“That’s your baby,” Dr. Hannah said.
He let out a broken laugh. Blue sagged back, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes as the baby was placed on her chest.
“A girl,” the doctor said.
Jay pressed his lips to Blue’s. “She’s perfect.”
“It can’t be,” Dr. Hannah said suddenly.
“What?” Jay demanded, panic slicing through him again.
“Jay?” Blue whispered.
“Is everything okay, Doc?” he demanded.
The doctor looked up, smiling in stunned disbelief. “There’s another baby.”
He stared at her in shock and then moved to look. Sure enough, another head was crowning.
“How is that possible?” Blue cried which turned into a shriek as she bore down.
“Holy crap,” Jay croaked. He moved to grab Blue’s hand as she gave birth to their second child.Second child!
Minutes later the nurse placed another tiny, squirming bundle beside the first.
“A second baby, this one a boy,” Dr. Hannah said gently. “Congratulations.”
“Two?” Blue whispered, looking at their children.
“How did we not know?” Jay rasped.
“Shadow twins.” Dr. Hannah explained. “It happens sometimes. Hidden behind the first one during scans if they are only done once and early in the pregnancy.”
Jay started laughing. Not sane laughter. The kind that comes from shock and relief. Blue looked at him like he’d lost his mind.
“We have two babies,” he choked out as he leaned down to kiss her damp forehead. “Trust you to be an overachiever.”
They both cried then, tears of happiness and relief. He was sure the shock would come later.
“You did that,” he whispered fiercely. “You’re a bloody warrior.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Guess you’ll need to repack the bag after all.”
He barked out a laugh. “I love you,” he said again.
This time she didn’t call him an idiot.
“I love you too.”
He dragged a chair close and dropped into it. Then with his arm around his girl, they looked at their kids, studying fingers and toes and talking and discarding names. It was a moment that would remain etched in his memory for the rest of Jay’s life.
“You need to go and tell them now, Jay. The family will be waiting for the news,” Blue said.
“And you’re happy with the names we’ve picked, Blue?”
“Yes, they feel right.”
He agreed, and then he walked out to tell their families the news.
