
"That's good, but please tell me if you need a break, and I'll kick everyone out."
"I will, Colt. Now give me our baby and go get our girl."
"Yes, ma'am." Colt stands from his chair and carefully carries Briar over to me. He gently kisses her head then leans down and kisses me. Grabbing his shirt, he throws it on then makes his way towards the door. "I love you, Meadow. You've made me the happiest man in the world today, even if you did take twenty years off my life."
"I love you too, Colt. Now, go get River!"
"Alright, alright! I'm going." He holds his hands up in surrender as he heads out the door.
"Your daddy is a handful, little miss Briar." I snuggle her up to my face and smile as she makes her little baby noises .
"How are we doing in here?" My nurse peeks her head into the room only minutes later.
"I'm great. I have my sweet girl, and my guy just went downstairs to spring our other daughter, so I really couldn't be better."
"Aww, that's great to hear. I just need to get some vitals for the both of you, and then I'll be out of your hair."
I sit patiently while the nurse does her work and answer her questions to the best of my ability. Even though Briar has a feeding tube, they are still encouraging me to try and nurse her. Being a preemie, she doesn't quite get the whole latching thing, but even having her try has helped my milk come in and will continue to help in the days to come. Tomorrow, we will meet with a lactation consultant, and I'm honestly really excited about that meeting.
Briar and I are just starting to doze off when I hear a commotion outside the door. "I think your big sister and aunties are here, little Dove."
I'm surprised by how gently the door opens, but the surprise fades when I see Colton holding everyone back. He nods to River, who ducks around him and sprints to my bed. We're both sobbing as we embrace and talk over each other. I only calm when Colt's strong arms encircle both of us.
"Oh my goddess, Mom. She's perfect." River's smile is teary as her finger runs down her little sister's cheek. "What's her name?"
"You didn't tell her?" I turn to Colt.
"No, I wanted to wait for you." He leans in and kisses me sweetly.
Sitting up in bed a little more, I lean forward and place Briar in River's waiting arms. Colt has his hand under River's broken wrist, adding additional support and making my heart swoon .
"River, meet Briar Dove. Briar Dove, meet your big sister, River Fawn."
"Hi, Briar. I love you so much already. It's pretty wild."
"Fucking hell!" Wren wails as she starts to sob, startling us all.
Brooks laughs as he scoops her into his arms. "Sorry, guys. It's been a rollercoaster of a day for her." He leans down and kisses Wren’s head.
"Quit hanging out in the doorway and come meet your niece." I wave them all over, and our quiet room gets a heck of a lot louder.
My head hurts and I'm exhausted, but I wouldn't miss this moment for anything. Colton tolerates the chaos for about half an hour before he reminds everyone that River and I have had a traumatic day and we need our rest. I don't know how he pulled it off, but Ezra managed to get an extra bed in here for River, and Colton is going to sleep on the recliner beside us.
The gang heads out for the night but promises to return tomorrow with everything we will need for the next few days.
It's been two weeks since the accident and Briar was born, and we're finally getting to go home from the hospital. Briar has done amazingly, given her circumstances, and we've actually been in the hospital this long because of me. I lost so much blood and ended up having a really nasty concussion which, coupled with a newborn, has made my recovery hell. Both of our doctors felt more comfortable keeping us in the hospital for a while to make sure we had all the care and help we might need .
River and Colt have been making the commute from the hospital to Sparrow Falls every day for the past week, which has not been ideal. Turns out, we're all going to need a bit of therapy to deal with the trauma caused by the accident. Brantley's leg was severely broken and required surgery, but he was released a week ago with the hopes of making a full recovery.
Watching him with Briar has been so damn sweet. To say he's a smitten kitten would be an understatement. Apparently, the men in Colton's family are just suckers for baby girls. His mom and dad have visited us daily and have been a huge help once Colt went home so River could go back to school. They helped fill the void of missing my man.
Wren and Daphne, along with the Wilson sisters, and their spouses have also been here as much as they could. At one point, my doctor even threatened to ban everyone but Colton and River, so that I could get the rest my brain so desperately needed, but I told them my mental health needed them here more than my brain needed the break, and thankfully, they understood.
"How are my girls? Ready to go home?"
"We are more than ready."
"Good. Cause I'm ready to have you there with me, and so is Riv."
The nurses are sweet as they bid us farewell, but I'm glad to be on my way home. The drive is way more pleasant now that there’s no freak blizzard, and the ease I feel when we hit Main Street in Sparrow Falls is palpable.
When we get to the house, Colton has me stay in the truck while he takes Briar inside to River, then comes out to get me. It's a slow walk inside, but Colton is as patient as always. As soon as I cross the threshold, tears spill out of my eyes.
"Hey, are you okay?" he whispers softly to me.
"I'm more than okay. I'm so damn happy to be home."
"Thank fuck. You think I can make it a little better?"
"Better? How can it get better than this?" I turn to him.
Colton smirks at River as he motions her to come over to us. She's standing beside him, with Briar in her arms and a blazing smile on her face, as Colton drops to one knee. I gasp in shock as my tears start flowing in earnest and my hand covers my mouth, my other being held by Colt.
"Meadow Sterling, I didn't know that I needed you, but I'm so damn glad fate decided this path for us. You girls have made me the happiest man in the world, and the only way you could make it better is if you'd be my wife. Will you marry me?" Lifting his hand, he holds an emerald princess cut ring.
"Yes!" I scream as I fling myself at Colton, slamming my mouth onto his.
He grunts as he catches us and deepens the kiss while River cheers beside us as she raises one of Briar's hands in the air.
I thought my life was happy and complete with River until two pink lines completely rocked my world in the best possible way. Now, I know that with Colton and Briar, my family is complete.