Chapter Twenty-Three
The nurse covered my legs, and had me lift my gown up to uncover my stomach before turning back to the screen.
Bradley sat beside me as my mother and daughter waited out in the hall of the ultrasound room.
“I need to check one thing,” the nurse said, smiling softly. “When you fell, Dr. Blackwell here said you landed on it. We’ve been monitoring you and want to make sure there is no damage.”
“Okay.” Squeezing Bradley’s hand, I nodded as well. “I feel fine though.”
“I’m sure you do, Mrs. Blackwell. No pain is great.”
She had the screen turned toward her as she placed the rounded tool on my stomach and moved it around. It amused me to watch her face, until she turned to me with a frown.
“I’m not getting a good view with this, so we’ll need to use the wand.”
After shuffling around, I heard Bradley snicker beside me as she pulls out this long part meant to be inserted internally, and I elbowed him even as my eyes widened.
Then I grinned and turned my head to look at him. “Anything you want to tell me?”
The nurse chuckled as she pushed the wand inside me and Bradley shook his head, face blank as a clean slate. “Nope, not a thing.”
“Liar.” I turned to face the screen. “Okay, let me see the baby.”
“You’re about seven weeks.” She said this cheerfully, and turned the screen toward me. “Everything looks fine.”
I took in the screen, gasping with delight as Bradley’s hand gripped mine, and tears filled my eyes.
The nurse continued while moving the wand around, “Here is baby A. And here is Baby B. As you can see, they are in their own sacs, which makes them fraternal.”
“Twins?” My blurry eyes found Bradley’s intense ones, which were gazing at me and not the screen. “Did you know…?”
“No. They told me you were pregnant by the blood test, but I refused to view the ultrasounds because I wanted to see it with you the first time.” He coughed and flicked his eyes at the screen, the corner of his mouth turning up. “Guess that’s what we get for joking about multiples.”
“I can’t believe it.”
He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed where our fingers entwined. “Seems you’re always full of surprises.”
“I’m pretty sure you had a hand in this.”
The nurse coughed, making me blush and Bradley chuckle as he asked, “Do you want me to let Annalina and your mother in now?”
“Oh yes, please!”
When Bradley exited the room, the nurse remarked, “He’s such a good man, has worked here a long time. It makes us all glad to see him so happy.”
“Yes, he is.”
She didn’t say anything else as she turned the screen back to her and they entered the room. Bradley sat down beside me, while Annalina and my mother stood next to him.
“Ready?”
My question was aimed at Annalina, and when she nodded, the nurse turned the screen to face us once more.
My daughter’s face lit up and she let out a squeal of excitement, while my mother’s mouth dropped open. Both reactions made Bradley and I laugh.
The nurse finished up what she needed to do, printed out pictures, and returned me to my room shortly after.
But I didn’t stay there long, and come early evening, we were headed home.
~*~
Bradley insisted I rest as soon we got in the door, and since I didn’t quite feel full of energy yet, I let him lead me to bed.
I must’ve dozed off not long after I laid down, because when I woke up, it was dark out and Bradley sat in bed beside me.
Since I faced away, I rolled over and noticed him reading, so I cuddled up close to his body, resting my chin on the side of his upper arm.
That’s when I noticed the ultrasound picture resting on the bottom of the page, held in place with Bradley’s thumb on the corner of it.
He spoke first.
“You know, the most common result in the birth of twins is a boy and a girl.” He put the book down but kept the picture in hand, and I moved to accommodate him as he turned to face me. “Twins happen in one of sixty pregnancies where fertility drugs aren’t used.”
“Thanks for the lesson, Doc,” I teased him, plucking the picture out of his hand to look at it. “I still can’t believe it.” I leaned back and put the picture on my nightstand, then faced him again and placed my hands on his shoulders. “You all right?”
“Elated.” Lifting up, he gently rolled until he hovered above me, eyes gleaming as he pinned me with his gaze. “Terrified. Worried. Proud. Amused. Pick one.”
“Proud for knocking me up with twins?”
His face grew serious as he covered me, bringing out bodies as close together as he could without putting his weight on me, and lowered his head into the crook of my neck. Kissing up my neck, he worked his way up until his mouth was at my ear.
“You scared the f*cking shit out of me. I ran into the kitchen when Annalina screamed and saw you laying on that floor, and I…my heart stopped. Your mother dialed nine-one-one and through everything, I didn’t leave your side unless I had to. My family came and went — they were all at the hospital for a few days, too, by the way — and I had to make sure Annalina and your mother were all right, but otherwise, I held your hand day and night.”
Tears pricked my eyes at the torture in his voice, but I merely tightened my arms around his neck as I continued to listen.
“When a week passed and you were unresponsive, I feared the worst. I’m a Doctor and even though my colleagues who were taking care of you told me not to worry, that things were looking well, I couldn’t believe them even though I wanted to. You laid in that bed, carrying our baby, and I worried neither of you would make it. I demanded you wake up, although I’m not sure why, since you never listen to me anyway.”
A bubble of laughter escaped, tear sliding down my cheek as I whispered, “I heard you. And your comment about my hard head.”
He stiffened, then lifted his head to stare down at me, smirking. “I did say that.”
“See? I do listen, sometimes.”
Chuckling, he captured my lips, which I immediately parted to let him sweep inside my mouth. I slid my hands up into his hair, as his arms found their way under my body until he wrapped me in a hug, both of us on our sides once more.
Then he dragged his mouth away enough to say, “I need to say something while we’re both fully dressed.”
“Okay.” I waited as his arms tightened around me a little more, cocooning me in his warmth. “What is it?”
“I said I wanted you to marry me because I wanted you closer to me, and it was true, but entire truth is…I love you, Lucy.” My breath hitched, but he proceeded before I could react. “I couldn’t tell you because I was caught up in my own fears, and I wasn’t ready to move on, but I fell in love with you anyway. It was shitty of me to not work through my pain first, but I needed someone strong by my side when it came to deal with it. It had been so long, I’d shoved it aside, but when you went along with me, no matter what it was, I knew you deserved so much more than to believe my like for you is as far as it went. When I thought I’d lose you…I barely held myself together because you didn’t know how I felt and I needed you to know.”
His confession was sweet, and tender, and when my eyes filled, they were tears of joy as I took his face in my hands and looked him square in the eyes. “I married you because I love you, Bradley. I knew what I was getting into even if you never loved me back, and I chose to do it anyway.”
“I’m glad because I meant what I said, Lucy. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“Yes, you are.” I felt him smile against my mouth, then I asked, “But what did any of that have to do with not being naked?”
His hand slid down, then up my shirt, and he cupped one breast, his mouth covering mine without answering me first.
There was no more talking.
He showed me his love with his hand, his mouth, and his words of appreciation.
And I demonstrated mine as I always had.
By continuing to place my love and trust in his very capable hands.