Doctor Weber pulled the covers back from her abdomen and put some clear jelly on her lower stomach. Cold, she flinched. He took the wand from the machine set up next to the bed and moved it over her stomach. His brow creased as he studied the monitor. Then, he smiled and pushed a few buttons. The sound filled the room.
Jack wasn’t sure what exactly he was hearing, but it sounded like a train chugging down the tracks, the steady rhythm strong. Jack looked to the doctor for an explanation.
“That is their heartbeats, and these,” he pointed to the screen, “are your babies.”
Transfixed by the figure on the screen, Jack stared at his baby inside Jenna. His focus on the tiny heart beating. Overwhelmed with love, he turned to Jenna. Tears streamed down her face, and she never looked away from the baby on the screen.
“Is the baby okay? Did David harm him when he hurt me? I’m not losing another baby because of him. I’m not.” Her voice shook and she clutched Jack’s hand.
“I think you missed what I said. Not baby, babies. See here, two heartbeats, two babies. They’re perfect. There doesn’t seem to be any problems. It’s early in the pregnancy.”
Jack finally registered what the doctor was saying. “You mean we’re having twins?”
Jenna chimed in, too, her voice a little stronger. “We’re having twins?”
“Yes. Identical twins. I suspected as much when I first examined Jenna in the emergency room, but she wasn’t very cooperative at the time, so it was difficult to get a good look. We were too concerned about her other injuries.”
“There’s nothing wrong. And yes, twins. They appear to be perfect. They’re in a great position. So long as you take care of yourself and rest, you shouldn’t have any complications. I’ll recommend a few obstetricians for you. I suggest you start seeing one soon, so they can monitor the pregnancy. Right now, I’d say you’re about ten, eleven weeks along. The babies’ hearts are strong. Now, let’s let them rest. I’ll give you something to put you to sleep and relieve your pain. Your blood pressure is too high due to all this stress, and that’s not good for them.”
“Um, Doc. You’re sure everything is okay? The babies won’t cause any complications for Jenna to recover?”
“No. Her body will heal and the babies seem to be doing just fine after the ordeal she’s been through. We’ll monitor them while she’s here to be sure, but I don’t expect any problems. All of them will be fine. Congratulations. I hope you have a big house.”
The doctor shot a syringe full of drugs into Jenna’s IV before she protested further, her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.
“We do have a big house. Even if we didn’t, we’d build one. Nothing will be too good for Jenna and these babies.” Jack made sure Jenna was asleep before continuing. “Be straight with me, Doc. Did he rape her?”
“No, he didn’t.” His serious voice convinced Jack he wasn’t holding back on him at Jenna’s request.
Relieved, he put his head down on Jenna’s arm and breathed deeply, letting that fear slip away.
“She’ll rest now,” the doctor continued. “Like I said, the drugs I gave her won’t harm the babies. If nothing else, they’ll help because she won’t be fighting the pain and her blood pressure should come down. I’ll be back in a few hours. I’ll do another ultrasound. It isn’t necessary, but you can reassure her I did check and all is well.”
“Thanks, Doc. I’m staying with her tonight. I don’t want her to be alone.”
“I’d recommend you go home and get some rest, but I can tell you’d probably just punch me if I tried to get you out of here.”
“You got that right, Doc. I’m sitting right here and making sure that if she wakes up, she knows I’m here, keeping her safe. I shouldn’t have left her in the first place.”
Doctor Weber shook his head and left Jack to watch over Jenna.
Jack brought the chair over to the bed, sat, and stared at her. Resting soundly, he placed his hand over her lower belly and contemplated being a father. His babies were resting, safe and sound. With everything she’d been through, she’d kept their babies safe. She’d kept herself alive—again.
She slept most of the night without stirring. Doctor Weber came in and did another ultrasound. Jack watched in