Twenty-three
Carter
“Twins?” I asked.
“Twins,” the doctor said.
“Two… two children?” Natasha asked.
“I’m a little concerned about this second one, though. The heart rate isn’t as strong and its movements aren’t as energetic. It might be because of the lack of space, but it could also be something else. I’m going to put a rush on your lab results so we can have them back by tonight, and until then I want you on bedrest.”
“What?” Natasha asked. “Bedrest? What… Carter?”
“It’s okay,” I said as I picked her hand up. “It’s going to be alright.”
“Why isn’t the heart rate as strong? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I won’t know anything else until we get the lab results back,” the doctor said. “There’s a good chance this will be normal, but with your stint in Africa I want to be sure you're not carrying something around we need to treat. What you need to do is take the prenatals I have up at the front for you, go home, and get in bed. I’ll call you as soon as I have the results in my hand.”
The ride back to the house was silent. Natasha was staring out the window and her hand was trembling within mine. She kept massaging her stomach, like she was willing our other child to pick up the pace. To grow strong enough to stand on their own so she could stop worrying.
I wanted there to be something I could do, but I knew there wasn’t.
I got us home in time to get Natasha settled in bed. Her stuff was piled in the closet and I could see the anxiety growing in her eyes. I had to fight her to get her to lay down and rest, and I told her that I would unpack her clothes and hang them up for her.
And thirty minutes into unpacking, she was sleeping.
I went downstairs to greet the children and to talk with our new nanny. The original plan had been to drop her down to part-time and let Natasha bond with the children again, but she wouldn’t be able to do that now. I pulled her off to the side and talked with her about staying, but I also wanted her to collaborate with Natasha on what would be best for the kids.
She agreed to my terms and I was thankful for her cooperation.
Things were getting better between her and my kids anyway, and the last thing I wanted was to switch things on them again when they were finally starting to go well.
I went back upstairs to sit on the side of the bed while Natasha slept. I brushed her hair from her face, taking in the bags underneath her eyes. Twins. She was carrying twins.
I was going to have five children.
I chuckled and shook my head as her phone vibrated on the bedside table. I waited to see if the sound would wake her up, but her eyes stayed closed. I reached for the phone and picked it up, hoping the unknown number was the doctor.
And sure enough, it was.
“Carter. Did I call the wrong number?”
“No. Natasha’s been out since we got home,” I said.
“Out as in…?”
“Sleeping,” I said. “Sorry, it’s been an interesting day.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“I can hear your grin.”
“Good. Because it’s there. I have the results of Natasha’s tests,” he said.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” I asked.
“I can’t give specifics to you, but I can tell you nothing is going on that shouldn’t be.”
I felt a wave of relief cascade over my body.
“And you’re sure?” I asked.
“Positive. There are a few things with her vitamin levels I want to discuss with her, but it’s nothing that won’t be corrected after a few days on her prenatals. I just can’t go into those specifics with you.”
“Why don’t you try calling her tomorrow morning? She’ll want to get up with the kids and be around them.”
“I’ll try her then. Have a good evening, Carter.”
“Thanks for everything,” I said.
I hung up the phone call and drew in a deep breath. Five children. It was insane. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around, honestly. This family was going to be massive! The kids were ecstatic when I told them Natasha was moving in and they were already planning out family weekend trips and scheduling games we could all go to together. They were ready to play with her and spend time with her and ask her all sorts of questions about Africa.
But with Natasha being on bedrest, it would prompt us to tell the children sooner than we wanted to about what was happening.
All the stress of work fell to the back of my mind as I gazed upon her face. This family was going to be wild and crazy, but it was going to be ours. And I wanted it. I wanted all of this with her. Natasha had come into our lives at a moment of desperation and had saved us from drowning. She had single-handedly turned my wild children into respectable kids and I knew she was going to be a wonderful mother to them.
To them and to the children she was carrying.
I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She shuffled in bed, rolling over and pulling the covers up over her face. I heard the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway and I turned my head, watching as my children piled in the doorway of my room.
“Can we come in?” Joshua asked.
“If you be really quiet,” I said. “Natasha’s had a long day.”
I watched my children tip toe into the room. They climbed onto the bed softly and curled themselves up around her. I got up so Clara could nuzzle beside her and I made my way to the corner, sitting in a chair as I looked at the scene. Natasha, with her beautiful body and her long locks splayed over the pillow. And my children, curled up alongside her as they wrapped their arms around her.
And as if she knew they were there, she stretched out her arms and pulled all of them close.
All of them.
Like the family they knew they were.
I sat there and watched as their eyes slowly fluttered closed. One by one, the kids fell asleep next to her. Clara first, then Nathaniel, then Joshua was the last. I smiled in the corner, my heart soaring with joy as I watched my family sleep.
All piled onto my bed and tucked underneath the covers.
I pushed up from the chair and walked over to the bed. I tugged at the covers and made sure the blanket was on top of all their bodies. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, then I leaned over and rested my hand on Natasha’s stomach.
“Good night, you two. Make sure to let Mommy rest.”
I went into the closet and finished unpacking Natasha’s stuff. She didn’t have much. Her clothes barely took up half of the closet space I had to give her. And she only had four pairs of shoes. What woman only had four pairs of shoes? I turned off the closet light and shut the door, then slowly made my way out of the room. I was relegated to one of the guest bedrooms for the night, but I didn’t care.
The children wanted to feel close to Natasha and I wanted them to have that time.
Especially for when broke it to them that she was pregnant.
I went downstairs and cleaned up the kitchen before I sat on the couch with my laptop. Work never stopped for a man like me, and if I was going to be there for Natasha I had to get used to working from home again. Things with the merger had finally settled down and Logan was picking up the slack now that he was stateside again, which meant my schedule was settling out as well.
I hoped that would play in my favor for when Natasha needed me the most.
I checked in on some numbers and had a quick video conference with our German headquarters. I ran some numbers and answered some last-minute emails, then I went in and tailored down my schedule a bit. I reorganized some things so I could have shorter days in the evenings. Something in the pit of my gut told me Natasha would need me more at night than she would during the morning, and I wanted to make sure I was there with her.
After working for a couple of hours and enjoying a glass of wine, I shut my laptop and dragged myself off to a guest bedroom. I slipped between the sheets and closed my eyes, allowing my body to relax.
Five children.
I was going to have five children.
And I fell asleep that night with a smile on my face.