Problems Abound

Nathan sat beside Audrey, now dressed in maternity clothes, in Julia's office waiting for their appointment.

This morning when the time came to leave, Audrey had uncharacteristically dissolved into tears when she realized that none of her clothes fit and the only choice that remained was Nathan's sweat pants and his overly long t-shirt.

Audrey was noticeably bigger there was no mistaking the fact that she was pregnant, but it also meant that their was no point in buying too much clothing. Nathan drove her to the only maternity store in Haven and bought a few things. in the end they'd found a few things and left with a much happier Audrey.

Nathan was still a little stunned by the turn of events last nightand found himself unsure of where they were going or what the boundaries were.

For a while now he had been pretty sure Audrey was attracted to him the same way he was attracted to her, but love? Over the past few years, he'd come to the conclusion he was unlovable, all the women in his life seemed to leave him: his mother died, Hannah Driscoll,Jess Minion walked away from him and didn't look back. He knew his Trouble had played a role in the departures. He was the Tin Man, but despite this, Audrey loved him.

The receptionist called Audrey's name;Audrey reached out and took his hand. The feeling of her touch still amazed him. It began with a slight tingling sensation at the point of contact and then the warmth moved up his arm and into his body. He could feel every beat of his heart and while she touched him, he felt alive.

Getting to his feet, he helped Audrey up. "Let's go see Julia and this other doctor and find out where we stand."

Since last night Audrey had definitely developed a waddle that only comes with carrying a child, and Nathan couldn't help smiling as he watched her move.

Inside the cramped examining room Julia waited with an older man; Nathan guessed he was in his fifties.

Nathan stood next to the exam table as Audrey climbed awkwardly onto it. She lay down and got comfortable. "Whoa!"

Julia smiled. "Well hopefully that will change soon. Eat when ever you need to, you body is burning calories like crazy ." She motioned to the man. "This is the OB/Gyn I told you about, Dr. Baldwin. He will do another ultrasound and then he will give you his recommendation. Please listen to what he has to say.."

Nathan held out his hand. "I am Nathan Wuornos and this my-" he stopped, unsure how to explain just what he and Audrey were, but the perfect word came to mind, but wanted so much more, "partner, Audrey Parker. This is my child and I don't want her to grow up without her mother."

Dr. Baldwin rubbed his hands together. "Nathan, I can tell you that this isn't simple or normal, as I'm sure you know. I will do all I can, but things like this don't always end the way I want. So let's see where we are." Then directly to Audrey he said, "Can you lift your shirt and pull your pants down a bit." He held a measuring tape in one hand and a bottle of gel in the other.

The doctor spent the next few minutes puttering around and taking measurements of the Audrey's belly as well as her blood pressure. He made a few notes in a chart and then handed it to Julia. Then he picked up the gel and squirted it on Audrey's tummy.

Taking the Doppler, he located the baby's heartbeat and frowned as he moved it to the side and another heartbeat could be heard clearly.

"Is that my heart beat?" Audrey asked sitting up slightly.

"No that's a second child. In all the records of these pregnancies I have never heard of a second child. What could this mean?"

Nathan squeezed Audrey's hand. "You mean there are two babies?" He suddenly felt overwhelmed. What if he did lose Audrey? Could he really raise two children alone, always being reminded of the woman he loved?

The doctor nodded. "I'm pretty sure, but I will make sure when I do the ultrasound. I should be able to locate the other fetus."

There were a few more tense moments as Julie and Dr. Baldwin watched the Ultrasound screen and eventually Nathan couldn't take it anymore. "How come Julia didn't find the other baby yesterday?"

Julia answered quickly as the other doctor continued to move the wand. "I'm not nearly as experienced as Dr. Baldwin. He's been doing this for almost thirty years. I'm pretty sure he delivered you, Nathan. I know he did me."

Nathan turned and studied the doctor. He hadn't seen this man around very much, he was sure he'd known or knew by sight everyone in Haven. "So did you deliver me, doc?"

The man didn't look up. "I did. You mother fought very hard to live, but I couldn't stop the inevitable, she died like all the others."

Nathan looked over at Audrey. "So you're telling me there's nothing to do? I'm getting tired of hearing that we should just give up and let her die."

The doctor held up his hands. "I never said that. Let me finish the exam and then we will talk about it. I'm almost done." He made a few more notations on his chart;,minutes passed before he spoke again.

The doctor turned the screen and showed them various pictures. "As you can see, there are two. One boy and one girl." Using his pen as a pointer he showed them both fetuses. "They are developing normally, and I see nothing to be concerned about other than the rate of development. You are quite the conundrum, Audrey. This is all new. These children are always boys. I don't know what this means."

Taking a deep breath Nathan sighed. " What should we do? I mean, could this mean-"

"I don't know what it means. I'm not making any promises." Baldwin shook his head.

"Audrey, by my calculations, you are almost thirty-five weeks along. This is an insane rate of growth even for these pregnancies. I want to take the children out tomorrow. I fear if we wait any longer, you will die, as the other women have. Are you okay with that?"

Audrey nodded, "I want the babies to be safe, as well as myself. Do whatever you have to do."

Dr. Baldwin sighed. "That is what I'm afraid of. It's the same with all of you; you're all cut from the same cloth. I think that is why you're chosen." He held out his hand. "It would have been nicer to meet you under better circumstances. If you have any concerns please contact me immediately."

"I will go that."

"Good, now go home and rest. It's the best thing you can do for now. See you tomorrow."

This story is now complete on my site if you would like to check them out Google my penname and you will find me. I love to hear from you whether you liked it or loved it. :0P

Also I have published two original pieces of work on Kindle you can find a link to them on my website as well.

Don't know if any of you are fans but I also have two chapters of an Arrow Olicity fic up on this site and will be posting the third chapter on my site tomorrow. It will appear on this site on Thursday. Take a look if you like.