For Better or Worse (20 page)

A young, light-haired woman opened the door leading to the examining rooms. “Kelly Smith.”

Harold jumped up. He turned to Kelly, grabbed her hand, and helped her up. “Come on, hun.”

Kelly giggled. “Harold, you’re silly.”

He nudged her forward, and they followed the woman back to the room where Zoey had her ultrasound. “I don’t know if

Marge called and told you, but the doctor wants you to have an ultrasound before he sees you.” She looked at Kelly’s chart. “It says here you had your tubes tied five years ago.”

Kelly nodded, and Harold could feel she’d become nervous. Harold had no idea that an ultrasound would be a bad thing.
God, please let our baby be okay
.

The woman smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s just a precaution.” She handed Kelly a half paper, half tissue blanket. “Go ahead and undress from the waist down. The ultrasound technician will be back in a minute.”

Harold sat in an empty chair, while Kelly slipped out of her skirt and placed the blanket over her waist. He studied his wife. “Do you feel okay?”

“Yes, Harold. I’m sure everything is fine.”

He could tell by the lilt in her voice that she was nervous. “You’ve never had an ultrasound this early before, have you?”

She shook her head.

Harold moved his chair closer to her. “Talk to me, Kelly. Be honest with me. You’re scared.”

She sighed. “I am scared. I’m older. I’m more tired than I’ve ever been.”

“Is that normal?”

Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably.”

The nurse-technician-whatever she was called walked into the room. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. How’s Zoey doing?”

“Fine.” Kelly’s voice sounded weak. “It’s a little funny to have me in here now, huh?”

“Don’t worry about that.” The woman patted Kelly’s leg. “Babies are blessings.”

Harold listened as the woman explained this ultrasound would be different than Zoey’s because Kelly was so early in the pregnancy, but she assured them everything would be all right. Harold watched his wife for any signs of pain, but she seemed fine and he simply squeezed her hand to show her that he was supporting her.

Once again, the blank screen came alive with various shades of blacks and grays. Their baby didn’t look the same as Zoey’s had. Zoey’s baby looked like a real baby, one a guy could hold. His baby’s head was a lot bigger than the rest of his body. His arms and legs were there, but they seemed so scrawny.

Just as she had with Zoey, the technician clicked several places of the baby’s image, measuring the head, the arms, the legs.

“Well, what do we have here?” the woman said.

“What?” Harold leaned closer to the screen. He couldn’t see anything. He didn’t know what he was looking for. He glanced at Kelly. She appeared confused and worried. He gently kissed her forehead.

“Hang on. Just a sec.”

The woman moved the ultrasound instrument a little bit, and Kelly winced.

“What are you doing?” Harold demanded. He knew he sounded fiercer then he should, but the woman needed to spit out what was going on.

“Hang on.” She touched Kelly’s leg. “I know this is a bit uncomfortable, but I think—yep, there it is.” She pointed to the screen. “Looky there.”

“What?” Harold peered at the screen. He didn’t know what he was looking at. Another round circle in Kelly’s stomach. What was that? What was wrong?

Kelly gasped. “You’re kidding.”

The technician giggled. “Not kidding, Mrs. Smith. Do you know what that is?”

“What?” Harold wanted to scream at the two of them. What was wrong with his wife?

“Harold.” Kelly grabbed his jaw and tugged at his face until he gazed into her eyes. Tears pooled in them once again, and Harold felt mad with anxiety.

“What is it, Kelly?”

“We’re having twins.”

“Twins!” Harold jumped out of his seat. “Two babies.”

The technician looked at the screen. She started pushing buttons again, measuring the head, arms, and legs of his second child.

“Kelly!” Harold leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Two babies.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Harold, what will we do with two babies?” This time it wasn’t fear that sounded in her voice. A slight giggle sounded behind her words.

“We’re going to love them.” Harold pumped his fist. “I’m having two babies. Two boys.”

“Or girls,” Kelly said.

Harold leaned toward the screen again. “Can you tell that yet?” The technician laughed. “Not yet.”

Harold gazed back at his wife. “Two babies, Kelly! We’re having two babies!” He kissed her forehead, her nose, then finally her lips.

“Ahem.” The technician cleared her throat.

Harold looked over at her, and the woman smiled. He gazed back at Kelly. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

Kelly laughed. “You say that until we’re waist high in stinky diapers and dirty bottles.”

“I’ll say it then, too. I love you, Kelly Smith.”

“I love you, too, Harold.”

Kelly gazed around the room at the collection of family members who’d come to celebrate her day. It was like déjà vu. Her parents, in their midsixties, still looked young and lively—and very much in love. Her father gazed at his wife and winked as he ran his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, his striking blue eyes sparkling. She gave him a sweet smile in return. Despite battling arthritis, Kelly’s mother wore her hair and makeup with perfection, and the spry woman was still as stylish and trendy as a woman in her thirties.

One year ago Kelly wasn’t even engaged to Harold. Now, she was married—she twisted in her seat—pregnant, and about to pop, and her grandson sat nestled in her daughter’s lap. Though Cam and Sadie were little Micah’s legal mom and dad, when they visited they always allowed Zoey to take care of him. Soon, Kelly’s oldest daughter would be living in Wilmington and going to college there.

The babies within her womb seemed to fight more fervently for space, and Kelly was anxious for the month to pass so that she could nestle her new children.

Harold and the girls had finished the babies’ room just a week before. He’d been so protective that the only thing he allowed Kelly to do was pick out a theme. He wouldn’t let her paint, hang curtains, nothing. She got to watch. She didn’t complain. Carrying twins at thirty-eight, now thirty-nine, had not been the same as carrying a single child at the ages of twenty, twenty-two, and twenty-six.

Harold walked out of the kitchen. He placed his hands over Kelly’s belly. “How are my guys doing?”

Kelly chuckled. “You do realize they could be girls.”

Harold shrugged. “Okay, or girls.”

“Do you wish we’d found out the sex of the babies?”

Harold kissed the top of her head. “Nah. I don’t care either way.”

“Is that why you put up a train set in their room?” “Girls can like trains, too.”

Kelly shook her head. She shuffled in her seat again. “These kiddos are killing me today.”

Concern traced Harold’s features, and Kelly noted the light gray wisps of hair he’d gotten in the year since they married. “You need to lie down?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

Before Harold could say anything else, Brittany and Candy walked out of the kitchen holding Kelly’s cake. The entire top of the pastry seemed to be on fire, and Kelly wondered how a woman her age would ever keep up with two active babies.
I’ll be leaning on You big-time, Lord
.

This year she’d had a lot of practice at putting her full faith in her heavenly Father. It had been a time fraught with trials of every kind. She looked around the room at the family God had given her. Her gaze rested on her sweet husband. God had also filled her life with more blessings then Kelly could count.

“Time to blow out your candles,” Candy said.

Kelly pushed her way to a standing position. “Happy birthday to you …” echoed through her home, and Kelly sang along with the family. Once the song was finished, Kelly closed her eyes, made a wish, then blew out the candles.

She opened her eyes and grabbed the bottom of her belly. “Uh-oh.”

Harold jumped up and grabbed her shoulders. “Kelly, what is it?”

“My water just broke.”

Harold stood at Kelly’s side as the doctors performed the emergency C-section on his wife. Initially, they’d wanted him to stay out, but Harold wouldn’t have any part in it, and when Kelly also voiced her desire for him to stay with her, the doctor had finally relented.

He kissed the top of Kelly’s forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s too early.”

“Only five weeks early.” Harold tried to sound confident.

Tears streamed down Kelly’s temples. She was so scared, more scared then he’d ever seen her. He wanted so much to take her fear away, to do whatever he had to do to make sure that Kelly was safe and felt secure. Right now, all he could do was whisper words of comfort in her ear.

“Pray for me,” she whimpered.

“Okay.” Harold gently rested his forehead against Kelly’s. “Please, dear Jesus, wrap Your arms around Kelly. Give her peace. Let our babies be okay. Bring them into the world strong and healthy. Let them thrive. Help us be good parents to them. You have given them to us. Be with Kelly, Lord. I love her.”

He lifted his head and kissed her forehead again. She whimpered slightly then murmured, “Thank you, Harold.”

Harold kept his gaze focused on his wife. He was too nervous to look at the doctor and nurses. There were so many in the room. He didn’t look up, but he could feel the people who stood beside tiny baby beds, ready to whisk his children away if necessary.

A moment passed and he heard a baby cry. Excited, he looked at the doctor. The tiny, red child squealed at the top of its lungs. “One girl.”

Before Harold could fully focus or even respond, the doctor handed the child to a nurse, reached down, and pulled out his second child. This one was smaller, but the wails were just as strong. “A second girl,” the doctor said.

Kelly’s sobs of joy forced his attention back to her. He brushed her hair away from her face and looked back at his babies. “Kelly,” he whispered against her ear.

Her laugh was hesitant and filled with emotion. “I told you we could have girls.”

Worried for his wife, Harold stayed close to her side. He watched as the nurses wiped off his daughters, cleaned out their throats, and weighed them. He thought of flighty moods, the crazy hormones, the tantrums, the arguments, the hairspray and makeup, the outfit checks, and phone calls from boys. He thought of the gray hair that had formed since marrying Kelly. The proof that he loved and lived with a crew of women.

“You said for better or for worse.”

Harold gazed at his wife, then looked back at his two daughters. He’d have five daughters now. When Zoey came home to visit, he’d live with six women. He turned back to Kelly. “Two daughters.” He wiped the tears from her temples with the back of his thumbs. He thought of soft kisses, sweet hugs, and adoring gazes. Daddy’s girls. He smiled. “I can’t think of anything better than a home full of girls.”

This book is dedicated to my mother, Susan Miles. I am thankful for her love for God and desire to always be in the center of His will. Mom, I will always be thankful that you were such a good mom during my “Zoey” years.

A note from the Author:

I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:

Jennifer Johnson
Author Relations
PO Box 721
Uhrichsville, OH 44683

JENNIFER JOHNSON
and her unbelievably supportive husband, Albert, are happily married and raising Brooke, Hayley, and Allie, the three cutest young ladies on the planet. Besides being a middle school teacher, Jennifer loves to read, write, and chauffeur her girls. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Blessed beyond measure, Jennifer hopes to always think like a child—bigger than imaginable and with complete faith. Send her a note at
[email protected]
.