Chapter 24

Our baby was due sometime in April of next year. I was going to have to go into the school year carrying my second child. It was my first ever teaching job as well. I was somewhere between 10 and 14 weeks pregnant. We found out about our pregnancy way before that, but I wasn't sure what week that was. I finally noticed my absent period a few days after the trip to the doctor. It was supposed to fall in the last week of summer but it didn't.

Naturally I had to tell everyone. I called my Dad straight away. I told him there wasn't any trouble but to meet me at our favorite spot by the lake, and to bring mom, Justice, and Jesse. They met with me at a pavilion.

"Hey sweetie." Dad said as he approached. With me I brought food and gift bags for them.

"What is all this?" Mom asked and hugged me after Dad.

"It's not anyone's birthday." Justice replied after.

"No...no it's not but today is still a special day. I want to tell you all about it, but I was hoping to have lunch first."

I escorted them over to the picnic table. I felt too weak to cook but I bought us a fast food take home meal for us to enjoy. Mom laughed slightly and sat down. They were all so confused.

"Did you find a new teaching job?" Mom asked.

"No." I said with a smile.

Dad grinned at me.

"Well it's good news whatever it is." He said as he sat down next to Mom.

"What about a new car, and can I have your old one?!" Justice intervened.

"Justice!" Mom scolded.

"No...and no I still need that car...but tell you what whoever gets their drivers license first can have it."

"Did Bryan do something" Jesse finally asked. He had been quiet for some time, but then again Jesse normally is."

"Oh just tell us!" Mom exclaimed.

I laughed and handed her a gift bag. I then handed Dad's his.

"Mom open yours first than dad...Jesse and Justice you can open yours after."

"Okay...well let's see...this is exciting." Mom started taking the tissue paper from the bag. Inside was a T-shirt that read: 'Baby 2 April 2041'. It was purple. Mom's favorite color. Mom pulled it out and stared at the back of the shirt.

"You got to turn it over." I instructed. Mom flipped the shirt over to read the message near the pocket. She screamed so loud it echoed across the lake. I laughed.

"No, Harmione, no, are you serious?!"

I nodded.

Mom screamed again. She began to cry and she hugged me.

Dad unplugged his ears and stared hopelessly lost.

"Open yours babe, read the shirt, did he get one too?"

"You all did."

Mom screamed again. She wrapped her arms around me and began to cry into my shoulder. She did the same with Bryan. She was happy to be a grandma, but since my miscarriage she's been even happier that I'm a mom. Dad looked at his shirt. It was green, Jesse's was blue, and Justice's was black. They all said the same thing. I had them made special.

Dad couldn't take his eyes off his shirt. His eyes were glossed over and he began to cry. Justice went ahead and put his shirt on.

"Hey as long as this one thinks I'm the favorite uncle." He replied.

"Awww Justice, Bryan likes you." I tried to reassure him.

"Yeah, I know, but he still likes Jesse best."

"Can you blame him?" Jesse asked him.

Justice elbowed Jesse.

"Boys. Behave." Dad reprimanded them as he stood up. Mom wiped tears from her eyes and moved so Dad could get to me. He embraced me and kissed the top of my head.

"Congratulations Princess...you're doing so well for yourself despite all you've been through...I love you so much."

"I love you too Daddy."

Dad grunted as he tried to squeeze me. He slowly let go and wiped some tears from his eyes. He was desperately trying to hide the fact he was crying. Mom grabbed his arm and stroked it.

"Speaking of Dad's-" Mom began.

"Does Charlie know?"

I nodded.

"He was there when I found out."

Dad hugged me again. He then moved his arm around Mom. We started to group hug when Jesse joined us.

"I'm happy for you too sissy, but I'm not much of a hugger I-"

Justice was interrupted by Dad pulling Justice by the shirt into our hug. Our family was about to get even bigger I was so ecstatic for the future. Speaking of future, school was now in session. It was time for me to mold the minds of other kids futures.

My first day as a Kindergarten teacher began with introductions to the first class I would ever teach. My room was down the hall from Mrs. Brunner's and my door was rainbow themed.

"Hello everyone I'm Harmione LeMay. You can call me Mrs. LeMay or just Har if my name is to hard for you to say."

In that moment the kids all said hello to me in their own special ways. The name LeMay echoed across the room. I beamed a smile at them.

"Okay, we're going to start today off with a story okay, I want everyone on the mat."

They got up one by one and sat down on the mat. I was in a floral sundress so I had to sit on my knees and cover my ankles.

"This is the story of the bear who wanted to go to the moon."

It was inspiring to see their little faces staring up at me. They were captavited by my every word. When it was time to do our vocabulary words I helped a small boy named AJ with his letters.

"Thank you Mrs. LeMay."

"You're welcome AJ."

I hugged him from the side and took my pen to show him how to write the letter e. By the end of the day I had all of them writing their own names. It wasn't all sunshine though. During our math lesson two girls got into a fight over a purple pony eraser.

"Kelly, Sarah...please share the eraser...if you can't I'm going to take it away."

Sadly, I ended up putting it in my desk for the rest of the afternoon. To solve the problem I later bought another eraser just like it so they could each have one. When school let out around 2:55, I had to make sure all of the kids got either to the right cars, or on the right bus respectfully. I then had to get myself to the doctor's office for my 3:30 appointment. Charlie picked me up in his truck. He had Bryan with him.

Today I was going in for an ultrasound. It was too early to tell the gender of our baby. But our baby was big enough to finally be captured in a picture. We decided on the drive there to explain to Bryan that I had a baby in my tummy, and that he was gonna be a big brother. We tried our best to put it in words he'd understand, and show him the ultrasound picture today. He responded with:

"For reals!"

"Yes, for real Bry."

Bryan screamed a high pitch shrill. Charlie and I laughed.

"Are we going to go get them?!"

"No, not yet they're in mommy's tummy we'll see them later, but today they are gonna take a little camera and take a picture so we can see them...they'll be really tiny." Charlie told him.

"Daddy?"

"What's up little man?"

"If I'm gonna be big brother, where will my brother sleep?"

"Well Bry, we don't know if it's a boy or girl yet...and we'll have to get a crib for them to sleep in your room." I responded.

"Why can't they just sleep in my bed with me?"

Charlie and I laughed.

"Cause Bry, I told you they'll be really little." Charlie said again.

"Like littler than me?"

"Yep much smaller than you." Charlie answered him as he parked the car.

"Okay we'll be right here babe."

"Okay, Bryan be good for Daddy, I'm gonna go in here and get the picture and be right out okay?"

I picked up my purse and shut the car door. My heart soared as I entered the clinic. I did everything I did with Bryan. The ultrasound felt just the same. It was then something serious happened. It was something so shocking, so unexpected that I didn't know what to do. Once they handed me the picture. They had it marked up in pen to pinpoint what the monitor saw. I just broke down in tears. I didn't know what I was going to tell Charlie and Bryan. I didn't know if I could. I just stared at the image and covered my mouth. I sobbed into my hand.

"Are you gonna be alright?" The nurse asked.

I just nodded with tears. I didn't know how to respond. I couldn't talk. I couldn't think. I was completely bewildered. I was an emotional wreak. I took that long walk back to the truck. I tried to gather the wotds, but nothing was coming to mind. How could I tell them?

When I approached Charlie had the windows down, and Bryan was in his lap. I opened the door and looked at Charlie. His face turned into a frown.

"What's a matter?" He said sternly. "You look like you've been crying."

I nodded and handed him the envelope with the picture in it.

"Bryan, look Mommy's got the picture."

He took it from me, and quickly opened it. He glanced at me then back at the picture.

"Har..."

I just nodded and laughed slightly.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"No, I'm not kidding, look at the picture...now you know why I've been crying."

"Holy shit!"

"Charlie ssh!" I tried to cover his mouth and he moved my hand.

"Oh my God. Ohhh my God." Charlie sighed and began to lose his breath.

"Are you alright?"

"I...I don't know...oh my god, holy ssh...oh fuuuuu-"

Charlie quickly rubbed his nose and looked away from me. Bryan just giggled.

"Bryan look at this, look, mommy has three babies in her tummy!"

Charlie stroked my stomach then looked back at Bryan.

"You are gonna be the oldest of four Bry!"

I just laughed with tears in my eyes. Bryan laughed with me. Charlie touched his chest and held his heart.

"Oh Har...holy shit."

"Charlie!"

"What are we gonna do Har, we'll have to move, our house isn't big enough for- oh my God!"

I stroked his arm.

"Triplets Har!"

Bryan patted Charlie's chest.

"Bryan, do you realize you're not getting one baby brother or sister, you're getting three! Oh my God!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Bryan shouted and bounced up and down.

"Here get back in the back bud."

Bryan crawled around us and got in his car seat.

"Oh my God Har...we're stopping after this I'm going in for a vasectomy you know that!"

I scoffed and burst into a laughing fit. Charlie grew quiet and just stared at the picture labeled baby A through C. He then began to cry.

I kissed his cheek.

"Harmione...I'm crazy excited...but I'm so happy...triplets babe."

"I know." I began to cry again. He turned and kissed me. We cried as we stared at the picture. I held Bryan's hand. Together the three of us were going to make a charmed life for the three of them. Our happy family of six.