by Sandi Lynn
“Dr. Lewis is on her way in now.” She smiled. “Just try to relax.”
“I would if I wasn’t in so much pain.”
As I was going through my contractions, Lucas was just standing there holding my hand.
“Why aren’t you talking? Why aren’t you telling me to breathe?!” I yelled at him.
“Because last time you threatened the shit out of me. I think it’s best if I don’t say anything.”
“Oh my God. You’re such an asshole sometimes.”
“I know you don’t mean it, babe. It’s the pain talking.”
Just as I was ready to yell some obscenities at him, a group of people walked in the room. A group of ten to be exact. The first five people introduced themselves and told me they were the team for Baby A, and the other five were for Baby B.
“Hello, Thorne family.” Dr. Lewis smiled. “You just couldn’t wait a few more hours, eh?”
“The babies want out. Like little prisoners who want out of jail.”
Dr. Lewis laughed as she placed her hand on mine. She looked at the fetal monitor and then at her watch.
“How important is it that your babies are born on your husband’s birthday?” she asked me.
“Very important.”
“No, Jenna. It doesn’t matter. I hate seeing you in so much pain. Just get the babies out now, Dr. Lewis.”
“NO!” I shouted. “These babies are going to be born on your birthday.
“We have one hour until midnight. By the time I get you prepped, and we get the epidural in you, it’ll be close. As long as the twin’s heart rates don’t take a dip and they don’t show any signs of distress, I can wait to cut you open at midnight. Sound like a plan?”
“Yes.” I nodded my head.
“Alright, folks, let’s get Mrs. Thorne into the O.R. and prepped for surgery. Lucas, you’ll need to change into a gown and wait here while we prep her. One of the nurses will come get you when we’re ready.”
“Okay.”
Lucas leaned over and kissed my lips.
“I’ll be by your side in a flash. I love you so much.”
“I love you too. I’m sorry I called you an asshole.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s the truth.” He gave me a wink.
When they wheeled me into the operating room, my eyes focused on the massive bright lights and the line of tools that were laid out. My heart started racing and I needed my husband. They transferred me from the bed onto the operating table. The anesthesiologist walked in, introduced himself and asked the nurses to help me sit up so he could administer the epidural. Once that was done and I was pretty much prepped, Lucas walked in and sat on the stool next to me. He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips.
“I’m so sorry for being such a baby after I had my vasectomy,” he whispered.
“It’s okay, babe. I still love you.”
I could see the smile beneath his mask. Dr. Lewis walked in and looked at the clock.
“We have five minutes until midnight, Jenna. How are you doing?”
“I’m pain free at the moment, Dr. Lewis. So, I’m doing great.”
“Excellent.” She looked at the clock again. “Okay. The clock has struck midnight. Happy birthday, Mr. Thorne.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lewis.”
“Happy birthday, babe,” I said to him.
“Thank you, babe. I’m so proud of you.” He ran his finger across my head to distract me. “I can’t wait to meet our daughter and son.”
“Me either. But honestly, I can’t wait to get them out of my body. I’m so over this pregnancy.”
He let out a light laugh, and we heard Dr. Lewis.
“Your daughter is coming out. Here she is.” Dr. Lewis held her up as she let out a scream.
Tears filled my eyes as I stared at her before she was handed off to one of the nurses.
“She’s beautiful, Jenna,” Lucas kissed my forehead as his eyes filled with tears.
“And here’s your son,” Dr. Lewis smiled as she held up our screaming little boy and then handed him off to another nurse.
Suddenly, they raced Samuel out of the room, and a nurse walked over to me.
“Jenna, your son is having a little trouble breathing so we’re going to take him to the NICU for a bit.”
I grabbed my husband’s arm and looked at him as tears filled my eyes.
“Go. Go be with our son.”
He ran out of the room as the tears streamed down my face.
Once the doctor finished closing me up, one of the nurses put Serena in my arms.
“Hi there. I’ve waited so long to meet you, beautiful girl. I’m your mom.”
She was so beautiful and tiny. My heart ached for my son and all I wanted to do was hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay. The pain in my heart was unbearable. I wanted my son and my husband.
I was wheeled to my room and the nurse who was assigned to me brought me a bottle for Serena. I’d decided not to breastfeed the twins since my milk supply wasn’t great to begin with and I had to stop with Scarlett within four months. I was consumed with fear for my son, and I couldn’t think about anything else. Suddenly, Lucas walked into the room and ran over to me.
“He’s fine, Jenna. Samuel is perfectly fine. The nurse said she’ll bring him to the room in a few minutes.”
“Thank God.” I felt as if I could breathe again.
“Hey there, sweetheart.” Lucas smiled as he touched Serena’s cheek.
“Do you want to hold her and finish feeding her?”
“I would love to.”
As soon as I handed her over to him, the nurse brought me my son. The moment she put him in my arms, I started to sob.
“Here’s his bottle.” The nurse smiled at me as she patted my arm.
“He looks just like you,” I said to Lucas.
“You think so?” He grinned.
“He has your lips and nose. And your forehead. I can already foresee him being a little heartbreaker.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward as he stared at me.
“What?” I smiled.
“Thank you.”
“For?”
“For giving me the best birthday gifts of my life.”
The next morning, my parents brought Scarlett up to meet her brother and sister. I wouldn’t lie and say that Lucas and I weren’t a little worried. Her entire world was changing, and we weren’t sure how she was going to handle it.
Chapter 38
Six Weeks Later
Lucas
I couldn’t believe the twins were already six weeks old. This time around Jenna agreed to hiring some help. We hired a full-time housekeeper named Maria. She was an older Italian woman who made the best lasagna I’d ever had, and she could clean like nobody’s business. Jenna and I really liked her, and she was quickly becoming a part of our family. But the most important thing was that Scarlett loved her too. Then there was Gemma. The nanny we hired to help with the twins.
I was sitting in my office when my phone dinged with a text message from Jenna.
“Hello, my lover. Looking for a little fun? Meet me at the Mandarin, Suite 3610. I’ll be waiting.”
With a smile on my face, I instantly replied.
“I’m on my way.”
Grabbing my suit coat, I opened my office door and stepped out.
“Laurel, I’m heading to lunch. I’ll be gone at least a couple of hours.”
“Enjoy your lunch, Mr. Thorne.”
“I intend to.” I gave her a wink.
Thaddeus dropped me off at the Mandarin and I took the elevator up to the thirty-sixth floor. Knocking on the door of Suite 3610, Jenna opened it, grabbed my shirt and pulled me inside.
“You didn’t tell me your doctor’s appointment was today,” I said as our lips tangled.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Are you sure you’re ready?” I asked as we made our way over to the bed.
“I’ve never been so read
y for anything in my life.”
She slid my suit coat off my shoulders and frantically unbuttoned my shirt as my hand untied her robe and it dropped to the floor.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I softly stroked her shoulder.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” She lifted her head, and a beautiful smile crossed her lips.
“I’ve never been better. Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Exactly. It’s quiet. No screaming Scarlett, no crying twins. Just pure silence.”
“It’s nice.” She smiled as she brushed her lips against mine and then stared into my eyes.
“It is. Isn’t it?” I brought my hand up and softly stroked her cheek. “Booking this suite was an excellent idea. I think we should do this at least twice a week. Rent a suite and escape for a couple hours. Just us. No children allowed.” I smirked.
“I love that idea.”
“Consider it done.” I rolled her on her back and hovered over her. “I love you, Mrs. Thorne.”
“I love you, Mr. Thorne.”
It was hard to believe the twins were going to be a year old in a week. Like their sister, they were highly intelligent children and we made sure their little brains were stimulated at all times. It was tough and exhausting, but we wouldn’t trade it for the world.
When I walked through the door after a long day at the office, I could hear the screams of all three children. Scarlett was having a meltdown and the twins were sitting on the floor crying.
“What is going on?” I asked as I set my briefcase down.
“Scarlett wanted the toy Serena was playing with, so she took it from her. Serena started crying. When Sam heard her cry, he started crying. I took the toy away from Scarlett and told her it wasn’t nice that she took it away from her sister, so she’s having a meltdown.”
I let out a sigh as I brushed my lips against Jenna’s.
“I’ll take Scarlett upstairs and calm her down while you calm down the twins, and hopefully peace in this house will soon be restored.”
Jenna let out a laugh. “In about eighteen years or so.”
Jenna
I ended up coming down with the flu the day after the twin’s first birthday party. At first, I thought it was food poisoning, but everyone else was fine. My life had been incredibly busy over the last couple of months between the kids, planning the twin’s first birthday party and putting together a surprise party for Lucas. I was nauseous and extremely fatigued.
“Jenna, you’ve been feeling like this for a week,” Maria said as she made me some chicken soup. “Is there a possibility you could be pregnant again?”
I let out a laugh. “God no. Lucas had a vasectomy when I was pregnant with the twins. We made sure we weren’t having any more children.”
“Sometimes they fail. I had a cousin who got pregnant five years after her husband had one.”
“Was she sure it was her husband’s?” I smirked.
“Well, it did cause some family drama at first, and he truly believed his wife had cheated on him. After the baby was born, a paternity test was done, and he was the father.”
I swallow hard, as I set down my spoon.
“But if you had your period last month, all is good. I’m sure it’s some nasty virus and it’ll be gone soon.”
I had been so busy last month I couldn’t remember if I had a period or not. I hadn’t even been keeping track since Lucas had the vasectomy.
“Jenna, are you okay?” Maria asked.
“I don’t know, Maria. Thanks for the soup. I’m going to lay down for a while.”
As I lay there, I thought about how there was no way I could be pregnant again. No possible way. There was only one way to find out. I ran to the store and picked up a test. It was so silly that I was even doing this. I had a virus. Or maybe something else was going on. Pregnant? No. Impossible.
I went into the bathroom, peed on the stick and waited. I laughed at myself for even thinking it. Once the test showed I wasn’t pregnant, I’d call my general doctor and get in for a checkup and some tests. The timer on my phone went off so I picked up the stick and stared at the two pink lines staring back at me. My heart started racing, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Splashing some cold water on my face, I leaned over the counter and stared at myself in the mirror. How the hell was I going to tell my husband who had a vasectomy that I was pregnant again?
“We need to talk,” I said as I grabbed his hand the minute he walked through the door and led him upstairs.
“Okay. Can I put my briefcase down first?”
“No!”
“Jenna, what is going on?” He asked as I closed the bedroom door.
“I have a question for you, Lucas.”
“Okay?”
“After your vasectomy, did you ever get your semen checked? Remember you had the appointment scheduled for eight weeks later?”
“Um. You know. I believe I had to reschedule that appointment due to an emergency meeting. And I may have forgot. Why?”
“Why?” I cocked my head at him. “I’ll tell you why.”
I stormed into the bathroom, grabbed the stick and threw it at him.
“What the fuck, babe?” He furrowed his brows at me. “What is this?”
“What does it look like?”
He stared at the stick for a moment, and I could see the color drain from his face.
“I don’t have the flu, Lucas. I’m fucking pregnant!” I shouted.
“No. No way. I had the vasectomy. This test is defective. It has to be. Did you try another one?”
“No.”
“Well, didn’t you have your period last month?”
“I don’t remember!” I shouted.
“How can you not remember?”
“Because I was busy taking care of your three children and planning parties!”
He walked over to me and firmly gripped my shoulders.
“We both need to calm down. I’ll run out right now and buy another test. Okay? The store is right on the corner.”
“Okay.” I nodded my head.
Within in fifteen minutes, he walked back into the room with a plastic bag and dumped five additional tests on the bed.
“Go on. Take them and let’s find out for sure.”
“I can’t pee on command, Lucas.”
“Then you need to start drinking because I’m freaking out here, Jenna.”
“You’re freaking out?” I shouted.
After drinking an entire bottle of water, I was able to take all five tests. As they were lined up in a row on the sink, we both stood there and watched as all five came up positive.
“You call your doctor in the morning, and I’ll call mine,” he said.
“This time it’s your fault, and I want to hear you say it. Say it, Lucas!”
“It’s my fault,” he shouted. “There, are you happy now?” He walked out of the bathroom, sat on the edge of the bed and placed his face in his hands.
Sitting next to him, I placed my hand on his thigh.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t believe this.”
“I can’t either.”
He placed his hand on mine and brought it up to his lips.
“I guess it’s meant to be that we’re the parents of four children,” he said.
“Or five.”
“Don’t say that, Jenna. Fuck.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Live life and raise our kids the best way we know how. Millions of couples have four or more kids. If they can do it, so can we. And one day, our kids will be all grown up, they’ll move out, and we’ll be sitting here wishing we had this time back.”
“Somehow I don’t think so,” I shook my head.
“Yeah. Me either.”
Chapter 39
Jenna
At my eight-week checkup, I told Doctor Lewis I wanted an ultrasound because I couldn’t wait to find out if we were having one baby or two. The anxiety was
not only killing me, but Lucas as well.
“Okay. Are you ready?” Dr. Lewis asked.
Lucas grabbed my hand and held it tight as we stared at the monitor.
“There’s the baby’s heartbeat. It’s nice and strong.”
“There’s only one heartbeat, right?” Lucas asked.
“Yes. There’s only one baby in Jenna’s belly.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “There isn’t another one hiding anywhere?”
“Mr. Thorne, I promise you there’s only one baby here.” She smirked.
We both let out a sigh of relief.
“I don’t mean to pry, but how did this happen? Didn’t you have a vasectomy?” Dr. Lewis asked him.
“Apparently, the tubes reconnected,” I said. “And he didn’t bother to get his semen checked after the procedure.”
“Okay. That explains it. Since you already had a c-section for the twins, we can do a c-section for this baby and I can tie your tubes if you want. I can promise you there will be no more babies in your future.” She smiled.
“Thank you, Dr. Lewis. I was going to talk to you about that.”
Eight Months Later
Lucas
At thirty-eight weeks, our son, Sebastian Lucas Thorne was born and weighed in at exactly eight pounds. I never thought in a million years I’d be back in this hospital holding my fourth child.
“He’s beautiful.” I smiled as I leaned over and kissed Jenna.
“He certainly is. I love you, Lucas.”
“I love you too, babe.” My lips brushed against hers.
Nine Months Later
Before I even approached the door to the house, I could hear the screaming and crying. I stood there for a moment holding my briefcase and took in a long deep breath before stepping inside.
“What’s going on in here?” I shouted over all the noise.
