It was a long moment before Maggie could speak. She sat, dumbfounded and mused at the way her brain itself seemed to stutter on the word. Tw..twins? It was simply not possible. How could this have just now been found? With only six weeks to go? What about the tests, she'd had? She'd seen the ultrasounds, for God's sake! How could something like this have gone unnoticed until now? 

"But how....? What....?" was all she managed at last.

Dr. Osborne looked from her face to the file in his hand and back again to her face. He shook his head. 

"The film doesn't lie, Maggie." He pushed a grainy black and white ultrasound photo across the desk. "You are, without question, carrying twins."

She lifted the picture and saw the hazy, but obvious outline of two heads. Two bodies. Two babies.

"This can't be mine," she said and wanted for all the world to slide the picture back at him across the desk. But she held it, still stared at it. Two babies. Two faces.

"Maggie, it is yours," the Dr. said. "I was in the room. I saw it on the monitor." He stood and walked around to her, placed a hand on her shoulder and pointed at the picture.

"Two babies," he said, outlining the shadowed figures with his finger. "I can't explain how we missed it before, but nonetheless, there it is. I've performed every exam on you myself since the first. All I can say is that I missed it until now. It happens."

Maggie closed her eyes against her thoughts. Before, news like this might have thrilled her. When Randy was alive it would have been a reason to celebrate. Two babies. Now it felt like suffocation. She no longer wanted even the one baby she had been carrying and waiting for all these months. Another one, now, felt like an invader inside her.

She didn't speak these things. Said nothing, in fact. And, to her surprise, shed no tears. She simply folded the picture into her purse and made a move to stand up.

"Wait, Maggie," Dr. Osborne put gentle pressure on her shoulder. "We need to discuss the possibility that you may not carry to term. That's very common with twins. This is a whole new ballgame now."

Maggie looked up at him briefly and shook her head.

"I feel fine," she said.

"And that's wonderful, but we still need to increase your appointments now. Twice a week from here on in. We'll need to re-assess you weight gain, bulk you up a bit, and increase the vitamins, too."

"Okay," she said, wanting now nothing more than to get up from the chair and leave. She burned to be alone.

"And we need to be prepared for the possibility of a c-section now. You'll have to get your head around that. It's quite likely, I'm afraid."

Maggie nodded, not even concerned about the prospect at the moment. It was all to much to take in. She wanted to scream and run  out of the office. Get back on the train and keep riding until the track ran out. She just wanted to be alone.

"Okay, make an appointment for Friday," Dr. Osborne said, seeming to sense her need to get away. He patted her shoulder lightly. "And don't forget," he added, "you can call for anything at any time. You need to talk this through, Maggie.  This isn't something you should keep to yourself."

"I know," she stammered. "I won't." She stood at last to leave and practically hit herself with the door  in her effort to get out.