Page 41 of Twins with Daddy’s Bestie

“We've got to go.” I fish my keys from my pocket and storm out of the gym. I don't need to look behind me to know that Leonard is following.

I call on the way and get information about what hospital we're going to, and Leonard and I drive in silence. I can feel the panic radiating from the passenger seat, but it's nothing compared to mine. I don't know what's going on, and I don't know if Olivia and the baby are okay.

A million possibilities race through my mind as we get to the ER and head to the room Olivia is in. When I see her sitting on the hospital bed in the blue gown, I feel like I could break down. She offers me a soft, nervous smile as I rush to her side and grab her hand.

“You're going to be alright,” I whisper in her ear, kissing her cheek, and brushing some of her hair out of her face. Her face is sticky from tears, and I feel awful for having missed calls from her. “What's going on?”

“I had some strange pains in my stomach,” Olivia says, choking back tears.

I open my mouth to ask more questions as the doctor walks in. She kicks everybody but the parents out of the room and asks Olivia questions about how she's feeling and her medical history. I sit in silence, watching as attentively as I can.

“You're far enough along that we should be able to find a heartbeat on an ultrasound, so I’m going to have a look,” the doctor says, scooting closer to the bed on her stool.

I squeeze Olivia's hand as she closes her eyes tightly waiting for the doctor's news. My heart is beating so hard. I watch as the doctor puts gel onto Olivia's stomach and slowly moves the wand along the curves.

The doctor makes a small noise like something surprises her and I perk up in my chair. “What is it?” She hesitates to answer, and I run through countless scenarios of what that could mean.

“I found the heartbeat,” she says, turning to me with a smile growing on her face. “But I didn't find one heart beating; I found two. You're having twins.”

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Olivia

My eyes jolt open, and I sit up abruptly, looking at the doctor with wide eyes. Everything was going so well. Sure, I never expected to get pregnant, and my relationship with Drake has had its tough spots, but we are together and happy. I guess a part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Twins.

“That can't be right. Check again.” I point to my stomach and lean back on the bed. The doctor laughs under her breath and shakes her head, doing as I request. Once again, she finds two heartbeats.

“The babies look healthy,” she says, standing up and smiling at Drake and me. “In other good news, it seems like you might have just had some gas. This can be a scary time for a lot of women, so that likely caused the panic attack you came in here with. When we're nervous, we can’t make sense of a lot of psychosomatic symptoms. My recommendation is to be more careful about what it is you're eating because your stomach is much more sensitive right now.”

So, the pizza and garlic bread might be the culprit in all of this. They’ve never betrayed me like this, so that hurts.

I thank the doctor, and she walks out of the room. My dad and Callie come back in shortly after, and I hold my breath waiting to hear my dad and Drake start arguing. Thankfully, they don't. I noticed they came in together, too, so Drake and I are going to have to talk about this later.

When I'm fully dressed, I move to my dad and give him a hug, happy to have him here. “Go home and get some rest, Booger. We'll talk when you're feeling better,” he says, kissing me on the top of my head.

I'm silent on the drive back to Drake's house. Well, our house now. Two months ago, I wasn't ready to have one child. Now I'm going to have two. It's a big adjustment, especially now that I'm with someone a part of me worries might decide not to be involved anymore. The last thing I want is to be a single mother of twins.

We sit on the couch, neither of us saying anything for a long while. Eventually, I start laughing hysterically. I don't know what overtakes me, but I can't control myself. Just the idea that I had bad enough gas that it caused a panic attack and that I went to the hospital, only to find out that I'm having twins, is surreal enough to make all this feel like a dream. Drake joins me, and soon enough, we’re practically rolling on the floor.

“When I heard the word ‘twins’ come out of her mouth, I thought I was in The Twilight Zone,” Drake says eventually with a nervous chuckle.

“That was the last thing I was expecting.” I wipe tears from my eyes and let out a few final giggles. “I'm not ready for this, Drake. I'm terrified. I was already worried about messing up one kid, now we have two to worry about.”

“A month ago, I didn’t want to settle down with anyone. But after being with you and finding out about the babies, I can't imagine a world without this,” Drake says, looking at me with an excited grin. “I'm scared shitless. I didn't have the best role models growing up, and I'm only hoping I can be better than them. But even if I'm afraid, I'm so grateful I get to go through this with you.”

I lean forward and kiss him. He holds my face in his hands and tucks my hair behind my ear as his tongue explores my mouth.

“You have no idea how thankful I am for you,” Drake says, staring at me with nothing but admiration in his eyes. “Olivia, I love you.”

For the second time today, it feels like my heart stops beating. I feel my eyes burning and tears rushing to my eyes. My throat aches and a sob shakes my core, yet I smile. I've been waiting for him to say this for a while. Everybody has told me to be wary of him because he can’t commit. Well, he's committed to me. He loves me, and he and I are going to raise two children.

“I love you, too,” I say, not stopping the tears streaming from my eyes. We smile and laugh softly as the words sit between us.

“That feels surprisingly refreshing to say. I never thought I would say it to anyone,” Drake says before sweeping me up in his arms and carrying me to the bedroom.

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