"Is that a need for concern?"
Dr. Henderson looked up at Christos and shook her head. "Not enough for a panic. I'm going to run some tests, take some urine and do an ultrasound."
*****
"Is something wrong?"
They had been in the examination room for the past half hour, and several tests had been run. When the doctor called in another colleague, Leanne figured it was time to start panicking.
"This is Dr. Friedmann and he's more of an expert on this sort of thing than I am."
"What does that mean?" Christos eased away from the wall, a frown marring his brow. He too had been getting anxious. "What sort of thing?"
"We did the ultrasound twice to make certain." Dr. Henderson looked from one to the other, her gaze settling back on Leanne. "We wanted to make sure."
"About what?"
"Were you going through IVF?"
Leanne shook her head. "Of course not. Why?"
"By all indications, you're carrying multiples."
"I'm sorry." She stared at the woman. "Multiples?"
"We are hearing three heartbeats."
The silence in the room was punctuated by the beeping of the machine and Leanne's escalated breathing.
"That's not possible."
"We did the tests--"
"Then do it again! There's no way I could be carrying triplets. I'm not going through IVF, and I certainly do not have triplets in my family. I'm an only child and so were my parents. If there were triplets in my family, I would know."
"Actually--" All eyes swiveled to the man standing by the door.
Christos had the absurd notion of being pinned to the wall. "My paternal grandfather is a part of a triplet." Avoiding the accusatory look in Leanne's mahogany eyes, he focused on the doctors. "I recall my parents joking that one of their children were bound to carry it on."
"Of course," the female doctor nodded in understanding. "It naturally skipped a generation."
"I'm carrying triplets." Leanne wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. She had never given a thought to having children, at least not right now, and now she was pregnant with three. The rousing pep talk she had given herself this morning was completely forgotten. "What are the risks?" she demanded.
"There are several. We will work closely--"
She cut off the woman abruptly. "I need to know the risks."
"Leanne--" Her fiery gaze stopped him in his tracks.
"Doctors?"
Dr. Henderson cleared her throat. "Preeclampsia or gestational high blood pressure as well as gestational diabetes. There's also premature birth."
"You did not mention the fact that one or all of the babies could end up dying. Not to mention the risk to my life."
Christos felt the initial excitement dying a slow death inside him at that. His gaze pinned the doctors. "Is that true?"
"We will certainly work closely with Ms. Wilcox to ensure that she and the fetuses are safe." Dr. Friedmann spoke for the first time, his German accent just a whisper. "We're very good at what we do and our reputation in guiding multiple births is guaranteed."
