Triplets Make Five

He shot me a look that boiled my blood as we wound through the streets of Philadelphia. He hung up his phone and dropped it into his pocket, then slowly turned his head towards mine. There was a seriousness in his eyes I’d only seen once. It was during a meeting with the investors when things kicked up and he had to chastise them for acting like children.

I felt the hair on my arms stand on end as his unwavering gaze locked with mine.

“Your independence is refreshing, but now it is harming your body. I am having my things packed and delivered to your doorstep, where I will then stay with you for the duration of your pregnancy. We will bring those children back together, where I will help you with feedings as well as help you recuperate. Your body is no longer sustaining this pregnancy well, and I will not leave you alone. And I won’t let you fucking bully me into not helping. I will wait on you so your body can heal, and I will be there to make sure you obey those doctor’s orders. Are we clear?”

I swallowed thickly as my head began to swim. Who the hell did he think he was talking to? Where did he get off addressing me like that? I didn’t need him hovering over me. I was capable of doing this on my own. I could stay in bed and take care of myself. I didn’t need him to do anything for me.

But having him around did sound nice.

“Preston, I-”

“The only answer that needs to come out of your mouth is ‘okay’,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“The gravity of this situation is serious, and I made you a promise at the beginning of this. But I also made myself one. I told myself that if this situation ever escalated to the point where I had to intervene for your health and the health of these children, then I would. This is that moment. You can be angry all you want, but those are your choices. Either you move in with me, or I move in with you.”

“And I don’t get a say in this at all?” I asked.

“You do. You get to choose,” he said.

I was angry with him, but he had a point. My body was no longer able to healthfully sustain these children with the work I was putting in. So, Preston moved in with me. He cashed in the rest of my medical leave and paid vacation to get me through until the company would allow me to take maternity leave, then filed the paperwork himself. I was worried about how that would look, but Preston had other things o

n his mind. Like hiring someone to be around the apartment whenever he was needed at work. And having him around was a big help. I was so big that getting out of bed to do basic things was hard. He had to grab my hands and pull me up just so I could get to the bathroom to clean myself up.

The more I tried to do and the more I found how weak my body was, the more thankful I was that Preston was there.

But I didn’t tell him that. If I did, I would never hear the end of it.

Preston was there to do everything. If I was hungry, he brought me food. If I was thirsty, he brought me something to drink. If I needed to sit up and take off my socks, he sat on the edge of the bed and took them off for me. I fell asleep every night to him massaging my legs and woke up every morning to his cock easing between my thighs. He was always gentle with my body and stern with my reality. He never rubbed the fact that I couldn't do anything in my face. But when I became stubborn he was quick to remind me of the position I was in.

He took my shit without taking my bullshit, and it seemed to work with us.

The entire time I was on bed rest, Beethoven didn't leave my side. He would sleep at my feet or curled up around the protrusion of my stomach. He would purr in my ear and lick my face, trying to heal whatever is was that was ailing me. He was wary of Preston in the beginning, but he warmed up quickly. Soon, I was waking up to Preston bringing Beethoven into my room after Beethoven had snuck off in the middle of the night to go find him.

It was a precious sight, seeing Preston cradle my cat.

There was one day, however, we had not planned for Preston to go into work. There was an emergency meeting called with the board of investors because some project was using more money than they had originally intended. I wanted to go with him to the meeting. To be there to run some quick calculations and figure out what had gone wrong. But Preston was insistent on me staying in bed. I knew he had to go in for this meeting, but I wanted to be there with him. I felt like we were some sort of secretive power couple, holding the company up with our knowledge and strength whenever things started to crumble.

The issue was that he couldn't get in contact with the woman employed to look after me when he was gone.

Preston called and called, growing more frustrated by the second when she didn't pick up her phone. He tried her cell phone and her landline, leaving urgent text messages and multiple voicemails. He cursed to himself and muttered about paying her more than she was worth, so I reached out for his hand to try and calm him.

“Just go into work,” I said. “I’ll be okay.”

“You can’t be here by yourself. I know you. You’ll try to get up and dance or some shit,” Preston said.

“I can’t do that yet. We haven’t installed a pole in the living room,” I said.

“Not funny.”

“We don’t have a choice. Look, just get me everything I would need while you’re gone and help me up so I can pee. You have my word, on the lives of these babies, that I’ll stay put.”

I could see the hesitancy behind his eyes, but he had no other choice. We were left in a precarious position, but it was one I was ready for. I had been surrounded by people and stifled with those wanting to help me. I was ready for a bit of silence. I had a book I was reading and itching to finish. I had movies loaded onto the memory of my television set I had yet to watch. I missed my alone time. I missed it being just me and Beethoven.

“Okay,” Preston said. “But only because you’ve promised me. And I take that seriously.”

“I know you do. Everything will be okay. I promise,” I said.