The Billionaire Boss's Baby

Scared

Amara laid uncomfortably on the bed in the ultrasound room. Mom paced around the room while they waited for the OBGYN.

"Boy, this sure brings back some memories," Mom said.

Amara smiled. "This is definitely easier with someone to be with me."

It was Mom's turn to smile. She walked over to her daughter and squeezed her hand. "I'm glad."

"Hello!" The OBGYN walked into the room. "I'm Dr. Freeland."

Dr. Freeland shook Mom's hand. Mom introduced herself while Amara studied the doctor. She looked fairly young, yet experienced. Even as she set up, Dr. Freeland pulled her bleached blonde hair back into a ponytail. Amara would have thought she was more of a model than a doctor, but looks could be deceiving.

"How have you been feeling lately?" Dr. Freeland asked. "Any nausea?"

"Yeah, a little," Amara answered, shifting on the bed. "It's getting a bit better though."

"Good," Dr. Freeland said, looking at the screen. "Do you have any concerns?"

Amara started to shake her head, but Mom put in, "Weren't you just asking me about your weight gain last night?"

"Oh, yeah," Amara said. "I feel like I've been getting really big already. I think I've just hit three months--roughly, anyway--but I started to show three weeks ago. Should I be watching what I'm eating or--?"

"Well, that's definitely an option, but let's take a look here," Dr. Freeland said as she pressed some buttons on the keyboard.

The doctor smeared the cold gel over Amara's stomach then started looking for the baby with the sensor thing. Amara wasn't really sure what it was called. She was glad that her mom was here; it made everything much easier.

"Okay, so here's the baby," Dr. Freeland pointed to the little blob on the screen. "It's actually the perfect size for how far along you are."

"So, I've just been eating too much?" Amara asked.

"Well, let's take a listen to the heartbeat." Dr. Freeland pressed another button and Amara and her mom could suddenly hear the heartbeat.

"Isn't it a little fast?" Mom asked. "It almost sounds like it's echoing a bit."

"No, actually," Dr. Freeland answered. "You see this little blob next to the baby?"

Amara squinted at the screen. "Yeah."

"That's your other baby."

Amara stared. "My what?"

Dr. Freeland grinned. "Congratulations. It's twins."
 
 
Amara sat in a stunned silence even as she and her mom waited for their lunch at the local diner.

"Are you okay?" Mom finally asked.

"I don't know," Amara said, slumping against the back of the booth. "One thing's for sure: this explains a lot."

"I'm sure it does," Mom said. "Are you rethinking again?"

"That's--actually a really hard question," Amara admitted. "Like, I was good with one, but I'm not sure I can handle two. I don't want to separate them..." She paused.

"I hear a 'but' in your voice," Mom said.

Amara nodded. "These are my kids... And that one sentence just made it all more real to me."

The waiter came then with their food. Mom stayed quiet until he left, then put in her opinion.

"Whether you keep these babies or not, you will always be their biological mom," she stated. "And I'm not saying you should definitely keep them--that's up to you. But I know you. And I think, no matter what you do, you're always going to ask 'what if?' So the question is, which 'what if' are you willing to deal with?"

Amara sighed as the words sank in. "It's almost too overwhelming to think about right now. And I only have six months."

"Well, think of it this way," Mom said. "If you keep them, you'll be thinking, 'What if I had given them up? Would my life be easier?' If you put them up for adoption, you would think, 'What if I still had my kids? Where are they now?' "

The tears came then. Ignoring her plate, Amara planted her elbows on the table and placed her head in her hands.

"Talk to me," Mom said.

"I can't do it," Amara sobbed. "I can't give them up. These are my babies! But I can't handle both!"

"This is why families are supposed to have two parents," Mom sighed. "Amara, look at me."

Amara obeyed and peered at her mother through puffy eyes.

"You are not alone in this," Mom firmly stated. "I know your father and I aren't exactly close to you, but that doesn't mean we can't help. And didn't you say Gabby was there for you too?"

Amara sniffed. "That's what she told me. But that doesn't necessarily mean she'll actually be there."

"Then I will be," Mom said. "Look, no matter what you do, we will stand beside you. I don't want you to feel pressured to keep them, but I know that if you give them up, there's a good chance you'll want them back. You said yourself--they're your babies."

Amara wiped her tears then nodded.
"I think you might be right. I'm just--"Amara took a big breath "--I'm just really scared."

Mom reached forward and grabbed Amara's hand. "I know you are. But I promise, you will not be alone in this. You have your friends, and you have us. We may not be going through this right now, but we are here to help."

Amara took another huge breath, then nodded.

"Alright," Mom smiled. "Now, let's eat, and then we can go clothes shopping."

So that's what they did. Amara and her mom spent almost four hours going to different stores and trying on maternity clothes for the entire afternoon. Even the stuff that was too big, Mom told Amara to keep it, since "she'll grow into it".

Amara had to admit, as scared as she was about this whole thing, she was getting excited. Now that she knew she had support, it was easier to deal with. But with the news of twins, she had to talk to Joshua again.