“You don’t know how glad I am to see you.” Ellie swallowed several times, trying to keep it together, fiercely holding back the tears burning at the back of her eyes. “Something isn’t right.”
He stood directly in front of her, then nudged himself between her legs until his thighs rested against the table. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. It was supposed to be just a routine exam and labs but then...then...” She waved her hands in front of her, fumbling for words.
Without a word, he pulled her into the shelter of his arms and held her close. She loved him. She was in love with Liam. Not a schoolgirl crush. Not lust for a sexy-as-sin fireman. But soul-deep, forever love.
She snuffled against his chest. “Oh, Liam, what if something’s wrong with our baby?”
His arms tightened into a bear hug. “Then we’ll deal with it.”
“Did...” He cleared his throat and loosened his hold. “Did they say what could be wrong?”
She shook her head and eased away from him enough so she could speak. “No, but they test for Down syndrome. But they won’t have those results for at least a week. I don’t know what this means.”
He rubbed her back. “The receptionist didn’t act like anything was wrong.”
“She probably doesn’t know and even if she did, they’re not allowed to say anything.” Next time she was faced with an angry relative demanding answers, she’d have a lot more sympathy.
“Ellie?” Kim opened the door. Her eyes widened when she spotted Liam, her gaze taking in his uniform. “Oh, I didn’t know anyone had come with you.”
Liam stepped away from Ellie and held out his hand. “Liam McBride. I arrived a bit late. I came after getting off shift this morning.”
“Off shift?” She glanced at the Boston patch on his shirt and lifted an eyebrow. “As in Boston off shift?”
Liam nodded. “That’s the one.”
Ellie leaned to the side so she could see around Liam. “Liam’s the...uh, baby daddy.”
What a silly thing to call him, but it was the easiest explanation.
“Nice meeting you, Liam. I’m Kim. Ellie and I went through nursing school at the same time.” Kim shook his hand. “They’ve got the ultrasound ready for you. It’s just down the hall. Ellie, you can leave your things in here.”
Kim glanced at Liam. “Umm...if you’ll—”
“I want him with me,” Ellie said, and reached for his hand.
Kim nodded. “Of course, I just thought he might want to wait here while we get you ready.”
* * *
Liam paced the small room, waiting for the nurse to come and get him. His gut churned with every step. Was something wrong with Ellie? Or the baby?
Every time the word cancer tried to invade his brain, he shoved it aside and slammed the door. One worry at a time, McBride.
“Wait until they tell us,” he muttered, and glared at the closed door.
He wanted to fling it open and demand they tell them something. He wanted to run to Ellie and hold her and make everything okay.
Thank goodness he’d listened to his gut, not to mention his conscience, when it told him he should be with Ellie. She had needed him. How could he have thought she didn’t? Her assertion that it was just a routine exam had rung false because this was their baby. Nothing would be just routine for either of them. But this...
He couldn’t imagine leaving her to go through this uncertainty alone. He remembered his promise to be strong when she needed him to be. It looked like it would be his turn to be the strong one today.
The door opened and he resisted the urge to pounce on Kim and demand answers.
“We’re ready for you,” she announced cheerfully.
He followed the nurse to a room with complicated-looking equipment and a monitor on a rolling stand. Ellie lay on her back on an exam table with her knees up and a sheet draped over the bottom half of her body.
“This is Liam,” Kim said to a technician.
The technician looked up. “Hi, I’m Sherrie.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Kim said. “Sherrie will take good care of you.”
Sherrie smiled as she got her equipment ready. “You know we won’t be able to determine the baby’s sex yet.”
“Yeah, that’s not why we’re here,” Ellie told her.
The other woman nodded. “I wanted to get that out of the way so you won’t be disappointed.”
Liam went to stand next to Ellie and she reached for his hand.
The technician got out what looked like a wand and rolled a rubber sheath on it. Ellie squeezed his hand. He winked at her and she grinned, some of the tension melting away. He leaned close to her ear.
“I think it’s a little too late to give me pointers now,” he whispered.
She choked on a laugh.
“Okay, if you could relax for me now, Ellie,” the technician said, and scooted the stool to the end of the exam table.
He laced his fingers through Ellie’s and pulled her hand against his chest. Watching the monitor, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The technician’s face gave nothing away. He’d bet they were trained to not reveal anything.
“I’m just going to call the doctor in.” Sherrie stood and scooted out the door.
“Liam?” Ellie looked from the closed door and back to him. “I thought I saw—but her face was blank.”
“Hey, hey, calm down.” Brushing the hair back from her cheek, he tucked it behind her ear and cupped his palm against her jaw. He pressed his lips against her forehead. “You know yourself, technicians aren’t allowed to tell you anything.”
“They tell you good stuff like ‘Oh, look, there’s your perfectly healthy baby.’” Ellie sniffed. “If she went to get the doctor, that means something is wrong. Oh, Liam, I’m scared.”
“Look at me.” He leaned over so his face was directly in front of hers. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tough talk from a guy who’d rather be feeling his way through thick smoke in an unfamiliar structure in danger of collapsing than to be here right now. Ellie’s fear gutted him and his belly clenched.
A man with a thick thatch of gray hair hustled in and introduced himself. Liam shook hands but he couldn’t hear the man’s name above the roaring in his ears.
“Let’s take a look and see what we have.” Dr. Stanley put on a pair of glasses and settled on a stool in front of the screen.
“What is it?” Ellie asked in a hoarse voice.
The doctor slid his glasses onto the top of his head. “It appears there are two embryos.”
Liam cleared his throat. “T-two?”
Dr. Stanley nodded. “Congratulations. You’re having twins.”
The man’s words caused all the air to swoosh out of Liam’s lungs. Wait...what? Twins? Was that even possible? Of course it’s possible, dumbass.
“Thank you... I don’t know what to say. I’m so relieved. Thank you,” Ellie was saying to Dr. What’s-His-Name. “Isn’t wonderful, Liam? Liam?”
The doctor jumped up and pushed the rolling stool toward Liam. “Son, I think you need this more than I do.”
Liam sank down, still trying to digest the information. Of course he was ecstatic that nothing was wrong...but two babies? At the same time? “You’re sure?”
“Most definitely. It’s too early to determine the sex yet, but I can tell you they’re fraternal.” The doctor slipped his glasses back down onto his nose to look at the monitor again. “Everything looks normal for twins. Of course with multiples, we’ll want to monitor you a bit more closely, especially toward the end, but I see no reason for concern.”
“With fraternal, we could have one of each,” Ellie said. “Meg will claim we’re trying to keep up with her.”
Dr. Stanley g
lanced between them. “Well, if you don’t have any questions, I’ll have Kim give you some pamphlets on multiples and a prescription for prenatal vitamins.”
“Thank you, Doctor, I’m just relieved everything is okay,” Ellie said.
“Sorry if you had some anxious moments, but rest assured, everything appears normal.” With a quick nod of his head, he stuck out his hand to Liam. “Congratulations again, son.”
Liam shook hands with the other man, but if asked to describe him after he left the room, he wouldn’t have a clue. It was as if he was experiencing the world through his respirator...his breathing loud in his ears while everything else was muffled.
“You look a little shell-shocked,” Kim observed as she led him to the previous exam room while Ellie got cleaned up and dressed.
“I was just wrapping my head around one and now it’s two...at once.” His voice cracked on the last part.
Kim patted him on the shoulder. “Believe me, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen that look. Before you leave, I’ll put you in touch with the local support group for multiples.”
“Support group for multiples...” Liam shook his head. “That’s a thing?”
She chuckled. “Yup. Your reaction to the news is quite typical.”
“Ellie should be back in a moment,” Kim added and left.
He needed to hold it together for Ellie. Today’s news was unexpected but he could handle it and keep everything under control. Sitting hunched forward with his elbows on his thighs, his mind raced at the thought of two babies. Would having twins put more of a strain on Ellie’s body? Having her move to Boston seemed even more urgent now, but he knew better than to confront her. Ellie could be stubborn. He stared at his boots as if they could supply him with answers. Maybe he’d talk to Meg. This was a role reversal...asking his little sister for advice.
* * *
Standing next to Liam on Meg and Riley’s porch, Ellie knocked on the door. Meg had insisted they come to supper while Liam was in Loon Lake. Ellie wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Meg treating them as a couple. It wouldn’t be long before the whole town was doing that, especially with Liam showing up in time for the ultrasound. The medical personnel couldn’t say anything but that privacy didn’t extend to the people in the waiting room. Liam showing up in his uniform hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Waiting for Meg or Riley to answer, Ellie turned to Liam. “This feels like déjà vu.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Yup. Déjà vu all over again.”
She rolled her eyes but was glad he could joke. His face had drained of color when the doctor had told them she was expecting twins. He’d recovered quickly, but she could see he’d been putting on a happy face. Once the relief that nothing was wrong passed, the truth of her situation had started to sink in. She was going to be a single mother to twins. She wiped her clammy hands on the front of her jeans. Her initial relief that nothing was wrong had started to wear off and it was sinking in that the situation she thought she’d had under control this morning had done a one-eighty.
The door swung open and Riley greeted them with a sobbing James in his arms. “C’mon in. Sorry about this.”
“Oh, no. What’s wrong?” Ellie’s heart ached for a now-hiccupping James. And for herself. She was going to have this, times two!
“He’s crying because he’s not allowed to play with Fiona’s toys.” Riley stood aside so they could enter.
“Worried about his masculinity?” Liam chuckled as he stepped into the living room.
Meg appeared and clucked her tongue at her brother. “It’s a choking hazard. All those little pieces go in his mouth.”
Liam glanced around. “Where is Fiona?”
“She had a half day of school and she went out to Brody and Mary’s farm. She spent the afternoon entertaining Elliott so Mary could catch up on some paperwork. They’ll bring her home later tonight.”
James threw his arms toward Meg. “Mommy.”
Riley ruffled his son’s hair before handing him over to Meg. Turning his attention to his guests, he motioned with his head. “C’mon in and sit, you two. Supper isn’t ready yet. We got a little behind with all the ruckus.”
Ellie draped her jacket over the back of the sofa. “Can I help with anything?”
“Thanks, but I have it under control...for the moment.” Meg laughed and tickled James’s tummy and the baby burst into giggles. “But Riley can take my brother with him to help get the grill ready.”
“Maybe we should give them our news first,” Ellie said, and glanced at Liam.
Meg looked from one to the other. “More news? Does this mean you two are—”
“The news was from the doctor,” Ellie interrupted. She didn’t want Meg getting the wrong idea and starting a discussion she had no intention of engaging in.
“Is there something wrong?” Meg adjusted James on her hip. “Guys, you’re scaring me.”
“No, it’s okay.” Ellie put a hand over her stomach. “They said the babies are fine.”
“Oh, well that’s—Wait! Did you say babies? As in plural?” Eyes wide, Meg pointed to Ellie’s stomach. “You mean...”
“Twins.” Ellie couldn’t help grinning. She was still riding high, grateful that nothing was wrong. At one point in her life she hadn’t been sure she’d be able to have kids at all because of the cancer treatments. At the time of her treatment, being able to get pregnant didn’t mean a whole lot but as she got older, having a baby became more important. Now to have two, while daunting, was a real blessing.
Meg shifted James and gave Ellie a one-armed hug. “I’m so happy for you. I know... Well, I just want you to know how happy I am.”
When Meg pulled away, Riley gave Ellie a hug. “Congratulations.”
“And you, too, bro.” Meg gave Liam a quick hug. “Leave it to Liam to try to outdo me.”
“I told you she would say that!” Liam scowled at his sister.
Meg sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. “Of course you’d have to be having triplets to catch up, or quad—”
“Bite your tongue,” Liam grumbled.
Ellie raised her hand and waved it about. “Let’s not forget I’m the one carrying these babies.”
“Sorry.” Meg laughed. “I’ll settle for being an auntie twice over.”
“Are there any twins in either of your families?” Riley asked.
“None that we know of. I asked my mom when I called to tell her the news,” Ellie said.
“I’ll bet she’s excited,” Meg said.
Ellie nodded. “She’s already trying to decide what she wants to be called.”
Meg laughed. “She may not get a choice. Fiona called Doris ‘Mrs. Grampa Mac’ for the longest time.”
James pointed a finger at Liam. “Meem.”
Everyone laughed and James bounced on Meg’s hip, as if proud of having made everyone laugh.
Ellie’s throat closed up and threatened to choke her. If, in the future, she and Liam weren’t a couple, would he bring the children to McBride family gatherings without her? Would her kids come home and tell her how much fun they’d had? She blinked against the sudden burning in her eyes.
“Yeah, your kids seem to have a problem with names,” Liam said, but the look he gave James made Ellie’s insides feel all squishy. He might not believe it yet, but he was going to make a great dad.
“And I suppose yours won’t?” Meg shot back. “You can call him anything you want, sweetie,” she told James in a stage whisper. “Maybe when you get older, I can teach you a few other names.”
Riley chuckled and clapped a hand over Liam’s shoulder. “Maybe you’d better come help me get the steaks on the grill before you dig yourself an even deeper hole.”
With the guys outside, Ellie helped Meg get James ready for bed.
“Pretty soon, we’ll be doing this togeth
er to your kids,” Meg remarked as she put pajamas on James.
“I have a feeling I’ll be coming to you a lot for advice,” Ellie told her.
Meg picked up her sleepy son and cuddled him. “I’ll be here for you. You know that, right?”
“Of course, and I know Liam’s going to be a great dad.” And she did believe it.
“He will,” Meg agreed, and gave James a small blanket with satin binding.
“Nigh-nigh.” James hugged the ragged blanket to him and stuck his thumb in his mouth.
“Is it always this easy to get him to bed?”
Meg shook her head as she laid him in his crib. “I wish. No, he calls the security blanket his ‘night-night.’ I put him in his crib a few times when he was actually asking for his blanket.”
Ellie went with Meg back to the kitchen to get the rest of the supper ready while the guys finished grilling the steaks.
Ellie was setting the bottles of salad dressing on the table when Liam came back in carrying a plate of foil-wrapped baked potatoes, Riley was behind him carrying a platter of grilled steaks.
“Hope you ladies are hungry,” Riley said as he set the platter on the table.
Meg stepped behind Riley and put her arms around his waist. “For you, dear, always.”
Liam made gagging sounds. “How are we supposed to eat now?”
“Can’t you control him?” Meg asked Ellie.
Ellie shrugged it off with a grin, but her stomach clenched because she longed for what Meg had with Riley. Liam’s pallor over having twins was fresh in her mind, along with the way he’d been fake-smiling on the porch. She needed a relationship that could withstand whatever life threw at them. Was that asking too much?
With a scrape of chairs, they all sat down and began dishing out the food.
“Will you be staying in your current apartment once the babies are born?” Meg asked as she passed the bowl of salad.
Ellie was hyperaware of Liam next to her. “For now. But twins changes things a bit. I had thought I could squeeze a crib into my place...but two?”
She was aware of him tensing and she rushed on, “I definitely want to look for a place in Loon Lake. Staying here is important to me.”
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