Two weeks later they left Charlie with Chloe and went to their first appointment, "Ready to go see our Little Snowflake or flakes."
"Yes," Piper held her hands over her belly, the beginnings of a bump starting to form.
An hour later they were looking at the white blur that was their second child.
"We made a baby again, Al. Snowflake is really there."
"I thought it wouldn't be as amazing as the first time we saw Charlie but it is. I'm kind of sad it's just one."
Dr. Heckel interrupted their exchange,"I didn't say there's just one. Piper is measuring a week ahead of what she should be. I can only verify one sac, one embryo right now but this early that's not an exact science. Which is why I want to see you in a week and a half. All looks good, take extra folic acid just in case there are two. I'll make some copies. You know the drill stay on the estrogen and progesterone."
"Thanks Dr. Heckel."
"You guys did all the real work."
Eight days later the two nervously returned to the clinic, Piper had been super sick since the day after her initial appointment and Alex was still having her dreams.
"You ready babe?"
"I guess. If there aren't two heartbeats then I don't know what's going on inside my body. Most people hate that but for people who have been through what we have its even worse."
"I know babe. Shh, I know, you forget I was there. Either way we are blessed on top of blessed and will get through it as we always do, together. C'mon my love," she answered with a kiss. The two then walked into the clinic hand in hand.
"Well hello, Alex, Piper. So how has this week been?"
"The morning sickness has settled in with a vengeance. I don't remember being this sick with Charlie. Luckily I know what works from that pregnancy."
"Your still measuring a bit big. So let's get another ultrasound and hope we can get a clearer picture."
With that Piper laid back and took Alex's hand as the doctor put her feet in the stirrups and stuck the probe inside her. After a few minutes an image flickered onto the screen.
"There's the placenta. There's one sac with a baby measuring at six weeks and a strong heart beat and there's a second sac, measuring around 5 weeks, 3 days and a weak heartbeat. There's identical twins in there, for now anyway. Baby B is measuring behind, you need to prepare yourself for the embryo not to make it. Most likely in the next few weeks it will be absorbed by the placenta. I wish I could give you better news, but I can't."
"Could the one miscarriage cause the other to miscarry?"
"I've seen both things happen and no one can know."
He left the room and Piper started to sob, "I just started getting to know these babies and now one or both might die. I can't do this. I'm so scared."
"Me too. All we can do is pray and remind ourselves of the miracles we've been given and that when our faith falters our angel Diane won't let anything truly bad ever happen to us. We are going to have identical twins this fall. There's just no other option, my love."
"I'll try."
"I want to hear you say you'll love and treasure every day we get with these babies."
"I already do, Al. I already do."
Three weeks later, Alex and Piper went for their initial appointment with the high risk OB they found, Dr. Aurelia. They had told a few of their closest friends, some thought they were crazy for having kids so close together. Either way they were happy for them. But they had kept one big secret, that they had conceived identical twins because Piper decided the only thing worse than probably losing one of her babies would be having to talk about it. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, just that the pain scared her and to talk about her fears and the loss of a baby would be worse. Other than the two of them only Lauren knew about the twins and she only told her because of how it affected Piper from moment to moment.
Alex patted her wife's small bump as she helped her onto the table then she sat next to her in a chair as the doctor came into the room.
"Hello Mrs. Daniels. And is this a friend?"
"This is my wife, Alex and the bio mom of these babies. She's the other Mrs. Daniels."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just don't see as many gay families here as I did in school."
"Where did you go?"
"NYU undergrad, Chicago then Columbus for my fellowship. You are ten weeks? And you are turning 37 in June."
"Yes."
"Let's see prior pregnancy last year that resulted in a healthy son. Modified bed rest at the end because of possible pre eclampsia, ruled out. Midwife assisted natural birth, referred to my office because of likely multiple pregnancy."
"Yes. I had a moderate TBI almost three years ago plus back, knee, rib fractures and internal injuries, chronic PTSD and I went off of unnecessary medications and therapies during my pregnancy and that caused me to have headaches and dizziness. Is natural labor ruled out?"
"Not necessarily. Depending on position of the babies during labor its possible. Some perinatologists push medicated birth and C-sections but I don't unless there's triplets or higher order multiples or health reasons. Your BP and weight gain is great. I'm going to take some measurements and try to listen to the heartbeats."
"No ultrasound? I've been an emotional mess the last three weeks after the RE told me to expect to loose one of our babies."
"Typically I do ultrasounds for my transfers at twelve, sixteen, twenty, twenty four and then weekly after week thirty-two. But hearing two heartbeats isn't an exact science. If I write in your paperwork I couldn't find both heartbeats then insurance will pay for it."
"Would you?"
"I should be able to. Especially since I feel bad about asking if your wife was your friend."
Piper laid back and the doctor took the necessary measurements of her belly.
"It's consistent with what I would expect from a twin pregnancy."
She then pulled out a Doppler and they all heard a heartbeat. Then she wheeled in an ultrasound machine. Piper was too scared to look so Alex did.
"Babe, turn and look. One and two babies with hearts pumping."
"They are both measuring on target. They look a bit on the large side actually. Heart rates are strong. Some babies just get a slow start with their growth, and these ones are just those kinds of babies. You are definitely having identical twins in their own sacs but sharing a placenta. Which is the most common kind of identical twins. Congrats mommies."
Piper slowly pulled her shirt down and herself up slowly. Piper climbed down then threw her arms around her wife and kissed her.
"Alex! We're having twins! This is gonna be crazy but the only thing better than seeing both our babies was when I saw you wheeled into the day room and I knew you were still alive."
When they were home Alex pulled Piper's shirt up and kissed her bump, "Your mommies love you both so much, we prayed so much for you both to survive and you did. Of course you did, you have your mommies' strength. And your big brother is going to love you just as much as we do."
After dinner they picked up Charlie so he could sit between them on the couch. They read him a book about a character who gets younger identical twin siblings.
"Mommy is going to have identical twin babies. So they will both either be little girls or little boys. You you are going to be a big brother."
"You hah bae-oo?"
"You remember how I told you mommy and I are in love like boys and girls usually are? How instead of a mommy and a daddy you have a mommy and a momma?"
"Yes."
"That means they are my babies too but its in mommy's tummy not mine. But I'm their egg mommy like I am yours."
"Win ca pay wi'em?"
"They are still tiny. They need mommy's help to get bigger. You will get to meet them around October. So seven more months. And sometimes mommy might feel sick or not have the energy to play with you. There might be times she can't pick you up. But she still loves you very much."
"I do sweetheart. You will always be my baby boy. I'm not replacing you, your so amazing we wanted another baby just like you and instead of one we were blessed with two. You wanna see some pictures of when you were in my belly?"
"Yes."
Piper grabbed a picture album of her belly pictures from the coffee table. She showed him a video of her in a dress that was tight on her three months pregnant bump on Alex's birthday/their second wedding anniversary. Another of her bump sticking out a foot in front of her at Christmas time. Then the last video before Charlie was born on their fifteen years since first meeting anniversary a little under a month before his birth.
"Mommy you were huge!"
"I felt huge. I could barely walk or breathe."
"Did I do that to you?"
"Yes."
"Will these babies do that?"
"They'll probably make me even bigger cause instead of one there's two. Them making me big, just like with you, will mean they're healthy."
"Will they move around?"
"Yes and when they get bigger you'll be able to feel them."
"Is that why momma's hand is on your belly in the last two videos?"
"Yes. Any questions you have you can always ask me or momma, okay? And its alright to get mad or annoyed sometimes but talk to us, okay?"
"Okay mommy," he gave them each a kiss and took off for his room.
"Well, that went well Pipes."
"He really is the perfect child. You think these babies will be anywhere near how amazing, smart, creative and thoughtful he is? What if they are little terrors?"
"No matter what we will shower them with so much love and so will Charlie. We will raise them up and they will look to all three of us for inspiration as they grow."