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"You really need to stay like that until I get back." Valerie ordered, a small smirk on her face.

"You are getting back at me, aren't you?" River narrowed her eyes at her.

The two nurses and her doctor, Dr. Jamie Dewells had left and her intern had come over to do the basic check-up. And she was enjoying every moment of it.

River was lying on her stomach, a few pillows under her to keep her spine straight. Jamie had decided it was the best position to assure minimal damage on both her injuries.

"Well, you know you deserve it."

River rolled her eyes, smirking at the poor girl's fate; she will be moving on to the next doctor soon and then she would come to know of her value.

"Well, it's just what's done." River chuckled.

"Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what's should be done."

River raised a brow at her.

"Bold of you to think that I haven't watched Cinderella."

"You have?"

"I have a five-year-old daughter who is obsessed with anything to do with sparkly things and tiaras." River explained.

Also, the mother of the said five-year-old herself is obsessed with all things Disney.

Valerie laughed as she set the clipboard down and took a seat.

"Honestly, Disney has evolved so much. I prefer the live-action over the animated because-"

"They met before the ball and hence it's not the superficial love showcased in the original." She finished for her.

She nodded in agreement.

"And the solutions to every problem isn't true love's kiss anymore." She added and River completely agreed.

"Growing up, I liked Barbie not because of the feministic side to the whole thing, but you know, it made sense. Girl or boy, follow your dreams and take action."

"Exactly.!"

River suddenly chuckled. "Look at us doctors, discussing away cartoon evolution."

She laughed again.

"Wait, where are my kids? They must be worried sick."

"They are here?"

"Just outside-" Before she could finish, the door was pushed open, Susan and Mateo walking in. Valerie jumped to her feet and looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Where are the kids?" River asked her mother.

"Went home with Sebby. The doctor said you can come home by tomorrow evening."

"I am so sorry we got lost in talks and-" Valerie started but Susan just patted her arm and smiled at her. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"Just doing my job as her intern and friend." Valerie smiled. She had a really gorgeous smile.

"This is Mateo." River pointed at Mateo who was lingering around the door. Susan had moved to the foot of the bed or other side of the room or something so she couldn't see her anymore from her lying position.

"Hello, Mr. Adesso." She greeted him and turned back to her senior. "I should get going."

"Byee.." River sang as she walked out, waving.

"How are you feeling?" Mateo asked, taking the seat previously occupied by Valerie.

"Lighter now that I let all of the pent-up sadness and fear out." He nodded, no emotion on his face, "And... wiser."

He raised a brow.

"Mom, could you pass me my phone?"

"River-"

"Please?"

She dialed a number and pressed the phone to her ear.

"River?" Eric picked his phone up.

"Hey, do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Make a call for me." She said, a grimace forming on her face.

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"Do you feel any pain?" Dr. Dewell tapped on the wound on her head.

"A bit." River replied.

"That's normal." He smiled. "There's no swelling, no major vessels damaged and no sign of hematoma. It's healing well. So I think there is no need for surgery."

"Phew.. The last thing I needed was my bush shaved off." She replied. Her hair was one wild nuisance but she loved it nevertheless and having it shaved away for surgery would have broken her heart.

"No tedious works until the braces come off." He added and then gave her a small smirk. "It means you have to strictly keep to walking."

River nodded, rolling my eyes. She was known in the hospital for running around like a maniac. And things were bound to get hectic soon because she had already missed three scheduled surgeries the previous day.

"You are all good to go by evening after the formalities are done." He finally said the words she wanted to hear, and gave her a side hug.

"That's against professional etiquette." River raised a brow.

"So is sleeping with Mateo Adesso." He winked and walked away while she mentally face-palmed.

"Everyone know about it, don't they?"

"Yep." Susan, one of the older and super sweet nurses, with her mother's name, laughed as she removed the drip from her hand. "You can start taking solid food. Your breakfast will be sent here soon."

River nodded. It felt good to sit up, cross-legged again. She had spent the whole day either on her stomach or side last day. And she was very weak after the panic attack. She hadn't had one in years so it took its toll on her.

'So stupid of me. My kids would have been scared out of their wits.'

Much to her chagrin, it had been decided that it was better the kids didn't visit their mother at the hospital anymore so they had to settle with face-timing. A few more hours and they would be reunited.

It was eight in the morning and River's mother had gone home to get her some casual clothes and maybe some lemon cookies. Hopefully some lemon cookies?

"River, there's something I need to tell you." Susan turned back at the door, looking suddenly tense.

"What is it, Sue?" She asked. She had been there at the hospital ever since she had started working there as an intern so they were pretty friendly. And she had River's mother's name so she felt that familiarity and affection towards her too.

"Are you seeing Mr. Adesso?" She asked timidly.

"No, why?"

She looked relieved when she said that. "Then it doesn't matter. Take care of yourself."

With that, she left.

River was confused for a moment. But then she remembered that last year, when Mateo was admitted, Susan was the first nurse assigned to him.

Did something happen?

'Well, you know who to ask.'

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"Mateo, give me the damn phone!" Adam bellowed as he tried to get his hands on his phone.

The test results had been sent to him in the morning but he couldn't bring himself to open it.

"Capo, you are being extremely illogical!" Ricardo tried to reason with his leader.

"Look, I will open it when I am ready." He tried. He didn't know why but he was terrified.

He needed those kids to be his.

Not because he wanted River. Well, he did want her. That hadn't changed after one whole year of trying to get over her, but he needed those beautiful, angelic kids to be his babies and he was scared the results may come out negative.

"Mateo, there are lives at stake here. We need to act fast. We don't have time for you to be sweating around like some timid teenager!" Adam said. And for once in his life, though Mateo wouldn't say it out loud, the motherfucker made sense.

"Fine." He sighed as he tapped on his phone.

"CONGRATULATIONS. YOU ARE A FATHER!!!"

All of their heads snapped to the door to see Alessia grinning at them, Mateo's laptop in her hand.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Adam pointed at his best friend's Mac and then turned to him, "OH MY FUCKING GODS, I AM AN UNCLE!!! TO TWINS!!!"

He threw his hands around Mateo while he just stood there, just digesting the fact that was thrown at him.

This is exactly what he wanted to hear. That he was a papa.

That he had children with Dr. River Johnson, the woman he wanted to marry since a year ago.

That he was the father to two of the most beautiful and amazing children in the world.

And it was so stupid that he still didn't know their real names. He had just heard them be called Lukey and Ki. That couldn't be their real names. He needed to start by finding that out.

There were so many questions he needed answers to.

Well, he knew who to ask.

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"Careful.." Susan was hovering over her daughter, afraid that she might drop the baby.

"Mom, I am fine." River rolled her eyes. "There's no problem with my hand- brain coordination."

Michelia chuckled, tugging a loose strand of her gorgeous auburn hair behind her ear. The same hair her gorgeous little son had inherited.

"No matter how much they grow, they are still babies to you." Susan told Michelia, brushing River's hair while Michelia nodded.

"We are all mothers here." She said, her Italian accent was super thick and super gorgeous. Everything about this woman screamed gorgeous. Leonardo was one lucky man. "You have twins, right?"

"The most gorgeous pair." River smiled, giving the sleeping baby back to his mother.

"Should you be walking around?" She asked.

"No." Susan replied giving River a disapproving look.

"Your vertebral column and spinal cord is most erect while standing upright-"

"I don't want to hear it, surgeon." The lawyer threw her hands up and took a seat while Michelia laughed.

"Where's your husband?" River asked, still standing because she missed it. She was used to spending most part of her day standing so she had gotten habituated to it.

"Downstairs. The cafeteria got some sick croissants." Her face instantly lit up. "Though it's taking him so long."

The three women sat there and talked, though it was mostly Susan instructing her on baby care with a few inputs from River from her own experience. They had learnt that Susan's mother died when she was young so she had said that she could use all the advice she could get.

"Don't talk to kids in baby language." Susan said. "I made that mistake and this girl didn't start forming basic sentences till she was almost four."

River narrowed her eyes at her. Why was she looking at her like it was her fault?

"Luckily, I didn't make that mistake." River said, a smug smile on her face. "Though Nanna taught Lukey some heavy words."

"Oh right, what are their names?"

"Lucas and Kiara. Lucas is six minutes older than Kiara." She smiled. They were the lub and dub of her heart.

"Aww.. The protective big brother."

"Yep."

"Michelia, the results came back-" Leonardo barged in with a bright smile but he stopped the sentence midway when he saw the Johnsons.

"Hey Doc." He took a deep breath and regained his composure.

She raised a brow and smiled. "I think we should leave."

"No, stay!" Michelia whined. "Spending time with this boring human is a torture like no other."

Leonardo looked thoroughly offended while Susan and River laughed. Nevertheless they left the couple alone with their son.

"You!" Valerie approached the women as soon as they walked out of Michelia's room.

"Uh oh." River muttered.

"Why can't you stay in your bed like a good patient?" She asked. "Practice what you preach."

"Yeah yeah." She laughed. "Let's go."

"I will make a trip to the cafeteria and come. Do you girls want something?"

"Thank you ma'am but no." Valerie said politely while River just rolled her eyes.

'Look at her, being all civil in front of others.'

"I will have a milkshake and a chocolate muffin." Anymore croissants and River knew she was going to hate it for the rest of her life.

Susan nodded, smiling, and walked away while Valerie pulled her in the opposite direction, to her room.

Unfortunately, Susan didn't think to get her lemon cookies so she had to wait till they got home to get her claws on that tangy deliciousness. That is, if there was any left after being left alone for so long with, na ah... not the sweetest pair of twins, but the sweet-toothed grandmother. Lilith hadn't visited her because of the wheelchair and she was still recovering from the shock as well.

"What does your mom do?" Valerie asked as she adjusted the cot for her.

"She is a lawyer. I thought you knew." River was confused.

"Wait.." Her eyes were wide. "That's her? The one in the news? " She pointed at the door, her eyes still on the doctor.

River sighed. "The one and only."

"I learn something new about you every day." She laughed as she finally sat down on the chair after toiling with all the stuff to make her comfortable.

"Did you hear the gossip about me?" River asked.

"That you are sleeping with a patient? Please, like I am going to believe that." She laughed. "You are way out of all your patient's league. Except Mr. Adesso maybe. Now that there is a fiiiiine specimen."

River chuckled and took a deep breath.

She looked up at her and smiled, "So how do you know him?"

"You introduced him to me just yesterday?" She looked bewildered. "Woman, are you forgetting shit? Is that head injury worse than we thought?"

"So you haven't met him or heard of him before that?" River asked.

"No, why?"

"Because he is the patient in the gossip." She burst out laughing.

"WHAT?" She covered her mouth. "NO WAY!!! But he is not even your patient!"

"He was. A year ago. Dr. Eric Fentell was my intern back then."

Dr. Johnson had completely forgotten about that little sleaze ball. He had moved to Texas. And she rarely texted him though he was generous when it came to sending her memes on Instagram.

"That is crazy. So you guys are dating?"

"No."

"Then why is he here?"

"His cousin is in the next room."

She looked confused. "So you are friends with them?"

"I delivered her baby."

Valerie shook her head animatedly. "Alright, too much to process."

River watched as the door open slowly, soundlessly.

"Not as much as I had to." Her smile dropped as she took in another deep breath.

"Now tell me Valerie, why did you kidnap my children?"

All humor from her face vanished within milliseconds.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me rephrase that-"

"Why did you kidnap Lucas and Kiara Johnson?" He pressed a gun to her temple.

"River!" Valerie looked at her with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"That's what I want to know, Valerie." River stood up and bent down to her level, clenching her jaw at the sudden pain that jolted up her spine. "Why is the man you allegedly put in jail pointing a gun at you?"

All color drained out of her face.

River looked up at the hefty man with more ink on his head than hair. "Hey Michael, or should I say, The Hammer?"

"Hey RJ!" He winked at his old friend, flashing his silver teeth.

'Is he trying to be the Clown Prince of Crime or something?' The inner voice wondered which she quickly shrugged off.

"Long time, no race." He said.

"We will catch up later Mikey." She smiled and looked back at Valerie. "I wasn't just Eric's arm candy back in the days Val, I used to be in on the whole thing. So I know who does what, okay? And I also know what all they don't do. And trapping runaways and other minors? It's a no no."

"I am sorry River!!"

"I will forgive you if you tell me who made you kidnap my kids."

There was a knock on the door. Michael removed the gun and hid it under his belt while the door opened.

Valerie dashed out of the seat and ran to the door. She pushed aside an unsuspecting Mateo and ran out.

River rolled my eyes. What kind of Mafia guy was he?

"I will go get her." Michael said and hugged her which she returned. Michael Jahn was an amazing hugger and he was super compassionate as well. Unlike his stupid mean brother Morris. River prayed for his soul to rest in whatever peace hell offered.

She nodded and smiled as he left the room.

'This is getting hella complicated.'

River looked at Mateo to see him staring back at her with an unfathomable expression.

"Yes?"

"What's going on?"

"Just found the rat who kidnapped my kids." She shrugged.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

River sighed and stretched, groaning a bit when her back throbbed in protest. "First, I thought this was about my mom, but the way things are getting all tangled up, I think there is much more in to it. This got something to do with-"

"Me."

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