Chapter 15
ALEX
Alex sat in his car in front of the doctor’s office, more nervous than he wanted to be.
Grace was probably already inside, but he was waiting until the last minute.
He didn’t want to make awkward waiting-room small talk for too long, or he’d end up asking Grace what he really wanted to ask her: why?
Why had she taken the laptop? Why was she suing him?
Why was she so angry when she was the one who’d hurt him?
“None of that matters,” Alex said aloud. “Only the baby matters.”
But that wasn’t true. He cared about the baby, but he cared about Grace, too.
That was what made this so very hard. She’d been so sweet, so funny, so insightful, so compelling…
and then she’d turned around and stolen everything from him.
The image of Grace as an intelligent programmer and a great friend (more than a friend) just didn’t mesh in his mind with that of Grace as a selfish thief.
But Alex wasn’t going to figure that out today.
His only goal was to have a civil conversation with Grace and see the ultrasound of their baby.
He got out of the car and went inside, where Grace was sitting in the lobby, looking at her phone.
Across from her, a very pregnant woman was sitting with her husband, both of them smiling at each other. Another couple cradled a newborn.
“You made it,” Grace said, putting her phone away and meeting his eyes. She looked lovely in a pale pink T-shirt that clung to the curve of her pregnant belly and a pair of gray jeans, but her expression was wary.
“I did.” Alex sat next to her, but not too close. He handed her a box of mints.
“What are these?” Grace turned the tin over.
“I’m not sure if they’re the right brand, but you said you liked these mints, so I got them for you.”
“Oh.” Grace looked away. “Thank you.” Alex saw her pop one into her mouth before putting the box in her pocket. He scanned his mind for a safe topic other than mints but couldn’t find anything. They sat in silence for a while, avoiding eye contact with each other and the other patients.
Luckily, after just a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, a young nurse called Grace’s name, and they went in.
The room was spacious and bright, with a paper-covered exam table, a spare chair for Alex, and several high-tech contraptions that Alex assumed must be the ultrasound machine and other tools of the trade.
He sat in the chair, looking away, while the nurse measured Grace’s height and weight and took her blood pressure and temperature.
“Doctor Martinez will be with you in just a moment,” the nurse said as he finished writing the last of the data onto the tablet in his hand. He left them alone, with Grace sitting on the paper-covered exam table. Feeling awkward again, Alex went to stand by her.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Not great.” Grace bit her lip. “A little queasy.”
“That’s understandable. You are pregnant, after all.”
“This isn’t because I’m pregnant. It’s because this all feels so weird.” She glanced up at him. “Doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Alex agreed.
Before either of them could say anything else, Doctor Martinez entered.
She was a middle-aged woman with thick black hair and brown eyes behind glasses.
She wore a white lab coat, but her shoes were bright purple.
Alex found himself looking at those shoes, wondering if they meant that the doctor was whimsical and if a whimsical obstetrician was good or not.
“You must be Ms. Boden,” she said, taking Grace’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you. And is this your husband? Or boyfriend?”
“No,” Alex and Grace both said quickly.
“Oh, my apologies.” The doctor turned to Alex and held out her hand. “I’m Doctor Martinez.”
“I’m Alex Medson. I’m… the baby’s father.”
“Wonderful to meet you. Let’s get started.
” Doctor Martinez asked Grace a few questions about her sleep, her appetite, and her emotions.
Alex felt increasingly uncomfortable. This was a very personal interview, and he was the one who’d pushed to come.
Maybe Grace felt uncomfortable talking about discharge and nausea and pimples with Alex around. He tried not to listen too closely.
“Time for the ultrasound,” the doctor said after a few minutes.
She reached for a wand, squirted blue jelly on Grace’s bare stomach, and explained that the image would appear on the screen.
“I’m checking to make sure everything is progressing as it should,” she said.
“I’ll take measurements to confirm your dates as well.
” She pressed the wand to Grace’s stomach, scanning, and then smiled. “There we go. That’s your baby.”
Alex squinted at the grainy black and white image on the screen. To him, it looked less like a baby and more like an alien life-form in an old movie. He tried to make out hands and feet, or at least a head, but just saw moving gray blobs.
“It looks like your dates are correct,” Doctor Martinez continued. “You look to be exactly twelve weeks along. And I know the baby’s sex. Would you like me to tell you?”
“Yes please,” Grace said.
“That’s fine,” Alex agreed. He kind of liked the idea of waiting, but he wasn’t going to argue with Grace.
“You’re having a little boy,” Doctor Martinez said. “Congratulations.”
Alex’s heart warmed as he imagined Little League games and scraped knees and blue walls in a nursery. He glanced at Grace, who was staring at the screen with wide eyes. He wanted this to be a moment that they shared, but she didn’t look at him. Again, he felt out of place.
“All right. I’ll continue checking the placenta and womb,” Doctor Martinez said. She swept the wand across Grace’s stomach—then her eyes widened. Alex caught the change in her expression before her face returned to reassuringly neutral.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Just a moment,” Doctor Martinez said. Now, Grace looked at Alex with wide, scared green eyes.
“Alex?” she said quietly. Instinctively, Alex took her hand and squeezed it.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said.
Grace bit her lip and squeezed his hand back.
The longest few minutes of Alex’s life passed, from one breath to the next.
Grace held his hand, her fingers warm and gentle and fitting perfectly in his palm.
In another moment, he might have wondered what it meant that they were holding hands, but now, he was completely focused on Grace and the baby.
What if something had gone wrong? He couldn’t stand it if anything happened to either of them.
“Very well,” Doctor Martinez said. “I can confirm that you are carrying twins.”
“Twins?” Grace looked up at Alex as if for confirmation. “How?”
“Twins,” the doctor confirmed. “Don’t worry—both are perfectly healthy. Do you have any family history of twins?”
“No,” Grace said.
“Mr. Medson?”
Alex nodded. “Actually, yes. My mother is a fraternal twin.”
“That makes sense, then,” Doctor Martinez said. “The second baby is a healthy little girl.”
“Twins,” Grace whispered. “How on earth am I going to take care of twins? Even one baby would be a handful…”
“Grace,” Alex said. He squeezed her hand until she met his eyes. “This is going to be okay. You don’t have to do this alone—I’m going to be there for you and the babies every step of the way. I promise.”
“Really?” Grace asked. “Even after… everything?”
Alex knew she was referring to her stealing the laptop and the lawsuit. He didn’t think twice, though. “Of course. The babies are the most important thing now, and I promise, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure all three of you are happy and healthy.”
“Thank you,” Grace said. She squeezed Alex’s hand, and she kept looking at him with those wide green eyes. Warmth passed between them, and Alex was almost able to imagine that they could get along. Maybe they could even be friends, at least enough to be parents together.
There was no way they could have a romantic relationship, not after all the distrust between them, but friendship was definitely something. And something was better than nothing.
“That’s the end of the exam,” Doctor Martinez said gently as she took the wand away from Grace’s stomach and handed her tissues to wipe the gel off. Grace took the tissues, letting go of Alex’s hand, and carefully sponged the gel away. Alex’s hand felt cold from the absence of her touch.
“What are the next steps?” Grace asked as she pulled her T-shirt back down and sat up.
“Well, this is considered a higher-risk pregnancy because you’re having twins,” Doctor Martinez said. “That will mean more frequent appointments, just to make sure that everything is progressing as it should.”
“Okay,” Grace agreed.
“The receptionist will help you choose a time for the next appointment on your way out,” Doctor Martinez added. It was a clear sign that it was time for them to leave, so Grace got to her feet and thanked the doctor. Alex did too. Then they left together.
“Two babies,” Grace said in a wondering tone when they’d settled up with the receptionist and left the practice. They were now standing on the sidewalk in the warm mid-morning sunshine. “That means I need two cribs. Two strollers. Or one of those big strollers?”
“We can figure it out,” Alex said. “I can help you shop.”
“Thanks,” Grace repeated. She glanced at him. “Aren’t you freaking out about twins?”
“No.” Alex smiled. “I’m surprised, but excited, too. Anyway, only one of us can freak out at a time, right?”
Grace smiled, too. “Right. But Alex? Are you really going to show up? You’re not going to change your mind or lose interest this time… are you?”
She sounded vulnerable and worried, but her words made Alex’s stomach clench. He’d been feeling good about the potential for their friendship and coparenting, but now he was reminded of everything that had gone wrong between them.
“I never lost interest before,” he said bluntly. “You were the one who stole the laptop.”
“But I didn’t!” Grace protested.
“Then why haven’t we found it?” Alex asked. “And why does all the evidence point to you?” He let out a slow breath, trying to calm himself. “Listen, I’m going to go. I have to get back to the office. Do you need me to call you a cab?”
“No, I have my car, and I’m perfectly capable of driving myself,” Grace snapped. The goodwill between them was clearly gone.
“Good. I’ll be by tonight to drop off something to eat and suggestions for baby furniture.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I do. I meant what I said. Regardless of what’s happening between us, I’m going to make sure that you never have to do this alone. I want the best for our babies. Just like you do.”
“Right.” Grace’s shoulders slumped a little. “Okay. Thanks.”
“I’ll see you later.”
Alex went to his car and got in. Despite his annoyance, he still waited until Grace got in her own car and drove away, presumably heading home.
Then he began the drive back to the office, where he’d be neck-deep in work created by the stolen laptop.
It was going to be a slog, but he was still going to make time to pick up dinner for Grace and research baby furniture.
Alex was going to do this right. He would prove to Grace that he could be a good parent so that she would let him play a role in their babies’ lives. No matter how much the two of them bickered, he would be there for his children. And for their mother.
At the office, Alex was immediately swamped with requests and questions from his staff.
Autumn wanted to know why the loading times had fallen apart again.
Dennis had questions about the code style.
The marketing team was on his back about how to spin the delayed release in a positive way.
The finance team wanted to report on the lost profits in the last few weeks.
A few investors had called to ask how they were handling the situation.
Alex did everything that he needed to, and he did it well.
He always did. Yet throughout the day, he couldn’t get the image of Grace on that exam table, holding his hand and looking up at him with big green eyes, out of his mind.
That image was followed by others: Grace cradling a baby with his eyes and her smile.
Grace comforting a toddler. Grace pushing their son and daughter on a swing set.
She was going to make a good mother. Whatever else she’d done, he knew that.
So, around five, he delegated his few remaining tasks to trusted employees and left to pick up takeout to drop off at her house.