Chapter 1: Unexpected News
Rosalie
I sat on the couch in the living room of my family's home. I was flipping through the TV channels trying to find something anything to watch. I settled on watching a reality show about pregnant teenagers on MTV. The TV showed a teen girl crying as her boyfriend walked out of her house. I never understood how these girls expected the fathers to stick around. Every episode I had seen the father was a dead beat who couldn't be a dad even if he wanted to. The girl began to talk about how she thought she and the father would be together forever. I began to change the channel when the doorbell rang. I got off of the couch and walked to the foyer.
I opened the front door and saw that Vera Holland, my best friend, stood on the front porch. "Hey V," I said and stepped to the side so that she could come into the house. She walked inside and I shut the door behind her. "What's up?" I asked as I began to lead the way to the living room.
"No, we have to go to your room," Vera said and began to go up the stairs.
I followed her up the stairs, down the hall, and into my bedroom. "Ok, why did we have to come to my bedroom?" I asked.
"Because I need you to be the best friend that I know you are," she said.
"What?" I asked.
"I need you to be the best friend that I know you are. I need you to be the understanding, caring, always there for you best friend," Vera said.
"Ok, what's going on?" I asked. Vera began digging in her purse and pulled out a box. She held it out for me to read. The box was blue and clearly said 'Clear Blue Easy' across the front. I looked at Vera and said, "Oh no V, you're not."
"I don't know. I haven't taken one yet," she said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because I don't want to take one by myself," she said.
"Oh no," I said realizing what she wanted. "I'm not taking a pregnancy test," I said.
"Oh come on Rose," she said. "We'll take them, they'll be negative, and we'll have this memory to look back on and laugh at."
I was very determined not to give in, but Vera looked so desperate and so scared that I finally said, "Ok, give me a test." We took turns in my bathroom taking a test each and then we waited on my bed for the three minutes to pass.
I thought the three minutes would never pass, but eventually they did. I looked at Vera and she got up and walked into the bathroom. I was confident mine was negative but walked into the bathroom to support Vera just in case her test was positive.
I looked at Vera standing in front of the counter. "V," I said.
"Rose," she said and looked up at me with a scared face and I knew immediately that her test was positive.
"Oh V, I'm so sorry," I said and rushed over to her. I wrapped my arms around her and she wrapped her arms around me.
"What are we going to do?" she asked.
"Well I'll of course stay your friend and help you get through this in every way I possibly can," I said.
"And I'll do the same for you," Vera said.
I let go of Vera and stepped back. "The same for me," I said.
"Yeah," she said.
"How will you do the same for me?" I asked.
"By being there for you through your pregnancy," Vera replied smiling politely.
"Vera, your pregnancy test was the positive one mine's negative," I said.
"No," said Vera.
"Yeah," I said.
"Rose, they're both positive," Vera said.
I looked at the counter and saw that both tests read 'Pregnant'. My breath caught in my chest, my eyes burned with tears, and my stomach clenched. I couldn't possibly be pregnant. I began to panic. My memory flashed back to that night, the one night I had listened to my boyfriend. "No," I whispered.
"What?" Vera asked.
I looked at Vera's face and said, "I can't be pregnant."
"Rose, the test says you are," Vera replied.
"It was only one night and Royce said that he pulled out," I said as tears began streaming down my cheeks.
"Rose, are you ok?" Vera asked.
"I can't be pregnant," I said again and Vera walked over to me and wrapped her arms around me. I stood there crying into Vera's shoulder wishing it wasn't true.
Eventually I gained control over myself and Vera stepped back releasing me from her loving grasp. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall and saw that my mom would be home in an hour. I turned to the mirror and looked at my reflection. "What are we going to do?" I asked.
"I don't know," Vera replied as she stood next to me looking into the mirror.
"My mom will be home in an hour," I said.
"Then I should probably go," Vera said and walked out of the bathroom. I followed her out into my bedroom. She was gathering her things so that she could leave.
"Text me later," I said.
"Of course," Vera said before opening the door to my bedroom. She began to walk out and then turned around and said, "Hey R, could you not tell your mom about me. I don't want my parents finding out from someone else?"
"I won't tell her," I said and Vera's face gave a small sign of relief.
"Thanks, I'll text you later," she said and then we walked out of my bedroom and down the stairs to the foyer. I opened the front door and Vera walked out of the house and down the front steps to her car. I closed the door and walked into the living room. I sat down on the couch and waited for my mom to get home.
I heard the front door open and then close. I heard my mom put her keys and purse down in the foyer. I could hear her stilettos on the marble floor as she walked toward the living room. "Rose," she said and I turned around on the couch to see her standing in the doorway of the living room. "How was your day?" she asked.
"It was ok, but I do need to talk to you," I replied.
"Ok," my mom said and continued to look at me from the doorway.
"It's really important and serious," I said and she walked over to the couch and sat down beside me.
"What's so important and serious?" she asked.
I looked down at my lap and stayed silent for a few seconds. I new we were the only ones home. My father was still at work and my brothers were at football practice. I knew that she would be the only person to hear me and I knew that she wouldn't tell my brothers but it was still hard to tell her. "I think I'm pregnant," I said softly.
"What?" my mom asked.
"I think I'm pregnant," I said a little louder.
"Rose, it sounds like you're saying that you think you're pregnant," my mom said.
"I am," I said clear as day. I heard my mother take in a slight breath that almost sounded like a gasp. I looked up at my mother's face. I looked into her violet blue eyes and saw the worry in them. "Momma, I'm so sorry," I said and began to cry.
"Rose," my mom said and pulled me to her. Holding me she asked, "What makes you think you're pregnant?"
I sat back a little and said, "I took a pregnancy test and it was positive."
"Why did you take a pregnancy test?" she asked.
"I can't tell you," I replied still crying.
"Rose, you can tell me anything. Anything and everything you say to me here and now in this moment will remain between us," she said.
Feeling comforted by her words I said, "Vera thought she was pregnant and didn't want to take a test by herself so I said that I would take one with her and I expected them both to be negative but then they were both positive."
"Rose, is Vera pregnant?" my mom asked.
"Yeah, more than likely because her period is a couple weeks late," I said.
"What about you?" she asked.
"I still have a week before mine's even supposed to be here," I said.
"Have you been feeling sick or anything?" my mom asked.
"No," I replied.
"Ok, I'm going to call Dr. Beaulieu and see if she wants to see you or see if she thinks maybe it was just a false positive," my mom said and stood up. "Rose, Sweetheart. Don't worry about this. You're going to be just fine," she said and kissed my tear streaked cheek before walking out of the room to make the phone call. I took some Kleenex from the box on the side table and wiped away the tears as I waited for my mom to come back into the room.
A few minutes later my mother walked back into the room and sat beside me on the couch. "Dr. Brunaut wants to see you tomorrow just to make sure that if you are pregnant you and the baby get the prenatal care that you both need. I made you an appointment for tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. You'll be her first patient of the day and you'll be able to get in and out," she said.
"What about school?" I asked.
"You'll just miss your morning classes. Then if you want to go to your afternoon classes you can," my mom replied.
"Are you going to tell Daddy?" I asked.
"Only if it turns out you are pregnant," she said.
"Ok," I said.
"If you're not pregnant then there's no reason for him to ever know about any of this," she said.
"Ok, thank you," I said.
"You're welcome," my mom said and then hugged me. "Sweetheart, I need to ask you something."
"Ok," I said and my mom ended the hug and sat back.
"Have you had sex?" she asked.
I was surprised by the question but I knew I had to be honest. "Yes," I replied. "Royce and I had sex prom night."
"Oh Rose," my mom said. She didn't look disappointed but rather sad. She looked as if she had just found out that she lost her best friend.
"Yes, Momma," I said.
"Royce?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Ok," she said and stood up and left the room.
That night at dinner my mom and I avoided any and all conversation related to babies. My father shared his stories from work and my brothers talked about football. After dinner I went up to my room and went straight to bed. It didn't take me long to fall asleep after I crawled under the covers on my bed.
I awoke the next morning and got ready as if I was going to school. I took a shower, did my hair and makeup, and got dressed before going downstairs for breakfast. I walked into the kitchen and found my brothers sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and my mom was standing at the stove. The smell of bacon wafted through the air. "Mmm, something smells good," I said as I walked over to the cabinet next to the refrigerator and poured myself a glass of orange juice.
"Good morning, Sweetheart. I was just making some breakfast before the boys go to school and I take you to your doctor's appointment," my mom said as she removed some bacon from the skillet in front of her and laid the bacon on a plate.
"Doctor's appointment?" Demetrius, my oldest brother, asked.
"Yes Demetri, Rosalie has a checkup with Dr. Beaulieu," my mom said.
"You mean the female parts doctor?" Jasper, my twin brother, asked.
"Yes Jasper," my mom replied.
"Ok, that's gross," Demetrius said and my brothers went back to eating.
"Do you want anything to eat?" my mom asked looking at me.
"No, Dr. Beaulieu will probably want to do some blood work," I said.
"You're right," my mom said and dropped the subject.
After breakfast my brothers headed off to school in Demetrius' truck and my mom and I left for Ashbury's Women's Center where Dr. Beaulieu's office was. My mom parked in a parking spot next to the building and we went inside. We took the elevator to the third floor and checked in at the front desk. After I had checked my mom and I took a seat in the waiting room. We were the only people in the waiting room. My mom picked up one of the magazine on the table in the middle of the room. She sat back in her seat and began flipping through the magazine. I sat in my chair and nervously looked around the room. The nurse couldn't call my name fast enough.
"Rosalie Hale," I finally heard a female voice say. I looked up and saw a middle aged woman with short brown hair standing by the door led to the back of the office. My mom and I stood up and walked over to her. She was holding a folder in her hand and she smiled sweetly as my mom and I approached her. "Hello, I'm Dr. Beaulieu's nurse, Amanda. I'll be taking care of you before you see Dr. Beaulieu," she said. "Are you ready to get started?" she asked.
I looked at my mom and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm ready," I said.
"Good, if you follow me I'll get your height and weight before I take you to your exam room," she said and led the way to the back of the office. She took my height and weight and led me to an exam room where she took my vitals. My mom sat in the chair across the room, Amanda sat on a stool at the counter, and I sat on the exam table. "Now before I send you to the lab for a urine test and blood work I'm going to ask you some questions to help us help you," Amanda said as she wrote in my chart.
"Ok," I said.
"Ok, first off what brings you here today?" she asked.
"I took a pregnancy test and it was positive," I said.
"Ok, when was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?" Amanda asked.
"April seventh," I replied.
"Are they regular?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"How long do they usually last?" she asked.
"About a week," I replied.
"How is the flow?" she asked.
"Regular," I replied.
"Are experiencing any nausea or vomiting?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"Any headaches or fatigue?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"Any soreness of breasts, spotting, bleeding, bloating, frequent urination, constipation, or mood swings?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"Are you currently taking any medication?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"Have you had any previous pregnancies, miscarriages, or abortions?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"Ok, if you will follow me I'll take you to the lab and you can give a urine sample and Donna will take some blood and run some tests. Your mom can come too if you like," Amanda said as she stood up.
"Ok," I said and my mom and I stood and followed Amanda out of the room and down the hall to the lab. "Have a seat and Donna will be with you shortly," she said before leaving.
My mom and sat there for a couple of minutes before a heavy set woman with short strawberry blonde hair walked into the waiting room. "Rosalie Hale," she said and I stood up and walked over to her. "Hello, I'm Donna and I'll be drawing your blood today," she said.
"Hi," I said.
"Ok, follow me," she said and I followed her to the back of the office leaving my mom in the waiting room. I followed her into a room that had several chairs lining a wall. "Here is a cup for your sample and the restroom is just around that corner," she said. I took the cup and went to the restroom. After I collected the sample I sat it on the shelf that had a sign that read "place sample here" and washed my hands before going back into the room where I had left Donna.
I found Donna sitting at a desk in the room. "I left the cup sitting on the shelf that said to leave the sample," I said.
"Ok, if you will have a seat in one of the chairs I'll take some blood and then you can go back to your exam room," she said and stood up. I took a seat in one of the chairs and Donna rolled a stool over and sat in front of me. I stretched out my left arm and she tied a turgescent around my arm. She poked on the bend of my elbow and said, "There's a really good vein right here. I'll just clean it and then it'll be over before you know it," she said and wiped my arm with a cold cotton ball. She poked some more and then counted to three as she stuck the needle in my arm. I felt the small stick of the needle in my skin and I began to count. I counted to ten and then I felt a cotton ball on my arm and Donna pulled the needle out. "Ok, you're done," she said and put a band aid on my arm where the needle had been. "Do you know where your exam room is?" she asked.
"Yes," I said and walked out of the back and into the waiting room. My mom and I went back to my exam room. My mom sat in the chair across the room and I sat on the exam table.
There was a knock on the door followed by it opening and Amanda walking in. "Oh good you're back. If you will please remove all your clothing and change into the gown lying behind you on the exam table. There's also a sheet there for you to cover up with. When you're done crack the door and Dr. Beaulieu will be in shortly," she said and then closed the door behind her as she left. I changed into the gown and waited for Dr. Beaulieu to come into the room.
A few minutes after I propped the door open there was a knock followed by Dr. Beaulieu walking into the room. She closed the door behind her and walked over to the counter with the stool sitting in front of it. She sat down on the stool and began looking through my chart. "Good morning ladies," she said.
"Good morning," I said.
"Good morning," my mom said.
"Ok, it says here that Rosalie took a pregnancy test and it was positive and you came here today to find out if the test was a false positive," Dr. Beaulieu said.
"That's right," my mom said.
"Ok, well you're not having any symptoms so I'm going to need to do a vaginal exam and see if that shows signs of pregnancy. Rose, please slide down to the end of the exam table and put your feet in the stirrups." I did as Dr. Beaulieu said and then she began the examination.
When the exam was over Dr. Beaulieu looked at my chart. "Ok, both your urine and blood tests came back positive for pregnancy. So now I want you to get an ultrasound so that I can see what's going on in there because your hormone levels are high. You can get dressed and open the door when you're done and Carmen will come and take you for an ultrasound," Dr. Beaulieu said. "Before I go do either of you have any questions?" she asked.
I looked at my mom because I didn't have any questions and she said, "No, we don't have any questions."
"Ok, I'll see you shortly," Dr. Beaulieu said and walked out of the room. I changed back into my clothes and opened the door. It wasn't long before a tall slender woman walked into the room.
"Hello, I'm Carmen and I'll be doing your ultrasound today. Please follow me and I'll take you to the ultrasound room," she said and my mom and I followed her out of the exam room, down the hall a little ways, and into another room.
This room was dark and very cold. In the middle of the room sat an exam table. On the left side of the table was a chair and on the right side there was a computer. "There's a gown and sheet in the restroom, through that door. Please remove all of your clothes and put the gown on," Carmen said as she sat down at the computer and began typing. I looked at my mom and she gave me a reassuring smile before going and sitting in the chair to the left of the exam table. I went into the bathroom and changed.
When I came out of the bathroom from changing I walked across the room and took my place on the exam table. "Ok Rose, have you ever had an ultrasound before?" Carmen asked.
"No," I replied.
"Ok, well the ultrasound that I'm going to do today isn't like the ultrasounds that you see on TV. I won't be doing an ultrasound of your belly," Carmen said and I gave her questioning look. "The date of your last menstrual cycle and the levels of your hormones don't add up to the same gestational age so I have to do a vaginal ultrasound because if your pregnancy is going off of last period then the baby won't be developed enough to see it with an ultrasound of your belly," she explained.
"Ok," I said.
"Please lay back and put your feet in the stirrups," Carmen said and I laid back and put my feet in the stirrups. I felt my mom reach for my hand. I let my mom hold my hand for the first time in a few years. It was a small jester but I needed to know that she was there with me.
"Ok, I'm going to start the ultrasound now," Carmen said and I felt something enter me. I took a deep breath and counted to ten.
I was uncomfortable due to the facts that I felt nauseous about the whole pregnancy thing, I can't see Carmen or the computer screen, and there was a gigantic protruding ultrasound transducer being whipped around in my vagina like Carmen is drilling for the last bit of peanut butter in the bottom of the jar.
"There's the first one," Carmen said and I looked down just as she was turning the computer screen so that I could see.
"The first one? You only found one, right?" my mom said.
"So far," Carmen replied.
I immediately began thinking 'What? What! So FAR, how big is it up there, you've been going after that peanut butter for, like, ten minutes now.
Carmen pushed a few buttons on the computer and I heard static coming from the ultrasound machine which slowly morphed itself into a heartbeat. It took me a second to realize...that it was the baby's heartbeat. "Is that the heartbeat?" I asked.
"Yes," Carmen replied.
I looked at my and saw the tears in her eyes. She softly squeezed my hand and I smiled. For the first time since the test was positive I believed I was pregnant.
In all of the excitement of hearing the heartbeat I had forgotten about the 'so far' that was mentioned earlier. Carmen continued talking and poking and I couldn't keep track of what was going on. Then all of a sudden I heard it again. The heartbeat. This time it was only for a few seconds. Way too short of a time for everything to be fine. I began to worry about the baby. Had something happened in the short amount of time that had passed? Suddenly all I wanted to do was to get the ultrasound over with and sit up so I could find out what was going on.
When I was finally allowed to sit up Carmen was all smiles. I looked to my mom who was a few shades lighter than normal. "Congratulations," Carmen said and I looked back to her. "You're having twins."
"Twins? Are you sure?" I asked.
Carmen gave a slight laugh and said, "Yes, I'm positive." I sat there staring at her. "I'll give you and your mom a few minutes alone," Carmen said and then she left the room.
Carmen walked out of the room and I burst into tears. This was bad. This was very bad, very, very bad. I looked over to my mom and saw that she had tears in her eyes. "Momma," I said and she looked up at me. "Twins, two babies," I said and my mom nodded.
Being a teenager I knew that there were possible risks with a single pregnancy I didn't want to know what the risks were with two babies. I began to wonder. Would I miscarry? Would I deliver them prematurely? Would they die? Would they have severe disabilities? Would I be able to handle two babies and school?
Carmen walked back into the room interrupting my thoughts. "Rosalie, you can get dressed," she said as she walked over to the computer. I went into the bathroom and changed.
When I came back I took my seat on the exam table. Carmen handed me some papers and I looked through them. The seemed like pictures only different. The entire image was black and white. There was a white cone with two black circles in the cone. "What are these?" I asked.
"Those are your first pictures of your babies. The cone is your uterus and the black circles in the cone are your babies," Carmen said. I looked at the picture again and stared at the two little circles that were my babies. "If you don't have any questions for me I can take you back to the exam room. Dr. Beaulieu is waiting for you."
"Ok," I said and my mom, Carmen, and I stood up and went back to the exam room.
We walked into the exam room and my mom took her seat in the chair across the room and I sat down on the exam table. "Dr. Beaulieu will be in shortly. Congratulations, again," Carmen said before leaving the room.
It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door and Dr. Beaulieu walked into the room. "How did the ultrasound go?" she asked as she took a seat on the stool.
"Good," I said.
"Good," she replied. "Ok, from the measurements that Carmen got and the information you gave us I'm saying that you're about four weeks pregnant and that would put your due date being January eleventh. But because she's having twins she'll more than like go into labor early" She looked up from my chart and at me. She smiled. "Do you have any questions?" she asked. I looked at my mom and neither of us said anything. "Now with you being so young the pregnancy can come with risks and with you being pregnant with twins your pregnancy can come with more risks."
"What kind of risks?" I asked.
"You're at a higher risk for gestational diabetes. The babies are at a higher risk for low birth rate. You're at a high risk for preterm labor. Those are the main worries for you but if you receive proper prenatal care then you won't be at as high of a risk," Dr. Beaulieu said.
"Now you'll need to start taking prenatal vitamins. I'll write you a prescription. Also I have some pamphlets for you to read over."
Dr. Beaulieu handed me the pamphlets and I looked over them. I saw that one said what foods to avoid while pregnant. "Dr. Beaulieu, are there foods that I have to avoid while pregnant?" I asked.
"Yes, you should avoid raw meat, deli meats, seafood, raw eggs, soft cheeses, un pasteurized milk, pate, caffeine, alcohol, and unwashed vegetables," Dr. Beaulieu said.
"Ok," I said worried that I wouldn't remember any of it.
"It's all right there in that pamphlet," she said.
"Ok," I said relieved.
"Do you have any questions?" she asked.
"No," I replied. I searched my brain for questions but couldn't come up with a single one.
"Ok, I want to see you back in four weeks. In the meantime take it easy and try not to get overwhelmed or anxious. If you have any questions fell free to call and ask me," Dr. Beaulieu said.
"Ok," I said.
"Ok, I'll see you in four weeks," Dr. Beaulieu said and walked out of the room. I looked at my mom and she stood. I got off of the exam table and we walked out of the room and to the front desk to schedule my next appointment.
After scheduling my appointment my mom and I got on the elevator and went down to the lobby. When the elevator stopped we stepped off of the elevator. I began walking toward the entrance and my mom began walking toward the hallway that connected the Women's Center to the hospital. I stopped and said, "Momma, where are you going?"
"We're going to go tell your father," she replied.
"Tell him I'm pregnant?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied. Fear must have shown on my face because she walked over to me and said, "You have to tell him sooner or later and I honestly think sooner will be better than later."
"Ok," I said and we walked down the hallway to the main hospital.
My mom and I walked down the hall to the main lobby of the hospital. We got on an elevator and rode it to the seventh floor where the doctors' personal offices were. When the elevator stopped we got off and walked down the hall to my father's office. My mom knocked on the door and from the other side I heard my dad say, "Come in." My mom opened the door and we walked into his office. He looked up from the papers on his desk and smiled. "Ah if it isn't two of my favorite women, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.
My mom sat in one of chairs in front of my dad's desk and I sat in the chair opposite of her. "I took Rose to see Dr. Beaulieu today," my mom said.
My dad looked at me and asked, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said smiling.
"Good," my dad said. "So the two of you just came to say hello," he said.
"Not exactly," my mom said.
"What do you mean not exactly," my dad asked.
"Well Rose didn't exactly go just for a checkup," my mom said.
"Lilly," my dad said.
"It was more of a truth than a discovery," my mom dragged on.
"Lillian, quit beating around the bush," my dad said.
"Ok, Rosalie's pregnant, with twins," my mom said. I watched as my father began to change colors. I realized he wasn't breathing and my mom began to scream, "Jack, Jack, Jackson, breathe! Breathe, Jackson!"
My father's color returned and he looked at me. "How long have you known?" he asked.
"Just today and yesterday," I said.
"Please tell me it's Royce's," he said.
"Yes," I said.
"Good," my dad said.
"Jack, Sweetheart, what are we going to tell the boys?" my mom asked.
"The truth, their sister is pregnant and we're going to support her and take this one day at a time," my dad said.
"Ok," my mom said.
"Ok, I'll see you when I get home," my dad said.
"Ok, we'll see you when you get home," my mom said and she and I stood. We walked out of the office and down the hall to the elevator. We took the elevator to the main lobby and walked out of the hospital. We found my mom's car in the parking lot and went home.
Once my mom and I were home I went upstairs to my bedroom. I lied back on my bed staring at the ceiling. That night at dinner the conversation mainly relied on my brothers; which means that most of the conversation was about football. My parents and I avoided any and all conversation that could lead to talking about babies. After dinner I went upstairs to my room and changed into my pajamas. It wasn't long after I crawled under the covers that I fell asleep.