She let out a huge sob then, one of sheer, giddy relief. Raf tightened his grip on her hand; she didn’t feel out of the woods yet, but a heartbeat had to be a good sign, didn’t it? “It’s okay? We’re okay?”
“Yes,” the doctor agreed, smiling then. “The babies both appear to be perfectly fine.”
Elodie heard, at first, only the words ‘perfectly fine’.
“Did you say ‘the babies’,” Raf asked, his grip on Elodie’s hand now almost cutting off circulation completely.
The doctor smiled warmly. “I take it you didn’t know?”
“We had a scan, a few weeks ago,” Elodie murmured, as finally the words sank fully into her shocked brain. “The obstetrician didn’t say anything.”
“That’s early for a scan, it can be hard to visualize properly. It’s possible one sac was behind the other. I’m not surprised, in short, that it was missed.”
“You are certain?” Raf repeated. Elodie’s eyes flew to his, her pulse throttling in her veins. She couldn’t read his reaction,couldn’t understand his expression. Or perhaps it was that her own feelings were so overpoweringly strong, she had no ability to comprehend anything else.
“Have a look,” she invited, returning the wand to Elodie’s lower abdomen at the same time she swivelled the screen.
“See here, is baby one. And here, is baby two.”
The tears in Elodie’s eyes were now of joy, and relief.
“What does this mean?” Raf, however, sounded strained to the point of breaking.
“That you’re having two babies in about six months’ time,” the doctor said, lightly, perhaps missing the tone. She removed the wand then, and spun the screen away, before reaching for a paper towel and handing it to Elodie. But it was Raf who took it and oh so gently moved it over Elodie’s stomach, to clean the goop.
“In fact, your obstetrician will more than likely schedule the delivery early. An induction, at around thirty eight weeks, perhaps a caesarean. That decision will be made at a later stage, once other risks become apparent.”
“Risks?” His hand on her stomach stilled.
“Twin pregnancies carry a slightly higher risk.”
“Is that what caused the spotting?” Elodie asked, still trying to accept the reality of this.
The doctor’s smile, when she turned to Elodie, was indulgent. “More than likely, it’s purely a case of how much is going on in there,” she corrected. “I know how scary it is, to see bleeding in a pregnancy, but with twin pregnancies, this can just simply be because of the amount of placental tissue, and how quickly your uterus is growing.”
“Oh.” She glanced up at Raf, wanting to give vent to the full range of emotions she was feeling—primarily, joy. Relief. She had come to the hospital fearing the worst and instead, they had discovered that they were havingtwobabies. She knew it onlycomplicated things further, but she couldn’t be anything but glad.
“I’d like to schedule you for a follow up with your obstetrician, but the babies both look healthy and strong. Nonetheless, I’m prescribing bed rest for a couple of days. Avoid any strenuous activities, intercourse, heavy lifting, even driving, while your body has a bit of a break and accommodates your passengers.”
Elodie nodded, making a mental note of everything the doctor was saying.
“Could intercourse have put Elodie in danger? The babies in danger?”
Another gently indulgent smile from the doctor. “No, not at all. In a normal, healthy twin pregnancy, sex is fine. Obviously, if that changes, if there are complications and risks, your obstetrician will reevaluate. But there is nothing either of you did that caused Elodie to have spotting. It’s just one of those things.”
“Oh.” Elodie expelled a long, slow breath, relief flooding her body. When she looked at Raf, his face was like stone.
“You’re sure?” His voice was deeper than Elodie had heard it.
“Absolutely. I’ll send a report to your obstetrician, and you can schedule an appointment in the next couple of days. But there is nothing to worry about.” The doctor was standing up, reaching down to a shelf beneath the screen. “If anything changes, however, like there is more blood, clots, painful cramping, you should come straight back, but I do not anticipate that will happen.” She looked from one to the other. “You did the right thing coming straight here; you’re going to make great parents. Here—this is for the fridge. The first of many photos, no doubt,” she said, handing over a curling piece of paper that showed two grainy little beans. Their babies.
Babies.
Plural.
Elodie pulled her shirt down then kept her hand resting on her stomach, now feeling as though she had the most precious gift in the world housed inside of her, with no idea how she was going to get through the next six months or so.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
