30. Jolene

"Do you know what superfetation is?" We were sitting in the doctor's office, stunned after the ultrasound. We both had a grip on each other's hands, and I'm not sure either of us had breathed in the last ten minutes, but for different reasons. "Are you saying there's more?" My voice came out in a squeak.

"Um, this is very rare. Are you sure you didn't have IVF or take some kind of pregnancy hormone or anything like that?" Look at it; even she's nervous as hell.

"No, I started perimenopause. Could that have anything to do with it?"

"Um, okay, let's backtrack. We know there are six, but there's something else."

"Yeah, this superfetation thing, but what is it?"

"It's when you get pregnant twice, at two separate times. There are very few cases of this in the world, and they're usually found in artificial insemination; I've never heard of either of these cases happening naturally."

"Doc, save all your scientific mumbo jumbo for your research papers; just tell me, are my kids okay?" Those were the first words Damon had spoken since we sat in these chairs.

"Yes, they're all healthy, heartbeats are fine, measurements are in line with what we have." I looked down at the little black-and-white image in my hand and down at my stomach. No wonder I'm shaped like a suppository capsule.

I was looking at that image in wonder when she went and said the wrong fricking thing. "I think we should put you on bed rest until you give birth."

"I don't feel ill."

"She'll be on bed rest, so don't worry." I just side-eyed him and wished I could jump the desk and cover her damn mouth because she just kept going and going.

Lady, do you have any idea what you've just subjected me to? I'm barely allowed to move around the room as it is. I put my foot down when we got back to the car, and there were more pillows back there.

"I'm not laying down."

"No, those are to cushion you from any bumps in the road. Why are you mad at me?"

"This is all your fault, you and your womb fucks. Don't think I can't see you trying not to laugh; this is not funny."

The doctor explained the superfetation nonsense as getting pregnant a month apart. One embryo attached to the uterine wall one month, and the next, for some reason, another occurred but not only that, both attachments were carrying three each.

"You know what number I played, right?"

"No, I never watched your stupid games." I did after we met. I went back and looked at highlights on YouTube, but he didn't need to know that.

"Number seven, that means we need one more." I wonder where he planned on getting that one from.

* * *

I didn't speakto him all the way home; I needed support, so I texted Sheila to get her ass to the house now. The kids were going to be home this weekend as well, but that was still a few days away.

That idiot doctor wanted to make me a test study, but thankfully, Damon shut that down and threatened her with a lawsuit if she even thought of sharing my medical history without my approval.

The poor woman was so excited she was all but jumping out of her skin, but he was right, I needed time to get used to this idea myself. I was still looking at the picture, trying to see where the mistake was, but there was no mistake.

I think Damon's feet didn't touch the ground once since we left the doctor's office. He had his own image, and before we even got to the house, he was on the phone scanning and sending it to his parents.

His Mom called me right away, and I broke down in tears, which made him have all kinds of fits because he thought something was wrong with me. "Nothing's wrong, Damon. I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed."

"Aren't you happy?"

"Of course, I'm happy; it's just a lot to take in. How am I gonna raise six babies at once?"

"Is that all? We'll hire all the help you need, and I'll be there. There's nothing for you to worry about."

In my experience, men always say that shit, but when it comes time to change diapers, they are nowhere to be found. That shit is annoying with one kid, let alone six.

I think I was in some kind of shock, to be honest, but it took Sheila and Maeve laughing their ass off and talking about his super dick to snap me out of it. The reality is this is happening, and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.

Maeve was the one who got me to think about things in a more organized way. "Take it from someone who had twins: planning is the key. Get you a book and write every shit down. First, clothes for the baby; if you plan to breastfeed, you're gonna need a pump. Your time is going to have to be organized because every second is going to count. But most of all, don't forget to take care of yourself. If you have help, this will be doable, but it's your mind you have to settle."

"I know everything you're saying makes sense, but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around this."

"That's okay, baby girl, we're here. Right, Sheils?"

"Damn straight. I can work from anywhere, so I'll be here for the first few weeks."

"What about Jonathan?"

"He travels for work all the time."

"Sheils, are we doing this? Am I having six babies at my age?"

"You had it right the first time; we're having six babies. This is going to be fucking awesome because of all the shit we know. I don't know what you're worried about. I say having six at once beats having to go through this shit six times."

"But he says his number was seven." They both broke down laughing again, and was back on his alien sperm. That's what Maeve has decided to call it. Being in the medical field, she knew more about that superfetation stuff so she had a lot of jokes about his prowess.

This is something I think he would've been proud of since he must've called his whole team already to brag about his babies. He didn't mention once not having a girl, he was too excited, but I hope they're all girls; that'll fix him.

* * *

DAMON

I'd caughtSheila when she came through the door and asked her to get my girl to relax. As excited as I was, I was more worried about her and trying to hide it. My guts were in knots, so I could only imagine what she was feeling, and that asshole doctor kept going on and on with her scientific bullshit as if she couldn't see the freaked-out woman in front of her.

I should report her to the AMA for being a twit. I'm already putting our feelers for specialists in this sort of thing because she seemed more interested in the scientific aspect of things than she was in my wife and kids.

Once I heard the laughter coming from her room I left that part of the house and headed upstairs to the only place this could be done. When I thought we were only having one I'd planned the nursery downstairs, but with six, we'll have to go back upstairs.

The thing is, I don't want my wife and kids going up and down these stairs for at least six to seven years. "These fucking marble stairs." What the hell was I thinking when I bought this house? Maybe we should move get one of those one level houses. I'll ask Joe when she's feeling better.

I looked over the room next to the master suite, which had been turned into a nursery for one. Now, I think I might have to knock down a wall or build it out. But I don't think I have much time because I'd done some research in the car on the way home when Miss. I'm not lying down passed out across those pillows that I had the foresight to get from the trunk.

By the time I came back downstairs, Sheila was sitting in the kitchen working on her laptop. "She went to sleep?"

"Yeah, she's doing better, though. I hope you don't mind, but I promised her to be here for at least a week once she gives birth."

"Why would I mind? Come here." She followed me to the wing on the other side of the house and opened the door to the master suite on that side of the house. "This is for you and your husband when you come over and don't feel like driving back."

"What?"

"Yeah, Jo told me about your overnight stays and how much she misses them. Since I didn't want her to not have what she wanted, this was the only answer. If you want to stay for a week or more, you can bring your husband here if he'd like."

"That would be awesome, but are you sure you don't mind? You're going to have a full house."

"I know, I plan to hire a lot of help, but nothing is going to beat having you here. She trusts you, I trust you, so no worries."

I told her about my worries about the nursery, and she gave me a wonderful idea. It meant digging up an old movie and paying very close attention before I was able to go ahead with it, but I felt more relaxed and at ease once I had a plan in place.

* * *

JOLENE

* * *

I thinkpoor Damon has lost his mind. Two days after the doctor's visit, I woke up to hammering and strange noises coming from upstairs. Since I wasn't allowed to leave the bed, I used the walkie talkie he gave me because I couldn't use the room's intercom, and I wasn't about to use Alexa because then everyone would hear me.

Do you know why everyone shouldn't hear our conversations? Because my husband likes to call me and say naughty things in my ear all day. Now I called him to ask what that noise was and he came into the bedroom two minutes later.

"It's a surprise for you and our sons." I rolled my eyes at him and went back to reading my magazine. "I told you already, I feel the same way I did when I was carrying Savanna; these are all girls." I love watching him go green. Bastard, that's what you get for making me stay in bed.

What's worse, he took a leave of absence and has been home since then with no plans to go back anytime soon or at all. "What kind of surprise? It sounds like you're tearing holes in the walls."

"It's nothing for you to worry about. Are you hungry?"

"You asked me that half an hour ago."

"Yeah, and?"

"Fine, I want sushi."

"From that same place?"

"Yeah, I like their California rolls."

"Okay, I'll get right on it. Anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"Wait, isn't sushi that diet thing? Nice try. You can have cheesecake or gelato to go with that sushi or no sushi and a full meal."

"Why are you trying to make me fat?"

"I'm trying to make you happy. Sheila said those are the things you liked when you were pregnant before."

"Okay-okay, don't sulk. I'll have both the cheesecake and the gelato." He smiled like he won a prize. I think he has pregnancy brain because he hasn't been acting right since we found out I was pregnant, and he's only gotten worse once we found out about the sextuplets.

I was only allowed to walk around downstairs for a few minutes at a time with him holding me around the waist while holding my hand, so I didn't get to see what all the noise was up there, but by the middle of the following week, I got to see the new elevator in use.

"You have totally lost your mind."