Chapter Twenty Five

Stephen

I was in a state of disbelief.

We were finally going to have a baby.

Our baby.

I was stunned.

“Honey?”

My wife’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts. She was looking at me, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Sorry, love,” I said, shaking my head to clear it. “What did you say?”

“Are you alright?”

“Darling, I'm more than alright. You've just made me the happiest man in the world!”

I leaned over and kissed my wife gently. I couldn't believe we were finally going to be parents. As I pulled away from the kiss, I felt a tear trickle down my cheek.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured, pulling me back into her arms as I kissed her neck softly.

“Thank you, beautiful momma. You've made me feel whole. I love you.”

“I love you too, daddy,” she whispered back.

The doctor went over the next steps, suggesting that we schedule an ultrasound once the blood work results were in. This would give us a clearer idea of how far along we were.

She said we could then figure out the due date and make sure everything was progressing as it should.

I was so overwhelmed with emotions, I didn't even know where to start expressing how I felt. I held Trinity’s hand tightly in mine. I never wanted to let her go, especially not now.

As we were heading back to our car, a voice I didn't want to hear right now rang out.

“Well, well, what a coincidence running into you two here.”

I turned around, feeling my anger rise. I didn't want this jerk ruining our moment.

“A coincidence suggests it wasn't planned, Detective, but we both know that's not true. I didn't realize our wonderful Chicago PD had so much free time they've resorted to harassment?”

“Mr. Gotti, what makes you think that?” the detective asked. “Guilty conscience, perhaps?”

“Funny, I could ask you the same,” I retorted. “As much as I enjoy this cat-and-mouse game, if there's nothing you need, we have places to be.”

I was still holding my wife's hand, and I positioned myself slightly between her and this jerk.

“Actually, I was just wondering if either of you had spoken with Chad or Mike recently and how their trip was going.”

“I'm sure if they wanted you to know about their trip, they would have contacted you directly. Besides, we have our own lives and businesses to focus on,” I said.

“Strange, I thought you and Mr. Davis had been friends since college,” he mused.

“I'm not sure how Chad and I knowing each other affects you, Detective. And you know what they say about people who assume; it makes an ass out of you and me. Have a good day, if that's all.”

“Have a good day, Mr. and Mrs. Gotti.”

“We ~were~,” Trinity muttered under her breath.

I smirked at the detective as I wrapped my arm around my wife's waist and walked away.

“You okay, love?” I asked.

“Never better, darling. You're amazing,” she replied.

I smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

We got into the car and drove home.

“I can't believe we’re going to have a baby,” I said, unable to contain my excitement.

“Me neither, darling. A little piece of you and me.”

“Our child will be perfect, just like their mother.”

***

We spent the rest of the day in a state of bliss.

We decided to keep the news to ourselves until we had more information and knew everything was okay.

Trinity insisted on going back to work the next day, despite my protests that she should rest.

She argued that we would be tired for the next twenty years anyway, so we might as well get used to it.

***

The next few days flew by, and before I knew it, it was Wednesday afternoon. I was at Capulet, going over some paperwork, when my phone rang. It was Trinity.

“Hey beautiful momma,” I answered.

“Are you busy, darling?” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“I’m never too busy for you. What’s up?”

“The doctor called, and the blood results are in. She wants us to come in this afternoon.”

“What time?”

“Can you meet me there in forty minutes?”

“Of course, love,” I said, smiling. “I’ll see you then. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I hurried to finish up my work and headed to the doctor’s office.

I got there before Trinity, so I waited outside for her.

She arrived shortly after, and I walked over to help her out of the car.

“Hi love,” I said, giving her a quick kiss. Hand in hand, we walked inside.

We didn’t have to wait long before we were led into an exam room. The door opened and our doctor walked in. “Mr. and Mrs. Gotti, thank you for coming in today.”

“So, what are the blood results? Is everything okay?” I asked, getting straight to the point.

“Everything's fine, Mr. Gotti, no need to worry,” she said, smiling. “But, there are a few things we need to discuss.”

“Okay,” Trinity said.

“In early pregnancy, the placenta produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, to support the growth of the baby. We test these levels when conducting blood work to make sure everything is developing normally.”

I took my wife’s hand and held it between mine.

“Trinity, your readings came back at 97000 miU/mL,” she said.

“Okay… and what does that mean, exactly?” Trinity asked, laughing nervously. “Sorry, I'm not really following. Please excuse my ignorance.”

“That's perfectly fine, and it's normal not to understand,” the doctor said, smiling. “Basically, to simplify it, that is a high reading for this stage of pregnancy. We would expect you to be around 30,000.”

“At this point, an elevated HCG reading could mean one of two things. Either you’re further along than we initially thought, which based on your cycle and the test results, we estimated to be around six to seven weeks. Or…”

“Or?” I prompt.

“Or, we might be looking at a multiples pregnancy.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see my wife bolt upright in her chair. “I’m sorry, a ~what~?”

“More than one baby, Trinity,” the doctor clarifies.

I blink, stunned. “Whoa.”

The doctor continues talking, but her words are just a blur to me.

~More than one baby? Seriously?~ I can’t believe what I’m hearing. This is not what I was expecting when we walked in today.

“I understand this is a lot to take in, which is why I wanted to see you both as soon as possible,” she says.

“Okay,” Trinity responds.

“I’ve arranged for you to have a scan right after this appointment so we can get a clearer picture of what’s going on.”

“Okay.”

“Are you okay, baby?” I ask Trinity. “You seem to be saying ~okay~ a lot.”

“I’m just a little… I mean… ~wow~. I don’t know what to think or say right now.”

“That’s a perfectly normal reaction,” our doctor assures us. “I’ll have you both head over to Chicago General now for your scan, and we’ll schedule a follow-up appointment for tomorrow.”

We collect the necessary paperwork and head out.

“Babe,” I say. Trinity doesn’t respond. “Trinity.”

“Sorry, what?”

“I’m going to follow you home first to drop off your car, then we can go together, okay?”

“Okay sure,” she replies, her mind clearly elsewhere.

I stop her, placing my hands on her hips and pulling her close. “Talk to me, baby?”

“I’m in shock,” she admits. “I don’t know where to start.”

“It’s going to be okay,” I reassure her. “Either way, it’s good news, right?”

She looks up at me, confused.

“Look at it this way: either we get to meet our baby sooner, or we get a two-for-one deal,” I explain.

“What if it’s a three-for-one deal?” she asks, her eyes wide.

I can’t help but chuckle at her expression. “No matter what, we have each other. It’s going to be okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I give her a quick kiss and help her into the car.

“Drive safe, sweetheart. I’ll be right behind you.”

I shut her door and head to my car, pulling in behind her as we head home to drop off her car.

We then get in my car and drive to the hospital. At the reception desk, we’re directed where to go. We check in and wait to be called. I hold her hand, my thumb gently stroking her knuckles, trying to offer her some comfort.

“Promise me you’re okay? You’d tell me if you weren’t, right?” I ask.

“I promise. I just have so much running through my head right now, I don’t even know where to start, baby,” she says. “But I promise I’m okay. We’ll be okay, no matter what the outcome is.”

I lean in to give my wife a gentle kiss, cupping her head in my hand as she leans further into the kiss.

“Trinity Gotti?”

We break away from the kiss and stand up, heading over to the waiting doctor.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gotti, I’m Dr. Carter. It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” she says, shaking our hands with a warm smile.

“I’m Stephen, this is Trinity. Nice to meet you too, Dr. Carter.”

“If you’d like to follow me, we’ll head into an examination room and I’ll explain everything to you.”

We follow her lead and take our seats.

“So, I understand from the notes we’re estimating six to seven weeks,” she says, turning to Trinity. “How have you been feeling, Trinity?”

“Not too bad, honestly,” Trinity replies. “But the last few weeks I’ve been feeling more and more tired, and I’ve been getting frequent headaches.”

“We ended up making an appointment because the fatigue was getting excessive and my wife spent most of last weekend in bed,” I add.

Dr. Carter nods and takes some notes. “All perfectly understandable. Any sickness?”

“I haven’t been vomiting or anything, which would have been an obvious sign of pregnancy,” Trinity says. “Just some bouts of nausea, but nothing too bad.”

“If only we were all that lucky,” the doctor says, smiling warmly at my wife. “Anything else I should know?”

“My GP suggested I’m six or seven weeks along based on the blood test results. I do remember having a cycle, but I’m not sure exactly when. Maybe a little over a month ago?”

“Would you say it was a normal cycle or lighter?”

“To be honest, I didn’t really pay much attention. Maybe it was lighter?”

Dr. Carter nods. “It could have been conception spotting, which is perfectly normal. Now, I see here in the notes that your HCG levels are elevated. Let’s get you up on the table and see what’s going on, okay?”

“Okay.”

I can see that my wife is looking a little nervous, and the doctor seems to notice too.

“You won’t feel any discomfort, Mrs. Gotti,” she reassures us with a warm smile. “All I’m going to do today is ask you to lie down and lift your top a bit. The gel won’t hurt, but it will be quite cold.”

“I’m sorry, that’s the only unfortunate part. I’m going to use this transducer to scan your uterus. Think of it as a flashlight, it will project images onto the screen here so we can see what’s going on, okay?”

“Thanks, Dr. Carter,” Trinity says, her voice filled with gratitude. “I really appreciate you taking the time to explain everything. It’s a lot to process.”

Dr. Carter gives her a gentle smile. “Of course. Now, why don’t you lie down so we can take a look? Mr. Gotti, you can stand or sit right here next to your wife. That way, you can see the screen too.”

“Appreciate it,” I respond, moving to stand next to Trinity.

Dr. Carter retrieves the gel and applies it to Trinity’s belly. She flinches, and I instinctively reach for her hand. “You okay, doll?”

She laughs, a little shaky. “I thought you said it would be cold? It’s more like ice.”

“Sorry about that,” Dr. Carter says. “Trust me, that’s the worst part.”

We watch as the doctor moves the wand around Trinity’s stomach, pressing buttons and jotting down notes.

I give Trinity’s hand a reassuring squeeze. We share a look, and I try to convey my support through my gaze. I can tell she gets it.

“Alright, I think I’ve got everything I need,” Dr. Carter finally says. “Ready to do this?”

“Yes,” Trinity and I answer in unison.

The doctor swivels the screen towards us and starts to speak. I feel like I’m holding my breath, though I can’t quite figure out why.

“Congratulations, Trinity and Stephen,” Dr. Carter announces, her voice filled with warmth. “You’re expecting two perfectly healthy babies. They’re growing beautifully at seven weeks!”