Carina
I stood sideways in front of the body mirror in my work closet, trying to come to terms with what I could not yet believe. There were two in there. Two squishy little embryo's.
The small pouch above my pubic bone was officially starting to poke out. Two little prunes, as Maya liked to remind me. They were forming their little bones and teeth, which was actually making me queasy. What didn't make me queasy these days? So for the 7th time today I ran to the restroom and threw up the apple sauce I thought I was going to be able to keep down.
The nausea continued to wake me up earlier. I was already sleeping less which only made the increased fatigue worse. That was my initial sign. Twins usually accompanied increased amounts of nausea, fatigue, and I was going to the bathroom every time I had a sip of water. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but I'm Italian. I exaggerated for effect and it felt like the truth and two babies was enough to have my hormones raging.
There was a small sign on the 4 week ultrasound where I could notice a slight division in the amniotic sac. My well-trained eye was almost certain, but I held out for the possibility that I was wrong. Not that I wasn't happy with the news, but two of everything would be a challenge.
A challenge Maya seemed more and more excited for as the days passed while I felt more and more overwhelmed. Somehow she had become the calm enthusiastic one while I was one 'sold out of donut holes' away from an entire meltdown.
After the 10 week ultrasound I was officially off of the progesterone and now my body was making it naturally. The positives were I didn't feel like my vagina was sandpaper anymore, but I wasn't exactly feeling very sexy with how much my body was throwing up. The negatives were I was still apprehensive, that something would go wrong, that I'd lose them and never recover. I was dwelling.
Maybe once I pass the 12 week mark I will feel differently, or when the symptoms get better. My brain was in a funk and I hoped it wouldn't last the whole pregnancy. I'd been staring at the small darkened veins under my bloated belly for more than I had anticipated.
Okay, ciò che sarà, sarà... I tucked my undershirt back into my sad black scrub pants so I could get back to work instead of worrying my life away in front of a mirror. The black scrubs did not help much, seeing how the world was taking a turn for the worst.
Somehow the whole process of being pregnant while wearing black all day everyday made it harder to find joy. As if it wasn't already hard to find great women's health care. Now all these laws were trying to make it impossible. Now my babies could be entering a completely different messy world.
One where there were more states outlawing access to reproductive care than states legalizing it. Which has us all feeling the demand. Something that had been a rare occurrence was now being seen in higher numbers because people from all over the country were flying to doctors that respected the right to choose.
Which seemed to be all I was seen as anyway, people very rarely saw my job as anything other than pregnancy and babies. There was so much more to it. If they would see the extreme cases of PCOS and Endometriosis I caught. As if birth control only had one function! Rrrrgh.
Not to mention the uterine fibroids, the cysts! That are missed by other doctors that write them off as period side effects. It's honestly astounding how many doctors are in the field and misdiagnose because the mere idea that there could be more going on with the female body is somehow crazy.
It infuriated me to no end just thinking about it. So when my phone went off I looked down with a grunt, but was surprised when I got paged up to the pediatric floor.
I rolled my eyes. One of the last things I needed to deal with was Clarke while I was in the middle of an angry head spin. She was by all accounts harmless, but I more than anyone knew how easily harmless can become harmful.
Clarke was a flirt, but not enough for me to be uncomfortable. The wedding ring usually kept her at bay, and I was glad to know she had her limits. Which is why I slid my wedding band back on my hand as I went up the elevator to meet her.
I found her leaning against the wall looking at something on her tablet. Messy blonde bun, white coat rolled at the sleeves and dark blue scrubs neatly tucked into her pants. "Clarke."
"DeLuca, bet you didn't expect to see me today." Her smile was bright and she probably knew it worked for her most of the time.
"I don't usually get paged to the pediatric floor since you know the kids are already out of their mamma's." I winked as I spoke and she laughed with a nod of her head and finger.
"This is true, well I think one of my 16-year-old patients has something deeper going on and her mom is convinced she's pregnant." She handed me the tablet and I rolled my eyes because anyone can diagnose a pregnancy.
"If you paged me here just to confirm a teen pregnancy—"
"No DeLuca, I know better than to try and piss you off by wasting your time just because I enjoy working with you. I don't think she's pregnant. Something else is going on and I need the best because her mom is horrible and I need someone to keep me in line." She crossed her arms and I looked up at her sincere face, she genuinely looked concerned and for the first time I felt like I might have misjudged her.
I looked over the results and the labs confirm she wasn't pregnant. Symptoms: heavy non-stop bleeding, abdominal distention and tenderness to palpation, started after intercourse a week ago. Jesus, she's a baby... Okay maybe I am becoming a mother. "Okay, let's go." I handed her back the tablet and we walked a few rooms down. "How bad is this mother?"
"She keeps trying to take her daughter against her will, the girl keeps insisting she's in pain and isn't pregnant. So that was more than enough to already have three red flags up," Clarke mentioned just before knocking and walking into the young girl crying and her mother trying to get her into some jeans. "Ms. Santos, I told you I'd be right back and I have a friend. Maci, this is Dr. DeLuca. She's an OB/GYN and would like to look at your stomach."
"Great! So you finally believe that my promiscuous 16 year old is pregnant." The mom flared her arms and then brought them harshly against the sides of her thighs as I frowned.
"Ms. Santos, that's not why I am here. The labs show that your daughter is not pregnant. So unless she is the first case ever to sustain a pregnancy on such non-existent levels of HCG then I will ask your permission to examine your daughter."
She smacked the jeans down against her thigh, "I can't believe this, I have a very important meeting for my foundation and this is messing up my prep time Maci, come on. Not every period is the same, sometimes they're worse. It's life! Or maybe she's having a miscarriage."
"There would still be evidence of the pregnancy and I will make sure to be quick," I smiled sarcastically while Clarke grabbed me a pair of gloves as I approached this young girl who seemed scared of her own shadow. "Hi Maci, I'm Carina. Can I take a look at your stomach while you tell me what you've been feeling?"
"I umm," she looked at her mom.
"Just tell the doctor or we will never get out! Now it's time for your big show and you're acting skittish, but you weren't a few days ago with your legs in the air were you!? You're getting that door removed as soon as I get home," the mom threatened and I felt like I was already on the verge of crying or yelling, whichever came first. Please be calm little prunes.
"Ms. Santos I think yelling will not only make your daughter more hesitant to answer questions, but also make the process longer. Please have a seat while I do the exam." I pointed at the chair as the woman challenged me with her eyes and I neither blinked nor showed that her presence intimidated me. The woman huffed and went to go take a seat while I turned back to the girl who was looking at me mesmerized. "Go on," I took a breath and smiled at her.
"I umm, I've been having a lot of bleeding and cramping since... since I had sex with my boyfriend. Now I umm it hurts to pee and sit." She lifted her shirt and I widened my eyes at her swollen abdomen, "I've been gaining weight."
"Mhm, and has your period gotten worse as you've gotten older?" She nodded and I sighed, "This isn't weight." I assured her and I pressed over her abdomen and gauged the size of her uterus which was larger than normal, "Clarke can you get me a tray for a pelvic."
"I'll be right back," she announced. The door opened and closed quickly.
"Maci, is it okay if I give you an exam? Your uterus is very distended and I need to look at it a little closer." Maci nodded and as soon as everything was set up I had Clarke guiding the transducer while I checked and pressed her uterus from the inside.
She felt uncomfortable with the pressure, but as I took over the transducer and followed what looked to be a mass. It definitely resembled one, and coupled with her symptoms and the labs, I suspected it could be a tumor, the biggest fibroid of my career or just another large cyst. All very uncommon in girls her age.
"Okay Maci, I'm done." I removed my gloves and slid her underwear back on.
"What is it?" She asked as I eased her legs back down and Clarke cleaned the gel off her stomach.
"You are definitely not pregnant, but I need an MRI to confirm what is on your uterus that is most likely causing all of this discomfort." I turned to the mother who was on her phone, "Ms. Santo I need to send Maci up for an MRI."
"What for?!" She shot up from the chair and I stood in defense, my hand immediately going to my stomach. That instinct to protect them was already in full swing.
"Your daughter is not pregnant. There is what appears to be a mass on her uterus and I need imaging to know what kind of mass and how it will impact her life. I need to run further tests because your daughter also presented as very anemic which is more cause for concern. So I suggest you cancel your presentation and hold her hand. You're not going anywhere anytime soon. Is that going to be a problem?" I took the tablet from Clarke and requested the STAT pelvic MRI.
When I looked up the mom was in shock as she looked at her daughter and nodded slowly. "Okay."
"Perfetto. Maci, someone will be up shortly, I don't want you to worry. It could be a number of benign things, but it has visible margins. Whatever it is, it won't be there much longer. I'll check in okay," I gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded pulling the blanket up her body. "Dr. Clarke."
She opened the door for me as I walked out and went to grab some sanitizer from the hallway dispenser. "What do you think it is?"
Before I could answer the door swung open and out came Mrs. Santos, "Doctors!" We both turned. "I'm sorry, I know what I must seem like, but believe me, I do care about my daughter. Just... Please help her."
"She's in great hands Mrs. Santos, we will update you," Clarke gave her a reassuring smile and the woman exhaled before she turned to go back inside. "You were saying?" We started to walk again and I was a little dazed by the small moment. As if I should be surprised she's good with parents.
"It's a—" I cleared my throat, "It's either a very large cyst or a benign tumor, but she had what seemed like an adjacent fibroid so I'm wondering if I just witnessed the largest uterine fibroid of my career— in a 16 year old," I shook my head in disbelief. "And oh my god, that mother!"
"Told you." She laughed as we entered the elevator and rode down to the 3rd floor. "Might I add however, that the way you handled that... I was very impressed." She put her hand over her chest and I smiled as the doors opened.
"That was a mother more angry with having found her daughter in a situation out of her control, but her face at the end—"
"She was scared shitless," she agreed and raised her eyebrows, "You won't believe how many times I encountered disdain to cover up a parents fear for their children." I stopped walking back to my office and looked at her. "But then again it's human nature. The need to preserve ourselves and our loved ones just happens." Her eyes burrowed into mine and I nodded.
"Y-yeah, isn't that where the uh 'mamma bear' reference comes from?" I asked and she smiled coyly before looking down with a nod.
Her eyes came back up and licked her lips quickly, "Either way, it's always good to work with you Dr. DeLuca." She patted my shoulder and I looked down at it, "I'll umm page you when she's being taken down?" She tried to search for my eyes.
I nodded as the 'yes' got stuck in my throat. Then in a split second, I felt eyes darting into the side of my face, "Carina?" That voice made me turn around to see Maya with a bag in her hand walking over from the elevator. I stepped back from Alana and smiled at my wife, but her eyes went to the blonde in front of me.
Clarke's eyes dropped over Maya and turned to meet her. I shook my head out as she finally came to stand in front of us. "M-Maya, this is Dr. Alana Clarke, she's the head of pediatrics here at the hospital."
Maya nodded and extended her hand as I spoke. Alana looked at me and then took Maya's hand, "How do you do?"
"Swell." Maya said very short, looking at me strangely which stirred confusion and my stomach. Freaking nausea. She dropped Clarke's hand before the shake concluded. She let out a large exhale as she turned to me with a forced smile, "How are you doing, love?" Maya took a step and ran her hand over my abdomen before angling up to kiss me which I did not reject.
Our lips met with an electric touch and my hand instinctively grabbed hers caressing my abdomen. I looked back at Clarke who was looking down at her shoes. It seemed like she wanted to hide after witnessing the moment we shared. "I'll catch up with you," I said, wrapping my arm around my wife's neck.
"Mhm yeah, see you and umm it was good to meet you Maya." She waved off and cracked her knuckles as she walked off.
Maya walked out from under my arm and took my hand without another word, pulling me over to my office.
Which I had just finished closing as she set down what I could only assume was soup, based on the container. "You didn't introduce me," she said in a clipped tone. Maya was upset.
"What?" I questioned.
"Introductions. You introduced her, but you didn't introduce your wife? Your partner? The other mother of your soon to be children?" Maya added and I looked around, remembering. I closed my eyes as I realized I just said her name. Shit. "Mhm, what? Were her eyes that distracting?"
"No, Maya I'm sorry it slipped my mind, I had a patient on my mind. I was also surprised to see you. I wasn't expecting you until later." I walked up to her as she set everything out on the coffee table.
"Whatever, I mean it's never slipped before. Sorry if I interrupted." She handed me the utensils. I took them and tossed them on the small table. While she continued to pout and look around with her hands in her jacket.
"Maya, you didn't interrupt anything. You know you can come whenever." I brought her face to mine with a gentle touch of her cheek, "She's just a woman I work with, amore."
Maya leaned into my hand and tugged me closer so I was flush against her body. "So why not introduce me?" Her eyes locked on mine. A darker look and I felt my body heat up in response. "Why not emphasize it by claiming me in front of her."
"She knows I'm married," I shrugged.
"But you're married to me." She spoke and pushed her hands up my scrub top, pulling at my undershirt to get at my skin. The second her fingers grazed my skin, goosebumps spread over my entire body like wildfire. "That I'm yours, just like you're mine." Her husky voice made my mind turn to a melted pot of butter.
"Maya—" without a second thought she crashed our lips together. I moaned into her body as she turned us so I was facing the wall and pulled me down with her. I caught myself on the back of the couch as I landed against her body.
The quick act followed by her hands pulling at the backs of my knees so I would straddle her. I just smiled against her face, smitten with my jealous blonde firefighter.
One of her hands combed up the length of my spine and the other pushed into my pants and cupped my ass. Her hands were making the center of my legs melt already.
"Or do you need me to remind you," she said and started to nibble my neck, making me groan. My hands fisted into her hoodie and pulled her down onto the couch. Maya smiled for a few moments before I wiped the smile off her face with my mouth. Maybe I wasn't as put off sex as I thought, or it was just the need I had for Maya winning as it always did.
We made out intensely for a while. Her pants had even been undone when my phone went off. Maya was in the middle of sucking on my neck and growled at the sound. "Maya," I giggled at her grip on my waist, "I have to go."
"But, you didn't eat," she mumbled against my neck and I whimpered as she continued to bite on my tender skin. I stretched my neck up and felt the skin pull as it left her mouth.
I tugged her mouth away with a harsh tug on her hair, "I'll eat after. Thank you, bambina." I kissed her softly and she hummed against my lips. "We will finish this later."
"Count on it, but you better eat." She pointed as I dragged myself off her body and fixed my clothes checking the page to see how urgent it was. Not a 9-1-1, just Clarke letting me know the patient had been brought into MRI. "Also I was thinking that... well more wondering when you wanted to ummm announce the news?" Maya put everything back in the bag and put it inside the mini fridge I now kept in my office for my meals.
"You can't help yourself, can you?" I grab my white coat and quickly put it on as Maya opens the door.
"Can you blame me!? You know how many times I've almost told Andy?!" Maya practically bounced out of her shoes and I found her eagerness adorable. "What if we tell everyone at Christmas?"
"Sure, bambina." I encouraged as we walked.
"Are you still worried?" her fingers threaded into mine and I looked down at them.
"I don't think it's hit me yet," I offered and I saw the gears start to turn in her head as we waited for the elevator. "How did you want to tell them?" I swung our hands and it broke her out of whatever thought she was in and smiled.
"Mom asked me to help her put ornaments on the tree next week. What if we got her an ornament that announces it?" She offered as we walked into the elevator. I smiled softly and nodded. "Best uncle t-shirts for our brothers?"
"That sounds like a lovely idea." Now I just needed my brain to get on bored with the excitement.
"Perfect. So, you're on board?"
"Sure," I laughed as we descended, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I asked.
"Oh, I was having lunch with your brother and spontaneously decided to bring you some soup," she said nonchalantly and I turned to look at her as the doors opened. My arms crossed as I raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, I told you I'm not hiding anything."
"Then why were you having secret lunches and phone calls with my brother? Is he okay?" We stopped a little ways from the MRI scanner that was straight ahead.
"No," My eyes shot open, "I mean, YES! Your brother is fine, everything is fine." She uncrossed my arms to hold my hands, "It's nothing for you to worry about I swear." I narrowed my eyes at her and she looked away to avoid my intense gaze. She looked toward the MRI room where Clarke was looking over at us, then quickly turned away. "She wants in your pants."
"Mhm, and I'll get in yours if you tell me what you're up to," I teased and ran my hand over her hip and down to her ass. She raised her eyebrow in amusement at my antics. "Because you're mine and I'm yours."
"Forever." I gave her a small repetitive nod as I leaned in to kiss her, "But I'm still not telling you. Now go to work and be a rockstar." I rolled my eyes then brought her left hand up to my lips to kiss her ring as I walked away with a smile from ear to ear and the blush on her face as a trophy as I got back to work.
Whatever her and Andrea were plotting, it better be good. Clarke was looking at the scanner when I walked in, "Sorry, I haven't seen my wife in over 24 hours and it always feels like the longest time."
"So that's the wife?" She said, clicking through the screen and the tech brought up the images. I looked over and she was staring at something on my neck where I could still feel Maya's mouth.
Of course she did, "Was it not obvious? Yeah Maya DeLuca-Bishop is my wife... she's the Battalion Chief for the Seattle Fire Department which is why she works the long hours," I said and looked at the monitor as the scan started to show.
"She's a lucky woman," she whispered to herself and I pretended to not hear as I started to analyze the images. My head tilted as I looked over the mass and felt the need to blink. "So what do you think?"
"I think... I think I need to open her up and send it for a biopsy," I said, immediately pushing my chair out, "Book an OR while I update the mother."
***
A uterine fibroid! A 9 cm uterine fibroid! That's bigger than my babies are right now! It's all I could talk about for the week after the results came back.
When I told Maci and her mother that it was both benign and common they seemed more relaxed. Not so much when I told them it was not common in young ladies, or even ladies of her age. They were both surprised, but overall happy they no longer had to deal with it. I gave her some signs to look out for and my card to schedule her next check up when she turned 18. Until then she could keep seeing Dr. Clarke for her regular check ups.
Who, to my surprise, was changing her demeanor towards me. She was more professional and lingered around me less. Seems all she needed was a physical form of my wife to realize flirting with me would get her nowhere. That or that the fact that me and Maya had a way of looking at each other that sent other people running, according to Amelia when I told her the story.
Which I found hilarious, but endearing because what I had with Maya was so real that the idea that people could see that in the way we looked at each other made me feel safer and now protective of the little family we would be multiplying by two... I hoped.
I was now officially 12 weeks along. My babies were the size of limes and I was still yet to decide on an OB, mostly because I was still pinching myself at the fact that I was actually pregnant. Something the morning sickness loved to remind me of. Now it actually was morning sickness rather than what felt like cyclical vomiting episodes.
Maya was annoyed that I could not narrow down my choices, as if choosing someone was so easy. Maybe I was also buying time to see if I'd make it to the end of my first trimester. It would also be easier if I could be in control of my care. So justifiably it made her furious when I spent most of the consultation discussing my rare uterine fibroid find rather than my pregnancy. "Carina, we are here for us."
"It was 9 cm, Maya!" I gestured and the OB we were talking to laughed.
"That is miraculous, the odds of it happening in a teenager is like less than 1 percent?" The OB encouraged me and I nodded and gestured at the doctor while looking at Maya who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
Although she wasn't the right fit and I knew based on that conversation alone, and now since we were still bouncing around on choices I decided we would just see Jo for our 12 week check up.
It was getting harder to avoid the fact that my uterus was expanding. That these two little limes had already decided to make my pants fit a lot more snug which meant I was right on track to start showing a lot sooner than I otherwise would with one.
Maya seemed to love it. She enjoyed every bit of it. Enamored by the idea that I was going to get huge while only I felt a little worry about what that would mean for us. It seemed to be all I thought about these days. My mood felt like it was dropping rather than growing. It was nothing like I thought pregnancy would feel.
The morning of the ultrasound I went to an early meeting and came home calling out Maya's name, letting her know that I was home and ready to head over to the hospital. When there was no answer I decided to climb up the steps worried since Maya practically ran down the stairs every time I came home.
When I got to the top of the steps I found the two guest bedrooms closest rooms with the lights on and doors opened wide. I looked in the first one and found it empty.
Then I looked in the room we had long decided would be the nursery since it was right across from ours, to find Maya sitting crisscrossed in the middle of it with paint swatches on the wall and a tape measure extended from wall to wall. "Bambina?" I asked since she was sitting in silence.
"This room is a little bigger. They will be too small to have their own rooms, but what if one feels bad for getting the smaller room? Will they even want to share a room? Do we need two changing stations— I mean there are two of them and deserve their own of everything," Maya spoke to herself and I felt my heart grow ten times for the woman already planning where everything would go, what colors would look good. "Mason can paint a mural on the ceiling. I searched some up, but they are all of clouds and I will be damned if my babies ever picture clouds."
I sat down behind her and hugged around her neck with my arms and pressed my thighs against her sides, "They won't. The clouds will just be clouds, I know it." I pulled her gently into my body and her head came to rest on my shoulder, "What's the plan, Chief?" I asked cradling her face with one hand while the other moved up and down her chest to help soothe her anxiety.
Maya relaxed with every pass of my hand along her face and her body added pressure to mine, "I was thinking their cribs can be one against this wall and one perpendicular. Then I read that twins tend to sleep better when they are together in the first few months because of a thing called—"
"Co-bedding, yeah. I agree. They spend every minute together for close to 40 weeks, it helps them adjust." Maya nodded and turned her head into my neck. "The mural can be stars. Constellations. With a big north star in the direction of our room because we will be their home and safe place."
Her neck craned up with a huge smile, "I love it!" She kissed my cheek then shot up to her feet. "Come on, let's go see them!"
Maya pulled me to my feet ever so elegantly and brought my arms around her to her backside before giving me a kiss. A chaste kiss that nevertheless made my heart flutter and weird feelings dissipate, then quickly pulled me out of the room.
____________________
"You told her!"
"Oh come on Carina, you think I wouldn't notice? Me? The woman you never asked anything for until you needed lemon bars between consults and nothing else would suffice?!" Jo crossed her arms and I rolled my eyes because I was still trying to be upset that Maya would tell her information before we were ready to share. "Catch me up on what else you've been feeling?"
I grunted and went to sit on the exam table, "Just intense morning sickness that has finally stopped lasting all day and I have to pee after every sip of water, but the heart burn has subsided a little after Maya moved my diet around again. Overall, everything has been pretty normal given the fact that we are having twins." I smiled down at my belly and felt Maya's hand move over it protectively.
"Twins! Oh— Wow! That I did not know," Jo's eyebrows shot up.
"I thought Maya told you?" I looked at my wife who shook her head.
"She accidently confirmed you were pregnant and that's all!" Jo exclaimed and I put my palm on my forehead. "Just... sit tight. I'll have someone come in with a blood draw kit and we will go from there."
I nodded and moved to start taking off my coat to roll up my sleeve, the nurse came in with the blood draw kit and after the collection she gave me a small smile. I could tell meant congratulations. After a little while Jo came in, "Alright, so let's look at these little guys, gals, pals!"
She smiled and Maya laughed, "I like that, pals."
"Well, they are your pals because they seem to hate me," I said, patting my stomach.
"No they don't, they just are trying to survive in there." She reached for my stomach and I rolled my eyes. Little limes were only being sour as of late.
"So, did you use the restroom already or shall we do this transvaginally?" Jo asked and I shook my head.
"I held it in so we can do a regular exam." I lifted my shirt and undid the buttons of my jeans. My small pouch hit the cool consult room air and Maya caressed it with her fingers before Jo gave her a look. "You can tell who is the more eager. I find I'm still pinching myself because... well we know what happened last time."
"I don't blame you, especially with everything we see, but I'm sure after this ultrasound your excitement will start to shoot up. Your new OB will also be watching you like a hawk, I know I would," she shook the gel out, "It's cold."
I braced myself and sure enough the gel was colder than I realized. She pressed the transducer on and I turned my head to look at the image as it came about. Ignoring the push on my bladder. Maya squeezed my hand as the first one came into focus. "Wow."
Wow, was right. My eyes watered as I saw the little thump in their chest and Jo clicked a button to check their little heart beat. Strong and healthy. She moved just a little and the second sac showed up with the other one right there facing their sibling. Heartbeat equal and strong. Sacs equal in size and so were they, "That's good. Really good," I say, wiping my face. They were good. Healthy. No abnormalities noticeable.
"I'd say it's great," Jo looked at me and smiled, "They seem to have no issue sharing a placenta with each other."
"Because they are great— the best! You hear that Rina? Our twins know how to share already!" Maya beamed. I bit my lip at seeing her so teary eyed. There was something so beautiful about Maya already championing our babies and I could tell Jo was as endeared as I was. "Is everything else okay?"
"Yeah, let's take some measurements." My eyes just watered more as she took their measurements. They were right on track. "They are right where they need to be for 12 weeks and 4 days. Have you determined your due date yet?"
"Somewhere around June 30th, but probably earlier since multiples." I made a note and Jo nodded in agreement.
"I agree, let's aim mid to late June. Have you chosen an OB or was this our first formal visit?" Jo asked and Maya grunted, "What?"
"Carina is impossible, and has something to say about every OB we talk to," Maya complains while I shrug. Jo just cocks her head from side to side as if in agreement with my wife, but with a raised eyebrow she corrected her posture while I turn back to my wife.
"Do you want just anyone delivering your babies?" I ask and Maya just stays quiet, "Exactly, I know Jo. I trust in her training and she's a general surgeon. It's not just because she's my student, bambina. Plus she works at the hospital, if I go into labor here odds are she's right next to me anyway."
"Hopefully not. I'll be out of residency by then," she smiled proudly and I glared at her, "Right, sorry."
Maya considered the options then rolled her eyes, "Fine. Fine."
"You're hired," I said down to Wilson who smiled.
"Great! In that case I do want to do a check up in 2 weeks to make sure there is no issue going into the second trimester and then after the 16 week mark we can take it by ear." I clapped and Jo smiled.
"Brava." I championed my student.
Maya crossed her arms as Wilson printed the sonograms with a smile etched on her face. "You're going to make this pregnancy about teaching Dr. Wilson, aren't you?"
I dropped my jaw to gasp, "No... but it will let me gauge everything she knows first hand. Two pigeons, one rock!" I gesture with my hands and Wilson swallows.
"Fine. Let's go, we have to prepare for everyone coming over tomorrow," Maya said. She had to work on Christmas so we were doing an early Christmas dinner with our family to tell them the news and make it our holiday celebration.
"Okay, andiamo!" I finished wiping my stomach free of the gel
***
Maya was practically bouncing off her feet, unable to contain herself. The tree was up and bright. Our decision to wait until after the new year for friends and only tell family plans had gone down the drain because Maya was impatient.
My normally patient and by the book wife was unable to contain her joy and I couldn't say no to a Maya Bishop pout. Those eyes... They had their advantages. Especially when she was asking in Italian.
Andrea was glued to Vic's hip the entire evening which seemed more like he was avoiding Maya who kept trying to find ways to talk to him. Which he eventually caved into doing as I worked on dinner with Vic who was more than happy to help keep me distracted. "What do you know?"
"Don't ask me, I am terrible with secrets which is why my job was just to help and keep you busy," she admitted rather easily which both amused me and didn't make me feel any better because my suspicions were true.
Jack and Andy seemed to finally be able to stand within each other's vicinity and talk again. Gabri and Adrien were trying to keep up appearances while talking to Linc and Amelia, I had no idea what was going on between them.
Gabri had been a little avoidant the last few weeks. Normally she would be by my side, breathing her mind-blowing sex down my neck. Now she was almost avoiding me. Hmm.
Mason and Alyssa arrived a little later with Katherine and Marcus which made him look uncomfortable. Dinner went off without a hitch, but I felt exhausted. It was my favorite holiday and felt I could have decorated more, or chosen a funnier Christmas sweater for Maya to wear.
But I was tired.
I was tired all the time. And by next Christmas we would be new parents, I would be sleeping less than I am now and I suddenly had an urge to cry because I will probably have less decorations up than I do now.
So I held back tears as everyone laughed and shared jokes. Now I was starting to feel a little anxious about the announcement. That somehow everything would change and I was terrified of what could happen. When have me and Maya ever had something so whole and happy before?
Something in me anticipated something around the corner and all I wanted was to run away to some secluded corner of the world with my wife and raise our babies wrapped in bubble wrap. It was a terrifying feeling because I just wanted them to be safe. To stay inside me where nothing could hurt them. My thoughts had already limited my excitement and now they were causing panic.
I excused myself as everyone started to clean up and left Maya laughing with our guests. I quickly went upstairs because I needed a second to breathe. To sit with myself and process the day— weeks— hell, the last 3 years of my life. I sat on the bed and laid back to face the ceiling.
My hand dropped to my stomach and rubbed the small mound just under my dark brown plaid skirt. I smiled at the feeling— the knowledge that they were inside, recalling their different yet oh so strong heart beats when I closed my eyes.
The quick moving, lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub, of their tiny beautiful valves pushing blood through their tiny forming bodies.
Every second thinking of them made my heart swell and brought tears to my eyes. Maya had been so excited since we left the hospital and as much as I had wanted to share in her joy I had been containing reasonable levels of excitement. The last thing I wanted was to get my hopes up and have them shattered again.
My head turned and I settled on the painting Mason had made once upon a time and I smiled at all the meaning of it, slowly sitting up when I saw it was a little crooked on the wall. When I slightly lifted to fix it a note fell from behind. Hmm...
I laid back down on the bed and slowly opened it to find writing I didn't recognize, but the note was addressed to me. As I read, my heart started to thunder in my chest and tears came to my eyes, but then came a smile. I guess all the Bishop's had a way with words.
I held it close to my chest, now seeing the beautiful tree in a new light. One filled with wonder and respect. My hand slowly moved back down my body and held it protectively. Thinking how they were growing and adapting to everything knew, and how much they had left to experience.
My heart had been guarded, and now as I laid here tracing my bloat I couldn't imagine not getting to feel their little feet kicking inside of me. To wake up to the flutters caused by them stretching and fighting each other for space. I took a moment to let that feeling sink in. To let hope encase my body and let myself laugh just a little.
It's okay to feel excited. It's okay to be happy, I said to myself, reminding myself that I deserved this and I wanted this with all my heart. Everything I had ever hoped for was coming true and I had to trust myself to adapt and grow, ready to take on whatever came next.
In the middle of my pep talk, the door swung open, "Hey, it's gift time!" Maya said, and closed the door quickly seeing me on the bed. She jumped on the bed next to me, "What!? What's wrong!? Do you feel okay!? Is something hurting!?"
I laughed and put my hand on my wife's face, "Everything is perfect, I just needed a second or 60 to process." I ran my hand along her features and I smiled as my thumb crossed over the divot of her chin, "I hope they look like you."
Maya's face softened then kissed my thumb with her soft lips, "And I want them to be like you. I want little versions of you that I can count my lucky stars on." My lip trembled and she leaned down to kiss me, and one kiss turned into a heated embrace where her hands were trailing up my thigh high sheer stockings and then our bedroom door opened.
"Oh, not again!" Andrea yelped and Maya pulled back. We laughed as Vic was trying to look over his shoulder.
"They are dressed, stop being a baby!" Vic slapped his shoulder, "Stop sucking face and come give us presents!" Maya smiled and kissed me once more before helping me back to my feet.
"You ready?" I nodded with her growing infectious smile and threw my arm over her as we walked out of the room. I paused and held my finger up as I went back to the room. I snuck the note back behind the painting then quickly walked back out to start heading down the stairs.
People were waiting for their gifts like children as Maya kicked Jack off the edge of the couch so I could sit. Maya handed out our gifts to everyone, ensuring everyone got the correct small package.
Everyone looked at the boxes placed in front of them, wondering what the gifts were while Maya sat next to me, hugging her knees anxiously awaiting the big reveal. Her feet moved up and down in her fuzzy socks and I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. She turned to look at me and I smiled, "If you're ready."
She jumped and put her hand on my thigh, "So! We are giving you all the presents to open now since most of us work on Christmas Eve, and won't be able to spend it all together." Gabriella kept shaking the box near her ear as she laid between Adrien's legs. He held her close as she whispered her guesses to him.
"Now I know you're all impatient," I glared at my friend who threw her hand at me, "But we just wanted to preface this by saying how much we appreciate the support, love and friendship each one of you has given us and I hope we can give you all something that will bring a little more of all of that."
"Okay, you all have to open them at the same time because if not the presents won't make sense," Maya instructed and I pulled her into me with an arm wrapped around her neck. "Merry Christmans!"
Andy looked over at Maya with a raised brow, then looked at me suspiciously as everyone started undoing their box. Vic was practically tearing Andrea's box for him and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. Their boxes opened and I felt like I was going to be sick.
Damn nausea.
"It's... a t-shirt?" Andrea said.
Andy was still looking at hers and smiling, tears piling up. Amelia, Gabriela and Andy got the same gift, a picture of our sonogram in frames that said, Coming Soon! June 2024. While Kathrine, Andrea and Mason got something a little different. Maya's mom was looking at the ornament and her shaky hand came up to her mouth.
Probably reading Maya's beautifully selected frosted glass ornament that said, Merry Christmas Grandma, See you in 2024! With two pairs of feet at the bottom.
Mason opened the shirt and started to laugh, while Andrea looked at the shirt with Vic and scoffed, giving me a big look of indignation. "What!?" Jack asked and Andy stood up to grab her apple cider.
"I think we need to toast. We are getting a new addition to the family!" Andy squealed and everyone shot their eyes over as Katherine started to cry. Gabriella ran over to hug me which made me tear up and cry.
"Lo sapevo! Non posso crederci e sono così felice per voi!" My friend rubbed my back as I let go of a sob above her shoulder. Only to then laugh as I squeezed her back. "Meglio che sia io la madrina, capito?" She threatened.
"We will talk about it," I said as she got pulled away in time for me to catch Katherine who just smiled and cried into my knit sweater.
I wrapped her up in a hug and then she reached over to pull Maya in, "My girls are giving me my grandbabies!"
She held onto Maya tightly as I got pulled away, whispering things in her ear I couldn't make out. I received the rest of the hugs until Mason pulled me for a big bear hug. "Congrats."
I softly thanked him. Mason gave me a wink and then Andrea came up to me with the shirt in hand, "Second Best Uncle!?"
"Odds are you will drop one of them." I shrugged, trying to make a joke until his face went from annoyance to shock.
"Them!?"
"Oh, yeah uhh–" I gestured at Maya who quickly came and wrapped her arms around my waist and me around her shoulders, "We're having twins?" I said, pointing between us with the hope that they wouldn't freak out.
"Oh my god!" The whole room erupted into joyous laughter and commotion. I guess that was unavoidable. I laughed and I locked eyes with Amelia who was holding Scout on her hip. We shared an understanding smile after she gave me a wink.
I do feel excited. I am so happy. This is okay. We're okay. They will be okay.
At a little past midnight we had to remind everyone that they weren't here yet which made them whine because everyone was having fun asking us hypotheticals and when their little legs were going to be ready for fire training. To my surprise Maya told all her friends that they would not be putting their lives in danger if she could help it and I needed my sleep if I was going to continue being pleasant.
"UH— Excuse me?! I am always pleasant!" I swatted Maya's arm playfully.
"Of course you are, babe," she smiled and kissed my cheek. I pointed at her menacingly as a warning to be nice.
"Then we are going to sleep Cari, thank you for letting us spend the night." Gabriella excused herself and used helping them settle in as my opportunity to flee to bed.
"Goodnight everyone, don't keep her up too late," I said as I started hugging everyone who had stayed. Amelia and Linc had long past left considering they had a little one to put in bed. So had Katherine and Marcus. Maya was left with the noisy bunch that was her friends and our brothers.
I made my way upstairs to give Gabriella and Adrien fresh towels for the bedroom, "Let me know if you need anything else okay?" Gabriella smiled and walked into the bathroom, leaving me with Adrien.
"Congrats again, DeLuca. I bet this is an exciting time," Adrien stated and I gave him a tight lipped smile while looking down at the ground, both hands on my hips.
"It's been a whirlwind, but one I hope we are on the other side of now," I look down and pat my belly, "So what is going on with you two, she seems to be avoiding me which is unlike her."
"Oh," he turned to the bathroom, then turned back, "We umm, we had a big conversation and I just don't know if she wants what I want."
"What!? She adores you, and wants you!" I rectify.
"No it's not that, her father... I tried to ask him for her hand and he said as long as it came with a prenup. I am fine with it, but she is absolutely against the whole idea and now I think it's just another excuse to avoid marrying me." He grabbed the back of his neck and I nodded in understanding.
"I see, well Gabri and her father don't have the best relationship and I think he preferred her never being in a serious relationship. The prenup is just a formality, many couples who don't have family money have them."
"Exactly! So why wouldn't she want to?" Just then the door opened and Gabri came out in her silk sleep set, "Hola guapa."
Gabriella blushed and looked at me, "He told you."
"Smettere di essere un'idiota testarda, one piece of paper does not outweigh the other. Marry this man and give me my nipoti."
"It's not that simple."
"Gabri, you are the man's only child— legitimate child anyway," She rolls her eyes, "He is someone you can bargain with, Bene? If not I will stop encouraging Adrien to deal with your antics," I threatened and she grabbed his arm possessively, "I thought so. Buona notte."
"Ciao."
I waved off and to my surprise Maya was already waiting for me in the room with a box on the bed, "What's this?" I smiled as I closed the door.
"Merry Christmas," she said and gestured widely at the box. I moved cautiously and put my hands on the box, tracing the wrapping paper. "Andrew was helping me with it and that's what all the secrets were about."
"Good, I was starting to think you two were hiding something big from me," I looked at her from the edges of my eye and she shook her head almost violently to reject the thoughts, "Bene, I love it already."
"Just open it first." She crossed her legs on the bed and I started to undo the bow so I could lift the gift wrapped lid and find a photo album inside. The small sonogram on the cover made my eyes water immediately. "I umm I borrowed some of the pictures you had hidden away because they were worn down and—"
I opened the quilted book and saw all of the pictures of me as a baby had been restored and could see my nonna almost as clearly as I could see Maya. Small pictures of me and Andrea with mamma. As I turned the pages I started to see pictures of Maya and Mason, her running, him drawing on the floor. "Maya... I love this. Our first family album... I don't know why I didn't think of this."
"I'm glad you didn't, we said small gifts and—"
"Maya this is worth more than money to me, thank you," I tried to smile between my tears. She gently came up to wipe my tears with her thumbs on both sides of my face. "Here I was just going to give you sex."
Maya let out a silent laugh as she closed her eyes, then opened them to show how a little lubrication made them shine all the more, "That is more than enough. What you have given me, Carina, is more than enough for a million lifetimes."
This woman was determined to make me want to chase her to the depths of the earth just to be with her, as if I could fall more for her. I closed the space between us and kissed her soft lips. "One more thing," I brought my finger between us and turned to the closet to grab something I had hidden away.
"If it's another butt toy," Maya joked, but I knew how wet Maya got when I entertained her butt, how hard she came and that was making me wish it had been.
"No, and it's probably not as thoughtful as yours, but..." I handed her the gift and watched her tear open the wrapping and start to open the white box inside, "I saw this thing on the news where a car had caught on fire and this was still in the cupholder and still had ice after the fire was put out. Thought it would look better than the beat up bowling ball you keep lugging around."
She laughed as she held the new water bottle in her hand and traced the red line vinyl sticker I had wrapped around the base of it and the DB engraving. "I love it, it has more ounces than my other one."
"Mhm, and you mentioned it wasn't keeping your water cold anymore. This one can keep ice for up to six days." I shrugged and she chuckled to herself still looking at the gift.
"It's perfect, thank you baby."
"I need you to stay hydrated," I tapped the bottle. She nodded and set it down on the dresser before coming and wrapping me around the waist and spinning me, "Maya!"
"You make me so happy, it's ridiculous," she gritted out and then kissed me. "I love you, so freaking much."
I pooled her blonde locks in my fists and pulled her into my face, "I am utterly and completely in love with you... La mia vita, il mio amore, il mio tutto." Maya scrunched her nose and leaned in to kiss me.
Forgotten were the presents as I got lost in her lips, in the way her hands moved around my body as they undressed me, and the way her muscles moved under my hands as she lowered me into our bed.
Sleeping naked had been Maya's new favorite thing, as if skin to skin let her feel closer to the whole process. She laid on her side pressed against my back as her lips bit my shoulder and hands softly rubbed my sensitive breasts.
Her hand had just reached closer to my pooling center when we heard noises coming from outside of the room. I focused my ears and that's when I heard moans that made me laugh and Maya grunt. "I thought these walls would be thicker."
"Gabri is just very loud," I mentioned and turned my neck to catch her raised brow, "Just kiss me, kiss me and don't think."
"Don't think, I can do that," she leaned in and kissed me,, my hand reaching back to pull her hair closer to my mouth while her hand traced the ink on my hip logging down to my thigh and them pulled my thigh open so she could push hers underneath it and reach into a place already more than ready for her, "Fuck I missed this, how wet you get for me."
"Me too, only for you." I moaned and leaned back into her shoulder as she started working me up perfectly, my hips swaying with the movement
"The best gift," she smiled as her fingers ran through my slick and entered me with two fingers. She let out a sinful moan that only made me clench around her in response, "Beyond blessed."
I moaned into her ear, "Anch'io..."
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