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My sister has a beautiful face that is lightly square-shaped, with big full lips and a long, straight nose. Her eyebrows are slightly curved, giving her arresting eyes an even more attractive look.
I have always been jealous of her skin tone that gets that dark melted chocolate look when exposed to the sun; today is pale in comparison. Her golden brown straight long hair is in a ponytail, with very little makeup on her concerned face. She comes back shortly.
“Hey, are you ok? How are you feeling?”
I try to answer, but my mouth is too dry. My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth, and I start to cough. Raine fills the plastic cup with water and lets me have a sip. It is amazingly delicious and I chug the rest of it in no time.
A nurse comes in and throws question after question at me as she checks my vitals. After she leaves, Raine winds her arms around me, her body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. I am tearing up at the sight of her distress.
“Hey, I’m ok, you know. It was really humid in there, and I felt nauseous smelling all those people’s body odor. Next thing I know, I’m here with you. Hopefully a handsome doctor’s about to come to prod me,” I joke, trying to calm her down.
As if I summoned him myself, a male doctor appears, and holy shit, he’s a good looking man. “Well, here I am. A handsome doctor, ready to serve,” he says with humor that makes us both laugh. He is a tall, thin man in his fifties, with dark features and shiny dark hair peppered with grey, smartly styled. Warm blue eyes exude a caring but professional aura, and he has an energetic vigor about him.
“Let’s see why this beauty has fainted,” he continues, reading my chart. “Well, you appear to be quite healthy. Although people faint rather often…” he notes absently. “Well, miss, we need to run some tests first.”
He leaves us, promising to return later to discuss the results and, if needed, to explain the course of the treatment.
Raine tries to distract us with the latest things happening in her life, with her daughter, Arianna and live-in partner, Rider. While a nurse takes my blood and urine samples, I listen to her chatter.
Arianna is my smart, beautiful niece, who is just a few months older than my firstborn son would have been. After their deaths, Arianna was depressed, retreating into a shell. In addition to me, Raine had to deal with her daughter’s grief. After two years of misery and pain, my sister and her family are finally moving on. I couldn’t be happier that Arianna is involving herself with friends and socializing more than she used to.
The doctor returns with the results of the blood and urine work, and gives us a smile. With an unreadable expression, he asks a few additional questions.
“Ms. Knight, how long have you been sick?” He holds the notes in his hands, waiting for me to answer his questions.
“I can’t tell.” At his confused expression, I add, “I deal with anxiety and panic disorder, so feeling sick is usually not a surprising symptom.” He nods, writing it down.
“When did you have your last period?” He looks at me, studying to see if I’m being honest.
“I think, four weeks ago, but I’m not completely sure, why?”
Dr. James continues his questioning. “How about your breasts, do they feel tender or more painful than usual?”
My body usually feels very much not my own anymore. I am fully aware I ignore many things about my well-being. Embarrassed that I am unconcerned, indifferent to my own body functions and health, I respond, “I don’t know, I haven’t noticed.”
“How about your anxieties and panic attacks? Are they more frequent, or less?”
“Well, they’re usually the same, sometimes frequent, sometimes rare,” I lie because my sister is sitting next to me, frozen in place. I don’t want her to worry. She has her own problems and life to be preoccupied with.
“All right then. How about your weight, any obvious changes?”
“I haven’t weighed myself, but yes, I think I gained a little bit. Although it isn’t surprising since I had to stop jogging. It is too humid. I can’t catch a breath lately. But, I eat better.” Even if I get sick after.
There’s mischief sparkling in his gaze. I just don’t get what his deal is. Exhausted, my body is drowsy and my eyes droopy. Evidently, the doctor knows nothing about the other symptoms I have to deal with. Raine sits very still next to me. I look at the doctor, urging him to get it over with.
He smiles at. “Congratulations, you’re pregnant, Ms. Knight.” My ears buzz, blocking out the rest. What? In shock, I can’t make sense of what he’s saying.
Before I even can get my bearings back, I’m guided to the next room for an ultrasound. Raine sits there with a tearful happy expression and holds my hand, while a woman with a kind warm smile preps me for the scan.
As soon as I start hearing a robust beating heartbeat, I feel my lungs release a relieved sigh. A cry catches in my chest, and I’m filled with such an intense, potent feeling. How is this possible? Why?
“Oh dear, look at that, there’s more than one!” she exclaims, then changes the position of the probe.
Two little blobs appear on the screen and then disappear in a mix of limbs as the probe moves. Pulsing vigorous heartbeats fill up the room. I try to make sense of what I see on the display, that it’s not some sort of malfunction. Riane squeaks like a mouse trapped under a cat’s paw and jumps to her feet, getting closer. The excitement on her face is clear.
“Miss, you’ll be having twins.” I blink not really understanding what she is telling me.
For reassurance, I turn to my sister and let myself cry. The news eventually takes root.
