Goldie's first few days in the Ormonde household were a whirlwind of  activity and learning the routine. The babies usually woke up between six and seven, and got breakfast and baths, then playtime until around ten. Then it was naps, then lunch and playtime, then naps around three, then bottles, then playtime, then dinner around five, then baths, then playtime bottles, then bed around eight, with story time.

After about a week, she felt she had it down, and was being an actual help to Jeff, instead of just an extra pair of hands.  As she tottered off to bed, she said, "I can't believe you actually attempted to do this on your own, let alone accomplished it, for how long?"

Jeff considered. "Four months? Their mum passed four months ago."

Goldie shook her head. "You're crazy, Jeff. I'm exhausted just helping you."

"You know, it actually wasn't terrible. It took the edge off of Maggie's death. I didn't have time to miss her, to think about her being gone. I was too busy." He looked thoughtful. "Now, even though it's only been a few months, the pain has already mellowed a bit. It's like it happened to someone else, almost."

He looked around the nursery at the sleeping girls. "I'm glad Maggie got to experience those first few months with them, though. We had fine times, figuring out how to change them, how to fix their formula—we were afraid to even touch them, you know? We felt like we'd break them when we put their clothes on."

Goldie nodded. "I remember when my cousins were little. They were like tiny dolls. When my Aunt Jamie let me hold them, I felt like I was holding a bowl of eggs while I was on roller skates or something, I was afraid to move. I just sat on the couch and stared at them."

"But they're sturdy little things, aren't they?" Jeff mused. "Only last week Pippa rolled right off the sofa while I was getting their bottles. Thought she was going to scream the neighborhood down."
"Really?"
Jeff nodded. "Got a knot on her head the size of a walnut where it hit the floor. I called the pediatrician, but she said that the fact that there was a knot meant that the pressure had been relieved and she was probably fine. I was just to watch her to see if she seemed odd or impaired in any way over the next couple of days, and bring her in if she seemed off. But the lump was gone the next day, and she's obviously fine."

"What day was that?"

"God, seems like forever ago, doesn't it?" Jeff turned and they headed down the hall toward their respective bedrooms. "It was just a week before you came to us, so that would make it the twentieth, I guess." He turned to Goldie. "You ready to do it all again tomorrow?"

She nodded tiredly.

"Thanks for everything, Goldie, good night." He leaned forward and pecked her forehead.

"Good night, Jeff."

Goldie went into her room, opened her laptop, and began typing into a document.

6/20 Pippa rolled off sofa, knot on head, pediatrician notified

She sighed, closed her laptop and got ready for bed. Normally she slept in a T-shirt and her underwear, but she had to actually wear something normal, because sometimes she had to get up in the night to tend one of the girls, and Jeff might see her. She pulled on a pair of sweat pants and crawled into bed, reveling in the feeing of being horizontal, hoping no one woke up tonight.

She slept until about one thirty, when, sure enough, Genie's crying woke her up. She met Jeff in the nursery, where he waved her back.

"Go back to bed, I've got this," he said in a soft voice.

He was happy to see her, no mistaking that. To him, Goldie looked glorious, sleepy and beautiful in her sweats and T-shirt, hair in a fat braid that hung over her shoulder.

"Don't be ridiculous," Goldie replied, going over to soothe Genie, who was standing in her crib and reaching for her. "This is why you hired me."

"I slept really well, I can take her," Jeff was insisting, rubbing his eyes.

"You English and your politeness," Goldie laughed.

Pippa took the problem out of their hands by waking up and crying, sitting up and looking around.

In her crib, Jemma slumbered peacefully on.

Jeff grabbed Pippa and sat in one of the rockers while Goldie picked up Genie and sat in the other one. They rocked and soothed the crying babies to restfulness, while trying not to actually rock them back to sleep. Supposedly it was better to put the babies back in their cribs calmed and not crying but still awake, so they could fall back asleep on their own.

Just exactly how this was to be done was a bit of a mystery to Goldie, though. What baby wouldn't rather be rocked back to sleep on the warm body of an adult, rather than put back down awake and left to fall asleep all alone?

However, this was how Jeff wanted it done, so they were giving it a try. Their situation was further complicated by the fact that, if one of them put a baby down, and that baby saw the other grown up still in the room with another baby, she would, naturally, cry to be picked up again; therefore, a little coordination was involved.

So Jeff and Goldie waited until both babies were quiet and drowsy but still awake, then they rose in tandem and placed them in their cribs while murmuring soothing sounds to them and whispering good night.

Success.

Both Genie and Pippa rolled away, clutching their blankets and closing their eyes.

Jeff and Goldie waved at each other and wandered back to their rooms.

Goldie flopped back on her bed, but, exhausted though she was, sleep eluded her. She looked blearily at her clock.

Two fifteen.

She remembered her college days, when sometimes she wouldn't even go out until this hour, because there were very cool clubs that didn't really get going until really late.

What had she been thinking?

After tossing and turning a few more minutes, Goldie finally just got out of bed and went down to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Hopefully it would help.

She gave a little scream when she ran into someone on the stairs.

"Jeff!"

"Goldie, sorry, didn't mean to frighten you! Couldn't fall back asleep, thought I'd grab a drink to help me along."

"Me too."

They descended the stairs together, and Jeff flipped on the kitchen light.

Goldie flicked the kettle for hot water and grabbed a chamomile tea bag, but Jeff went to the bar and poured himself a small whiskey.

"Oh, you meant tea," he said.

"Oh, you meant whiskey," she said at the same time.

They laughed.

"Sometimes a late night whiskey can help sleep find me," Jeff explained, taking a sip.

They sat together on the sofa with just the kitchen light on behind them.

Jeff took another sip and sighed. "I can't even tell you how glad I am that you're here." He smiled tiredly at her. "I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I had a chance to get a little rest. You said you swim, right?"
Goldie nodded. "A little. I'm no Olympian, but yeah."
"It's like I was doing a distance swim, just head down, take a breath, head down, take another breath, head down, and on and on and on. No time to look around and see where I was or notice anything around me. I didn't even notice when winter turned to spring. Maggie died in January, and here it is nearly summer already." He patted Goldie's hand. "But now you're here I feel like I can finally relax." He took another sip of his drink. "I feel like I can have a fucking drink, I can take a shower, I can whatever. You have no idea."

Goldie wished he'd stop thanking her and telling her how grateful he was to have her there every other minute. It was really messing with her head.

While she was thinking this he rose and poured himself another drink. "I don't think they'll wake up again tonight, do you?" he asked, gesturing to the bottle. "Do you think it'll be okay if I have another?"

Goldie nodded, thinking uneasily of her laptop.

He sat down and took another sip. "This is a good Scotch whisky, deep flavor, lots of smoke."

"Are you a connoisseur?"
"Used to be." Jeff swirled his glass a little. "Haven't really been able to imbibe of late, you know?" He looked again at Goldie. "Now that you're here, I might be able to have a drink from time to time. And maybe write some music sometimes? Who knows? Your being here is going to be the beginning of a whole new life for me, Goldie. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart."

Goldie smiled. "My pleasure, honest."

"You about finished with your tea? I think I'm ready for sleep," Jeff said, tipping up his glass and finishing off what was in it.

"Yes."

Jeff stumbled once going up the stairs.

Goldie reached out to steady him, though he waved her arm away. Jeff was left with an impression of her softness pressing into him, and he wished he hadn't pushed her way quite so quickly. He thought fleetingly of Maggie, and wondered what was going on with him.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I guess it's really been a while since I've had any whiskey, it just went to my head a little."

When they got to Jeff's room, Jeff turned to Goldie, and she, expecting another peck on her forehead, leaned expectantly into him.

She was surprised to feel his arms come around her, to feel him hugging her, long arms drawing her to him.

As he was doing it, Jeff again thought of his girlfriend, not six months gone, and wondered what he was doing. Surely it didn't mean anything? She felt good in his arms, smelled good.

After half a second, Goldie hugged him back, pressing her cheek to his collar bone. It had probably been a long time since he'd hugged someone, anyone, who wasn't one of his babies.

He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her head. "Good night, take two," he murmured with a little laugh.

"Good night again, Jeffrey," Goldie responded, patting his back before releasing him.

After she got to her room, she pulled out her laptop, hesitated, then typed the date, and

Two shots of whiskey within half an hour while girls were asleep

She bit her lip, stared at the blinking cursor, then hit save, closed her laptop and got into bed. Even with the tea, however, it was a good long while before sleep found her that night.