so ill in all my life. My whole body feels like it’s hot and cold, puffed up and about to explode.
“But the bookings, Noah. Our holiday?” I protest. He shakes his head gently, mopping my brow with his hand, and clutching my hand in his.
“Only you matter, Faith. Everything else will just have to wait, we need to get you to a hospital, and quick,” he says in his deep, calming voice but I can see the turmoil in his expression, the helplessness in his eyes.
Everyone else on the plane is so supportive, not complaining at all as we divert to the nearest airport, only just big enough to hold our passenger jet.
Once I’m being stretchered off the plane, the whole plane claps, and cheers, wishing me well as I pass them, making me cry.
It’s a short trip to the nearest country hospital, with everybody waiting for us once the ambulance arrives.
Noah won’t let go of me for a second, and almost gets booted from the hospital once he stands fast against me, not wanting any male doctors to even examine me.
Eventually, he calms down, and for the first time in six months, I’m without him by my side. But only long enough for the doctors to do their work.
“Holidaying from America?” A doctor asks me, trying to relax me while they perform some tests.
I give a nod. “We’re moving here, to the North Island,” I tell him.
“Aww, that’s great!” he says, squeezing my hand. “Welcome to New Zealand!”
I must be imagining it, but the doctor actually looks like he’s smiling a little bit too much under his mask once he orders some more tests.
“We need to do an ultrasound now, Faith. Okay? Just have a little look-see at your tummy… won’t be long now.”
I’m wheeled into another room, darker, but Noah’s there, and I take his hand in mine, kissing it.
“I’m getting scared now, Noah. What’s happening?” I ask him, feeling his concern as well as my own.
“Everything will be fine, Faith. I know it, let’s just wait and see what the doctors say,” he tells me.
A female nurse comes in, cheerful, and setting Noah and me at ease quickly.
“Moving to the North Island, I hear?” she asks politely, making me jump with the cold from the ultrasound gel.
“We’re moving over here from the states,” Noah says proudly.
“Starting a family by any chance?” The nurse asks, grinning to herself as the doctor appears behind her, beaming also as he clutches a folder of test results.
“I don’t know if you know yet, Mr. and Mrs. Templeton,” The doctor says with an air of seriousness.
“But I only hope your new home has room for three… or maybe even four,” he adds, unable to contain his own excitement.
“You mean…” Noah asks, his jaw falling open.
The doctor nods excitedly, but Noah’s eyes are on mine.
I can only gasp, running my hands over my own belly, tracing the lines from the ultrasound.
“Here, Faith. Look here,” the nurse says calmly and firmly, taking one of my hands in hers, the other letting me hold the paddle while she moves it so we can all see what the whole fuss has been about.
It all makes perfect sense in that one moment.
“Looking over your other test results, Faith. I’m pleased to tell you that the only thing wrong with you is nothing wrong at all,” The doctor announces.
“You’re both going to be proud parents of… Oh! Do we want to know the sex or even how many?” he asks, stopping himself.
“I think we can have our first family portraits,” Noah murmurs, raising his brow in question.
Me? I can’t wait to know, and once I see them both, up close and how they’re so tiny and delicate but so strong, I feel a new kind of magic.
When two souls join as one, Noah and me. And the souls they bring into the world because of that union.
“They’re just so beautiful!” I whisper, feeling Noah’s hand over mine as he helps me guide the ultrasound probe over my whole belly, almost like he has to chase them already.
“They’re perfectly healthy, maybe just some stress from the move and from flying brought on some delayed illness once they started to wriggle around,” The doctor says, beaming with as much pride as we both have, watching our babies.
“We’d like to keep you in, just overnight, Mrs. Templeton. Then tomorrow, I can refer you to a very good midwife on the North Island, the best,” he adds.
“The best?” Noah asks, not meaning