Only Half a Twin

Opening

Footsteps echoed along the smooth wooden floors of the home. They were the only sounds that could be heard alongside the pained cries which came from behind a large door, where the wife of Dr. Jacob Mallory lay in bed, and for half that night, in labor. Neither of them could have anticipated on how things would take a severe turn so quickly, while labor was not an easy process, it sometimes had it's complications, and now was one of those times.

It had started out typically, she'd woke in the middle of the night with contractions. At that time they hadn't been so severe, but eventually they'd escalated to the point of where she couldn't bear to move anymore. Her husband, despite being a very skilled surgeon, was not the expert in anything regarding childbirth and had not delayed in sending for a midwife. He could not stand to see his beloved Omie in such agony, it was just killing him not knowing what was going on, as he'd chosen to remain outside of their room until their child had been born. For the first hour he'd just sat in a chair, trying to focus on reading or going over one of his medical notes, just to distract himself, but then he would hear Omie's screams and be startled out of his comfort. He got to the point of where he couldn't stand still any longer and began to pace the long hallways of their house. And that was what he was doing right now.

He stopped his pacing momentarily and glanced at the old grandfather clock propped beside the bedroom door. He didn't know how long it had been, he did know labor could take awhile but surely not this long. Or maybe...no, he would not allow his mind to wander off the worst case scenario. Omie would be fine. Their child would be fine. She was young and strong, they were at a good time in their lives to be having children. There could be risks he didn't know of, in fact he didn't want to think of those risks, the only thing that would do is escalate his worrying.

In his worries, he hadn't realized the screaming had stopped. He didn't even snap back to reality until he heard the loud cry of a newborn drift out. Relief flooded his heart, but as he started towards the door it clicked open and the midwife walked out. The relief began to diminish as he saw the grim look on her face.

"My...my wife...?" he asked, his throat beginning to swell up.

"She's fine, Dr. Mallory. It was a difficult labor but she just needs some rest..." the midwife said, trying to sound pleasant despite the shakiness in her voice. This continued to alarm Jacob. The pause in her voice told him she had more to say. She'd said Omie was fine, he'd heard the baby crying, what could possibly be wrong?

"But...?" his voice quivered.

"But...well..." The midwife nervously bt her lower lip and looked down at the floor, her hands folded in front of her. "There were some minor complications...your wife has given you twin boys, sir."

"Twins?" Jacob knew he should be feeling joy from this, but he didn't sense anything light in the tone of the older woman's voice. This should be wonderful news, why was she acting so grim?

"Yes sir...it's just that..."

"It's just that what? Is something wrong with one of them?" Jacob's voice rose in fear.

"Not...not exactly, it'd be easier to just show you..." The midwife turned away from him and pushed the door open a little wider in order for him to walk in. He did so, with her following behind him. As he entered, he could see his wife laying in the bed, looking pale and sickly. She glanced over at him with teary eyes, then looked away again. This didn't help lessen the rising worry inside of him. He looked down beside her, on the bed, where a small, moving bundle was laying. As he sat down and looked closer, he could see two small babies beneath the blankets, damp ringlets of red covering both their heads. He allowed himself to smile a bit, as he reached out and attempted to pick one of them up, but was astonished to find the other crying loudly as he did so. He looked over at Omie, she glanced back at him again, still saying nothing.

Puzzled, he then tried to pick both of the small boys up, this time succeeding. They both cooed a bit, but it seemed only one side each was wriggling. The blanket slipped down a bit as Jacob adjusted the newborns more properly in his arms, then he could see the reasoning for the grim attitudes.

From the tops of their shoulders, to their hips...they seemed...stuck...conjoined even...conjoined...

They weren't just twins.

They were conjoined twins.