Part of her felt miserable, because her figure had changed. 

She curled up on the couch, her head in her hands.  “Honey, I’m home!”  She didn’t even bother to look up.  Ethan knew something had gone amiss, and decided to try and offer her support.  “Katrina?  What’s the matter?”

“I feel lousy, Ethan!  That’s what the matter is!  I feel lousy, I’m as big as a house, and you somehow are keeping an overly cheerful demeanor!  Aren’t you repulsed by the mere sight of me?  Isn’t the thought going through your head,  ‘What happened to the skinny-as-a-toothpick woman I married?’  Isn’t it?!” 

Something tells me things didn’t go too well with Dr. Kigetsuki today.  Katrina’s really out of sorts.  He could see the paper with the diagnostics on the twins in her belly.  “Katrina?”

“Just read the damn paper, Ethan.”  She put her head back in her hands.  Ethan nodded, picking up the paper.  I hope this doesn’t contain bad news.  Reading it over, he saw that all the levels were coming through cleanly, her amniocentesis showed no complications so far, and if everything kept going smoothly, he and Katrina would have a baby boy and a baby girl. 

“Katrina, honey?  This says there’s nothing wrong.”

“With the kids?  Absolutely not.  With me?”  She began to sob in fits now,  “I’m as big as a house!  I can’t even waddle over to the damn refridgerator to get something to drink, I can’t go to the bathroom without help, I’m no good to anyone right now!  They’re considering putting me on maternity leave early, Ethan…without pay.”  Ethan cringed.  No wonder she’s in such a lousy mood.  Katrina could tell she’d upset him, and finally let the tears that she’d been holding back all day come out.  Rather than getting up and walking out like he’d known a few people to do, Ethan relied on the one instinct he knew best:  to offer her some form of comfort, the only way he knew how.  Katrina felt the arm pulling her close, and rather than fight him off, leaned her head into Ethan’s chest. 

“Why?  Why don’t you run from me?”  Ethan smiled softly.

“Because I’m your husband, because I love you, and I’m just as much responsible for this.”  He nuzzled the top of her head soothingly.  “Besides, I said I would take you for better or worse, no matter how things played out.”

“But I’m as big as a house Ethan!  I can’t be that attractive right now to you…”

“Katrina, listen to me.  When I fell in love with you, I fell in love because of who you are to me.  I don’t care about looks, money, prestige, titles or any bullshit like that.  I love you for you.  The seasons may change, but you know what hasn’t changed in the last few years between our courting and when we tied the knot?”

“What,” she said, her eyes red rimmed with tears and her voice choked with emotion.

“The fact that I still love you today as much as I did the day I first said it.  I’ll love you tomorrow, the day after, and every day until the end of the age.  I want to grow old with you, to walk through Heaven’s gates with you.”

“Even if I’m as big as a house,” she asked.

“As long as it’s with you, Katrina.  The rest of everything should fall into place.”  What did I do to win this man’s heart?  What did I do to get such a loving husband?  “I love you, Katrina.”

“I love you too, Ethan.”  She nuzzled his cheek, and tried to stand up, but had a hard time.  Ethan made a motion for her to stay seated.

“I’ll take care of dinner, baby.  You just take care of those two inside your tummy.”  He then knelt down to be level with her stomach.  “And as for you two, quit giving your mother such a hard time.”  Katrina snerked, the thought of Ethan already having to mete out discipline before the two were even born quite amusing. 

“Although honey, I was thinking about names…”

“Oh really?  What’d you have in mind?”

“For our son, I like the name Miles.  Miles Tristan?”

“Miles, as in the jazz musician Davis?”   She nodded.  “Tristan, like the old mythos character?”  Another nod.  “Interesting.  I like it, it sounds dignified.  What about our daughter?”

“Amy.”

“Hold on,” he said.  “I was actually thinking about naming her after her mama.”  She shook that idea off.  “Not even as a middle name?”

“No.  One Katrina Algren is bad enough, dear.”

“I happen to disagree, honey.”

“Well, that’s you.”

“Well, what about Amy Trina?”  She thought for a moment.  I suppose that could work.

Why did they take her and not me? 

He shot up out of the bed in a cold sweat, gasping for air much like a drowning victim.  The red LED glow of the alarm clock read “2:30″ as his eyes fell to the sleeping young woman beside him.  The bump on her body caught his eye.  They said it’d be a high risk pregnancy, what with her carrying twins.  His hand lightly drew across her belly, contemplating the lives she carried inside her body.  His head bowed, he began to pray.

Lord, I know that I’m not exactly the right one to be asking you for this, but I have to ask this.  I don’t care about if we have a boy and a girl, two boys or two girls…all I want is ten fingers, ten toes, healthy, and that they grow up to be a better person than their father ever was. 

“Can’t sleep?”  He looked over at the young woman.  “Ethan, honey, why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You’ve got enough on your plate, what with carrying the kids.”

“And?  Honey, I may be pregnant, but I’m still your wife.”  She sat up, wrapping her arms around him and placing his head on her chest.  “I told you, for better or for worse, till death do us part.  Tell me what’s bothering you, Ethan.”  He shivered, still unable to shake the feeling.

“I was thinking about what Dr. Maverick said.”

“You mean about the pregnancy being high risk?”  He nodded.  “Honey, I know that you were worried about it, but you know what?  I’ve kept on top of the vitamins that he gave me, and you’ve been there every step of the way keeping the stress off me.  Now it’s my turn to do the same for you.”  His eyes grew hot, the sting of tears falling down his cheeks.

“I just don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Katrina.  If I lost you…”  She placed a finger on his lips, shushing him.

“That’s enough, Ethan.  I told you we would be in this till the end.”  She nuzzled the top of his head, trying to calm his fears.  Poor baby…he’s so scared he’s shaking.  Her thoughts drifted to a long time anthem that she knew could calm him down.  She began to sing softly,  “Spend all your time waiting, for that second chance…for the break that would make it okay, there’s always some reason to feel not good enough, and it’s hard at the end of the day.  I need some distraction, a beautiful release, the memories seep from my veins…let me be empty, weightless and maybe I’ll find some peace tonight…”  She drew him closer, feeling his heart rate starting to slow down and his breathing becoming easier,  “In the arms of the angel, fly away from here, from this dark, cold hotel room…and the endlessness that you fear.  You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie, you’re in the arms of the angel, may you find some comfort here.”  Slowly, Ethan drifted off to sleep.  She smiled, holding her husband in her arms for a few fleeting seconds before falling back asleep herself.