Status: Contest entry
Two of Everything
2
Drew made his way from the garage and into his house after midnight. It was December 8th, officially his birthday, he was twenty-five and considered an old man among some of his teammates. He felt it too, with his knee the size of a watermelon and his body already feeling the effects of the season, he felt older than he was.
His plan was to just make his way to the guest room and crash, he didn’t want to wake Amber at this time of night, nor did he want to talk to her. he wasn’t upset with her, he just knew something was on her mind and he was too tired to listen or talk at the moment and he knew she would understand that because she always did.
Drew had met Amber when they were thirteen, when all the grade schools merged into one middle school in grade seven. He hardly knew her then, but he knew of her and they had mutual friends. It wasn’t until they were seventeen or eighteen that they formally met and became friends. She had come to one of his games when he was playing for the Guelph Storm, only about an hour and a half from London. She’d come with a group of friends and one of them had called him to see if he wanted to meet up. He agreed, and that was the night he would tell this baby that he fell in love with its mother.
She had been with him through all the ups and downs of his career, even if she was away at school, she was there for him and would help him through things. She had been there when the Kings won the Cup in 2011 and again in 2014; she had gone to Sochi with him and witnessed him winning a Gold Medal with Team Canada; and she had sat with him through every loss and injury in between all those achievements. He had missed a couple games for her too, just so he could watch her walk across the stage in both her high school and college graduation ceremonies because he knew that he always needed to be there for her like she was for him. She would be there for all his great moments, so he wanted to make sure, early on, that she understood that he would always bet here for hers too.
After he climbed the mountain of stairs, he turned the corner and started for the guest room. He stopped in the nursery and flicked on the light to see new pictures posted on the walls. He chuckled silently because he knew she would change her mind on their original ideas at least six times before settling on one.
He didn’t bother to look at the ideas because he knew his tired vision wouldn’t process them, so he went to the guest room. He started stripping from his clothes and went to climb into bed when he saw Amber’s phone on the nightstand with a post it attached: Watch me.
Drew typed in the passcode and went to the video app. He smiled as he pressed play on the one of her at the doctor’s office. He heard the baby’s heartbeat and then heard something else alongside it, but didn’t think too much of it until he heard, “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Doughty, you’re having twins.”
“Surprise,” he heard Amber’s timid voice behind him.
Drew jumped and turned, “That’s why it took me a while to call that day, I had to process,” she explained.
It was rare, but Drew Doughty was stunned into silence.
“Crazy, right?” Amber laughed awkwardly, “Two,” she put one hand on her belly and extended the
other one, holding a sonogram.
Drew took it into his shaky hands nad stared. “Baby A and Baby B Doughty,” was labeled at the top and arrows pointed at both fetuses, making sure he saw it was clear as day that he and his wife were having twins.
“Drew, honey?” Amber asked, “You’re scaring me.”
He looked at her, then the sonogram, and then her again, “Amber?”
“It was too big to tell you over the phone, and I wanted to see your face anyway…”
He took a step closer to her and dropped the picture, pulling her into him, “Way too big,” he nodded.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Couldn’t be better,” he grinned as he kissed her.
“Are you feeling okay?” Drew pulled back to look her over.
“Just uncomfortable because I got so big so quick. I didn’t get sick this morning, kind of threw me
off,” she said with a smile.
“Good! That’s good,” he nodded and took a step back. he ran his hand over her stomach, shaking his head, “Shit Amber, I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Me either,” she looked from his hands to his face.
“This means,” his gaze met hers.
“Two babies,” she smiled.
“Two cribs,” he said.
“Twice as many dirty diapers,” she laughed.
“Two sleep deprived, crazy parents,” he laughed too.
“Two of everything,” Amber moved her hand so it was over his.
His plan was to just make his way to the guest room and crash, he didn’t want to wake Amber at this time of night, nor did he want to talk to her. he wasn’t upset with her, he just knew something was on her mind and he was too tired to listen or talk at the moment and he knew she would understand that because she always did.
Drew had met Amber when they were thirteen, when all the grade schools merged into one middle school in grade seven. He hardly knew her then, but he knew of her and they had mutual friends. It wasn’t until they were seventeen or eighteen that they formally met and became friends. She had come to one of his games when he was playing for the Guelph Storm, only about an hour and a half from London. She’d come with a group of friends and one of them had called him to see if he wanted to meet up. He agreed, and that was the night he would tell this baby that he fell in love with its mother.
She had been with him through all the ups and downs of his career, even if she was away at school, she was there for him and would help him through things. She had been there when the Kings won the Cup in 2011 and again in 2014; she had gone to Sochi with him and witnessed him winning a Gold Medal with Team Canada; and she had sat with him through every loss and injury in between all those achievements. He had missed a couple games for her too, just so he could watch her walk across the stage in both her high school and college graduation ceremonies because he knew that he always needed to be there for her like she was for him. She would be there for all his great moments, so he wanted to make sure, early on, that she understood that he would always bet here for hers too.
After he climbed the mountain of stairs, he turned the corner and started for the guest room. He stopped in the nursery and flicked on the light to see new pictures posted on the walls. He chuckled silently because he knew she would change her mind on their original ideas at least six times before settling on one.
He didn’t bother to look at the ideas because he knew his tired vision wouldn’t process them, so he went to the guest room. He started stripping from his clothes and went to climb into bed when he saw Amber’s phone on the nightstand with a post it attached: Watch me.
Drew typed in the passcode and went to the video app. He smiled as he pressed play on the one of her at the doctor’s office. He heard the baby’s heartbeat and then heard something else alongside it, but didn’t think too much of it until he heard, “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Doughty, you’re having twins.”
“Surprise,” he heard Amber’s timid voice behind him.
Drew jumped and turned, “That’s why it took me a while to call that day, I had to process,” she explained.
It was rare, but Drew Doughty was stunned into silence.
“Crazy, right?” Amber laughed awkwardly, “Two,” she put one hand on her belly and extended the
other one, holding a sonogram.
Drew took it into his shaky hands nad stared. “Baby A and Baby B Doughty,” was labeled at the top and arrows pointed at both fetuses, making sure he saw it was clear as day that he and his wife were having twins.
“Drew, honey?” Amber asked, “You’re scaring me.”
He looked at her, then the sonogram, and then her again, “Amber?”
“It was too big to tell you over the phone, and I wanted to see your face anyway…”
He took a step closer to her and dropped the picture, pulling her into him, “Way too big,” he nodded.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Couldn’t be better,” he grinned as he kissed her.
“Are you feeling okay?” Drew pulled back to look her over.
“Just uncomfortable because I got so big so quick. I didn’t get sick this morning, kind of threw me
off,” she said with a smile.
“Good! That’s good,” he nodded and took a step back. he ran his hand over her stomach, shaking his head, “Shit Amber, I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Me either,” she looked from his hands to his face.
“This means,” his gaze met hers.
“Two babies,” she smiled.
“Two cribs,” he said.
“Twice as many dirty diapers,” she laughed.
“Two sleep deprived, crazy parents,” he laughed too.
“Two of everything,” Amber moved her hand so it was over his.