CHAPTER 8

Two months later it was a few days before Christmas.

Despite Gillian not feeling well lately, she and Emily had gone all out decorating the house. Cal got in the spirit as well and every night either read or told Amy elaborate Christmas stories.

Amy steadily grew more excited as she opened the windows on the candy advent calendar Emily bought her.

"Soon?" she'd ask several times a day.

"Yes…" they would always reply.

This particular morning, Cal frowned when he heard Gillian retching in the bathroom attached to their room.

She came out and climbed back in bed.

"You're still not feeling well, Darling?" Cal asked as he pulled her into his arms.

"No…" Gillian grumbled.

"Maybe you should go to the doctor."

"For the flu?"

"Luv, you've been sick for almost a month…"

"Not all the time…it comes and goes, Cal…and…with all the holiday baking and shopping, I've been eating a lot of junk lately."

"I can't believe that…" Cal teased sarcastically.

"Oh, no…." Gillian groaned as she suddenly ran from the bed and into the bathroom.

Cal grimaced as he heard her get sick again.

"Ugh…" she complained as she came out. "I'm too old to be eating chips and salsa at night."

"You and Em had the extra spicy one again, didn't you?"

"And the large margarita…" she said as she sniffled.

"Mooooommmmyyyyy!" Amy's voice sang out.

"Oh, no!"

Cal threw back the covers. "Go back to sleep, Amy and I will hang out for a few hours."

"Love you," Gillian sighed as she settled back in bed.

As she heard the faint murmurings of Cal and Amy drifting up from the kitchen, Gillian drifted back to sleep.

Cal surprised Amy and made her a pancake shaped like a snowman. He grimaced as he decorated it with whipped cream and candy sprinkles then set it down in front of her.

"Momma's?"

"No, Luv, that's Amy's."

"Yeah!"

"Yeah…starting to eat just as poorly as your mother…"

A knock sounded at the front door and Cal frowned as he walked to answer it. "Who the bloody hell can that be?" he grumbled. As he opened the door he grinned and extended his hand. "Kyle? I wasn't expecting you…"

Kyle walked past him and held up a folder. "I have an early Christmas present for your family."

"It went through?" Cal tentatively asked.

Kyle ignored him as he looked around the room. "Where's Gillian?"

"Upstairs sleeping, she's not feeling well."

"Oh," Kyle said disappointedly. "I'd hope to deliver the news to your whole family."

Cal rolled his eyes and shuffled impatiently as he held out his hand. "Is Amy mine?"

Kyle handed him the envelope. "She's yours!"

Cal was overcome with emotion as he looked over at Amy. Her face and hands were covered with whipped cream and he grinned. "Darling, this is a very happy day for Daddy!"

Amy looked at him as she shoved her sprinkle covered hands in her mouth.

Kyle stepped over and looked at Amy's plate. "A snowman pancake? Wow, you're like father of the year in my book."

"He is!" Emily said as she bounded down the steps. She grinned at Kyle. "Soooo if you're here…can I assume that Dad officially became a Dad again?"

"You can!" Kyle smiled.

Emily hugged Cal. "Congrats, I'm happy for you!"

Cal grabbed her chin and held it as he looked in her eyes. "I am too, Luv, and I really love that you've been so great about this whole thing!"

Emily shook her head dismissively. "Dad, I love Gillian and Amy and I really love you, I'm glad you're finally getting everything you've ever wanted, you deserve it!"

Cal held her tightly. "I love you to, Em!"

"Emmy kiss! Emmy kiss!" Amy squealed.

Emily looked over at Amy and laughed at her new sister then blew her a kiss. "No way, kiddo, you're a mess, I'll give you a real kiss when you're not covered in whipped cream and sprinkles!"

"Kiss…kiss…kiss!" Amy laughed.

"Messy….messy….messy!" Emily giggled as she ruffled Amy's hair. "Eat Frosty and we'll play later."

Cal frowned as he glanced upstairs. He had heard the toilet flush several more times and he realized Gillian probably had the flu. "Hey, Em, do your old man a favor?"

"I'm not detailing your car."

"No…Gill's not feeling well and I want her to get some rest. Do you think there is any chance you can take Amy somewhere today?"

Emily thought quickly as she took Amy out of her high chair. "Sure, I was just going to hang out with Liam, I'll take her with me but Dad, Gillian's been sick for like a month now, maybe we should like bleach the whole house before Amy gets sick too."

Cal nodded as he thought back over the last few weeks. "At's a good idea, Em, I'll take care of it."

Emily took Amy upstairs to clean her up and change her clothes as Kyle looked at Cal. "Sorry to hear Gillian hasn't been feeling well."

"Yeah, I love my wife to pieces but she eats like a six year old, since Amy's come to live with us, she has more excuses to snack on sugary garbage."

Kyle chuckled. "I've got a sweet tooth myself."

"Yeah, well, wait a few years and it won't agree with you anymore."

"Well, Cal, I was honored to be able to bring you this great news."

Cal took his extended hand and shook it. "And great news it was, my family can't thank you enough."

Kyle started to walk towards the door. "Will you send me pictures once in awhile; I'd love to watch Amy grow up."

Gillian came down the steps and answered him. "Nope, you can see her anytime you'd like and I'll make sure you're included on birthdays and other significant milestones."

Cal poured her a cup of coffee as she made her way to a stool at the breakfast bar. "Here you go, Darling."

"Thank you," Gillian smiled at him weakly then turned to Kyle. "Did the adoption go through?"

"It did, that's why I stopped by."

Gillian looked at Cal. "Congratulations on being a father again."

Cal kissed her temple. "As soon as you're feeling better, we'll go celebrate at the horrid pizza place with a playground in it."

"Amy will love that," Kyle added. "Let me leave and you can get something to eat then maybe get some more sleep, you look exhausted Gillian."

Kyle left as Cal took a close look at her. "He's right, you know…you do look tired, Darling."

Gillian blew out a long breath and finally admitted. "I'm exhausted."

"I can make you some scrambled eggs…"

"Cal…ugh….no…please…"

"You have to try to eat something, how about some toast?" he asked hopefully.

Gillian stood slowly and started towards the steps. "Maybe later."

Cal started to clean up the breakfast dishes when he heard Gillian cry out.

"Gill?!" he asked anxiously as he ran to her side.

Gillian almost collapsed in his arms.

Cal quickly put his arms around her and led her back to the chair in the kitchen. "Emily!"

Emily came bounding down the steps with Amy in her arms. "What's wrong?"

"I'm taking Gillian to the emergency room."

"No," Gillian started to protest.

Emily interrupted her worriedly. "Go! I'll take care of Amy."

"Good girl," Cal smiled weakly. "Get me her coat while I grab my keys and wallet?"

"No, I'll get the keys and wallet and Gill's coat, you meet me at the car."

"Thanks."

Cal helped Gillian stand again and slowly led her to the car parked in the garage. By the time she was settled in, Emily had brought everything down and placed it in the car.

"Feel better, Gill, and don't worry, I'll take good care of Amy."

"I know you will, Em, thanks."

Cal ran around the car and nodded to Emily before he climbed in and immediately started to back out. Emily sighed as she saw him race down the street.

An hour later, Gillian had her blood drawn and gave a urine sample and she and Cal were waiting in an examining room when the doctor came in.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Boston. Can I assume it's all right to discuss anything in front of your husband?"

"Of course," Gillian said as she struggled to sit up on the bed.

"Then its good, you're here," the doctor said as she glanced at Cal.

Cal's face was pale as he scanned her face. "It's bad news then, is it?"

The doctor smiled as she looked at Gillian. "No, I don't think so…but I have to admit I'm surprised this never crossed your mind."

"What?" Gillian wondered.

"Gillian, you're pregnant."

Gillian's breath hitched in her throat as Cal put his arm around her and kissed her temple then looked at the doctor as he shook his head "That's impossible."

"Well I'm assuming your engaging in sexual relations…how many periods have you missed, Gillian?"

"I've never been regular, so I'm not sure; it's been a few months."

The doctor shrugged as she took a seat. "What do you use for protection?"

Gillian cleared her throat as she sniffled. "We don't use anything, I was tested and the results showed I was unable to have children."

Doctor Boston frowned as she shook her head and scanned the charts. "All of the tests indicate…" she stopped suddenly then stood up and walked out the door. Within a minute, she was back and looked at Gillian. "The ultrasound machine is on its way, I'd like to take some pictures to rule out a pregnancy, and then we may be able to see if there is anything else going on."

"Like a tumor or cancer?" Cal sighed worriedly.

"It's going to be okay," Gillian shrugged as she patted his arm, "let's just wait and see what it shows."

A knock sounded at the door and the machine was wheeled in. The technician came around and quickly plugged it in then looked at the doctor.

"Gillian, Amanda here is going to start now," she said as she discreetly opened the lower portion of Gillian's gown.

The technician started the test as she and the doctor looked at the screen.

"Gillian was told that she was infertile," Dr. Boston said.

Amanda eyes showed surprise then she frowned as she looked at the screen and continued to slowly move the wand around.

Both Amanda and the doctor caught their breath at the same time.

Cal pointed at both of them. "What's that look about? Right there, that one! What the bloody hell is it showing you?"

Amanda glanced at Dr. Boston who sighed. "I'll do it, thanks."

Dr. Boston looked over at Cal. "You might want to take a seat next to your wife," she said as she turned the screen to face Gillian and Cal.

Cal settled next to Gillian and reached for her hand. He leaned his forehead against hers as he looked deeply into her eyes. "Whatever it is, Darling, we'll face it together."

Gillian smiled weakly as she squeezed his hand and turned to look at the screen.

"This is…"

"A bloody heart beating!" Cal gasped.

"It is…" Dr. Boston confirmed. "You've been through this before?"

"It's been awhile. I have an eighteen year old."

Dr. Boston nodded as she turned back to the screen. "And this is…"

"A hand…a tiny hand!" Gillian cried out through tears.

Dr. Boston laughed. "Yep, and this little one seems to be sucking its thumb."

Gillian looked at Cal. "I don't know how this happened!"

Cal chuckled and kissed her. "I'll show you later on…" he suddenly frowned as he looked at the doctor. "What did you mean when you said this little one?"

The doctor grinned as she nodded at Amanda who moved the wand to Gillian's other side. "Well….this little one is not sucking its thumb!"

Cal swiped a hand across his face as he swore. "Bloody hell!"

Gillian looked at the doctor worriedly. "Twins?!"

"Yep!"

"How?"

"Well, I hate to refer to your age, but it's not uncommon for women in their late thirties to have twins."

"So I went from being infertile to carrying twins in the space of a half an hour!"

"Darling, who told you that you were infertile?" Cal wondered.

"Alec and I had tests done; the results came in the mail…"

Dr. Boston shrugged. "Well, I'm guessing that the lab made a tremendous mistake and mixed up your tests with someone else's."

"Clearly!" Cal grimaced as he stood and began to pace the room.

Gillian frowned worriedly at him. "I sorry, Cal."

The doctor felt the tension in the room and glanced over at Gillian. "Um…I'll leave you two alone but…" she said as she tore the pictures from the machine. "…here are the pictures of your two babies. The images indicate that you're almost though your first trimester. The babies look fine but you need to make an appointment immediately with your regular doctor and get started on prenatal vitamins as soon as you can. I can't stress to you how important this is…"

"I'll call today!" Gillian reassured her.

The doctor excused herself and Amanda and immediately left the room.

Cal was quiet as Gillian got up and started to get dressed.

"Cal…"

Cal ignored her and was waving his arms around as he had a conversation with himself.

Gillian felt like her heart was breaking as she began to cry. "I don't know what you want me to do…I am so so sorry…"

Her sobs finally registered in Cal's racing mind and he turned to face her. He was immediately contrite as he pulled her to his chest. "I'm a bleeding idiot, Darling!"

"I know this isn't something we planned on but…"

Cal cupped her cheeks in the palms of his hands and wiped the tears with his thumbs. "No it isn't but that doesn't mean it isn't fantastic news."

"Really?"

Cal kissed her deeply then pulled away. "Yeah, really….I'm just a bit overwhelmed…I mean within five months or so we have to have space for two more people in our house! We just bleeding got Amy settled in…"

"Now that we found out about the babies do you regret adopting Amy?"

"Course not, at's not what I meant…I love our daughter but we're going to have three little ones under the age of four…"

"So…you're wishing Amy wasn't with us?"

"No!" Cal stated emphatically. "But we're going to be outnumbered…"

Gillian sniffled as she began to giggle. "They're going to be little; I think we stand a chance."

Cal shook his head. "Yeah and then they'll be bleeding teenagers!"

"It'll be awhile before that happens…"

"I'll be over sixty!"

"We'll keep you young at heart."

Cal grinned devilishly. "I was planning on making love to you every night for the rest of our lives!"

"So…"

"Well, after this bit of news, we're going to have to use birth control."

"Yeah we are…"

Cal frowned at the look on her face. "Hey, what was that thought? You're not thinking about more kids after this are you?"

Gillian's eyes widened. "No, I won't be greedy, if I can carry these two successfully and I have Amy and Emily, I think my life will be complete."

"Let's go get that Dr.'s appointment made then go home and tell the girls."

On the car ride over, Gillian came up with an idea and shared it with Cal, who readily agreed to their surprise.

"On Christmas morning, Amy woke early then raced into Emily's room. "Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa…"

Emily groaned but rolled over and looked at her little sister. "Did you ask Dad and Mom if he came?"

"Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa!" Amy gushed as she pulled on Emily's hands.

"All right! I'm getting up! Go get Mom and Dad up and I'll meet you downstairs."

Amy raced from the room as Emily made her way to the bathroom.

"Santa!" Amy screamed as she raced into her parent's room and jumped on the bed.

"Bloody hell!" Cal groaned aloud.

"Hell! Hell! Hell!" Amy mimicked.

"Nice!" Gillian grimaced as she looked at Cal.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry, Darling," he said as he hopped from the bed and grabbed Amy. "Do you think you were a good girl and Santa came?"

"Santa!" Amy screeched again.

"Let's go see," Gillian said as she slipped into a robe.

Cal picked up Amy and carried her down the steps then headed into the kitchen to pour them coffee. He had three mugs in his hands as Emily came down the steps.

"A coffee pot with a timer was the best investment you ever made!" she said thankfully as she reached for a cup.

Cal kissed her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Luv."

"Merry Christmas, Dad!"

Cal handed a cup to Gillian who smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Are you up for this, Darling?" he worried.

"I'm fine right now."

"Okay."

Emily started to hand out the presents and Amy tore hers open excitedly. It wasn't long before she had gone through her stack and was quietly playing with her new doll.

Emily had a few token presents then gasped in surprise when she opened up a card that contained a credit card in her name. "I promise I will be responsible with this!"

"At would be nice, Em, don't let me down, yeah?"

"I won't, Dad!"

Gillian glanced at Cal nervously as he reached behind him and brought out one last box. "Em, this is for you and Amy."

Emily grabbed it and made a curious face before she reached for Amy. "Come here, kid, this is for both of us."

Amy tore the wrapping paper and looked inside. Emily reached in and brought out a pink t-shirt that said Kid #1 on it. The second shirt was also pink and said Kid #2 on it and she laughed and showed it to Amy. "I think this is yours." She frowned when she reached in and brought out two more t-shirts in yellow that said Kid #3 and Kid #4. She looked over at Cal and Gillian with confusion.

Gillian had tears in her eyes as she shrugged. "I was told I couldn't have children."

Emily frowned when she saw how upset this was making Gillian. "So…you guys are adopting more kids?"

Cal leaned forward in his seat. "No, Darling, Gillian was told she was infertile but the doctors were wrong."

"You're pregnant?!" Emily gasped.

"I am." Gillian said worriedly.

Emily leapt to her feet and hugged Gillian. "I am so happy for you!"

"Really, Em?!" Gillian wondered.

"Really…but twins ? When I leave for school you two are going to be outnumbered!" she giggled.

"Better take control early so they don't turn out like this one!" Cal joked.

Gillian rolled her eyes as she poked him. "We should be so lucky!"

"Is this why you've been so sick? How far along are you? Do you know if its boys or girls or one of each? What are you going to name them? Where are they going to sleep?"

"Em, breathe!" Cal rolled his eyes at her. "Yes it's why she's been sick, about three months, no to boys or girls so no to names yet and I have no idea!"

"Are we going to move?"

Cal shrugged. "We have no idea, Em, we just found out!"

Gillian patted her hand. "Em, we will always have a place for you no matter where we go so please don't worry."

Cal frowned. He realized Gillian had immediately guessed at Em's fears. "That's right Darling, it's always been me and you….we're just adding a few more to the mix…you can share me can't you?"

Emily giggled. "Nope…they can have you! I did all the work breaking you in…I'll be away and when I come home for weekends or holidays we can be friends instead of you being my boss…"

She looked uncertain and was waiting for Cal to say otherwise but he smiled. "Yep…I reckon I've done all the damage I can do to you."

Emily laughed aloud and stood up. "I'll only be here a few months after the twins are born. Amy and I can share a room until I move out and the twins can have my old room."

Gillian held up her hand to stop her. "The twins will be in our room the first few weeks anyway. We have room in our bedroom to put the bassinets and after you move out we'll change things around."

Cal was disturbed by this news and looked away but not before Emily saw the look and frowned. "Whatever…anything you decide is fine by me. I really don't mind sleeping with Amy for a few weeks and it will give her time to adjust to her new bedroom."

Gillian smiled and came over to offer her a hug. "Emily you have been wonderful about this whole thing. I am so sorry everything happened so fast."

She had started to cry as Emily hugged her bag. "Um…its okay, Gillian, really, don't cry!" She looked at Cal for help.

Cal walked over and took Gillian in his arms. "Come on hormone lady…go get dressed and I'll start breakfast."

"Okay…" Gillian sniffled as she turned towards the steps and headed upstairs.

Cal blew out a long breath as he came forward and hugged Emily. "It's going to be a long pregnancy…"

Emily giggled. "It's almost half over and once Gillian gets through the next few weeks, she'll be back to her old self."