Never Let Go

Chapter 96: Too Little, Too Late

There's too much to process right now, and the dull pain in my stomach immediately takes my attention away from my mother. I wince, still protecting my stomach with my hand, and I hold on to a chair, slowly sitting down.

What's happening? I hope the babies are ok. If something bad happens, it's all my fault. The thought of that makes me sad, and I feel a panic attack start to come on. What have I done?

"Are you ok?"

I hear a soft, worried voice. I look up as I'm taking deep breaths and see my mom standing right beside me. I look into her eyes and shake my head. I'm not sure if she even knows it's me...

"You need to get checked out. Come on, quickly."

I stand up, and she walks with me over to the reception desk.

"I'm having some pains." I blurt out to the receptionist. "I'm really worried something is wrong..." I frown and start to tear up. "I have a high-risk pregnancy. I need to see someone."

"Ok, take some deep breaths. I'll get you seen as soon as possible. What's your name?"

"Maya Jackson."

"Ok, Maya. Take a seat."

I sit down, and my mom follows me and sits next to me. I haven't even acknowledged the fact that she's actually stayed with me... I'm freaking out too much about my babies to think about that.

I take deep breaths and rub my stomach, trying to calm myself down. Working myself up will only make the situation worse, but I can't help it. Having pains and seeing my mom has made me go into panic mode.

Neither of us says a word to each other. I'm not quite sure why she's even bothered to sit here with me.

It doesn't take long before a nurse comes out and calls my name. I breathe a sigh of relief and stand up, but as I go to follow the nurse, I notice my mom stays put. I stop and look back at her.

"Please, come with me." I frown.

I don't know why I said that... maybe because I'm scared. I don't know. I need someone right now, and that's my mom. She doesn't say anything... she just looks sad, but to my surprise, she stands up and follows me.

When I'm in the ultrasound room, I get checked over, and the sonographer gets my babies up on the screen.

"Is everything ok?" I ask, my voice quivering.

She moves the wand around my stomach and presses firmly as she looks at the screen in front of her.

"Yes, everything looks normal."

I let out a big sigh of relief and close my eyes as I place my hand on my forehead. Thank god. The sound of their heartbeats is music to my ears.

She takes a couple more minutes looking at the screen before she turns it around and shows me my babies.

"They're just fine, and they have strong heartbeats. They look perfectly healthy to me." She smiles. "I think they just wanted to give their mom a little fright."

A little?!

Happy tears drop from my eyes, and I smile while I watch them jerk and move around. I glance at my mom and see her fixated on the screen in front of her. Again, she doesn't say a word. She just looks shocked and tearful...

"Why did I suddenly get the shooting pains?" I ask.

"There could be a few reasons. You're still early on the in the pregnancy, and you're having twins, so it could be caused by changes in your hormones and by your growing womb. The surgery you went through could be playing a part in it, too. It could also be something called braxton hicks. I'm not sure if your midwife has spoken to you about that yet, but it's when the womb contracts and relaxes. Sometimes, they are known as false labour pains. The contractions can feel like mild menstrual cramps and be uncomfortable, but It's completely normal. Braxton Hicks contractions prepare your body for giving birth by toning the muscles in your uterus."