Here's an excerpt/sneak peek of A Vargas Family Christmas.
JARRAH
“Alright! Let’s listen to the baby’s heartbeat now that we know mama is doing okay,” Dr. Koh said as she applied the gel to my stomach and placed the fetal doppler on it. We heard the baby’s heartbeat after she slid it around. I smiled as I held Theresa’s hand. She hadn’t confirmed it yet, but I was happy that the baby seemed to be fine after I had woken up from the coma I’d been in for the past month. There are still no memories of the past year and a half. The last thing I could remember was coming to Chicago after Quincy and my divorce. I vaguely remembered Jerrell, but I knew we had a strong connection. He said we were just friends, and the father of my child was one of the twins. I had been dating both of them for the past few months. I couldn’t believe how much my life changed after my divorce from Q. No one explained how I got here since I woke up less than twelve hours ago. I remembered bits and pieces of the accident that led Jerrell and me to the hospital, but I didn’t have a clear picture. Theresa told me I should focus on getting better and allow my memories to come back to me naturally, but all I wanted was to make sense of things.
The doctor said I was brought into the emergency room with a gunshot wound to my neck and one that broke my left rib cage and punctured my lung. She said I was conscious when I first got here, but once I knew that Jerrell was still alive, I passed out and didn’t wake up until last night. Today, Quincy, Theresa, and the twins were in the hospital room with me while I was getting a checkup. I hated that I had no memories of the guys who were supposed to be my child’s father. Having them at this appointment made me feel awkward since they were strangers. However, I felt like it would be unfair if I didn’t allow them to see that the baby was okay. I was sure that they had been just as stressed as everyone else when I was in the coma. Regardless of my memories of my experiences with them being lost, they deserved to be here with me more than anyone else. I was sad to learn that my mother died two months ago. Theresa told me that she had stage four bone cancer. I couldn’t believe she hid that from me as long as she did. Without my memories, it felt like I didn’t have closure. I heard about her death for the first time all over again. So much happened in my life in the past year and a half and I was so frustrated that I couldn’t recall any of it. I knew I needed patience, but that was easier said than done.
“So, Dr. Koh… is the baby okay,” Theresa asked her, breaking me out of my head. I focused on the doctor’s face and could tell something was up.
“Is everything okay,” I questioned as I scanned her pale face. She furrowed her brows at me.
“Shhhh! I think I… I think I hear two heartbeats,” she replied, barely audible. My eyes widened as I stared at her. Two heartbeats? Did that mean… No, it couldn’t be.
“Two heartbeats,” the twins questioned in unison. Dr. Koh silently grabbed the ultrasound machine and hooked it up. Then, she put more jelly on my stomach before she placed the wand on my stomach. I glanced at Theresa as we waited for a response. When the screen showed the inside of my womb, everyone glued their eyes to it. I was only about twelve weeks pregnant, so the baby was shaped like a boiled peanut. Dr. Koh pointed to another spot on the screen, drawing our eyes there.
“Yep! Just like I thought. We have two embryos. The second one is a little smaller, so I assume the first one was implanted before it. Maybe about three weeks apart. We’ll run more tests to be sure though,” she explained. I could see the twins looking at each other from my peripheral, so I turned my attention to them.
“Wait! How is that possible,” Theresa questioned before I could.
“Well, superfetation would have to occur. It’s rare, but it’s getting pregnant again while you’re pregnant. The babies could have the same father or in some cases, two different men could be the father of each embryo,” she elaborated. Theresa glanced at me before Q and the two of us looked at the twins who wore owl eyes.
“Are you saying she’s having twins,” Dustin asked.
“No, but superfetation pregnancies can be like twin pregnancies since they will eventually share the same womb, develop alongside each other, and are usually delivered at the same time, but it differs since the embryos didn’t form during the same menstrual cycle. That means they’re different gestational ages,” she educated us. The room was silent as hell aside from the sound coming from the ultrasound machine. “We will run more tests to determine when each embryo was implanted.”
“How would we know if the embryos have the same father,” Dario questioned. I didn’t have any memories, but it seemed like they were convinced that the embryos belonged to both of them. What type of woman had I become that I would have sex with two men around the same time for something like this to happen? I mean, was I capable of that? Not only was I dating two men at the same time, but they were twins. Identical at that. I desperately needed to know how that happened.
“You’d have to get DNA tests,” Dr. Koh responded. Then, she turned to look at the twins. “You don’t think… you don’t think both of you could be the father of the embryos, right?”
The room got quiet again. Shit, she asked a question I needed to know the answer to myself. “Do you? Is there a chance that I could be pregnant for both of you,” I finally asked. The twins lowered their gazes, telling me everything I needed to know. Before they could answer the question, Dr. Koh started wiping the jelly off my stomach and she cleaned the wands on the two machines. Then, she moved the machines out of the way.
“Jarrah, I understand that you’re dealing with a sensitive situation. You don’t have memories of the past year and a half and just found out you’re pregnant with two embryos. I’ve monitored your progress for the past month, and you’ve healed just fine. The only thing left to do is discharge you so you can get to your life.”
“What about my memories,” I inquired before she could finish talking. She placed her hand on my knee.
“The quickest way to get them back is to return to your life. I truly believe they will come to you, and everything will make sense,” she assured me. I lowered my head briefly. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to return to a life I couldn’t remember.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m confident that things will improve with time and patience, but we will continue to monitor you weekly to make sure you and these precious babies stay healthy,” she replied. I nodded my head at her. I had so many thoughts going through my head. How was I going to get through this? It was bad enough that I was in a relationship with two men, but being pregnant for the two of them felt wrong. Plus, it made the situation feel more permanent. “I will let the nurse know you’re ready to be discharged. She will give you some instructions and I will call all your prescriptions into the pharmacy you have on file. Good luck with everything,” she told me before she hugged me. Then, she started out the room. Before she walked out the door, she turned back and said, “Oh yeah! Your friend next door is getting discharged too. He'll be happy to know you're going home.”
Suddenly, I felt the overwhelming urge to see his face. To stare into his cool gray eyes and get lost in them. What I felt for him was confusing, especially since I had two boyfriends. When did I become so greedy? Was one man not enough for me? I mean, I knew that there was a good explanation for whatever was going on. I needed to give myself grace, but it was difficult when I wasn’t sure about my role in this. My gut told me I was loved by the twins. They looked at me with so much passion in their eyes. It made me feel guilty because my heart was pulling me toward Jerrell. Since I woke up, I felt an attachment to him that I never felt to anyone else. After our conversation yesterday, I got the picture we met after I met the twins and formed a connection of our own. I wasn’t sure how or why, but I yearned for him when he wasn’t near me.
After a few minutes, Nurse Lena came, unhooked me from all the machines, gave me the instructions, and wished me well. I did get to see Jerrell briefly before Dario drove him home. I rode home with Dustin. The ride felt long as hell because the two of us hadn’t said a word to each other. I wasn’t uncomfortable around the twins but I didn’t know what to say to them. I hoped Dr. Koh was right about discharging me so soon. I wanted my memories back more than everyone else. I needed to know how I ended up with twins who seemed perfectly fine with sharing me. They were so in sync with how they cared for me that I was impressed. I could tell they were good guys. I couldn’t wait to remember why I fell in love with them. Maybe the yearning would stop. After about twenty minutes, Dustin and I pulled up to this two-story mini-mansion. He parked the car and helped me out of it. Then, we went inside the house.
“Jarrah! Oh my God. I’m so glad you’re home mi hija,” a lady with light skin and curly dark brown hair greeted me after we walked through the door. I flashed her a smile before she reached out and pulled me into her arms. My body automatically rested in her warmth as she held me tight. Although she was a stranger to me, she felt familiar. Almost like home.
“Hey Ma,” Dustin said to her before they embraced.
“Hey Aziel! How’s it going, mi hijo?”
“Can I speak to you in the kitchen for a minute,” he asked her. She surveyed the two of us before she nodded. I caught him by the hand before he could walk away. He wanted to update her on my condition, but I didn’t want to make them feel like they had to walk on eggshells around me.
“You don’t have to talk in private. You can tell her while I’m here. If we’re a family, I want us to rebuild that bond together,” I said. His chest rose and fell as relief left his body.
“Okay. Jarrah lost her memory of the past year or so. Dr. Koh said they should come back after she returns to her life. We have to give it time and patience,” he explained to her.
“That’s okay. We will work together as a family to get her memories back,” she declared, making me smile again. I was sure that I was in good hands after meeting her again. It seemed like we had a good family unit and were making the best out of a situation that may have gotten out of control. I had a lot of worries, but I had a gut feeling that everything would be fine. When Dario came home, the four of us sat in the living room and they gave me a rundown of what happened. Apparently, I had been dating the two of them without knowing at first, and when I found out, I decided to work things out with both of them. What they described sounded like something I would do in this situation, so I trusted that I knew what was best for me. Regardless of what happened in the past year and a half, I chose to believe that I was supposed to be here with Annalise and the twins. They were the only family I had, aside from Terry and Q, so I would try to rebuild my bond with the family I created.
To Be Continued...
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