A/N: To some extent I have had to have used a lot of guesswork. Just a warning incase this doesn't make a whole lotta sense. Also, sorry it's taken forever. –cowers in the corner- I hope you'll forgive me…it's a good chapter. I liked writing this. If you have any ideas for this, or my other fics…let me know as inspiration often runs low.
"And you'll…"
"Yes, Kate, I will be home in time to pick you up for the scan." Jack confirmed, with a half smile on his face, as he drove along the freeway, talking to Kate using his hands-free set.
"It's fine if you can't, because…"
"Katie, sweetheart, I will be home to pick you up." He chuckled at her nerves.
"Are you sure?" She asked him, once again. "Because I really think it's giving a bad impression if you're not home in time, and then I turn up late and…"
"Kate!"
"Yes?" Kate asked, finally taking a breath.
"I'm just pulling off the freeway, I will be home in 5 minutes, 10 minutes max. Please stop worrying, it's not good for you, either of you; and we've got an hour until your appointment, I can drive you there and back in that time."
"I know Jack…but you never know, there could be traffic and I really don't…"
"I get it Kate, I do. I know you're nervous. It's fine. Calm down, sit down, put your feet up and don't move a muscle until I get home, okay?"
"Sitting." She confirmed as she leant back against the sofa.
"Good, I'll be home soon." He told her.
"Good."
"I love you." He reassured her, "it will be fine, everything will be okay Kate, I promise you."
"Love you too." She smiled over the phone, "and thanks, for you know…talking to me."
"Goodbye Kate." Jack chuckled at his pregnant girlfriend.
"Now, today, we should be able to listen to the heartbeat, and hopefully get a decent picture of the little one. So, if you'd just raise your top, sweetheart." The doctor spoke kindly, and Kate quickly pulled her top up as instructed. "Now, this may be a lil' cold." The doctor shook the bottle and then squirted some jelly onto Kate's belly. Kate drew in a quick breath, at the gels contact with her skin.
A few moments later the wand was sliding over Kate's slightly swollen abdomen, when a faint heartbeat could be picked up. The aging doctor turned up the volume on the speakers.
"Ah yes." The doctor smiled at Jack and Kate, and then suddenly she frowned, and tilted her head closer towards the speakers. "Hmm."
"Hmm?" Kate questioned. "Hmm what? What's wrong." She looked to Jack and noticed his brow was furrowed, a look of confusion upon his face. "Jack?" She asked sounding slightly panicked.
"The heartbeat." He breathed out. "It's not normal." He said quickly.
"Oh God." Tears brimmed in the corner of her eyes. "Please…please…tell me my baby's okay…"
"Hey, hey." Jack pushed her hair back off of her forehead, and pressed a kiss there, trying his best to comfort her.
"Shh…I think, I know…" The doctor spoke quietly before fiddling around with her monitor and then moving the wand about a bit. "Ah yes, I see." She nodded, and turned to smile at Kate. "Everything's all right, ma'am."
"But…the heartbeat?" Kate questioned, evidently confused; Jack gripped her hand tighter.
The doctor only smiled at her, before adjusting the wand and then spinning the monitor around so that Jack and Kate could see. "This here," the doctor pointed to a shape on the screen, "is your baby, and this here…" She moved the wand slightly, and another odd shape appeared; "is your other baby. That is why the heartbeat sounded a little odd"
Kate let out a sigh of relief in knowing that her baby was okay and there was a reason for the odd pulsing she'd heard. "Jack, she said our baby is okay." She smiled up at Jack, having glossed over some of the doctor's words.
"Wait, you said…other baby?" Jack questioned.
"What?" Kate gasped.
"Yes, other baby." The doctor nodded.
"You mean? That…?" Kate tried to speak.
"Two?" Jack asked.
"Yes. Congratulations Ms Austen, Mr. Shephard, you're expecting twins."
"Twins?" Kate choked out, and the doctor nodded. Kate turned to face her lover. "You hear that Jack?" She wiped a tear from her eye, "twins." She smiled up at him.
"Twice the trouble." Jack mused, nodding with a hint of a smile. "Think we can handle two?"
Kate nodded slightly. "Wow." She breathed. "Think we could handle even one?" She asked, daringly.
Jack shook his head and laughed at her, before ducking his head to place a soft kiss upon her waiting lips. "I love you."
Kate looked up at him adoringly, and nodded at him. "Twins, Jack!" He nodded back at her, and traced his hand along the side of her face. "I love you too." A moment later she turned back to the doctor and smiled at her. "Thank you."
The graying doctor helped to wipe of the jelly with a paper towel and shook her head. "It's my pleasure Ms Austen, my pleasure entirely."
Later that evening Kate was curled up on the sofa, her head resting on the back of the sofa, and her legs folded beneath her. She clutched a cushion to her and held the scan of her unborn children in her hands. Tracing a finger along the outline of her babies, Kate let a small sigh, as a small smiled spread across her face.
She was vaguely aware of Jack's presence in the room, and looked up upon hearing him say, "beautiful".
"Huh?"
"You weren't listening, were you?" Jack asked her, shaking his head as he crossed the room to sit beside her.
"Sorry." Her eyes glanced downwards as she shrugged, "I was thinking."
"About the twins?" Jack asked as he wrapped his arm around her and tugged her to him.
"Yeah…" Kate laid her head on his shoulder and showed him the picture from the scan. "I still can't believe it's more than one baby."
"Hmm, are you worried?" He asked her.
"Maybe…kind of. It's just…I was so worried about having one baby…and…I've gotten used to the idea, I think I can handle one kid…but two? At the same time…just…there's so much hard work, and I don't know if…"
"You'll be fine." Jack cut her off. "I can take time off at the beginning, and I'll cut down my hours, so I can help as much as possible. We'll manage, Katie, we will."
"I know, it's just…all a bit overwhelming." She revealed.
"I know, but it's going to fun too." He told her.
"I know, and part of me wants the pregnancy to all be over sooner, because now I'm waiting for two perfect presents; I just want to hold them, love them already." Kate sighed. "You know…when we were listening to the heartbeat, I was almost crying?"
"Really?"
"Yeah…" Kate took in a deep breath. "I just felt so connected to my baby, and overwhelmed with the amount of love I already feel for it, even though I've never met it…and then, when she noticed it didn't sound right, I got so scared that something bad was happening…again, I just, I really would have hated that, Jack."
"I know you would've." He pressed a kiss to her chestnut hair. "I was worried too, not just for the baby, but for you too…I'd hate to lose you, Katie."
"I never want to lose you, Jack. Besides, I'm going to put up a hell of a fight if anything tries to tear us apart." She smiled at him.
"And that's why I love you." He grinned at her.
"Do you know what I felt when she told us it twins, and showed us both of the babies?" She asked him, her face glowing, and eyes twinkling.
"I've got some idea." He uttered quietly, absorbing her radiant image.
"I was just, so relieved to know that nothing was wrong, it almost didn't register with me," she giggled.
"I noticed." He chuckled.
"But, I was so happy to know nothing was wrong, my heart just swelled with even more love. I think it's good that we're having twins." Kate concluded.
"How'd you figure?" Jack asked, curious to the workings of his girl's inner mind.
"Well, firstly, our baby will never be lonely. Secondly, we have more love to give…and…I've always wanted, well, deep down anyway, a big family, well, with at least two children. My childhood…you know it wasn't great; my house would be quiet, I was the only one, and I would just get so scared, to make a noise, to play, or talk…or, just be a kid. But then I'd go around to Tom's," Jack smiled, noticing that this time she mentioned Tom, without her eyes tearing up, "there would be so much noise. It was such a lively place; because he was one of four. There was always laughter, and chatter, it was a nice place to be. I want that for my kids. I don't want them to be afraid of us, afraid to make a noise."
Jack nodded, "I know what you mean. That's why I think we're going to be good parents, you especially."
"Why?"
"Because we've gone thought the bad stuff, we know what it's like to be ignored in our own home, to be scared to go home…it, it just means that we'll do everything we can to make sure our children don't get that." Kate hummed, showing that she understood what he meant, before she snuggled further into him.
Jack wrapped his arms tighter around her, and kissed her forehead gently, before mindlessly caressing her belly. He rubbed her stomach and then whispered into her ear; "You should be able to feel them move soon."
"I can't wait." Kate grinned, and her hand moved to join Jack's on her stomach. She watched closely as their fingers wove together, slotting together perfectly, like two halves of a whole, two puzzle pieces.
"You looked so content and peaceful when I came in here earlier." Jack complimented her.
"Huh?"
"I was telling you that pregnancy makes you look so naturally beautiful when I came in here." He smiled at her.
"Oh…"
"I love you." Jack said in a low whisper, before resting his head upon hers.
A moment later, Kate spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence. "These are going to be expensive kids!" She giggled. "We're going to have to buy two of everything, and there's going to be twice as many diapers." Her eyes darted up as she noticed Jack pulling a face. "Oh no, doctor, you should be used to it. Diaper changing is one task you are not going to get of." She told him firmly.
"But I'll get out of doing something?" Jack asked, and Kate laughed.
"Hmm, we'll see."
A/N: Indulge me. My ego would love a rich chocolate cheesecake right now, or something like that...but seeing as I have rather review whoreish tendencies, I'll settle for lots of lovely reviews, my lovlies:D