Let Me Love You Again
Chapter 49

Maya

I walked into the doctor’s office in a hurry. I had come all the way looking over my shoulder, thinking I was being followed by him. I was terrified. I didn’t know why, but I was. Brad never showed any interest in me after our breakup, but why was he there? Why did he make all this trip from New York?

I shook my head and I looked up.

“You did it!” Lucas exclaimed, getting out of his chair.

I sighed and looked at him, trying to calm the beat of my heart that seemed to burst from my chest.

Jess was sitting in the chair and looking at a poster in front of her, Andrew next to her with an arm around her shoulder. Jess had a weak hand on her belly that had a hint of roundness. I frowned, it shouldn’t be so round already.

“Excuse me,” I said with a string of my voice.

“What happened to you? You look pale!” Andrew said, looking at me.

“I ran, there were too many people,” I justified myself by pretending nothing had happened.

I approached Jess and I sat down next to her, and I put my hand on hers, and she kept stroking her swollen belly.

“What’s up, Jess?” I asked her gently.

Jess shook his head, “Yesterday I tripped and almost fell, I heard something move,” she said with a string in her voice.

“Normally, you hear Jess move, nothing happened,” I said, trying to reassure her.

Jess was paranoid, terrified of everything about her. She stopped going to work and preferred to work from home to avoid stress and Andrew didn’t make her move at all. Both of them were afraid of losing this child, too, and they didn’t know how to handle that situation.

I approached her and gave her a gentle k**s on the cheek, “Everything will be all right,” I gently whispered.

The studio door opened and a young woman in a lab coat came out, “Spring?” she said, looking at a file.

Jess sighed and got up. She was first in, followed closely by Andrew, and then Lucas and I walked in. The girl beckoned Jess to undress behind a sarong and she immediately executed and returned with a hospital robe. She put herself on the bed and spread her legs, laying them in the appropriate spaces, and then fixed the ceiling, her face a mask to cover all the emotions that swirled inside.

Andrew stood next to her, with one hand on her shoulder and next to him were me and Lucas.

The doctor came in and greeted us and then positioned herself between Jess’s legs.

She took the ultrasound and put a condom in it and then she activated the screen.

“Okay, now, relax, Jess, so we can see how your baby’s doing,” she said softly.

Jess nodded but didn’t look away from the ceiling. The doctor moved and gently shoved the ultrasound into Jess, who sprang imperceptibly but did not look away.

The screen lit up and immediately Jess’s uterus appeared, in a black and white haze.

“The tests we did were all normal and everything seems to be going as planned,” the doctor said, moving the ultrasound.

“We haven’t been able to hear the heartbeat in the last few visits, we’re worried about that,” Andrew tensely said.

“I remember Mr. Spring,” the doctor said, making a sweet smile, “There’s nothing to worry about,” she finally added.

Immediately afterward, she pressed a few buttons and the room was invaded by that wonderful sound. A regular and strong Tum-Tum filled the tense silence that had been created. I sighed and raised my eyes filled with tears. I watched Jess as her baby’s heartbeat filled the room, and she turned to the screen, and she just stared at it, her l*p shaking and her eyes shining.

She pointed to the mass on the screen. “Is it my child?” she asked with a trembling voice as well as hands.

“Yes, Jess, that’s your baby,” said the doctor softly.

“My baby,” Jess said again staring at the screen, her eyes now filled with tears as the baby’s strong heartbeat filled the room.

But the heartbeat was accompanied by something else.

In the room, there was a Tum-Tum followed by a turum-turum.

Andrew frowned as I did, “What is it?” Andrew and I said in chorus.

Jess suddenly turned towards both of us and looked at us frightened, eyes wide as her husband and I kept staring at the screen, staring at the mass in the middle of all the black.

The doctor moved the ultrasound again, and the mass was better.

“Oh my…” Andrew began.

“God,” I said.

“What?” Jess asked frightened, looking at the doctor.

“This Jess” began to say the doctor pointing to the screen “is your other child” she continued.

“Other one?” Jess lifted her elbows and looked at the doctor.

The gynecologist took out the ultrasound and took another, then discovered Jess’ belly and put some fluid on it. Jess shuddered but said nothing when the doctor put the other ultrasound in.

This time we were able to see the uterus better and could see them clearly. Two amniotic bags, in each of them a small child whose shape was barely hinted at.

“This is the first child,” said the doctor, pointing at one of the two “and this is the second” she moved her finger over the other.

Andrew stopped next to me.

“Twins?” Lucas asked, surprised.

“That’s right. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Spring. You will have two beautiful children! Want to know the s*x?”

From Jess’s eyes began to come tears and shook her head while Lucas and I chanted “Yes!”

Andrew remained motionless, Jess shook his hand after the doctor gave us the letter with the s*x of the children and the ultrasound to Jess. Andrew looked down at his wife, his eyes shiny and full of love, and then took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.

When they broke off the doctor spoke again “Immediate rest and healthy and balanced diet Jess. I want to see you here every two weeks and prescribe you an amniocentesis so we can do the full tour of all the tests.”

Jess nodded cheerfully as she sat back down and held the ultrasound of her children tightly.

She had a radiant face and red cheeks and I could only be happy for her and for the joy she was finally receiving in her life, or rather the joys of her life.

******

Nate

I turned into the parking lot of the mall while in the seat behind Axel shouted and laughed at every new thing he saw. I looked in the rearview mirror, with a smile on my face.

We had just been shopping around, very satisfied by the way. I looked at Tiffany’s envelope in the seat next to mine and I felt anxiety bite my stomach.

Did I give it to her tonight? Or did I wait a few days? If she didn’t want to? If she said no?

I swallowed the buildup of saliva that I had in my mouth and swept through the streets of the city. I had bought everything I needed. A tuxedo for me and one for my little man. Everything you need for a romantic dinner, complete with dessert and wine.

I hadn’t had any news from Maya all morning, I just hoped it wasn’t a bad sign for Jess, I was anxious and hopeful for her.

I turned into another street that led to a residential neighborhood of the city. Before I come back home, I had another stop to make.

“Are you ready little man?” I asked Axel looking at him from the mirror.

Axel squealed a word that was very much like d**k and then added “Dada!” shouting and clapping his hands.

I laughed and parked the car “Don’t say it again in front of your mother or she really cuts my d**k” I said seriously looking him in the eye.

Axel nodded seriously as if he understood exactly what I had told him and I took a deep breath before getting out of the car.

*******

I rushed back to the house holding Axel with one arm while in the other I carried all the shopping bags. Anyone who says a man can’t do multiple things at once should see this image of me.

I was holding Axel under my arm like a sack of potatoes on my way to the kitchen. I put the envelopes on the table and picked up the phone as I put Axel on the ground and he immediately started crawling on the floor. I didn’t dare imagine what would happen once he started walking.

I looked at him and he followed him as I wrote a message to Maya, to which she immediately replied.

I smiled happly. And I kept following Axel as he crawled around the house, I caught him before he made a mess and I put him in the walker, immediately he started tripping and running from one side of the apartment to the other while I started to fix the groceries. I took Tiffany’s bag and pulled out the black velvet box. I flip it between my fingers and watch the movement go.

I perceived a pull my pants and look down where Axel had clung to my pants and looked at me with his blue eyes, his blond hair was ruffled.

“Dada,” he said, sticking his finger in his mouth.

“Yes, bath with dada. We have to make ourselves beautiful for mom,” I said, pulling him out of the walker and going to the bathroom.