This story is fictional. The mention of any person, place, or thing is coincidental and not intended as an accurate portrayal. No one under 18 engages in sex.
I appreciate the many comments. This part brings the story to a conclusion.
To recap, Cliff and Emma fell in love after she was told her husband had died in a bomb blast in Jerusalem. Norman survived the bombing and nearly three years of captivity before he returned. This episode tells the resolution of events and conflict told in parts two and three.
I remained withdrawn until Dave and Bri asked for a meeting on Sunday, March 2. We attended a Lakers game with the Mavericks and retired to a quiet restaurant operated by a former Halo player nearby where we found a booth that provided privacy.
"Our parents don't know we are here," Dave said. "We agreed that it's time for us to intercede in this stalemate. We're here to appeal to you." He stopped and looked at his sister.
"Without your presence, our parents are nipping and sniping at each other. Sometimes mom goes completely quiet. I can tell she wants to explode, but she refuses to respond when dad is acting terrible. They haven't had a major argument yet, but we can tell it is bubbling below the surface," Bri said.
"I'm nothing special," I said. "I don't understand how my absence makes a difference."
"We disagree," Dave said. "You have a way of looking at life that makes people see stuff they don't see on their own. You are the buffer, the glue, as my dad said he told you and that helps them get along better with each other. You've helped both Bri and me get our heads screwed on straight.
"This is difficult to say in the right way, so give me some space. I've always had the utmost respect for my parents. I want a relationship with my future wife like they have. Since dad returned, it hasn't been the same unless you are around. You complete them and make them both better than they were before. Does that make sense?"
"In a way, I suppose it does," I responded. "But having children with your mother while she's still married to your father goes against all normal practices. We have a few other issues too that I'm reluctant to discuss with you."
"Please remember one thing," Bri said. "We all agreed we wanted a step sibling. Don't misunderstand what we're saying. We wouldn't want this with anyone else. While this situation is unconventional, we consider you a member of our family just as much as our mother or birth father."
After we talked for several hours, they convinced me to at least talk to Emma and Norm. I still needed to talk with my family first. I flew home Friday afternoon and asked my family to meet with me that night. After I outlined the issue as best I could, I threw the floor open for discussion. From watching their faces, I didn't have a clue how they would respond.
They asked pointed questions, all of which I expected. In the end, they gave me approval.
I asked to speak with Norm and Emma privately when I returned. During our session, I presented all my reasons for hesitation. "I'm young enough that I can find another wife and have more children if I want. This closes that door."
"That is certainly true," Norm said. "But we hope you don't. If I hadn't been found and returned, my guess Emma and you would be married now. Don't you agree?"
"Given all the legal considerations, my answer would be yes if she agreed. I wanted to wait at least three years before we decided. I'm glad we waited because what a mess we would face otherwise."
"This may sound strange for me to say as her husband, but what you and Emma have is special. Everyone who sees you together comments to me. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you didn't ask her to choose, because sometimes I think she would leave me for you if I hadn't been injured. I doubt you will ever find another woman with whom you match so well. We want you with us. End of discussion."
Emma sat quietly, but I could see her struggling as I turned to her. "First, let me say that Norm has said the same thing about me picking you over him. I've told him it isn't true, but my feelings for you are strong. I've counseled people who are in a triad relationship like I'm proposing, so the concept isn't foreign to me.
"It's my body and my decision. While we all voiced the idea at about the same time, it's been my desire since you told me the story of you, Kate, and Natalie.
She talked more about the issues involved in waiting until Norm had died. "I want a child with you, Cliff. The longer we wait, the higher the risk."
The intensity of their words and expressions washed away my reluctance. One of my high school coaches often quoted this saying: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." It was time.
"I appreciate your words because I feel the same. I don't want to go anywhere else. I'll tentatively agree. We talked about boundaries, especially between Norm and me. We talked about what will happen if one or more of us died. They knew an attorney who specialized in poly marriage agreements and we decided on what might happen in each scenario.
The next few months presented a challenge. Emma ended her period the day before our meeting. It didn't stop us from spending time in bed together. Tacked on top of my normal workload, I worried about keeping track of her most fertile times and making sure I spent several nights with her. Because we wanted the pregnancy to start as soon as possible, Norm warmed his wife up. I was there to deposit my seed. Sort of took the joy out of the process. When she missed her period in June, we all rejoiced.
Emma got so big, so fast that her doctor ordered a non-invasive blood test at the ten-week mark. "This test will reveal how many children and their gender," the doctor said. "No need to return for the results. I'll text the three of you." Three days later, she sent us a text. "Twins. One of each."
My mother is the family historian. After a week of research, she told me there are three sets of twins among my cousins and uncles and aunts. "I had twin cousins, a man and a woman. The man died in the Gulf War."
I operated in a continual mood of nervousness. Emma asked me to leave sometimes because I constantly hovered while we spent time together. When we weren't together, I was worried. From a lean body, I shed nearly ten pounds.
Except for bed rest for the last week, the pregnancy and births went well. I expected some opposition to both Norm and me during the ultrasound, office visits, and at the hospital admission, but Dr. Karen Peters opened the doors whenever we needed them. She said our situation wasn't that unusual in her practice.
On March 19, 2009, at Loma Linda University Health Care in Rancho Cucamonga, the first of the twins, Scott Edward Robinson came out at 0437. His sister, Sophia Ann Robinson, joined him 19 minutes later. Their middle names matched my parent's first names. Emma went through eight hours and seventeen minutes of labor after her water broke.
Over the next 11 years, we addressed those issues. With her father's help, they found a house in foreclosure in Santa Ana. One of Norm's classmates from law school offered him a part-time position in his law firm. Some days we felt fine. Other days, we barely moved. The law firm structured a position around his needs and abilities. Emma joined a counseling firm in the same building.
Both Dave and Brie went to Cal-State Fullerton, took education and physical education degrees and got married.
