Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(24)
Tonight had been something out of a horror story at times, but he had loved it. Taking care of Chrissy with Beth had shown him a glimpse of something he never thought he would want: a family. He knew it would be hard, but he also knew that eventually they would hit their stride and, after a while, the small stuff like being peed, pooped, and puked on wouldn’t throw them as much. Tonight they had resembled two circus monkeys, but it would not always be that way.
Now he just needed to keep his cool and show Beth that he could handle anything she threw his way. Calm, cool, and rational. He definitely had this.
Chapter Thirteen
“Whoa, where the hell are you putting that?” Nick demanded. They were at her first doctor’s appointment and Nick spoke up just as the ultrasound technician raised the condom-covered probe toward Beth. You’re blowing it, buddy. What happened to calm, cool and rational? Get it together; they’re staring at you. Nick plastered on his default grin that never failed to charm. “Shouldn’t you at least buy her a drink before you bring that thing out?”
Mindy, the ultrasound technician, chuckled and said, “You might as well get used to it, Dad. You’ll have at least one more of the internal ultrasounds before we are able to switch to the external ones. The baby can only be viewed internally for the first few months. Remember, this is more uncomfortable for Mom than for Dad.”
He really wished she would stop with the Mom and Dad stuff because it made them sound like her parents. He could tell by the smirk on Beth’s face that she knew exactly what he was thinking.
Beth took a deep breath as Mindy inserted the probe. He quickly averted his gaze. “Okay, Mom and Dad, if you look at the screen you’ll now see an image of the uterus. I’m just going to get some measurements and then we will continue on.” After declaring Beth’s uterus to be perfect, she continued. “Now, here is the yolk sac and the fetal pole. I’m just going to measure those as well so we can get an estimate of the baby’s approximate age.”
Confused, Nick asked, “What are a yolk sac and a fetal pole? Where is the baby?”
“The baby gets nourishment from the yolk sac at this point. The fetal pole is another word for the baby right now. They go through several different stages in the pregnancy. If we are lucky today, we will see the heartbeat as well.”
Nick watched the screen in fascination as Mindy made her measurements. Beth looked shell-shocked. He took her hand, trying to give her the reassurance that she looked in desperate need of.
“Okay, Mom and Dad, let’s see if we can find the heartbeat. You should see a little fluttering on the screen.”
Suddenly, Nick saw a flickering on the screen and the room filled with a thumping sound. He looked at Beth and she had tears running down her face as they looked at their baby’s heart beating. “Oh, yeah, there it is,” Mindy said. “I thought so, but I wasn’t sure until now.”
“There what is?” Beth demanded. “Is something wrong with the baby?”
“Oh, no, Mom, the babies both look just fine.”
“The babies?” Beth choked out. “You mean baby, right?”
“No, there are two babies in there. I thought I saw two yolk sacs, and there are definitely two heartbeats, see there?” She pointed to the two areas flicking on the screen. “Congratulations, you’re having twins. How exciting!”
Nick didn’t think it was possible for someone to look as green as Beth did at that moment. He should know because he felt the same way she looked. Twins? Heaven help them.
* * *
Oh my God! What have we done? How can we possibly handle twins? One baby kicked our ass last night. This can’t be happening. I’ll be huge. Oh, crap, I cannot believe I’m worrying about gaining weight. Focus on the big picture; you are having twins, with Nick!
“Princess, are you okay?” Nick’s voice pulled her out of the fog that had descended over her after the declaration of twins. She looked around, realizing that Nick and Mindy were staring at her, waiting for a reaction. I wonder what they would think if I passed out right here?
“I . . . I’m fine. Just a little surprised.” Looking at Nick, she continued, “Wow, twins, right?” Why does he look so unruffled and cool? I am practically a stuttering mess and he looks like Mr. Hot Father-to-be. Mindy can’t take her eyes off him. Back off, cougar, he’s with me.
Suddenly all business, Mindy handed them their first picture of the baby—or babies—and helped Beth up from the table. Beth went behind the curtain to get dressed and then met Nick in the hallway. “You can go back to the waiting room now and the nurse will call you back for your first appointment,” Mindy said.
Before she thought about it, Beth blurted out, “Oh, God, there’s more?” Mindy gave her a motherly pat on the shoulder and opened the door for them to the waiting room. She wasn’t sure but she could have sworn that Mindy then gave Nick a not-so-motherly look of female appreciation.
They settled back into their seats in the waiting room. It seemed to Beth like every eye in the room was focused on Nick. Of course, it did not take much to figure out why. Most of the men who accompanied their wives or girlfriends were just Average Joes. Nick, on the other hand, looked like he could pose for Playgirl magazine. She hated to admit it, but she was proud to be sitting beside him. Amazing. I am not jealous of these skinny girls anymore. I have a man beside me that they would all love to have. Score one for all of the former fatties in the world!