“Hi there, Rory, I’m Carol, and I’m going to be taking care of you while you’re here. This must be Mr. Sinclair.” She smiled.
“No, I’m Ian Braxton, the baby’s father.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I was consumed with worry as I changed into the cloth gown and lay down on the bed. Carol, the nurse, asked me some questions and took my vital signs.
“The doctor will be in shortly. I want you to stay calm and relaxed. The more relaxed you are, the better for the baby.” She smiled and then turned and walked out of the room.
Ian walked over and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He placed his hand on mine.
“Everything is going to be all right, Rory.”
“You don’t know that. You can’t tell me that. That’s what they said about Stephen and looked what happened.”
“Shh, sweetheart. Don’t get worked up.”
“You can leave now. I don’t want you here,” I lied.
I did want him there. I wanted him to hold me and kiss me and tell me that he loved me. But I knew he couldn’t do that as long as I was carrying his baby.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here with you. End of discussion.”
“I’m moving to Paris,” I blurted out.
“You mean you’re moving there to be with Andre.”
“NO! I’m moving there for you,” I said as I turned my head.
“For me? How the f**k is that for me?”
“So you won’t ever have to worry about running into me or the baby.”
“Rory,” he said as he grabbed my hand.
“The ticket is already bought. I leave the day after tomorrow.”
Just as Ian was about to say something, the doctor walked in.
“Hi, Rory, I’m Dr. Klein. When did your pain start?” he asked as he examined my stomach.
“A couple of hours ago,” I replied.
Dr. Klein asked Ian to step out of the room for a moment while he examined me. Ian got up and kissed my forehead.
“I’ll be right outside the door,” he said.
Dr. Klein finished up his examination and told Ian he could come back into the room.
“How is she?” he asked Dr. Klein.
“I’m going to do an ultrasound. Rory, have you been under a great deal of stress lately?”
I looked away from him and closed my eyes. That was when Ian spoke up.
“Yes, doctor, she has been under a lot of stress.”
“Well, the first thing you need to do is eliminate all stress.” Dr. Klein smiled.
“I will be in a couple of days,” I mumbled.
“I’ll send the nurse in to wheel you down to the ultrasound room and I’ll meet you in there.” He smiled as he walked out of the room.
Ian’s thumb was softly moving back and forth across my hand. “Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Doing what?”
“Staying here. Are you hoping that I’ll lose the baby and then things can go back to normal with us?”
“How the hell could you even say something like that?” he sternly asked. “My God, Rory, I know you’re worried and upset, but that was totally out of line.”
“Whatever, Ian.”
Carol walked in and helped me into the wheelchair. Ian walked beside me as I was wheeled into the ultrasound room. She helped me onto the table and Dr. Klein walked in. Ian sat down in the chair on the other side of the table.
“Okay, let’s take a look at your baby.”
He squeezed the warm gel onto my stomach and began moving the wand around slowly. He stopped and pressed some keys on his keyboard.
“There’s your baby’s heartbeat. It’s a strong one too. That’s a good sign, Rory, and there’s your baby.”
Ian grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I turned my head and looked at him. He was staring intently at the monitor.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Dr. Klein said.
“What. What is it, doctor?” Ian asked before I had the chance to.
Dr. Klein turned his head and looked at both of us. “See this right here?” he asked. “That’s another baby. Congratulations, you’re having twins.”
I swear my heart stopped beating when he said that. I was speechless. I didn’t dare look at Ian because he was already pissed about one baby and now there were two. Oh my God, I was going to be a single parent to twins, just like my mother.
“Rory,” Ian said.
I turned my head and he kissed my lips and smiled. I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t want to know. All I could focus on at that moment were my babies.
“Everything looks good with the babies. I don’t see any problems. I’m going to send you home and I want you on complete bed rest for the next forty-eight hours. There is to be no stress in your life during the next six and a half months. Do you understand?” Dr. Klein asked.
“Yes, doctor.” I smiled.
“Good. I’ll take you back to your room and I’ll get your discharge papers ready. I’m going to contact your OB doctor and tell him what’s going on and I want you to make a follow up visit with him next week.”
Ian took my hand and helped me from the table and into the wheelchair. Dr. Klein took me back to the room and I sat on the end of the bed, waiting for him to come back with the paperwork. Ian was quiet and I was worried. He stood in front of the window and looked out onto the beautiful day. Suddenly, he spoke.
“I guess this means you won’t be moving to Paris the day after tomorrow. You heard the doctor, you are to be on bed rest for the next forty-eight hours, so that means no Paris.”
“We’ll see,” I said.
He turned around and looked at me. “You’re wrong, Rory. There is no ‘we’ll see.’” He walked over and sat down next to me on the bed. He put his arm around me and pulled me close to him, kissing the side of my head. “It’s not a request. It’s a command, Rory.”
I didn’t respond. I sat there enjoying the warmth of him and the tender touch of his lips pressed against my head. I missed him so much and every time he touched me, I became weak for him. But this wasn’t about me anymore. I had two babies to think about. I pulled away from him.
“Rory, what the hell?” he exclaimed.
I remained calm for the sake of my babies. I pointed my finger at him and spoke softly.
“You don’t get to do this anymore. You don’t get to comfort me whenever it suits you. I needed you the past few weeks and you totally shut me out. You hurt me in ways that I never thought possible. You were the only person in my life I needed the most and you turned your back on me. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for that. I’m sorry, but I’m still moving to Paris,” I said with tears in my eyes.