Hope for All- chapter 20
The rest of the week went by smoothly for the family. Angela's twelve week appointment was scheduled for Friday morning. She was getting used to wearing her new maternity clothing and was happy that the styles had improved significantly over the years. She found that the morning sickness, while still there, wasn't nearly as bad as it had been previously. By midday, she hardly felt nauseous at all and found her appetite was coming back. Tony was delighted that he could start cooking more flavorful meals and tried to make as many of her favorites as possible.
"Good morning everyone!" Angela said cheerfully as she sat down for breakfast Friday morning.
"Good morning Angela" said Samantha. "Hi Mom! Remember you have a meeting this afternoon with my guidance counselor!" said Jonathan.
"Oh Jonathan! That's today? Why didn't you tell me?" shouted Angela.
"I did! I even wrote it on the calendar! See!" he said as he pointed it out on the calendar.
"Oh… I must have forgotten. Okay I'll rearrange my schedule today and work from home after my doctor's appointment. My mind is in a fog these days- remind me what this meeting is about again?" she asked Jonathan.
"How should I know? I didn't do anything wrong I promise! Maybe they want me to skip another grade!" said Jonathan.
"Well I guess I'll find out. Okay Tony we need to go. I'll go grab my purse and be right back" she said as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Well there goes my wedding prep day! Okay I'm gonna have to do some rearranging of my schedule" he whispered.
"C'mon dweeb… I'll drive you to school. Just don't embarrass me okay?" said Samantha as she grabbed her stuff and headed out the door. Angela came back into the kitchen and they headed out the back door as well to her appointment.
They arrived at her doctor's appointment and had a seat in the waiting room. They had to wait over a half an hour to be seen, which seemed to aggravate Angela. She and Tony were taken to an exam room, where a nurse took her vitals. Everything checked out normally. Tony helped her onto the exam table for the sonogram as the doctor and the technician came into the room.
"Alright… who's ready to see some babies?" asked the doctor as the technician put the ultrasound gel on her stomach. The monitor turned on and the first baby's profile came into view. Both Tony and Angela were in awe at how much the baby looked like an actual baby. The doctor took all the necessary measurements and pointed out all the features, including the heartbeat. The doctor moved onto the next baby and did the same for that twin. Both heartbeats sounded fast and strong. Angela let out a sigh of relief when both babies were given a clean bill of health. They were given multiple sonogram printouts to take with them.
"Angela, you can get dressed now and meet me in my office. I'd like to go over some things with you both before you leave" the doctor said as he walked out of the room.
Tony and Angela headed out of the exam room and into the doctor's office. They sat down across from the doctor, both feeling slightly anxious. Visions of sitting across from Jonathan's principal last year ran through their heads.
"How have you been feeling Angela? Morning sickness letting up?" he asked.
"In the morning no, but by midday the nausea has subsided and I can pretty much eat normally. Other than being exhausted most of the day, I have no complaints!" she laughed.
"Okay good. Hopefully as you enter the second trimester, the morning sickness will go away. Everything looks to be fine, but due to your age and carrying multiples, we will need to monitor you closely. I'd like to recommend doing an amniocentesis in the next few weeks to make sure they are as healthy as they seem to be right now. The procedure would be done here and has minimal risks to you and babies. Your bloodwork we will take today will also give us a good indication of any genetic abnormalities. We will get those results back sometime next week. The procedure, should you elect to do it, would be performed in about a month or two. I can give you some information about it for you to make the decision" he said.
"Thank you doctor. Any information you have would be helpful. How… how likely is it that something is wrong with the babies" Angela asked as the tears she couldn't hold any longer started to fall. Tony moved closer to her and started rubbing her back, holding her close.
"The chances of something being wrong increases with age and that's true for any pregnancy. However, you are healthy. Both of your genetic tests with the clinic came back normal. Nothing I've seen right now indicates anything is wrong or will change in the future, but this allows us to have a better idea. It's really up to both of you whether you want it done or not" he said.
"Can we take sometime to think about it?" asked Tony.
"Yes of course. You still have at least a month until we can safely perform the test. I'd like to see you back every two weeks for monitoring and a sonogram each month. Other than that, just keep doing what you are doing and rest as much as possible" said the doctor.
"Thank you doctor. We will see you in two weeks" said Tony as he helped Angela up and out the door. Angela was taken to the exam room and blood was drawn. Once she was done, they walked out the door and headed for the car. He opened the car door for Angela and went around to his side of the car. As soon as he shut his door, Angela started to cry.
"Oh sweetheart, shhh it's okay! They are going to be okay! They are already doing well. We don't have to do the test or at least not make any decisions right now" he said as he wiped away her tears.
"I'm okay Tony. It's just I worry so much that they are going to be okay. I don't remember worrying this much when I was pregnant with Jonathan. So many negative thoughts go through my mind- my age being top of the list. I'm not in my 20s anymore, heck I'm closer to 40 than 30. Should I have even started this process with the clinic knowing the risks of something going wrong was higher now? It's just… I want these babies to be healthy so badly" she said as a new round of tears began to fall.
"I'm sure you were just as nervous with Jonathan as I was with Samantha but this go around we are… wiser, more experienced, which under normal circumstances is a good thing. However, we both have had our fair share of heartbreak and know that life isn't always fair. We know things can and do go wrong, but we have to remember that they also go right. This is going to go right… but even if there is something wrong, we are in this together. We are forever Angela, no matter what- you are my yesterday, my today and my tomorrow" he said as he leaned over to kiss her gently.
Angela was overcome with emotions from Tony's words. All she could do was hold on to Tony until she could regain her composure. Eventually, the tears slowed and she was able sit back on her seat.
"Let's go home Tony. I need to try and get some work done before that meeting with Jonathan's counselor" she said.
"Angela- work and that meeting can wait. I think you need to rest first. I can make you some tea and some more breakfast" he said.
"I've got to go to that meeting. I'll rest for a bit when I get home and then I will work until the meeting. I'm sure you have studying to do before your classes this afternoon" she said.
Knowing he wasn't going to win this argument, he conceded and drove home. He made sure to make some of her favorites for breakfast and lunch, while she rested on the sofa. He needed to get some wedding planning done, so once she finished and headed into her office, he opted to go to the library. He made sure she had plenty of snack foods and lunch if she wanted it before leaving the house.
Angela was struggling to concentrate on her newest campaign. She had a conference call with her staff, which helped her focus in the moment, but once she hung up, she was right back to being distracted. She knew she should try and work some more but her brain wouldn't shut off from the morning doctor's appointment.
She decided to go get the book she had secretly bought and hid from Tony about complications of pregnancy. She had it stashed away in her office and hadn't yet found the time to look at it without risking Tony barging in. She knew he'd tell her to stop focusing on all the what ifs but her anxious brain needed to know. She spent the next hour or so reading up on all the common complications of pregnancy- preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, placenta previa, to name a few. She also read some of the potential complications for the babies- genetic abnormalities, chromosomal disorders, heart and other defects. She finally had to close the book as it became too overwhelming.
"Okay my little ones…" she said as she placed her hands on her stomach. "Mommy is going to do her best to make sure you stay as healthy as possible. Your Daddy is taking really great care of all three of us. I will try and do my best to keep your Daddy's positive and hopeful voice in my head when I start to worry about the both of you too much. I know it's still too early, but whenever you can, give me a sign you are all okay in there alright?" she said as she leaned back in her chair, trying to think of only Tony's voice.
Pretty soon it was time to leave for Jonathan's school meeting. She grabbed a quick lunch and some snacks to take with her as she headed out the door. She hadn't been driving lately as Tony seemed to be the one in the driver's seat in recent weeks. It felt good to be back driving again- it gave her a sense of control and independence. She made a mental note to find ways of driving more, if she could convince Tony.
She pulled up to Jonathan's school and walked into the main office. She kept her coat on- it wasn't that she was hiding her pregnancy anymore, but the less prying eyes on her today, the better. She had to wait outside the main office until his guidance counselor called her into her office.
"Ms. Bower? Please come into my office" said the guidance counselor. Angela stood up and headed into her office. Her anxiety started to get the best of her and she now wished Tony was here.
"Thank you for coming down here today Ms. Bower. My name is Ms. Franklin and I am Jonathan's guidance counselor. Jonathan is a real pleasure to have in class. Academically, he's doing exceptionally well. Socially, on the other hand, he's still not where we'd like him to be. Thankfully, he hasn't fallen in with the wrong crowd like last year. He could just used some additional socialization opportunities. We've encouraged Jonathan to try some extra curricular activities as well as a summer program he can apply to with our sister school in Massachusetts. Here are some of the brochures and information" she said as she handed Angela the papers.
Angela wondered how many trees had been killed to account for all the paper used in different brochures and pamphlets she'd been given over the past few months. She glanced over at the information on extra curricular activities- swimming, archery, and lacrosse to name a few. She couldn't picture Jonathan doing any of these sports, but with Tony's help he might find something he liked. As for the summer camp, it was two hours away and ran from the beginning of July to the end of August. On the one hand, it would be a great opportunity for him to have some space, some room to spread his wings before the babies come; however, he would miss out on so much over the summer- the last one just the five of them.
"Have you spoken to Jonathan about this, specifically the summer camp?" she asked Ms. Franklin.
"Yes I have- he seems like he wants to try something new at school. The summer camp he was a little less enthusiastic about actually. He kept saying he should be with his family over the summer, but wouldn't specify why exactly. That's another reason I asked you to come in person. Is everything alright at home" she asked.
"Yes things are okay at home. I'm actually pregnant with twins, due in mid-September. I think he probably feels like he needs to be home for the summer to spend the time with us, which I will make sure he knows he doesn't have to if he really wants to attend this camp. We've only recently started telling people about the babies and I know it's been challenging for him to keep it a secret. Tony and I will talk to him tonight" she said.
"Twins! Congratulations! That's going to be a big adjustment for all of you. I'll make sure I keep an extra eye on Jonathan, just to make sure he's doing alright" she said.
Angela's heart sank at her words. She wanted to run out of there and just crawl up into a ball and cry. Somehow, she managed to control her emotions.
"Thank you. We appreciate all your help and support. I will let you know by next week about his decision about camp" she said.
"That would be good, thank you. And thank you again for coming down here. Congratulations again!" she said with a smile as she escorted Angela out of the room. Angela headed towards the door when she heard an all too familiar voice, similar to nails on a chalkboard.
"Angela! Hi Angela! What brings you up to the school? Everything alright?" said Joanne Parker. Angela inwardly cursed this day and everyone in it.
"Hi Joanne. So nice to see you. Just a quick meeting with Jonathan's counselor about summer camps. How have you been?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Oh you know… busy as usual! I feel like we haven't seen you up here in ages! It's so nice when parents take the time away from their busy lives to foster their children's education. Speaking of of education, I've heard Tony has adjusted quite nicely to college. Must be nice to have a college man around the house!" she said with a laugh.
"Yes he is thank you. Well I better be going. It was good talking to you…" she said as she tried to walk away.
"Now you know I'm not one to spread gossip or anything, but a little birdie told me they saw you and Tony out and about looking how should I say… quite cozy if you catch my drift…" said Joanne.
This was the last thing Angela needed right now. Her emotions were all over the place, her ability to remain calm and rational hanging on by a thread. She took a deep breath and decided to rip the bandaid off so to speak.
"Must be a slow news day Joanne. Tony and I have actually been together now since last year. I'd say that's old news really. I'd say the real news is this" she said as she opened her coat and revealed her baby bump. Angela had to stifle a laugh as she watched for the first time ever Joanne Parker be speechless.
"I'll take your silence as congratulations. Thank you Joanne… now I really must be going. Good to see you as always" she said as she quickly hurried out the door, leaving a shocked Joanne standing frozen in place.
Angela got in her car and placed her forehead on the steering wheel. She knew people were going to eventually find out and now that Joanne knew, it was just a matter of minutes and hours, not days and weeks, until all of Fairfield knew about their relationship and pregnancy. Unmarried, not even engaged, and pregnant with her housekeeper's babies. The gossip that she knew the whole family would have to endure these next few weeks was almost more than she thought she could handle. She knew that she just needed to get home and try and warn the family.
She pulled into the driveway and thankfully saw Tony, Samantha and Jonathan all shooting hoops. She smiled as she pictured two more kids being added to the game- each of them teaching the twins how to dribble and shoot hoops. She grabbed her purse and got out of the car.
"Hey Mom! I just made two baskets!" exclaimed Jonathan. "Yeah buddy! You're getting really good! Pretty soon you'll be able to take Samantha on all by yourself!" said Tony.
"Dream on dweeb! When pigs fly!" she shouted as she stole the ball from Jonathan and made a perfect lay up. Tony gave her his famous 'don't try me right now' stare, causing her to pass the ball back to Jonathan.
"That's wonderful Jonathan! Keep it up and you just might even beat Tony!" she laughed as she made her way over to him and kissed him hello.
"So how did the meeting with my counselor go?" asked Jonathan.
"It went well sweetheart. How about you, Tony and I talk about it inside over a snack?" she said.
"Uh oh Jonathan… I know that talk. Its code for you're in trouble!" smirked Samantha.
"He's not in trouble Samantha! Is he?" questioned Tony. "No he's not" said Angela.
"Before we all go inside, there is something I'd like to talk to you all about. While I was at school today, I ran into Joanne Parker…" she said. Three sets of eyes all rolled and audible groans could be heard all around. Angela couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes my thoughts exactly. I tried to avoid her but I couldn't. She started in on the rumors about Tony and I. I probably should have just kept my mouth shut but today's been a rough enough day as it is and before I knew it I confirmed that we are in fact a couple and have been since last year. It just kind of slipped out. And… I let her know I was pregnant too. It wasn't my finest moment and I know this means the rumor mills are going to be on overdrive, but to see her speechless for the first time ever actually made me smile. So I just wanted to let you all know as I'm guessing at least half of Fairfield already knows- I'm sorry everyone" she said, now with tears in her eyes.
"Eh oh, oh eh! There's nothing to apologize for Angela! We agreed to start telling people. I mean we didn't talk about having it broadcast all over town, but we knew this was going to happen eventually. We've endured worse with rumors… at least this time the rumors are true!" he laughed to try and lighten her mood.
"Yeah Angela we will be fine. Like Dad said, we've been through worse. At least this time we won't be blindsided by it" said Samantha.
Wiping tears from eyes, she smiled at her family. She made a mental note to to talk to Tony tonight in bed about getting married. It won't stop the gossip and it's not the reason she wanted to get married, but at least it would possibly deflect some of the gossip towards the kids. She grabbed Tony's hand and headed into the house, Samantha and Jonathan right behind them.
Once in the kitchen, Jonathan sat down at the kitchen table. Tony motioned for Samantha to head into the other room as he grabbed them all a snack. Angela sat down and Tony followed suit, snacks in hand.
"So Jonathan… I spoke with Ms. Franklin. She said you are doing very well academically" she started, only to be interrupted by Tony and Jonathan.
"See I told you I didn't do anything wrong!" he said. "That's my boy! Way to go Jonathan!" beamed Tony.
"As I was saying" she started again as she stared at both of them. "While you are doing well with school, she was a little concerned about how you are doing socially. She'd like you to join some extra curricular activities. She also gave me information about the school's summer camp. I know she spoke to you about it already but I wanted us all to talk about it. It looks like a great opportunity to meet new friends, engage in some new activities, really broaden your horizons. We won't force you to go, but I think it deserves some consideration. What do you think Jonathan?" she asked.
Jonathan just looked down at his snack and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know- it's for like the whole summer. I won't get to see everyone. What if you need me Mom? Or the babies come early and I miss them being born?" he said as he looked from Angela to Tony and back again to Angela. Both Tony and Angela were starting to see how much Jonathan was taking on himself with the news of the twins.
"Eh oh, oh eh! You do what you want to do Jonathan. If you want to do this camp, we will make it work! It's only for a few weeks and I'm sure you'll be back in plenty of time for the babies. I'll be here to take care of your mom- your number one job is to make sure you take care of you. And if the babies decided to come a bit earlier, there's nothing you or I or your Mom will be able to do about it. We'd come and get you early from camp so you could be here and meet them- I promise" he said.
"You don't have to take on so much sweetheart. If this is want you want, I want you to go. Tony can help you find some additional extra curricular activities in the meantime. I'm going to be fine and so are the babies. In fact, tonight at dinner we can show you the new sonogram photos . They are really growing in there and starting to look like babies" she said as she rubbed her belly.
Jonathan smiled at Angela and Tony and continued to eat his snack. They agreed to meet back on Sunday and talk some more about it. Angela took her snack and headed back into her office to try and do some more work until dinner. After about fifteen minutes, she was again distracted. Against her better judgment, she took back out the book on pregnancy complications. She was engrossed in the book and didn't hear Tony knock and come into her office.
"Angela? Whatcha doing? I've got some more snacks and drinks for you" he said. Angela jumped up and quickly tried to close and hide the book, not quite fast enough. Tony walked over and saw the cover of the book. Angela tried to look away from what she imagined was an angry looking Tony.
"Angela! What are you reading? Complications on pregnancy?" he practically shouted as he picked up the book. He flipped through some of the pages and saw Angela's handwriting and highlighting on some of the pages.
"Just some light reading…" she said quietly.
"Light reading? Angela! Why didn't you tell me you had this book? This is only going to make your fears worse!" he said as he closed the book and put it back on her desk.
"Not knowing is making my anxiety worse! At least this way I can read up on as much as I can and then if something happens, I won't feel blindsided" she said.
"Sweetheart, I get you want things in your control. I get you need to plan as much as possible- it's one of the million reasons why I love you- but this is only going to drive you crazy. Promise me you won't look at this anymore. If something on the tests comes back wrong, I will personally get every book written about the complication or disorder or whatever, I promise you I will. We will tackle it then- it's just not worth putting ourselves through this if we don't have to" he said as he rubbed her back.
"Okay. I know you are right… it's just today has been so rough. It seemed like everything has been out of my control or my fault or… I don't know. If I could just have some control over this, doing what I do best- overthinking and planning- then it could somehow make a difference. It makes no sense I know" she said as she places her hand over her bump.
Tony got closer to her and placed his hand on her bump and his other one to caress her face. He brought his forehead to Angela's before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Why don't you take a relaxing bath? You can soak away the stress from today. By the time you are done, dinner will be ready. We can end today on a good note and show off these guys on the newest sonograms! I didn't say it earlier, but I think one of them has my profile! He or she definitely has my nose and chin! Gonna be one good lookin' kid!" he smirked, causing Angela to laugh out loud.
"I'm sure Tony! So… I was going to wait until we were in bed together tonight, but since we are already here, I might as well bring it up. We haven't talked in a while about getting married. I really do think I want to get married before these guys make an appearance. Have you thought about us getting married soon?" she asked.
Trying not to outwardly panic, he took a few quick breaths and exhaled. "Yes I've thought about it. I'd love nothing more than to marry you Angela. I've just been busy with classes and of course with these two guys. How about when we get back next weekend from our trip away, we start planning and pick a day!" he said overly excitedly.
"That sounds wonderful. I've been thinking about it too. Maybe tonight while we cuddle in bed, we can share some ideas" she said.
"Sounds perfect! Okay now go and take a bath and relax. I'll come up when dinner is ready!" he said as he led her out of her office and towards the stairs. Once she was out of view, he let out the biggest sigh of relief as he walked back into the kitchen to make dinner.
After dinner, Angela and Tony showed the family the new photos of the sonograms. The family spent a great deal of time debating the sex of the babies. Mona was certain one baby was a boy and started to point out her theory in the sonogram photo when Angela and Tony pulled the photo away, both yelling her name. The kids asked a lot of questions about the babies- how big they were, when they would be able to feel the babies, could they hear them, etc. Angela and Tony answered their questions as best as they could, making mental notes to get answers to questions they didn't know or remember. Tony and Angela shared stories about when Marie and Angela were pregnant with Samantha and Jonathan, making the kids smile and feel somehow connected to their new siblings.
After dinner, when the kitchen was cleaned and the house put back in order, Tony and Angela headed upstairs. Tony had slowly moved some of his belongings over to Angela's room. They had spent a weekend making the bedroom a little more couple-friendly, lessening the overwhelming pink decor. Tony and Angela pulled down the comforter and snuggled into bed.
"So what are you thinking for the wedding?" asked Tony, trying to maintain his composure.
"Well, I know I don't want a huge wedding. Anything that reminds me of my first wedding is off the table, so something small would be nice. Maybe outside if the weather is nice. I'd love it to be just us, the family and maybe a few friends. What are your thoughts?" she asked Tony.
"That sounds perfect to me! Maybe a small ceremony followed by a dinner afterwards with the family and close friends. As long as I get to spend the evening wrapped in your arms, I'm happy. You think you'd be up for a dance or two? If so, any thoughts on what you'd want our song to be?" he asked.
"Hmmm… good question! I've always thought a beautiful song was "It Had to Be You." Ever since we saw When Harry Met Sally, I've pictured us dancing to that song. How about you?" she asked.
"That's a good question. I think maybe something from Sinatra, not sure which song, maybe "The Way You Look Tonight." As long as you are in my arms, they could play a Sousa march and I wouldn't care. I'd even keep dancing when the music stopped, like at the Ferguson's wedding!" he chuckled.
They both laughed and snuggled in closer to each other. They intertwined their hands together and laid them across her belly. Angela started to doze off, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up. Tony snuck out of bed and jotted down Angela's ideas so he wouldn't forget. He came back into bed and snuggled into her, making sure he wrapped his arms around her belly. It didn't take long for them both to drift off, both dreaming of the next chapters of their lives.