“One fifty seven,” Su Lin says as she helps me off the scale. “You’re officially a lightweight now.”

I run my hands over my wasted stomach, feeling the outline of my ribs against my paper thin skin. It’s not that I haven’t tried to eat, it’s that my body just doesn’t want it any longer. When I tried to supplement by drinking weight gainer shakes, I ended up puking and passing out in the toilet.

“Yeah, a little more and I could walk for New York Fashion Week,” I joke, pulling on the thick robe I wear most of the time anymore. “We’ll book tickets.”

“I’d rather you make it to my appointment later today,” Su Lin says, putting her arm around my waist as she helps me out of the gym. I haven’t touched a thing in here in weeks, there’s no real point. Su Lin comes in every day still though, and the maintenance staff makes sure every surface is dusted and everything’s in perfect order.

“I’ll make it,” I promise. “They said they might be able to find out the gender today, right?”

“Right,” Su Lin says with a brave smile. “Come on, I’ll help you upstairs to get dressed. It’s still cold as hell out there, and let’s face it stud, you’re not fat enough to keep the cold out anymore.”

I smile softly as she helps me down into the wheelchair that I have to use most of the time now, walking more than fifty or sixty steps is agony as well as exhausting. If there’s any part of my rapid deterioration that hurts the most, it’s that I can’t sleep with Su Lin anymore. I need oxygen when I’m asleep, so we’ve converted my downstairs library into a bedroom, complete with hospital bed for me.

None of it effects my brain though, which is almost as frustrating. But Su Lin and I have spent the extra time doing so much together, talking and watching television. She’s been the best work assistant I could ask for, fetching information, running errands, even typing on a keyboard when I have to do something that I can’t arrange with the tablet and stylus I use now. Su Lin understands, I can’t just spend all my time vegging out watching Game of Thrones.

“So what color are you thinking today?” Su Lin asks as we get to my closet. “I’d say blue, just because I know you want a boy. And I’ll wear pink.”

“I thought you wanted a boy too?” I ask, and Su Lin nods. “Then why pink?”

“Because we should coordinate, not match,” she says with a laugh. “Let’s get your t-shirt first, then the thermal under.”

I do as much as I can to get dressed, even as my hands tremble slightly. It’s not the nerves, it’s that my muscles just can’t seem to maintain strength even long enough to pull on a shirt. Su Lin says nothing though as she helps me sit on the edge of the bed and change into thickly lined jeans and boots. “Okay,” she says after I’ve got my sweatshirt on, “let me run upstairs and I’ll get changed. Freida will pull the truck around.”

Freida’s actually faster than that, coming by and pushing me to the garage as Su Lin gets changed. I look over, seeing my Agera RS sitting unused in its parking spot. “Hey Freida, you want a slightly used car?”

Freida looks over, shaking her head. “No way am I handling that death machine.”

“You’re a licensed helicopter pilot, and you call my car a death machine?” I ask with a smirk. “You’ve got a strange sense of humor, you know that?”

“Nah,” Freida replies. “I just know that Su Lin will want to keep it, too. Maybe she’ll get into hurtling herself down the road at ridiculous speeds for fun.”

“I hope not,” I muse. “Speaking of which-”

“Su Lin filed the papers, until she gets remarried I’m to take over as the baby’s guardian if she dies.”

I shudder, and Freida pats my shoulder. “She won’t, Rick. She’s too strong.”

Su Lin joins us, and we get loaded up in the truck. I insist on standing up to get inside, even if it does leave me feeling like I used to after a set of heavy squats. My muscles quivering like jelly as Freida closes the back seat door, I lean back, catching my breath until Su Lin comes around and sits down. “Don’t worry, pretty soon I’ll have more problems getting in the truck than you,” she jokes, rubbing her belly. I reach over, resting my hand on her stomach and calming myself. “I know you probably can’t tell, but I can sometimes feel the baby squirm a little.”

“Maybe I’ll be able to feel a kick or two,” I comfort myself as Freida gets in and starts driving. It snowed like hell last night, March in Mankato is not spring yet, but the roads aren’t too bad so we don’t have to creep along. I’m torn between looking out the window at sights I might not get too many more chances to see again and Su Lin. Every day I’ve grown weaker, I’ve found myself caring more and more for her. Now, so close to what I know is going to be my death, I only wish I could tell her how I feel.

We get to the hospital, going up to see the head of the Obstetrics department, who’s agreed to take care of Su Lin personally. Going into the exam room, the doctor looks over at me. “How’re you doing today, Rick?”

“Planning on trying out for the Vikings come this summer,” I joke, not smiling because I know with my gauntness my smiles are looking more and more ghastly. “What’s Gordon telling you?”

“Nothing beyond he hopes I take good care of Mrs. Kelley here,” the doctor says. She helps Su Lin onto the exam table, turning her attention to her patient. “And how are you doing, Su Lin? Still having problems with toe pain?”

“No, I just have to remember not to do spinning jump kicks in wushu for a while,” Su Lin says. She pulls up her t-shirt, laying back as the OB spreads gel over her stomach. “This part I don’t like.”

“We’ll jump in the hot tub when we get home,” I joke, earning a smile from Su Lin.

“Actually, you’ll need to watch that,” the doctor says as she runs a functions check on the ultrasound machine. “Just make sure the water temperature isn’t above ninety five. I know that sounds warm, but for a hot tub that’s pretty cool. If it gets too warm for the baby, it’s not good.”

“Or too cold,” Freida says. “Don’t worry doctor, I have that mansion perfectly climate controlled. These two spend most of their days at seventy four degrees and forty percent humidity. Two degrees variation, and I’m calling the HVAC guys.”

We all get a chuckle as the doctor fires up the ultrasound. The scan takes a few seconds to find the baby, apparently my child is a squirmer. “Well now… here we are. Say hello, Mr. Kelley… wait a moment.”

“What?” I ask, fear sending enough adrenaline through my chest that I surge out of my wheelchair. “What is it?”

The doc studies the monitor for a moment, adjusting her wand before smiling. “I do believe… Mr. Kelley, Su Lin… say hello to your daughter… and your son.”

I gawk at the image on the screen as the computer enhances the image, and I see them. They’re hugging each other, so tightly embraced that tears come to my eyes. “How did we miss it?”

“Their heartbeats are identical,” the doctor says with a smile. “That’s very rare in fraternal twins, but in this case, it was so close that our sensors couldn’t tell. I’ve seen times when an ultrasound even won’t be able to tell until nearly the seven month point.”

Freida’s phone rings and she steps out after giving me a pat on the shoulder and Su Lin a kiss on the cheek. The door closes and I look at my wife, who’s crying tears of happiness as she looks at me. “Twins.”

“You’re going to be busy,” I say, smiling. “You sure you can handle twins?”

“Our daughter? Yes. Our son on the other hand… if he’s anything like his father, I’m going to have to hire two nannies, preferably one of them having a black belt in jiu-jitsu.”

I laugh, taking her hand. “I hope so. Listen, I had an idea, I’d like to record-”

The door opens, and Freida comes in, looking pissed off. “Rick… it’s Harvey.”

“What’s he want?” I ask, looking over my shoulder.

“He’s called another board meeting on the Pentagon contracts. For tomorrow morning.”