“No,” the doctor said with a chuckle. “But she will have to be closely monitored, Mr. Aaron.”
My eyes slowly panned over to the doctor as my knees grew weak.
“What?” I asked weakly.
“Miss Gentry will have to be closely monitored,” the doctor said. “Is she on prenatals?”
I had no idea how to answer any of his questions.
I looked down at Emma and tears glistened on her cheeks. But I had no idea if she was happy or petrified. I was petrified. I was very petrified. Zoey was clinging to me around my neck, rattling off how there would be one baby for her and her brothers to take care of.
Holy shit.
Six kids.
“One for me, one for Hunter, and one for ‘Bendamim’,” Zoey said. “Can I feed them, Uncle Ryan? Please?”
Emma slowly lobbed her gaze up to mine and I watched her lip tremble.
“Triplets?” she asked with a whisper.
“That means three!” Zoey exclaimed.
And Zoey pumped her fist in the air as Emma’s eyes locked with mine.
Twenty-Four
Emma
“Emma?”
“Emma, come sit down.”
“Emma, get off your feet.”
“Emma-.”
“Triplets,” I said with a whisper.
I felt a hand come down onto my back and it ripped me from my trance. I had no idea how long I’d been standing at the windows. How long I’d been looking over the expanse of the city. Zoey was in the other room watching television and waiting for her brothers to get home. And suddenly, my mind jumped into overdrive.”
“You need to eat-.”
“The nurseries,” I said as tears rose to my eyes.
“What?” Ryan asked.
“The nurseries. Plural. We’re going to need three cribs.”
“I know. We’ll-.”
“And three sets of bottles.
Or at least one, because I don’t have three nipples. And a breast pump. So many milk bags. What if I can’t produce milk for three children?”
“That’s what formula’s-.”
“And a nanny. Oh my gosh, we’re going to need a nanny. I can’t keep up after six kids. Do you think I can keep up after six kids, Ryan? Six! There’s going to be six of them! And clothes. The diapers alone. We’re going to spend so much money in diapers. And I can’t cloth diaper them. That would be triple the laundry. We’ll probably need another washer and dryer. Where is your washer and dryer? Wait, am I moving in? Holy hell, I’m going to have to move-”