Page 254 of G.O.D.S Omnibus

Once the babies are ready to be moved to the NICU, Grace rushes to the doors and refuses to move. “No, one of them needsto come down here to walk with them.” She looks up at the glass, and Brennan nods at her.

“Little ass licker needs a promotion,” Kai mutters, and I have to agree.

Brennan moves from his seat and leaves the room, but everyone else refuses to leave until Jolie is being moved, and I get that.

Me—I have to go find Chester. He stormed out not long after they started cutting her open; he couldn’t handle not seeing her awake. Case managed to get everything on video for Jolie, so Chester can watch it back with her.

I leave the room and find him sitting in the waiting room, surrounded by other family members waiting for news of their loved ones who have given birth. Except I have to smirk at the fact that while the room easily has fifty seats, the eight men and women in here with Chester are all seated side by side and as far away as possible from him.

He looks up at me as I walk closer to him, and I place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “She is being moved to recovery.”

He nods. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t watch them slice into her and not want to go down there and rip their throats out. Are the babies okay?”

“It was touch and go with Zadom for a few minutes, but he is fine and snuggling with his sister. Brennan has gone with them to the NICU.”

Grace walks into the waiting room and clears her throat. We both look over at her. “Jolie has gone to recovery, and I think it’s best if someone was there when she woke up.” She looks at Chester as she talks. He nods and stands.

I squeeze Grace’s shoulder as we walk past her. “This won’t go unnoticed. You have done an amazing job today.”

I’m not one to go around handing out praise, but this young girl single-handedly took charge and knew what she was talking about. It might seem weird that she knows so much, but once they sign their contracts, they have access to a lot of information. It may just be the basics, but still it’s all important. This woman made it a point to learn about our abilities, how we work, and how each of us bonded with Jolie. As a result, she understood the babies needed each other and insisted that it occur. She also recognised one of us would want to be with them before they were transported. And she knew Chester would be down here, and that both he and Jolie would benefit from him being near when she awoke. Grace could be a real long-term asset to Olympia.

She takes Chester to wait with Jolie, and I make my way to the NICU. Two of our security guards are standing at the door, and I’m relieved not just anyone can get inside.

“Is Brennan still in there?” I ask as I approach the doors.

“He is, and so are the others. The doctors are also in there.”

I nod at him, and he lets me through the doors. I look around the room, and it’s hard to miss the circle of people around the clear plastic cot holding our babies.

The doctor notices me. “Is everyone here?” he asks.

“Chester has gone to be with Jolie,” I say.

“Should we wait for him?” he asks, and Brennan tells him it is fine to go ahead without him. He won’t leave her side now until she is awake.

“Okay, so we have good news. Even though the babies are small, there are no issues with their lungs like we were afraid there might be. I have documented this for the future. If we monitor them here tonight, by tomorrow, they should be fine to be moved back to Olympia and be in a room with Jolie. It’s actually quite remarkable they have none of the normal hurdles that premature babies face.”

“So that’s it?” Brennan asks.

“Until we get back to Olympia, we will monitor them closely. That is it. They do still have to be able to feed well and put on some weight before they can go home, of course, but it’s all good news.”

“Scoot out of the way, doctor,” Grace says, coming back into the room. “The babies are healthy, guys. Zadom was a bit stressed at birth, but I think it may have been because something was going on with his sister. I have asked the doctor to run some tests to make sure.”

“Grace,” the doctor chastises. “I have told you there is nothing wrong with baby B.”

“Let her talk,” I demand. “Why do you think something is wrong with my daughter?”

“It’s probably nothing, but I have been researching your teams for months,” she says, a blush rising to her cheeks. “If these babies have all your abilities combined, then it makes sense. Creed, you can feel Jolie’s emotions, Chester can hear her thoughts, and Jolie can feel your pain. I have a gut feeling that Zadom wanted out because he was protecting his sister. Maybe nothing is wrong, but maybe it was going to be. I also could be overthinking it—I’m sorry for overstepping.”

“You’re not overstepping. We want someone like you on our babies’ side, someone willing to speak up. Come and see me once I’m back at work. I want to offer you a better role in Olympia, if you’re up for a change,” Brennan says, and he is right.

Grace is wasting her talent on delivering babies, even though there is nothing wrong with that job. She could just do so much more with the eye for detail and the intuition she displays. I know I want her on the twin’s team, to follow their progress and spot these things, especially since we are heading into unknown territory with them.

“Are you serious?” she gushes.

Brennan nods, and the doctor doesn’t comment any more on the subject.

“I expect all tests to be run ASAP. Do not wait until we are back at Olympia. If there is something, we need to know it sooner rather than later.”

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