A few hours later, Diane was released from the hospital with the advice to stay home for at least three days and an appointment with Dr. Jones in her private practice the next day.

Kalinda was waiting outside the hospital with Diane's car as Will and Diane made their way down. Will naturally refused to let her out of his sight. Even though Dr. Jones had also explained to him what a subchorionic hematoma was, Will was still scared that something could happen to Diane and the twins.

If Diane didn't happen to be so tired, she'd probably be even a tiny bit annoyed by this; she was used to only relying on herself after all. She had to reassure Will ten times it was okay to leave the room while she dressed again, but the exhaustion of the pregnancy, the last days of work, and this emotional day finally took their toll. Diane was so tired she didn't even care about the scratchy sweatpants the hospital had provided her with since her skirt was ruined with blood. Or about the freaking adult diaper she was wearing, and probably would be for a few days if not weeks depending on the amount of bleeding.

"Alright, there's Kalinda. Are you okay?" Will asked, and Diane sighed before she gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm just dead tired,"

"Then let's get you home so you can get some sleep," he replied and opened the back door of the car so they could get in. Kalinda had done her very best to get the passenger seat cleaned up as best as she could, but when Diane and Will got in, she could still smell the blood.

"Could we open a window? I can still smell the blood, and I really don't want to get sick again." Diane said, and before she could even move her hand, Kalinda had already opened the window halfway on her side.
"Thank you,"

"No problem, I know someone who can fix this in no time, tomorrow you'll have your car back as new," Kalinda said as she drove them to Diane's place. Instead of sitting in the right backseat, Will had moved to the middle, so he was sitting next to Diane, who gave him another reassuring smile. Then she laid her head on his shoulder, and Will laid his arm around her before he pressed a small kiss on top of her head.

"I'll find a way to help you with the firm; I won't sit around uselessly for four months so you can work yourself to exhaustion," Will said, and Diane would have told him that wasn't necessary, that she could handle this just fine, sure it was much work, but she knew how to lead the firm. But the events of this day had etched themselves in her mind. She knew that if she wanted to have a safe pregnancy and healthy children, she had to cut back on some work. That she couldn't keep going the way she did because Diane really didn't want something like this to ever happen again.

The thought of losing their children was something she never wanted to experience ever again. So Diane had to accept some help.

"Okay, thank you," she murmured and felt how Will's arm gently tightened around her.

"You don't have to thank me, that's the least I can do, Di," he answered, and he meant it. Although he felt a wave of hatred towards Wendy Scott-Carr and Blake once again, Will could have lived with the knowledge that they had wanted to hurt him and damage their firm. What he simply couldn't forgive was that because of their actions, Diane had been hurt, and they had hurt his unborn children.

If they hadn't told the board about what he had done, then Will could have met and talked to Diane that night, then maybe none of this would have happened. Then he would have found out he was going to be a father in a good way, not fearing for their and Diane's life. Then Diane wouldn't have to work herself to exhaustion on a daily basis, endangering her own life and that of the twins to keep their firm going. And they wouldn't have to figure out what to do for the rest of his suspension, after all, only one week had passed.

Will would find a way to help Diane official, or if necessary, unofficial. He would not sit around for four months and do nothing! Will was the one who had fucked up, and Diane shouldn't be the one who had to pay for a dumb mistake he had made before they had even met.

And besides all of that, they still had come to terms with the fact that they would be parents to two children in about six months, at least Will did since he had only found out mere hours ago. There were so many things to do and to talk about. The only thing Will was absolutely sure of right now was that he would be there for Diane every step of the way. He wouldn't let her go through this on her own, no matter what happened, he would be by her side.

"Diane?" Will asked quietly and looked down, only to realize that while he had been so deep in thoughts, Diane had fallen asleep. A small smile came to lay on his lips. Then Will's eyes shifted down towards her abdomen, carefully, as not to wake her, Will shifted in his seat and gently laid his hand on her bump. His thump slowly caressed it, and the only thing that separated their skin was Diane's blouse.

Once again, these incredible feelings of happiness and joy rose inside of him as he knew that right under his palm were his children. His children. It still sounded so surreal, he had never thought he would be a father, had thought that he just wasn't cut out for it. But now, right under his hand were his two children, their tiny hearts were beating, moving around and growing with each moment.

In this short moment, all the worry, all the doubts were gone, for a few precious moments there was just joy. Will couldn't wait until he could feel them move, and he couldn't wait to meet them, hold them in his arms, watch them grow. What he didn't have to wait for was to love them unconditionally because that he did from the second he knew they were his. Will already loved them with all his heart, them and Diane.

Diane slept during the whole ride back to her place, and Will held her in his arms and continued to caress her belly. When they finally arrived at Diane's apartment, Kalinda already wanted to wake her, but Will quickly shook his head.

"Let her sleep. If you can take her things and unlock the door for me, then I can carry her inside," he said, and for a second, she looked skeptical.

"Really?" Will sent her a half meant glare.

"I might not be Mr. Universe, but I can definitely carry Diane! Do you think that if I wasn't sure, I'd risk dropping her while pregnant with my kids?" he argued back, and Kalinda raised her hands in surrender.

"Just checking, then let's go, Mr. Universe." his friend said, and Will had to hold back an annoyed groan. He could already see it coming that Kalinda wouldn't let him forget his choice of words so soon. But without another word the investigator had grabbed Diane's things and proceeded to unlock the door while Will unbuckled the sleeping mother of his kids and lifted her in his arms. Diane had always been slim due to a healthy diet, some light workout, and, according to her, a good metabolism, but Will still couldn't help but be a bit alarmed at how light she really was despite her pregnancy.

With quick steps, Will carried Diane to her bedroom, luckily the door had been open, and laid her down on her bed. He couldn't help himself but place a small kiss on her cheek before he pulled the covers over her and left the room so Diane could sleep. He then walked back down again and joined Kalinda in the kitchen.

"What a day...if someone had told me this morning that I am going to be a father, I would have told them they were crazy. And now I'm going to be a father...can you imagine? Me? As a father?" to his surprise, Kalinda smiled.

"Yes, pretty good, actually," she answered, and Will blinked at her, a little perplexed.

"Really? You're not kidding?"

"No, I'm serious. I can see you being a Dad and a pretty good one at that. There is not the immediate Dad vibe around you, but once one gets to know you it's pretty obvious," Kalinda said as he sat down next to her at Diane's kitchen isle.

"I just, I still can't believe it... I'm going to be a father. It's so strange, I'm somewhat happy, and at the same time, I'm scared out of my mind...what if I fuck it up? God Kalinda, I'll be responsible for two kids! Two tiny humans for whom I'm going to be responsible for the rest of my life! Not to speak of the possibility that I could fuck everything up with Diane, we both know I'm pretty good at fucking relationships up... that's about the thing I'm most afraid of. Because this time...my kids are going to be affected as well."

Kalinda didn't answer him. Instead, she got up without a word left the kitchen only to return a few moments later with a bottle of scotch and two tumblers. She filled both of them, his with a considerably larger amount, and handed it to him.

"To you and Diane," she said, and they drank, with Will downing his since he didn't plan to leave anyway.

"Now, even though I think you have nothing to worry about regarding your potential of being a father, you still have around six months left to figure that out. So I think you should rather focus on Diane. You knew I liked you both for a while, but in the last few weeks, Diane and I really grew closer, I was the only one who knew she was pregnant and helped her. Given my personality and everything, I was definitely not the person most would want to have around them for that or anything, but I was there.

Will, Diane was absolutely terrified to tell you she was pregnant. She was scared to tell you because she feared you would be repelled by the mere thought of having a child with her, that you wouldn't want to have anything to do with her and the child. On the other hand, she was also scared that in the rare chance you would be happy, she would lose the baby, and you'd blame her. Diane wants your twins, and she loves them, but she is also terrified of losing you in the process, some way or another. I think if our suspicions had been right today, she would have gone through the pain of losing them alone. Not because she didn't want you to know, but because she didn't want to hurt you and feared you would blame her like she would have done herself." Kalinda told Will, and all he could do was stare at her.

Diane had been willing to put herself through all of this? God, didn't she know that no matter what she did, he would still love her? Why on God's green earth would he be repelled by the idea of having a child with her? Yes, the twins definitely weren't planned, but he still loved them, and he loved Diane.

He was actually glad that it had happened with her, with a woman he loved and cared deeply about, even if they weren't a couple. Will didn't think it would be this way had he impregnated any other woman, one who didn't mean the world to him. That would have been way more problematic. He knew Diane, he loved her, and their kids would be amazing, even if they realized they couldn't be in a romantic relationship, they would take care of them the best they could.

"I would never blame her for that! I can't believe she put herself through this...I would have been there for her, I would have tried harder to fight that damn suspension. Diane is my best friend and one of the most important people to me! I lo-...I love her, Kalinda. Having kids was never my plan, but I will do everything for them, and for Diane, they're my family."

"I know Will, but I'm not the one you have to tell or proof you can stay true to your words," Kalinda answered and took another sip of her drink.

"I know, and I will, I won't leave her side for anything," Will vowed, and Kalinda knew that he would, you could say what you want about him, but Will kept his promises. She liked that about him, he was probably her only real friend, whom she hadn't planned to befriend for some benefit. Kalinda just came to like him.

"I also have to thank you for being there for Diane, without you...I don't even want to know what would have happened," he confessed, and Kalinda smiled at him.

"Well, somebody has to keep an eye on you both."

"And here I thought you wouldn't get 'attached' to anybody because you wanted to be able to leave whenever you want." Will teased, and Kalinda playfully punched his shoulder, causing him to look at her in mock hurt and rub his shoulder.

"Ouch! Hey, I was being nice!" he said but couldn't stop the smile.

"I know, that's why I only lightly punched you. So what are you going to do about your situation at work?" Kalinda quickly changed the subject, not ready to talk about the fact that she had built her life here all around the fact that she could leave any time and leave them all behind.

"I will call Lionel Deerfield later, and I will try everything to help her. Even if there is no legal way...I won't let her suffer over my mistakes at the sake of her health and that of our children. I got away with a suspension because of her, and she is the one suffering and paying for what I did before we ever even met. I won't sit around and watch." Will told her, determination clear in his voice.

"Alright, that's good, and I promise I will help you."

"Thank you, Kalinda."

"No need to thank me. Are you going to be okay on your own now?" she asked, downing the rest of her drink.

"Yeah, I'm gonna call Lionel and wait for Diane to wake up," Will answered, and Kalinda nodded as she stood.

"I'll get her car cleaned up in time for the appointment tomorrow, and when Diane wakes up, get her to eat something light. Her morning sickness is a real pain, and she tends to avoid eating, which ironically only makes it worse. So look out for that," Kalinda advised him, and Will nodded.

"I will. See you tomorrow." with that she was gone, and Will was alone. For a while, he just sat there and processed everything that had happened this day. Gods, he really was going to be a father, and against all odds, he wasn't as opposed to that as he might have been or rather would have been a mere year ago.

Will got up as well and went upstairs to check on Diane, who was still sleeping peacefully, and for a moment, he just watched her. She looked more at peace than he had seen her in for weeks, even before his suspension, and he would do everything he could to keep it that way, to keep some of the stress away and help her.

Diane shouldn't have had to go through any of that, and while he could understand her somehow, Will was a little hurt that she thought he would abandon her and the baby. He wasn't perfect, not even close. In fact, not that long ago, he had told Kalinda he was only pretending to care, to have feelings. While that was not exactly a lie, as he had been feeling like that, he still wouldn't have been able to do something like that to Diane.

Will would do everything for her, and he would be there for her and show Diane that she had no reason to worry because he genuinely wanted this, her, their twins, everything.

Making sure Diane was as comfortable as possible, Will left her bedroom and went downstairs again to call Lionel. When the old man didn't pick up immediately, Will didn't give up instead he continued to call him until finally on the fourth try, Lionel picked up.

"Hello?" he sounded a little stressed, which wasn't that surprising since his phone had rung constantly for a few minutes, leaving him thinking that something terrible had happened.

"Lionel, it's Will. I'm sorry I'm calling, but I really need your help."

"Of course, what happened? Are you alright?" Lionel quickly answered.

"Yes, it's nothing like that, well, not really. It's about Diane and the suspension-" he was interrupted before he could say another word.

"Will, for God's sake, I thought something happened! What else do you want me to do? Diane already blackmailed me into giving you only four months! Don't you realize that you, by all means, should have been disbarred!" Lionel grumbled, thinking that Will was calling on behalf of himself and wanted him to give him an even better deal or something like that

"That's not why I'm calling Lionel. It's because of Diane. Just for the record, I would have taken a year-long suspension. But Diane worked herself to literal exhaustion, she- she collapsed, and our investigator had to take her to the hospital today. I won't let that happen again, I can't let her pay for my stupidity with her health! Please, I just want to help her. Can I not help her with some of the paperwork? I'm not only a lawyer, but I'm also a businessman. I'm one of the leaders of a big law firm. I won't be in court, talk to any clients, or give legal advice to other lawyers on cases, I just want to help her with the business stuff, all the paperwork. Lionel, please, I know you don't particularly like me, but I want to do this for her, you know her half her life you were a friend of her father. She's paying for something I did when he hasn't even met yet! Please." Will pleaded.

Lionel was quiet for a long time, so long that Will would have wondered if he had hung up if he hadn't heard a sigh now and then from Lionel, who was pondering whether or not Will was telling the truth and what he actually does to help Diane without violating the rules of his suspension.

"Fine. If you only, and I repeat only, stick to doing business-related paperwork and won't work on legal things, you may return to the firm. But throughout your suspension, I will randomly send someone over to make sure you won't be involved in legal matters." Lionel answered after a few minutes, and Will released the breath he hadn't noticed he had been holding.

"Thank you, Lionel, really, thank you."

"Just don't make me regret this. How is Diane doing?" the older man added.

"Okay, she was released after a few hours, but she is strictly advised to stay home for at least three days, or there might be serious consequences," Will said, trying to leave no clues as to what had really happened since he was sure Diane wouldn't be pleased if he were to tell people they were going to be parents. Even if Lionel wasn't one for gossip.

"Then please tell her that I hope she soon feels better. I take it you will be at the office tomorrow then?" he asked.

"Yes, but only after lunch. I have a private appointment I can't postpone." Wills said, referring to Diane's ultrasound appointment the following day. He still had to ask Diane if she would be okay with him accompanying her, of course hoping she would agree since he really didn't want to miss this.

"Okay, then I will come by around three, and we can discuss things a little better."

"Sure, thanks again, Lionel. You really saved us." Will answered honestly.

"I know. Just don't take it for granted or think that I will do so again thus far. Goodbye."

"Yes, goodbye." with that, Lionel hung up, and Will ran his hands through his hair once more. Maybe there was a chance for them after all.

When Diane slowly woke up from a deep sleep, she felt better and more rested than she had for weeks, even before her pregnancy. She buried her face in her pillow, not yet ready to wake up feeling so comfortable and cozy, but that changed once the events of the previous day played through her mind.

Diane's eyes flew open as the realization of what happened hit her with the force of a train at full speed. Her hand flew to her bump like she feared it might be gone, that the good outcome in her memory might have been nothing but a dream, but she could feel the firm roundness of her belly, that had become so familiar to her. She noticed that she still wore her clothes from the previous day, but before she could do anything else, the old familiar but dreaded feeling of nausea hit her, because of her sudden distress, it was even worse than on the previous days.

Diane all but jumped out of bed, knocking the small lamp on her nightstand over, smashing it on the floor. But since she had to hurry to even make it to the bathroom in time, Diane didn't care about that right now. She ran inside, not bothering to close the door as she fell to her knees to release the contents of her stomach like she had done for the majority of mornings for over a month.

As Diane knelt there before her toilet being sick, she could feel a slight pain in her abdomen and then felt how she started bleeding again. But before she could really worry about that she heard a voice calling her name.

"Diane? Are you okay?" Will called out, but Diane couldn't answer him as she was dry heaving and retching. She heard him enter the bathroom, and only moments later, she felt him rubbing soothing circles on her back. He would probably also hold her hair back if it had been long enough to be in the way.

When it was finally over, Diane quickly flushed as she took deep breathes, and Will left her side only for a few moments to hand her some water to clean her mouth before he sat back down next to her, leaning against the bathtub.

"Thank you," Diane mumbled as she settled down next to him cleaning her mouth. Only after a few moments did Diane realize that she couldn't remember getting home or inviting Will to stay over for the night, not that she minded much.

"Did you stay here the night?" she asked as Will laid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"Yeah, you fell asleep on the way home, and I didn't want to leave you alone, so I slept on the couch...I just- I hope you don't mind, I can go if you want me to," Will told her, but Diane quickly shook her head.

"No, it's fine, I was just wondering, but I'm glad I'm not alone," she admitted honestly, and Will smiled a little before he got serious.

"Have you been like this every morning since you got pregnant?" he asked, Diane thought he might have been disgusted or anything, but all she heard in his voice was concern.

"Not all the time, just a little over a month, but unfortunately it's not morning sickness but all day sickness. I really can't wait for this to be over, it's hell. I've been running to restrooms at the firm or at court more than I can count, and I can't tell you how much I envy you for that private bathroom of yours." Diane explained with a small smile while the nausea settled down a little.

"Gods, Di, if I had known I-"

"You didn't know...I didn't tell you, so there is nothing you could have done. That's my own fault, Will, not yours." she said and felt how his arm pulled her a little closer to him.

"But I'll be there the rest of the way, every single day, I promise you, Di," Will vowed, and Diane reached up with her free hand to give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I know," Diane said and then sighed, "What time is it?"

"Shortly after nine, you must have been exhausted to sleep that long. I actually wanted to wake you up so you don't have to hurry to get to the appointment in time." Will said and then got up and helped Diane stand as well, who was honestly surprised by his words. Had she really slept that long? Diane was sure that she had never slept that long in her entire life.

But standing up Diane's thoughts shifted once more as she felt another trickle of blood, not as strong as before, but still there. Her hand came to lay on her abdomen again like the touch could somehow stop the bleeding. She knew this would continue to happen for a few more days, if not weeks, but it was still an unsettling feeling, as bleeding during pregnancy was usually alarming and a reason to worry.

"You okay?" Will asked, and Diane nodded halfheartedly.

"I'll have to get used to bleeding without panicking, thinking I'm having a miscarriage," Diane confessed, and Will pulled her in his arms and Diane couldn't believe how comforting his embrace was. How good it felt to know he was there, that she finally wasn't alone anymore.

"It's going to be okay, Di, and I know Dr. Jones will tell you the same today," he said and pressed a small kiss to her cheek.

"I know, I really do...but at the same time, yesterday showed me how fast everything can be over," Diane said.

"Well, even though I don't know exactly how you are feeling, I'm also scared, but I will do everything to prevent that from happening again, Di, really," Will paused for a second before he continued. "I called Lionel yesterday so that I can help you at the firm. I can't talk to clients or work on legal matters, but I can help you with everything firm-related. I won't let you pay for my mistakes, not you and not our kids," he said as his hand caressed her cheek.

"You did what? B-but what about your suspension? Will if they catch you doing anything violating your suspension, intentional or not, you're going to be disbarred!" Diane said, her voice a mix of worry and surprise.

"I certainly don't plan to do something to violate my suspension, and if I had to, I don't plan to get caught. But if something like that was to happen, then I think I simply have to switch to being a stay at home Dad in the future, taking care of the kids, cleaning, cooking, the whole thing, waiting for you to come home-" Will had tried to make a joke, but suddenly he saw tears in Diane's eyes and quickly grew serious again.

"Oh no, damn it, please don't cry, Di. I was only trying to make a joke! I didn't want to upset you! I'm sorry!" Will said as he quickly pulled her in a hug again.

"No, it's not your fault, it's just these damn hormones. I'm crying about everything these days, it's horrible! I just don't want you to risk your whole career Will. What if someone uses this to end your career? But...I do appreciate what you did for me, for us...that really means a lot," Diane mumbled as she tried to get her hormonal tears under control again, and Will continued to hold her in his arms.

"And if it ever comes that far that you have to be a stay-at-home Dad, please promise me you will never cook," She added once she had calmed down again, and Will laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I'm a pretty miserable cook, aren't I?" Will chuckled, and Diane buried her face in his neck.

"The worst I have ever met."

"Okay, but I can still manage to make some tea. What kind do you want?" he asked, and Diane sighed.

"Peppermint, please, and I'll better take a shower or I'll have to unnecessarily hurry," Diane said, and Will nodded before he kissed her cheek once more.

"Alright, I'll make you some tea." with that he was gone, and Diane stood alone in her bathroom. Diane undressed and had to swallow down some more worries once she got out of the adult diaper with a good part of it soaked in blood, she prayed that this would not go on for the rest of her pregnancy. How was she supposed to notice a difference between this kind of bleeding from the hemorrhage and the kind that was dangerous for her and the twins?

With a sigh she threw the thing in the trash and stepped inside the shower to get clean. The warm water was soothing as it cascaded down her body. Since Diane had found out that taking long hot showers or baths could harm the baby, she hadn't done so anymore. But since this was more practical than a relaxing shower, she didn't mind much, once she rinsed off the shampoo and soap, her hands came to lay on her bump again.

Diane still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was pregnant with twins, they were going to have two babies. One child was surprising and would be challenging enough, but two at the same time was not something Diane had reckoned with. She could also scrap the very few plans she had made until now since she had believed to only have one baby. Well, all except for one.

Both her hands were on her belly, gently caressing it as the water continued to run down her body, two babies the size of a small lime growing inside her, probably moving around right in this moment, their hearts beating. Diane prayed that today she would learn they were still alright and healthy, apart from checking on her because of what happened yesterday. Diane would get her first-trimester screening, including a blood test and a Nuchal Translucency Screening, to indicate any chromosomal abnormalities.

"I love you both...no matter what," she mumbled before she finished her shower and got ready for the day. For the first time in her pregnancy, Diane dressed in a way that didn't hide her bump, even though she was leaving the house. And it felt almost strange to not hide it, but it was also relieving.

Arriving downstairs, Diane walked inside her kitchen, where she did not only found Will and some tea, but a small bowl with what appeared to be applesauce and a piece of plain toast. But before Diane could say something, Will beat her to it, his eyes glued to her bump.

"Wow...I mean, you look great. I guess I just have to get used to seeing you with a bump...but I like it, you really do look amazing," he said, snd Diane felt a small blush creep on her cheeks, knowing him well enough to know it was a sincere compliment.

"Thank you, though I think I still have to get used to not hiding it, not that that's going to be an option for much longer anyway," Diane said as she stepped closer and then pointed to the kitchen isle, but before she could speak again, Will was already explaining.

"Kalinda made me promise to get you to eat something, and I fear if she finds out I didn't, I'll regret it. So I googled what you could eat, and there was this blog, and everyone on there swore on applesauce and toast, so, yeah," Will rambled as she came to stand next to him.

Diane couldn't help but smile and press a small kiss to his cheek, "Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you, and where did you find the applesauce?" she asked as she sat down, it was such a sweet gesture that Diane willed the queasiness down to stay at bay and do not ruin this because it almost brought her to tears that he did this for her.

"You didn't, so I hoped you wouldn't hurry that much in the shower and quickly bought some. It's unsweetened, just pure applesauce, they wrote this was the best. And you don't have to eat much, just try some okay?" Will said as he pushed the cup of tea closer to her, and now Diane felt tears burn in her eyes once more.

"See, I told you my hormones are killing me, now I'm crying because you bought applesauce for me!" she grumbled before she wiped at her eyes, and Will chuckled.

"At least it's because of something good, now eat something."

To Diane's surprise the applesauce indeed did not reinforce her morning sickness, and neither did the piece of toast, though she was still vary and only carefully nibbling at it.

"Diane?" Will spoke up after they had sat in silence for a while. When Diane looked at him, she saw he seemed kinda nervous, and she worried that something was wrong.

"Could I...well, I just thought that maybe- I could- accompany you to your appointment? Only if you want! You don't have to say yes, I just thought that-"

"Will!" Diane interrupted his stammering and took his hand in hers. "I'd love for you to come with me, I actually kind of already assumed you would go with me," she confessed and was happy to see a big smile on his face.

"Thank you, Di," Will answered sincerely, but Diane only shook her head.

"Don't thank me, Will. If I had handled things differently...if I had been honest with you, you wouldn't have to ask me if you could see your own children on an ultrasound."

"Please don't do this, you did what you thought was right, it was a difficult situation, and I don't blame you, Diane. I know about them now and that's all I could ask for."

"I just-" but Will interrupted her.

"Let's not go there right now, okay? Everything is alright, but if we want to be on time, we should get going soon," he said and wanted to lean down to kiss her cheek, but Diane looked at him at the last moment, so he kissed her on the lips instead. For a moment, both were too surprised to really react, and Will was about to pull back when Diane kissed him back. Once more, they both were reminded how good this felt, how much they had missed this, how fast their hearts were beating in their chests, and how right it felt.

"Could we do this more? I mean, maybe not just on accident?" Diane asked quietly as they parted and looked into his warm brown eyes. Will grinned at her and kissed again.

"I'll gladly kiss you every day," Will mumbled against her lips, and this time it was Diane smiling. "But right now, we really should go," he added before he pecked her lips once more, and Diane reluctantly agreed.

"Hello Diane and hello Mr. Gardner, nice to see you joining us today," Dr. Jones greeted them as she walked inside the examination room. Thanks to Kalinda, who had kept her word and magically got Diane's car cleaned up again, they had made it just in time for her appointment.

"First of all, how are you doing, Diane?" Dr. Jones then continued as she sat down in front of them.

"Definitely better than yesterday or the days before. I was able to sleep more than five hours and rest well, also the pain is almost completely gone. But I was bleeding pretty strong when I was sick this morning, and whenever I move too quickly or too much, I start bleeding again," Diane explained to her Doctor, who nodded in response.

"Alright, that sounds indeed promising. So today, we will do your first-trimester screen. First, I will draw some blood, and then I'll do a slightly different ultrasound to see if the twins are doing okay, check for indications for chromosomal abnormalities, and of course to check on the hematoma." the other woman explained to them. A few minutes later Diane was lying once again on the examination table, a small gauze pad fixed on her left arm with a plaster tape.

"Alright, you know the drill. Is your bladder empty? We really want a good image today, so we can get the most accurate result." Dr. Jones asked, and Diane nodded.

"Yes, I used the bathroom shortly after we got here. But I could go almost nonstop these days," Diane answered, and the other woman smiled.

"Well, that's because you're producing more blood, which means more work for your kidneys as well, and your uterus is also pushing against your bladder. It's going to be better before it gets worse when the two start kicking your bladder, it's no fun, trust me." Dr. Jones said, and Diane grimaced a little since she really wasn't looking forward to that.

"This is going to be a little cold," Dr. Jones added as she reached for the gel, and Diane looked at Will and had to smile again. Will was so excited that he couldn't really talk, not that he had to, so instead, Will's eyes were already fixed on the ultrasound screen, not wanting to miss anything.

"Here we go, let me just try to find a nice angle so we can- ah! Here they are!" the moment their twins appeared on the screen, Diane felt how Will suddenly grabbed her hand and squeezed it, but not uncomfortably so. But Diane couldn't really blame him, yesterday he hadn't seen much of them, and there had been so much going on that it was hard to grasp that this was really happening, that this were, in fact, his children. Today though, he could just focus on them.

Watching as their flimsy light gray images were dancing over the screen in contrast to the dark background of Diane's womb. They were both sort of lying on their backs side by side, but then they started to wriggle around, the baby on the right disappearing for a moment before reappearing like they were jumping around. They could see them move their tiny arms and legs, and Will knew he had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life, he could spend all day just watching them.

"It seems like we have an active day today! See, this one is Baby A, they're probably just taking a break for us so we can take some measurements while their brother or sister is still jumping all over the place. There are the hands and feet, all looking great, so I'll quickly measure them...that's 1.6 inches for Baby A, perfect." Dr. Jones said as she moved the ultrasound wand around Diane's bump. They could hear the steady heartbeat a moment later, and their Doctor was also very pleased with that.

Repeating the procedure with Baby B was quite the challenge since this little one seemed to be determined to play a game of hide and seek with them. But in the end, Dr. Jones also got to take their measures, 1.5 inches, as well as a good heartbeat. She then continued with the rest of the ultrasound, which did take longer than the previous one, but even though the circumstances weren't that pleasant, Will and Diane were both able to distract themselves from that by simply watching their twins.

"Okay, let's start with the important stuff," Dr. Jones began once she had finished the ultrasound. Diane had fixed her clothes again, and they were now sitting in front of her desk, in Dr. Jones's office. "The subchorionic hematoma is obviously still there, but it already as decreased in size a little, which is a good sign. But like I said, it's complicated to give an accurate prognosis, but it hasn't gotten bigger, so I'm happy with that," she told them honestly, and both Diane and Will nodded.

"What is also very good is that you have Dichorionic Twins, which means they both have a separate amniotic sack, and more importantly, they both have their own placenta. This is really good because it comes with much more risks for you and the twins if they share one or both. This also means that either they are fraternal twins, meaning you ovulated two separate eggs at the same time. Or they are identical, and you were fortunate, and your egg split early enough, and they developed a separate placenta."

"The easy way to find out if they're identical or not is to wait until we can determine their sexes during a later ultrasound or wait until birth. Since you can only have identical twins of the same sex, they're automatically fraternal if it turns out you have a boy and girl. If they're a pair of boys or girls, we have to wait until after the birth, then we can make a simple, non-invasive test to know. That's important, though, because if one of them should develop an illness, if they're identical, the chances are very high the other might have it too." Dr. Jones explained kindly.

"Alright, but what about the Nuchal Translucency Screening? Could you see...anything that might indicate one or both are not healthy?" Diane asked, and her grip on Will's hand tightened a little bit, so he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Now, just to remind you, this is just an indicator for chromosomal abnormalities, at this point, there is no guarantee, but we can make other tests in the future to determine things like that if you want to. So the blood test will be back in a week or two, and then I will give you a valid statement of the results. But on the ultrasound itself, I couldn't see anything that wasn't out of the ordinary, quite the opposite, they are perfectly developed for their age."

Diane released a breath she hadn't noticed she had been holding in, and Will quickly pulled their intertwined hands up and pressed a kiss to hers.

"See, I told you everything was going to be okay," he said with a smile, though Diane knew he had also been worried that something might not be alright with one or both of the twins.

"I know it's not a guarantee, but thank you for telling us something," Diane told her Doctor, who smiled back at her.

"No need to thank me. The other thing I want to talk about is that since you are pregnant with twins, and that alone is a greater risk factor, I want to see you back in two weeks to check on the hematoma, and then depending on what we see there, I will tell you when to be back. We will have another scan between 18 and 20 weeks, and from then on, I want to see you every three weeks."

"Since your having twins, this also changes some basic things. First, twins are always born earlier than singletons so your due date shifts to earily April. With twins, we ideally want them to be delivered at 37 weeks, we'll do everything to make sure they are fully developed and ready, but after 37 weeks, the risk for you and the babies rises fast. So if you go into labor naturally around the time, then you're free to have a natural birth with special precautions since I'm a high-risk OB/GYN. We can also do a planned C-section, but if that hematoma doesn't heal until the end of your pregnancy, then a vaginal birth is too dangerous for you and the twins. You have plenty of time to decide on that though, I just want to inform you, okay?" Diane gave a nod.

"We'll talk about it, but thanks again for your honesty," she answered, and Will nodded.

About twenty minutes later, the two of them walked out of the private practice and walked back to Diane's car. Will had laid his arm around her, and Diane was leaning into his side.

"This was a lot to take in, but I'm glad they are okay and that I was with you...seeing them is just- I can't really describe it," Will said, and Diane agreed with him on everything he had said. It had been kind of overwhelming, even though they were lucky, and for now it seemed that their twins might be healthy.

"Yes, it's so amazing to see them develop each time. They have grown so much since the first ultrasound," Diane said, and Will pressed a kiss down her hairline.

"I can't wait for the next appointment and the one after that."

Diane wanted to answer, but at that moment, Will's phone began to ring. A quick glance at the display told him it was Audrey. Damn, so much had happened yesterday that Will had forgotten to tell Audrey where he was and that everything was okay after he had run out of his apartment like a maniac.

"It's Audrey. I bet she wants to finally know where I am and if I'm alright," Will said, and Diane frowned at him.

"You haven't told her where you are or what happened?"

"No, by the time things quiet down a little, I forgot. And honestly, I really didn't know if you wanted me to tell Audrey...though I guess she already knows you're pregnant since she was the one who realized it was your sonogram."

"Will, she's your sister. I wouldn't want you to hide that from her, it's your decision, though. I won't be mad if you don't want to tell her, but you should answer the call now. Audrey must be already worried about you!" Diane said and deciding she was right, and that they could talk about the whole telling people thing later, Will quickly took the call.

"Audrey?" Will said and was met with a rather loud cry.

"Well, finally, that dear brother of mine decides to answer one of my calls! Where the hell have you been?!" Audrey demanded to know, and Will felt a little bad for having his sister worry over him.

"I'm sorry, Addie, I was with Diane. Kalinda told me she was admitted to the hospital yesterday. So that's why I ran out like that, but Diane's fine, and I'll be home tonight, okay?"

"Well, I'm glad to hear Diane is alright but reminds me of something else I wanted to ask you because, you see, I might not be a lawyer, but I still can put two and two together."

"Audrey," Will warned her since she knew he hated it when she did that.

"Alright, alright. So tell me, am I going to be an aunt again?" he could hear her grin and picture it perfectly. Will then looked at Diane, who had followed the conversation and now looked at him with a raised brow.

"I won't have to tell Audrey because she already guessed I'm the father, but she doesn't know that she'll be an aunt to five around April," Will said, addressing them both, and Diane smiled nervously, waiting for the reaction of his sister.

"You mean four, dumbass, Sarah's three and- wait a minute! You don't mean? Are you having twins!?"

Will had to hold the phone away from his ear, and even Diane could hear Audrey squeal and cry in happiness. They both couldn't help but smile, and Will hung up in his sister, leaning in to kiss Diane while his hand gently laid on her baby bump. Yes, they were having twins, and they couldn't be happier about it.

Hello, my dear readers!
I'm sorry the update came sooo late! But work was absolutely crazy, and then I came down with a cold which really knocked me out!
But I'm back to normal again, and as an apology, you got an extra-long chapter of our Lockner Parents!
I really hope you liked it, please tell me if you did in a comment! I could use a little boost!
You might also have noticed that I changed the length of Will's suspension and shortened it to four months. It's not only because I need it to be that way later in the story, but also because I figured if Diane got six months for Will, only convincing the board he is a good guy and saved their pro bono cases, then surely she would have gotten a better deal when she blackmailed them :D
Thanks again to HeroineGauddess, who really is the only thing that keeps me writing on some days. So Darling, thank you! It's so great writing to you, all the love to you!
To everyone else, I hope you had a great Halloween! I love you all and hope this time the wait for the next chapter won't be so long!
As always, stay healthy my dears!