The Miracle Twins

“Sorry.”

“They’ll be here soon enough, and from that point on you’ll be running nonstop. You should enjoy your last few moments of solitude.”

“You make it sound like I’m an expectant mother.”

He looked at her inquiringly. “Aren’t you?”

His words made her pause, but she shook her head. “I’m only one person in a team of caretakers.”

“And how is that different from a mother who relies on the help of nannies, family or day care to help with her children?”

“My role is temporary.”

He frowned. “Not to those little girls. Right now, you are the most stable influence in their lives. You’re their protector and their cheerleader—and they’re going to need one hundred percent of your commitment.” His eyes softened. “Something I think they already have.”

Warmth rose in her cheeks. Sometimes, she was sure her “commitment” bordered on an obsession. The moment she’d first held the children and felt their tiny bodies moving against her she’d known she could never let them down.

“Miss?”

She turned when a skycap approached.

“Are you Lucy Devon?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I recognized you from TV,” he said with smile. “I was asked to tell you that the party you’re waiting for has arrived safely and the children are well. They will be down as soon as they clear customs.” He held up a set of luggage tickets. “I’ll gather these and meet you by the baggage claim area.”

Lucy took Nick’s hand, urging him toward the base of the escalator where a group of people had gathered to welcome arriving passengers.

Within minutes, two dark-skinned women appeared on the landing. One pushed an oversize carriage-type stroller, while the other carried a large diaper bag and wheeled a small suitcase.

“It’s them. It’s them!” Lucy waved, bouncing up and down. Impulsively, she squeezed Nick’s arm, then ran toward the elevator.

At the sight of her, the weary women broke into smiles and called out.

“Lucy!”

“Hello!”

Nick remained behind, watching as the pair maneuvered the stroller and their belongings onto the elevator. As the car made its short trip to the lower level, they peered impatiently through the glass walls.

Finally, the doors slid open and they stepped out.

“Tamika, Kyro! Welcome!” Lucy hugged the two nurses, then bent to peer into the buggy. “Hello, sweet things,” she cooed. Her hand disappeared as she caressed the children, then she turned to the nurses again. “Any problems?”

“No, ma’am.” Tamika’s voice held a hint of her native dialect mixed with a clipped British intonation. “They slept most of the way.” Her lips twitched in a little smile. “Kyro was not so fortunate.”

Kyro’s cheeks took on a rosy hue. “I did not like—” she searched for the right words “—the height.”

Lucy offered her another hug. “Don’t worry, Kyro. No more flying for quite some time. I promise.”

Looking at Nick, Lucy gestured for him to come closer. “This is Dr. Nick Hammond. Nick, I would like you to meet Tamika and Kyro Tabumba. They’re recently graduated nurses who’ve been caring for the twins since their birth. And they’re sisters, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed. They agreed to accompany the children and serve as their nannies for a few months.”

The women shyly held out their hands and Nick shook them, nodding slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The women’s smiles grew wide.

“Would you like to be introduced to the twins?” Lucy asked.

“Of course.”

Lucy drew him forward until he could see two infants lying face-to-face. They wore frilly bonnets and were wrapped in a puffy quilt edged in candy-pink ruffles.

“May I?” Nick asked, indicating the blanket.

“Yes.”

He gently pulled the quilt down to reveal two tiny bodies in pink pajamas.

Even knowing exactly what he would find, Nick’s first full glimpse of the children was shocking. Great care had been taken to sew their outfits together, and the drape of the fabric hid much of what lay beneath, but it was still obvious that the children were fused from sternum to abdomen.

Automatically, Nick’s training took over as he made a quick examination. He was pleased to see that—although they had feeding tubes and their bodies seemed quite small for their age—the girls appeared stable and strong.

“They look like fighters,” he murmured, replacing the blanket.

“Yes, they are,” Lucy agreed proudly. “They’ve gone through so much to make it this far.”

“Shall we go get the luggage?”

Nick relieved the nurses of their carry-on bags while Lucy took control of the stroller. As the women marched ahead of him, Nick had to remind himself that he hadn’t formally committed himself to helping the twins. But as he followed in the wake of these three determined women, he knew it would be futile to resist. Not only would he have Lucy and the nurses to contend with if he refused…

But he’d have to explain himself to a pair of twins who had already wriggled their way beneath his professional detachment.

Chapter Four

As soon as they reached the van, the women turned their attention toward removing the children’s carrier from the stroller tray and buckling it into the backseat while Nick and the skycap loaded the luggage in the rear. They were so involved in their task and in catching up on events that Nick managed to smoothly take the car keys from Lucy and slip into the driver’s seat, uncontested.

The ride through the darkened streets to downtown Salt Lake City took only a few minutes. At Lucy’s request, he made his way to the Grand Hotel and maneuvered into one of the parking spaces in the underground lot.

Although Nick had devoted his career to children, he’d never quite realized how much…stuff they required. Granted, the twins had arrived with all their worldly goods, but…

Good Lord. After seeing the women and children safely to a pair of adjoining rooms, Nick needed two more trips to gather the suitcases, bags and stroller, as well as a case of formula and another of diapers. He could have arranged for a bellboy, he supposed, but when the women gathered around the babies, he’d felt like an interloper. He’d wanted to give them a few minutes alone.

As he slung two more bags over his shoulders and toted the case of formula, Nick’s forehead creased in a frown. Regardless of the fact that the twins were being sponsored by an international children’s aid society, he couldn’t imagine that such largesse would extend to a long stay in a hotel for all five of them. Nor could he imagine that Lucy’s salary—whatever it might be—could stretch to accommodate such an extravagance. Lucy might have taken his help for granted, but he doubted that she would’ve looked for a place to live until she was sure the twins would be staying in Salt Lake.

Hitting the up button with his elbow, he stepped into the elevator, watching the blinking lights that signaled his progress to the sixth floor. Then, moving into the hall, he made his way to the hotel room and tapped the door with his foot.

Immediately, Lucy swung the door open.