Sorry it's been a while and I am sorry this update is so short. My muse is really struggling with tying up this story so I can complete it. It knows what it wants to do, but when it comes to writing it my muse can't seem to write it down. Thank you for being patient with me. Enjoy!

Chapter 22

"Ah, that sounds like a great venue," Anna agreed, glancing over Luke's shoulder.

"What do you think, Dad?" Luke questioned his father. John sat up from his desk and walked over to where his wife and son were planning Luke's upcoming birthday party.

"Looks great to me," he said. It was a small venue where they could set up a screen for a nighttime showing of a movie. Luke told them he wanted a 'cool' birthday party because he was getting older.

"It sounds wonderful. I'll call Ethel and have her book it."

Anna stepped around the corner and pressed the heel of her hand against her mouth. She inhaled and tried to keep herself from vomiting. This had been happening all week and she had an idea why. However, she was too afraid to take the test to see. The past year had been full of heartbreak. Anna didn't want to get her hopes up only to find out she was wrong. So instead, she just pushed back her thoughts and told herself she was likely coming down with a bug. The exact same lie she had been telling herself all week.

"My darling?" John lovingly questioned, coming up beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a loving caress. Anna just gave him a smile.

"I'm fine. I think I might be coming down with a bug, is all. I just need it to pass before next weekend at Luke's party."

"Yes, I'm sure you'll feel better then."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

She was not, in fact, better by Luke's birthday party day. As she hurled into the toilet, she could hear John stepping behind her. Slowly, she sat up and wiped her mouth with her lips. Turning to John, she saw he had a box in his hand. Upon seeing what he held, her mouth twisted to one side. She had thought she was being discreet about how she felt, but apparently John had noticed all the signs as well.

"Take the test," John said, handing the box over to Anna.

"But what if….."

"Then, we'll know," John answered. He helped Anna stand up and pressed a kiss on top of her forehead.

Anna opened the box and John stepped out into the bedroom. It didn't even need to take a minute, as soon as the test registered her urine the two pink lines popped up. Anna stared at it for several seconds, before quickly rushing to John.

"Yes," was all she could say. John's eyes lit up.

"Yes?" He questioned.

"Yes!" Anna wrapped her arms around John's chest and he lifted her up, spinning her in the air.

"A baby!" John exclaimed. "We're going to have a baby!"

Anna landed back on her feet and stepped back a couple of steps, before shaking her head.

"Let's not get too excited, not yet. The last two times I was pregnant….."

"This time will be different," John strongly stated. "It's a feeling I have."

Anna chuckled.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, just you being optimistic, you're usually the realist," Anna said.

"Of course I'm optimistic! We're having a baby!"

"You're having a baby?" Luke's voice made them both jump. Anna bit down on her lower lip and glanced to John. They hadn't planned on telling him, or anyone (outside of Sybil) about their pregnancy until she was further along. But here they were now with an expectant Luke staring at the both of them waiting for an answer.

"Yes," John finally replied. "Anna is pregnant."

Luke jumped up.

"Really!?"

"Yes," Anna answered.

"Best birthday gift EVER!" He happily yelled, before running to John and Anna and wrapping his arms around the both of them. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Anna and John giddily laughed at Luke's joy.

"Now we aren't telling anyone just yet," John informed his son. "We want to wait until we are sure the baby is healthy."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Luke wondered. John inhaled and he placed his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Sometimes, babies leave us before we can meet them," John explained in the simplest way he could think of. He hoped that would be enough for Luke, but prepared himself for more questioned. Luke just smiled.

"Well, this baby isn't going to leave us! It's my birthday present!" Luke then ran out of the room leaving Anna and John alone.

"Oh John, he'll be heartbroken if anything happens," Anna moaned, her head falling in her hands. John brought his hand up to message her neck.

"It will be alright," he promised her. "He's a strong kid." She nodded. She knew that to be true, but the child had already been through a lot with losing his mother as a toddler. If she could spare him more heartache, she would. But she knew this was something she couldn't control.

"Anna! Dad! Come on! My party starts in an hour!"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Anna purposely set her doctor's appointment around when she was almost ten weeks. It was when her last baby had passed in her womb, so she wanted confirmation that the baby was alright. She still felt extremely sick. It was actually impacting her work days and making it harder and harder to keep her secret from Mary, who kept looking at her suspiciously.

Sitting on the table, she felt John's hand rest upon her shoulder. She knew he was anxious, but was trying to cover it up to be supportive for her. She was absolutely bubbling over with nervousness.

Sybil asked her to lie down and Anna did as she was told.

"I….my pants have been really snug," Anna apprehensively informed Sybil. She knew she wasn't picturing that, but she told herself that it could be the sweets she had been craving lately.

"That's a good sign," Sybil replied with a bright smile.

John took the seat next to Anna and held her hand tightly. Anna held her breath. As Sybil placed the wand over Anna's stomach, almost immediately, the pounding sound filled the room.

"So….so it's alright?" Anna feebly questioned. But Sybil didn't respond. Her eyes were narrowed in on the screen and she was biting on her lower lip. "Sybil?"

Noticing Anna's anxious question, Sybil jerked her head up and gave Anna a smile. She turned the screen to show them their baby.

"I would say they are perfectly perfect."

John and Anna both glanced at Sybil confused

"They?"

"It's twins?"

"No," Sybil laughed. "It's triplets."

John nearly fell out of his seat.

"You're joking," Anna said, slightly looking up to get a better look at the screen.

"I'm not."

"You….you have to be," John stuttered, his hand coming up over his lips. He was 47 years old. By the time the babies were born, he would be nearly 48. That would mean he would be 64 when the triplets graduated. As he continued the math in his head, he blanched. Sure having one child at an older age could be fine, but three of them? Sleepless nights had been hard enough at 37. He couldn't imagine what it would be like with three babies. And there were only two of them. What if all three were crying at the same time? What would they do then?

Anna seemed to notice John's head reeling and she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Are you alright?" She sweetly asked him, giving him a gentle smile. But as soon as John saw her face, he knew they would be alright. They had each other, they had Luke. Together, they could take over the world.

"Absolutely."

To be continued...