Month 1 Praying to the Porcelain God
When had first expressed a desire to have a child, no one told me that carrying a child would be this miserable. From the time I got up to the time I went to sleep, the nausea was ever present and becoming a constant consternation. Booth was so patient even when I hit emotional mood swings that I could not control. Angela and Jack were the only two people who were aware of our marriage. Sitting in my office on a Monday morning, I felt like some of the bodies that came into the Jeffersonian for examination. Angela came into the office to check in on me and I could see that she was worried about me.
"Sweetie, are you sure that you belong here and not in bed recovering from whatever it is you have?" she asked taking in my pale and exhausted appearance.
"Angela, I am fine. I am just a little tired from the morning sickness and constant fatigue." I answered absent mindedly. It was after it came out of my mouth that I realized I had divulged information that I had intended to keep quiet..
I could see the Angela squeal in her eyes. I had sensed that my best friend wanted to do it physically. She did not want to open me up to more misery than I had with the pregnancy. I motioned for her to shut the door for me so that I could say what I had to say in private.
"Angela, What I am about to tell you must not make it out of this office. Booth and I found out over the weekend that I am pregnant. I don't know how many weeks until I see the doctor first. Booth was so excited and so patient. I have been miserable with morning sickness, prone to hormonal mood swings, and I am always feeling fatigued." I answered trying to fight off the tears of an incoming unpleasant mood swing.
"Sweetie, welcome to the world of being pregnant. The morning sickness might end up being something very temporary, but I am afraid that the mood swings might last awhile. The fatigue is something just about everyone experiences. I admire the man because of the patience you now require. He loves you so much that patience is his way of dealing with your situation. I am as excited as he is. My lips are sealed." She responded to the inadvertent confession that was never meant to be known.
Before she returned to work, she gave me a friendly hug to remind me that she would be good to her word. I was wondering how I was going to disguise my current condition when I handled the pretty gruesome remains that made their way here. I felt instant queasiness with the smell of fried food and had to slow down when I got up from my seat.
It took all my mental capacity to work around the bodies with soft tissue still attached. The smell of putrified remains was hard before this pregnancy. Now the smell of decomposition was almost impossible to handle. Cam looked at me from time to time with concern that went beyond the usual concern. The first body that came in after the news of the baby had made me fight the urge to run to the toilet out of queasiness. I returned to the lab floor to finish the job with some very strange looks. By the end of the day, I was ready to return home to my comfortable couch to nap.
I was greeted at the end of the day by Booth standing in the doorway ready to get me back to the apartment. I offered a weak smile to let him know I was ready to go. Ever the gentleman, he put my coat over my shoulders and helped me back to the car.
I told Booth I had scheduled the appointment.
I was feeling another unpleasant mood swing coming. I fought off the urge to snap at him by I nodding as I sat with my eyes closed in the passenger seat.
"What time and on what day? I can try to take some time off to go with you." He responded.
I told him that the appointment was on Thursday at 1 PM. I also told him that he did not necessarily need to go with me because of the suspicion that might be aroused in the lab by our simultaneous absences.
I could see the look on his face and I could tell what his response would be. He was a loving and patient man with me no matter how I responded to his words. I could also see the slightest hint of a smile on his face that showed his understanding.
"Honey, I don't really care much at the moment about any speculation that taking the time off would arouse. I care more about YOUR health and the BABY'S health." He said emphasizing his point with the emotion in his voice.
I sincerely apologized for my uncontrollable and unpredictable mood swings. I showed my sincerest thanks by telling him just how much I appreciated his patience. I expressed that it was my opinion that I would not be so patient if the roles were reversed. I told him that I loved him for it.
After I had said those words, I was dozing off in the passenger seat completely unaware of the fact that we were not far from the apartment. I woke up hours later next to him in bed. I did not want to wake him up, so I found my way back to the kitchen for some saltines to settle my churning stomach. I was grateful for the brief break from the morning sickness. Feeling exhausted once more, I found my way back to the bed. Seeley was still very asleep. I quietly slipped back into the bed and put his free arm around me.
The days passed by quick as I neared my appointment. Thursday before lunch, Booth was waiting by my door telling me with his body language that we needed to get going. The doctor conducted the blood and urine test to make sure that the home test was not incorrect. She told me that I was indeed pregnant. I needed to make an appointment with the obstetrician as soon as possible to get my prenatal vitamins lined up and to have my prenatal care started.
Two days later, I was sitting in the obstetrician office looking at all the diagrams of how the baby looked as it progressed. As I sat waiting, it blew my mind that this is the exact thing I wanted years ago. I was greeted by a pleasant woman about five foot six and very healthy in appearance. She asked all the questions that a doctor of her occupation ask. She prescribed the prenatal vitamins and back to the apartment we went.
I have never been religious, but at least now I could understand the meaning of "praying to the porcelain god". Almost like Booth prayed in the pews, I was kneeling at the base of the toilet too many times a day for me to count.
BOOTH'S POV
Seeing Bones so miserable made me feel just as miserable. I could see just how miserable she was because she was so pale and hardly ever ate. The mood swings were hard to handle at times, but I responded to them the only way I knew would help her. I responded in patience and love. I never pictured that we would be having a baby like this. The day had been a long one and I was ready to return to the apartment to get her home for some rest.
I asked her if she had scheduled her appointment yet.
By the expression that was on her face, a mean mood swing was coming and I would feel the brunt of it if she had spoken. She nodded as she closed her eyes to rest them.
I pressed for exact information by asking on what day and at what time.
"Thursday at 1 PM. You really don't have to go. I don't want to arouse any suspicion with anyone at the office." She responded testily.
I merely smiled because I was experiencing a joy while she was experiencing some of the worst parts of pregnancy. This baby was my baby and that brought me joy.
I explained to her that I was not the least bit concerned about any suspicion that might be aroused by my absence. I wanted her to understand that I cared far more about her and the baby's health. I was still very aware that she was correct.
"Seeley, I am genuinely sorry for my hormonal mood swings when they come. I can't do much about them and I really do appreciate your patience. I don't know if I could be as loving or patient if our roles were reversed. I love you for it." Bones said in her efforts to make me feel better. I was grateful that she had grown so understanding and loving thanks to me.
By the time we arrived back at the apartment, she was sound asleep in the passenger seat. I very carefully carried her in my arms to the bed where she slept soundly for some time.
The appointments came and went. I was thrilled when the lady doctor confirmed the results of that at home test. I was going to be a father sure. A few days later, the OB prescribed her prenatal vitamins. Bones had always been slow on figures of speech and what they meant. She was learning what "praying to the porcelain god" meant. She was doing that every day all day at times.
Month 2: The Joy of Sympathy Pains ;)
Spoilers The Girl in the Gator and The Death of the Queen Bee.
The first pregnancy that I was an active participant in was minimal at best. Becca did not want to marry me and she did not seek my help. I was just part of the creation of my son and nothing more. I don't recall encountering any real physical miseries that most men encountered. While Becca carried Parker, I never had to feel nausea, fatigue or moodiness. I used to laugh at guys who experienced those things. I had always thought that it was all in their heads. I could not have been more wrong. Before Bones found out she was pregnant, I was a little nauseas at times that were highly unusual for me.
As the second month progressed, the squints started to notice a change in my behavior and a change in my energy level. Cam often looked at me with concern. I guess she worried about my health but would not let on in front of the squints. Daisy was the toughest to behave around because she was Sweets parrot. Dr. Lance Sweets was one man that I did not want knowing about this. Bones on the other hand had the concern of the whole squint squad because not only was she acting different, she was slowly gaining weight.
"Hey, big guy, looking a little ragged there. Are you okay?" Hodgins asked me showing genuine concern.
"Fine, Hodgins, Don't you have some bugs and slime to play with?" I answered sounding testier than intended.
Hodgins to his credit did not come back with a smart or angry remark. I saw a look of understanding instead. His blue eyes told me that he was not mad at me for the answer, only about why I had been looking so run down. Angela had apparently never told Hodgins about the pregnancy. I had always pegged Angela for being a bit of a Chatty Kathy with the greatest of secrets. Then again I heard that it was Hodgins who told Wendell that he had ended up with a near-pregnancy scare. I figured that it was about time that I leveled with Hodgins man-to-man since he knew all about our marriage in the first place.
"Sorry for being so testy. I will tell you in your office. It's kind of something that I don't want readily known. You already know one secret but I have another one that is I-Will-Have-to -Shoot -You-Personally secret. Get me." I said apologizing for the snappy answer to his question.
Hodgins nodded and we went into his office shutting the door behind us for the moment.
"Bones is expecting and I guess I am going through sympathy pains. I have not been this tired, unwell, or emotionally unstable in my life. Not even when I shot the clown, did I feel this moody. Bones is just as sick, moody, and tired as me. This is no fun." I said in his office implying with my voice the urgency to not breathe a word beyond this office.
A big smile crept across his face when he realized what I had told him. He solidly shook my hand and patted me on the back. I shot him the look that warned him of the consequence of talking about it beyond this office. He toned down the visible gestures and congratulated me quietly.
"Congratulations big guy. I should have figured that you two would make short work of starting a family considering all the years that you two have worked together. I should have figured that there was something up if Dr. B was looking so under the weather all the time. Then again Ange has been acting like she was trying hard to not mention something to me." Hodgins confessed seeming relieved.
"I must hand it to Angela, she kept the secret better than I thought she would. It would be in your best interest to not say anything about this to any of the other squints. You-Know-Who would actually recommend that the partnership be terminated. Bones would not be a happy pregnant doctor. If Bones ain't happy, then well I won't be very happy." I responded to the confession. I continued to emphasize my point about secrecy.
I was lucky that my peripheral vision was good, because Clark had entered the office without thinking to ask if he could enter. Clark looked at us with a dumbfounded look that showed how lost he seemed. I could tell that he had gotten the impression that he had walked into a very private conversation.
"Dr. Hodgins, Dr. Saroyan is asking for the results from the samples she sent about 10 minutes ago. Do you have them?" Clark asked sounding professionally awkward.
"I will be right with you okay. Tell her that I will be with her personally in a second. I would really appreciate a second okay." He responded to the request.
Clark nodded and left the office obviously confused as to what the conversation was about he had missed. Lucky for us, Clark kept personal stuff out of his work on purpose.
"So Hodgins, do we have an understanding?" I asked directly.
"Yes we do. My lips are sealed. The only way anyone else knows anything about this is if you two tell them. I would like to live to create my own children. We understand each other perfectly." Hodgins answered very clearly.
I greeted Bones at her office door. I was feeling dog tired and feeling a mood swing coming my way. She looked up at me and smiled a tired smile. This pregnancy thing really was becoming an adventure for us both.
"Bones, have you eaten anything today or has junior made sure you don't eat?" I asked good humoredly.
If looks could kill, the squints would have been loading me into a body bag to go to the morgue. That meant that she was starving but unable to eat. I would have helped her up from her chair and held her in my arms for a second if not for the fact that we were still in the office. The deadly look faded into a tired grin to tell me that she appreciated my concern.
"Actually, the nausea is getting better but I still feel it in my stomach. The hormonal mood swings are stable for the moment and I am feeling ready to sleep on the desk." She answered as if she knew that I was asking how she was feeling.
I made my way across the room to her desk to help her put on her coat. We left the office with a trail of eyes watching minus two pairs. Angela and Hodgins were the only two privy to the secret that would have to know about it. The ride back to her apartment was quiet for the most part because she was sound asleep in the passenger side. I was barely able to carry her onto the couch because of how tired I was. I was so tired that even the Philadelphia Flyer game on ESPN did not really pique my interest.
The rest of the second month was much the same. The secret remained intact. Dr. Sweets was still blissfully unaware of our marriage and pregnancy. It would only be a matter of time before Daisy would mention to him our change in behavior and work quality. Once she opened her perky little mouth to our shrink, the gig would be up possibly and we would have a new set of problems to deal with.
Month 3: Sonogram Surprise
As the third month of gestation came about I was able to eat most things without that nauseas feeling invading the urge to eat. I watched Booth carefully since I had never seen a man go through the pains that a woman did. During the time I was unable to eat, poor Booth was eating at least six times a day. Most of the time, it was out of an unexplainable compulsion.
I came to enjoy the night because that was when I could take in some nourishment for the baby and for myself. Everyday Ange would come into the office to check on me. Ange was a good friend but the baby was making me too dependent on everyone around me without them knowing the whole truth.
The morning that we had the ultra sound done, Booth greeted me at the door of my office appearing very tired but highly anxious to get to the OB Gyn's office.
"Nervous Bones?" Booth asked looking through the windshield at the endless DC traffic. "What is there to be nervous about?" I responded half lying to him with my cool voice.
"You aren't nervous to see the little one in your belly?" he asked shocked with my nonchalant response.
"The doctor is merely going to put a speculum up the birth canal to see how the fetus is progressing in development. It is nothing to worry about considering what I will have to experience in a few months." I coolly responded knowing somewhat to expect.
"I did not mean that Tempe. I mean I would expect you to be nervous to see just how real this kid is now. Once you see the picture on the screen, the realization really sinks in." Booth responded clarifying what he meant.
I sat in my seat digesting his words fully. He was right that a the picture of the baby would bring the reality harder to my mind. I guess that Booth was trying to say more but lost in thought. I had not heard him.
"Honey, did you hear me? Do you think it is one or more kids?" he asked me realizing that I had totally missed his question the first time.
"I don't know. I am not showing yet. I would hope only one. However, the problem is that I don't know if twins run in family or not. Dad never really discussed it considering the life he led. He never really talked about my mother's family either. If there were twins in the family, then the probability of a multiple birth is very high. Do you have you any multiple births in your family?" I responded answering this question with one of my own.
"I think my Uncle Larry and Uncle Ray were twins. I don't really remember much about them considering that my father was not really a welcomed guest to the family reunions. Apparently my father got involved in way too many family brawls. After that we stayed away as a rule and as a practice. That is enough on that subject." Booth responded with a hint of discomfort in his voice.
"How about I help you out of the car and into the office to see the baby we are eagerly awaiting?" He answered avoiding the subject concerning his father and his alcoholism. That subject was not approachable for just about anyone.
We entered the office. He sat down in a blue, rough clothed chair as I let the receptionist know that I was here for the appointment. Booth looked around the room as if he were afraid of the place. I guess the saying that would have applied would have been "a cat in a dog pound."
I got the distinct impression that he had missed out on this part with Becca when she was carrying Parker. I filled in the blanks of the paperwork that asked all the questions that were reasonable for someone who was pregnant. I returned the paperwork and sat next to Booth.
"Booth, are you okay?" I asked genuinely concerned. I had never seen him this high strung in all of our years working together.
"I was never around for this part of the pregnancy while she was carrying Parker. Becca never asked much of me at all even when I wanted to help. Now I am sitting here half afraid and half eager to meet our kid for the first time." Booth answered.
"I'm not giving birth yet Booth. I have at least five more months of pregnancy to deal with before you ever see what the child looks like physically. The baby is merely a fetus right now. Don't worry so much." I responded confused by the phrase "meet our kid for the first time."
"Bones, Tempe, I meant that this would be the first time I would actually be able to see the kid even if it is on a monitor. I feel like I am meeting the baby for the first time is all. For all the times I have to clarify my words, I am happy to do it because I love you so much." He answered clarifying his words so that I could better understand them.
I squeezed his hand gently to show my appreciation and love for his words. He responded back in kind. It was good to know that I had Booth to help me through some of the things that I only read about in books that Ange had provided for me. It surprised me how much I had gone through in just three month's time roughly. I heard the nurse call me in by last name. I would have changed it to Booth or Brennan-Booth, but I figured the longer we could keep the marriage secret from the rest of my lab coworkers the better.
"So Ms. Brennan, how has it been so far?" the OB asked me.
"I have had many bouts of morning sickness, I can't take any strong odors without feeling like I needed to vomit, and Seeley has not left me alone for any amount of time unless he has to." I responded sounding more testy than I desired for it to come out.
"I assume this handsome gentleman is your husband?" the OB asked directing her glance to Booth standing by the bed.
"Yes, that is my husband and the baby's father." I clarified, getting the impression I clarified too much.
"Seeley Booth, ma'am. Pardon my wife's awkwardness because she tends to over clarify or under clarify. She has never carried a kid before and I guess she is learning as much as me." Booth jabbered nervously.
"Okay, Ms. Brennan, I need you to put on this gown over your abdomen area and then lay down on the bed. I will be right back with the equipment to do your sonogram." the doctor instructed
Booth offered his shoulder to help steady myself to take my underwear and pants off to put the paper sheet over the lower half of my body. Booth sat down in a chair next to the bed bouncing his leg up and down in an effort to calm his nerves. I had never seen how that would calm anyone's nerves. The doctor arrived about two minutes later pulling a computer monitor and other required apparatus to be able see the fetus.
"Okay Ms. Brennan, you will feel just a little pressure when I put the probe up the birth canal area. You might feel a cold sensation from the gel. Do you have any questions?" the doctor asked.
I shook my head no and the procedure continued on. True to what she had said I felt an odd pressure and a cold sensation. The screen came alive before my eyes. The screen was black and white. I watched the screen as she probed until she found the fetus. The better word would have been fetuses. I could see the color in Booth's face slowly drain as he held my hand looking at the screen. His grip was starting to loosen when I noticed him slowly sinking to the floor.
"Congratulations, Ms. Brennan, you have two very healthy fetuses in there. We will need to see you in a month to see how they are doing. Do I need to call an orderly to help revive your husband?" The doctor said worried about Booth's well being.
"That might be a really good idea. I have never seen him do this in all our years of knowing each other. I never thought that he was able to faint at the sight of anything considering that we see dead bodies every day." I replied honest to every word.
I saw her kind face make a slight contortion when I said that. I could tell that she wanted to ask for clarification in regards to my occupation. I could see her change her mind at second thought.
"I am an anthropologist at the Jeffersonian. I actually help out the FBI sometimes when they need to solve murders. I am very careful to not put this baby at risk. I have not dealt with many bodies since I found out. I do mostly administrative work now." I said clarifying my occupation anyway. The doctor merely nodded and told me to get dressed.
After I dressed, I was standing on the floor looking at the printed pictures from the sonogram machine. Booth finally was awake again about 5 minutes later laid out on the bed. He still looked very pale but at least he was conscious. I guess the word that I needed to describe his state of being was dazed.
"Tempe, Was I dreaming or did the doc say two babies?" Booth asked still very in shock.
"Booth, she said that there are two healthy fetuses." I answered honestly hoping that we would not faint again
"I thought that was what she said. Sorry for passing out. News like that reminds me why people ask if you are sitting down. I do believe that I should have been sitting down not standing up when she gave us that news. Between me hitting floor and waking up on the bed, did I miss anything?" he asked.
I told him that other than another upcoming appointment, he had not missed anything. The ride back to the apartment was a kind of silence that comes when two people are digesting recent news differently. About a block away from the apartment, Booth broke my thought process with his voice.
"So when did you want to break this to the squints? Before the boys start making you show or swear them to secrecy now?" Booth asked in his usual humor.
"How do you know that the twins are boys? They could be girls you know. Or they could be fraternal twins." I corrected him apparently missing the whole point of his question based on his eye rolling and body language.
"Do you want to tell the squints now and hold them to secrecy? Do we just wait until they see the beach ball slowly inflate in your belly?" he asked emphasizing the question.
"I don't know what that means about the beach ball thing and I would rather tell them at a time that is opportune. We both have Sweets as a friend but this would be a conflict of interest for his job. I will figure that out myself. I won't tell my publisher because my publicist could accidentally leak it out. " I answered.
We entered the apartment both eager, nervous, and concerned what the next month will bring..
Month 4: Twin Secrets
The funniest thing about a secret and a tight knit family is that the smallest thing does not go unnoticed. The two other people privy to the secret marriage as well as the secret pregnancy did a good job of not letting on that they knew more than what they appeared to know. I had to give Jack and Angela some real credit for not letting the whole thing air.. I was waiting for the right time to tell Cam but it was her who forced the issue. The biggest problem about working with an ex-girlfriend as a colleague was that you were subject to her observation day in and day out. The less I spoke to her on a personal level, the more interested she got in Bones and me.
"Seeley Booth, take a seat. You have been working too hard and I feel the overwhelming need to talk to you." Cam said striking up the dreadful conversation to follow.
"We could have done this elsewhere at another time, so I know that this is not a friendly conversation between friends. Something's been eating at you and you need me to tell you some information to put your pretty little mind to rest." I responded reading between the lines that she tended to try to hide from me.
"You work with Doctor Brennan day in and day out. I have noticed a very drastic change in her behavior and her ability to handle the corpses that come back with soft tissue. Is there something wrong with our brilliant neighborhood forensic anthropologist?" She asked me point blank.
"Wrong as in what? The flu, an infection, or something of that nature?" I asked trying to skirt the answer I knew she was shooting for.
"I mean is she terminally ill or have I not been made aware of a pregnancy?" she answered with another question.
"Pregnant. I guess she could be." I answered trying not to panic.
"Seeley, this is Camille you are talking to. We have dated and we have been close friends for years now. You are trying to artfully lie to me. You don't lie very well and I see you trying to not give me the honest answer. There must be something more going on between you two than you let on here at work." She said letting me know full well that she had caught on to the changes that Temperance and me had tried to hide..
"Bones and I have been keeping a couple secrets. Only two people know about them and they have remained silent the whole time. The first secret that you should know about is that we are married. We secretly married about four months ago. Dr. Hodgins and Angela were our witnesses. We have done pretty well at keeping that quiet. Julian and Sweets don't need to know about it because it would terminate the working relationship we have. The second secret is one that has to remain top secret until the time is right. "I answered feeling some relief from being able to tell her what I have kept silent for the last few months.
"What is the second secret anyway? Does it have anything to do with her work performance change by chance?" she asked sounding almost humorless but interested.
"Tempe is pregnant with twins. We found that out just this last week. That would be the reason for the mood swings that some of you guys have experienced at the receiving end. That would also be the best explanation for how she is having trouble handling the smells of the corpses. It would be the main reason that until recently she was not eating much." I answered as I read her facial expression.
"You know Seeley, I can't keep this one quiet forever because effective immediately I will have to limit her to less strenuous work. She will not be allowed to handle any fleshy bodies. I have to limit her to desk work when the soft tissue victims come in. I will have to find one hell of a good excuse to keep the interns from asking why is not doing the hands on work. Please understand, as your friend I am happy for you. It is a completely different story though as her boss. I will be out a valuable team member when the twins enter the world. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Thank you for filling me in about the situation. At least now when the maternity leave request comes in, I won't be completely surprised." She responded to my answer looking relieved and still thinking out how she was going to handle the situation.
I left the office feeling a little less pressure on my shoulders to keep this whole thing quiet. Now there were five of us fully aware of the marriage and her pregnancy. That left the squints in training, Julian, and Dr. Lance Sweets. With the pressure relieved, it helped me to better concentrate on my day job as the dutiful FBI agent man that everyone knew me to be. It allowed me to also concentrate on the job of the dutiful husband to Tempe, while remaining the loving father-to-be for the babies she carried.
Cam followed through with her promise. From the time she found out the truth about Tempe's condition, she held her to easier work that included bare bones work and desk duty with the reports that came to my office often. Cam was a great friend through it and a very understanding boss without letting on too much in front of the interns. I was always grateful when Tempe came to the office with a report in hand. It was Cam's way of ensuring that she was well and that my boys were completely safe.
The day was at an end and poor Bones looked ragged from the work. I was in her office ready with her coat waiting for her. The look in her grey eyes as I slipped it over her arms was one of questions and minor irritation. I could tell that Tempe was not enjoying the shortened hours and reduced work description. I knew how proud she was to do the work that she did at The Jeffersonian. The trip home was tense at first for the lack of conversation that filled the car.
"Booth, how did she find out about the marriage and the babies we are expecting?" she asked quietly.
"Cam kind of cornered me. She was worried about you and wanted to know what was going on with you. She noticed a lot of things that I never thought that she noticed." I answered pre-measuring my words before I released them from my mouth.
"FYI, I was not the one who recommended reduced working hours, the field work be cut out, and that you be limited to paperwork duty. Cam did that on her own judgment. She knows how much I love you and how protective I am of you. She is a really good friend to us both." I added noting the "I don't know what that means" facial expression at the FYI part.
"I know Booth. It is hard to think in an anthropologically while I am going through all these hormonal changes because of the babies I am carrying. I am not too keen on the limitations that I have been presented with. I know the limitations placed are intended for my good and safety. It does not change the fact that it hurts my pride. I have always been a very independent individual and now I am dependent on you in so many ways. I wanted you to know how much I appreciate it." She said looking like she was about to fall asleep on me in the passenger seat.
We arrived back at the apartment. I was helping her up the steps most of the way because she was so tired. I had to help her dress for the night in a soft cotton night gown. I did not mind the job because the view of the beautiful skin that was soft to the touch made it all worth it. I could see the bump starting to show. She opened her eyes as she laid down on the bed just enough to see me put my head on her belly and touch the bump lovingly. I was enjoying the part a lot because of all I missed out on with Parker. These babies were mine to help bring into the world.
"Seeley, do you REALLY want to know if we are having boys or girls?" she asked genuinely interested to see what I would say.
"Tempe, As long as they are healthy, I am happy." I answered looking into those stunning grey eyes that could trap me with very little effort.
"So if the doctor wants to tell us the sex of the fetuses, you would want to know or would you rather be surprised?" she repeated the question differently.
"Tempe honey, That is completely up to you. If you want to know, yes. If you don't, I can wait to find out when I get to hold them." I answered very simply.
I went to sleep content that night because I had her head on my shoulder and a hand on the bump. How could I have been any luckier? I had two children on the way, a chance at fatherhood that I had never experienced before, and I had the woman I loved in the center of it all. God is good was the last thought I had before I drifted off to sleep.