Both Violet and Klaus, feeling extremely satisfied, very hungry, and slightly euphoric after their lazy day spent naked in the bed, rode together to pick up the girls from school with plans to take them out for an early supper. Driving with one hand on the wheel and the other flopped across the seat to draw light patterns in Violet's palm, he noticed that her other hand lay casually over her lower abdomen, unconsciously protective.
"Have you been to see the doctor?" he asked, thinking of it for the first time.
"No," she shook her head. "I haven't."
Klaus took his hand from hers, wiggling awkwardly in the car seat to reach into his back pocket, taking out his phone. "I'll make an appointment with Dr. Belser. You liked her."
Less than a week later found the pair seated together in a small exam room, the white walls pasted with posters of the stages of pregnancy, diagrams of the woman's internal organs, advertisements for intrauterine devices for birth control, and a shelf full of old tattered magazines. Violet was undressed on the exam chair, covered only with a paper blanket. Dr. Belser asked Violet a series of questions about her diet, exercise regime, last menstrual period, birth control and her sex life. When she had entered all of the pertinent information into her computer, she leveled Violet with a very serious look.
"I am obviously a little concerned that you would be pregnant again so close to the last one. You haven't really given your body much chance to heal, physically or mentally."
"I'm feeling really good," Violet assured the physician.
The doctor switched her gaze to Klaus. "And you're keeping a close eye on her?"
"Yes. I'm working from home and Violet is taking it easy," he also assured.
"Why have you waited so long to come to me?" she asked, checking the dates again on her computer. "Last pregnancy you were getting check ups from the very first month." She was very observant and a little nosy.
Klaus and Violet shared a look. They had no good answer for the doctor.
"Okay, then." The doctor pulled the stirrups out from their hiding spot in the exam chair. "Time for everybody's favorite activity." The doctor put on her gloves and Violet groaned with an eye roll in sarcastic agreement. The internal exam didn't hurt, but it was never pleasant to bear such immodesty as the spreading of one's legs up in the air for the purpose of the doctor's judgment and diagnosis. She inserted her cold gloved fingers to probe at Violet's cervix while simultaneously pushing lightly on her abdomen. It was over before she'd barely started. Thank God.
"Yes, I'd say you're right on schedule for the dates you gave me, though you feel a little squashier than someone should at the end of their first trimester."
"Squashier?" Klaus asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised. "Is that a medical term?"
The doctor laughed but didn't explain herself. "I'm going to prescribe you some prenatal vitamins. Have you been having any morning sickness?" Violet shook her head. "Wonderful, but don't be surprised if it sneaks up on you in the second trimester. It's been known to do that." She looked at Klaus again. "Also, I like to remind the fathers that sex is perfectly okay right up until the mother gives birth. You'll find that Violet might be a little more…aroused?" Dr. Belser winked at Klaus. "Don't forget, it's your job to keep her happy and stress free." The doctor handed them the prescription note. "I'm going to ask you to stay here at the office for a few more minutes so we can go ahead and get an ultrasound. Okay?"
Both the Baudelaires nodded. The nurse made Violet gulp down a whole bottle of water and when her bladder was so full she thought she might cry, the ultrasound technician called them into her dark office. Once on the exam table, the tech helped Violet pull her pants down around her hips so that she had free access to her patient's lower abdomen.
"This is going to be cold," she warned before spreading some clear gel over the small wand and placing it under Violet's belly button. Immediately there was the static and swishing of the instrument moving over Violet's skin and the pictures that wavered on the screen were unrecognizable to Klaus. The tech would sometimes hold still and press buttons on her keyboard, pausing the screen to take pictures. Once, she gave a little laugh, then typed furiously onto her computer.
"Is everything okay?" asked Violet.
"Can you tell us what we're looking at?" asked Klaus.
The technician was smiling broadly. She moved the sonar wand until she found a good angle and Klaus could almost make out the shape of a small human. The tech pointed to the screen. "This is your baby, and…" she pointed to a quivering spot on the screen, "this is its heart beating."
"Oh," Violet said in wonder.
They took a minute to study the small, almost formless creature, before the tech moved the wand again, aiming it from a different direction. "And this is your other baby and as you can see, here is its heart beating."
"There's two?" Violet exclaimed.
"Oh God," Klaus groaned and shared a long, knowing look with Violet. "And you're sure there aren't three babies?"
"Three? No, there's two," stated the tech. "Why would there be three?"
"Oh," he said, as amused at the situation as he was afraid. "Multiples runs in the family." A snort of realization burst from Violet followed by the threat of tears. She pressed her fingers against her lips to keep from crying.
"All right," said the tech. "We're all done here if you want to use the bathroom, Mrs. Baudelaire. I'll let the doctor know what these results were and see if she wants to talk with you again, okay?"
Violet nodded emphatically, rushing her way off the exam table and through the door to the toilet. When she returned the tech told them that doctor didn't need to see them again today, but to come back in two weeks instead of a month.
When they got back to the car, they each just sat there, lost in the shock of the news. Klaus had his hands on the steering wheel but his mind was elsewhere. Two babies! Twins. It was terrible. It was incredible. It was unthinkable. It was a miracle. Klaus simply could not decide how he felt about it…them. Violet's hand brushed over his shoulder, startling him out of his introspection.
He cut a glance to her. She was watching him with wide, cautious eyes. Was she afraid that it was too much for him? She was right to be afraid. It was a lot. It didn't have to be his responsibility, except…he found that a trickle of excitement had leaked its way into his veins and that stupid, silly hope, the one that just wouldn't give up no matter how many times it was dashed on the rocks, that hope that saw all of the potential unfold before him like a red carpet, the hope that he and Violet could have these two babies, that they would be healthy and grow into somebody along with Sunny and Beatrice, and in turn that he could grow old with Violet, surrounded by the people they love.
There was so much hope, in fact, that he couldn't hold back a smile. Violet's face melted into a puddle of relief and the joy that she must've been holding back from him burst from her mouth in a glorious smile. And then there was no turning back. His decision was made. It was real. This was actually happening. He lifted a palm to stroke Violet's cheek, then he kissed her just so that he could feel that sweet smile that played on her lips.
"Congratulations," he said quietly, pulling back a little to see her.
He turned the key in the ignition.
"We need to tell Sunny and Bea," he said, maneuvering the car from the parking space and out of the lot.
"I know. I'm starting to show and Sunny's going to notice soon," Violet replied.
Klaus scoffed, because that was the understatement of the year. "And I don't like the way Beatrice jumps on you all the time. She might accidentally hurt you."
"She's fine. She doesn't hurt me."
"It might not hurt for her to be aware of the situation is all I'm saying." He paused, hated talking about Quigley, but feeling the need to ask. "How much do you want to tell them, Violet?"
He saw her glance at him nervously out of the corner of her eye and she cleared her throat. "Can I be honest? Even if I sound crazy?"
"I guess I prefer it." He already knew what she wanted.
"What good would it do to tell them about Quigely? He's gone." Violet shook her head like it was the biggest waste, and Klaus did agree. Quigley had been a good friend and whether he liked to admit it or not, Violet was much better and he figured Quigley had a lot to do with that. Violet continued, "It would only confuse them, especially Beatrice. She basically thinks we're her parents, Klaus. And it's not like our relationship isn't already confusing enough. Sunny hasn't questioned it much, but she's grown up with it."
"Did you tell Quigley?" Klaus asked.
She shook her head. "I already told you. I was going to tell him, but then there was the accident."
"No. I didn't mean about the pregnancy. I meant…did you tell him about us?"
"No. I didn't tell him," she answered quickly. Klaus nodded. It was best to keep it secret from people who remembered them from their childhood. "I think he guessed it, though."
This surprised Klaus. "Really? What makes you say that?" He turned onto the highway and sped up to merge into traffic.
"I suppose it's my fault. He said it was the way I sounded when I talked about you, how I didn't answer his questions very directly when he asked about you. He never outright asked me, but he'd say things like 'You and Klaus have a really special relationship, huh?' or 'I hope Klaus realizes what a great girl you are," but I still never admitted to it, I swear."
"I do."
"What?"
"I do realize what a great girl you are," and he gave her a little sideways smile.
"Those were his words, not mine." She held her hands up in defense. "Anyways" she said, over exaggerating the word, "So my bit of crazy is about to show," she warned. "Remember how great you just said I was, okay?"
"Okay?" Klaus asked skeptically.
"So, I just want you, Klaus. You have to know that. I want you to be the father to the baby…these babies. Can we just keep Quigley a secret…you know, forever? I don't want them to know any different father than you. Is that crazy? I'm so sorry." Her words were a torrent, part pleading and part apology.
He was nodding his head, but didn't agree outright. "Let's just focus on the here and now. I don't think Sunny will suspect. She's smart, but hasn't had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. It's not something we questioned our parents, was it? And since you were pregnant not so long ago, it won't be that farfetched. We'll play it by ear, okay?"
She heaved a melancholy sigh and looked out the window. "I messed up, Klaus."
"No, you didn't," he said kindly. "We wanted a baby and it wasn't safe to have one together. It's a good thing." Maybe if he said it enough he would come to believe it. "It was hard… but it's getting easier."
"Thank you," Violet said. "I love you."
"So, do we want to grab some lunch or do we need to head back home and"- and he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively- "keep you stress free?"
"Can't I have both?"
"Greedy!"