Tabitha's POV
I was both nervous and excited for tomorrow's prenatal check-up.
Compared to the last pregnancy, I was more nervous and concerned this time.
I'd see the growth of my babies in four dimensions tomorrow. How could I not be excited?
I walked into Dad's room as usual.
He had been asleep for three months without any signs of waking up.
He was with me physically, but his soul had gone somewhere else. It was like he was making a compromise with me.
But as long as he was breathing, he was still here with me, and I wasn't some homeless kid.
After wiping his body as usual, I took a book, read for a few minutes, and then started talking to him.
"Dad, I'll know the babies' gender tomorrow. If you can hear me, come around, OK? I want you to be there with me for every happy moment.
"I'm due in a few months. I've got all those toys you made stored away for the babies to play with. They're gonna love them."
I said a lot. When I turned to look at the instrument aside, I saw that all the figures on the screen remained unchanged. There was no sign showing Dad was waking up.
I sighed. As I looked at him, who was wasting away, I said, my voice tinged with guilt, "Dad, do you think it's selfish of me to keep you here? I'm sorry. It's just... There are so few things I can hold on to, and I just don't wanna see you slip away from me. Dad, please come around and look at me and the babies. OK?"
Still, there was no response. I sighed helplessly, "Dad, rest well. See you tomorrow."
When I left the room, I felt heavy-hearted.
His situation was different this time. Last time, he had a good chance of waking up as long as he was operated on.
But after monitoring him during this period, the doctor had basically sentenced him to death.
Chances were, Dad would be unconscious forever. His waking up would be a miracle.
As per the doctor's suggestion, it'd be better for Dad to leave this world with dignity rather than continue to suffer.
After several rescues, he was now very weak. Medication and equipment were what kept him going.
I prayed for a miracle every day. Maybe one day I'd wake up to see Dad come to.
Early in the next morning, the regular prenatal check-up began.
I had butterflies in my stomach when I lay down on the bed.
The doctor reassured me, "Tabitha, chill. You'll get to meet your babies very soon."
There was a clear display screen right in front of me, and as the probe slid over my belly, I could see what was going on in my belly on the screen.
There were only two colors, black and yellow, with the yellow part being the babies.
The babies, nearly five months old, had already developed clear features. As the probe slid, I saw that one of the babies was very playful. It kept covering its face with its hands.
The doctor smiled, "See how playful this one is? These are the feet, and these are the hands covering the face. Now let's take a look at the other one."
The probe moved a little to the side, and suddenly, I saw a smiling face.
This baby, on the contrary, was very well-behaved, and I saw the face clearly.
Of course, no matter how sophisticated the equipment was, it could not capture the details completely, and I could only see the babies' outlines.
They kept smiling as if they sensed something. I saw the outlines of their mouths rising slightly.
"They're quite healthy. And I think this one looks a bit like Alpha Derek. Don't you think?"
I wiped away the tears from the corner of my eyes, feeling extremely thrilled.
Crystal felt the same.
Whenever I thought of babies, that small figure covered by white cloth always came to mind. It felt more real than ever when I saw those two babies growing inside me.
"Now, let's get back to the playful one."