Take Me By The Hand

\(.3.2.)/

"This really is remarkable," Doctor Webb says. He's watching me curiously, his eyes gleaming with enticement. I shift uncomfortably, cringing away from his gaze.

"Can you tell what they are?" Josh wonders, stepping forward and watching the monitor. "Or a due date? Or anything?"

"Due date should be easy..." The doctor mumbles. He presses a few more things, taking measurements and clicking his tongue. We all wait in anticipation, when finally he smiles. "Twins are usually smaller than single-born children, so the due date could be off by a week or so, but best guess would be December twenty-seventh."

I let the words sink in. Everything. I'm having not one, but two babies. In December. In six fucking months, I'm going to be a dad. And a mom, I suppose...

"And the sex?" My mom asks. "Can you tell?"

Doctor Webb's face twists up in a frowning grimace of some sort, making him look kind of constipated, and he shakes his head, zooming in on the screen. "It's really too early to tell this way. And unless they move, I won't be able to." He points a slim finger at an indecipherable mess of static, saying, "They're very close right now, but once they shift positions, I'll be able to get a better look. In a  few weeks, perhaps." He pauses for a moment before turning on his stool to face us, his eyes lighting up again. "However, there is a test that can determine almost one hundred percent what the sex's will be now." I wait silently for him to continue, though as soon as he speaks, I want to tell him to stop. "It's called Amniocentesis," He explains. "By obtaining a sample of the placenta, a test can be administered to find out the genders."

Mom is the one who decides to ask the question bouncing around in my head. "And how exactly would the sample be obtained?"

Doctor Webb shakes his head, waving a hand, as though it's but a small detail. "A hollow needle will be injected through the abdomen and wall of the uterus."

My eyes widen and I find myself shaking my head. No way in hell is he jamming a needle into my stomach! Mom, once again, is the one to speak up, looking doubtful as well. "That sounds dangerous, to say the least."

The doctor shrugs. "Of course, as any invasive tests, it runs it's risks."

"What kind of risks are we talking?" Josh interrupts. His blue eyes are narrowed at the doctor and I feel a minute amount of pride at the protective edge in his voice.

"Well..." Webb looks hesitant for a moment, shifting his gaze to each of us in turn. "A small percent of women experience miscarriages or infections that could lead to a miscarriage."

"No," I state simply. My words come out calm which surprises me because my thoughts are anything but. If a small percent of women experience miscarriages, what are my odds? This isn't supposed to be possible as it is-- Obviously, my risks are a little higher already. I shake my head. "No way in hell!"

"It's a very small percent," Doctor Webb interjects, trying to sound rational. "And the test could give much more insight into your pregnancy. It could even explain how it occurred."

"I know how it occurred," I state, getting angry. "I had sex. End of story."

"You're a boy, Frank," The doctor laughs. His voice gets more excited and he grins. "Nothing about this is simple. Something is physically mutated in you which is making it possible for you to even be pregnant. Don't you understand how remarkable this is?"

I shake my head again and motion for the tissues, which Mikey hands me without a word. I begin wiping the gel off and pull my shirt down. Jumping to my feet, I cross my arms and glare at him. I'm set on leaving now but Doctor Webb is still talking eagerly. "If you would just agree to the test, we could all get a better understanding of how--"