Chapter 23

~.~

March 21, 2031

I wake up to Penny, Becky's service dog, grabbing at my nightshirt.

Something's wrong.

"Penny? What is it, girl?"

She barks and beckons me to follow her. We head across the hall to the bathroom where my wife is getting sick.

"Honey, you okay?" I ask.

She finishes and sits on the toilet seat, wiping her mouth with some toilet paper.

"I'm fine."

"Do you need to take a pregnancy test?"

"Eret, I'm 36. There's no way I could be pregnant."

"There is a possibility, love. I'll go out and get a pregnancy test tomorrow…well, later today. Why don't we go back to bed?"

Becky nods and, Penny following us, we head back to bed.

That morning, later in the day, I go out to a drug store to buy a pregnancy test, something I haven't done in 14 years.

Ruby is at school, almost done with her first year of high school.

I head home and Becky is on the couch with Penny, and she goes into the bathroom to take the test.

She comes out of the bathroom minutes later, a small smile on her face.

"I'm pregnant."

~.~

We head to the doctor days later during the week, while Ruby is in school, and it turns out we are expecting.

~.~

Weeks pass, with Becky's bump growing rapidly, and we head back to the doctor for a checkup to make sure everything is okay.

Turns out, we're expecting twins.