Against All Odds

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Everything looks good," Dr. Romero says, freezing the picture on the ultrasound before taking the wand off of my stomach. "Both boys are right on track; a little small, but that is to be expected."

"Nothing we need to be concerned about?" I ask, taking the Kleenex she hands me. The goo on my stomach is always so uncomfortable, and no matter how much I wipe at it, there is always a sticky residue left behind.

Dr. Romero smiles, looking over at me from where she is typing on her computer. "Nothing at all. It isn't unusual for them to measure a little smaller. I am just going to recommend upping the nutrients a little to make sure they don't fall behind. But make sure to keep up the exercise. It is good for all three of you."

Nodding, I push myself up into a seated position, which is a difficult feat now that I am twenty weeks. Usually, Ollie is there to lend me a hand, after teasing me first.

My eyes flick over to the empty chair, the place where Ollie usually sits for the appointments. But this time he couldn't get off of work. Apparently, they were taking the kids to the local nursing home, hoping to brighten up their day. Seeing as the school was seeking chaperones for the trip, Ollie wasn't able to get out of it.

"I'll work on that," I say, making a mental grocery list of things to pick up after I leave the coffee shop.

She nods, but then her eyebrows wrinkle. "What's this I see about an amniocentesis?"

"What?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

She clicks on her computer some more, the crinkle in her brow only growing more defined. "There is a request in here sent here from Gabriel's." That's the hospital where I was seeing Dr. Cole. Also the place where my soon to ex-husband works. "It's for an amniocentesis, to determine the parentage of the twins." She looks over at me. "Do you know anything about this?"

Closing my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off a headache I can feel coming on. "Yeah." Forcing my eyes open, I meet her worried eyes. "My ex-husband works at Gabriel's and we went to divorce court a few weeks ago. He seemed convinced the babies were his, and his lawyer requested an amniocentesis. But once I told the judge about the risks, he denied the request. He just said to get a DNA test after the boys are born."

She nods her head. "That's good. I would highly advise you to not have the amniocentesis. Having twins means you need to take it more carefully. We don't want to put the babies under any stress and cause premature labor."

My heart skips a beat at her words, hand falling down to my stomach. I went through hell to get these babies, thinking that I would never get a chance to be a parent. The thought of losing them makes my mind go blank. I can't even comprehend not having them, after having them be a part of me for twenty weeks already.

"I-I can't lose them," I whisper, words coming out shaky, no matter how hard I try to keep my voice steady.

"We're going to do everything we can to keep those babies inside you until the thirty-six-week mark." She types on her computer, before giving one final click and pushing the screen away from her. "And that means that we are going to refuse the procedure."

"Can we?" I ask, the headache I was trying to stave off is coming on in full force. "The judge dismissed the request, and they still managed to send one through."

"Just because they sent it, doesn't mean you have to have the procedure. Think of it more as a request, one that you are respectfully declining." She raises her brows at me, a smirk on her face. "They can't make you do anything you don't want to do."

Relief floods through me, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. "Thank god."

She doesn't say anything, before finally clearing her throat. "Can I say something, Milo?"