Chapter 3

3/29/2041

Luca awoke to the sound of screaming infants. Ken handed them to Luca, who had pulled the top of his gown down. He placed Elena to one nipple, and Tyson to the other. Their cries stopped when their tiny lips latched.

"I suppose they needed to be fed," Ken explained.

"Yeah, look at them go," Luca said, smiling at them suckling on the pink nubs. Luca noticed that Ken had taken out a camera and was about to take a photo of them.

"Please, no photographs," "I don't want my bare chest on the internet," he explained, covering the infants.

Ken chuckled and put the camera away. Luca let Elena and Tyson sleep on his chest after they finished their breakfast and fell asleep. The door was opened, and the doctor entered. When she noticed the babies sleeping on Luca's chest, she smiled.

"How are our new patients?" she inquired. Luca explained, "Not long ago, they woke me up to be fed."

"How did they fair?" she inquired.

"They did well," he said, "they had no problems sucking."

"That's encouraging," said the doctor. A nurse walked into the room. She checked Luca's vitals then took Elena into her arms.

"We'll do a checkup on the twins," she said. The doctor picked up Tyson and followed the nurse out of the room.

A soft knock came on the door. Thomas poked his head inside as the door opened.

"Good day," he said. "How is our new mother doing?" Thomas inquired as he entered.

"I'm tired but happy," Luca explained.

"Where are the new additions?" he inquired.

"They're getting their checkups," Luca explained. The door reopened, revealing two nurses carrying the twins. The doctor came in behind them, holding a clipboard.

Luca noticed a strange expression in the doctor's eyes.

"How did the physicals go?" he inquired.

"Their check-ups were fine," she reported. "We also performed additional tests on them," the doctor explained.

"Did something go wrong?" Luca inquired, his voice concerned.

"There is nothing wrong, Mr. Hodges," she replied.

"So, what was the point of the test?" Ken inquired. The doctor turned to face him and said, "To determine whether they are alpha, beta, or omega." Luca exhaled a sigh of relief. "It appears that your daughter is an alpha and your son is an omega," the doctor said.

Luca looked at Ken and Thomas before returning his gaze to the doctor.

"Is this common?" he inquired.

"Oh yes," she agreed, nodding.

"Be thankful they're healthy," Ken advised.

"I am," Luca said. "I'll love my babies no matter what," he said.

4/1/2041

Today was Luca's and the babies' day to go home. Luca dressed while Thomas assisted with getting the twins ready.

"Are you prepared?" Thomas inquired.

"Yeah, I'm just double-checking my bag," Luca explained. After double-checking everything and placing the twins in their car seats, Thomas carried the twins while Luca handled his bag.

"I'd like to show off my babies to Adrian," Luca said as they headed to the car.

"He'd love to see them," Thomas said.

They drove home with the twins buckled in the backseat and everyone in their seats. Adrian greeted them on the front porch when they arrived. Angel giggled in the baby swing as the mobile spun around.

"Welcome back," Adrian said cheerfully.

"It's good to be home," Luca said, smiling.

"I want to see your beautiful children," he said. Luca smiled broadly and opened the backseat door.

Luca took the car seats one by one and sat the twins in front of Adrian, who knelt and grinned at them.

"What are their names?" he asked as he stood up. Luca mentioned Tyson and Elena Hodges.

"Oh, so you kept your surname?" Adrian inquired.

"Yes," he replied, "I wasn't married, so why change it?"

"They're so cute," Adrian said.

"It's because they're sleeping," Luca explained.

Booted footsteps walked up to the front porch. Luca raised his head to see Patrick standing there. Luca instinctively stepped between Patrick and the twins.

"Can I see my kids?" Patrick inquired.

"No," Luca said, shaking his head. "I'm taking them inside," he explained.

"But they're my kids, too," Patrick said, frowning.

"You can see them over the weekend," Luca said, picking up the car seats and walking inside. Patrick was approached by Thomas. He advised, "If you want him to trust you again, stop making demands." "They are his children," Thomas explained.

When Luca came into his room, he removed the twins from their seats and placed them in their cribs. The door slowly opened after a soft knock.

"Here's your bag," Thomas instructed.

"Thank you," Luca replied, setting the bag on his bed. Thomas noticed that Luca's eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm sorry for how he acted," he apologized. Luca apologized, "I'm the one who should be sorry for yelling in front of your daughter." "He irritated me so much," he said.

Tyson was watching Luca's every move as he placed Elena in her crib. Luca smiled and picked up the baby.

"Hello, my dear son," he said, holding him in his arms.

"Your kids are smart," Thomas remarked. "They realized something was wrong, so they awoke," he explained.

"That's why I love them so much," Luca explained.

"Well, I guess I should go see my little one," Thomas said. "If you need anything, just let us know," he said.

"I will," Luca said. When Thomas said his goodbyes, Luca laid Ty down in his crib and unpacked his bag.

When everything was put away and there was a calm atmosphere, Luca took out his camera and photographed his twins. Luca first posted the photos on his art blog, then emailed them to his friends Alina, as well as Drs. Luca and Evan. On the website, Luca noticed comments saying, "They are so adorable," as well as the googly eyes icon. "Please post more of your little ones," one follower said.

"Draw your precious babies and post them," said another follower. "I'm sure you'd make a lot of money from them,"

"That might be a good idea," Luca thought as he looked over at his sleeping infants.