The doctor came the next day, with a belly even larger than Marianne's. "Not something you ever expected to see me about, huh?" she asked rhetorically.
"It's quite a lot to get used to," Marianne replied. "Do they know what caused it?"
"It was that mist the other day. I don't know why they were working on it, but it's made every woman of childbearing age in this town in the family way. Be glad you're not one of the women who were working at Helix when it happened: There isn't a one of them expecting less than six babies."
"Well, that's a load off my mind. I'm pretty sure I only feel one moving around in there."
"I'm having twins," the doctor said, patting her own belly. "I brought an ultrasound machine, so we can make sure you're okay."
The examination began routinely, listening to her heart and lungs. Then Marianne found out what a fundus was, as the doctor determined where hers was. "You're at six months, like every other mother-to-be in Willow Springs." Then the doctor had the ultrasound machine brought in.
Marianne shivered as the cold gel was spread over her pregnant belly. Then, after listening with her stethoscope, she put the wand over one spot. "Have a listen," the doctor said, as a whoosh-whoosh sound came from the equipment. "That's your baby's heartbeat."
Marianne's mouth opened, but no sound came out. "Do they all sound like that?"
"That's exactly what we should be hearing," the doctor replied. "I only hear the one, so it sounds like you guessed correctly." Then she turned on the monitor. "Let's take a look at your baby."
"Oh my God." She was transfixed. She felt as if her heart would burst, from all the love she felt for the child she saw on the monitor.
"Now for the big question: Do you want to know what you're having? Many mothers-to-be prefer to wait until they deliver, and keep it as a surprise; on the other hand, given the circumstances, perhaps you feel that you've been surprised enough by this baby. What do you say?"
Copyright 2000 - 2025 21 x 20 Media All rights reserved. This site is property of 21 x 20 Media
All Writing.Com images are copyrighted and may not be copied / modified in any way. All other brand names & trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Generated in 0.11 seconds at 10:10am on Dec 17, 2025 via server WEBX2.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
Puzzle Hub
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author