Chapter 18
Paige is sitting on the table, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her purple…gown? They consider this paper thin thing, that closely resembles a paper cape fucked a shower curtain, a gown. It’s a napkin.
Today we get to see our baby, or at least if all goes right we will. I’m certain he’ll show face. He likes to steal the spotlight, kicking Paige at all the wrong times. I’ve come to the conclusion he’s protecting his mom. This dad shit is pretty easy.
The first ultrasound we found out Paige was five weeks and a few days pregnant. We were only able to see a…blip? This white thing floating around in the darkness. I’ve since named it Teep after the push kick in Muay Thai since he likes to kick momma in the stomach.
Plus, Lil Teep will be teeping his ass right out of Paige soon.
“You good?” I rub her arm.
“Yeah. You?”
I grin. “Damn right I am. I’m ready to see my boy.”
She scowls. “Don’t do that. Don’t label it.”
I shrug. “It’s better than calling the boy an it.”
She murders me with a glare. She’s tried to tell me there’s always the possibility of having a girl, but I laugh every time. Karma might have herself a bad name, but she handles shit at the right time. She’s the ultimate fighter and returns all the wrong to the right people. I like to believe she and I are on the same page, especially since she dipped her toes into the whole Ryker and Whitney shit. Yeah, placed me to be the fucking hero to my most hated person. I had to be nice…
The doctor comes in and sets up shop while asking Paige a few mundane pregnancy questions. He squirts her bump and goes to work. But he’s testing my patience, keeping the monitor away from us. I’m vibrating from anticipation.
“Hmph…” he says, moving the stick thing over Paige’s stomach.
“Hmph? What’s hmph?” I ask.
He doesn’t look at me as he continues to study the monitor and then glances to Paige.
“Mrs. Stiles…”
And here is where it all goes to hell…
“In your chart, it shows…” he trails off and I picture grabbing the doctor by his collar and shoving him against the wall. He pushes the screen to us and smiles. “Surprise. You’re having twins.”
Two Teeps.
Not one.
Two.
Bigger Teeps.
Two.
Two bigger Teeps.
Paige gasps, and instantly tears pool up, but she’s grinning. My wife cries easily now and I’m throwing a million dollars on the word easily to emphasize the shit. Once because my sock didn’t make it to the dirty clothes hamper. I felt like shit. And since, I’ve made sure every particle of clothing has landed directly inside of the hamper.
Another time, I came home from a hard day at the gym and she was sitting on the couch, clinging to my championship belt, bawling her eyes out. She didn’t know what to clean it with. Yeah. You heard me right. That was a fucking fiasco. Hell, it wasn’t even dirty, but try explaining that to an overemotional pregnant wife.
But the worst of her sensitive moments—she downright ugly cried when I ran over a fucking snake. A snake. A slithering snake stupid enough to cross over the hot pavement of a road. One of those creatures you don’t understand how they were put on Earth. She wailed on about it for hours, sobbing about how if it was a momma snake the family wouldn’t survive. And if it was a dad snake, how the rest of the snake family is probably sitting at the door waiting for him to come home.
Straight up in-fucking-tense crying.
Where was I? Ohhh, yeah. Two Teeps.
My heart bashes my chest and skids to a complete stop. “What?” I squeak. Yes, fucking squeak, with a tight throat. “You’ve got the wrong test. That’s the wrong person. Check the name again.” I point to the computer.
The doctor moves the wand and the image on the screen mimics his motion. “There’s no way it’s incorrect, sir. This is real time.”
“How’d we not see this on the first one?” I snap.
“Sometimes one baby hides behind the other. Would you like to see what you’re having?” the doctor asks.
“No one’s fucking hiding. I don’t create hiders. I’m certain you have the wron—”
“Levi!” Paige hisses, swatting my arm and scowling with those pregnant mad eyes. That stops me. I’ve learned you don’t piss off the pregnant wife. All hell breaks the fuck loose.
She smiles to the doctor and wipes her happy tears. “Yes, please.”
Fucking hell, my pulse is ridiculous.
The lying ass doctor moves the wand around while clicking a few things on the first baby and then moves to the second baby.
Two Teeps. Two…
He smiles. “I’m happy to announce you have two healthy baby girls.”
Girls?
Girls…
“Girls?” My voice fades into the distance.
“Yes, sir. You can see…”
I see his mouth moving as he points to the monitor, but I can’t hear him. Sounds have dulled, being replaced with a loud high-pitched scream. My ears feel hot, like lava sitting on the sides of my head. Exactly like I’ve been knocked upside the head with two solid hits.
My heartbeat is in every inch of my body, from my eardrums throbbing down to my toes. My skin pulsates. My body feels heavy, my legs soupy. Everything is slow and my head is fuzzy.
Blackness trickles in and I’m most positive my lungs aren’t giving me enough air. They’re fucking stunned too.
Paige’s green eyes are wide with concern and she reaches out, touching my arm, but I can’t feel shit. I’m paralyzed. Her mouth is moving, but there isn’t any sound. I’m fighting gravity as it tries to pull my body down. My knees are snapping.
The picture of Paige with her napkin gown pulled up and belly showing…the doctor at my side…it’s fading, flickering black and white…
“Levi…” Paige’s silky voice brings me back.
I’m sitting in a recliner? When the hell did this thing get here?
I look at her.
“Levi?” Paige’s voice is always heaven on my ears…unless she’s pissed. “Are you okay?”
I feel woozy, but smile. “Yeah.”
“You passed out,” she informs me.
I shift, shaking my head. “No I didn’t. I was here the whole time. Had to process—”
“You passed out,” she repeats and then laughs.
My head’s been rattled by grown ass men before, but I’ve never hit the deck. Today, apparently, two little Teep girls landed a blow.
“You said healthy, right?” I ask the doctor and he nods.
I flop my arm on Paige’s. “We’re in some serious shit…”