by Zoey Derrick
“What?” I say in a rushed breath.
She smiles widely. “If it’s twins, then things are going to be slightly different for you. For one, you will show much faster and given that you think you’re about five weeks along, it won’t take you long before you’re buying new clothes. Two, your hormones will run higher for the next three or four months, which means, high emotional ups and downs. From laughing one minute, to crying the next…”
“Too late.”
She smiles, “You may get snappy with your guys or anyone who steps on your toes. Your diet needs to increase. I’ll confirm with the ultrasound before I go getting it stuck into your head and we find out there’s one.”
I nod. “Is it…” I can’t get the question out. “If it’s twins, is it possible for them to have two different fathers?” I ask quickly and mumbled.
“Try that again? Addison, you have nothing to be embarrassed about here.”
I take a deep breath. “What are the odds that if it’s twins, that they have two different fathers?”
She smiles. “They’re low, but not impossible, but we won’t know that without testing and that can’t happen for a long time. If those guys are as feisty as I think they are, you may have a higher chance of having two babies at the same time with two dads.”
“Oh my god, that sounds so bad.”
She stands. “Hardly, it would be a miracle and you’ve got two men to take care of you throughout all this. I think they’d both be excited to know they each scored.”
“Doctor B,” I scold and she bursts out laughing.
“It’s every man’s dream, darlin’.” She smirks. “Go ahead and put your top back on. Leave the bottoms off. Because you’re not that far along, I’m going to do an internal ultrasound. I’ll send them in.”
“Please, and Dr. Breckenridge?”
“Yes, Addison?”
“Thank you, for everything.”
She puts her hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Paige is very fond of you. I know that your PCOS diagnosis tore her up.”
“Really?” I raise an eyebrow at her. “You guys talk about me?”
She smiles. “Not like you think. We talked this morning when I was going over your records. She said that when she gave you that diagnosis you were so shell shocked, and that it broke her heart. But you’ve proved her wrong and gotten pregnant. I don’t want to put a damper on your pregnancy, but you need to be careful. You’re at a high risk of miscarriage because of your PCOS. So like I said, listen to your body.”
“What about sex?”
She smirks. “Enjoy yourself. What happens from here on out is up to you and your body. So far, your body is working in your favor. Now get dressed, I’m surprised they’re not breaking down the door.”
I laugh and she leaves. I take a big deep breath and slide off of the table. As if worrying about one baby was bad enough, now possibly two. I want to faint. But I ditch the gown, throw my cami back on, then my t-shirt and lay back down. I’m barely putting my head down when the door opens. Talon first, followed by Kyle.
“Relax, guys, please?” I say to them both. Talon comes around the table to stand by my right and Kyle on my left.
“How you doin?” Talon asks.
“Well, I’m pregnant.”
They both laugh. “We kind of already knew that,” Kyle teases.
“Yeah, I know.”
There is a knock on the door and Becky comes in with a cart that has a computer on it. She sets it up, plugs it in. “What’s that?” Talon asks.
“This is an ultrasound machine. Dr. B is going to have a look at the baby. She’ll check size to make sure Addison is measuring correctly and maybe even snap a few pictures for you too.” Becky smiles sweetly and takes her leave, but doesn’t close the door. The guys squeeze my hands and I can tell they’re nervous but excited.
“Easy, guys. It’s alright.”
Dr. B comes back in. “Hi guys,” she says, “you’re not giving her a hard time are you?”
“No ma’am.” Talon is quick to answer. I roll my eyes.
“Alright, Addison,” she reaches down and pulls out the stirrups again and guides my feet into them. “Scoot down for me until you feel the edge of the bed.” I do. “Okay, here’s what I am going to do. I’m going to use this.” She holds up a wand, “and take a look from the inside. You’re not far enough along to guarantee I can see from the outside.”
She sets out getting the device ready, I’ve had an internal before so I know what she’s doing and Talon blushes when she pulls out a condom and squirts the gel inside. I chuckle silently. “Breathe, Talon,” I say and he takes a deep breath.
Dr. B does her thing. “Ready?” she asks me and I nod. The monitor is turned away from the guys and me so none of us can see anything. I feel her pushing the wand inside of me and it’s not uncomfortable until she starts moving it around. Then I can feel it and I flinch. “Sorry, Addison,” she says and I settle down. I can feel Kyle’s thumb caressing the back of my hand and they’re both looking at me for reassurance.
I smile and nod to both of them and squeeze their hands.
“Addison?” Dr. B says. I look at her and she has a wide smile on her face. “I was right.”
“No way.” My head gets light headed.
“Right about what?” I hear Talon ask.
She looks at me for reassurance. I nod my head. “Talon, Kyle, I’d like to introduce you to Baby A.” She turns the monitor so that they can see. There isn’t much to see, just a black space among the static, inside the black spot is a white dot.
“Baby A? Why Baby A?” Kyle asks, panic rising in his voice.
“Because…” she clicks a couple buttons, “this is Baby B.”
I close my eyes and start crying. I hear a click. “See?” Dr. B says and I blink through the tears and on the screen one is a little higher than the other one. “You’re having twins,” Dr. B says.
“Twins?” they both breathe out together.
I nod, tears streaming down my cheeks. “How?” Talon says and Dr. B chuckles. “Well, you know what I mean…don’t you?” He says so child-like, it’s kinda cute.
“Well, they’re fraternal twins, which means Addison dropped two eggs that were fertilized and implanted. Which is why she’s already showing. That little pouch she has. I’m sure she’s eating a lot and sleeping more than you like. And Addison, it plays into your other question. That possibility has just gone up.”
“Wait, what possibility?” Kyle asks.
I nod to Dr. B. “Addison asked me that if it was twins, if there was a chance that there could be two fathers, one for each twin.”
“No way,” Talon says shocked. “That can happen?”
“It can, though we can’t confirm it until much later in the pregnancy or once the twins are born.” My heart is pounding and I think for the first time, I’m truly starting to freak out.
I don’t hear much of the conversation between the guys and the doctor. My eyes are locked on the monitor. “Addison?”
“What?”
“You checked out on us, you okay?”
I nod to Dr. B. “Just freaking out, that’s all.”
She smiles. “It’s really going to be okay. Let me show you.” I feel the wand move again and she points to the screen. “Here are your cysts.” She points to a cluster of white on the screen. “They’re perfectly fine and they’re on the opposite side from where the twins are. As the pregnancy progresses, Dr. Paige will keep a closer eye on them, but I don’t see them being an issue right now.”
I nod my understanding and take a deep breath. I look up at my boys who are in awe, Talon has a smile on his face and Kyle looks shocked. “What else do I need to know about twins?” I ask. Trying to get as much information as I can.
She pulls the wand from me, and wipes down there. “Here.” She hands me a few small pictures. Ultrasound pictures. I smile at them. “Why don’t you get dressed and we can talk out in the reception area where you’ll be
more comfortable.”
“Okay,” I say and she leaves the room. The guys haven’t let go of my hands since they came into the room. “Guys, I need my hands.” I giggle.
They slowly let go, as I hop down I notice Kyle is swaying. I rush over to him and take his arm, wrapping it over my shoulders. “I got you, cowboy. Breathe for me. Come on, cowboy. I can’t have you passing out on me.” Talon skirts the table quickly, taking his other hand and he swings it over his shoulder.
“Come on, Kyle, look at her. Look at Addison.” Kyle’s eyes meet mine. Panic. “I got him, Addie.” Talon tells me and I slide out from under his arm and stand in front of him. His eyes follow me.
“Hi cowboy. I need you to breathe with me, okay?” He nods, sort of. I take a deep breath in and he follows me. “Good, now let it out.” I blow out and he does the same. “Let’s do it again.” We repeat the process a few times and the color is coming back into his face. “Much better, cowboy, now, can you talk to me?” He shakes his head. “We’re okay, cowboy, it’s okay. I know it’s shocking, I know it’s twice as scary, but we got this. The three of us can handle this. We will do this and we will be damn good at it.”
I look to Talon for some help. “Hey big guy, she’s right. We’re gonna be dads to two of the best kids in the world. We got this, we can do this, you can do this. Your dad, your brother, your mom? They’re not you, they’re not who you are. You’re better than them, better than that. Our girl needs us now more than ever. So come on, buddy, talk to us.”
“I…it’s so much, too much, too fast, can’t process…” His words are clipped and I can see confusion in his eyes, which haven’t left mine.
“We’re all processing this, cowboy, even me. Imagine my surprise, I go from being told I have very little chance of children to being pregnant, to being pregnant with twins. I need you, cowboy. I need my rock, can you be my rock?”
He pulls his arm off of Talon’s shoulder and wraps them around me, holding me to him. “I’m sorry, baby girl, god, I’m so sorry.” I want to cry at the anguish in his voice.
“Don’t be sorry, you have nothing to apologize for. It’s scary, I’m scared, Talon’s scared, we’re all freaking out a little, but I need you.” I pull back to look at him, “I love you.”
His lips land on mine. “I love you.”
I smile and reach my hand out to take Talon’s. I look over at him. He’s on the verge of tears. “I need to hug him now, okay?” I say to Kyle and he nods, letting me go and Talon pulls me into his arms.
“I love you, angel,” he says as he kisses my forehead.
“You okay, big man?”
“I will be.” He kisses my forehead again.
“Why don’t the two of you go to the waiting room? I will put my pants on and be right behind you.”
“Okay,” Talon says, taking Kyle’s hand and leading him out of the room.
I take a huge breath. I honestly thought he was going to pass out on me. I don’t know if I could have handled that, on top of the fact that I’m pregnant with not one, but two babies. My head spins and I sit down in the chair with my purse. I put my head into my hands and cry.
“Addison?”
Doctor B comes into the room. “I’m sorry,” I say.
“Oh don’t be sorry. It’s a lot to take in, a lot to handle. But let’s go chat some more, okay? Can you get dressed?”
I nod and she leaves the room. I slide my pants on and slip into my tennis shoes. I grab my purse and walk out into the reception hall. Talon and Kyle are sitting a chair apart, but their hands are linked together. “Got room for one more?” I ask sweetly, trying to hide my own distress. They let their hands go and I sit down. They quickly take my hands in theirs and Doctor B comes to sit across from us. She has a large envelope stuffed with something.
“Okay guys, here’s the deal. Addison is pregnant with twins, which means a few things. One, she’s going to be more emotional. Things will upset her easier; she can go from happy to crying in a matter of seconds. Two, she needs to eat more, and it needs to be healthy food. I’m not pulling her from the bus, but she needs to have healthy food to eat. High fiber and folic acid.” She holds up the envelope, “In here you will find a lot of information on pregnancy, foods, activities, and what’s going on with her body. I’ve included three copies of some things. Those are the things that the two of you,” she points to Kyle and Talon, “need to read with her. Thirdly, be gentle with her. Sex is not off of the menu, so don’t deny her that, but just remember to be a little more gentle than normal.” She smirks. “Lastly, let her sleep. If she’s tired, let her be.”
Both Talon and Kyle nod their agreement with her. “I have a question,” I say.
“Go ahead…”
“I’m subject to migraines, I’ve already had one on this trip, prior to conception, what can I do if I get another one?”
“Do you know what triggers them?” She asks me.
“Stress can, but sometimes they just come on.”
“How often?”
“It depends. Sometimes it’s once or twice a month, other times I go three months without one.”
“Okay, you have medicine prescribed?” I nod. “Don’t take that. I can write you a script for an approved medicine, but I strongly suggest you do anything you can to avoid taking it.”
“That’s hard.”
“Oh I know, but ice can help. But I think you’ll find you’ll tolerate things differently when you know you can’t do anything about it. Like colds and things like that.” I nod.
“I don’t want a script for medicine. I can handle them without it, if I get one.”
She smiles. “A few things for you, missy…” she stares pointedly at me, “you’re now a high risk pregnancy, but please don’t panic on me, twins are usually upgraded to that because of the toll it can take on your body. No lifting more than five pounds.” The guys snort.
“They don’t let me do that now.”
She smiles, “Good. Limit stressful situations when possible. Keep some food in your purse, crackers or granola bars, if you start to feel faint, eat. If they bring you food, eat it, but guys, don’t over feed her. Last, but not least,” she hands me her card, “here’s my card, with office number, cell phone and emergency number. If it’s outside of office hours, call my cell, if I don’t answer, go to the emergency number, tell them who you are and I will call you back immediately.” She hands me another small piece of paper, “per Dr. Paige’s request, her office, cell and emergency number. Program them and use them, even if you just have a question.”
“Do you do this for all your patients?” I ask her.
She smiles sweetly, “No, just the ones that are carrying celebrity babies.”
“You’ve known the whole time?”
She laughs, “Oh honey, I knew who you were because Paige pointed it out. I knew who they were because I love 69 Bottles. I’m less than two years older than you are, darlin’.”
“Oh my god,” Talon says, “thank you for being discreet.”
“It’s my job. Though I have to tell you, I can’t keep this from Paige, she’s a huge fan.”
“Oh my god.” I burst out laughing. I even hear Kyle laughing, which is great, all the tension lifts and I take a deep breath.
“Thank you, Doctor Breckenridge.”
“Call me Sara,” she says.
“Thank you, Sara,” I say and stand. The guys follow me. “I think we’re okay, for now.”
“Thank you Doctor.” Talon and Kyle both say, shaking her hand and we leave. Mills and Tori have been standing by outside this whole time. I look at my watch, it’s only four-thirty but it felt like we were in there forever. Talon and Kyle both take my hands as we leave the building.
The guys don’t let me go the entire car ride home. “How did it go?” Tori turns back looking at me. I look to both of the guys.
“Can I show her?” Talon nods excitedly and Kyle just nods. He’s still in shock, but doing better. I pull the pictures out of my p
urse. I flip through them to see what we have. I could kiss Sara. There is a picture that has both babies and they’re labeled Baby A and Baby B. I hand it to Tori.
“No way?” she smiles back at me. “Twins? Seriously?” Her excitement is infectious and I nod excitedly. “Congratulations, guys,” she says and Kyle softens a little bit.
“Thanks,” Talon says.
“Thank you,” Kyle adds and for the first time since leaving the doctor’s office, he smiles.
Tori hands me back the pictures. “Where to?” Mills asks.
“Cheesesteak,” I say and Talon bounces in his seat like a little boy.
“Alright,” Mills says and he turns at the next light. I’m assuming he knows the place to go. “The band wants them too.”
“Awesome.”
Kyle looks at me, “We need to fill your script.” And my rock is back. I nod toward Mills. ‘Tell him’ I mouth and Kyle looks panicked again. I squeeze his hand. “Mills, we need to stop by a pharmacy, Addison has a script to fill.”
“Let’s do that first, then we can swing back and pick it up.” Mills looks at Kyle in the mirror and smiles.
“Okay,” Kyle says. “I’ll run it in.” He adds.
“You don’t have to do that,” Talon interjects. “We can all do it.”
“No, not if we want to keep this a secret longer. Let me do it,” Kyle says.
“Thank you, cowboy,” I tell him and he smiles at me.
A couple minutes later we pull into a CVS and Kyle goes in with my prescription and insurance card. Mills and Tori step out of the car, giving Talon and I some privacy. “When we get back, can I have the bedroom to talk with Kyle?”
“Of course. He’s really freaking out about this.”
“He is, but I think he just needs some time with me. He needs to see that this really is okay. When I’m done, I want you to talk to him.”
“What more can I say to him?” he pleads sadly. “I’m not very good at all this.”
