Kai stiffens immediately, and Mikey’s head snaps up.
“What?” Mikey asks, quickly.
The tech chuckles at their concern. “Nothing bad, I promise. I just want to adjust something.”
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Two rhythms. Not an echo or distortion.
Two.
The room goes completely silent.
Mikey stares at the screen. “Wait,” he whispers. “Why–why are there two?
Kai’s hand grabs ahold of the table so hard his knuckles turn white.
The tech smiles wider now. “Congratulations,” she says gently. “You’re having twins.”
The words hit me like a shockwave.
“Tw–” Mikey chokes, then laughs in disbelief. “You’re joking.”
She shakes her head. “Two heartbeats, one sac. Identical twins.”
Kai exhales slowly. “Jesus fucking christ,” he mutters, dragging his hand down his face.
I start laughing and crying at the same time. My body doesn’t know which reaction to choose.
“Two,” he breathes out. “There are two of them.”
Kai sinks into the chair beside the bed, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the screen, like it’s not real.
Mikey looks up at me with red, tear-filled eyes.
“We’re so fucked,” He says softly.
Kai snorts, letting the emotions crack his tough exterior. “Yeah, we are.”
I look back at the screen again, looking at the two tiny flickering lives, my two little lives that I will protect with everything in me.
The nurse keeps doing things to the computer as we stay there in shock. Measuring something and taking pictures of the babies.
“One more thing.” She says, pulling my gaze from the screen.
“You seem to be further along than we expected for a first ultrasound, and we can see the gender. Would you like to know?”
I turn and look at Mikey, then to Kai, both of them completely shocked.
“It’s up to you, princess.” Mikey kisses the top of my head.
“He’s right, little dove, the choice isn’t ours.” Kai agrees.
I look to the nurse and smile, “Can you put it in an envelope for my best friend?”
The nurse smiles at me and nods, grabs the ultrasound pictures, places two in the envelope with a piece of paper, then seals it with a stork sticker.
