Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

“And maybe…you’re gonna be the one to save me,
And after all…you’re my wonderwall.”
- Oasis
*~~***~~*

It had been 5 months since the day I’d found out I was pregnant. 5 whole months since the fight and the paternity test. And I was now as big as a house. And I mean a house. I was 8 months along, but I was definitely bigger than I should have been. Why? Because I was carrying twins. Yup. Twins. The doctor had delivered some shocking news when I was around 5 months pregnant. “You’re going to be fine. The babies are extremely healthy.”

“Thank you. Wait…babies? As in plural?”

He nodded. “You’re going to have twins. We thought this might happen. After all, Joel’s a twin and you’re a triplet, so the odds were pretty high.”

“I’m a triplet?”

He smiled. “You never knew? Your test came back showing that.”

I was shocked, to say the least. “Thank you. I have to go.”

That had been 3 months ago, and now here I was in New York City at the Plaza Hotel, checking in. I’d come to find my sisters, Hayden and Georgette. I had called my mother soon after that doctor visit, to ask her some questions. She’d answered and I’d started right off. “Mom, the doctor says I’m having twins. He also said I’m a triplet. You want to explain that to me?”

“Dear, we were poor when you were born. We couldn’t afford 3 babies. We had to put your sisters up for adoption. But we kept you honey.”

“That’s great mom. Real nice. Now, I know you’ve been keeping track of them. I know you, and you will have been doing that. So, who are they and where do they live?”

She sighed. “Their names are Hayden Shinoda and Georgette Benington. They live in New York City, as far as I know. I have their addresses and telephone numbers. Here…”

She proceeded to give me the information I needed. I hung up with her and then I sat there in silence for a moment, staring at the paper in my hand. Ten digits, but it seemed like a thousand as I dialed. “Hello?”

The voice that answered was identical to mine. I freaked. “Hi, is this Hayden Shinoda?”

“Yes it is, may I ask whose calling?”

“Yeah. My name is Katie Switalski. You don’t know me, but I’m your sister. One of your sisters. We’re triplets actually. There’s one more of us.”

Silence. Dead silence. “I knew it. I always felt there was someone else out there who knew me. And sometimes I would find myself feeling angry or sad or whatever when I knew I wasn’t. It was your feelings, or the other…what’s her name?”

“Georgette. Georgette Benington.”

“Can we three way her?”

“Yeah, hang on. God, I feel like I’ve known you my whole life.”

“In a way, you have.”

I punched the three way call button on my cell and dialed the other number mom had given me. “Hello? Is this Georgette Benington? My name is Katie Berboski, and you don’t know me, but I’m your sister. And so is the girl on the other line. We’re triplets.”

“My gosh. Mom had told me I was a triplet. I just never knew you guys, and that makes me sad. What’s our other sister’s name?”

“Hayden Shinoda. I’m going to patch her through.”

“Hello?”

“Hi Hayden, I’m Georgette. Your other sister.”

I started getting choked up. I could hear it in their voices too, how tearful we were all getting. It was a touching reunion with the sisters I had never known.

Hayden’s POV

I was incredibly surprised. I was a triplet. I had 2 sisters. Mom had never told me, and certainly Mike didn’t know. Well, Katie had told us the story that she heard from her mom, our birth mom. She knew she was having triplets, but she also knew that she and her husband could never afford three babies at the time. So, after naming her daughters, she kept one and made the horrible decision of giving the other two up. I was adopted by Lorraine Shinoda. Yes, my last name is Shinoda. Yes, my brother is Mike Shinoda, the MC of Linkin Park. He’s the best. He was shocked when I called him and told him I was a triplet. He got all excited. “I want to meet them! Have them come in to New York and meet us at the Waldorf Astoria to chill.”

“Fine, fine. Mike you need to calm down. I know you’re all happy you’ve got two other sisters, but calm please.”

“Alright. But ask!”

I hit the flash button to go back to my other conversation. “My brother wants you guys to come in to New York to hang with us.”

“Mike Shinoda right? I love Linkin Park. I’ve met them before actually. My boyfriend is in Good Charlotte.”

“Awesome! I love them. My husband’s in Linkin Park too. Hayden, how come I’ve never met you?”

I was a bit surprised. “Wait, you’re Chester’s wife aren’t you? I never met you, you’re right. Mainly cuz Mike doesn’t want the other guys to hit on me, and I’m busy a lot too. So…”

She laughed. Katie did too. And soon I found myself joining in. “I can’t believe we’ve been so close to finding each other all this time.”

“Yeah…so, are we going to New York then Katie?”

She paused. “I’d love to. I’m in Paris right now, but we’ll be back in the US in like 3 months. So, I can make it there by then. Is that good?”

I gasped in mock horror. “Three whole months? We haven’t seen each other since…forever.”

She and Georgette laughed. “That sounds fine. I’ll be there.”

“So will I.”

“Well, I live here so I will be here as well.”

We all laughed.

Georgette’s POV

I’m a triplet. Wow. “Chester! I’m going to New York in 3 months!”

He came out of the bathroom of the tour bus. “You taking Rosie and Lacey with you?”

“Of course. Hey, you gonna ask why?”

“Sure…why?”

“I’m a triplet, remember? Well, they contacted me and I’m going to meet them in New York at the Waldorf Astoria in three months. Okay by you?”

“Yeah cuz we’ll be there then, actually. We’ve got a show there, with Good Charlotte.”

“My sister is dating one of the guys in the band. And my other sister is Mike’s lil sister.”

“Awesome! My god! Mike, come here for a sec buddy!”

He shuffled in from the kitchen with a glass of milk in hand. “What do you want?”

“Meet one of your other sisters. My wife.”

His mouth dropped open and he set the glass down on the counter before he could drop it. “You’re kidding. Georgie? You’re my sister? I’m really the girls’ uncle? I am so happy right now!”

He swooped over and threw his arms around me. “Mike…I can’t breathe.”

“Oh…” He let me go.

“Thanks. I’m happy too. We’re all meeting up in New York in 3 months, when you guys are opening for GC.”

“Yes! Finally, I get to meet my other sisters! Whoop!”

I smiled. I heard a patter of feet as suddenly my twin daughters, Rose and Lace, scampered onto the bus. “Hey girls, guess what?”
“What? What?” They screamed together.

“When we go to New York in a little while, you’re going to meet mommy’s sisters. Mommy has never met them either, and it’s going to be so much fun.”

They cheered. “Do we have cousins?” Lace asked. She was always the more inquisitive of the two.

“I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see.”

“Okay.”

The girls were excited. They are the loves of my life, beautiful little reminders of the love Chester and I share. They look just like you’d think they would, being a mix of us. They have my long black hair and Chester’s green eyes. They’re waifish, tall for their age. They’re 6 years old and they’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, other than marrying Chester. I can’t wait until New York.

Katie’s POV

I was sitting in my seat in first class on a nonstop flight from Charles de Gaulle to LaGuardia. And I had to pee, badly. Joel was snoring away on my right, and Billy was listening to headphones on my left. Of course, I got stuck with a middle seat, and neither of them would move. Goddamn them. I pushed gently at Joel’s shoulder. “Joel…Joel? Joel! Wake up! I have to pee!”

He stirred slightly. I pushed him again. “Come on, wake up!”

“Huh-wha?” He opened his eyes and blinked sleepily around.

“I need to use the facilities, so move.”

He got up quickly and helped me to my feet.I stumbled down the aisle to the airplane bathroom and squeezed myself in. At 8 months pregnant with twins, it was a very, very tight squeeze. I finished up and headed back to my seat. Joel had moved over so I could have the aisle. “Thanks babe.”

He nodded. “No prob. We have, like, 4 more hours, and I don’t want to have to keep getting up.”

I smirked at him.“Real sentiment there honey.”

He laughed and I settled back down for the duration of the flight.
*~~***~~**~~***~~**~~***~~**~~***~~**~~***~~**~~***~~**~~***~~*

“What day is it?
And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time”
- Lifehouse
*~~***~~*




The plane settled down in N.Y.C. I felt like leaping for joy. Finally, back in the USA. Finally going to meet my sisters! Yes! We got off the plane and headed for the limo. Once inside, settled, although not comfortably, we drove off into the sunset. Ha ha, I wish. No actually we drove off, but towards the Waldorf Astoria instead. We got there and Joel and Billy helped me out of the car. I was shaking, I was that nervous. “Hang in there Katie girl; you gotta keep them babies safe. I’m their uncle, you know.”

Billy was laughing as he fought to hold onto my arm despite my trembling.“Sorry. I’m just…so excited. Hayden said to ask at the front desk and they’d direct us.”

We headed for the desk. The woman behind it quipped in a chipper voice, “Welcome to the Waldorf Astoria. You must be Good Charlotte.”

She gestured to all of us.“Yes we are. And…I’m looking for Hayden Shinoda. She said to check in at the front desk.”

The woman nodded respectfully, her eyes widening slightly. “Of course. Ms. Shinoda said to send you right up. I’ll take you myself. Will the rest of you be joining her?”

I looked around at the guys, who were kind of shuffling about nervously. “Would you? Please?”

They all nodded and the lady grinned. “Wonderful. Follow me please.”

She led the way back through several sets of doors to a private elevator. Private elevator! Oh my gosh! My sis was hooked up, man! The elevator stopped on the very top floor. The top. Penthouse. The doors opened and we headed down a long hallway. “This is where I leave you. Just ring that doorbell there.”

She turned and clicked off back towards the elevator.I just stood there. Joel nudged me. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

I clenched my fists. “I’m afraid. I haven’t seen these girls before. Not once in 26 years. I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know.”

He put his arm around me. “I’m here. We’re all here. Right behind you. Now open that door.”

I nodded and rang the doorbell quickly before I could second guess myself again. It seemed like forever before the door opened. My eyes widened at the person standing there.

Georgette’s POV

“Are we there yet?” I rolled my eyes back into my head.

“No we are not there yet. And we will never get there if you don’t stop whining. Okay?”

Rose and Lace looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to playing tic tac toe on the back of a flyer. Chester came over and wrapped his arms around me. “Calm down baby. We’re here.”

The girls jumped up and down in glee. I froze. “What? I’m not possibly ready.”

“Well get ready. Cuz this is the hotel. Get out.”

A few minutes later, Chester, Rose, Lace and I were inside the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, headed for the front desk, and the biggest change in our lives.

Katie’s POV

I was standing in front of a mirror image of me. Or, slightly a mirror image. The girl in the doorway had shoulder length purple hair and the same brown eyes as mine. She was about the same height and was wearing a black and white striped off the shoulder long sleeved top and a black pleated miniskirt. She had on white leather boots and torn black fishnets. Her black eyeliner was smudged and her lips were a glossy pink. She had a surprised little smile on her face, but it widened considerably as she took us in. “Oh my God! You must be Katie!”

I laughed. She bounded into my arms. “Let me guess…you knew that because Good Charlotte was with me, huh?”

She let me go. “Yeah. So…got a bun in the oven there huh? Whose is it?”

She surveyed the guys. “Wait, let me guess…triplet intuition, you know…its Joel’s.”

I nodded. “Nice work. Except, there are two of them.”

She jumped up and down. “I’m gonna be an aunt! Oh…you might want to come in, huh? Come in then. Mi casa es su casa.”

We headed inside. Her suite was awesome. It was all decorated in a Middle Eastern harem theme. She gestured to couches for everyone to sit on. I chose a regular chair, however. Easier to get sit down and get up out of, you know. Hayden was talking a mile a minute. “Linkin Park’s tour bus just pulled up. My brother is Mike, you know. And Georgette’s married to Chester. They’ll be here soon. I can’t wait. So how has your life been?”

I laughed. “Slow down. Okay, the quick facts. I grew up in Waldorf, Maryland, next door to Benji and Joel. They were my best friends since forever. I had a crush on Benji for years. Sophomore year he finally asked me out, we confessed our love to each other, etc. So, fast forward to last year. You heard about the accident? Everyone did. I lost Benj. A few months later, I started feeling things for Joel. We tested it out and fell deep in love. I cheated with Pierre from Simple Plan, but it wasn’t planned or anything. I got pregnant. But the babies are Joel’s. Um…oh and I’m singing vocals and playing guitar with Good Charlotte. And how has your life been?”

She absorbed all the information slowly, nodding her head as she listened. “I grew up here in NYC with my older brother Mike and my mom. Um…I fell in love at 16, got beat up by said love and left him. After that, no men for me. Just one night stands. But I’m always available for love. Still looking.”

I smiled wanly at her. “I understand your pain. My dad beat me growing up. Senior year I ran away and lived at Benj and Joel’s house til graduation and then we all got out of there.”

The doorbell rang. She jumped up. “Oh my gosh. They’re here. This is so…”

“Nerve-wracking.”

She laughed. “Gonna have to get used to that.”

She went to open the door.

Hayden’s POV

Oh my gosh. Déjà vu. Just a few minutes ago, I was standing here at this very door, facing Katie for the first time. And now, here was Georgette. My mirror image, Katie’s mirror image. Her hair was long and black, and natural I knew. Mine was the same color naturally, and under Katie’s red dye there were black streaks struggling to get out. Her eyes were exactly mine, exactly Katie’s, those deep chocolate brown eyes that drown you. And, standing on either side of her, were two girls who looked almost exactly like us, but had a bit of Chester in them. They had the long black hair, but Chester’s green eyes. Other than that, they were us, all over again. I sighed. “Georgie. The gang’s all here. Get in here, you guys.”

Georgie headed in, the girl’s hands tightly in hers. Chester and Mike followed. “Hey good lookin’.”

Mike swept me up into a huge hug. “It’s been too long lil sis.”

I nodded in agreement. Katie had gotten off the chair, with difficulty, and had her arms around Georgie. They both had tears streaming from their eyes. Georgie motioned for me to join them, and before long, I was sobbing like a baby, too.

Georgie’s POV

We slowly let go of each other and sat back down. Hayden and I helped Katie back into the chair. She was very close to term, and huge. I laughed and rubbed her stomach. “Oh! These are my twins, over here. Rose and Lace. Meet your aunts, guys.”

Lace stepped forward first and put her hand on Katie’s stomach. “Are those my cousins in there? When are they coming out? Tomorrow’s our birthday, you know. Will they come then? For our party?”

Rose stepped up next to her and copied her stance.“Yeah, will they come? It would be a really cool birthday present.”

“Girls! Not all at once!”Katie laughed, “Nah its okay. Girls, I don’t know when your cousins are coming. Maybe they’ll come tomorrow, I don’t really know.”

They nodded. Lace climbed up onto the chair next to Katie and rested her head on her shoulder. I saw the motherly instinct leaping in Katie’s eyes. I smiled at it.

Rose went over and stood in front of Hayden, surveying her. “Hi, my name is Rosie, what’s yours?” She stuck her hand out.

Hayden quirked an eyebrow up at her. “Hi Rosie, nice to meet you. My name is Hayden, and I’m your aunt, so you can call me Aunt Hayden.”

Rosie’s face lit up. “Another aunt? Yay!”

She jumped onto Hayden’s lap and threw her arms around her aunt.I laughed at the girls’ antics. They were always so lively. This reunion was the best thing ever. I couldn’t wait to get to know everyone and I couldn’t wait for the concert tonight. It was going to rock. All of a sudden, Katie let out a loud yell. We all rushed over to her. “Oh my god, my water just broke!”