Run, Girl (If You Can)

Keeley was struggling to break through the haze of painkillers when she felt something warm and familiar. Somebody was kissing her. There was no one else on earth who would dare kiss her while she was unconscious but her husband.

"Aaron?" she managed to ask despite the gumminess in her throat.

His anxious yet relieved face swam in her vision but before he could respond, Violet's voice caught her attention. "I knew it! Daddy is a prince! Mommy woke up!"

The twins scrambled over to her side from where they were standing in the doorway with Jennica. Keeley hissed and squinted into the bright light. Her friend saw her reaction and immediately turned the light in the room off. There was still enough to see through the slit in the curtains.

"Mommy, Auntie Alice said you were gonna die," she said very seriously as she took her mother's hand. "You have a lot of booboos. Should I kiss it better?"

Keeley looked to Jennica in alarm but she merely mouthed "no she didn't; your kids have overactive imaginations" and she instantly relaxed. That made sense. Violet especially had a tendency to overreact to things.

"Sure, baby. I would love for you to kiss it better."

"Me too!" Kaleb insisted.

Aaron finally spoke up. "You guys can't climb on Mommy; she hurt her tummy, her leg, and her head. Okay?"

They both stopped trying to get onto the bed immediately. Violet settled for leaning over to kiss her mother's cheek. Kaleb kissed the hand that wasn't hooked up to an IV.

"Do you feel better now, Mommy?" they asked innocently, in perfect sync.

Physically? No. But emotionally she felt a million times better. She really thought she was going to die.

"Lots better," she assured them. "What happened to me? Where's the baby?"

Keeley was suddenly frantic. She hadn't thought about the baby at all but there was definitely an absence of baby in her belly; she could feel that much. What happened to Oliver?

"He's right here!" Aaron said quickly. "I've got him. He was delivered by C-section and is perfectly healthy. You got into a nine car wreck on the Long Island Expressway. Henry…didn't make it. You got lucky; you broke your leg and have a concussion but that's it other than the C-section surgery needed to save Oliver."

She instantly slumped back against the pillows, which hurt. A lot. What a relief. She really couldn't bear the thought of losing another child in the womb.

Then she felt guilty for feeling so relieved when Henry was dead. He had been with Aaron since before they even met up again. He was divorced with two children and had a girlfriend that he was getting fairly serious with.

She would have to reach out to them and figure out something nice to do once she was out of the hospital. The accident wasn't her fault but Henry wouldn't have been there in that moment if he wasn't tasked with driving her to her doctor's appointment. She felt horrible.

Trying to push those thoughts away and focus on her son, Keeley held her arms out expectantly and Aaron slowly eased the sleeping baby into her arms. He woke up at the movement and blinked up at his mother with big blue eyes.

"He's beautiful," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"He is but I can't decide who he looks like," Aaron said lightly.

"We'll probably figure that out once he's older."

Jennica cleared her throat. "Hi, best friend here. Glad you're alive. Just wanted to know what the deal is with the kids so I can get Logan and Noah home for their naps."

Keeley blinked in surprise. She had completely forgotten her friend was here. "I'm so sorry, Jen. Aaron can take them home after they're done here. Thank you so much for watching them."

She smiled softly and walked over to squeeze Keeley's hand. "Of course. You'd do the same for me. Call me when you get home Aaron. We can figure out a schedule for having them come over when you're at work while Keeley is in the hospital."

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I really appreciate it. Could I get those booster seats from you? Aiden drove me here so I have to take a cab home."

Aiden…Jennica…exactly how many of their friends had come to the rescue today when they were in need? A lump rose in Keeley's throat. She suddenly felt very loved.

Noah reluctantly waved goodbye as his mother dragged him and the baby away. Aaron followed to get those booster seats, promising he would be right back.

"Is that our baby?" Kaleb asked curiously, finally showing some interest in Oliver. "He's so small."

"You were even smaller," Keeley told him with a smile. "You and Violet were over a month early and had to stay in the hospital for a little while so you could get big and strong."

"Noah says he'll marry Violet when they get big," he replied.

"When did he say that?"

"Today at the park. He didn't want to share a room with me if you couldn't wake up."

She sighed. What kinds of conversations were these kids having? Poor Alice. She would have to apologize for the hassle these two caused later. There was only one reason Jennica would have ended up with them—Alice couldn't handle it.

Jennica was nearly as good with the twins as Keeley and Aaron were. Probably because of how much time she spent with them since they were born. She was the most frequent visitor to the Hale household, even beating out Robert slightly.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," she reassured him. "Noah likes both of you."

"He likes Violet better," Kaleb mumbled sourly. "Maybe the baby will like me better. That will be fair."

"I don't want the baby to like you better!" Violet protested.

The twins began arguing and it made Keeley's head hurt. Lights and sounds were agony right now. She didn't say anything about it but they saw the pained look on her face and were immediately contrite.

"Sorry Mommy!" they chorused.

"Daddy said you hurt your head. Is that why it's dark in here?"

"Yes, baby. Mommy needs dark and quiet to get better."

"We'll be super quiet," Violet whispered. "Can we get in bed with you if we're super quiet?"

"Okay, just be careful not to touch Mommy's tummy or leg," Keeley said with a wince. Breathing too deeply hurt her stomach. 

They happily complied, being extra careful not to jostle their mother or the baby, each crawling up onto one side of the hospital bed and nuzzling against her upper arms. Aaron came back with the booster seats to see them like that and a soft smile appeared on his face.

He made sure to get a picture to commemorate Oliver's birth. It would be one interesting story to tell someday.