Chapter Eleven

The summer was a hot and humid hell for Lyssa as she grew in size. Sabrin did his best to keep her comfortable but it was only the cooler temperatures of September that brought any type of relief to Lyssa. By this time though, the doctor had ordered bed rest for Lyssa for the duration of her pregnancy so Rose arrived from Phoenix to help out.

Sabrin’s play closed to a packed house. He was disappointed Lyssa and his mother could not be there, but Lyssa's blood pressure had been slightly elevated and her doctor had ordered her to take it very easy or he may have to take the babies early. This frightened the couple, but Rose assured them she was going to see to it that Lyssa relaxed and got her pressure down. She was right. They had a nurse come to visit and check her at the apartment every two days and the last time, it had come down to the high end of normal, but it was still in that range.

With the play over, Sabrin made plans to move back to California. He called his agent to discuss his next job. The man was pleased to inform Sabrin that a highly rated sitcom had wanted him to join the cast as a recurring character – to start. Sabrin was thrilled and instructed his agent to agree. Lyssa was delighted this was still a couple months down the road and that Sabrin would still be able to be with her when the babies came. While it was difficult, Sabrin started looking for a new house over the Internet so he would not have to leave Lyssa. She was taking a moment from her bed to look at some suitable listings he had found when Lyssa grabbed for the side of the desk and put her other hand over her belly. Sabrin jumped to his feet and guided Lyssa to the chair asking what was happening.

"Unless I missed my guess, I think that was a contraction."

"MOM!" Sabrin hollered.

Rose came rushing to them and helped Sabrin help Lyssa to the couch to lie down.

"Is that the first one?" Sabrin asked nervously.

"Yes," Lyssa said as she reached for Sabrin to sit next to her. She held his hand tightly. "Let's start timing. It could still be quite a while."

Since the doctor had said that Lyssa could have the babies at any time, a bag had been packed with everything ready to go two weeks ago. When the next contraction had not come a half hour later, Lyssa asked Sabrin to help her back to a chair by the computer so they could look at the houses again. They had been looking for a few minutes when Lyssa reached for her belly again.

"I'm calling the doctor, Lyssa," Sabrin told her. He left a message with the doctor's answering service and the doctor called back about forty minutes later. Sabrin told him Lyssa had started having contractions and they were about thirty minutes apart. The doctor advised Sabrin to bring Lyssa to the hospital and he would meet them there.

Since this was Lyssa's first delivery and also because of the twins, things would be handled a little differently.

When Sabrin, Rose and Lyssa arrived at the hospital, Sabrin was sent to do paperwork. A nurse came to collect Lyssa in a wheelchair and Rose followed along. Lyssa had asked Sabrin if he would call her parents and let them know what was happening, so after the paperwork was completed, he called Ruth and Aaron before coming to join Lyssa and his mother in the birthing suite.

Lyssa was taken to a special room reserved for high-risk patients. Her progress was assessed and she was told she was 50% effaced and dilated to two centimeters. The fetal monitors were attached to her belly and Lyssa sighed as the sound of two distinct heartbeats came through the speakers.

The nurse kept throwing glances Sabrin’s way as she worked. Sabrin was too distracted to notice, but as Lyssa was watching the woman for signs that she should worry about the state of her babies, she noticed.

“You look familiar,” the nurse finally said to Sabrin. He was taken aback for a moment, but came out of his daze and realized what she was asking.

“I’m an actor,” he admitted.

"Oh, that must be it then. What have you been in?" she asked. However, before Sabrin could respond, the doctor entered the room.

"Good evening. Lyssa, how are you doing?" the doctor asked with a smile.

"So far so good," Lyssa grimaced as another contraction began.

"Good," he commented. "And Sabrin, how about you?"

"Nervous, excited," he joked.

The doctor examined Lyssa and spoke briefly with the nurse. They left Sabrin and Lyssa alone and said they would check in on them often.

"Are you ready for the premiere of the Berry babies?" Lyssa laughed.

Sabrin kissed her. "As ready as I'll ever be and looking forward to it. How about you? No regrets on how your life has changed over the past year?" he asked.

"What is there that I could possibly regret? I met and fell in love with the most amazing man I’ve ever known and we are about to become parents," Lyssa smiled.

The doctor came back in two hours later and Rose came in too. He gave Lyssa a more thorough exam so he could be certain of the babies’ positions. “Baby A is engaged in your pelvis in perfect position, Lyssa. Baby B is behind baby A forming a ‘T’ with their combined positions. I want to warn you both that while vaginal delivery of twins is often possible, there are times when baby A is delivered fine, but baby B will not engage. The uterus has been stretched out from carrying two babies and may not be able to push out the second child. I’ll do everything I can if a c-section is not what you want, but sometimes there is no choice in the matter.” The doctor warned the couple.

Lyssa looked frightened, so Sabrin held her tightly. It was then that the doctor decided to break her water and ‘get this show on the road’. Lyssa’s labor progressed quickly after that. It seemed like minutes, though it had actually been hours before she was sitting up and, with Sabrin’s and the doctor’s encouragement, was pushing her first baby into the world. With a great forceful groan, Lyssa gave the push that brought forth a daughter. Sabrin let go of Lyssa’s hand for just a moment as the nurse took the child to assess her Apgar score. Sabrin could not help but be drawn to the squealing little bundle as the nurse took her to the warming tray and did a multitude of things that Sabrin could not have repeated if quizzed on later. Lyssa cried out, pulling his attention back to her. Rose came over to look at her grandchild as Sabrin rushed back to Lyssa’s side.

“Is he moving...engaging?” Sabrin asked the doctor nervously. The doctor was poking at Lyssa’s belly, pushing here and there trying to determine just that.

“Yes...yes...very good. He’s moving down. Great. Okay, Lyssa. Time to work again. Let’s meet your son,” the doctor encouraged her. The little blue blanket that had been prepared for the male Berry twin was soon in use as a second nurse set about assessing him and doing all the necessary precautions to protect against infection. The first nurse had the baby girl ready to meet her mother.

“What are the weights, ladies?” the doctor asked the nurses as he saw to the final details of birth.

“5.4 for the female and 5.11 for the male. Lungs are strong on both.”

The nurse carrying Baby Girl Berry, handed her to Lyssa.

"Here you go, mom," she said. Both Sabrin and Lyssa had looks of absolute amazement on their face as Lyssa took the little bundle into her arms.

"Hello there, Sarah Paige Berry. We're your mommy and daddy," Lyssa whispered to the baby.

"She's so beautiful, just like her mother," Sabrin beamed as he sat next to her on the bed, staring at his daughter. "You did great, Lyssa."

"No, we did great," she corrected.

The second nurse now made her way to the parents with Baby Boy Berry in her arms.

"Now dad, here's one for you too," the nurse smiled as she carefully placed the baby in Sabrin’s arms.

"Hello, my son. You already know your sister and now you are here with your mommy and daddy. Welcome to the family, Samuel Isaac Berry," he whispered.

Lyssa and Sabrin both had tears running down their faces as Rose looked over their shoulders at her new grandbabies. Sabrin let her hold Samuel and enjoyed the pride filled smile that took over his mother's face. Lyssa decided to try and nurse the babies for some of their feedings so the nurse came over to help teach her how this could be done with twins. It was not an easy task, but it was interesting.

"It almost hurts and almost tickles at the same time," Lyssa told Sabrin who just found the whole thing mind boggling.

Lyssa should have been exhausted from the labor and delivery but instead she found she was having an amazing burst of adrenaline and could not have slept even if she wanted to. The babies were bundled up and in a special bassinet for twins as Sabrin and Lyssa fawned over them. Rose nudged the two and smiled.

"I think you have some phone calls to make," she suggested. "I'm sure Ruth and Aaron are pacing back and forth waiting to hear from you."

Getting permission to use Sabrin’s cell phone, Lyssa called her folks to tell them they were grandparents to two healthy new babies. Both Ruth and Aaron were beside themselves with excitement and promised to fly up soon to see them when Lyssa was out of the hospital.

Once she got off with her parents, Sabrin dialed Sonny's number and was told to tell Sonny the name of the male child.

"You-you know that is my real name. Did you know that?" Sonny asked, uncertain.

"Yes, that's why we named him that. We both wanted to name Samuel after you in honor of your devoted friendship to Lyssa and to me." Sabrin smiled over at Lyssa as he said all this. She was nodding her agreement. Sonny remained very quiet for several seconds.

"I don't know what to say...I never...I'm honored...very honored," Sonny said in an unsteady voice. Sabrin knew how he felt. Lyssa took the phone and talked to him for a while, describing each of the babies to him. She also confirmed that Samuel was named after him and that Isaac had been Sabrin’s father’s name. Lyssa had tears in her eyes before she hung up and must have told him she loved him ten times.

Finally the nurse came in and said it was time to take Lyssa and the babies to her room. They had a wheelchair ready and helped her into it, but once she was seated there, her face suddenly went deathly white, and she fainted. Sabrin nearly collapsed at the sight of her. Rose grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way so the nurses could see to Lyssa.

The nurse moved Lyssa back to the bed and got some smelling salts to revive her. She took Lyssa's blood pressure and had a doctor summoned to the room. Lyssa was pretty groggy when she came to. A doctor came in to check on Lyssa and gave her a quick examination. The doctor explained that Lyssa's blood pressure had dropped suddenly which had caused her to faint. They got a gurney and moved Lyssa and the babies to her room so she could get some rest. Rose went back to the apartment to get some sleep but Sabrin insisted on staying with Lyssa and the babies.

There was a chair in the private room that reclined and was quite comfortable, so Sabrin was relieved. A nurse came to help Lyssa to the bathroom and Sabrin went to see why Sarah was crying. Samuel had nursed well according to the lactation nurse, so he was sound asleep. Sabrin picked up Sarah and was pleased she opened her little eyes and tried to focus on him. She stopped crying and just stared.

"Well, pretty girl, what do you think about all this? On the whole, would you have rather stayed where you were?" he asked her. He sat back down with her on his lap and they had a talk. "I'm not sure how much I will be away as you grow, little one, but I'm going to do my best to be there. I love your mommy, you see and I really don't want to be away from her. So, you’re going to have to remember to share her with me. You think you can do that, angel face?"

Lyssa and the nurse came out of the bathroom and Sabrin grimaced. Lyssa was obviously in pain as she gingerly walked to her bed and Sabrin felt horrible that she did.

"I heard her cry. Is she okay?" Lyssa asked as the nurse helped her into the bed.

"She stopped when I picked her up," he said proudly. Lyssa grinned at this.

"I know you wanted to keep the babies with you as much as possible, but the doctor was concerned about your collapse. I'm going to take Samuel and Nurse Tillet will come back for Sarah. We're going to run a few more tests and take care of them for about four or five hours and let you get some sleep. I'll bring them back in the morning and you can feed them and then we'll get you a shower. I'll have Nurse Tillet bring your dinner before she comes for Sarah." Lyssa was reluctant to agree to let the babies go, but Sabrin told her she was tired and needed the rest.

The nurse arrived with a tray and helped Lyssa adjust her bed and table before taking Sarah for the additional tests. Lyssa looked at the food and picked at it a little.

"Lyssa, you need to eat to get your strength back," Sabrin encouraged.

Lyssa smiled and took a few bites of the entree.

"For hospital food, this isn't too bad," she commented as she continued to pick at her plate.

"Lyssa, please eat. I was absolutely terrified when you fainted. I don't want that to happen again," he begged. Lyssa looked into his pleading eyes and sighed before having some more of the food. When she finished, Sabrin moved the table away and sat down in the chair next to Lyssa.

"You look exhausted," he whispered to her as she lowered the bed.

"I am," she replied quietly. “Please hold me."

"You do remember I caught hell for doing that in Chicago," he reminded her.

"But we're in New York now. Please." It was Lyssa's turn to beg.

Sabrin climbed onto the bed and took Lyssa in his arms. He kissed her gently and within minutes she was asleep.

It was 3:00 a.m. when a nurse came in to check Lyssa and scolded Sabrin for being in her bed. Sabrin sighed, having known this was coming, and slipped back to the recliner.

"You need to have the bed to yourself, missy. You don't want him to roll over on you and tear something," the nurse told Lyssa firmly.

Reluctantly, Lyssa agreed to obey. The nurse proceeded with her checks of Lyssa’s health and told her to get a little more sleep. They would be bringing the babies in to them in about ninety minutes. With one more warning glare at Sabrin, the nurse left.

"I'm going to be the bane of nurses everywhere if I don't do something to keep you out of hospitals," he teased Lyssa. She wanted to giggle, but it hurt, so she just sighed instead. They were both still tired, so they fell back to sleep until the babies were brought in at 4:30.

Sabrin woke up as soon as the nurse came in with the bassinet. Sarah was asleep but Samuel was beginning to squirm quite a bit, so Sabrin picked him up and began to softly sing a lullaby while gently rocking him to sleep. Lyssa watched silently until Sabrin had laid Samuel back into the bassinet. As he returned to the chair, he could see Lyssa smiling at him.

"You did that like a pro. You sure you've never done this before?" she teased.

Sabrin smiled and kissed Lyssa. "I love you. I can't wait to get you and our babies home."

Rose arrived as soon as visiting hours allowed and was followed throughout the day by other friends and colleagues. Sabrin had called Paul and Deborah as soon as it was a decent hour in LA and they were going to fly to New York in a couple of days so Paul could find out what he needed to know to be sandek to Samuel.

Sarah started fussing next, but this time it was a hungry cry, Sabrin picked her up before she could wake up Samuel. As Lyssa nursed her, a very contented expression came over her face, and also the face of the baby.

Lyssa held Sarah and ran her hand over the baby's head lovingly as the infant suckled.

Lyssa looked up to see Sabrin looking at her with loving eyes.

"What?" she asked as she moved Sarah to her other breast. Sabrin startled as though he had been lost in thought.

"I-I just think you look so natural like that. Like you've been doing it for years. You've been a mother for hours and already you are a wonderful one. I'm in awe."

Lyssa blushed and looked away. "This is like nothing I've ever experienced before." Lyssa felt tears begin to run down her face. "I think I'm falling in love with them," she admitted.

Sabrin grinned and looked over at Samuel, who was waking up again. "Me too."

Lyssa finished nursing Sarah and started nursing Samuel while Sabrin burped Sarah. He then rocked her gently as she began to look sleepy again. It was now Sabrin’s turn to have that content look on his face. An amused smile was added when Sarah did a big baby yawn. Once she fell asleep, Sabrin placed her back in the bassinet and repeated the procedure with Samuel. After Samuel was asleep, again Sabrin sat on the edge of Lyssa's bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Our children are so beautiful," he whispered. "Just like their mother."

"I can see so much of you in their faces," Lyssa answered. They were sharing a tender kiss when Lyssa's doctor came in to see how she was doing.

Lyssa and Sabrin were very appreciative when he told them he had made a referral for the babies to a top pediatrician in New York who had agreed to take them as patients for the duration of their time in New York. He had also spoken with the top pediatrician in Los Angeles who had also agreed to take the Berry babies as patients when they moved.

The doctor concluded his visit by checking Lyssa and giving her instructions on care for herself and gave her a card that already had her appointment with the OB/GYN in Los Angeles.

"You'll like him. Mark and I went to med school together. He's a great guy and one hell of a doctor. If you look this good day after tomorrow, you can go home. Normal time is two days, but with twins, I like to keep the mothers an extra day, just to make sure. You're doing fine though, take a nice walk today and you can shower too." He patted her on the leg and, with a pleasant smile, nodded to Sabrin and left them alone.

Shortly after that, when Lyssa and Sabrin had hoped to get a bit more sleep, both babies started fussing at that same time.

"They just ate. What could be wrong?" Sabrin wondered out loud.

Lyssa covered her mouth with her hands and started to laugh, but it hurt so she stopped and just smiled.

"What?" he asked.

"We forgot to change them," she told him.

Sabrin looked at the package of diapers that was under the bassinet and grimaced. "I take it that means me?" he asked, not sounding eager.

By the next day, Sabrin had become very adept at changing diapers and Lyssa was feeling well enough to go home. The doctor okayed Lyssa leaving the hospital. The babies were dressed in special homecoming outfits. Sabrin carried both babies in baby carriers while a nurse wheeled Lyssa to the door in a wheelchair. The baby carriers were seatbelted securely in the back seat by Sabrin while Lyssa walked gingerly to the front seat for the ride home. When they reached their building the doorman helped Lyssa and carried her bag while admiring the sleeping babies.

"Congratulations!" Mr. Carlton said quietly to not wake the babies. "They are absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you. I'm a little biased but I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment," Sabrin beamed. When they reached the apartment, Rose was prepared for everything. She had been cooking all morning so any visitors could have a snack. As Mr. Carlton had to get back to the lobby, Rose wrapped up a few things for him to take with him.

A couple of hours after they arrived home they had their first visitors. Paul and Deborah had arrived from Los Angeles and stopped by to see the newest members of the Berry family.

"What a handsome little guy," Paul exclaimed, in soft tones as he lifted Samuel. "He obviously takes after his mother in one very important area," he said, touching the tip of his own nose and grinning at Sabrin as he held the baby with the other arm.

"Where did I read that you don't do comedy very well, Paul?" Sabrin teased back.

"You're losing your touch, my friend. That hardly got a chuckle." The two men continued their friendly banter as the women ignored them and admired Sarah.

"She looks like she's going to be a contented baby. You're lucky there. I have watched my cousin’s kids before. Monsters, all of them. Even when they were small." Deborah ran a finger along Sarah's little cheek, enjoying the wonderful softness. Sarah simply sighed and yawned.

Lyssa was in her bed as everyone stood around her or sat beside her. She was still feeling weak from lack of sleep since nurses always seem hell bent on not allowing their patients more than forty-five minutes in a stretch. Rose fussed over Lyssa more than the babies since Lyssa provided most of what they needed.

"Are you nursing them completely?" Deborah asked.

"No, I didn't think that was a viable option, so we’re going to both bottle and breast feed. It’s not what the lactation nurse wanted to hear, but she didn't have twins."

"We can go to the Synagogue later if you want," Sabrin suggested to Paul.

"That is an excellent idea," Paul responded. "I am so honored that you and Lyssa asked me to be a part of Samuel's ceremony."

"You’re my best friend, Paul. You've always been there for me when I needed a friend the most. We're honored that you accepted," Sabrin smiled.

They continued with their visit until Rose shooed everyone out of the bedroom so Lyssa could nap. Deborah visited with Rose while Lyssa slept and Paul and Sabrin went to speak with Rabbi Silverstein at the Synagogue. They went over the details for about thirty minutes and the Rabbi asked when would be a good time to see Lyssa, saying she would come visit then.

The rabbi went in alone to chat with Lyssa and congratulated her on delivering two fine additions to God's children. She was delighted Sabrin and Lyssa wanted to have her perform the Bris before they packed up for their move back to California.

"You will be beginning a new life there," the rabbi observed. "A new area of the country, a new home, the babies and soon, a new husband. While you will be far away, if there is ever anything I can do, any counsel I can give, please ask."

"You have already done so much. Sabrin has felt so welcome at Temple from the first moment we entered. It has been a joy watching him rediscover his faith and you have been a huge part of that. I thank you for that," Lyssa told the woman, earnestly. Rose was forced to interrupt the nice chat they were having by bringing in a very hungry Sarah.

"I'm sorry, Rabbi, but the little dear does not want anything to do with the bottle this time. She seems to want the real thing."

After the Rabbi left, Sabrin came in to let Lyssa know that her parents had called and they would be arriving late that evening but they would wait until morning before coming by. Lyssa and Sabrin stood over Sarah and Samuel as they both slept contently, admiring their offspring. Sabrin wrapped his arms tightly around Lyssa and kissed her tenderly.

"Do you want to wait until after the Bris to set a date to get married?" he asked.

Lyssa smiled and kissed him before answering. "I think that would be a good idea. One ceremony at a time."

"Good, I was thinking the same. But I wanted to make sure you agreed." Sabrin rubbed her arms gently.

"I do," she said with an amused grin.

"Keep practicing that. I will be requiring you to say that. Did you want to go traditional in the wedding or modern?"

"What would make our parents happy?" she asked, seeming to be paying more attention to his hair, as she ran her fingers through it, than what he was actually saying.

"We’re getting married. It’s for us, Lyssa, not them. You pick, I want to make you happy."

"I just want to make sure I'm in shape so we can have a honeymoon. Even if it’s just one night, I want to be alone with you."

Sabrin grinned, flattered. "I would’ve thought you'd have gotten enough of me before the babies came."

Lyssa grabbed his chin and looked sternly into his eyes.

"You are going to be desired by me for a hell of a long time. So take your vitamins and do your sit-ups, because that is not going to change."

"I will do everything I can to keep up with you and our children," he quietly laughed and kissed her again.

They joined Rose, who had already prepared supper and had it lain out on the table. They spent a quiet evening and had a relatively peaceful night. The next day, Aaron and Ruth arrived to see their grandchildren. They also had a surprise visitor with them.

"Look who we ran into at the hotel," Ruth smiled as she and Aaron stepped aside.

"Sonny!" Lyssa exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're here."

After everyone was in the apartment, hugs were exchanged between everyone.

"Let me look at you, my sweet Honey. You look beautiful. You are absolutely glowing," Sonny smiled. "Did you lose weight from giving birth? You know other women will hate you for that."

"No, I did not lose weight from giving birth," Lyssa told him.

"Ah, Lyssa, you have been so lucky. You look like you only have a few extra pounds and those will be gone in no time," her mother smiled.

"I gained almost forty pounds during the pregnancy but I’ve lost twenty-seven of them so far according to our scale. My doctor told me to stay off my feet as much as possible this first week and then slowly get back into the swing of things." Sabrin took Lyssa's hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Since I don't want to marry just anyone, you need to do as the doctor told you. So, why are you standing?" With a chorus of voices, Lyssa was told to take a seat on the living room couch and the babies, who were asleep in their bassinet, were rolled over for everyone to see. Since day one, Sabrin and Lyssa had been trying to get the babies used to sleeping with noise, so the new voices in the house did not faze them. Even Sonny's delighted gasp as he saw his namesake yawn did not wake the sleeping twins.

When the babies awoke an hour later, it was time for a diaper change and feeding. Sonny was absolutely thrilled to give Samuel a bottle while Grandma Ruth fed Sarah. Soon the apartment had even more visitors as Paul and Deborah stopped by as well. Rose immediately headed for the kitchen to prepare a cheese tray and other refreshments for everyone. Sabrin introduced Paul and Deborah to Lyssa's parents and Sonny.

Paul shook Aaron's hand and said hello to Ruth who was just finishing feeding Sarah before turning to Sonny. "Sonny, I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Paul said as he shook Sonny's hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Sonny responded a little dumbfounded that Sabrin and Lyssa would tell Paul Smythe about him.

Lyssa, watching as Sabrin put a sleeping Samuel back in the bassinet, looked around at everyone in the room.

"This is wonderful," she smiled. "There isn't anything better than being surrounded by your family and best friends."

But it got just a little sweeter as Sabrin came back to the couch, taking her hand in his before he kissed her temple. "I love you," he whispered in her ear and then kissed her again.

Sonny sat down on her other side and still looked shelled shocked. Paul had seemed to enjoy talking with him and Sonny did not seem to know what to think about that. Lyssa leaned over and rested her head on Sonny's shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts and back into the world.

"You are having a good time, Sonny Bunny?" she cooed.

The still bemused man took one of her hands in his.

"Pinch me and let me know if this is real," he mused. Lyssa chuckled.

"What do you think of your namesake?" Lyssa asked, hugging him instead.

Sonny met her eyes with misty ones of his own. "I can't tell you how blessed I feel that you and Sabrin are including me in your lives so much. I thought for sure he would mean the end of our friendship. I was very jealous of him for a while, Lyssa. I wanted you to be happy more than anything after your last break-up, but I didn't want to lose you. This is like a wonderful dream. I love both the twins and I will always treat them as though they were my own. Now if I could just find someone." Lyssa hugged him again.

"You will, Uncle Sonny," she assured him.

Paul and Deborah stayed for a few hours before leaving to do some special shopping, promising they would stop by later. Ruth convinced Lyssa she should take a nap while the babies were sleeping so she could keep up her strength. Sonny convinced Rose and the Pages to join him for a late lunch at a café down the street while Lyssa rested. After everyone left, Sabrin joined Lyssa on the bed, taking her in his arms trying not to wake her.

"Are we alone?" she asked.

"Just the four of us," he smiled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she said as she turned to face him. "Want to make out a little?"

"Lyssa, you can't have sex."

"I know but we can still make out a little. I'll let you get to second base if you're good," she teased.

Sabrin realized she most likely just wanted to be assured that he still found her desirable, even after all he had seen of the birth process and her being pregnant. She need not have worried. He kissed her tenderly, running his hands over her back, being careful of her sensitive breasts and lower.

"I love you, Lyssa," he told her. "Nothing is going to change that and nothing ever will." She tried to continue the kissing, but Sabrin knew how tired she really was, because he knew he was tired.

"Sleep, my love. You need to heal so we can have more home runs. Lots more home runs."

Lyssa grumbled a bit but, after a yawn, relented and settled into his arms to sleep. Smiling with contentment, he closed his eyes.

Sarah woke them up about an hour and a half later. Feeding time again.

Sabrin brought Sarah to Lyssa so she could feed her. He watched as the tiny baby suckled Lyssa's breast. Just as Sarah was finishing, Samuel started to fuss as well. Sabrin brought him to Lyssa, switching off so she fed while he burped.

"What a great team we make," Sabrin joked. "Perfect handoffs every time."

Lyssa smiled as Samuel latched on to her. "Yes, we do," she agreed.

The babies were both fed, changed and back to sleep when Rose, Ruth, Aaron and Sonny arrived back from lunch. Sabrin and Lyssa were cuddling on the couch when they came in.

"How was lunch?" Sabrin asked.

"It was wonderful." Rose gushed. "Sonny is such a wonderful young man."

"I agree," Ruth injected. "You do know you’re always welcome at the Page home."

"And the Berry," Rose agreed.

"Both of them," added Sabrin.

"You’re making him blush. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that. I've never seen Sonny blush before," Lyssa teased.

Sonny was still red, but turned to give Lyssa a playful glare. She stuck her tongue out at him and he came over with the intent of tickling her, but realized she may not be in any shape for that just yet.

"You need to heal so I can pay you back for that one," Sonny told her while she just giggled.

Lyssa was amazed that people so different could come together as family so easily, but this group did.

Paul and Deborah arrived about an hour later with a doorman in tow. Two baby swings, a double stroller and a bag full of new toys and clothes were carted into the apartment, as Sabrin, Lyssa and the rest stood by looking stunned.

Deborah, looking over at Sabrin, blushed. "Sorry. I love babies but I think I kind of got carried away. Paul was no help though. He just kept agreeing with everything I wanted to get." She grinned at Paul who gave a guilty smile.

"It was fun," he said with as much dignity as he could muster.

Lyssa hugged both Smythes. "Thank you so much." Sabrin followed behind her to thank them too.

"You have to see this. It's so cute," Deborah said excitedly as she dug through the bag of clothes. She held up two adorable little matching outfits.

"Oh my gosh, those are so cute," Lyssa exclaimed.

Deborah laid out all of the little outfits to the delightful squeals of the ladies while the men set about putting together the swings.

"Do us all a favor, please," Rose said as she turned to them. "Read the instructions before you try to put them together."

"Now I know where you got your sense of humor from," Sonny said to Sabrin.

"What, from her? She's not funny. My mother is one of the must unfunny people I have ever- Ouch!" Sabrin ducked as a piece of crumpled newspaper bounced off his head and fell to the floor. He turned to see his mother raising a challenging eyebrow at him and smiling.

"I can be a hell of a lot funnier than you are if I want to be, son. So you just mind your manners," Rose cautioned him, with a shaking of her finger. Lyssa was giggling beside her as was Deborah.

"Where are my loyal fans when I need them?" Sabrin sighed.

"Bothering the people who bought your house, I would guess," Paul threw in. Sabrin picked up the crumpled paper and threw it at him.

"At this rate, the babies are going to be in high school before you get those swings together. Do you need female guidance, sweetheart?" Lyssa offered. Now Sabrin glared at her.

"So many targets, so little ammo," Sabrin lamented.

When they finally did start putting the swings together it did not take long at all. They finished just in time to test them with Sarah and Samuel, as they had been fussing after being fed and changed. The swings had a bassinet attachment for small babies so after each was put in and the swings started to move slowly, it did not take long for both babies to fall fast asleep.

Everyone was having such a great time so Sabrin ordered some pizzas to be delivered and then the men made a quick trip to the store to pick up some beer. The pizzas arrived a short time later. Everyone dug in and sat around in the living room having a great time. Paul and Sabrin told a few stories about each other from over the years that left everyone in tears from laughing so hard. It was well after midnight before everyone left. All were excited about the Bris in the morning.

Lyssa was upset she had to wear this dress. It was not her normal size and it was not maternity wear. Her mother had picked it up for her before leaving Illinois. It was a pretty dress, but it was not her size and it still grated on her that she had to wear a ‘fat’ dress to the Bris.

Sabrin came up behind her as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, putting his arms around her waist.

"Hi, beautiful," he said smiling at the eyes of her reflection.

"Not so! Fat, very fat. I'm too big for my clothes still and I-"

"Lyssa! It’s only been a few days and you’re not far from where you were anyway. For God's sakes, woman, you just had twins. If I hear one more word like that, I'll- don't cry." He pulled her gently into his arms. "Lyssa, why are you crying?" he asked the sobbing woman clinging to his chest.

"I don't know. I just feel strange. I feel so empty and I don't know why," she admitted. Sabrin comforted her and, at her urging, left her to finish her make up. He found his mother and asked a few questions.

"Oh, I bet she has a little postpartum depression. It’s common as long as she doesn’t lose interest in the babies. We will just make sure that we pay close attention to her and remember that just because the spotlight is on the twins, we mustn't forget Lyssa needs attention too."

Lyssa was taking longer than normal to finish her make-up so Sabrin decided to check on her to make sure she was okay. The door was partially open and he could see Lyssa was staring at her reflection again from different angles. She sighed and turned to leave when she saw Sabrin standing there.

"You are so beautiful, Lyssa," he smiled. Lyssa smiled half-heartedly as if she did not believe his words. He hugged her tightly as if to try to emphasize his words. Lyssa looked up at him and kissed him tenderly.

"I love you, Sabrin," she whispered between kisses. "You know exactly what to do to make me feel better."

"I love you too, Lyssa, and I always will. Come on now. We have a Bris to attend," he smiled.

Samuel, Sarah and Rose were all ready to go so the happy family packed everything they needed and headed for the Synagogue. When they arrived, Aaron, Ruth and Sonny were already there. Paul and Deborah arrived a few minutes later. Soon, the other guests started to arrive as well. Lyssa's friends from Illinois had been unable to attend, however their absence was more than made up for by the many friends from the neighborhood who attended, including Parker Jackson and his wife. Many of Sabrin’s friends had flown in for the occasion, including Maria Suthern, another co-star in ‘Time and Space,’ and her husband.

Paul held Samuel carefully as Rabbi Silverstein performed the circumcision. Lyssa watched as all the men in the crowd winced in vicarious pain for her son, who let out a sharp cry. The blessing was given and Sabrin announced Samuel’s Yiddish name and his full English name. Sarah’s ceremony was a little briefer and a lot less stressful for the men in the group. After the final blessing was said, everyone thanked the rabbi and the others who officiated, and left for the feast. Samuel was given the first slot of nursing once they got home, to calm his fretfulness, but Sarah was not happy about waiting. Ruth held her so all the food preparations could be made in peace.

Once the nursing was done and the babies asleep, Lyssa came out of the bedroom to join the feast. It was interesting to meet Maria and her husband, Tom and chat with them. "Has Lyssa met Robert?" Maria’s husband, who had been a director for more than half of the episodes, asked Sabrin. Robert was Robert Carey, the executive producer of ‘Time and Space’.

"No, not yet," he responded. "Why?"

"He may want the two of you to make a few appearances together to boost the syndication ratings. A woman as beautiful as Lyssa would certainly help break the stereotype that only geeks and nerds are fans of the show," he explained with a smile as Lyssa blushed.

The rest of the morning and afternoon went well. Lyssa even had a chance to sit down with Maria while she nursed Samuel in the bedroom. Lyssa told her how she and Sabrin hoped to be moving to California very soon and Maria sounded interested in getting together with them when they did.

"If you two need help with sitters so you can go out once in a while, I think you will have a lot of volunteers there. Most of us are great with kids. You may have to actually request the return of your babies if we all start passing them around," Maria joked.

Lyssa smiled and thanked her. She was taken aback with how well received into the family of actors she had been.

Soon after the food had been eaten and cleaned up, Sabrin showed everyone the houses they had been looking at on line and got more offers of help should they need any. About that time, everyone said their good byes and well wishes and left the apartment.