Page 33 of Never Really Mine
22
BEAU
The woman who took the ultrasound helps Marley get in bed back in the ER room, making sure she’s comfortable and warm enough. My heart is racketing in my chest, thumping hard and strong with each passing second. Marley lays back onto the pillow, closing her eyes as the tech exits.
I stride over to her, not willing to be apart from her for any longer than necessary. I sit down in the chair next to her, scooting it as close as I can, reaching out to take her hand again. I’ve always been a physical touch kind of guy, but really only with Marley. Growing up, I’d always hug her as often as I could, or cuddle platonically while watching a movie. I know she said she isn’t ready to give me an answer on us, but I’m all in, full steam ahead. I love her, have loved her for a long time, was just too chicken to say it, out of fear of more disapproval from our fathers, or fear of rejection by her. I didn’t want to ruin what we had, or lose her, but now I am determined that will never happen. Regardless of the fact that she’s pregnant, I will stand by, or take things however slow she needs, for as long as she needs.
Marley's eyes stay closed, but a small furrow in her brow lets me know she’s thinking about something.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she murmurs.
“Marley,” I start.
“No, it’s nothing. Just a lot to think about,” she says. Her eyes are still closed, but one hand is now laying over her stomach where our babies are. I rest my hand over hers, hoping to give her some sort of silent reassurance.
Dr. Carmichel comes back into the room, a beaming smile on her face. “I heard we are having twins!”
Marley opens her eyes, nodding softly.
“Congratulations,” the doctor says. “The on-call OB took a look at your labs and the scans, and everything looks normal with you and the babies, so once we get your discharge paperwork done, you’ll be out the door toward home. You already have an OB appointment set up, right?”
“Yeah,” Marley replies.
“Great. I’ll go get your paperwork started, and I’m also going to write you a prescription of Zofran, which hopefully will help your nausea.”
Before she turns to leave, I hold up a hand. “Can we get some hard copies of the ultrasound photos? And do you know what the due date is? They didn’t tell us.”
“Oh!” she says with glee. Shuffling through her notes, she pulls out the little strip of photos, handing them over to us. “Due date is approximately June 21st, but that will vary with twins. You will probably deliver sooner.”
“Thank you,” Marley says, her voice thick with emotion, and I can’t tell if it's excitement, or some form of sadness..
“I’ll be back in shortly,” Dr. Carmichel says, turning to leave the room.
I can’t help it, I slide into the small hospital bed next to Marley, holding her to my chest. She shudders with silent tears, clutching to my shirt. I know she has to be terrified, and to be honest, I’m a little scared too. I’ve never been around many babies, but I can learn, right? They say a lot of it is instinct, and I just hope that’s true. “I know,” I murmur, kissing the top of her head softly. “It’s a lot.”
She nods into my chest. “How am I going to afford two babies, Beau? How are they going to fit inside my house? I always thought when I got pregnant I’d be in a different house, not living alone in my bachelorette pad.”
“Hey,” I reply. “You are not alone. This wasn’t your plan, but you will never walk alone. I am here with you, and lucky for you, you have a baby daddy who knows his way around the housing market.”
She sniffles, chuckling a bit. “I guess.”
23
MARLEY
“What are you doing?” I ask when Beau turns right at the stop sign instead of going left toward my house.
“Going to my place,” he responds matter of factly.
“Why?”
“Need to grab my clothes and a few things.”
“Again, I ask, why?” I pry.
“I told you I would stay with you for a while,” he replies.
