The ‘den’ Triplets
by: E Walk
(© 2009-2010 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 2  

The Nurse Arrives

When I got to the hospital, Mother was waiting, “What took you so long?  I don’t have all day.  Where’s Todd?”

I was getting frustrated, “Mom, slow down.  Why did you decide to release the triplets today instead of tomorrow?  Todd and I have some issues that we need to resolve. I don’t know that I’m ready for another male to be living in my house.”

Mother started to laugh, “Son, that’s about the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. What are Aiden, Jaden and Kaden, if they aren’t males?   Now let’s get the boys home so they aren’t costing you an arm and a leg.”

Leave it to my Mother to think of monetary things.  An orderly helped me take the boys to the van and I strapped them into the car seats that Jill’s parents had bought.  Mother looked at me, “I hope you have lots of disposal diapers and formula on hand.  Let’s get the boys home and then I’m going to call Todd and tell him to get his butt to your house.  I have a hot date tonight.”

“Mother, slow down.  Todd doesn’t have a car.  How is he going to be able to take care of the boys?”

“Michael, we’ll discuss this more after we get the boys settled.  I’ll meet you at your house.”

I looked at my sons as they were sleeping in their car seats and I had a weird thought, “How am I going to be able to tell which of them is whom once the name bands are off?”

When I arrived at the house, Mom was already there.  We took the boys and put them in carriers that we had bought to use to feed the boys until they could sit in highchairs.  The boys were still sleeping, so we let them sleep.  Mom started, “Mike, where’s Todd’s number?”

I went to get the pad I had written the number on and handed it to her.

Mother punched in the numbers and started, “Stodola, this is Doctor Naylor. Get your cute butt over to Aiden, Jaden and Kaden’s house immediately.  Their father is having a nervous breakdown.  He doesn’t have the foggiest idea how to take care of his three infant sons.  I have a hot date tonight, so I don’t have time to help him. … Todd, please come help out.  Do you need me to come pick you up? … Okay, we’ll see you shortly.”

Mother was watching the boys and looking around, “Mike, where’s the changing table?”

I was getting frustrated again, “Mom, go look at my old office.  It is now a downstairs nursery.  We had an intercom installed so that we could hear the boys if we are in another section of the house.  All we have to do is turn on the sound into whatever rooms we want.”

The doorbell rang and Todd was there.  He looked at me, “I’m here to help if you want me, but I still have to go to work at the hospital at 11:30 tonight.”

“Todd, come in, please.  My mother is checking to make sure the facilities meet her approval.  The boys are asleep in the kitchen.”

Todd and I walked to the kitchen and were checking the boys when Mother came into the kitchen, “Michael, there aren’t any diapers in that room.  How do you plan to change the boys when they need to be changed?”

“Mom, Jill put diapers in practically every room in the house.  Let’s take the boys and put them in their bassinettes and I’ll show you how the intercom works.”

We each took one of the boys and the boys' names were on the bassinettes.  I had Aiden, Mom had Jaden and Todd had Kaden.  We laid them in their bassinettes, and I opened a closet that had everything that the boys could need or want.  We even had some formula there so we could feed the boys in case of an emergency.”

I showed Mother and Todd how the Intercom worked.

I suddenly realized that I still hadn’t eaten.  “People, I need to eat something while the boys are still asleep.  Join me in the kitchen.  I have some questions, and we need to talk to Todd about being the boys’ nurse or whatever.”

I had just turned on the stove to cook the raviolis that I had opened earlier just before I received the phone call to go pick up the boys.  I had no more than turned on the stove than the front doorbell rang.  I went to answer the door and one of my neighbors, Mrs. Gray, was standing there with a basket.”

She looked at me, “Mike, I was so sorry to hear about Jill’s death.  I received word via the church’s prayer chain.   I brought you some food in case you would be having company.  She handed me the basket.  When will the boys be coming home?  I included the article about them that was in the newspaper in the basket, for their scrapbook.”

I took the basket, “Mrs. Gray, we just brought the boys home.  Would you like to come in and see them?  My Mother is here.  Why don’t you come say hello to her while I take the food to the kitchen?”

When we walked into the kitchen, Mother looked up, “Good afternoon, Millie.  It’s nice to see you again.”

Mrs. Gray frowned, “Linda, I was so saddened to hear about Jill’s passing.  Toddy, what are you doing here?”

Todd sighed, “Aunt Millie, Doctor Naylor invited me here to see if I would be interested in being the triplets’ nurse.”

Mrs. Gray was relentless, “Todd, do these people know of your sexual orientation?  That might make a difference about them wanting to hire you to be the boys’ nurse.”

Mother bless her heart took the bull by the horns.  “Millie, we know that Todd is gay.  He told us last night when I first suggested that he be the boys’ nurse..  That is all the more reason he should be the boys' nurse.  He knows that it is not easy to live an alternative lifestyle even in today’s society.”

I didn’t like the direction the conversation was going, so I suggested, “Mrs. Gray, why don’t you let me show you my sons.  The food smells really good.”

Mother and Todd followed us into the nursery where the boys were sleeping and Aiden was starting to sir.  I looked at Mrs. Gray, “I think I’m going to need to get a tattoo artist to put a tiny A on Aiden’s ankle,  a J on Jaden’s and a K on Kaden’s so we’ll be able to keeps them straight after I take their ankle bracelets off.”

Mrs. Gray picked Aiden up, “Michael, Aiden is going to look just like you.  Look his dark brown hair is already wavy.  Toddy, take Aiden and change him.” 

She picked up Jaden, “Michael, Jaden doesn’t even resemble Aiden.  Look at his fine Grecian nose and I’m thinking that he is going to have blond hair like his mother.  Here, Linda you change Jaden while Michael and I check on Kaden.”

She picked up Kaden, “Kaden is going to be a big one.  Look at the size of his hands.  Look at his hair.  I’ll bet it is going to auburn like his Granddaddy Naylor’s was and will be totally unruly.  The boys don’t need tattoos.  We’ll be able to tell who is who.  Why don’t you fix their bottles while I change Kaden.  We’ll feed the boys while you eat.”

The three of them were feeding the boys as I was eating the casserole and salad that Mrs. Gray had brought.  She finished and put Kaden in his infant seat, “I need to go home and fix Billy Bob some dinner so he can sit in front of the television and watch his football games.  I’ll be so glad when football season is over and I can get him to do some fun things.  Michael, call me if you ever need someone to watch the boys.  I’ll see you at the celebration service for Jill if not before.  Toddy, you had better take the job, or I’ll see that you are excommunicated from the family.”

Mrs. Gray left and Mother announced, “Guys, I need to go also.  I’ll be back before Todd needs to report for his shift.  Mike, give Todd the keys to your car.  You will need the van to transport the boys if you go anywhere.  You can’t fit them in your Chevette.”

After Mom left, Todd took the boys to their bassinettes in the study.  I finished eating and started to do the dishes and the finality of Jill’s death hit me.  I started to cry and was sobbing. Todd came and put his arms around me, “Michael, let it go.  You need to grieve for Jill or you won’t be much use to your three wonderful sons.” He held me and gently patted my back.

“Jill has gone to a better place.  Why don’t you go to bed and remember the good times?  I’ll stay here and take care of the boys, and if your mother doesn’t get back, I’ll call in sick.”

I turned around, “So, does this mean that you are going to be living here with us and taking care of the boys when I’m not here?”

Todd looked at me, “Mike, we’ll discuss this later.  Now go get some rest and remember all of the good times that you and your wife had.  The boys will be fine, and I promise I won’t try to seduce them.”

I looked at Todd and I had the strangest urge to kiss him, but refrained and made my way to the stairs.  I took a shower and fell into bed naked and was remembering all the nights that Jill and I had spent in the bed.  During all of the years that we had been married I had never even looked at another person as being a possible sexual partner.

I must have fallen asleep because all of a sudden I was dreaming.  Jill was lying beside me, “Michael, we had a good life and we now have three beautiful sons.  I think that Mrs. Gray was correct in her assessment of the boys’ physical characteristics.  Love them unconditionally.  If you find out that you and Todd are suitable to live together and not embarrass our sons, I have no problem with that.  You are a handsome and successful man and there will be many women who will be out to snag you as their trophy, but they might not  give a darn about our sons.”

As the dream was ending, the voice said, “Michael, remember, whatever you do, the boys must always come first.”

I sat up and looked around and wondered what the dream meant.  I felt refreshed and decided to go check on the boys.  I opened the bedroom door but then I remembered I was naked, so I put on a pair of briefs and a robe since my mother was probably in the house.

When I got to the nursery, the three boys were sleeping but I wanted to hold them, so I took them to the sofa and had all three of them touching me.  I just looked at them in the dim light and started to talking to them.

My Mother appeared, “Michael, could you keep it down.  How am I ever going to be able to get to sleep if you keep talking?”

I shook my head, “Mom, I feel rested.  I’ll take care of the boys.  Jill came to me in a dream and I understand what it is that I need to do.  Go back to bed.  We have the celebration service tomorrow.  Hopefully, Todd won’t be too tired to take care of the boys.”

Mother surprised me, “Nonsense, Michael, I talked to Jill’s parents tonight while you were zonked, and we decided that the boys need to be at the service so people can see them.  We won’t take them to the cemetery, but they should be there for the meal.”

“Mom, what meal?”

Mother threw up her hands, “Mike, relax.  Millie, called tonight and wanted to know if we had any idea of how many people would be attending the service and I had no idea.  The ladies at the church are preparing  a light lunch.”

I started to argue, “Mom, I didn’t request that.”

Mother was shaking her head, “Michael, you have to understand.  You and your sons have gotten a lot of publicity and people want to help.”

I was almost crying, “Mother, I don’t want anyone’s attention drawn to me and my sons.  We just need to get on with our lives as quickly as possible.”

Mom sat down on the sofa where I had the three boys against me, “Michael, the word is already out.  Let me get the article from today’s newspaper.”

Mother left and returned, with the clipping that Mrs. Gray had brought.  The headline read,

TRIPLETS RING IN THE NEW YEAR

The New Year arrived right on time for Mr. and Mrs. Michael Naylor.  It seems that their young sons couldn’t wait to be born.  Aiden arrived 15 seconds after the New Year.  His brothers Jaden and Kaden followed shortly thereafter.

This seems as if it should be a happy story, but it is really very sad.  After the birth of the three boys, their mother, Mrs. Jill (Hammond) Naylor, died.  The coroner’s office performed an autopsy on Mrs. Naylor’s body, and they could find no apparent cause for her death. 

We understand that there will be a service celebrating the life of Mrs. Naylor at  St. Paul’s Church on January fourth at 10:00 am.

“Mother, go get some rest.  I can take care of the boys.  If I have a problem, I’ll come get you.”

I made it through the diaper change and feeding without any difficulty.  I put the boys in their bassinettes and was just looking at them.  They seemed so peaceful and innocent.  I decided to lay on the sofa so I could hear the boys if they stirred or started to fuss.

I was awakened in the morning by Todd, “Mr. Naylor, you need to get ready for the service.  I’ll take care of the boys.  Your wife’s parents are due to arrive shortly.  Your mother is fixing breakfast.”

I went to my room, took a shower and got dressed for the service.  All I needed to do was put on a tie and my jacket in case one of the boys chose to spit up on me.

When I walked into the kitchen, Mother and Dad Hammond were looking at the boys.   I hugged them and Mother Hammond turned to me.  “Michael, the boys are just absolutely beautiful.  No one will ever accuse them being identical triplets.  You won’t have to dress them in different colors to be able to identify which one of the boys they are.  Aiden looks like you, Jaden has Jill’s nose and features and Kaden is going to be the biggest of the three.  Look how big his hands are.”

Mother and Todd were laughing.   Mr. Hammond looked confused, “What did Marty say that was so funny?  Did I miss something?”

Mother answered, “Greg, it’s not what she said but the fact that she said it.  Last night when Todd’s Aunt Millie was here, Michael threatened to have the boys initials tattooed on their ankles so he would be able to tell them apart.  She said the same thing about the boys as Martha said.”

We were eating when Jaden started to stir Mother Hammond went to pick him up, and he definitely needed a new diaper so she took him to the changing room.  Todd started to get three bottles ready because the other two boys were also starting to stir.  Dad Hammond and Mother picked them up and took them to the changing room.

When they were gone I suggested, “Todd, while we’re at the celebration, why don’t you go get your things out of your apartment and stash them in your bedroom.  If you need more space to store things, there is a storage room at the back of the garage.  Take the vette because Mother was right.  There is no way that I can get all three boys in it.  Just be careful and don’t get any scratches on it.”

Todd was laughing, “Mike, I’m almost afraid to drive it now.  This job is a godsend in a way.  My lease is up tomorrow and I’m sure that they are going to raise the rent if I stay.  There is no way I can afford to pay more than $600.00 a month rent.”

The three proud grandparents returned with their three grandsons, and Todd handed them each bottle and a burp cloth.  As they were feeding the boys, I informed them, “Todd is going to take the vette and start moving out of his apartment.  He is going to be staying in the bedroom next to the boys’ room so he can help take care of the boys.”

My Mother interrupted, “Todd, take my car.  You can get more in it than you can Mike’s vette.  Besides he would have kittens if you got a piece of lint on his vette.  The keys to the Cadillac are on the counter next to my purse.  It’s so old that one more dent won’t make a difference.”

Todd left and Dad Hammond asked, “Mike, why is Todd moving in here?  Are you and he having an affair.”

Mother interjected, “Greg, that was totally out of line.  The two gentlemen had never met until Todd was assisting me with the delivery of our grandsons.  Todd is a registered nurse and has specialized in pediatric nursing.  He is an excellent nurse and a very caring young man.  It was I who suggested that he move in here, so he can take care of the boys while Mike works.  I would prefer that someone who has been properly trained in handling young children take care of our Grandsons.”

Mom Hammond had a puzzled look, “This might explain the dream I had last night.  I dreamt that Jill was talking to me and said, ‘Mom, Michael understands that his main concern in life needs to be the three boys.  I have told him that I don’t have a problem if he should fall in love with another man.  In fact I would almost rather wish he would fall in love with a man rather than another woman.’”

I took a deep breath, “The finality of Jill’s death hit me last night when I was doing the dishes and I lost it.  Todd strongly recommended that I go grieve or I would never be able to move on with my life.  I finally fell asleep, and I, also, dreamt that Jill came to me with a similar message.  She made it loud in clear that the boys were to be the center of my attention.”

I looked at the clock, “We need to get to the church.”

We quickly got everything in order and made our way to the church.  When we arrived at the church, the parking lot was nearly full and it was only twenty minutes until ten.  I had a funny feeling in my stomach, ‘What’s going on at the church today?’ 

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  I somehow get the feeling that Michael and Todd are going to become very close. I also get the feeling that the triplets are going to be the total center of their lives.

Not that there was ever any doubt in my mind, but I already love these guys, and the story is going to be another wonderful E Walk treasure. I simply don't know how he does it. Thank you so much E Walk for all your wonderful stories.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 08/27/10