Chapter Seventy

Chapter Seventy

The conversation nobody wanted happened on a Tuesday morning.

Everything had been going well.

The babies were growing.

The babies were stronger.

The babies were needing less support.

The babies were progressing exactly how the doctors wanted.

For the first time since Christmas, everyone was breathing a little easier.

Which was probably why nobody expected the consultant to sit them down.

That immediately made everyone nervous.

Roman looked at Daisy.

Noah looked at Harper.

The consultant smiled.

A reassuring smile.

A smile that didn't quite stop the panic.

"Nobody's in trouble."

Four adults visibly relaxed.

The consultant laughed.

"I promise."

"Good."

Noah immediately replied.

"Because my heart stopped for a second."

Harper nodded.

"Mine too."

The consultant folded her hands together.

Then became serious.

"Both of you are being discharged."

Silence.

Daisy blinked.

Harper blinked.

"What?"

The consultant smiled.

"You don't need to be hospital patients anymore."

For a moment nobody spoke.

Because somehow they'd forgotten.

They'd become so focused on the babies.

So focused on NICU.

So focused on surviving.

That they'd forgotten they were patients too.

Roman looked relieved.

Immediately relieved.

Because Daisy still wasn't herself.

Still recovering.

Still exhausted.

And sleeping in hospital chairs wasn't helping.

Not helping anybody.

Harper looked equally stunned.

"But the babies—"

"The babies stay."

The room quietened.

Because that was the difficult part.

The really difficult part.

The consultant nodded gently.

"I know."

Nobody liked hearing it.

Nobody.

The babies still needed NICU.

The babies still weren't ready.

The babies still had growing to do.

But their mothers?

Their mothers needed something too.

Recovery.

Sleep.

Home.

The consultant continued carefully.

"You're welcome here whenever you want."

Daisy looked toward Violet.

Tiny.

Sleeping peacefully.

The thought of leaving her physically hurt.

The consultant noticed immediately.

"I know."

Her voice softened.

"I know exactly how hard this is."

Across the room Harper had already started crying.

Again.

Noah handed her tissues automatically.

Without even looking.

Practice.

Months of practice.

The consultant waited.

Giving them time.

Then she continued.

"You both have other children."

Silence.

Lillie.

Poppy.

Theo.

The children who had spent weeks sharing their parents.

Weeks watching adults come and go.

Weeks hearing hospital updates.

Weeks missing people.

The reality hit hard.

Because she wasn't wrong.

Not even a little.

"You need to start finding balance."

Roman looked down.

Because honestly?

They'd forgotten balance existed.

Everything had become NICU.

Everything.

The consultant smiled.

"Come every day."

Everyone nodded.

"Stay as long as you want."

More nodding.

"But go home too."

The words hung heavily.

Because nobody wanted to.

Especially not Daisy.

Especially not Harper.

The consultant looked toward the babies.

"Let the nurses do their jobs."

The women looked unconvinced.

The consultant laughed softly.

"They're very good at it."

That was true.

The NICU nurses had become family.

Protectors.

Teachers.

Friends.

The people helping keep their babies alive.

Trusting them wasn't difficult.

Leaving them was.

Later that afternoon discharge papers were signed.

Daisy sat quietly.

Harper sat quietly.

Both women strangely emotional.

Roman packed bags.

Noah packed bags.

Neither man commented on the tears.

Because honestly?

They understood.

Perfectly.

The hardest part came when they reached NICU.

Three incubators waited.

Three tiny babies.

Violet.

Leo.

Ava.

Three babies staying behind.

The reality made Daisy's chest ache.

Roman wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Harper stood beside Noah.

Nobody spoke.

The nurses gave them privacy.

Knowing exactly what this moment felt like.

Eventually Daisy stepped closer.

Her fingers brushing gently against Violet's tiny hand.

"Mummy will be back tomorrow."

Her voice cracked.

Immediately.

Roman looked away.

Because hearing that nearly broke him.

Across the room Harper was whispering almost the exact same thing.

Promising.

Promising she'd be back.

Promising she'd visit.

Promising she loved them.

As if the babies could understand.

Maybe they could.

Eventually the four adults left together.

The NICU doors closed behind them.

And for the first time since Christmas—

they walked out of the hospital without their babies.

The silence was awful.

Nobody spoke during the journey home.

Nobody knew what to say.

Until they reached their street.

And suddenly the front door burst open.

"DADDY!"

Theo.

"MUMMY!"

Poppy.

And from Roman's house—

"DADA!"

Lillie.

Three children running towards them.

Three children who needed them too.

The noise.

The laughter.

The hugs.

The chaos.

It hit all four adults at once.

The babies in NICU needed them.

But so did the children waiting at home.

And as Lillie threw herself into Daisy's arms and immediately cuddled into her chest, Daisy finally understood what the consultant had meant.

Their babies were fighting to come home.

And until they did—

they had to keep home waiting for them.

❤️📖