A week later, Laura and the twins were discharged from the hospital, and the new parents quickly became used to sleepless nights, piles of empty bottles in the sink, and a diaper pail full of dirty diapers.

When the twins were a couple of weeks old, they had an appointment with the pediatrician, Dr. Weeks, for a checkup. Stephen stayed home from work so he could help Laura with them.

They'd put the twins in their carriers in the back seat and had only gone a couple of blocks when the first raindrops began to patter against the windshield, and by the time they'd pulled onto the main highway, the rain was coming down in sheets.

Stephen turned on his lights and windshield wipers and was driving along at a safe speed when he and Laura heard the unmistakable sound of a tire blowing out. He pulled the car over onto the side of the road as the twins awakened and began to wail. He opened the door, but Laura grabbed his arm.

"Wait until the rain slows down!" she cried.

Stephen shook his head. "The twins can't be late for their appointment."

The rain continued to fall as he changed the tire as quickly as he could while Laura sang lullabies to the twins in an attempt to calm them. When Stephen returned to the car, he was dripping wet. His hair and clothing were stuck to his body as if by glue. He shivered as he started the car and continued on his way to the doctor's office.

By the time they reached their destination, the rain had almost stopped. They carried the twins inside and sat the carriers on seats. The receptionist took one look at Stephen and summoned several nurses, who came running with towels to dry him off as much as possible.

"Why don't you run on back home and change clothes and then come back," Laura suggested.

"Oh no, I'll be fine," Stephen insisted, even though his teeth were still chattering. "No point in going to all that trouble."

A room was ready for them several minutes later. By now, the twins had gone back to sleep. Dr. Weeks arrived within about fifteen minutes.

"You look like you just fell into a river," he remarked when he saw Stephen.

Stephen chuckled. "We had a blowout, and I had to change the tire in the rain."

"Oh my!" the doctor said. "You need to take off those wet clothes and take a shower as soon as you get home."

"I will," Stephen promised.

Gently Dr. Weeks lifted Jeremy from his carrier and placed him onto the scale. The infant stirred but didn't open his eyes.

"Seven pounds even. Very good." The doctor returned Jeremy to his carrier, then repeated the process with Jennifer. "Six pounds, twelve ounces. Perfect."

He measured the twins and then took their temperature.

"How often do you feed them?" he asked Laura.

"Every four hours."

"How much formula do they take at a time?"

"About two or three ounces."

"Excellent. Any spitting up?"

"Sometimes."

"How much?"

"Usually not very much at a time."

"How many feeding during the night?"

"Two."

"Any colic?"

"No."

"Excellent." The physician pronounced both twins healthy and right on track with their development.

As soon as they got home, Stephen took a hot shower, as the doctor had suggested.


The coughing started the next evening.

"Maybe you should see the doctor," Laura suggested.

"Nah," said Stephen. "I already took one full day off this week. I need to go in tomorrow."

The next morning, the coughing was worse, and he looked pale.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" asked Laura. "I'm really worried about you!"

"Please don't worry about me," said Stephen. "I'll be fine."

She'd just fed the twins and put them down for a nap when Stephen came home around noon. He was pale and shaking, and coughing worse than ever.

"Matthias sent me home," he told his wife.

She helped him into bed and spent the rest of the day alternating between caring for him and caring for the twins. By nine o'clock, she was so exhausted she got into bed beside Stephen and was instantly asleep.

The following morning, the crying of the twins awakened her. She fed and changed them, then went to check on her husband. She saw he was still sleeping, so she left him to get some rest and went about her daily duties.

Much later, she realized he hadn't stirred all day and tried to rouse him.

"Stephen?" She gave him a gentle shake. "Stephen, wake up!"

There was no response.