A quick trip to the doctor confirmed my suspicions. I was pregnant!! I was really excited because I’d always wanted to have kids, and Emilio couldn’t have been happier either. He was always smiling when he saw me and rubbing my belly, even thought I wasn’t big yet. But I couldn’t get enough of his constant attention, he adored me.



As loving as he was at this time, he still had to work a lot. I spent many nights alone, watching old reruns on TV. I tried to stay up and wait for Emilio to come home so we could spend some together at night, but I usually fell asleep before that happened.



By week 10 I was exhausted all the time. As soon as I’d get home from work, I would pass out on the couch and just sleep for hours.



One morning I woke up late, threw on some clothes, and hurried to the bathroom to empty my ever-full bladder. I was looking forward to my day off so I could take it easy. Unfortunately, that morning had other plans for me. I was short of breath, had terrible indigestion and my back was killing me.



I couldn’t take the pain, so I called my doctor friend, Lacy, from work and she said she could squeeze me in if I hurried to the hospital.

“Kat, are you under a lot of stress at home?” she asked, setting up an ultrasound machine.

My immediate response was ‘no.’

“Okay, well I want you to think really hard about it because it seems that you have actually lost a little weight since your first checkup.”



I flinched as she rubbed a cold gel onto my belly and started the ultrasound.

“Actually, I have been worrying about my husband lately. He works a lot and I’m usually home alone,” I admitted.

“Well, that seems normal, but I need you to really try to gain some weight for me. You’re a little bit underweight right now,” Lacy paused and squinted at the monitor. “I’d say you need to gain about 40 pounds before the end of your pregnancy. With a healthy eating plan you can--”

“40 pounds?!” I cut her off, surprised. “Isn’t that a little much?”

“Healthy weight gain is very important during pregnancy. Your extra weight will provide the nutrients the babies need.”

“Babies?! As in, more than one?”

A smile broke out on Lacy’s face. “Yes Kat, you’re having twins!”

I practically floated the whole way home. I wasn’t going to have just one baby, but two! As soon as I got home I grabbed a bowl of chili and gobbled it down without regret. After all, the doctor had told me to start eating more, right? And I wanted make my babies as comfortable as possible.



I was hungrier than I thought. I guess I really hadn’t been eating enough in the past few weeks.

I started paying more attention to my emotions and when I was feeling stressed out or lonely, instead of staying up worrying about it, I grabbed a snack instead. Eating took my mind off my worries and was helping to alleviate most of my back pain and fatigue.

Unfortunately I sometimes couldn’t stop eating.



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“So what names have you picked out?” Kelli asked. She’d come over to help me set up the new cribs.

“We definitely want something Italian. His mother suggested Adrianna, Clara, or Marie. But I think Marie is too cliché, don’t you?” I had found out that I was having girls.



“Yeah, I always think of the mom on Everybody Loves Raymond.” she giggled.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. She said we could shorten it to Mary, but that’s too plain. I’ve been thinking Isabella and Gabriella. They both have the ‘ella’ sound, but aren’t too ‘twinsy.’”

“Oooh, I like that. Izzy and Gabby, hmm… No, Izzy and Ella!” Kelli said, trying out nicknames. “So what does Emilio think?”

“He actually suggested Isabella, it was his grandmother’s name, but everyone called her Bella.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet,” she smiled.

There was an awkward pause. When Kelli spoke again, I wasn’t on my favorite topic.

“So, Emilio still works a lot?”



I sighed. “Yeah… I know he can’t help it, but sometimes I feel like he lives there and only comes home to change clothes. I’m usually asleep when he gets home, and he leaves before I wake up. Maternity leave is driving me crazy! I have too much free time to be depressed.”

Kelli gave me a sad look and rubbed my hand.

“I mean, I actually look forward to the nights when I wake up running to the bathroom because it’s the only time I get to see him… even if he is asleep.”



“Sweetie, I hate to be the pessimist, but… do you think he’s having an affair? I mean, he can’t possibly be working all the time, right?” Kelli said.

“No! That’s not a possibility!” I gasped, astonished that she could think that.

“I’m sorry! But a lot of men cheat when their wives are pregnant. If they can’t get sex at home they find it elsewhere... Are you guys having sex?”

“Not since my 4th month,” I admitted. “He’s afraid it’ll hurt the babies. And now I’m so big I think it would impossible.”

“No man turns down sex… unless he’s getting it somewhere else. Listen, have you ever smelled another woman’s perfume on him? Or are you getting a lot of hang up calls? There are signs you can look for if you suspect he’s cheating.”

“But I DON’T suspect he’s cheating!” I insisted. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Kelli. I don’t try to break up you and Damion!”

“I didn’t mean it like that... I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

I stood up as quick as my pregnant belly would allow and cleared our empty plates from the table. As infuriated as I was at Kelli’s theory, I couldn’t stay mad at her. We spent the rest of the evening writing thank you notes for the gifts I received at my baby shower last week.

When she left, I went to the kitchen to grab a late night snack, but lost my appetite when the twins started kicking.

“Ugh, knock it off,” I said to my belly. “My bladder is not a soccer ball!”



I couldn’t wait to have these babies. I felt like I was about to pop. Emilio would be more attentive once his daughters were born, he just had to be.

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I lay in a drugged fog, staring at the baby decorations and flowers scattered around my hospital room. After weeks of partial bed rest, my twins had been born at exactly 2:03am.

Gabriella Capricia De Luca…



… and Isabella Graziana De Luca.



Emilio stood off to my right, looking down at our sleeping babies. He was crying softly.



Isabella stirred in her bassinet and Emilio scooped her up, cooing gently. She yawned in his arms.

“She’s so beautiful.” He touched her little cheek and smiled. There was a long silence while he just stared at his new daughter.

“Kat, thank you. Thank you for this precious gift. Two beautiful baby girls. You are so amazing, I love you so much. I’m going to take some time off from work and just be with you and the girls.”



Finally, the long months of bearing this pregnancy alone were over. My babies were here and Emilio was as gentle and caring as ever.

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Next time: Will Emilio keep his promise and stay home? And, a shocking discovery! :sprint: