Robin inspected herself carefully in the mirror, turning to the side as she rested her hands over her abdomen. She strained her eyes as she squinted at her reflection, trying to imagine what she would like in just a matter of a few weeks. The swelling, the weight gain, the bags under her eyes – she knew that all of the physical manifestations of pregnancy were inevitable. However, for the first time in her life, she was looking forward to being anything less than perfect. She couldn't wait to embody all the little imperfections that went along with being pleasantly pregnant.
She felt his presence as her eyes raised to meet his in the mirror. Smiling self-consciously, she couldn't help but feel the familiar rush of warmth as a deep blush crept up her neck. "Hey," she whispered as he hobbled toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist. It was his first day out of the wheelchair, and although she could tell he was struggling, he was determined to walk into the ultrasound appointment at her side. "I don't know what I am going to wear to this. The doctor said to wear something comfortable, but I want to look cute. I don't want to look back on this day and think about how ridiculous I looked."
Barney rested his chin on her shoulder as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Scherbatsky, I'm not exactly sure what you think today is going to be like, but I can say with some degree of certainty that you're not going to remember what you were wearing when you think about this day. You are going to remember that this is the first time that we met our baby. Besides, you always look beautiful no matter what you're wearing."
Grinning at his reflection in the mirror, she decided that he was right and that she was being silly. "Let's just go, I can wear this," she declared as she turned around in his arms. Barney allowed her to kiss him briefly before pulling away from her to search her eyes. "I'm a little scared. What if something is wrong with the baby? I know that this is just standard protocol, but there is a chance that they could find something."
"You have got to stop worrying. There is no way there is going to be anything wrong with our kid," he assured her confidently. Robin helped guide him back into the living room so that they could finish getting ready. Barney was still having a hard time doing the normal things like getting dressed on his own. He sat on the edge of his hospital bed while Robin knelt down to help button his shirt. There was something so sexy about having a woman dress him that it took all Barney had not to lunge at her and undo all their progress. "Besides, did you forget who the parents to this baby are? I mean, c'mon, Robin. You're awesome, I'm legendary. Together, this kid is going to be awesomely legendary."
"I love your logic, Stinson," she giggled as she pulled the final button through the top loop. Robin wasn't a woman that giggled. She laughed or chuckled, but she didn't ordinarily giggle. Barney Stinson made her giggle. "You always make things easier without even trying. How do you do that?"
"I actually try pretty hard," he confessed before she helped him to his feet. He followed her slowly over to the coat closet where he retrieved their leather jackets. They were both made of the same smooth black calfskin, and he couldn't help but smile a little at the site of their things intermixed together. At this rate, he didn't care if he ever went back to his apartment. Just a quick upgrade in the electronics department, and he would be all about living with Robin for the rest of his life. Barney shivered. The thought of forever was still a little intimidating to former eternal bachelor. He held out the coat and helped Robin shrug it on before she returned the favor. "So, are you ready?"
Robin looked around her apartment, knowing that she would leave it one woman and come back another. She was already pregnant, but when she came back here, she felt like she would finally be a mother. It wasn't a feeling she had ever wanted, much like she had never planned on falling in love with an egotistical jerk like Barney. However, in keeping with the theme of giving her what she needed rather than what she wanted, Robin was incredibly happy to both be completely in love with a man that she now knew was secretly a softy and shamelessly looking forward to a lifetime of memories with their precious son and daughter.
The ride over to New York-Presbyterian Hospital was quiet in the taxi. Once Barney had found out Robin was pregnant, he had immediately called one of his friends from college that was both a doctor and a father. He had recommended the hospital because it was the best place to give birth just in case anything was to go wrong. After finding supportive material in his extensive research online, he had agreed with his friend's recommendation and convinced Robin to find an obstetrician among their qualified staff. There wasn't a lot he felt like he could contribute to the entire process, but this was something he could do. He could make sure that both Robin and their child got the best possible medical care in New York City.
An orderly was waiting for them at the curb when they arrived per their doctor's request. She knew of Barney's special circumstances and had promised to find a way to accommodate the situation. Barney nodded at the man gratefully as he made the transition in the hospital-issued chair. The plan was for him to take it upstairs and then stay with Robin in the waiting room until she was called in. He wanted to walk in there holding her hand, but his physical therapist was still insisting that he take it a little bit at a time.
"Robin Scherbatsky," she announced to the nurse sitting behind the glass window in the admittance room of the OBGYN wing. The older woman told her to sign the check-in sheet and handed over a clipboard of forms for her to fill out. Robin scrawled her name on the page and headed over to sit next to Barney while she filled out the paperwork. He was busy finding the hidden pictures in the latest edition of Highlights magazine, giggling as he struggled to make sense of the paper clip disguised as a fence post.
Ten minutes later, once Barney had checked off every item from his list and Robin had returned the clipboard to the nurse, the bubbly doctor came out into the main waiting room and announced that they could follow her back to a private room. "I don't believe we have met yet, Mr. Stinson. I am Dr. Webber," the blonde introduced herself as she handed Robin a paper gown to change into. "I will just give you a few minutes to change and we'll be right back with an ultrasound tech to get you set up."
Robin politely thanked the doctor before she pulled the door firmly shut. Barney leaned back in his chair and gaped unabashedly at her as she started to unbutton her oversized cardigan sweater. "I don't think so, Stinson," she sneered as she indicated for him to turn around. He winked at her saucily before turning toward the window. He could still see the faintest reflection of her changing in the window. "Alright, I'm decent."
Crossing the room, he carefully tied the thin straps of her gown behind her neck before laying a soft kiss just behind her left ear. "I can't wait until I get to take this off you later," he whispered into her ear before moving away from her. She turned around and stared at him with a hard look in her eyes and her hands on her hips. "Come on, Scherbatsky, shake it a little for me."
Her feigned hard exterior fell away as she burst into laughter at his typical suggestiveness. The doctor came in looking confused at the party the two of them seemed to be having in one of her examination rooms. "Well, why don't you get up on the table, Robin, and I will get this machine started," she informed the patient before flipping on the machine. A technician came in to help apply the cool gel to Robin's still-flat stomach. Barney sat up by her head, completely entranced by the entire process. The woman swabbed the goo over her tan skin before handing the doctor the wand that would allow the image of their baby to appear on the screen. "This might be a little cold."
Robin didn't hear the doctor's warning as she looked up into Barney's eyes. His gaze was fixed on the small color screen and lit was anticipation of finally seeing the baby they had been waiting weeks to finally meet. "Well, look at that," he mused as the doctor fell onto the baby's heartbeat. It was still a tiny image, barely bigger than those Mexican jumping beans he'd bought out the back of Mad magazine when he was a kid. "Robin, do you see it?"
She suddenly remembered an episode of Friends where Rachel had cried because she couldn't see her baby when she went to an ultrasound appointment with Ross. She had never really understood why the woman had gotten so overly emotional, but she couldn't imagine how awful she would feel if she didn't see the magic that was going on in front of her. "That's our baby," she murmured.
Barney reached down for Robin's hand as the doctor pointed out different things they were seeing on the screen. She then moved the ball over Robin's stomach as she grimaced at the screen. Dr. Webber only stopped when she came upon a second flashing burst of white and another rapid bass line. "Well, would you look at that…"
"What is it?" Barney asked. "Is everything okay?"
"Absolutely!" the doctor chirped as she reached up to press the print button to make copies of the ultrasound for the proud parents. "Actually, I have great news for you. Your babies are completely healthy and perfect."
"Babies?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow. "Did you say babies? As in plural? There is more than one in there?"
Dr. Webber nodded confidently as she handed up the color printouts for Robin and Barney to inspect. "Here is the first one," she explained, pointing to a small blur in the first image. "This is the second baby."
Barney stared at the duplicate images. "We're having twins." It wasn't a question or a cry. It was a simple statement of realization and confirmation. They weren't just going to be parents, they were going to be parents two times over. "We are having twins."
"Yeah, Barn, that's what she said," Robin said softly as he squeezed her hand. She was about to remind Barney that they could do this and assure him that they would get through it together when he captured her in a surprising kiss. He pulled back slightly to press his forehead to hers. "This is a good thing?"
"This is a great thing," he confirmed as he brushed a soft kiss over her lips. "I love you."
In a former life, Barney Stinson would have been too scared to even show up at an appointment with his baby's mother, let alone admit that he was completely in love with her. Robin would have been nothing more than a fling with an inconvenient aftertaste. He would have put in the necessary face time until he could sneak out and head to MacClaren's for a single malt scotch with a side of whatever bimbo was sitting at the bar. However, that Barney was long gone. What remained was the man who was completely in love with his best friend, a responsible partner in this new parenthood journey and a father that couldn't wait to peer over the edge of a crib at his beautiful children.
The doctor told the couple that she would give them a few minutes of Robin to change before excusing herself to check on another patient. Robin quickly discarded her gown in favor of the soft cashmere cardigan and faded jeans that she had come to the hospital in. When she was fully dressed again, she came over and perched at Barney's lap so that they could look at the pictures again. "Yep, awesomely legendary," Robin agreed as she traced the faint outline of their babies.
Barney leaned his head against Robin's and covered his hand with hers. "I'm never going to forget what happened here today. It's so amazing," he proclaimed as they both stared at the colored photographs. It was the most beautiful site either of them had ever seen, and they just couldn't seem to tear their eyes away. "This is how we met our babies."