Chapter 3

Triplet pregnancies average 33 weeks

Babies born before their time may not be completely ready for the outside world. Their lungs, brain, and other organs may not be fully developed, their immune system may not be ready to fight off infections, and they may not be able to suck or swallow.

Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a rare but serious complication that occurs in identical twins when blood flows from one baby to the other through their shared placenta

Bed rest can mean anything from curtailing your activities to literally not getting out of bed for any reason. Even if your pregnancy is going smoothly, most doctors and midwives advice taking it easy beginning early in the third trimester.

If you're carrying triplets, there's a 40 percent chance that one or more will miscarry in the first half of pregnancy.

Jane had never read so much in her entire life – never! While Maura was naturally well educated in most matters pertaining to the human body, Jane had to actively get up to speed. Their visit to the specialist two weeks ago had been nothing but a terror attack to Jane. The brunette, without coercion, put herself immediately on maternity leave. A little inconveniencing to the homicide department it had been, but everyone was very understanding and supportive. Her new OB and the whole team were lovely and lucky for Jane there had been no immediate abnormalities. They had told Jane she was safe to work on desk duty for at least the next few months if everything carried on the way it was, but Jane was not taking any chances. Maura, as sound minded as she always was, had seconded Jane in light speed. In fact, she had wanted to suggest it herself, but was terrified that Jane would think it was a way of saying she was inadequate and could potentially put their baby…babies in danger again.

Speaking of babies…

''Now this is a car you are fit to drive my darling,'' Maura flirted as she watched Jane giving herself a proper tour of the vehicle.

''Well it's pretty hot,'' blushed the brunette.

''No, it's pretty, but you're hot''

''You're feeling really funny today aren't you?'' Jane said as she swaggered over to Maura, pulling her in by the waist. ''My gorgeous wife,'' she mused, before planting a quick one on Maura. It didn't turn out quick, because Maura opened up her mouth for Jane who gladly sucked on her tongue. ''What'd you say we take this inside?''

''With pleasure….oh wait. Let me get my purse'' Maura picked up her bag then looked back at the vehicle. They had just purchased a brand new Volvo XC90, but that really wasn't the source of her astonishment. ''It's starting to make me really nervous,'' she gently admitted. ''It seems so overwhelming.''

''You mean 'it's a lot?''' Jane smiled, understanding her wife's sentiment exactly.

''Yes.''

They both looked at the car quietly. Three car seats and been securely fitted into the back seats – one next to the other.

THREE!

Looking at it, it genuinely looked frightening. They would be carrying around three little people.

''Imagine this right,'' Jane laughed before even finishing off. ''We come from…I don't know, a doctor's appointment or something. So what, one of us would have to carry one baby inside and unlock the door, while the other one stays here with the other two? Then you'd have to leave the other one alone for a short while in the house while you come back to get the other one. Then we'd all go inside. Will we have to do that each time? Like me going off with one while you stay with the other two?''

''Perhaps we'll need a maid''

Jane sighed. ''Ma will be all over this. And you and me, and Constance when she's around. The guys as well, and then a maid? It seems like a lot. Like a full house. A very full house if you know what I mean''

''I know what you mean. But we'll have a bigger place, and think about the cooking and the laundry and the cleaning. We can't do it all, logically. Instead of getting a babysitter I'd rather we focus on the children and get a maid.''

The sexual energy from earlier on dissipated that instant as anxiety settled.

''One day at a time like you always say right,'' Jane eventually smiled.

After going up to their bedroom and freshening up, things ended up taking longer than they imagined – in a good way. The stress of the babies and slowed down their sex drive tremendously, but it was almost impossible - especially for Maura – to look at a naked Jane, whose small baby bump was already starting to show, and not feel immediate arousal. So with no rush they had made love, reminding each other why they were made for one another all over again.

Growing three babies inside her, it was no wonder Jane had started biting her nails again – an old bad habit that had quickly resurfaced. Jane was now 11 weeks pregnant, and anyone who paid attention could easily decipher this.

''You are going to drive yourself mad if you don't stop that,'' Maura admonished as she handed Jane an ice cream. Yes, those cravings were starting already. Anything cold was Jane's best friend. The brunette was especially partial to orange flavoured ice-cream, popsicles, milkshakes, and basically anything that could be eaten straight from the fridge (preferably from the deep freezer). ''Pregnancy develops so differently from each individual, it's highly improbably that any one of those pictures will be an accurate representation of what your stomach is going to look like.''

''It's going to be pointy like this,'' Jane pointed to an image on the screen then enlarged it so they could see clearly, completely ignoring the sense Maura was making. She had been online since she got up, googling pictures of pregnant woman carrying triplets. ''and later on it going to hang low like that,'' she clicked on another image illustrating the latter assessment. ''You know what really sucks?''

''What?'' Maura indulged her. She didn't have a choice did she? Her wife was becoming more irrational by the day, she wondered how they would make it past the next months.

''I'm not even going to gain that much weight. I'll be all slim like I am now, with this humongous protruding belly that looks like it's about to fall off me. What if it's too heavy for me to walk?''

''I imagine it will be Jane,'' Maura smiled sympathetically. ''It will hurt your back and your legs, I suppose that's why the doctor said you will most likely be on bed rest in the very later stages of the pregnancy.''

''Well that's motivating,'' she said sarcastically as she shut her laptop and began sucking on her ice-lolly. '' mmmmmmh,'' Jane moaned, savouring the flavour of the delicious goodness in her hand.

''Shall I leave you two alone?'' Joked Maura.

''Please do. And shut the door tightly behind you – things are gonna get pretty loud,'' Jane laughed as she moaned even louder.

''You're crazy you know that? We have to get ready anyway, Angela will be here shortly.''

Jane did the whole song and dance about how she didn't want to leave as they both got ready. It was April, and though the temperatures should have been getting much warmer, this particular year wasn't cooperating well. They stood in the windy fresh air outside as they waited for Angela who had said she was 2 minutes away. They were not using the new car yet, because Maura had said, ''I believe we will look a little too overzealous with car seats fitted in when you are only just beginning to show''. And Jane had taken the department's car back as she was now on a very long maternity leave. It would be at least a year until she could go back, if she was lucky. The new Prius they had purchased was to be picked up when they moved. It didn't make sense accumulating everything at the old house only so they could move it to the new place in three weeks. The house furniture they ordered online was due to be delivered there as well.

...

''What if something happens again after we have been so forward and made all these arrangement?'' Jane asked in the quiet of the night the previous week on the day they signed off the papers to their house.

''Nothing is going to happen,'' stated the blonde.

''You don't know that''

''I don't. But I'm hoping nothing awful happens. And IF it does, this isn't all for nothing. We will adopt''

''Yes we agreed on that. But will we adopt three children at once''

''I suppose we could. Our minds are all geared up to have triplets Jane. Obviously I haven't looked into the details of what the process of adopting triplets will be like, and of course the likelihood of it, but we will sort it out. Let's not worry about that now. We have our babies here ok,'' she finished off by kissing Jane and kissing her stomach as well.

...

''Oh look at you two,'' Angela offered as a greeting when she pulled up to their driveway.

''What Ma?'' snapped Jane. It was the pregnancy. Jane had convinced herself that it didn't like Angela. Ever since her first appointment with the specialist when they had finally heard the heartbeat of their third child, Jane had started feeling this overwhelming dislike for her mother. It was strange, because she didn't dislike Angela in her absence, nor did she even actively think of things she didn't like about her mother. It just happened when she actually saw her. Jane would just feel that she couldn't stand her and would just want to go away. It was something she couldn't even explain to anyone – it was that bizarre. They had been very busy of late, but Maura had promised to do extensive research to try and figure out what was happening. Because at first Maura had reprimanded Jane about her behaviour but had later realized that that particular behaviour was also baffling her wife.

''You just look all…glowy…and happy. It's so wonderful,'' she gushed.

''Really Ma! Glowy?''

Maura lightly shoved Jane as a way to curb her behaviour as they jumped into the car.

''I've been a bit concerned you know,'' Angela started as they drove off. ''You are moving to Newton, which is about twenty to thirty minutes from your work place. Won't it be too much driving? I am, couldn't you have stayed right here in Boston. You know, closer to work?''

''In case you haven't noticed Ma, we aren't going to work,'' Jane retorted.

''Yet!''

''I understand what you mean,'' the daughter in law intervened. ''We initially thought we'd move to Beacon Hill. I lived there for years, it's closer to work and an environment we are already used to.''

''So what changed your minds?''

''Well, we've been living in the West End since I returned to Boston, and I don't know,'' Maura sighed, ''it just doesn't quite have the feeling we want.''

''What Maura means to say is,'' Jane laughed. ''the West End is too close to the city, it's too busy, and it doesn't have the schools that she deems appropriate for our children''

''I wouldn't use those words exactly, but I suppose that's another way of looking at it''

''Maura's already looked up schools for the kids starting from pre-k to high school''

They all laughed. No one was quite as organised as Doctor Maura Isles. The blonde wanted a perfect house in a perfect location, somewhere they wouldn't have to ever move from.

They drove for about twenty minutes before arriving at their destination. They were taking Angela to see the place they had just purchased and would be moving into in three weeks. ''Wow,'' exhaled Angela when they arrived. ''this Newton thing makes sense I see. This place is gorgeous. My God, it must have cost you a fortune,'' she gasped as she walked out of the car. The place was magnificent. It was a newly built colonial three car garage - five bedroom house.

The tour took a while.

''This place is massive.'' The matriarch was still in shock. ''will you use all this space?''

''As a matter of fact we will.'' Maura sat with Angela on the bar stool. Jane was lying on the couch in the living room claiming to have a headache – the truth was that she couldn't stand her mother's constant gasps and awed remarks. ''We have a bedroom for each of the children, our bedroom plus one for the maid. Of course they will use one nursery until they are older, so the other two can be guest bedrooms in the meantime. It seems too large now I guess but once the children are older and running about it will make sense. They will need a play room and we need a study and a living room and a large dining area as well as a big kitchen and laundry room….'' Maura trailed off, once again feeling overwhelmed. She thought she had been over that, seems not. One cannot simply get used to suddenly expecting three children and moving houses and stopping work, all in a span of not more than three months.

''How's my Janie doing though?'' Angela's maternal concern surfaced. ''She seems so snappy and always defensive''

''I can't imagine what it's like for her to be honest,'' Maura paused looking in the direction of her wife. ''We argued a few days ago when we were ordering the baby furniture. She said I was being too 'extravagant' with baby things. That I needed to get something cheaper and not spend thousands on things that will be used for a short time then put away''

''Mm,'' Angela nodded. ''You have spent a lot on this house Maura. I'm guessing about two million or so. Cutting down on other things is sensible''

''Well that's what I was trying to get Jane to understand. The firm we are buying from is a bit costly, yes. But if the furniture is in good condition, which I know it will be, they buy back the things. And so we get a certain percentage back depending on the state of the furniture. It makes sense you see, because we won't need the cribs and changing tablets after that, so we give it back. And when it's returned we can do exchanges for toddler furniture and for when they get older.''

''When you put it that way''

''Jane eventually understood''

Turns out their dreams of assembling furniture went out the window. They ended up moving after four weeks, and having the delivery men assemble and arrange everything for them. Jane was fifteen weeks pregnant, and much larger than they expected – which they should have, given she was carrying three babies. One woman at the grocery store had thought she was about six months along, only to learn she was three months and three weeks pregnant. Morning sickness had kicked in and she was starting to feel tired most of the time.

''So now we can concretely pick out names,'' Maura mused as she rubbed Jane's feet. It was three days after they moved in and the ultra sound told them they were having two identical twin boys and the other child was a girl. There are no words that could have explained their joy.

''I thought it would be easier now that I know what we are having. Seems it's much harder.'' Jane was crossing off and rewriting the list of names in her note book.

''I hope you have crossed off Liam,'' Maura warned. Jane smiled wickedly, knowing that Maura knew she had only written that name to get a rise out of her wife.

''You know when you went out with Frankie this afternoon, I really felt like having an egg''

''Oh darling, why didn't you tell me?''

''I wanted it then so I thought I'd fry one''

''But…?'' Maura waited.

''Everything in here is so clean and so new. I didn't have it in me to splatter oil everywhere''

Maura let out a hearty laugh. ''My Jane Rizzoli. Afraid of making a mess? You should stay pregnant a bit longer.'' They both laughed, before Jane sobered up.

''When did you say we start to interview the maids?''

''Monday. We are meeting Patricia first''

''Is it the young looking black lady or is it the red head from Vermont?''

''It's 'the young looking black lady' as you put it,'' Maura shook her head at Jane. ''Actually, Patricia is originally from Kenya. I do hope she is what we are looking for, because it will be so wonderful to learn about another culture and wouldn't it be great to taste traditional African meals?''

''You do know that-''

''I know what you are going to say. But unlike you, I have thoroughly read Patricia's file. She moved to this country when she was fifteen. She's thirty now by the way - not too young. She is very much in touch with her roots. She visits her home country every so often, and all her family is there. So she does know about the culture and how to cook their traditional foods.''

''You are so weird. How do you read my mind like that''

''Oh my dear, I am well read in the subject of Jane Rizzoli''

For those who like visuals like I do

A link of the picture of the house I imagine them to be living in.

Property/newton-properties-fabulous-new-construction-home/QNXB