****

After a harried ten-minute drive, the mother and son arrived at the UMC to find Dwight and the Blackwells waiting for them.

"There you are!" Mrs. Blackwell called.

"Did anything happen yet?" Dave asked breathlessly.

"Nothing on either end," Dwight assured him. "The hook up's on in the delivery room."

Just then, Dave's cell phone rang. "Yes?"

"Dave, it's Mike. How's Angie?" 

"About the same as your wife, I imagine. How's she doing?" he asked, hustling towards the delivery ward.

"Hang on," Mike told him.

"Hi, sir...whew!" Karen huffed.

"Hi, Miss, well you have our best. Make us proud, we'll be watching," Dave told her.

"And...[puff]...Angie?"

"She's neck and neck with you right now. Sorry I have to cut this short, but...."

"That's okay....Go to her and thanks, Dave," Karen concluded.

Good luck, Karen, he wished silently as he made his way into the pre-operating area and washed up. Once in the smock and mask, he walked into the delivery room. This is it.

On the table, he saw Angie lying on her back, puffing away to beat the band. "Hi...[huff]...I must look a sight, huh?"

"You look beautiful. Now breathe," he giggled.

"Liar," she cracked, gripping his hand. "Took you long enough...to get...here."

"I had to fight my way through the usual garbage," he quipped. "Karen's also with you. She's at the hospital right now down there."

Angie nodded and smiled silently as she breathed deeply. Five minutes passed and then, ten. Finally, she felt another pain. "Arrgh!"

"Okay, Angela, you can start pushing," Dr. Fishburne told her.

Like I didn't know that. "Okay, guys, out you come! Mommy wants to see you," she urged to the two babies.

"First one's almost here. Yes, I've got the head and it's a girl!" the administrator told her.

"What about the other one?" Dave asked.

"I'd say that one's in a hurry to join the world. Oh wow!" she screamed.

"I'll say," her boss agreed. "This one's practically coming out on its own. I have the head and there!" He cut the umbilical cords and told them, "Congratulations, you two! You have two healthy baby girls." He wrapped the twins in their own respective blankets.

"Can I?" Dave asked, feeling rather nervous at the moment. I'm a father!

"Certainly," Dr. Fishburne agreed, placing one on each of his arms. "Careful now."

He nodded, holding the two girls against him. "Hi, ladies. This is Papa speaking and I love you both." He considered them for a moment. I'm really a father. Thank you, God. "Now, here's your mother." With Dr. Fishburne's help, he laid the girls next to Angie. "Hey, Princess, look."

She looked down to see the two little bundles next to her. "Oh my! These are the kids!"

"You did it, Princess," he asserted. "Thank you so much. I love you."

"And...I, you," she laughed ruefully. "Although, you owe me big time, Buster." She looked at their daughters. "Hello, both of you. Now that Papa's had his turn, I'm here too. And we both love you. Yes we do," she whispered to them. Looking at the screen, she told them, "How about holding up the kids for America?"

Dave held one twin in his arms and she had the other as the camera recorded everything.

****

[Columbia]

At that moment, Karen was starting to push herself. "I wonder how they're...doing?"

"All right!" Mike cheered.

"What?" she asked,

"They beat us! Look at the screen, Honey! They have twins!"

"Drat! I can't believe she beat me," she cracked. "Okay, Chief, out you come!"

The doctor caught the baby and cleaned up everything. After wrapping the bundle, he told them, "You've got a son."

"Oh wow!" Mike exclaimed.

"Awesome! A little boy...and two little...girls," she sighed. "Hand me the...phone."

He dialed his cell phone and handed it to her.

****

[Tucson]

As the proud parents embraced their daughters, the phone rang. 

Dave turned to the monitor to see Karen holding a bundle in one hand and the receiver in the other. He picked it up. "Hi, Miss, is that a little bundle I see?"

"Yeah it is. I have a little boy now. Kind of has your dimples, doesn't he?" she teased.

In the next room, applause could be heard from the group watching the other monitor.

"You live for trouble, don't you?" Dave teased. "I don't want Mike thinking I messed with the gene pool."

"Like he would stop thinking that," she snorted. 

"Seriously, he's beautiful, Karen," Dave declared.

"Thanks. Let's see those daughters of yours," she requested.

"Right here," Angie responded. "Dave, take the feisty one, please."

"Got her." He smiled.

Karen's eyes watered and she laughed, "Guys, they're precious! Congrats, you two!"

"By the way, Dave, I had a question to ask of you," Mike told him.

"You mean we have a question," Karen giggled.

"Fire away," Angie told her.

"We were wondering if you would mind if we named our son after you, Dave," Karen requested.

Angie started to laugh. "Actually, we were going to make the same request of you."

He nodded. "Well?"

"Of course! I just can't believe we were thinking the same thing," Karen said in disbelief.

"I guess we're still in sync," the librarian teased. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. And thanks from here too, I mean it," Mike added.

"So, the world can get to know David John Montoya," Karen announced. "And his friends are?"

"In this corner, contemplating the cure for the common cold, we have Lauren Jennifer Dubois," Angie commented.

"And over here is a scrappy little one ready to study Dante's world, Karen Jeanne Dubois," Dave announced. 

"Where did you get Lauren's name?" Karen inquired.

"Her great-grandfather Alvaro," Dave told her. 

"Awesome! Well, we need to rest here. Keep the faith and we'll be in touch soon," Karen concluded as she signed off.

"Before we announce our kids' presence, I want to remind you how much I love all of you," Dave told Angie.

She smiled as they kissed. Then, he did the same to Lauren and Karen."

"I never thought I'd be here," Angie sobbed, "With such two little bundles."

"You make a great mother," Dave reassured her. "Now, I need to tell everyone."

She nodded as he left the room.

****

He walked through the doors into the waiting area to find an anxious crowd looking at him.

"We stopped the connection after Karen gave birth back East. What else happened?" Dwight asked.

"Not much. We have two little girls here, Lauren Jennifer and Karen Jeanne. Back East, the Montoyas have a new son named after me," Dave announced.

"And Angie?" Mrs. Blackwell wondered.

"Momma's fine," Angie assured everyone as the interns wheeled her out. "The babies should be in the window in just a minute."

Sarah and the Blackwells rushed to the window and saw their granddaughters lying in their cribs.

"I'm a grandpa," Bill realized.

"And I have my second and third new grandchildren in a week," Sarah added, waving. 

"Let's allow them their fun, Dave. Can you come up to the room with me for a minute?" she requested.

"I'll join you there. I want to talk with your boss first," he replied.

"Okay, don't be long," she agreed as they took her into the elevator.

"What can I do for you?" Dr. Fishburne asked.

"I wanted to thank you for your assistance. I can't believe I have those two angels," Dave expressed.

The administrator nodded and rubbed the new father's shoulder. "It's my pleasure, David. Now, I think Angela's waiting for you. Just don't be too long, all right? She needs her rest."

"Right," Dave agreed, heading up the stairs. Two floors up, he found her room and knocked on the door. "Angie?"

"Hi, Dave. I'm here. I can't believe I made it," she whispered.

"You did great. Listen, you need your rest, all right? I'll be back tomorrow to see you," he assured her, kissing her forehead.

"You better be," she remarked, giving him a little smile before she closed her eyes.

Sleep tight and be safe, Princess, he thought as he looked at her sleeping face and then, slowly made his way to the elevator. Once he got downstairs, he returned to the nursery. There, he found his mother with her face pressed up against the glass looking at her granddaughters. "Dave, they're perfect," she told him.

"Thanks, I can't believe they're really here," he said in disbelief. 

"I thought the same thing when you were born," she pointed out. "They're amazing, all right. Bill and Jennifer just left. They'll be back later. Your grandmother went nuts back East. That was a nice touch naming one of them after your grandfather."

"I had to. Well, he was the big influence," Dave indicated, peering back at the girls. "Look at Lauren. Doesn't she look like she's contemplating something?"

"She's a bookworm just like her great-grandfather and father," Sarah surmised. "And look at Karen, she's already fussing with things. She's feisty like her cousin, Miri."

"We'll need to get her a little carriage to bomb around in," he chuckled. Then, he spoke to the glass. "I need to find out what you're thinking about, Lauren. Karen, I'll have to figure you out too."

We got plenty of time fer that. Let's enjoy 'em, the Child reminded him.

What do you think?

They're cute. Course, mah nieces are perfect. And since they got the ultimate protector, they're set.

Which is who?

Ah'm it. If anyone messes with 'em, wham! Ah start whuppin'! 

Okay, I guess. Relax, all right? Dave sighed. I guess with His Darkness on the case, they're set.

Damn straight, the Child asserted just before he went silent.

"Well, Mom, how about I drive you back to the hotel before I go home?" he offered.

"Okay," she agreed, waving one last time.

He looked at them again. "Watch your mother, all right? I love you both. He spoke to the Other. Nothing happens tonight.

Ya'll got that right. Don't worry, Ah'm ready fer anythin'!

Thanks. He led his mother out to the car and drove her to the hotel. After dropping her off, he headed for the apartment. 

I still can't believe it! I'm a father! He shook his head as he walked into the apartment. Dwight and Jean were already asleep in the guest room when he made his way to bed. Sleep. What a novel concept. He fell into bed and drifted off into the land of sugar plum dreams.


Chapter 5

The next morning was just as hectic for Dave. After driving in with Dwight, he made last minute adjustments to the Center's paperwork to make sure it would launch on the following Monday. Then he met with two students to insure that their questions were answered. Finally, he checked the budget for acquisitions. Everything looked as if it ready to be left for the weekend.

Having finished everything, he locked the door and headed for the hospital to spend time with his wife and daughters.

****

He split the weekend between visits to the hospital, working at the library, entertaining his mother and in-laws in addition to Arizona Stadium. In terms of the latter, his one moment of solitude came watching Arizona defeat Western Michigan 42-14 to open the football season. Sunday, he picked his mother and they spent the day at the hospital.

Before they went there, however, his mother insisted that he eat lunch and take a break. "What's going on today?"

"Not much. I'm going to spend it with my family," he replied frankly.

"You really like this fatherhood thing, don't you? Trust me, it gets harder, but you deserve to enjoy it. Angie's such a nice person. I was talking to her in the room yesterday. She's such a fine girl for you," Sarah complimented.

"Thanks. She's my best friend, confidant, etc. Now, our commitment extends to our daughters. The girls are going to get the best of everything that we can give them. And Angie's looking forward to this challenge as am I. Now, we need godparents," he noted.

"I think Angie and Karen were talking about that very thing yesterday. But do you really want her that involved?" she inquired.

He looked her square in the eye. "Look, Mom, if Karen didn't bring us back together, we would have missed all of this! Believe me, I trust Karen like nobody else, other than Angie, of course. She's always kept my interests in mind and she gave her name to my daughter. If anything happened to us, I have confidence that she and Mike would be there for the girls and vice-versa."

"If you say so," she relented, seeing that she wasn't going to win the argument. "And I want to see my granddaughters so let's get over to the hospital."

After paying the bill, they drove over to the UMC.


****

Right at noon, Dave knocked on Angie's door.

"Come in!" Angie called.

"Hi, Princess. It's Mom and me. How are you doing?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Dynamite. They pamper me more than I deserve," she fretted.

"Hey, nothing's too good for the mother of our kids," he assured her. "Right, Mom?"

"Absolutely," Sarah concurred. 

"Well, I guess. I watched a little football on TV last night. The girls and I should be out of here tomorrow so we'll make your premiere," Angie told her husband.

"As long as that room is super clean," Sarah stated.

"Right," Dave agreed. "Knowing Caitlin, it'll be that. Speaking of the Munchkins, how are they?"

At that moment, a nurse walked into the room with a double carriage. "Why don't you see for yourself? All set, Dr. Dubois?"

"Great! Thanks!" Angie replied. "Bring them up to the bed, would you?"

"Of course," the nurse agreed. "There they are."

"Hi, ladies," he greeted, seeing the two pink faces staring at him with big brown eyes. "And how are we today? Wanna kiss Momma?"

"Of course they do. Come here, gang," Angie insisted. She held their daughters. "Hi, Lauren and Karen! What cha doing? Is your father giving you enough attention? He loves you both as so do I. And look, there's Grandma!"

"Hi, Girls," Sarah greeted, kissing them. "I love you too and so does everyone back East."

"You can say that again," Mrs. Blackwell agreed while entering the room with her husband. "That's such a nice picture seeing you all around the bed."

"And there's room for both of you," her daughter told her.

"Thanks," her father expressed as they came over to visit. 

For an hour, everyone shared a nice visit. Then about 2:00, the phone rang.

"Who?" Mrs. Blackwell wondered.

"Hello?" Angie asked.

"Hi, Angie. It's Karen," Karen replied from her room in South Carolina.

"Hi there! How's everything?" Angie inquired.

"Great! I have Mike here with me along with Mika and little Dave. He's such a happy baby. Right now, he's sleeping here. How are the girls?"

"Fine. Lauren's staring off into space and gurgles when she's hungry. Your namesake's really feisty. She already has that big smile on her face. Dave just came in with his mother and my folks. Hang on," Angie explained.

"Hi, Miss. How are you?" he inquired.

"Never better! I was just telling Angie that I'm fine and so is your little namesake. Listen, Dave, has Angie mentioned anything about our conversation yesterday?" Karen said.

"No, but my mother mentioned it this morning. Give me the full scoop," he requested.

"Well, Mika has always needed godparents. Now with Dave here, Mike and I were talking about it again. Both Charles and Caroline have enough to think about. They suggested Angie and you. We agree. Now, I know we have our differences religion-wise, but...." Karen explained.

"You know I wouldn't force anything on them like that," Dave told her. "But go on."

"That's what we thought. Angie asked if we would be there for the girls in the same fashion. Is that okay with you?" Karen continued.

He looked at Angie and seeing her nod, he agreed, "Sounds good. When's the christening?"

"We'll let you know, but I'd say look for us around our birthdays out there," Karen indicated.

"Great," Dave noted. "How are your folks?"

"They're good and they'll be happy to hear you've agreed to be the godparents," Karen told him.

"Especially since Grandpa can make a mean rack of ribs," Dave noted.

"Here's Caroline. She wanted to talk to you both," Karen told them.

"Hi, guys," Caroline said.

Angie put the phone on speaker. "Hi, Caroline."

"Hi, you two! How's everything?"

"Never better. Anticipating lots of wet diapers and crying," he joked while winking at his wife.

"Now, Dear, you knew what you were getting yourself into. Caroline, we're fine. The girls will make their first public appearance tomorrow after we're discharged from the hospital," Angie continued.

"I saw their image on the hookup. They're beautiful. It would figure that you two would have twins. Congratulations!" Caroline expressed. "Dave, just remember you aren't alone now more than ever. Quite a change from 1981, huh? Well Karen wants to talk to you. See ya."

"Bye and thanks," he concluded, his eyes watering.

"That was a sobering thought for you if nothing else," Karen remarked. "So, Dave, when does the big project go online?"

"Tomorrow at noon our time. I can't wait for it to happen. Several years of planning, hoping and wishing have gone into this endeavor. I'm glad that Angie and the twins will be able to see it happen. I can't believe it's going to happen," he replied.

"Believe it. Two facts for you to remember, Dave: you're a very determined person and you're finally being rewarded for your hard work. Enjoy the moment. Your friends are all very proud of you. You could have quit out there, in Charlottesville, or in Rowenshire, but you didn't. You persevered and didn't compromise your principles. Remember that, all right? Well, I gotta go, but you both hang in there. We'll talk soon. Good luck tomorrow," Karen informed him before hanging up.

"You two are really lucky to have friends like that," Mrs. Blackwell told them after he hung up.

"We know, but one has to be a good friend to have good friends. Right, Dave?" Angie told her mother.

"Absolutely. Well, we're getting on for 3:30 and I don't want our girls getting too tired before tomorrow. I'll be by about 10:45 for you three," Dave agreed, kissing her and their daughters.

"Sounds good," Mr. Blackwell concurred. "Come on, Jenny, Sarah, let's give them some space."

"I'll be right there," Dave assured them. He turned back to his wife. "Until tomorrow, Princess."

"I'll be waiting," she agreed, kissing him.

He smiled at the trio before he rejoined their parents outside.

Let's hope it all goes well, she wished, crossing her fingers and counting the minutes until the morning.



Chapter 6

Dave got up early and rushed into the library to make sure everything was clear and ready to go. After his usual 8-9 stint on the desk, he joined Dwight in a last minute inspection of the Center, making sure that everything was ready to go live. Finally, about 10:15, he drove over to the UMC. Walking into Angie's room, he found her dressed and putting a bonnet on one of the twins. 

"Well, there he is! Look, girls, it's Papa!" she cooed. "How's it going, Sweetie?"

"Great! Are we all set?" he asked.

"All the paperwork's finished. Let's go," she agreed. "Can you take Karen?"

"Right. Come on, Peanut," he agreed, picking up the little girl. "We're going to take a ride."

She snickered. Look at him. What a softie. Still, he's going to make a great father. With that, she and Lauren followed the others out of the room.

****

About noon, everyone was seated in the Center. Everything had been checked and double-checked. Finally, Caitlin stood up and walked to the podium. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As we all know, computers have changed academia a great deal. Today, we are about to take another step into the future. Where once a student needed to have paper in hand to read a book, now there are other alternatives. To go further, I'm going to introduce you to our head of Electronic Resources, our Humanities librarian, Dr. David Dubois."

"Thank you, Dean Sommers and good afternoon, everyone. As you mentioned there are alternatives out there in production. Let's say that someone wants to read a Shakespeare play from The Riverside Shakespeare but the edition's checked out. Where that was once a problem, now we can deal with it." He pushed a button on the computer keyboard and the text appeared on the screen. "It's not quite a replacement, folks, but a supplement, another means of access."

From there, he went on to explain how this system could help in assignments across the board and even in collaborative projects before wrapping up. Then, he took questions for a few minutes before the session ended. "Thanks, everyone. I hope this is the start of something special."

The group applauded the presentation and departed for the most part. 

Caitlin walked over and complimented, "Very nice talk, David. Thank you for that and for your hard work. Dwight, the same goes for you. And are these your daughters? Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Angie expressed, flushing. "Say hello to Lauren and Karen."

"They're beautiful. I'm sorry I can't stay longer but I have to run to a meeting. Maybe I can stop by the apartment sometime and visit them?" the dean requested.

"Sure," Dave agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have fun," Caitlin agreed, heading to her office.

"Well, everyone, before you leave, how about some lunch at our place?" Angie offered. 

"Sounds great, but are you up to it?" her mother worried.

"It's fine. Dave can help me," she assured the older woman.

"Sure, let's go," he replied, guiding them to the cars.


Conclusion

Dave spent the next day hooking up all of the connections in the Center in addition to his other library activities. Finally, about 8:00, he shut down the systems and headed home.

Pulling into the parking spot, he got out of the car and looked around. It looks the same, but it feels more like home. Unlocking the door, he walked in. 

Angie came out of the bedroom. "Hi, Sweetie. How did today go?"

"Great! And your day?" he responded.

"Okay. The girls are adjusting. Still, they are so good," she replied.

"Sounds great!" he grinned. "Take my hand?"

"Sure," she giggled. 

They walked into the twins' room where their daughters slept soundly. "They're something, aren't they?" he whispered. "Just a minute. I forgot something in the car." He hustled outside and came back with flowers. "I didn't get a whole dozen, but I got three roses-one for each of my special ladies."

"Oh, Dave," she sighed, looking at him, her eyes glistening with tears of joy. "Thank you."

"No, thank you. Do you remember our talk at dinner back in December?" he asked.

"You mean the one where you were telling me how good a wife I am?"

"Right. Now do you feel worthy? We're a family now, Angie, and nothing can take that away from us. I thank God everyday for your presence in my life and now, the same goes for our children. I love you," he told her, kissing her.

"You were right, of course. I am a good wife and mother, aren't I?" she asked expectantly.

"The best, Princess," he assured her, gazing into her eyes. "Speaking of which, I smell dinner so shall we go eat your feast?"

"Certainly," she agreed, sitting down at the table. "I hope you don't mind a drink." She poured some wine for each of them as well as serving the chicken frittatas. Raising her glass, she toasted, "To our family, may we always be happy."

"Hear, hear!" he agreed as they touched glasses and sipped the wine.

They ate the meal and looked into each other's eyes, allowing their feelings to be apparent. They had achieved parenthood and another level to their relationship. Now, they were on another set of adventures. Exciting adventures indeed.


THE END (for now)


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