Chapter 3

Two days later was Brittany’s custody hearing. The judge really wasn’t sure where to put Brittany, whether to let her stay with her grandparents or let her live with her aunt and uncle. When asked what she wanted, Brittany told the judge, in so many words, to shove off. Her grandparents apologized to the judge saying that she was just in mourning and to forgive her for her vulgar words. He decided it would be best to be with her grandparents so she wasn’t influencing the other children to follow her actions.

Brittany’s grandparents moved into their daughter-in-laws house, to keep Brittany at the same school and to be with her friends. The next week Brittany returned to school. It was as though Brittany became a totally different person. She was wearing all black and hanging out with different people than normal.

Brittany continued to have these recurring nightmares every time getting worse and worse.  Brittany fell deeper and deeper into her depression. Her new “friends” helped her by providing her with things that would make her feel “better”. She started with alcohol and increased it to cocaine, methane, and marijuana. Brittany joined in with the party scene and continued faithfully for the next six months.
 

Throughout that time, Brittan met a guy named Keagan, fell in love and had sex with him. She was on birth control, but missed the part about how if you don’t take it at the same time everyday that the effects could be altered. She got pregnant. When her grandparents found out, they were devastated. They knew she went out, but they didn’t know with whom or where. They took her to the doctor and he told them she was pregnant with twins. Brittany told him she didn’t want them and would rather have an abortion. The doctor told her that she really should talk to the dad before deciding such a big decision.

Brittany went to Keagan and told him she was pregnant. Keagan was shocked! He couldn’t figure out how it happened. They had been so careful. They used a condom and she was on birth control. She told him that she didn’t take her pills on time and that was probably the reason why. Keagan broke down and cried. He didn’t know what to do. She told him she didn’t want them, but Keagan said that they were going to keep them.

Brittany stayed in school until she was four months pregnant and then Mrs. Montgomery told her she had to leave. She decided to get a job. She became a waitress at Denny’s. It wasn’t the greatest job in the world and it wasn’t all that worth it, but all she could think about was the babies. After about a month at Denny’s, she decided to try and find another job.  She saw another restaurant was hiring, but the pay was worse that Denny’s. After two weeks, she gave up and decided to stay. Keagan also got a job helping his dad. Keagan’s parents were so angry that they stopped talking to him completely.

Keagan was their perfect son; the son who never screwed up. He already had a full paid scholarship for football to Florida State University. His parents thought that he’d never end up like their older son, Trent. Keagan did everything he could to get his parents to forgive him, but his effors failed.
After two months, Brittan and Keagan went to the doctor to finally find out the sex of the babies. A girl and a boy was the outcome. They decided to discuss names.

“I like Lilly and Hayden. What about you?” asked Keagan.

“I like Cheyenne and James, but I also like Robyn,” said Brittany.

“ I don’t like Robyn. Our girls not gonna be a squawky little bird.”

“That’s not why I picked that name. I like the way Robyn Riley sounds.”
 

“That sounds retarded! Lilly Rose is awesome!” said Keagan.

“Yeah, I guess so, but Hayden to me is a girl’s name. I don’t want my boy to be confused.”

“Well, I guess James is okay. What’s his middle name going to be?”

“James Michael. What do you think?”

“I guess its okay. I picked the girl so you get to pick the boy.”

“So, it’s Lilly Rae and James Michael. That’s pretty cool. Normally people try to get twins names sounding alike. Like Michael and Michelle, but to me that’s corny.”

So with the names decided, Brittany went to tell her grandparents while Keagan told his brother Trent. With everyone pleased, they sat down to talk; Brittany with her grandparents and Keagan with his brother.

“I knew you guys would come up with some good names. Whitney and I had thought of Kyra and Baylee at first but decided on Rylee. We were hoping for a boy, but deep down we knew it was going to be a girl.”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe it happened to me. We were so careful. It still shocks me.”

“Well, Keagan, it doesn’t matter how careful you are the only way for things like this not to happen is to not have sex in the first place.”

“Yeah that’s true. I don’t even know why we did. We had only been together for less than two months. We loved each other though.”

“Well, then the kids will be in good hands then. It’s always good for the kids to feel loved by both parents.”

At Brittany’s eighth month appointment, the doctors informed Brittany that James was breeched and his lungs seemed to be underdeveloped. The doctor informed her not to worry that they would do everything in their power to insure his safety. Brittany went home and told her grandparents. They told her she should pray and ask Got do save her baby, but Brittany laughed, “Why should I pray? God made my get pregnant, took my mom away from me, and has now made my baby have problems. Why should I bow my head and ask him to fix something He did?”

“Brittany God has a reason for doing what He did. There’s a reson your mom died. Do you know how many came to know God because she died?”

“No, and quite frankly I don’t care!”

“Brittany, I know deep down you do. All of them! Everyone who wasn’t saved, got saved because of your Mom’s testimony.”
 

Brittany turned around and walked out. How can I ask God to save my baby she thought to herself. Why would he waste a miracle on someone whose probably brought this on herself? Brittany climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Along the way, she stopped off in the babies room. She realized how much her grandparents had done for her. She only bought a crib, a changing table, diapers, wipes, a few outfits, and a bouncy seat. It was all she could afford. When she looked at it now, she saw two swings, another crib, another bouncy seat more diapers and wipes, a ton of toys, and the walls were painted. They were half blue and half pink. The blue side hat baseballs, basketballs, footballs, and teddy bears everywhere. The pink side had hearts and flowers with teddy bears in dresses.
Brittany walked the rest of the way to her room and sat on the bed. She just couldn’t believe how much her grandparents had done for her and the twins. Brittany then began to cry just as Keagan was walking in.

“Brittany, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?”

“ I don’t know! It’s the hormones again I guess.” She stopped crying. “Have you seen the nursery yet?”

“Yeah, isn’t it wonderful? I can’t believe how much your grandparents are doing for us. My parents still haven’t even talked to me like they used to. All I get now are grunts and sighs of disappointment.”

“I can’t believe their still acting this way. It’s just not fair. They’re going to be grandparents in a couple of weeks and they don’t even seem to care.”

“I know but there’s nothing I can do, which is why I have some news for you.”

“Oh boy! What is it now? He didn’t fire you did he?” Brittany asked with earnest.

“No, Babe. I asked your grandparents if I could move in so I can be close to the babies and they said…Yes.”

“They did? That’s great.” Brittany said unenthusiastically.

“You don’t sound happy. What’s wrong?”

“Keagan, I just…I guess I’m just not ready to deal with all of this at once. More importantly where are you going to stay? In here with me?”

“Well actually, yes.”

“You’re joking right? Ha Ha very funny. You can’t come in here with me. See what happened the last time we were alone in the same room.” She motions to her belly.

“Brittany, we’re going to be to busy for any personal time. You know that as well as I do.”

“That’s the point I guess. I’m just afraid we’re going to drift further apart than we are now.”
 

“ I don’t think that will happen, but I can’t promise anything.”

Brittany decided she would let Keagan move in with her. He got his own futon and would sleep there while Brittany would sleep in her bed. That night Brittany went into labor. Brittany arrived at the hospital six centimeters dilated. She only had four more to go before she could start pushing. The doctors did an ultrasound to check the positions of the babies. James was still breeched.
“Brittany, we can’t go through with natural birth because James is still breeched and I don’t think I could turn him without stressing Lilly out.”

“Okay…then just do what’s best for the babies.” Brittany said with tears in her eyes. She was really looking forward to giving birth to her children.

Brittany’s doctor along with the nurses wheeled Brittany into the O.R. Keagan came in behind them. He told Brittany that everything would be okay and that he was going to be right there holding her hand through it all. The doctors cut her open and pulled James out. He wasn’t breathing. The doctors didn’t give Keagan the chance to cut the cord or even see him. Brittany was starting to get worried because she wasn’t hearing any crying, and then Lilly came out and showed them all she was breathing just fine.

James was born four pound three ounces and Lilly was born four pounds six ounces; overall great weights for twins. James had been out for about forty-five seconds before they heard his cries.

Brittany looked up into Keagan’s eyes to see tears welling up in his eyes making Brittany cry also. As the nurse walked over carrying Lilly, Keagan leaned down and kissed Brittany’s forehead whispering, “I love you.” Keagan took the baby from the nurse and brought her down to Brittany’s eye level.

“Keagan, she’s so precious.”

“ I know, Babe. I’m so happy that we decided to keep them.” And with that, they both were crying once again.

The doctors continued to work with James over the next few days. Every time the doctors thought they could take him off the ventilators, something would go wrong. This went on for about a week. Brittany would come up to the hospital every chance she got and told James how much she loved him and couldn’t wait for him to come home.

Lilly was doing extremely well! She was already smiling and starting to sleep through the night, when Brittany finally walked through the door with James in her arms. As Brittany walked through the door, Keagan was just getting Lilly down for a nap. Keagan came over to Brittany and took James from her, kissed her on the forehead, and sat down in the rocker with him. Brittany set down the diaper bag and sat down on the couch. She just stared at her two guys.

“ So, how’s Lilly being for you?”

“Good I guess. She didn’t want to eat as much for me this time, but overall I guess.”

“That’s good. We need to watch James close over the next few days.”

“Why? What’s wrong with him?” asked Keagan earnestly.

“Well, the doctors said that he could possibly still have breathing problems and all that. So he said just to watch him close and if he starts wheezing or anything, we need to get to the hospital as soon as we can.”

“Okay. I’ll look really close at him.” Keagan began to stare at James in a playful manner. “He isn’t doing anything but staring back at me. You know I work tonight, right?”

“Yeah, what time will you be home?”

“ I don’t know. Probably late.”

And with that, they went their separate ways. Brittany went into the kitchen to start dinner while Keagan put James down for his nap and got ready to go to work. Latter on that night, the most dreadful thing happened.