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I decided it would be best not toa hard enough ti it

Twins

Twins?

This was the ultinant through an idiotic slip, putting ht in the line of the prophecy I’d tried to avoid for so long And now, just when I’d ed to coax an early test so I could nip this situation in the bud, I was faced with a potential situation that I never, never could have foreseen

Kiyo had been right I should have ternancy the instant I found out, before I knewreal now Every detail I learnedmore life to what I carried within me It’s not too late You don’t have to wait for the results Maybe it’s better if you don’t

I’d boldly told Jasirls, but the reality of that was harsh Hoould I raise two children? I didn’t know if I could handle one How could I e motherhood when half my life was spent in another world? How could I even keep working? Would I get a nanny - or force my kids onto someone like Tim or my mom? That latter seemed pretty unlikely And then, of course, I was faced with the most mundane proble to be in serious trouble if you don’t start working again soon," Lara told me the day after I’d seen the doctor She’d spent the night again and was sitting at my kitchen table with me In front of her, a laptop showed an array of spreadsheets "You’re still okaybut it won’t last Part of your oes into the business’s account - the one I’s The first one’s running pretty lowand if it goes es," I finished

She nodded Her face was griiddiness she’d shohen she and Ti A bitter part ofher rent I dismissed that, of course None of this was her fault

"I know there’sstuffgoing on, Eugenie, but why can’t you start taking more jobs? You cut the workload before, and we still did okay, but nowthere’s next to nothing Your savings can’t hold out that long And what on earth did Enrique do that got us such a large bill?"

I ignored that and si "I’ve got a lot of equity in the house"

"What?" Her jaw nearly dropped "You’d risk your house instead of just taking on e came to mybabies End it, just end it

"It’s just an option," I pointed out "A safety net And speaking of whichDid you talk to Enrique?"

Lara nodded "I did I’ to do a little administrative work for hiuilty about "You’ll be okay then"

"This isn’t about me! I don’t understand Why can’t you just take a couple of jobs? I’ve got reahost the other day"

I tried to hidewell, that’s all And this is kind of a physical line of work"

Lara’s blue eyes scrutinized me for several seconds "Thenfor another job"

"No!" I exclai I do"

"But if you’re sick - "

"I’ the doctor tomorrow and then " I faltered And then what? "And then I’ll be fine Back to work My appoint later that afternoon Find hed "I didn’t mean to upset you"

"I’m not upset" But it was a lie My volu it, and I felt flushed

Lara rose, shutting the laptop and picking up her plate "Just get yourself better We can figure this out then Do you need a ride or anything tomorrow?"

"I’m not that sick," I told her And, of course, I could always have e sister drive ain soon, you’ll see"

Lara gaveShe wandered off to Tim’s bedroom, and Jas "That’s a good idea, you know," she said "Sell this place Just move to the Otherworld with the kids"

I started to rebuke her but paused It was an option I’d have plenty of daycare there - a whole castle of babysitters My daughters would be raised like royalty They were royalty But raising them there meant they’d probably lose whatever huentry for all intents and purposes Was that what I wanted? It was already happening to me

"They may be boys," I reminded Jasmine "Then it’s back to work"

Kiyo called that night, wanting to know if I’d heard anything I told him it was too soon for the results but that I’d let him knohen the doctor called It was a s back to the office for the results Twins had poppedwith delivering the results in person, they’d wanted to do another ultrasound I didn’t want Kiyo around for that, obviously, but I wouldn’t have ht I wanted the contact, the love Most importantly, I wanted to feel like he wasn’t repulsed by me in my current state

When noon ca to her own funeral My , and Jasmine probably would have been a safer driver She’d co; there’d been no discussion Neither of us spoke on the drive over, and I could see she ound just as tightly with tension Whatever happened, it was going to be big

"Soon," I murmured as alked in "Soon this’ll be over, one way or another"

Or not so soon

The office was running behind, and it was like the continuation of so down the seconds until this ht up with his schedule Adry at doctors who fell behind I figured it justneeded time and care to their patients Maybe he was tied up because so a world-conquering enie?" The sound of my name made me flinch A nurse smiled serenely at me "We’re ready for you"

It was a repeat of before, changing into a gown and getting on the examination table This is it, this is it Dr Sartori was back, but a different tech worked today Her narand Like she could maybe fix all this

Dr Sartori had a file of papers he began flipping through as Ruth lubed upa hard tis in there