Chapter 25
The morning after Lily told me she was pregnant, I have a doctor come to the house. She’s a kind woman in her early forties, with a warm smile and ample knowledge about all stages of pregnancy and childbirth. Her name is Tracy, and she’s been around the Bratva many times for pregnancies, so she knows the drill.
“You can speak freely with Dr. Tracy,” I assure Lily as she splashes water on her face in front of the bathroom mirror. “She knows how we operate.”
“I’m more concerned that she knows how to identify a pregnancy,” Lily replies, her voice tight with anxiety.
I slip my hand around her waist from behind her, pulling her close to me and feeling her warmth. “Darling,” I whisper into her ear. “You are going to be fine. Dr. Tracy is the best of the best, and she’ll know exactly how to help you feel better.”
“I hope so,” Lily replies, doubt creeping into her voice as she pulls away.
She’s been like this ever since the morning sickness started, but now she isn’t trying to hide it. If I had known she was going through so much agony, I would’ve acted much sooner. I can’t stand to see her like this.
“Come, let’s go downstairs. I think Dr. Tracy has already arrived,” I urge, putting my hand on Lily’s waist again.
She takes a sharp breath in before stepping out of the bathroom. She’s clearly reluctant to see the doctor, despite my praise of her. It’s like she doesn’t want to come to terms with reality. Maybe she’s scared that she’s not actually pregnant, and it’s some kind of horrible sickness like what Dimitri had.
I’m sure it isn’t, but Lily seems especially nervous as we walk down the stairs and to the living room. Her legs are all wobbly, and at one point, it looks like she’s going to fall over. I hold her hand for support the entire time, but she lets go of it when we enter the living room.
Dr. Tracy is standing there already, her equipment laid out meticulously on a cart beside the couch. Her blue eyes sparkle when she sees Lily, and she extends her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says.
Lily shakes her hand, her voice dropping to nearly a whisper. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Why don’t you sit down for me, and we’ll go over a few things to start with, alright?” Dr. Tracy says, her eyes flickering up to me for a moment. “And you can stay or wait outside. Whichever is more comfortable for you.”
I leave the room so they can have a little privacy, but I’d like to come back before Lily gets the results. I want to be there with her when we find out if we’re going to have a baby.
I can barely contain my excitement as I pace the hallway. I’d smoke a cigar, but I’m suddenly very aware of how bad the secondhand smoke could be for Lily. I want to do everything right. Not a single mistake can be made.
I check my watch a dozen times as the minutes tick by so slowly that I’m a little suspicious that time isn’t working correctly today. It feels like it’s been an hour, and it’s only been a few minutes.
I venture off to the kitchen, grabbing myself a glass of orange juice and drinking the entire thing in one gulp. I wipe the acidic sting from my lips with the back of my hand, putting the glass down just a little too hard on the granite countertop.
It shatters into a million pieces, shards sliding across the length of the counter and littering the floor as they fall off. I curse under my breath, stepping back so I don’t slice my feet from the broken glass.
The mistake actually makes time go a little faster, as I’m too distracted by trying to sweep up all the shards and not miss any to think about what Lily’s doing in the living room with Dr. Tracy.
By the time I finish, I check my watch and realize I should probably go back to see how they’re doing. I take two fresh glasses of water to them, knocking before I enter.
Lily is lying on the couch, her fingers laced together on her chest as Dr. Tracy moves a sensor over her belly. They’re doing an ultrasound reading, but I can’t quite understand the shapes that are coming up on Dr. Tracy’s monitor.
I set the water down on the coffee table and lean in. “How’s it going?”
Dr. Tracy looks up at me with a slight frown, but it’s not from annoyance. She’s deep in concentration, like she’s found something concerning.
“Her HCG levels were a bit high, so I decided to go ahead and do an ultrasound, since I believe she’s further along than we initially thought,” she explains. “Nothing too concerning, but it could indicate multiple babies.”
My heart leaps into my throat. “You mean twins?”
“Well… that’s what I thought until I did the ultrasound. Come take a look at this,” she says, moving the sensor over Lily’s belly.
Lily looks supremely uncomfortable and worried about what Dr. Tracy is saying, but I’m more curious now than anything. If it’s not twins, then what’s the issue?
I lean in and look closely at the monitor, studying the vague grey and black shapes that appear as she moves the sensor.
“You see here, that’s one baby,” Dr. Tracy mutters, moving the sensor again. “And there is the second one.”
“Twins!” I exclaim, excitement building up in my chest. “But then what’s wrong? I don’t understand?”
Sweat prickles on my hairline as she moves the sensor again. I struggle to make out what the third shape is. It just doesn’t click in my head until she says it out loud.
“There’s the third one. You’re having triplets.”
I’m suddenly unable to breathe, and I even start to panic until a laugh breaks the silence. Lily sits up from the couch, a big smile on her face. “Triplets?” she asks. “Oh god, this is going to be a wild ride.”
“You are in for a rough time,” Dr. Tracy agrees, smiling with her.
I pound a fist into my chest, trying to force my lungs to start working again. I’m able to inhale, but only slightly. “Three babies,” I wheeze.
“You’re going to have your hands full.”
I laugh, my breath coming along steadier now. “Oh my god, we’re going to be parents. Three at once! It’s like we hit the lottery.”
“Actions have consequences,” Lily says with a knowing look in her eye.
Dr. Tracy moves the sensor over Lily’s belly a few more times, checking everything over again. Satisfied, she puts the sensor down and cleans the gel off Lily’s belly, allowing her to stand up from the couch.
Lily immediately jumps into my arms, nearly knocking me backward. I laugh, holding her up and spinning her around, joy coursing through my body as the reality of our new life together sinks in.
Triplets! I can hardly believe it, but I’ve seen them with my own eyes. What will we even name them? How does one go about carrying for three babies all at the same time?
My head is spinning as I put Lily down, holding her by her shoulders and looking deep into her big brown eyes. I want her to know how much she means to me, how important she is, but I don’t want to say it with Dr. Tracy in the room.
Three words are all it takes, but I have to wait until we’re alone.
I turn to Dr. Tracy, smiling like a fool. “Thank you so much. Thank you for everything.”
She’s already packing up her equipment, getting things together for her next patient. “Oh, it’s nothing. You know I’m always here if you need me. We’ll schedule another appointment in about four to six weeks, but everything looks very good so far. I’ve already given Lily a recommendation for a prenatal vitamin that might help with the morning sickness.”
“Thank you. I really can’t say it enough,” I gush, feeling a high like no other. There’s no feeling similar to finding out you’re going to be a father. To have that tripled by the realization that you’re having three children with the love of your life is beyond comprehension.
Lily’s hand slip into mine, and we both stand in shock at what we’ve created. Dr. Tracy packs her stuff and leaves, but we’re still just standing in the living room, dumbfounded and glowing like a couple of crazy people.
And maybe we are a bit crazy. We found each other at a dire time and turned it into a celebration of life. Every bitter tragedy carries with it the seed of a bright new tomorrow, and our little seed as been watered so much it grew into a paradise.