And then I get the surprise of my life.
I sit on the edge of the exam table, paper crinkling beneath me, still sweaty from a full morning of work. I only came in because Connie threatened to drag me here herself if I didn’t figure out what was messing with my appetite and energy.
The doctor glances at her screen, then turns to me with a soft smile. “Pregnant.”
I blink. “Pregnant?” The word doesn’t feel real in my mouth. “Are you sure?”
She nods, warm and unshaken. “Positive.”
It hits me like a freight train. My mouth opens. Closes. Then a laugh slips out, wet and disbelieving.
The baby-making room. Jesus. That’s when we conceived. I cover my mouth with my hand as emotion bubbles up, a shaky laugh breaking through. Of course. Of course that’s how this story was going to go.
But the doctor isn’t finished.
“Would you like to hear their heartbeats?”
Their.
I go still. “Them?” My heart stutters. “There’s more than one?”
She turns the screen, her voice gentle, like she knows the floor is about to fall out from under me. “Twins.”
My lips part, but no sound comes out.
Twins.
Liam’s babies.
Ourbabies.
And he doesn’t know.
I nod, barely breathing, and the doctor presses a button on the machine. The room fills with a rhythmic, galloping sound—fast, strong, steady.
“This is Baby A,” she says, pointing to one tiny flickering form on the screen. “And this is Baby B.”
Tears stream silently down my face. I can’t stop them. I don’t even try. My hand goes to my stomach, and for the first time, it means something.
Oh my god. I’m going to be a mother.Theirmother. The doctor keeps talking, something about dates and follow-ups and nutrition, but I’m not listening.
My mind is already a thousand miles away.
I need to get to Wyoming. Today.
By the time I walk out of the clinic, I’ve already called Connie, letting her know I won’t be back for the rest of the week.
She doesn’t ask questions. Just says, “Take care of what you need to, girlie.”
An hour later, I have a flight booked. I don’t even have a bag. Just my nerves and my news to be my companion on this last-minute flight.
At the airport, I find a quiet seat near my gate and text my mom.
Mom
Hey, something came up. I’ll call you when I land in Wyoming. Love you.
Then I open the thread with Liam… the one I haven’t touched in three months. I stare at the blinking cursor, my fingers trembling as I type.
