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They would just have to figure out a way to make the professional relationship work alongside the personal one.
The two of them were called back into the exam room. Adriano sat in a chair by the wall as the doctor performed a preliminary examination on Amy.
“Everything looks good,” the doctor said after a minute. “You’re in good physical health, although your blood work will reveal more—you should start taking folic acid if you haven’t already.”
“I did,” Amy assured him. “As soon as I found out I was pregnant.”
The doctor smiled. “I love treating fellow doctors,” he said. “Always one step ahead of me. That’s great news. Anything else?”
“I’ve been taking walks for exercise, and doing gentle yoga,” she said.
“Those are good choices. If that feels good for you, I’d say stick with that.”
Amy nodded, and the doctor brought the sonogram machine over to begin the next part of the exam.
Adriano felt a sudden urge to get up and go to her. He tried to suppress it. He didn’t know if that was something she would want. It had been kind of her to invite him along on this appointment, but he didn’t want to be intrusive.
But then Amy stretched out her hand to him.
He jumped to his feet quickly and moved to her side, taking her hand again and giving it a squeeze. She squeezed back and leaned into him, and he could feel how nervous she was.
“Everything’s fine,” he murmured. “No surprises.”
The doctor smiled at them. “Every couple is nervous at their first sonogram,” he said. “It’s completely normal for the two of you to feel this way. I haven’t seen anything to be worried about so far.”
Adriano didn’t correct him about their being a couple. He was watching the sonogram screen, even though he had no idea what he was looking for there. The image looked to him like a TV that was having trouble getting reception.
“All right,” the doctor said. “Here we go. I’m seeing your baby now, and—”
He paused. Then he leaned toward the screen, squinting at it. His eyes narrowed. He frowned.
Adriano felt a surge of fear. “What?” he demanded. “What is it?”
Amy was squeezing his hand so hard that he felt as if his fingers might break. She’d noticed something wasn’t right too.
“It’s…hmm,” the doctor said.
Adriano felt as if he was going to lose his mind if the doctor didn’t explain himself right away.
“Did you get pregnant using IVF?” the doctor asked.
“What?” That wasn’t the question Adriano had been expecting at all. “No, we did things, er…the old-fashioned way.”
“Well, don’t be alarmed,” the doctor said. “But I’m seeing multiple embryos.”
“Multiple?”
“Four, to be exact.”
Adriano’s jaw dropped. “Four?”
Amy’s hand was shaking in his. “What do you mean?” she asked. “We can’t…we can’t have four.”
He looked at her and saw at once how terrified she was. Of course she was. Even a single pregnancy was an incredible physical feat, but to carry four—
Amy looked close to hyperventilating. He could see the panic on her face.
“Can we have a few moments to ourselves?” he asked the doctor.
