“Ah,” Livvy said. “And this sweetheart is your son. They both look healthy, Trish. And I don’t see any signs of active labor.”
She released a ragged sigh of relief and eased back against the gurney. “That’s good. Just Braxton Hicks.” She’d heard about them, but she hadn’t thought it would feel like that.
“Your blood pressure is high, though,” Livvy said. “Have you been under a lot of stress?”
Trish laughed, and some of the tears that had rushed to her eyes earlier leaked out. She could only nod.
Livvy squeezed her shoulder. “I know you have a lot going on right now. But you need to take care of yourself and these babies. You have to get a handle on the stress.”
Trish laughed again, just one short chuckle this time.
“I know, I know, easier said than done,” Livvy said. “And you need to make sure that you’re getting enough rest and nutrition, too.”
“I was being so careful,” Trish said. “I didn’t want to lose these babies, too.”
“You’ve had miscarriages?”
Trish nodded as she pressed a hand to her heart, which had a hollow ache from the loss of those babies. “I’ve been doing IVF, trying to get pregnant for some time.” She stared at the ultrasound monitor, at her babies. “I can’t lose them.”
Livvy squeezed her shoulder again. “Everything looks good, Trish. Their heartbeats are strong. Their lungs are mostly developed. I think, even if you were in labor, they would survive. They might have to spend some time in the neonatal unit, but they would make it. You can stop worrying about that.”
More tension eased from Trish. She hadn’t realized how concerned she’d been about that until now. “I… I knew I was getting close. That’s the only reason I waited this long to make the trip to Willow Creek. Because I knew they were getting to that stage…” Where they would survive if something happened. “But I was still worried it could be too soon. That, as twins, they might not be as developed as a single baby.”
“They look strong,” Livvy said. “Both of them. Now we have to make sure that their mama is strong, too.”
Trish had been working on that for a while. And she did feel stronger than she ever had. She nodded. “I’m going to be okay.” Just like Brett had promised.
Sue patted her hand. “And I’ll get you that referral for an ob-gyn.”
“Thank you,” Trish said. Then it dawned on her who those silvery blue eyes reminded her of. Even his kids had them. “Weird question, but are you related to Nolan Stokes by any chance?”
The nurse gasped, and then all the color drained from her face. She didn’t answer the question, just pulled the curtain aside and rushed away.
“I’m sorry,” Trish said to Livvy. “I didn’t mean to upset her.”
Livvy stared after her coworker. “I don’t understand how you did. Who is this Nolan Stokes person?”
“My lawyer.”
“Oh…him…” Livvy murmured.
“What have you heard about him?” Trish wondered.
“Depends on who’s talking,” Livvy said. “Some people think he’s a saint. But your cousin…” She shook her head and chuckled softly.
“Yes, Frankie is not his biggest fan,” Trish said. Then she sighed. “She’s not mine either right now. I made a mess of things.”
“That’s life,” Livvy said. “We make messes of it sometimes. But we can usually clean them up with time.”
Tears stung Trish’s eyes again. “Unless it’s already too late…” Like it was with her father. She’d lost him before she’d had a chance to clean up the mess she’d made of their relationship. She didn’t want that to be the case with anyone else. And she should have been thinking of Frankie and Maci then. But the person who sprang to her mind was Brett, and then he was stepping inside the curtain with her.
“I hope it’s okay for me to be in here,” he said to Trish. “Nurse Sue showed me back.” He glanced at the ultrasound monitor, then at her face and then at the ultrasound machine again. “That’s them?” His dark eyes widened with awe. “They’re moving? They’re okay?”
“Yes,” Trish said, and the last of the fear that had been pressing on her chest eased. “You were right.”
Brett looked at his sister. “Really? They’re good?”
Livvy nodded. “Yeah, they’re strong, like their mama. She just needs to take it easy. No more stress.”
