Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

“God, this sucks.”

Johnny chuckled softly. “Everything is fine. Quit worrying.”

“Nu-uh.” I shook my head, my hair flying wildly. “You know how much I hate hospitals. Ever since my mom died and you almost died...I just don’t like hospitals.”

“I know.” Johnny ran his hands across my stomach, a small bump, proof of the life that was growing inside of me. “But you have to do this for the baby. Our baby. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“And if you get scared, I’m right here beside you.” He kissed me softly, a kiss which for some reason seemed more intimate than any sex we’d ever had.

Soon, we were called back to the exam room. I clutched Johnny’s hand tightly as we followed the nurse down the hallway. “Lay down on the table.”, she instructed. “The doctor will be here in a few minutes.” I did as I was told, pressing my back against the cold table. Johnny sat down next to me and gently stroked my stomach.

I smiled. “You know, I read somewhere that babies can hear voices inside the womb.”

Upon hearing this, Johnny leaned down close to my stomach and whispered, “Hey. Hey little baby. This is your daddy. I can’t wait to meet you.”

I laughed absentmindedly and fingered Johnny’s hair, which had started to return to its original light brown color. “I hope the baby has your eyes.”, I said out of the blue. “They’re so pretty.”

Johnny looked at me, his gorgeous brown eyes sparkling. “Your eyes are pretty, too.”

I blushed. “They’re just green.”

“And mine are just brown.”, he retorted.

“Maybe the baby’s eyes will be both.”, I compromised. “Hazel.” I had a sudden image of our baby, tiny and pink and tawny-eyed, and I smiled. As Johnny opened his mouth to respond, the doctor entered the room. She was short, but taller than Johnny or myself, with red hair chopped pixie-style.

“Hi.”, she greeted. “I’m Dr. Hullen, but you can call me Rita. You must be Hayliee Seward.” I shook her hand, a formality, and shifted nervously. Johnny picked up my hand again and rubbed my palm soothingly with thumb, trying to comfort me. “Alrighty.”, Rita said, taking her seat in front of the ultrasound machine. “Let’s see that baby of yours.” She squirted the jelly, cold and sticky, onto my stomach and pressed the wand into my stomach. While the images formed on the screen, Rita tried to make small talk. “Is this your first baby?”, she asked.

“Yea.”, I mumbled.

“You scared?” She smiled.

“Yes.”, I said, while at the same time, Johnny said, “No.”

Rita laughed. “So Dad isn’t scared, but Mom is? Well, that’s normal. Women are the
ones who actually have the baby.”

“Does it hurt?”, I asked timidly.

“What?”

“Does it hurt? You know...having the baby?”

“Well, it’s not painless.”, Rita explained. “It all depends on your threshold for pain. But it gets easier the second time around.”

“You have kids?”, I questioned curiously.

“One.” She grinned “A two-year-old son named Tyler.” She turned to the screen. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” Moving the wand across my stomach, Rita studied the fuzzy black and white screen. “Well, everything looks normal...” Suddenly her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my, would you look at that.”

“What? What is it?”, I asked worriedly. Even though this was my first pregnancy, I knew doctors weren’t supposed to be surprised when it came to stuff like this.

“There are two babies in there.”

“What?” Both mine and Johnny’s mouths hit the floor.

“Yes, there are definitely two.”, she confirmed. “See?” She pointed at the screen. “There’s one head...and there’s the other. Congratulations Hayliee and Johnny, you’re having twins.”

“Twins...”, I breathed the word, testing the single syllable on my lips, the single syllable that would change mine and Johnny’s lives forever.

“C-Can you tell us what they’re going to be?”, Johnny stuttered.

Rita shook her head. “Mm-mm. No can do. You’re not far enough along yet. You’re only about eight weeks along. I’d say your two little bundles were conceived around the fourteenth or fifteenth of April. Based on that, I’d say you’ll be holding these babies in your arms around January fifth.”

Vaguely, I heard Johnny talking to Rita about my next appointment. Next, I heard Rita congratulate us again, and then Johnny pulled on my hand, breaking my haze.

On the ride home, I traced random shapes on my swollen stomach, trying to fathom the possibility that not one, but two babies were forming inside of me. I couldn’t imagine how there would be enough room for both of them.

“Hayliee...” The soft tones of Johnny’s voice drew my attention and I looked over at him. “We’re home.”

“Oh.”, I mumbled, stumbling out of the car.

Inside, I sat down on the couch, while Johnny headed into the kitchen. “You hungry, baby?”, he called.

“No.”, I breathed quietly.

The couch sank slightly as Johnny sat down next to me. “Hayliee, stop worrying. Two babies just means twice as much happiness.”

I stared at him in awe. “How did you know what I was thinking about?”

“Lately, that’s all you think about.”, he laughed. Well, he'd be right about that one.

“I can’t help it.”, I confessed. “It’s just so...scary.”

“What’s so scary, baby?”, he asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

I felt a tear fall down my cheek. “Well, when it was just one baby, it wasn’t as scary. But two babies...Johnny, I don’t know if I can handle this.”

“Yes you can.” Johnny gently brushed away the stray tear. “You want to know why? Because I’m going to be here for you the whole time.”

I smiled up at him. “Johnny, will you still love me when I’m fat?”

“Of course.”, he whispered.

“When it’s two o’clock in the morning and we both haven’t slept in days?”

“Yes.”

“When I yell at you, and you want to hate me?” This question was spoken softly, almost like I didn’t want Johnny to hear what I’d said.

“Baby, I could never hate you.”, he assured.

“You h-hated m-me when I fucked around o-on y-you.”, I sobbed, crying properly now.

Johnny pulled mw against his chest and I instinctively curled into him, letting my tears soak his shirt. “I didn’t hate you, Hayliee. I was just...hurt. But you need to forget about that, okay? That was a long time ago, a lot has happened since then, so just forget about it. I have.”

“O-Okay. I just want to know if you forgive me.”, I whispered.

“Of course.”, Johnny said. Then he placed his hands on my stomach and smiled. “God, Hayliee...twins. Can you believe it? We’re having twins.”

I couldn’t help but smile along with Johnny. “Yea. I guess it’s going to be great.”

“You guess?”, Johnny asked incredulously. “Their sweet little faces. Early morning kisses, first words, first steps, a refrigerator covered in crayon drawings...and most of all, the way they’ll look at us and say ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’.”

“Well, since you seem to think it’s so great, why don’t you be pregnant? Why don’t you have the babies?”

“Uh, no thanks.” He smiled.

“Oh, I see.”, I said. “You want the babies, but you don’t want to do the work to get them here?”

“Exactly.”, Johnny laughed.

Suddenly, I yawned widely and stretched out my arms, letting them fall on Johnny’s shoulders. “I’m tired.”, I complained.

“Go take a nap.”

“I think I’ll do that.”, I stated. “But I think I’ll go take a shower first.”

Johnny smiled deviously. “I’ll come with you.”

I looked at him, half disgusted, half amused. “Nu-uh. You will not come with me.”

“Why not?”, he pouted.

“Because I’m fat.”, I mumbled dejectedly.

“Baby, you’re not fat.”, Johnny whispered.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re just saying that because you want to see me naked.”

“Nu-uh!”, he shouted. I stared at him suspiciously, and he continued, “Okay...maybe.”

“You’re not coming with me.”, I stated. “I just need some time alone. To think.”

“Okay.” He drew me closer and kissed me softly on the lips. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”

I smiled at him and headed upstairs.