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Dr. Patel shakes her head. “No, not twins.” She licks her lips. “But your baby... it’s bigger than I expected,” she announces, causing a silence to crash down around us.
“Big?” I echo dumbly. “How big?”
“According to the measurements, you’re approximately ten weeks along.” She glances between us.
“Ten weeks,” Soren repeats, as if saying it out loud will unlock some hidden answer. His gaze is fixed on the screen, where Fet flickers with life. Then he pulls his phone out and taps at the screen. Just as I’m about to ask what he’s doing, he angles the small screen so both Mickey and I can see the calendar app.
“So it must have been sometime in the beginning of January,” Mickey says, defeat lilting his tone.
“Looks like it,” Soren replies.
I huff, annoyed I have to share this precious moment with the two bastards. “Is Fet healthy?” I ask, needing to know if I’ve somehow failed my precious Fet already.
In my teaching days, I had a lot of interaction with parents, obviously. I’ve heard countless stories of how their life changed with a pregnancy. For some, it was when the second line lit up. For others, it was during their first ultrasound scan. Others again said it happened when they started showing. Honestly, I’ve heard it all. Yet, nothing prepared me for how full my heart feels at this moment.
Love like I’ve never felt before unfurls inside me, making me feel like I could drift away to cloud nine at any moment. I’m… shit, I don’t even know how to describe it. I’m deliriously in love with Fet, that’s the best way I can explain it. As I lie there, the image of Fet burning into my memory, I know that I’ll protect this life inside of me with everything I have.
Once Dr. Patel is done and has confirmed I want a picture, she turns the machine off. “Do you guys want a minute?” she asks.
“No,” I say.
“Absolutely not,” Mickey confirms.
“Yes, please,” Soren adds.
Instead of listening to me, the mom-to-be, Dr. Patel leaves the room, letting us know she’ll be back in a few. I’m not happy about it, but I also refuse to show the guys how little I want to be alone with them right now.
Sitting up, I go to pull my sweatshirt back down, but before I can do it, Soren moves closer, showing me the tissues in his hand. As he leans closer, I reach for the paper, thinking he’s about to give them to me so I can wipe my stomach clean. But to my surprise, he cleans my skin himself. I’m so surprised I can only watch as his large hand wipes across my stomach.
When I realize how much I like it, I slap his hand away. “Don’t touch me,” I hiss. “Don’t you fucking touchus.”
“Gail—”
I push myself up and pull my sweatshirt back down so it covers my stomach again. “Save it, Soren,” I snarl, holding my hand up in front of me. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Although I try hard not to, my gaze flicks to Mickey. He’s keeping his distance, but he no longer looks at me with loathing in his silver eyes. Maybe that should put me at ease, make me feel better about everything. But it doesn’t. If anything, it fans the flames of anger inside me.
“You made it perfectly clearwemean nothing to you, so don’t you dare change your tune now.” I get up from the table and shuffle back to the desk, sitting down in the same chair as I wait for Dr. Patel to come back.
Gail
As soon as Dr. Patel comes back, she wants to measure every inch of my body, much like she did when I was being evaluated for Cupid’s Court. The only difference is that Soren and Mickey refuse to leave the room, making it beyond humiliating to be weighed, measured, scrutinized, and have the doctor comment on the changes.
“Your chest is bigger,” she says stiffly. “And you’ve gained a few stretch marks.”
She continues to comment on every single change she notices, and I keep looking up at the ceiling, pretending I’m anywhere but here.
“Do you have anything else to add, Abigail? A change in your appetite? Hormones?” she asks, completing the humiliation with a deep dive into what it’s like being me.
“I’m hungrier,” I admit. “My mood hasn’t really changed.”
She nods, noting my answers down. “And what about your libido?”
“What about it?” I snap, already knowing what she’s asking.
“Do you feel an increase in your sexual appetite?”
“Yes,” I squeak. “My body’s more sensitive… all over.” I can’t bring myself to look at Soren and Mickey as I admit this.
