About little over a week after they took Nora to the pediatrician's office, the entire Bishop-Deluca family was in the car heading to the community center for a children's yoga class.
The past week had been filled with ups and downs for all of them. Nora had gotten sick every morning before daycare which was exhausting, but Carina just made sure she had a change of clothes and a toothbrush for the little girl as well as an emesis bag which Nora was getting better at using. And just like the pediatrician recommended, Carina would help Nora get cleaned up, do a quick breathing exercise with her, and then leave her at daycare and while Nora still stayed close to Nicole or Tanya most of the time, but she was getting better.
Rowan was also still struggling with her emotions, though she wasn't fighting with other kids so much anymore, though it was still happening. She was, however, still struggling with tantrums.
Maya and Carina both spent as much time as they could with the girls and were working on teaching them some breathing techniques to help them when they got upset. They tried to practice them every night before bed, usually as a whole family, though some nights, Maya was feeling too sick or Carina was working that that couldn't happen, but at least one of them did it with them.
They were just teaching the twins to be more aware of how their bodies were feeling and how to calm down. It had been going well, and while the girls were not necessarily using these new skills when they were upset just yet, the fact that they were learning them was enough for now. This yoga class was something they were hoping would help more.
It had been up in the air if Maya was going to make it today because she had been sick the night before and struggled to sleep because of it until about 2 am, but she woke up feeling ok that morning and she was really determined to be there for the girls as much as she could so despite being exhausted, she was in the car with her family, though she did have Carina drive.
"Are you girls excited to go to yoga class?" Maya asked as they drove.
"It's yike stretching right Mommy?" Rowan asked.
"Yes," Maya nodded, "It's stretching and helping your body feel better. It will be lots of fun. And all you have to do is try. If you can't do it perfectly, that's ok. It's just about having fun."
"And Mommy and Mamma are going to stay?" Nora asked for probably the fifth time that morning.
"Si," Carina nodded, "We are going to stay. All of us get to do yoga together."
"Even my baby Totoino?" Rowan asked.
"I mean, I am going to be doing it," Maya said, "So Trottolino will be doing it too."
"Why does my baby take so yong to get bigger?" Rowan sighed.
"You two took a long time to get big too," Carina said, chuckling.
"No, I'm big," Rowan said, shaking her head.
"You are now," Maya said, "But you had to grow just like Trottolino inside of Mamma."
"But Mamma doesn't have a utus," Rowan said.
"She doesn't anymore," Maya said, "But she did when she was pregnant with you two."
"But then, I got sick and in order to get better, they had to take out my uterus," Carina said, Maya reaching over and grabbing her hand, rubbing her thumb across the back of it.
"But you both got to grow inside Mamma," Maya said.
"Si," Carina said, "You were both squished in there together."
"Did we play?" Nora asked.
"You did," Carina chuckled, "You both loved moving around so much, especially Rowan."
"Does my baby Totoino play too?" Rowan asked.
"Si," Carina nodded, "And when they get bigger, you will be able to feel them playing from the outside."
"When?" Rowan asked.
"Not for a while," Carina said, "They have to get bigger first."
"Why does my baby always have to get bigger?" Rowan sighed.
"You also always have to get bigger," Maya chuckled a little, "Trottolino is growing fast and before you know it, it will be time for them to be born."
"When all the papers are gone," Nora said.
"Yes," Maya nodded, "Once we finish with all the papers on the paper chain, it will be time for Trottolino to come."
"Or maybe before or maybe after," Rowan said, having been told this every morning when they went to cut a paper off their baby count down chain.
"Si," Carina said, "It all just depends on when Trottolino is done growing."
They pulled up to the community center just then.
"Alright Bambine, are you ready?" Carina said, looking back at them.
"But you and Mommy are gonna stay?" Nora asked.
"We are going to be here the whole time," Maya nodded, "This is a class for all of us to do together."
Nora nodded as Maya and Carina got out of the car, helping the twins with the bottom part of their buckles, both girls having mastered getting off the top one. Carina then went around to the back of the car, grabbing out their bag along with two yoga mats.
"Here, I can take one," Maya said, reaching for the navy-blue mat that was hers.
"Are you sure?" Carina asked.
"Babe, I am pregnant, not an invalid. Yes, I can carry a yoga mat," Maya said, slightly annoyed.
"Here," Carina said, logically knowing Maya was right and not wanting to argue right now.
"Thank you," Maya said, taking the mat before the four of them headed inside.
"Uppie," Nora said as they were almost to the door.
"Come here," Carina said, reaching down for her.
"Here, give me the other mat," Maya said, reaching for Carina's dark pink mat, "I promise I can handle it."
Carina handed it to her wife, struggling to Nora, her mat, and their bag filled with water bottles and changes of clothes for everyone just in case.
"Mommy, tan I carry one?" Rowan asked, looking at Maya.
"Ok," Maya said, handing Rowan the dark blue mat, the toddler struggling with it for a second before getting her arms around it properly.
"Look at you Patatina," Maya said, smiling at her.
The four of them walked in, finding the room where the class was being held.
"Hello," the woman who was standing at the door said, "I'm Jordyn. I lead the parent/child yoga class."
"I'm Maya," the blonde said, "And this is my wife Carina, and our girls, Rowan and Nora."
"Welcome," Jordyn said, "Have you guys ever done a class like this before?"
"I mean, I have taken yoga classes for a long time," Carina said, "And occasionally drag my wife along, but with the girls, no."
"Great," Jordyn said, smiling at them, "And I see you also brought your own mats which is awesome. Basically, this class is just meant to encourage kids to start trying yoga and help them move their bodies in different ways. We are very relaxed about things. We usually have the little ones share a mat with their parents and all we ask is that you try your best and have fun. You can pick anywhere in the room you want to set up your mats. Class starts in about ten minutes. Oh, and if you want, you can put your bag and shoes in one of the cubbies over there."
"Thank you," Carina said as they were about to head over to the cubbies.
"Ok girls, we are going to take off our shoes, but leave on our socks," Maya said, slipping off own shoes.
"Why?" Rowan asked as she sat down on the floor to pull off her shoes.
"Because it is easier to move if we don't have our shoes on," Carina said, setting Nora down and letting the toddler get her shows while Carina got hers off as well.
Maya bent down to grab her own shoes, putting them in the cubby before standing up.
"Woah," she said, grabbing onto the cubbies to stabilize herself.
"Are you ok Bambina?" Carina asked, moving closer to her wife immediately.
"Just dizzy," Maya said, feeling the headrush dissipate, "I'm ok."
"You have to be careful in this class today," Carina said, "If you aren't feeling well, please do not push yourself. The last thing we need is you passing out."
"I know," Maya sighed, trying to keep both her tears and anger at bay because she knew Carina was right, she just hated that it felt like her body was failing her, "I am hoping I can do something though because I think it might help my pelvic pain."
That was Maya's latest uncomfortable symptom, pretty much constant dull pelvic discomfort that would occasionally have pain shooting through her pelvis. Carina had assured her that that was something that could happen during pregnancy. She had helped Maya pick out a belly band to order to possibly help, though Maya's bump was still so small, Carina wasn't sure how much it would actually help, but if there was any way to make Maya feel a bit more comfortable, they were willing to try.
The four of them headed over to the space where a few other parents and children were waiting for class to start, setting up their mats near them.
"Hi," a woman said as Carina rolled out her mat, "I'm Jenny. This is my son Timothy."
"Hello Jenny," Carina smiled as she sat down on her mat, Nora climbing into her lap, "I am Carina. This is Nora. And this is my wife Maya and our other daughter Rowan."
"Hi," Maya said, smiling as she also sat down, grimacing a bit as her body adjusted to the new position.
"Oh, your whole family is here," Jenny said, "That's so nice. My husband is at hockey practice with our older son this morning."
"Have you been to this class before?" Carina asked as she rubbed Nora's back as the toddler buried her head in Carina's chest.
"We try to make it on weeks when Nicolas doesn't have hockey games," Jenny nodded, "Is this your first class?"
"It is," Carina nodded.
"It's a lot of fun," Jenny said, "Timothy loves it and always asks if we can come, don't you buddy?"
"I like the snake one," Timothy said, nodding.
"Oh, I like that one too," Carina said, smiling at him, "How old are you Timothy?"
"Four and a half," Timothy said, holding up four fingers.
"Wow, you are so big," Carina smiled before he moved on to play with another little boy.
"How old are your girls?" Jenny asked.
"Ro, can you tell Miss Jenny how old you are?" Maya asked, looking at the little blonde who was sitting in her lap.
"Free," Rowan said, holding up three fingers, "And on my next birfday, I will be four."
"That's right," Maya said, chuckling, "But your birthday isn't for a long time."
"Is my birfday before my baby comes?" Rowan asked.
"After," Maya said.
"That's so yong," Rowan sighed.
"And how old is Nora?" Jenny asked.
"Nora, can you tell Miss Jenny how old you are?" Carina asked, knowing what the likely answer was but still wanting to give the toddler the chance to answer.
Nora, predictably, shook her head, trying to bury herself further into Carina.
"She's also three," Carina said, looking at Jenny as she rubbed Nora's back, "They are twins."
"I was wondering," Jenny said, "Wow. Twins. I can't even imagine."
"We didn't know anything else," Carina shrugged.
"Yeah, maybe this time around will make us think differently," Maya said, "Having only one will be different."
"I was going to ask if you were expecting when Rowan asked about a baby, but I didn't want to assume," Jenny said.
"I am eighteen and a half weeks pregnant," Maya said, shifting a little to get more comfortable with Rowan in her lap.
"Congratulations," Jenny said, "That is so exciting."
Just then, Jordyn went to the front of the group, getting the class started. Things started off a bit bumpy for the Bishop-Delucas, Nora absolutely refusing to let go of Carina. However, as the class progressed she slowly started to do some of the things, Carina and Maya both quietly praising her and asking her if she was proud of herself as she did.
Maya, unfortunately, was not able to participate much. Her nausea was coming in icky waves and her body was just not feeling it today, but she helped Rowan with her poses and participated as much as she felt like she could.
Part of her really wished she was at home asleep in bed because she was exhausted and not feeling well, but watching Nora come out of her shell a little bit and seeing Rowan smile and laugh as she fell over while trying to balance on one foot made it worth it. Carina checked in with her wife multiple times, mostly just with looks, receiving a nod that she was ok each time. Carina could see that her wife was not feeling well, but she also could see how important this time was to all of them.
The class ended up being really fun for the twins and Carina found herself feeling better after it as well. It reminded her that she probably should try to get back to going to a weekly class herself, always finding herself much less anxious when she was. When she would have time, she wasn't sure, but she knew she probably needed it.
As class ended, Nora helped Carina roll up her mat while Rowan helped Maya.
"Some of us are going to go grab coffee and take the kids to the park," Jenny said, "You guys are more than welcome to join us."
"Thank you," Carina said, "But not today. We need to get home."
"Ok," Jenny smiled, "We usually go after every class and you are always welcome."
"Carina, are you sure?" Maya said as they went to stand up, "We can go if you want to."
However, as she said this, Maya stumbled, Carina dropping her mat and grabbing her wife, helping her find her footing.
"Bambina, you need to be at home resting," Carina said, brushing a piece of stray hair off her face, "You did not get much sleep last night and I can tell your stomach is still unsettled more than normal. We will go another time."
"You could take me home and go with the twins," Maya offered, "I am fine on my own. I don't want you guys missing out because my stupid body can't get it together."
"Bambina, hey," Carina said, "No, none of that. Your body is not stupid. It is growing our baby and that is a lot of work. You need rest and that is ok. Maybe if you are feeling better after a nap and a snack and some fluids, we can go to the park after their nap, ok?"
Maya nodded as Carina pulled her into a small hug before they finished getting their stuff together to leave. They headed out to the car, Carina loading their stuff into the back while Maya helped the twins with their buckles.
They got home, getting everything inside before Maya headed upstairs for a nap. She crawled into bed, sticking a pillow between her legs which Carina had suggested to help her pelvic pain and it had actually helped quite a bit. She got comfortable under the blankets, her eyes slipping closed within a minute of her head hitting the pillow, trying not to be too frustrated with her body.
A few days after their class, Carina was at work and the twins were at daycare while Maya was home. She had been feeling about as well as she could the past few days, still battling near constant nausea and pain in her pelvis, but all of it was manageable.
She had managed to get completely caught up on her paperwork which she genuinely never thought would happen because she had so much of it after taking on extra paperwork to replace her not going out in the field, but a few nights of insomnia recently and no days of nausea that kept her in bed for the entire day meant Maya had everything done.
She had thought about keeping the twins home with her, but that was always a big gamble at this point because she would sometimes just get incredibly sick at the drop of a hat.
Also, keeping the girls in their normal routine was important and they were just starting to make progress with Nora, the day before being the first day she hadn't gotten sick before daycare in weeks. Carina had not made a big deal about it in front of her, but she had gone to her office and called her wife crying so hard Maya thought something was seriously wrong. The blonde was halfway down the stairs of the station when Carina had told her what was really going on and Maya had started crying too which had made Travis, who was on desk duty, come running to make sure she was ok.
According to Carina's text, today had not gone quite so well which was discouraging, but they still felt like they were making progress.
Nora would now do deep breaths on her own without Carina's prompting and Rowan hadn't had any altercations with anyone at daycare in a few days. The little blonde was still having breakdowns, but Nicole had been using the same techniques that Maya and Carina were working on with her and the tears were lasting for shorter and shorter amounts of time.
Everything was far from perfect, but progress was progress and that is what Maya and Carina reminded each other of every night because they were both still struggling with how much their girls were struggling.
Today, however, Maya was doing something to keep her mind off of her worries for her wife and daughters and the baby growing inside of her, and she was putting the twins' new beds together. She had told Carina this was her plan and the Italian insisted that Maya get help from someone.
Maya had fought with her on it, her anger boiling over and sending her stomping down the stairs in frustration after the twins were in bed the night before. She had been getting more and more frustrated, sometimes irrationally and sometimes for perfectly logical reasons, lately and she found it hard to just breathe through it or calm herself down.
She had talked to Diane about it and worked on some new things to calm her down, but Diane also reminded her that she was 19 weeks pregnant and had a lot of hormones running through her which might explain some of the mood swings.
After some time pacing the living room and running through her argument with her wife and gathering her thoughts into a coherent conversation, Maya had managed to calm herself down and go back upstairs to find Carina sitting on the edge of their bed looking anxious and hurt.
"I'm sorry," Maya said, sighing as she walked in the room, guilt filling her more than it already had, "I know you are just trying to make sure I am safe. I have been feeling very out of control of my body lately and like I can't do things and it is very frustrating, but I should not take that out on you. Will you forgive me?"
"Si," Carina said as her wife sat down next to her, "I am not trying to control you or your body. I just don't want you to push yourself too hard. I know you are frustrated and not at your best, and I am sorry you are going through all of this."
"It's not your fault," Maya said, leaning her head on Carina's shoulder, "It's the hormomes."
This caused both of them to chuckle, Maya looking at her wife who leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"I just don't want you to be in pain or get hurt," Carina said, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, "And I have to work tomorrow so I can't be here to help you."
"I will as Trav and Vic to come over and help me tomorrow, ok?" Maya said, "It will probably be better anyway. Remember how hard it was to put their cribs together?"
"I remember an instruction manual being thrown across the room and tears," Carina said, looking at her wife.
"In my defense, those cribs were confusing," Maya said, "I actually think I might just move one of them into the nursery and not take it apart just so I don't have to put it back together again. And with Trav and Vic here, maybe we can work on the nursery too."
"I have been meaning to work on finishing emptying that room," Carina sighed, "There just never seems to be enough time in the day."
"Babe, you are single handedly running this house half the time," Maya said, "And taking care of our girls and your bum wife and working. Do not feel bad about not getting the nursery that we don't even need for another 6 months or more cleaned out."
"My wife is not a bum," Carina said, shaking her head as she rested her hand on Maya's still fairly tiny bump, "She is working so hard every day to grow our Trottolino and make sure they are getting everything they need."
"I don't think this little one is going to let me do anything put exactly what they want," Maya said, placing her hand over Carina's, "They are really messing up my whole vibe as the strict parent."
"Ha," Carina said, looking at her wife, "You, the strict parent? Bambina, I don't know why you think you are the strict parent, but I can promise you that you are the only one who thinks that."
"I can be strict with them," Maya said.
"You can be," Carina said, "You just usually aren't."
"But I…," Maya said, stopping and thinking for a second, "I'm not?"
"No," Carina said, laughing, "And I love that about you. I love that you love our girls and want to take care of them and give them what they want. I mean, you are not a pushover by any means, but you are not strict."
"You aren't either," Maya said, looking at her wife.
"That is true," Carina said, "I am not really either. The twins have not really challenged us on that much. I have a funny feeling Trottolino is going to though."
Maya suddenly grimaced, shifting a little.
"You ok Bambina?" Carina asked.
"Yeah," Maya said, "Just those shooting pains in my pelvis. Are you sure those are normal?"
"They are, unfortunately," Carina nodded, "Everything is starting to loosen up to get ready for Trottolino to be born and that can cause shifting in your pelvis and pain. Do you want to try taking a warm shower? Some people say warmth helps this kind of pain."
"Sure," Maya nodded as Carina helped her up, the two of them heading to the shower once Maya's head caught up with the rest of her body, "Can I ask you something?"
"Always," Carina said, smiling as she turned on the shower, adjusting the taps carefully.
"Have you thought any more about Trottolino being born at home?" Maya asked, biting her lip, "I mean, I still don't know 100% if that's something I want, but I want to know if I should keep thinking about it."
"I have thought more about it," Carina nodded as she and Maya both started pulling off their clothes, "And I still haven't made up my mind about it, but it does make me nervous. There are so many things that can go wrong, and I have seen things go wrong inside of hospitals and I am trying very hard not to let those fears of a rare issue happening scare me out of this, but I also do not want to be the one who says we can do this and then we end up in a scary situation without proper care for you or the baby…I would never forgive myself if something happened to either one of you because of my hubris. But I don't want to take away the birth experience you want either because I know how important that is and…"
"Hey," Maya said, cupping her wife's face, "I am not completely sold on the idea yet and if it is going to make you nervous and anxious, I don't want to do it. I want both of us to be able to have a good experience and if doing it here is going to make you feel on edge the whole time, we can do it at the hospital. I am totally fine with that. The twins' birth was beautiful and magical and one of the best days of my entire life and I would be totally fine having Trottolino there too."
"Are you sure?" Carina asked quietly, resting her hands on Maya's bare bump.
"I am," Maya said, "As long as you are by my side, that is the most important thing to me."
Carina nodded, smiling as she gave Maya a small kiss. They got into the shower, both of them standing under the hot spray together.
"If you want to look at having a water birth or something like that, Grey Sloan does have birthing tubs," Carina said as she gently brough her hands around to Maya's back, massaging it, "That wasn't an option for the girls because they were twins, but with Trottolino, barring any complications, you should be able to labor however you want."
"I should probably start writing a birth plan," Maya said, sighing a little as Carina's massage got a little deeper, "I want to be prepared."
"A birth plan is a good idea," Carina nodded, "It will help Dr. Johnson know how to best help you achieve what you want how you want it. But, you also have to be ok with the fact that sometimes, the birth plan doesn't work because bambini are stubborn or things come up."
"I know," Maya said, "And I will try very hard to make peace with that. I do know that I do not want pain meds though."
"You don't?" Carina said, smiling as she pressed a little kiss to her wife's neck right at the pulse point, "But how will you make it through the pain of labor?"
"Oh, I know this little trick and OB friend of mine says works wonders for pain," Maya said, "And I think she is about to give me a preview of how it works."
Maya was shaken out of her thoughts about their shower and then their very naked time in bed the night before by a knock on the door.
It was a bit later than she had originally intended on starting, but she had woken up crazy nauseous this morning and had needed a few extra hours to get it under control so instead of the 9 am time she had been hoping they could get started, it was now a little after 1 pm.
"Hey guys," Maya said, opening the door, "Thank you so much for coming over."
"Of course," Vic said as they came into the house, "Are the twins really going to be in regular beds?"
"They are," Maya nodded, "I can't believe it, but we wanted to transition them before this one comes and has to take one of their beds."
The three of them headed upstairs to the guest room where they had been storing the boxes that contained the beds for the twins.
"Ok, so my thoughts for today are that we can get these boxes out of here, move one of the cribs into this room, take the other one apart and then get these beds set up? And if you guys have time, we can empty this room a little more and maybe dig some baby stuff out from the basement?"
"Sure," Travis said, nodding. Maya went to pick up one of the boxes for the bed only to have Vic stop her.
"How about you let us do the heavy lifting?" Vic said, continuing before Maya had time to protest, "The last thing we need is you passing out or something. We've got it, ok? That's why we are here."
"Fine," Maya grumbled, knowing Vic was probably right. Vic and Travis moved the boxes down the hall while Maya moved the mattresses, insisting that if she just slid them across the floor, it was barely any different than walking. They got everything moved into the twins' room before Vic and Travis carried Nora's toddler bed down the hall into the nursery.
"Do you want to change this back from a toddler bed to a crib?" Travis asked as they set it down.
"Eventually, yeah because Trottolino is not sleeping in a toddler bed as an infant, but I want to make sure we have enough time to get the twins' beds together because they have to sleep in them tonight and the crib won't be used until probably Christmas time."
"Wait, where will the baby sleep until then?" Travis asked, "Aren't you due in October? Are you going to co-sleep?"
"No," Maya said, shaking her head, "Absolutely not. One, my wife is an OB and would never in a million years allow that and two, our bed is our place and while we have let the twins sleep in it more than we ever thought we would, we try to keep it kid free. We have a bassinet that we will keep in our room so I can feed the baby in the middle of the night and just have them close until they are sleeping through the night."
"You're like halfway there right?" Vic asked as they headed back into the girls' room.
"19 weeks and 2 days," Maya said, nodding, "I was really hoping by 20 weeks, I wouldn't be as sick, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
"If you aren't feeling well, you can go lay down," Travis said, "We can do this."
"No," Maya said, shaking her head, "I'm ok now. I am upright and not reaching for a bucket so I'm good. And I feel better than I did earlier."
"Well, if you do need to rest, you can," Travis said.
"Thanks," Maya said, trying not to get frustrated. She knew everyone meant well, but it was hard constantly having people tell her to rest or that she could rest always made her feel like she was failing or incapable.
She and Diane had talked about this extensively, and Diane had helped her reframe it to think that people really cared about her and the baby and that they didn't think she was incapable but rather that they didn't want her to feel like she had to do something if she wasn't feeling up to it because they loved her, not because they were judging her.
It was something Maya was constantly reminding herself of, and like last night, it didn't always work, but she was trying. They got to work on the bed frame for one of the beds, the three of them figuring it out rather quickly. There were a lot of screws to put in which took a while, but eventually, it was together.
When they were about halfway through the second one, Maya stopped moving, hand going to her bump as a weird look crossed her face.
"What?" Vic said, noticing her friend, "Is everything ok?"
"Um, I don't know," Maya said, "Something feels…different…Um, I…I don't…"
"What's going on?" Vic said as both she and Trav dropped their tools and came over to her side.
"Something feels different," Maya said, feeling her breathing increasing, "I…I don't know how to describe it…but it…I want to go to the hospital…"
"Ok," Vic said, immediately jumping up, "Come on."
Travis helped Maya up, both of them guiding her down the stairs.
"I need to call Carina," Maya said, breathing still fast and shallow, "I need to…"
"Let's get you in the car and we will call her, ok?" Vic said as she helped Maya get her shoes on while Travis grabbed Maya's purse.
"I can't do this," Maya said, "I…what if something is wrong with the baby? What if I am losing them? What if…"
"Hey," Travis said, seeing all the signs of a panic attack, "Maya, breathe with me ok? Just breathe."
Travis sat Maya down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, helping her get her breathing back under control a little.
"Whatever is happening, Vic is going to get you to the hospital and they are going to take care of you, both of you, ok?" Travis said, looking at his friend.
Maya nodded, trying not to start crying.
"Ok, ready?" Vic asked, coming into the kitchen.
"Yeah," Maya said.
"Trav are you coming?" Vic asked.
"I'm gonna stay and finish the beds," Travis said, "If that's ok?"
"Thank you Travis," Maya said, nodding.
"Come on," Vic said, "Let's go get you and the probie checked."
They got in the car, Vic calling Carina as they drove, putting it on speaker.
"Hello," the Italian said, answering, "Is everything ok?"
"We are on our way to the hospital right now," Vic said.
"What?" Carina asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Maya said, tears starting when she heard her wife's voice, "But something feels different. I think something's wrong."
"Ok Bambina," Carina said, heart shattering as she heard how scared her wife sounded, "I will meet you in the ER with Dr. Johnson, ok? She is working today. Can you tell me what it feels like?"
"I don't know how to describe it," Maya said.
"Is it pain?" Carina asked, running through about a million scenarios in her head.
"No," Maya said, "And it's not constant. It just feels weird."
"Ok," Carina said, "We will get you checked out, ok Bambina. You and Trottolino are ok. Just keep breathing for me, ok? I am going to hang up and go find Danielle, but just keep breathing. I love you both so much."
"Ok," Maya said, taking another shaky breath, "We love you too."
"Good," Carina smiled, "I will see you soon."
"We are about three minutes out Carina," Vic said, "I've got them until we get to you."
The rest of the ride was pretty silent, Maya keeping her hands resting firmly on her bump, hoping that there was still a baby in there. They pulled up to the ER, Vic helping Maya out.
"We've got to stop doing this," Vic said as they walked in together.
Maya nodded, not really paying much attention as they walked through the doors.
"Bambina," Carina said, coming to them immediately, "Hey. It's ok. I'm right here."
"What if something's wrong with the baby?" Maya cried, burying herself into Carina.
"We are going to get you checked out," Carina said, rubbing her back, "Danielle has a room upstairs for you."
"Do you guys want me to stick around for a little bit?" Vic asked.
"You don't have to," Carina said, "Thank you for bringing her in though."
"Thanks Vic," Maya said, feeling slightly more calm in Carina's arms.
"Of course," Vic said, "I am going to go back to your place and help Trav with those beds. Let me know if you need anything, ok? I hope the baby is ok."
"It feels weird again," Maya said, fear in her voice as she looked up at her wife.
Carina placed her hands on Maya's stomach, seeing if she could feel something like a contraction or anything else, but it felt still.
"Come on," Carina said, "Let's get you upstairs."
They quickly made their way to the OB floor, Carina guiding Maya into the room Danielle was waiting for them in.
"I hear you aren't feeling quite right Maya," Danielle said, "Let's take a look ok?"
"Yes please," Maya nodded as Carina helped her onto the exam table.
"Ok," Dr. Johnson said, "Let's see what we have here." Dr. Johnson get the ultrasound probe on Maya's belly, moving it around.
"Ok," Dr. Johnson said, "Everything is looking good. Here is the head and the arms…"
"There it was again," Maya said, looking at Dr. Johnson, "It feels weird."
"Oh Maya," Carina said, looking at the ultrasound and seeing what was happening, smiling at Dr. Johnson.
"What?" Maya said, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," Carina said, looking down at her wife, "Bambina, Trottolino is moving and you are feeling it."
"Wait, what?" Maya said, looking at Dr. Johnson.
"She's right," Dr. Johnson said, moving the probe a little, the baby punching their arms as Maya felt the movement.
"So nothing is wrong?" Maya asked, tears in her eyes.
"No," Dr. Johnson said, taking the probe off Maya's stomach, "Everything looks great. The baby is just moving."
"Oh," Maya said, looking away, "Sorry for panicking over nothing."
"It happens," Dr. Johnson said, resting a hand on Maya's shoulder, "And I know this pregnancy had been a lot and it is perfectly ok to get worried when things like this happen. Do you need anything else?"
"No," Maya said, wiping her eyes, "Thank you. Sorry for wasting your time."
"It wasn't a waste of time," Dr. Johnson said, "Making sure a patient is ok is never a waste of my time. I will see you next week for your 20-week scans, ok?"
"Grazie Danielle," Carina said.
"Of course," Danielle said, "I'll cover for you for a little bit so you two can have some time."
"Grazie," Carina said, nodding as the door closed.
"I feel so stupid," Maya said, putting her hands over her face, "I mean, how did I think something was wrong when it was just the baby moving. What is wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you," Carina said, leaning down and pressing a kiss on Maya's forehead, smiling when her wife removed her hands from her face, "Bambina, this pregnancy has been so scary for a lot of the time and you are on edge about it and that is normal. It is normal for people who have had perfectly typical pregnancies. You did nothing wrong."
"I still feel stupid," Maya said as Carina helped her sit up.
"Don't," Carina said, standing in front of her wife, "I have had patients come in because something felt strange and it was just gas so this is nothing. And I would rather have you get checked than sit with your anxiety and panic yourself all day."
"I should probably ask Vic to come back and pick me up," Maya sighed, leaning into Carina's arms.
"I can take you home," Carina said, "We only have two moms on the floor and I don't have an appointments for the next little bit. Danielle has the floor. Come on. Let's go grab my keys and I will take you home."
They headed down the hall to Carina's office, the Italian grabbing her keys before they left the hospital.
"How is your tummy feeling this afternoon?" Carina asked, "You seem like you are feeling better than this morning."
"Oh, yeah, I am," Maya said, "I don't feel great and it's still more than most days, but it's manageable."
"Please do not push to get the twins' beds done today," Carina said, "I can finish it when I get home."
"Between myself and Vic and Trav, I think we will get it done," Maya said, "We already had one done when I panicked about Trottolino moving. I still can't believe I did that. Or that they are big enough for me to feel them move. How are they that big already?"
"It is a little bit crazy that they are that big," Carina said, "Soon, I will be able to feel them moving outside."
"When does that happen again?" Maya asked, not remembering that particular milestone.
"It could be soon, like next week," Carina said, "But most of the time, it's between 24 and 28 weeks, though I feel like I have an advantage because I feel babies move professionally. Now that you can feel them moving, you can tell me when they are and I can try to feel them too."
"I…it makes it feel so much more real now that I can feel them," Maya said, tears spring into her eyes, "I mean, I have known they were in there, but feeling them…we are actually having a baby."
"Si," Carina smiled, reaching her hand over and resting it on Maya's bump, "Trottolino is really growing in there."
Maya rested her hands on top of Carina's, feeling the baby move under their hands.
"They are moving," Maya said, "They already love their mamma's touch. They are so smart."
"Are you trying to say hi Trottolino?" Carina said, rubbing her thumb up and down over Maya's stomach, "I love you so much."
"I'm sorry you moving around scared me," Maya said, looking down at her stomach, "I promise you can move as much as you want. I like knowing you are in there."
Carina smiled as they pulled into their driveway.
"Alright," Carina said, "Let's get you inside and then I have to get back to work."
The two of them walked inside, hearing talking coming from upstairs.
"I'll come up and say hi," Carina said as she and Maya headed upstairs.
They walked into the twins' room, finding two completely assembled beds and the toddler bed almost completely down.
"Wow," Maya said as they walked in, "This looks great."
"Hey," Travis said, looking up as they walked in, "Is everything ok?"
"More than ok actually," Carina said, squeezing her wife's hand.
"It was just the baby moving," Maya sighed.
"Wait, you freaked out because the baby was moving?" Vic said, looking at her friend only to earn her a jab in the ribs from Travis.
"It happens," Carina said, both to inform their friends and to reassure her wife, "But the baby and Maya are both just fine."
"Good," Travis said, smiling, "We got the beds together. And we guessed as to which sheets and comforters were for which one of the twins."
"You guys got it perfect," Maya nodded, "Thank you so much."
"I need to get back to work," Carina said, "I'll be back around 5:30 with the twins."
"I love you," Maya said, giving her a quick kiss, "Thank you for brining me home."
"I love you too," Carina said before crouching down, lifting her wife's shirt and pressing a kiss to her stomach, "And I love you too Trottolino. Don't cause Mommy too much more trouble today please."
Maya felt her cheeks getting red as Carina did this, but she smiled all the same as the Italian gave her one more quick kiss before heading out the door.
"That was one of the cutest things I have ever seen," Travis said, looking at Maya.
"Shut up," Maya said, blushing even harder.
"Shall we get back to taking apart this crib?" Vic asked.
"You guys don't have to do that," Maya said, "I can finish it. You did so much."
"We got this," Travis said, "Where are you going to want it once it's apart?"
"There is a program at the hospital where you can donate used baby items that are still in good condition," Maya said, "We are going to give it to them so someone who can't afford one can have it."
"That's amazing," Travis said, smiling.
"Yeah, it is," Maya said, "We will probably give them a few of our duplicate items because this baby is only going to need one of everything."
"What about the next baby?" Vic said.
"Oh no," Maya said, shaking her head, "This is the last baby. There is no way I could do this again. Plus, we feel like three is enough."
"I was just joking," Vic said, "I mean, if you want to have more babies, I am always down for more Bishop-Deluca babies because they are so freaking cute, but how many you want to have is your own choice."
"Yeah, I know because you aren't the one raising them," Maya said, "Or having to deal with the constant nausea and pelvic pain this one is bringing me."
"Yeah, you make me very much want to never have a baby," Vic said, "So did Andy actually because the months she spent on bedrest with Luca seemed miserable."
"Pregnancy is definitely not…what I thought it would be," Maya said, hand resting on her bump, "But then I look at the twins and think about how amazing they are and about how this baby is going to be…I don't know. It's. strange. I would do anything for my family though."
The three of them continued on with taking down the crib before Travis and Vic carried the pieces downstairs.
They then headed down the hall to the nursery, Vic and Travis carrying some of the things down to the basement while Maya worked on getting the crib back form a toddler bed to a crib, setting it up to work for a newborn again. Doing that and seeing the mattress back raised up and all four regular sides on it made her feel emotional thinking about the fact that in not too long, Trottolino would be sleeping in this bed and also thinking about when the twins slept in these beds.
"Ok, we got the box of newborn clothes you wanted," Travis said, walking into the bedroom with the box.
"Thanks," Maya said, blinking quickly to get the tears out of her eyes, "We will have to go through those and see what we can use for this baby."
"Are you still not going to tell us if the baby is a boy or a girl?" Vic asked.
"We don't know," Maya said, "We aren't finding out."
"It's going to be another girl," Travis said, "That's where my money is."
"I'm saying boy," Vic said, shaking her head, "What do you think Maya?"
"I think you two should not be betting on my baby," Maya said, crossing her arms and giving them both a look.
"Too late," Travis said, "There's a pool going around on if it's a boy or a girl and the due date. I put my money on two days after your due date."
"I said a week early," Vic said, "I think that little probie is going to be just like HIS mommy and be early."
"They will come when they are ready Maya said, shaking her head before yawning a little bit, "Sorry."
"We can go so you can nap," Travis said, "Unless you have more stuff you want brought up."
"No," Maya said, "I think this is good for now. Thank you guys so much for your help. And Vic, thanks for taking me to the hospital and sorry I wasted your time with that."
"Hey, you felt like the baby needed to be checked," Vic shrugged, "It's never a waste of time making sure my nephew is ok."
"Are you going to call the baby a boy for the rest of my pregnancy?" Maya asked, rolling her eyes.
"No," Vic said, "I am going to call him a boy for the rest of his life because he is a boy. Unless he comes out as trans or non-binary because I know gender is not a binary and I will respect whatever he wants to be called."
"What if the baby comes out a girl," Maya said, raising her eyebrows.
"They won't," Vic said, "I know he's a boy."
"Whatever you say," Maya said, shaking her head as she walked her friends downstairs, "Thank you guys again for coming."
"Of course," Travis said, "We are always happy to help. Anything for my new niece."
"This is going to get really old really fast," Maya said, opening the door.
"You know you love us," Vic said as she and Travis walked out the door.
"You are making me doubt that right now," Maya said, smiling, "Thank you again."
"Bye," Vic and Travis called as they left.
Once her friends were gone, Maya headed upstairs, curling up in bed for a nap. Sleeping was getting less and less comfortable because Maya was used to sleeping on her stomach and while her bump was still small, it was too uncomfortable to sleep on her stomach anymore. She did manage to fall asleep though, waking up when she heard noises downstairs and before she even got up, she heard tiny feet running toward her.
"Mommy," Rowan and Nora yelled as they came into the room.
"Hi Rowan. Hi Nora," Maya said as the twins pulled themselves up onto the bed, "How was your day?"
"I misseded you," Nora said, giving Maya a hug.
"Me too," Rowan said, "And my baby Totoino."
"We missed you too," Maya said, giving both girls a big hug and kiss, "Where is Mamma?"
"I'm right here," Carina said, coming into the bedroom, "Were you sleeping?"
"No," Maya said as her wife walked over to her, "I just woke up. How was the rest of your day?"
"It was routine," Carina said, "A few deliveries and normal checkups. How was the rest of your day? Are you still feeling ok?"
"Yeah," Maya said, "Maybe even better than I was earlier. The nap helped. Should we show the girls their surprise?"
"What do you think Bambine?" Carina asked, looking at the twins, "Do you want a surprise?"
"What is it?" Rowan asked as Maya carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed, Carina helping her stabilize herself as she stood up.
"It's a surprise in your room," Maya said, "Let's go look."
Both girls got off the bed, running down the hall and Maya and Carina followed, both moms smiling as they heard the shrieks of joy coming from the twins' room.
"Yook Mommy, it's a bed wif dinos," Nora said, climbing up onto her bed.
"And firetucks," Rowan said, getting on her bed.
"Do you guys like your new beds?" Carina asked, already knowing the answer.
"Si," both girls shouted as they laid on their beds, looking at their new comforters.
"You should tell Mommy thank you," Carina said, "She and Zio Travis and Zia Vic put these together for you today."
"Gwazie Mommy," Nora said, getting off her bed and giving Maya a huge hug.
"Gwazie Mommy," Rowan said, following her sister.
"I'm glad you like your new beds," Maya said, smiling at them, "Do you think you can sleep in them at nighttime?"
"Si," Rowan said as Nora nodded, "But where's our other beds?"
"Well, one of them is going to be for Trottolino to sleep in when they get here," Maya explained, "And the other one is going to go to another baby who doesn't have a bed to sleep in."
"Why don't they have a bed?" Rowan asked.
"Because beds cost money," Carina explained, "And some families don't have a lot of money so they can't buy a bed for their baby to sleep in and when that happens, my work has a place where families can go to get things like beds for their babies."
"But where do they sweep without a bed?" Rowan asked as Nora climbed back onto her bed to look at all her dinosaurs.
"Well, sometimes they sleep in bed with their parents," Carina said, "But that is not a good place for babies to sleep. Or sometimes they sleep in other places, but the best place for a baby to sleep is in their own bed which is why my work tries to give beds to people who need them."
"Oh," Rowan said, absorbing this information before going back to her own bed to look at it some more.
Just then, Carina's phone pinged, letting her know she had a text. She pulled it out of her pocket, seeing she had a photo message from Vic. She opened it, gasping a little bit which caused Maya to look over at her.
"What?" the blonde said, worried something was wrong.
Carina held out her phone, showing Maya what the photo was. Maya couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes as she looked at the photo which was one Vic must have taken earlier when Carina brought Maya home from the hospital. Carina was kneeling in front of Maya, her lips pressed to Maya's belly as the pregnant woman looked down at her wife with a smile on her face. It was such a simple moment, but it was also so beautiful.
"I think we need more pictures like this," Carina said, studying it, "Maybe we get some professional photos done at some point? I want to remember what my amazing wife looked like when she was growing our perfect child."
"Maybe," Maya said, nodding.
She didn't love how her body looked at the moment, rounding in some places, smaller in others, less muscular in others that made her feel out of shape. She tried hard not to let those thoughts take hold because she knew that she would get back there, but there were days when she struggled to not give into those thoughts and she wasn't sure she wanted it captured to remember forever. However, her wife in this photo looked stunning and something out seeing her kissing their baby made Maya feel attracted to her in a way she did not understand.
Carina wrapped her arms around her wife, letting her chin rest on her shoulder as her hands rested on the baby bump.
"I love you so much," she whispered, pressing a kiss to Maya's cheek, "You are so beautiful."
Maya leaned back into her wife's embrace, holding onto those words as they stood there for a moment before the twins demanded they come over and see their new beds so they could tell them all about the bedspreads and sheets.
Maya sat on Rowan's bed and Carina sat on Nora's, the two of them smiling at each other for a brief moment before motherhood drew their attention back to their perfect little girls.
What did you think? A bit of a happier chapter, huh? I already know what I want the next one to be, and I will probably start writing it tomorrow and my goal is to have it done by Sunday, but we shall see because we are quickly approaching the end of the semester and it is a lot. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. You all rock.
And before anyone asks why Carina didn't just do Maya's scan, there are a few reasons: 1) if something was wrong, she shouldn't be the one to tell her wife that, 2) if they aren't finding out the gender, no ultrasounds for Carina, 3) I decided. lol.
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