In December, Will and Lori Gandy of New Orleans found themselves in a situation where Houston was suddenly home for a while. Then on Thursday, they experienced another abrupt jolt to their lives.
The Gandy twins were apparently anxious to make their entry into the world. During a December visit to Houston to buy a new SUV, Lori Gandy found herself in labor.
"It was fear because she knew it was way too early for the babies," Will Gandy said.
"I just knew it was too soon," Lori Gandy said.
At one pound each and three months early, it was a tough road ahead for Knox and Gabriel. The parents set up house at Candlewood Suites on Main Street. Will even set up a temporary office to work.
"We became Houstonians overnight," Will Gandy said.
They also applied for help through a special Medicaid program for parents of preemies and thought they were set to stay through the end of March, even checking to make sure they had a room through the busy rodeo season.
"Parents commonly have to stay right by the hospital," Will Gandy said.
But on Wednesday, they received a phone call that they were being evicted.
"I called and had them fax the paperwork, and as soon as that was done within 15 minutes, they called back and said we've actually rented the room out," Lori Gandy said.
The hotel even called police. It's unclear if the glitch was with the hotel or Medicare. We placed calls to find out after business hours on Thursday.
The couple was given an hour to pack and offered a hotel 20 miles away. Then there was a knock at the door.
"The fact that they would call the police and treat us like we are in the wrong and like we are the criminals," Will said.
"It was completely unnecessary," added Lori.
"I can't describe,"said Will.
"And the cops agreed," Lori said.
But these new parents want to spend their time worrying about their new twins, not where they'll sleep the next night.
"It just boils down to what's right and what's wrong. And the right thing would have been to honor the agreement that we had arrived at the very beginning," Will Gandy said.
The couple is staying with a distant relative on the west side until they can figure out where they will go next. As for the twins, they are up to four and five pounds now at the Women's Hospital of Texas.
