“Okay, Mom and Dad, let’s see if we can find the heartbeat. You should see a little fluttering on the screen.”
Suddenly, Nick saw a flickering on the screen and the room filled with a thumping sound. He looked at Beth and she had tears running down her face as they looked at their baby’s heart beating. “Oh, yeah, there it is,” Mindy said. “I thought so, but I wasn’t sure until now.”
“There what is?” Beth demanded. “Is something wrong with the baby?”
“Oh, no, Mom, the babies both look just fine.”
“The babies?” Beth choked out. “You mean baby, right?”
“No, there are two babies in there. I thought I saw two yolk sacs, and there are definitely two heartbeats, see there?” She pointed to the two areas flicking on the screen. “Congratulations, you’re having twins. How exciting!”
Nick didn’t think it was possible for someone to look as green as Beth did at that moment. He should know because he felt the same way she looked. Twins? Heaven help them.
* * *
Oh my God! What have we done? How can we possibly handle twins? One baby kicked our ass last night. This can’t be happening. I’ll be huge. Oh, crap, I cannot believe I’m worrying about gaining weight. Focus on the big picture; you are having twins, with Nick!
“Princess, are you okay?” Nick’s voice pulled her out of the fog that had descended over her after the declaration of twins. She looked around, realizing that Nick and Mindy were staring at her, waiting for a reaction. I wonder what they would think if I passed out right here?
“I . . . I’m fine. Just a little surprised.” Looking at Nick, she continued, “Wow, twins, right?” Why does he look so unruffled and cool? I am practically a stuttering mess and he looks like Mr. Hot Father-to-be. Mindy can’t take her eyes off him. Back off, cougar, he’s with me.
Suddenly all business, Mindy handed them their first picture of the baby—or babies—and helped Beth up from the table. Beth went behind the curtain to get dressed and then met Nick in the hallway. “You can go back to the waiting room now and the nurse will call you back for your first appointment,” Mindy said.
Before she thought about it, Beth blurted out, “Oh, God, there’s more?” Mindy gave her a motherly pat on the shoulder and opened the door for them to the waiting room. She wasn’t sure but she could have sworn that Mindy then gave Nick a not-so-motherly look of female appreciation.
They settled back into their seats in the waiting room. It seemed to Beth like every eye in the room was focused on Nick. Of course, it did not take much to figure out why. Most of the men who accompanied their wives or girlfriends were just Average Joes. Nick, on the other hand, looked like he could pose for Playgirl magazine. She hated to admit it, but she was proud to be sitting beside him. Amazing. I am not jealous of these skinny girls anymore. I have a man beside me that they would all love to have. Score one for all of the former fatties in the world!
Nick wrapped his hand around hers and brought it to his lips. “You know that everything will be okay, right? I know this is a lot to take in, but we can handle it. We need to look for a bigger place soon and we can hire some help if we need to. Claire and Jason will be happy to let us use Chrissy for more training. How about some of those baby classes, too?”
Beth finally put her hand over his mouth and said, “Please stop talking. I appreciate the reassurances, but I really want to make it home before I freak and if you keep talking that isn’t going to happen.”
“But—”
“No! Either you get me a bag to breathe in or we start talking about the weather. I cannot process things as fast as you can. Right now, all I can picture is my stomach dragging on the floor and my ass stuck in the door. You can solve all of our problems tomorrow; for right now just let me finish my panic attack.”
Nick chuckled. “Okay, princess. I’ll just read this breast-feeding magazine and keep my mouth shut.”
Beth thought he was kidding until she caught sight of some pictures. They could put National Geographic to shame. She jerked the magazine out of his hands and muttered, “Just stare at the walls, please.”