I really was a lucky girl.
Just before Carters third birthday in May, I conceded and went off the pill. I was pregnant by June, and a week after I took the at home test, I found myself in a tiny room with Liam and Carter as I waited for the sonographer to come and perform my first scan.
My fear over the morning sickness had been unfounded, and apart from feeling a little queasy and extremely tired, I was doing fine.
Carter sat patiently waiting on Liam’s knee to get his first glimpse of his new bubby. According to him, this bubby was his, no one else’s—just his, and he took great pride in telling just about every person we passed on the street that his mum had a “bubby” in her belly.
I watched Liam bury his nose in Carter’s soft blond hair and breathe in his scent. He was an amazing dad, just like I knew he would be. He hated the long hours he spent at the office or time spent away from us overseas but, if he wanted the business to continue doing well, it was a sacrifice he had to make. Thankfully, he had agreed to cut back his hours a bit after this baby was born.
There were two soft knocks on the door, and then two women walked in.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. A little bit of excitement with my last patient when we unexpectedly found out she was having twins.”
“My mummy has a bubby in her belly.” Carter informed the doctor with his confident little smile in place.
“Yes, she does, and hopefully you’ll get to see that bubby today. What’s your name, young man?”
“I’m Carter Daniel Delany. That’s my mum, Sarah, but daddy calls her ‘pretty girl’ and him there”—he pointed at Liam—“he’s my dad.”
“And what’s your dad’s name, Carter?”
“He gets called Liam.” He turned and held Liam’s face in his chubby hands and kissed him. “He’s my daddy, and I love him.”
After Carter finished winning hearts and asking questions, the doctor asked me to confirm my details, and we started the scan.
We were not a minute in when she turned first to me and then looked over to where Liam was standing with Carter in his arms. “Well, I can honestly say this is a first for me.” She turned the monitor around to show us.
“Twice in one day.”
And there they were. Two, strong healthy-looking heartbeats.
“You’re shitting me?” I heard Liam whisper.
“No say ‘shit’, Daddy. It’s a bad word. Tell him, Mummy.”
I didn’t tell Liam anything because I couldn’t speak.
“I most definitely am not,” the doctor told him with a smile.
Yes. A smile.
“Are there twins in the family?” she asked, still smiling.
“Yeah,” Liam told her. “I have twin sisters, and one of them has twin daughters. I think my grandad on my dad’s side was a twin, too.”
“Didn’t really stand much chance of dodging that gene then, did you?”
She laughed at her own joke while I fought the urge to punch her right in her laughing, smiling face.
“Sarah?” I turned my head towards Liam.
“What?”
“I asked if you were okay.”
“I’ve had better days.”
“Oh, come now. It’ll take a bit of getting used to, but this is something to celebrate,” Doctor Smiley Face stated.
I didn’t respond. I had nothing to say. I was about to have three children under the age of four, which meant life was about to get very interesting in the Delaney house.
“You let Luke know that you’ll be working no more than thirty-seven hours a week, no weekends, and zero travel for the next ten years at least.” I informed an also smiling Liam. He kissed the back of my hand.
“No travelling for at least a year, I promise. I love you,” he told me quietly. “We’re gonna be fine. We’ve got this.”
Carter grabbed his face. “Me too? You love me too, Daddy?”
“Yes, bud, I love you, too. And you know who else I love?”
“You love Mummy. She’s you pretty girl.”
“I do love Mummy and she is my pretty girl. But ya know who I also love?”
I watched as Carter shook his head until it looked like it was about to come off his shoulders.
“I love the two bubbies that are growing in mummy’s belly.”
“Two bubbies?” Carter held up three fingers, and Liam bent one down.
“That’s right, bud. Daddy’s very clever and put two bubbies in Mummy’s belly.”
“Two? Two bubbies? But how will they fit? How will they grow? Are you trickering me, Dad?”
“I wish he was,” I whispered. Even though I was smiling on the inside at Liam and Carter’s exchange, I probably looked shell shocked. The doctor finally finished and let us know that, according to my measurements, I was due mid-February.
We took Carter to TGI Fridays to celebrate, during which he proceeded to hold court, standing on his chair and telling the entire restaurant that his daddy was so clever because he put two babies in his mummy’s belly. He then proceeded to hold up four fingers and earned himself a round of applause from everyone listening. It made his day.