Cristina sat nervously in the obstetrician's waiting room. She wasn't anxious. She just felt she had a lot of nervous energy. She had dropped off the girls at her friend, Denise's house. Denise had recommended this ob/gyn because this was the person who had delivered her four children.
"Mrs. Hunt?" the receptionist called out. Cristina gratefully got up from her seat. She was glad she was finally going to see the doctor. The receptionist told her to go to Exam Room 2 and to change into the gown. Cristina groaned. She hated those gowns with the open back. She always felt vulnerable in them.
She got to Exam Room 2, carefully hung up her clothes before changing into the gown. She hopped up on top of the examining table and waited. She didn't have to wait too long before Dr. Elsie Ratner came in. She was an older woman with grey streaks in her brown hair. There was something comforting about her, Cristina thought. She really liked that.
"Good morning, Mrs…..Hunt," Dr. Ratner said, checking the information sheet that Cristina filled out. "I am Dr. Ratner. May I call you Cristina?"
"Yes," Cristina said. "That's fine.
"So you're pregnant. Your urine test was positive," the doctor said.
"Yes, I already knew that," Cristina said. "I found that out two weeks ago when I did my home test. I waited two weeks to get this appointment with you because my friend, Denise Marshall, recommended you. I am probably around eight weeks, now."
"Ah, Denise Marshall. Yes, I delivered all four of her babies," Dr. Ratner said. "It says here that you already had two viable pregnancies. That is a good sign. So you are an army wife like Denise?"
"Yes, my husband is a surgeon deployed in Iraq," Cristina answered.
"Yes, I always admire these young men and women who are serving our country," Dr. Ratner said. "Okay, would you please lie back on the table? Time to check you and the most exciting part of it is we can look at the babies on the ultrasound. They don't look like much right now but we will be able to still see him or her. So what did you have before?"
"Two girls, Iris and Laurel. Iris is five and Laurel is three," Cristina said.
"So you're hoping for a boy, this time?" Dr. Ratner asked.
Cristina nodded. "Well, it would be great, if we have a boy. I always imagine my husband wanting to go fishing or playing baseball with a boy. But if we don't, that's okay, too. Owen and I have discussed it, already. He says if we have a boy, that would be wonderful but it would just be as wonderful if we had a girl. Our two girls are amazing and beautiful."
"Ah, that is a good attitude to have," Dr. Ratner said. "I have had couples who were so sure that they were having one thing and then, they find out that they are having the other. Sometimes, the disappointment is great."
"Not Owen and me. We just want a happy, healthy baby," Cristina said. Dr. Ratner nodded and smiled.
"So we are going to check your babies with the ultrasound," Dr. Ratner said, rubbing the gel on Cristina's belly. "You are an old pro at this, by now." She ran the wand over Cristina's stomach.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" the doctor continued. "Do you see what I am seeing?" Cristina blinked, staring at the image. She was certainly seeing what the doctor was seeing. There were two sacs in the uterus.
"Twins?" she ventured, a little unsure.
"Yes," Dr. Ratner said. "You are having twins. Everything is looking just right for this stage of the pregnancy. That is just wonderful, Mrs. Hunt. Okay, I am just going to print this out for you, so you can show your husband, when next you talk to him."
"Uh, okay," Cristina said. As much as she was happy that she was having twins, she was just as sad. Owen was supposed to be here with her to witness this moment, she thought. Suddenly, she felt all alone. She knew exactly why. When she was having her two babies, her father had been there for her, while Josh was away. Even though he had been angry as hell about her first pregnancy, Harold had always been with her, right up to the birth, since Josh was not there for Iris' birth. He continued to help and support her, when she was having Laurel. Now, her father was no longer there for her, anymore. She was going to go through this entire pregnancy alone without a support system.
"So we will start you up on your pre-natal vitamins and set up regular appointments to make sure that you have a healthy and safe pregnancy," Dr. Ratner said. "We will also schedule blood tests to rule out gestational diabetes. I am sure we are going to have a wonderful pregnancy and in 36 or 37 weeks, we are going to welcome two lovely babies for you. Thirty six weeks is considered full term for twins." Cristina gave her a weak smile.
After her appointment, she drove to Denise's house and picked up the children. Cristina listened to their excited chatter in the back seat. When they got home, she unbuckled them and they both ran into the house, screaming and laughing. She put on the computer and awaited Owen's call. She gave snacks to the girls and they disappeared into Iris' room to watch cartoons.
As soon as the call signal started, she answered it, almost immediately. "Hey," Owen said. "How are you doing? Feeling okay?" She nodded. He found her strangely subdued.
"Hey, what's the matter? How did it go at the doctor's?" he asked, anxiously. He wondered if something was wrong with the pregnancy for her to be acting, so strangely.
"Fine, I guess. She said that things were looking good. We also did an ultrasound," she said. She found her purse and dug into it for the ultrasound print-out.
"What do you see?" she asked, holding up the ultrasound to the camera.
Owen stared at it and he could clearly see the two sacs. "Two? Twins?" he said, excitedly.
"Yup," she replied. "I will take a picture of it and send it to you." He was beyond himself with joy, yet Cristina still did not seem too happy.
"Is something the matter?" he asked. "This is the greatest news ever but you don't seem to be as excited as I am."
"Oh, I am happy that we are having twins," she said. "It's just that I will be alone during this pregnancy." Owen could feel how his wife was feeling down. He wished he could reach over the miles and hold her in his arms.
"When I had the girls, I still had my dad," she reminded him. "Now, he is gone and I don't have anybody." She looked and sounded so forlorn.
"Cristina, if I could be there, I would be there in an instant," he said, hoping to comfort her.
"I know that, Owen," she said. "The circumstances can't be helped. I guess I am going to send you a copy of the ultrasound so you can have it with you. I am going now."
"Okay, Cristina. Bye. I love you so much," he said. As he hung up, he just wished there was so much more he could do for her.
She took a picture of the ultrasound and immediately emailed it to him. Over in Iraq, Owen stared at the ultrasound, intently. There could not be a happier man alive, he thought, but his elation was tinged with a little bit of sadness because of Cristina.
Back in California, Cristina lay on the couch, feeling more than a bit sorry for herself. Her friend, Denise, was great but with four children, she had very little time to spare for anybody else. Bertha and Beatrice lived on the other side of the country. She really was going to have to do this alone. She wanted to cry. "Damn these pregnancy hormones," she said, as her tears rolled down her face. She was feeling much more emotional and sensitive than she would normally would.
When her tears subsided, she closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep. She was probably asleep for maybe little more than half-an-hour, when a knock on the door stirred her awake. The knocking was frantic and urgent.
"Hold your horses," she said. "I am coming." She opened the door to reveal a harried-looking Paul Madison and his daughter, Tamara. She was very surprised. She had not seen Paul since early June, not since the barbecue in her backyard. Not since Owen had shooed him off with a few choice words.
"Paul, what's the matter?" she asked, eyeing his haggard expression. He looked terrible, she thought.
"Cristina, I need for you to do me a huge favor," he said. "Can you take Tamara for about two weeks?"
"Sure, what happened?" she asked. She knew it had to be serious for Paul to ask her to take Tamara.
"My mom – she got a stroke," Paul said. "I have to go to Portland to see about getting her into a nursing home, where they will be able to take care of her, properly. I also have to see about getting her affairs in order. Probably would need to get her house rented out, so that it would help with the nursing home payments. I would have to do a lot of running around and I wouldn't be able to take care of Tamara at the same time. That's why I am asking this favor."
Cristina gasped. "I am so sorry, Paul," she said. "But of course, I will take Tamara. Iris would love to have her here." She took Tamara's bag from Paul. "Go on, Tamara. Iris is in her room." The blonde girl took off and ran to Iris' room.
"Come on in, Paul, I will make you a cup of coffee. I am sure you're heading to the airport, soon," she said. "Relax for a little bit." Paul nodded. Cristina disappeared into the kitchen and returned with only one hot cup of coffee. He wondered why she didn't make one for herself.
"Thank you so much, Cristina, for everything," Paul said. "I am eternally grateful. Oh heck, where are my manners? I forgot to ask you how you were." Cristina debated internally whether to tell him about her pregnancy but she figured that Iris would probably tell Tamara anyway.
"I am pregnant, Paul. With twins," she said.
Paul's mouth dropped open. "Wow," he said. "Just wow. Now I get why you didn't make coffee for yourself. Major Hunt must be very happy."
"Yes, he is," Cristina said, a little softly. Paul noticed the strangeness in her tone.
"Is something wrong, Cristina?" he asked. "You don't seem quite like yourself."
"It's nothing, Paul," she said. She needn't go into all of the details of how she was feeling, she thought. It would just seem too stupid to him.
"Oh, okay," he said but he was not convinced. "So, um, Cristina, since you are doing me a huge favor, I just want you to know if there is anything I can do to help you out with the kids, I will be available. I know it must be difficult to be having twins and your husband being away. So, anything you need me to do, I can help."
"Thanks, Paul. It is very kind of you," she said. She knew that Owen had said that Paul had ulterior motives and that's why they had their little chat at the barbecue. But Cristina felt that Paul was being genuine, when he made this offer.
And at this moment, with Paul smiling at her, Cristina felt a little bit better. Maybe Owen had been wrong about Paul. He had always been kind to her and the girls. He wouldn't have any ulterior motives, now, since she was pregnant and with twins, too. She needed a friend, right now. She was feeling lonely and vulnerable. All she wanted was someone she could talk to and who would listen to her. Cristina smiled back at him.
A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave your reviews. Happy 4th July to all of my American friends. Hope you have a fun day of barbecue and fireworks!