Chapter Forty-Seven
Jeanne Ellen POV
After Val came over and she and the girls opened their presents, they went to Zoë's room to play with their new toys. Tank and Ranger started watching an action movie, and Steph, Val, and I sat at the dining table, chatting.
"I met him at Zoë's birthday party, and we've been spending some time together. Nothing serious, but I like him. He's super sweet," Val confessed.
"That's great, Val," Steph said. "He could not be more different to Steve. I like him too; he's very nice. A bit shy."
Val giggled. "He's not shy once you get to know him one-on-one. He told me he sometimes has trouble in large groups of people."
"He's a good man," I said. "But is he just a rebound? Are you ready for this so soon?"
"I'm not ready for anything serious, but I'm not just using him as a rebound. We're taking it slowly, just getting to know each other. He hasn't even met the girls."
"How are you managing that?" Steph asked.
Val had moved into a two-bedroom apartment at the beginning of December. It was a dumpy place, and senior citizens occupied the rest of the building, but the rent was cheap, and it wasn't too far from the hospital where Val now worked as a hospital administrator. Once Val wasn't living with Helen and Dad, Steph and I were more comfortable opening up to her, including giving her our addresses. She promised to keep secret anything we asked of her and to keep our information secured so no one could discover it. It may have been paranoid of us, but Helen had long ago proven she could not be trusted.
"A couple of the senior ladies in the building have taken a shine to the girls and come over and watch them for a few hours for me. The girls love them, and the ladies are more grandmotherly than their own grandmother."
We talked about Hal and Val a little longer and tittered at their names rhyming. But I was happy for her and hoped it would work out. Steph had told me in confidence that Steve had hit on her right before Val's wedding and suggested a quickie at the wedding in the church's choir loft before everyone arrived.
I didn't tell her my secret, however. While we were much closer than ever before, I still wanted to keep it private for another few weeks. I had a little pooch now, but it wasn't detectable underneath the forgiving sweaters of the winter season.
Tank loved it and kept kissing and caressing my belly at night in bed. He sometimes spoke to the baby, even though the baby couldn't yet hear sounds, according to the pregnancy book I've been reading. The baby was now the size of a kumquat and developed eyes, and teeth were starting to form. I was freaked out with everything I learned and relayed these facts to Tank each week.
I tuned back into the conversation from my mind's wanderings, only to hear Val warn Steph, "Mother is on the lookout now for a new husband for you. She's taken to talking to her friends about their single sons and whether they'd be willing to date a single mother. If you get a dinner invitation, beware that she might have invited a date for you, too."
Steph rolled her eyes. "I don't know why she persists in believing she gets a vote in my life choices."
"I wonder who she would try to set up with you," I mused. "I can't think of any good single men, especially in the 'Burg. The best men I know in Trenton all work for Rangeman, and I can't see any of them in her pool of potential mates."
"I should start preparing the turkey for the oven if we want it to be ready by four o'clock," Steph said as she glanced at her watch. She went into the kitchen, and Val and I followed her.
"Do you want any help?" I asked. Steph's cooking had improved since she moved back to Trenton, and I started teaching her, but a big turkey dinner was a lot of pressure.
"Yep, do whatever you can," she said. Together with Val, we all worked to prepare the Christmas dinner and desserts. When the turkey was in the oven, and things were ready to go, we decided to take a break and call Dad, Helen and Grandma Mazur to wish them a Merry Christmas.
Helen didn't have much to say, but Dad and Grandma Mazur seemed sad they wouldn't see any of us today. Val promised she and the girls would go over for dinner tomorrow, but Steph mimed cutting her throat when Helen asked if Steph and Zoë would come too. Val fell on that grenade and said Steph already had plans.
After our turkey dinner, Ranger and Tank cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes, insisting we relax after cooking. It was a perfect day.
At a doctor's appointment a few weeks later, Tank and I were waiting for my doctor to enter the exam room. Tank played with the little models on the counter, and I sat on the exam table. When Dr. Wilson came in, Tank put down the model—thankfully, he didn't break any—and came to stand beside me.
"Good morning, Jeanne Ellen," she greeted.
"Morning, Dr. Wilson," I said. "This is my husband, Tank."
"Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand. He shook it and said hello.
"Are you excited to see your baby?"
"We can't wait," Tank replied.
"Okay, let's get started. Jeanne Ellen, lay back and try to get comfortable. You can put your feet in the stirrups. Don't worry. Today's scan is external. I will take some measurements and ensure everything is developing as it should. This might be a little cold," she said, squirting some gel on my stomach.
She moved the wand around until she was satisfied, peering at the monitor next to the bed.
She was silent for a moment while she looked at the scan. When the quiet finally got to me, I asked, "Is everything okay?"
She looked up and smiled at us. "I have some good news for you. You are having twins. It looks like they're monozygotic, which is just a fancy word for saying they're identical. Congratulations!"
Tank and I stared at her, then looked at each other. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face, and he squeezed the hand I didn't even realize he was holding. "Twins, Baby!"
I let out a deep breath. I had barely begun to get used to the idea of one baby. My former child-free life was turning into something I didn't recognize. "Twins," I echoed. "Dr. Wilson, can you tell if they're boys or girls?"
She looked closer and moved the wand around but eventually said, "No, sorry. It's usually a bit too early to tell at this stage, but sometimes you can. When we get closer to the eighteen-week scan, I should be able to see unless they hide it."
She took several snapshots of the screen while recording their measurements. "Everything looks good," she said after she was finished. "They both appear to be developing normally, and I see no cause for concern. Since you're carrying two babies, I'll need to see you twice as often to monitor their progress."
She printed off one of the screenshots and handed it to Tank. "Do you have any questions?" she asked.
"Not right now; I can't think straight. I'm too stunned. Maybe later."
She smiled. "It's not too different than having one baby. Call the office if anything comes up, and congratulations again," she said, patting my foot.
As I got dressed, Tank and I didn't speak. I think he was surprised too, but he seemed pleased. I was pleased, I thought, but the idea needed to percolate before I could get excited about it.
On the way home, Tank finally asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just shocked."
He nodded. "Me too. Twins," he said wonderingly.
"Are you okay?" I turned the question back on him.
"Yeah. Surprised, but it's a good surprise."
I took his hand and rubbed his knuckle. "I'm going to get so fat," I declared.
He chuckled. "Not fat. Pregnant. And as beautiful as ever."
"Well, we won't be able to hide it much longer. How do you want to start telling people?"
"I can tell the core and leadership teams first from work. They're the men we're closest to. I guess you can tell your family. We can call my family down in Louisiana."
I groaned. "I wonder what Helen will say?"
"Who gives a shit?" he said with a frown. "She's nothing in our lives."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Baby, this is a good thing. A great thing! We're going to be parents to twins. We didn't plan it, but it's a blessing, right? Remember the pro-con list. Becoming parents came out ahead."
I smiled. "You're right. Yay for twins!" I said, chuckling.
A few days later, we were in one of the conference rooms on the second floor of Rangeman. Tank had disabled the audio and video in the room, and we made the announcement to the men.
"I just wanted to tell you, my brothers, that Jeanne Ellen and I are expecting." He smiled. "With twins," he added.
Ranger shook Tank's hand and kissed me on the cheek. "Congratulations, you'll both be wonderful parents."
Everyone congratulated us, shaking Tank's hand and hugging or kissing me. Lester gave me a big kiss on the lips, exclaiming, "Congratulations, Gorgeous!"
I called Steph when we got home and told her the good news. She was excited for us and made sure I knew she was there for anything I needed. "If Tank's working and you have a craving for pickles and ice cream, call me! I'll bring it over."
"Is that really a thing?" I asked curiously.
"I don't know. It was never anything I wanted. I just wanted cottage cheese and pepper. Oh, and I loved sour patch kids. I ate those constantly!"
I shook my head. I really hoped I wouldn't have any weird cravings. I thanked her and hung up.
I had told Valerie the day after our doctor's appointment. She was excited for us and offered her services babysitting whenever we needed it. My dad and Grandma Mazur seemed excited for us too. Helen didn't say much, only a meek "Congratulations," and that was it. Tank's parents were excited; this was their first grandchild, and they cried over the phone when we said it was twins. His parents were sweet but rarely left Louisiana, so we promised to visit in the next few months.
In bed at night, Tank rubbed Vitamin E oil on my belly, saying he read something online about it helping with stretch marks. One of the things I expressed when we first found out I was pregnant was that I was afraid of the changes to my body. Every night, Tank gave me a massage. Sometimes it was my feet or my back, and now my belly. I felt loved, and I tried to ensure he knew how much I loved him too.
I knew everything would be alright as long as we had each other.
