Chapter 62: Chapter 11

JESSIE

I’m slowly coming to, my eyes fluttering open to an empty bed. I sit up abruptly, scanning the room for Jocelyn. I leap from the bed, hastily pulling on shorts, when I hear her. She’s in the bathroom, the sound of her retching reaching my ears. This is seriously messed up. I gently push the door open to find her hunched over the toilet, tears streaming down her face as she vomits. I rush to her side, settling down next to her.

“Baby, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know. The bleeding stopped late last night, and so did the cramps.”

“Let’s go to the doctor today, just to be sure everything’s okay. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

She nods at me, and I lift her from the cold bathroom floor. We shed our clothes, and I guide her into the shower. I wash her hair, her body, letting her just stand and relax.

After cleaning myself, I help her out of the shower just as she starts to vomit again. I wrap a towel around her, quickly drying myself off before dashing to the closet.

I grab clothes for her, hastily dressing myself. I dial the doctor’s office on my phone, asking if they have any openings. They’ve had a cancellation, and can fit us in. In two hours, we might have some answers.

I dash downstairs, where everyone is preparing to head out to the properties. They all freeze, staring at me. Her mother rushes over, gripping my hands.

“How’s my baby?”

“She stopped bleeding last night, but she’s still throwing up. We have a doctor’s appointment in two hours.”

I watch her as she tilts her head at me, then turns to the other women. They all look shocked, as if they know something I don’t. Rita is in the back, jumping up and down like a lunatic until Frankie tells her to shut up.

“Eva, I don’t get it. If she lost it, why is she still throwing up?”

“She might not have. You won’t know until they do an ultrasound. Call me as soon as you find out, please.”

I nod, and before I can say anything else, Rita is thrusting a cup of tea into my hands for Jocelyn’s nausea. I take it upstairs to her, handing it over as she sits on the edge of the bed. I have no idea what’s in this stuff, but everyone swears by it. And it works! After about ten minutes, her stomach starts to settle, and we head to the doctor’s office early.

We arrive about thirty minutes early and check in. We take our seats and wait. She looks around at the other women in the waiting room, their pregnancies obvious. I see her gaze drop to her hands, her fingers twisting nervously as tears start to fall. I quickly wrap my arm around her, pulling her close. I kiss her temple, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“Jocelyn, no matter what the results are, we’ll get through this. I love you more than anything, and we’ll be okay.”

I observe her, her head bobbing in agreement as she hastily wipes away her tears. I’d give anything to erase even a sliver of her pain. The truth is, I can see her questioning every decision she’s made and it’s tearing me apart.

I have to help her navigate through this. I’ve done my research on the depression that can occur during various stages of pregnancy and after a loss. I’ve even consulted with experts on what signs to look out for. I want to be prepared for any possible scenario.

Finally, our names are called and I assist her as she undresses from the waist down. We wait patiently as the doctor enters the room with the ultrasound machine. He explains that he’ll need to perform a transvaginal ultrasound since we’re still early in the pregnancy.

I help Jocelyn recline and she shuts her eyes, burying her face in my hands. I grit my teeth as I watch her, the doctor turning the screen toward himself. He begins clicking on various things and I can hear the printer whirring as we wait for an answer.

He announces that he needs to consult with a colleague and will return shortly. My heart plummets further, and Jocelyn is weeping into my hands. Within a minute, another doctor enters the room and studies the screen while the first doctor points out certain things.

I’m on the verge of losing my cool and punching someone. I have a wife who’s an emotional wreck and all these assholes are doing is pointing and clicking on a screen. The second doctor exits the room and the first doctor finally turns to us, a grin on his face. This jerk is actually smiling! I’m about to lose it!

“All right, kids, I’m going to explain what we think happened. You’re still pregnant. So, let’s all take a deep breath. And can we also remove our hand from our gun holster so we don’t accidentally shoot the doctor?”

“Shit, sorry. I was just thinking about it, I didn’t realize I’d actually grabbed it.”

Jocelyn turns her head as the doctor swivels the screen toward us. He begins pointing at the screen as he explains their findings.

“Ok, so if you look here at baby A, you see this little line right here. This is the placenta attaching the baby to her uterine wall. Now see this part kind of pointing up and away. Apparently, the placenta didn’t like that part of the uterine wall so it detached itself. Now, it should be reabsorbed and spread in the opposite direction.

“Can you see that little flicker? That’s the heartbeat, which is strong. Now over here is baby B, the placenta is fine, and there’s the heartbeat. So, congrats guys! Twins it is! You could have two girls, two boys, or one of each. Now, you’re around ten weeks. Go home and rest for two weeks. Come back in two weeks and we should be good to go!”

We all just stare at him in shock. Are you fucking kidding me! Fucking twins? What the actual hell? This can’t be happening. How did we go from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs?

He punches some buttons and turns on the sound, and we hear the two heartbeats. Jocelyn starts sobbing, clutching at me as I collapse into a chair. He turns everything off and hands us the printed photos. I lift Jocelyn off the table and settle her on my lap. We sit and cry together, looking at the photos. Our babies are okay. Our babies. Holy shit, we’re having babies!

I quickly stand her up and kiss her belly, making her laugh through her tears. I stand up and cup her face, crashing my lips onto hers. My goddess is still pregnant! With fucking twins! I help her get dressed and we discuss our next steps. We drive to a printing shop, I leave Jocelyn in the car and rush in to explain what I need. They all grin and get to work. Then it’s off to the store for balloons.

We make it home quickly and set everything up in the living room. We know they’ll be home soon as the contractors are being left with lead guards. Just as we finish setting up, we hear screams from behind us. We whip around to see Rita, Anna, Mary, and Tina jumping up and down, everyone talking at once.

“I knew it! I knew it! Jocelyn is still having a baby!”

“Why does it say baby A and baby B?”

A fresh round of screams erupts and we cover our ears.

“Oh my god, it’s twins!”

“I need to get Jocelyn upstairs to rest. They want her off her feet for two more weeks.”

They swiftly scoop her up, likely to question her about the appointment upstairs. I make a beeline for the bar, pouring a shot of whiskey. I knock it back, then pour a full glass. As I finish, the front door swings open amidst a flurry of chatter. The cavalry has arrived!

***

EVA

Today has been incredible. Caden and I have visited every site, and the seniors couldn’t be more appreciative. Their families even pitched in, unaware of how dire the situation had become. Landscaping crews are hard at work on the seniors’ yards, trimming trees. We’re transforming the central buildings into community centers and game areas.

Yet, Jessie hasn’t called and my nerves are fraying. They should be home by now.

“Caden, can we wrap up early? I need to be home with our girl.”

“Absolutely, Eva. Let me just message everyone. We’ll pick up flowers and chocolates on the way.”

I watch him finish up with the workers, then head toward the car. Once inside, my mind is consumed with thoughts of our daughter. My heart aches for her, considering all she’s endured. Caden hops in and we’re off to the store. He returns with an armful of goodies that makes me chuckle. He piles it all on my lap, prompting more laughter. Flowers, chocolates, a gift basket, and a giant teddy bear.

“I couldn’t decide what to get. I even thought about giving her my card for some retail therapy.”

“I think we’re set. This should do the trick.”

We rush back to the estate, where everyone else is waiting with their own treats. I lead the way, since Caden’s arms are full. I open the door and spot balloons in the front room. I’m stunned. Is that? What? The others file in, equally confused. Jessie catches my eye, raising his glass.

“Surprise! She’s still pregnant!”

The room erupts in cheers. I approach the photos, touching them in disbelief. There’s a baby A and baby B. Wait, why A and B? Suddenly, it clicks. I whip around to Jessie.

“Jessie, why does it say baby A and baby B?”

“Surprise again! Twins!”

The house shakes with screams and tears. Jessie points upstairs, where my daughter is resting. I sprint up, everyone else close behind. The moment she sees me, she starts crying. I rush to her, hugging her tightly. My baby is having twins. Everyone takes turns hugging her and piling on the gifts, which makes her laugh. Her dad hands her his card.

“Go shopping for the babies. You’ll need a lot.”

The men head downstairs to join Jessie, while Jocelyn fills us in on the appointment. I had no idea this was even possible. She’ll be taking it easy for the next few weeks.

***

CADEN

Once we’ve unloaded everything, I kiss my daughter and join the others downstairs. Jessie spots me and I pull him into a hug. He’s been such a blessing, as have all my boys. Even if they aren’t technically mine, I consider them as such. They practically grew up in this house. I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to them.

I decide we need a BBQ. I get the guys started on the meat, knowing the women will be down soon to prepare the sides. It’s time to celebrate. I head to the bar and pour shots for everyone. We raise our glasses in a toast.

“To Jessie and Jocelyn!”

Everyone echoes the sentiment and we knock back our shots. What a way to end the day!