CHAPTER SIX
"How are you feeling these days, Galinda?" Dr. Mann asked.
"Pretty good for the most part. Just tired, mostly."
"Any sickness or pain?"
"A little nausea here and there, but I'm not throwing up as much as I was at first."
"And how's the pain level?"
"The only thing that hurts is when the baby stretches too much or kicks too hard, but it's been tolerable."
"Do you have any pressure?"
"Just in my lungs. It gets a little uncomfortable to breathe if it's in the wrong position."
"That's going to increase as the baby grows. Do you have any trouble moving around or anything?"
"I waddle a little, but nothing major, I'm just slower."
"That's all pretty normal for this stage. Are you ready to see your baby?"
"More than ready."
"She's been looking forward to this all week," Fiyero said. "We both have."
"We're gonna make sure baby is growing like it should be and make sure everything is going the way it's supposed to, so it might be a little nerve wracking, but this is the most exciting part," Dr. Mann said. "Go ahead and lay back. I need your shirt pulled up above your belly and your pants below it."
Galinda laid back and got her clothes situated as Dr. Mann got the ultrasound machine started. "Can things go wrong with the baby and we not know it?"
"It can happen, that's why we like to do the anatomy scan. Don't worry until there's something to worry about, okay? Your blood work doesn't show any abnormalities, so I'm pretty confident that everything is going how it should."
"It's be fine," Fiyero said, kissing her head.
"This gel will be a little cold," Dr. Mann said, squirting a glob of clear gel on Galinda's belly.
"Oh, sweet Oz," Galinda said. "That's not a little cold."
"The gel is the worst part," she said, rolling a remote around on her stomach. "Alright, the heartbeat sounds fantastic."
"Is it supposed to be so fast?"
"It's normal. Sounds perfect. You look further along than 25 weeks though, you're measuring at about 32."
"Does that mean I'm due sooner?"
"It does. By this measurement, you're due in about 8 weeks."
"Oh my, that's only two months."
"You could deliver earlier than that, but you'll be 40 weeks around then."
"What happens if I deliver early?"
"You get to snuggle a sweet baby sooner. We like to see you hit 36 weeks before delivery, but if you were to deliver sooner than that, you'd be okay."
"Is that a possibility?"
"It's a possibility in every pregnancy. You show no signs of labor, so don't fret about it. Baby looks really good so far, I don't see anything concerning. Did you want to find out the gender today?"
"Yes please, I've been waiting for this moment. Every other scan, the baby's been modest so we haven't been able to find out."
"Well, I have the perfect position now," Dr. Mann said, turning the screen so Galinda and Fiyero could see it. "Meet your daughter."
"Oh my Oz," Galinda's voice cracked. "It's a girl."
"Oh, that's strange. Hold on just a sec," she said, turning the screen back to her and rolling the remote around Galinda's belly.
"What? Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. I just picked up on another heartbeat. I found the culprit hiding behind her. Meet your son," she said, turning the screen back to them.
"Twins?" Galinda asked.
"Twins."
"How did we not notice before?"
"It's because he's in just the right position behind her. I don't have as good a view on him, but that might change at the next appointment. He looks good from what I can see. Has a great healthy look to him, really good heartbeat. A little small, but nothing concerning. Twins are rarely ever the same size."
"We got two for the price of one," Fiyero said.
"This is suddenly a lot scarier," Galinda said.
"Now that we know there's two babies, it's likely you might deliver within the next 4 to 6 weeks, but we'll keep them both in there for as long as possible," Dr. Mann said. "The more babies there are, the riskier the pregnancy is, but you're young and in great health and so are they, so I don't have any concerns."
"So they'll both be okay?"
"Absolutely."
"How is she gonna push two babies out at once?" Fiyero asked.
"She won't. She'll get one out at a time."
"Oh Oz, I was worried about the pain with just one, I have to do it twice in a row?" Galinda asked.
"Well, you can have an elective c-section, but I highly encourage giving birth vaginally, even with twins."
"Double the pain..."
"Unfortunately. We do have pain relief options, though."
"I'll need it, I'm not particularly good with pain."
"Don't psych yourself out, okay? You have time to mentally prepare yourself and to think about your pain management options. I'll get some paperwork you can read at home to help you make your decision. I do suggest a vaginal birth, though. The recovery time isn't as long or as painful as a c-section recovery. I'll go get that information from the office and I'll be right back and print the scans off for you to take home."
"Thank you."
As Dr. Mann left, Galinda looked at Fiyero with watery eyes. "We're having twins."
"We are," Fiyero said. "How are you feeling?"
"Nervous as ever. We have to get a second crib, two wardrobes, double the diapers, wipes, an extra car seat, an extra diaper bag."
"We'll be okay. Once we get everything we need it'll be less stressful."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"Elphie! Galinda said, walking into her former suite.
"Don't you knock?" Elphaba's roommate, Posey asked.
"Occasionally," she said, sitting on Elphaba's bed. "We found out the baby's gender."
"What is it?" Elphaba asked.
"A girl."
"How exciting! A little princess."
"And a boy."
"What?"
"It's twins."
"Twins?"
"That was my reaction, too. I'm further along than we initially thought, so the babies could come anytime within the next 4 to 6 weeks. Dr. Mann wants me to carry for as long as possible, though."
"Are they both healthy?"
"Very. The boy is a little smaller, but not concerningly smaller. Dr. Mann is going to monitor his growth and if he needs a little extra help, I'll deliver early, but she isn't worried."
"You look so small for twins."
"What are you talking about? She's huge," Posey said.
"The bigger, the better," Galinda said. "I'm growing little lives in here, we want them big and healthy."
"You got the big part down."
"Mind your own business," she said, rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to Elphaba. "Come shopping with me! Now that we know what we're having we can actually get stuff for them."
"We could be there for hours," Elphaba said.
"You can cut me off at 2 hours. Come on, Elphie, do it for the Winkie Prince and Princess. Pleaaase?"
Elphaba sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll get my shoes on."
"Goody! It'll be fun, we'll get to get cute baby clothes - maybe even matching sets, how cute would that be?"
"Adorable."
"I need to stock up on bottles anyways, we need more diapers and wipes and crib sheets - we don't have nearly enough things for two babies."
"I thought you were going to breastfeed."
"I am, but we still need bottles so Fiyero can feed them, too - oh! I need to get breast pumps."
"Why more than one?"
"One for main use, one for back up, and one for back up back up. You never know what could happen."
"I guess it's smart to be prepared."
"We have a whole system. Once we're down to 2 packs of diapers, stock up again. And wipes. Oz, how many wipes am I gonna go through? I have two butts to wipe now."
Elphaba chuckled. "It'll be fine. I'll stop by after school and help you wipe butts."
"Why would you do that?" Posey asked. "They aren't your kids."
"She's my best friend. Why wouldn't I help? It takes a village."
"If she can't change her own kids diapers, she should have kept her legs shut."
"You should probably keep your mouth shut," Galinda said.
"If you can't handle the responsibility of raising your children, you shouldn't sleep around."
"I'm married. I didn't sleep around. I can take care of my kids. I don't need the help. But I'd be stupid to not take help when and where I can get it. Elphie is the one person I trust to leave my babies with if I need to. She's their honorary aunt and she wouldn't help if she didn't want to."
"It sounds more like you want to mooch off people."
"This is your last warning to keep your mouth shut or I'll do it for you."
"What are you gonna do? Hit me? Go ahead, I dar-"
Suddenly, Posey's mouth was stitched shut and her screams were muffled.
Elphaba looked to Galinda, who'd just placed her want into her coat with a pleased smile. "Galinda - I hope you're happy."
"I am," Galinda said. "I should have done that a long time ago."
"How was shopping?" Fiyero asked as Galinda walked into their room.
"Good. Got diapers, wipes, breast pumps, a few outfits. We need to decide on crib sheets and how we're going to arrange the nursery, but we have time for that," Galinda said, sitting on their bed.
"Sounds like you made a good dent. I'll call housing tomorrow and get a second crib delivered."
"They'll need more clothes, but I made sure to get their coming home outfits and a few packs of generic onesies. I feel like we're gonna go through a lot of those."
"Probably. Have you talked to your mom?"
"Not yet. I'll call her tomorrow to let her know," she said, laying down and resting her hand on her belly. "I can't wait to meet them. They're gonna be the most perfect babies."
"They have a perfect, beautiful mother. I don't doubt they'll have your good looks."
Galinda smiled. "I hope at least one of them looks like you. Wouldn't it just be the perfectest thing if we had to little mini me's?"
"The absolute perfectest," Fiyero said, kissing her lips. "I love you. I can't wait to go on this journey with you. Even if we won't get much sleep."
"The sleep deprivation will be worth it. We'll have two perfect babies," she said with a small yawn.
"Are you tired?"
"Exhausted. Growing tiny witchlings is tiring."
"Get some sleep. I'll wake you p in the morning in time for Dillamond's class."
"Okay. I love you. Thank you for everything you do for us."
"It's my biggest pleasure."