Page 54 of Risk

She comes over with a little tray containing needles and tubes. I’m not a lover of needles, so I look away while she decides on my right arm and wraps a strap around the upper part. Then, she cleans the area.

“Clench your fist tight for me,” she tells me.

The prick of the needle makes me flinch. I feel Kaden lay his hand on my other arm, giving it a light squeeze. I look over and give him a look of gratitude. I’m glad he feels like he can touch me after my little freak-out just before.

“Right, all done.” Dr. Adams presses a cotton ball to the spot where she just jabbed me, and she puts surgical tape over it to keep it in place. “Now, hop up onto the bed for me so I can do a scan and see how your baby’s doing in there.”

A bout of nerves hits me. I’m about to see my baby on-screen.

I slowly get up from my seat and walk over to the bed. Kaden follows in silence, and I wonder if it’s just hit him, too, that we’re going to see our baby.

Jesus. Our baby.

I mean, obviously, I knew I was pregnant. But it’s getting more and more real as time goes on.

I hop up onto the bed, and Kaden sits in the chair beside it.

I glance at him and give him a smile, which he returns.

Dr. Adams comes over and switches on the scan machine—at least, I think that’s what it’s called.

“Can you lower your pants to your hips and lift your top for me?”

I do as told, and she tucks some paper towel into my pants.

“Just to make sure we don’t get any gel on your clothes,” she tells me.

Then, she washes her hands and pulls on some surgical gloves.

She rolls over a stool and picks up a clear squeeze bottle. “This will be cold,” she says, then squirts a big blob of the clear gel onto my stomach.

I suck in a breath. She wasn’t kidding; that stuff is cold.

“Okay, so I’m just going to press the wand to your stomach, move it around until I find the right spot, and the baby will show up on the screen. When the baby makes an appearance, I’ll mark some details down that I need, and then I’ll show you both. Sound okay?”

“Sounds good,” Kaden says for us both. It’s the first words he’s said in a while.

Dr. Adams presses the wand to my stomach, and—oof—she’s pressing quite hard and right over my bladder as well.

I’m concentrating on not pissing myself when she says, “Oh.”

My head snaps to hers. “Oh? What’sohmean? Is everything okay? Oh God, something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

I blindly reach for Kaden’s hand, and he grabs mine immediately. I have visions of the baby’s heart not beating or…

“Everything’s fine; don’t worry,” she’s quick to reassure me. “It’s just…I’m seeing two babies here.” She smiles warmly at me. “Congratulations. You’re having twins.”

TWENTY

I’m sorry, what?

Surely, I heard her wrong. Because she couldn’t have said what I thought she said.

No way.

Yes, I’m a twin, but they skip a generation, right?

RIGHT?

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