The reply to her letter came a week later. It was so thin that at first she
wondered if there were anything in it at all. She opened it and a single
thin piece of paper fell out onto her carpeting. It was a check, for enough
double dollars to last her for some time. No letter, but the message was
clear. 'Take the money, do not contact us again.' Meryl kneeled next to the
fallen paper in the middle of her apartment. Caressing her now slightly
rounding stomach she grit her teeth. 'I'll just have to make my own family
now.'
Her sonogram was scheduled for the next day. Millie went with her to the doctor's. She hadn't been angry at Meryl for running out of the house. When Meryl mentioned it she only shrugged her shoulders and tossed her head as if it were nothing. Then she had patted Meryl on the head and told her how frightened she had been having her first child and that she understood.
'Yeah,' thought Meryl, 'But at least you weren't alone.'
Soon Meryl found herself on yet another uncomfortable table. This time laying flat on her back as the technician rubbed some shockingly cold substance over her stomach. Millie smiled at her warmly and held her trembling hand.
"Hmmmm.." said the technician considering, "How far along did you say you were?"
"Ummm.." Meryl stalled, embarrassed, "Actually, I'm not completely sure. Maybe a month, a month and a half." The technician nodded without even turning his eyes from the tiny black and white screen before him.
"You look a little big for that," he mumbled, then brightening, "Ah, I see, that's why."
"What?!" Meryl cried suddenly fearful. There had been no fear in the technicians voice, no concern, but anything out of the ordinary couldn't be good. Could it?
The young man sitting at her side bathed her in his shining greens eyes and favored her with a wry half smile. "Look's like you're carrying an extra passenger." Turning the small monitor towards the two breathless women, he moved away so that they could get a better look. "Twins," he explained with a wave of his hand.
Meryl blinked. All she could see was some random black and grey splotches that could have been almost anything. Millie cooed in excitement, but Meryl thought she probably couldn't make anything out either. Turning to the technician with an incredulous look she asked, "Seriously?"
"Yep," he replied turning back to his work. "See this here?" He pointed to a portion of the screen with his finger. "That's one head, and this here. . ." He pointed to yet another splotchy area of the screen. "That's another." Meryl blinked, she still didn't see it. Millie just gave her a blank, but encouraging, smile. The technician was already mumbling to himself again and writing furiously upon a medical chart.
"Okay," Meryl said. She dropped her head into suddenly ice cold hands. What was with these hospitals and the temperature anyways? And what the heck was she going to do now.
"Oh Meryl," Millie squeaked ecstatically, "This is so exciting. Didn't you once say Mr. Vash was a twin?"
Meryl raised her head thoughtfully. "Yeah," she asserted, "Yeah, he was." Weird. She had heard that that type of thing could be genetic. It made her wonder, not for the first time, what other odd traits her child (correction, children) would inherit from their father. At that point she realized that the technician was trying to get her attention.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I said would you like to know the sexes?"
"Uuhh..." Did she? "Sure, why not."
"A boy and a girl," he replied matter-of-factly. "One of each, good way to do it."
"Yeah, I guess so." Meryl's head was reeling. She was beginning to feel giddy for no good reason. This was just too much to take in at one time. Twins. One of each. Not Vash's child, Vash's children. 'Crap,' she thought as she fell back against the table top, 'I wonder if my parents would want to know.' She sighed. 'Probably not.' She hadn't told Millie about the reply she'd received the day before. It would only make her angry and it wouldn't help anything.
The technician was cleaning up his equipment. After switching off the monitor he turned again to the two girls. "Oh, by the way, there's one other thing." They looked at him questioningly. "Those kids are still too big for a month and a half. Two months at least, probably closer on to three."
"Oh," said Meryl, experiencing a sinking feeling deep in her stomach.
"Just something to keep in mind for your next visit." He left and the door swung shut behind him. Meryl sat in silence considering his last comment. It had made her think of something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. It was like the pricking sensation you get on the back of your neck when you just know someone else is in the room with you, but you can't tell where.
"Come on Meryl," Millie said cheerfully. "Let's get you back into your clothes and out of this place." She brought white hands up to her lips and blew on them. "Gosh, it's absolutely freezing in here."
It was days before Meryl realized what had been bothering her. It was something Vash had said. He was always talking about that woman, Rem, and all the things he'd learned from her. Chess and computers and the language of flowers. But when once she had questioned him further he said he'd only spent a year on the ship before its crash.
Only a year to learn so much. To grow so much. Squeezing her eyes shut, Meryl spread both hands protectively over the fragile life within her and prayed for strength.
Her sonogram was scheduled for the next day. Millie went with her to the doctor's. She hadn't been angry at Meryl for running out of the house. When Meryl mentioned it she only shrugged her shoulders and tossed her head as if it were nothing. Then she had patted Meryl on the head and told her how frightened she had been having her first child and that she understood.
'Yeah,' thought Meryl, 'But at least you weren't alone.'
Soon Meryl found herself on yet another uncomfortable table. This time laying flat on her back as the technician rubbed some shockingly cold substance over her stomach. Millie smiled at her warmly and held her trembling hand.
"Hmmmm.." said the technician considering, "How far along did you say you were?"
"Ummm.." Meryl stalled, embarrassed, "Actually, I'm not completely sure. Maybe a month, a month and a half." The technician nodded without even turning his eyes from the tiny black and white screen before him.
"You look a little big for that," he mumbled, then brightening, "Ah, I see, that's why."
"What?!" Meryl cried suddenly fearful. There had been no fear in the technicians voice, no concern, but anything out of the ordinary couldn't be good. Could it?
The young man sitting at her side bathed her in his shining greens eyes and favored her with a wry half smile. "Look's like you're carrying an extra passenger." Turning the small monitor towards the two breathless women, he moved away so that they could get a better look. "Twins," he explained with a wave of his hand.
Meryl blinked. All she could see was some random black and grey splotches that could have been almost anything. Millie cooed in excitement, but Meryl thought she probably couldn't make anything out either. Turning to the technician with an incredulous look she asked, "Seriously?"
"Yep," he replied turning back to his work. "See this here?" He pointed to a portion of the screen with his finger. "That's one head, and this here. . ." He pointed to yet another splotchy area of the screen. "That's another." Meryl blinked, she still didn't see it. Millie just gave her a blank, but encouraging, smile. The technician was already mumbling to himself again and writing furiously upon a medical chart.
"Okay," Meryl said. She dropped her head into suddenly ice cold hands. What was with these hospitals and the temperature anyways? And what the heck was she going to do now.
"Oh Meryl," Millie squeaked ecstatically, "This is so exciting. Didn't you once say Mr. Vash was a twin?"
Meryl raised her head thoughtfully. "Yeah," she asserted, "Yeah, he was." Weird. She had heard that that type of thing could be genetic. It made her wonder, not for the first time, what other odd traits her child (correction, children) would inherit from their father. At that point she realized that the technician was trying to get her attention.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I said would you like to know the sexes?"
"Uuhh..." Did she? "Sure, why not."
"A boy and a girl," he replied matter-of-factly. "One of each, good way to do it."
"Yeah, I guess so." Meryl's head was reeling. She was beginning to feel giddy for no good reason. This was just too much to take in at one time. Twins. One of each. Not Vash's child, Vash's children. 'Crap,' she thought as she fell back against the table top, 'I wonder if my parents would want to know.' She sighed. 'Probably not.' She hadn't told Millie about the reply she'd received the day before. It would only make her angry and it wouldn't help anything.
The technician was cleaning up his equipment. After switching off the monitor he turned again to the two girls. "Oh, by the way, there's one other thing." They looked at him questioningly. "Those kids are still too big for a month and a half. Two months at least, probably closer on to three."
"Oh," said Meryl, experiencing a sinking feeling deep in her stomach.
"Just something to keep in mind for your next visit." He left and the door swung shut behind him. Meryl sat in silence considering his last comment. It had made her think of something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. It was like the pricking sensation you get on the back of your neck when you just know someone else is in the room with you, but you can't tell where.
"Come on Meryl," Millie said cheerfully. "Let's get you back into your clothes and out of this place." She brought white hands up to her lips and blew on them. "Gosh, it's absolutely freezing in here."
It was days before Meryl realized what had been bothering her. It was something Vash had said. He was always talking about that woman, Rem, and all the things he'd learned from her. Chess and computers and the language of flowers. But when once she had questioned him further he said he'd only spent a year on the ship before its crash.
Only a year to learn so much. To grow so much. Squeezing her eyes shut, Meryl spread both hands protectively over the fragile life within her and prayed for strength.