He clicks some buttons on the machine every time he moves the device in his hand, before continuing to move it around her stomach. When he hums under his breath, I begin to panic.
I know that hum.
It’s a ‘I didn’t see that coming’ hum.
“What’s wrong?” I blurt out. “Is the baby okay?”
Lake turns to me, then to the doctor, her eyes wide. “Is something wrong?”
“No, everything is fine,” he assures us, turning the screen our way.
I squint to try and put together an image, but I’m seeing nothing but static. “I think your computer is glitching,” I tell him. “It’s fuzzy.”
He smiles, but I feel like it’s more to indulge me. “It’s how it’s supposed to look.”
“And everything is okay?” Lake asks again as she curls her fingers into the sheet.
“Yes. And from the measurements I’ve taken, you are fifteen weeks pregnant. I just need to take a few more measurements.”
I lean forward, squinting harder at the screen. “I don’t see it.”
He points to the screen. “This is baby A, who is a little small, but it’s normal at this stage. Baby B is hiding right there,” he explains, like it makes a lick of sense. “I—"
“Baby B?” Lake asks, her voice low.
“I’m lost,” I declare.
“We’re having twins,” Lake tells me, her entire face paling.
“Who put you up to this because it’s not funny,” I warn her.
“Actually—” the doctor begins, but Lake interrupts before he can continue.
“No one, Max. I swear. We’re having twins,” she tells me, fighting back tears. “Twins.”
I sit up straighter and glare at the doctor. My brothers must have paid him to do this. “Which one of my brothers got you to do this?”
He rears back. “No one. If you let me explain—”
“Nope. Check again. Something is wrong with your machine. Just check again.”
“Nothing is wrong with the machine, I assure you,” he tells me. “But there’s something—"
“Check it again,” I bark, my eyes widening as I find it hard to catch my breath. “Jesus, this has to be a glitch.”
“Do twins run in your family?” he asks, still clicking buttons. I sag back into the chair, watching him like a hawk. He’s clearly made a mistake and is now fixing it.
“Yes. Um, we’re actually both a twin,” Lake explains, her bottom lip trembling.
“Makes sense.”
“What makes sense?” I squeak out. “Did you check it again?”
“Max, calm down.”
I stand, but my knees give out and I sit back down again. I can’t breathe.
This can’t be happening.
“Please, check it again. My twin brother never had twins. He had one baby. One healthy little girl. No other one hiding in the back there. So please, check it again.”
“Malik had twins, and he’s not a twin.”
“You aren’t having twins,” the doctor interrupts, and I blow out a breath.
I chuckle at Lake as I narrow my eyes on her. “You called up and got them to do this to me as payback for knocking myself out over the pregnancy news, didn’t you?” I rush out in one breath.
“Um, no,” she answers before turning back to the doctor. “I’m confused. You just said Baby A, and Baby B.”
He clears his throat. “You aren’t having twins, Miss Miller, you are having triplets. Congratulations.”
I begin to wheeze as I lean against the bed. “This isn’t real. It isn’t real,” I whisper.
“Max,” Lake scolds.
I glare at the doctor. “Count them again. You’ve got to be wrong.”
He points to the screen again. “This is baby A, this is baby B, and hiding just behind baby A, is baby C.”
“C-can’t, breathe,” I gasp out when he outlines each baby, and I can finally make out the image.
There are three of them.
Three heads.
Three bodies.
Six arms.
I glance at Lake in horror. She is going to be feeding for four.
“Put your head between your legs,” the doctor instructs as my body begins to sway.
“I should have kept my head between hers,” I blurt out, my voice going high.
“Max,” Lake snaps.
“Triplets,” I wheeze, banging my chest. “I can’t-I can’t breathe.”
The doctor gets up just as black spots flash before my eyes. The room begins to blur in a kaleidoscope of colours before everything goes black.
*** *** ***
You’d think with hundreds of conversations going on all at once, it would drown out the voices in my head.
No such luck.
Three babies.
After finally getting a second opinion and an earful off Lake, I decided to come to the one place that can help me forget.
Three babies.
I have super fucking sperm.
The condensation from my pint drips down onto my hand. It’s my third, maybe forth pint, but at the slow rate it’s going helping me forget, I think I may need to move on to something stronger.
Three babies.
Definitely something stronger.
The stool beside me scrapes across the laminate flooring. Needing to be left alone, I glance at the newcomer, ready to get rid of them, but find my twin sitting down.
“Hey, I thought you had the scan today. How did it go?”
“How did it go?” I repeat quietly, slamming my pint down on the bar. “How did it fucking go?”
“Did I miss something?” he asks, as Malik takes a seat on the next stool over, immediately dropping his head to bar. He has been in a constant state of sleep deprivation since the twins were born. That was nearly two years ago.
“It’s all your fault, you prick.”
“I know I’ve not had much sleep lately, but I’m sure I would know if I had done something.”
I push back on my stool and stand in front of him. I stab my finger into his chest and get into his face. He didn’t have to come here and be all fucking smug about it. “You fucking cursed me, Myles.” Malik sits up as Mason and Maverick come and join the huddle. I glare at them all. “You can all piss off and leave me alone. I don’t need to see your smug faces right now.”
“Sit down before you fall down,” Myles warns as I sway a little.
“Did something happen at the scan?” Maverick asks.
I scrub my hands through my hair as my eyes burn. “It’s all his fault.”
“What’s my fault?” Myles screeches, throwing his hands up.
“You could have twins,” I scoff, mimicking his voice. “Then she’ll be feeding for three.”
His eyes widen as realisation hits him, and he grins, like the smug fucking twin he is. “You’re having twins?”
Maverick hoots. “Congratulations.”
“You are so fucked,” Malik quietly murmurs, his pity staring back at me.
I don’t need his fucking pity.
“Yeah, I am, and you want to know why?” I hiss.
“Why?” Malik replies.