The Wedding Night...

Hide and Seek...

"Doctor? What is wrong?" Baran was running low on patience. "I just need a second, Mr. Baran... Just... There." Dilan began stroking his hand surely to calm him. "Please, look here." The doctor pointed out on the screen. "This is our baby. Every time you come, it likes to play hide and seek." Baran looked attentively, still worried. "And this..." He felt Dilan squeezing his hand. His attention shifted to her face. She seemed as concerned as he was. "It's the little one that has been hiding behind it." Baran's shook his head. Did he hear that properly? Did that mean what he thought it meant? He felt Dilan trying to sit. "Dilan, careful!" Baran said as he gave her back support. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Karabey! You are having twins." Baran and Dilan looked at each other, a combination of surprise and happiness. "H-h-how?... What I want to say is, why was it not detected sooner?" She replied to Baran while she continued to examine the screen. "Nothing in Ms. Dilan's medical chart would make me suspect of the possibility. Twin pregnancy is more likely if there is a family history of multiple pregnancies on the mother's side or in older women. As to why I didn't see it before. It is rare, but it can happen. We have two individual pacentas placed one behind the other. Also, because the one behind is smaller compared to the one in the front." Dilan asked before he could. "Is that bad?" The doctor kept making measurements, and they started to hear the two heartbeats. However, it took her forever to reply. "No. It is smaller in size, but it is still within the parameters. Besides, do you hear that? The heartbeats are strong. A different machine was needed to hear them better." Turning to them, the doctor continued. "Having said that, we are going to up our game. That translates into frequent check-ups. I'm talking about every two weeks. Also, you will need to start medication to mature their lungs..." She put the transvaginal probe away as she finished the sentence. "But we would talk more in-depth about it in my office. Take your time, Ms. Dilan. I will wait for you there."

As soon as Dilan was dressed, Baran wrapped her in his arms. He pulled back and asked. "How are you feeling with this news?" Tears were forming in her eyes. "I won't deny I feel overwhelmed... but Baran... We are having two babies." He cleared her tears with his thumbs while his own were in danger of falling. "We are..." It was still hard to wrap his head around it. "Twins..." The word rolled out his tongue as if he was testing an unknown term. "The gender!" Dilan shouted. "We forgot to ask about the gender." Baran's head moved in disaproval. That was the least of his concerns. All he cared about was Dilan and the babies' wellbeing. In that order. "Come!" She said excitedly as she grabbed his hand and led them to the doctor's office. "Please, take a seat." The doctor pointed at the two chairs in front of her. "Why would there be a need to mature the babies' lungs? Is there a risk..." Before he could finish, the doctor stopped him. "I know you worry a lot, Mr. Baran. Let me explain... In multiple pregnancy cases, early delivery is not uncommon. In some instances, if that does not occur naturally, it is advised to induce labor for many reasons concerning the mother's and the babies' health. So we have to start preparing for that. I already mentioned we would need to see each other more often. Besides the symptoms Ms. Dilan already shows, there are other concerns to be vigilant of. I need to emphasize the importance of a balanced diet. She is currently suffering from mild anemia, this is because two babies demand more from her body. So, a good diet with foods that will help raise her hemoglobin levels would be preferable. I will prescribe iron supplements to help with that... In the meantime, there is no reason to worry as we are taking all the necessary precautions. The babies are healthy, and Ms. Dilan's overall health is good."

Dilan was listening to the doctor, but unlike Baran, she was not worried. She was so happy and eager to meet her babies. "We will schedule the next appointment in two weeks. As always, you can call me whenever you need me or if you have questions. Ms. Dilan, listen to your body. Try not to push yourself and to rest when you need to. The idea is that you enjoy a healthy pregnancy. Now, if you don't have any other questions..." Before she finished, Dilan asked. "The gender..." She felt Baran's eyes on her. "Were you able to determine the gender?" The doctor smiled. "Sorry, yes. This time I was able to see..." Dilan grabbed Baran's hand. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Karabey, you will have a boy and a girl." The doctor handed them the ultrasound photos. "What? Are you sure?" She could not believe it. She was so happy with the news. "I'm sure. This time, our shy baby was not able to elude me. He is a boy, and the little one is a girl." She turned to Baran, whose eyes were filled with tears again. "I'll give you a moment." The doctor excused herself as Dilan stood to go to her husband. As soon as they were alone, he hugged her. "Dilan..." Her control freak was at a loss for words. "What are we going to do about the bet?" She heard him laugh. She pulled back to enjoy this moment of happiness. "Only, you would think of that in a time like this, Mrs. Karabey." He kissed both sides of her face and then her lips. Resting his head on hers, he asked. "I'm the happiest man in the world, Dilan. And it is all thanks to you." She kissed him. "Thanks to the both of us. Trust me, I could not have done this without you. You do know how biology works, don't you?" Baran narrowed his. "Are you making fun of me, Dilan?" She shrugged. "A wife can't tease her husband?"