April, 2011
Today is an exciting day, a day like no other. Tasha and Mark were at the doctor’s—not for being sick, nor for your regular check-up—they’re having an ultrasound.
You see, for years they were struggling to get pregnant. But for the first time in her life, Tasha is pregnant. She and Mark were very excited to be first-time parents—but what if something is wrong?
No, everything will be okay.
“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Price, you’re going to be having twins,” Dr. Watson said, looking at the screen.
“Wait, there are two?” Tasha asked.
Dr. Watson nodded and pointed at both fetuses, “Even when they’re still this tiny, you can still see them both. As you can see, one is here, and the other is here.”
Mark smiled and nodded.
“We’re going to have two bundles of joy in our life, Mark,” Tasha said with happy tears in her eyes, she was smiling from ear to ear.
“Yeah, we are,” he smiles a bit more.
“On good news, even though it’s only been six weeks, they look healthy,” Dr. Watson said, calmly.
Tasha sighed with relief, “Good, thank you, doctor.”
“Of course,” he said with a smile.
Then they got into the car.
“I’m glad that appointment went well,” Mark said softly.
“I’m glad too, at least they’re healthy, am I right?” Tasha said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, if they weren’t...I wouldn’t know how I’d feel, honestly,” he replied.
“Same here, same here,” she said with a sigh.
Mark started the car and started driving home. Most of the ride was quiet, but not for upsetness, they were more content than anything. Nothing can make Tasha, or even Mark, upset. They were going to have twins. Nothing could be better.
By the time they got inside their small condo, their dog, Moose, had run up to them excitedly and jumped onto them. He’s a 2-year-old shih tzu with gray patches on his mussel, ears, paws, and body.
“Hey Moose,” Tasha smiled and patted his head, “Why don’t you go say hi to Mark?”
Tasha chuckles to herself.
Mark just smiles and shrugs, “I’m good, I don't want to deal with him being excited for now. I’ll be going to take a nap.”
Tasha smiles back, “Have a nice nap, dear.”
They didn’t do much the rest of the day. They mainly watched movies with Milo cuddling with them. They didn’t have too much planned -- other than work that is. Plus, Mark still had college to go to. Tasha wishes her family lived closer. The closest family she had was her sister, Janie. However she and her family lived three and a half to four hours away, and Tasha was going to be busy for work.
The next few weeks flew by. Tasha was now 19 weeks pregnant, and she was getting ready for her next ultrasound appointment.
She started to talk to Mark as she was putting her makeup on, “I’m really excited for the appointment today.”
“Oh?” Mark said, walking out of the closet while putting a shirt on.
“Yeah! We’re going to find out the gender today,” Tasha smiled widely, “I hope we have two girls.”
“Why’s that?” Mark asked.
Tasha looked up from her makeup-doing and smiled, “So I can dress them up! But if the twins are boys, that’ll be okay.”
“That’s fair,” he smiled, “I hope they’re a boy.”
After a while, they drove to the office to get the ultrasound done. Tasha smiled at the lady at the desk and waved, “Hello! I’m here for my appointment.”
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“Okay, could I have your name, please?” the receptionist asked politely.
“Tasha Price,” she answered. Mark just stood quietly, he had no reason to say anything, after all.
“Okay! Thank you, Mrs. Price, please sit down and Dr. Watson will get you and your husband shortly,” the receptionist smiled.
Tasha nodded, “Thank you, ma’am!”
Tasha and Mark sat down on the floral patterned chairs. They weren’t the most comfortable chairs, but that's okay. They shouldn’t be sitting there too long. Dr. Watson is usually pretty strict when it comes to him being late. He’s rarely been late to one of his appointments. Even if it’s just a normal check-up.
After a few minutes, Dr. Watson walked to the waiting room, “Tasha Price?”
Tasha and her husband stood up.
“Hi, Dr. Watson!” Tasha smiled, walking up to him. Mark was walking close behind, just doing a little nod as his own little “hello”.
“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Price,” He smiled, leading Tasha and Mark to the room, “How’s the past few weeks been?”
“Good,” Mark said.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty good! We’ve just been brainstorming different names for the kids,” Tasha added.
“Oh, that’s great! What do you two have in mind?” Dr. Watson asked.
“Either Lennard and Liam or Roman and Rowan if they’re boys. Luna and Lucia for sure if they’re girls,” Tasha answered.
Dr. Watson opens the door to the ultrasound room, “Those are great ideas! Which ones are you two leaning towards?”
Dr. Watson held the door for Tasha and Mark.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Tasha walks in, with Mark following closely behind, “And I personally would like Lennor and Liam. What about you, Mark?”
Mark just shrugs without saying anything, “You’re going to be giving birth to them, you choose.”
Everyone in the room started to laugh. Then Tasha laid down on the bed, lifting her shirt to reveal her belly. She had the ultrasound gel put onto her stomach, so now the ultrasound is ready to start. The doctor pressed the ultrasound probe onto Tasha’s stomach.
“Would you like to know their gender?” asked Dr. Watson.
Mark looked at Tasha in his way to say “You choose”.
“Hm…yeah, I’d like to know,” she answered
“Okay, Okay,” He looks at the screen, “Looks like they’re boys…”
Tasha nodded, slightly disappointed she wasn't going to have two baby girls. But that’s okay, life happens.
“...Oh..?” Dr. Watson said to himself, focusing on one of the two fetuses.
Tasha looked slightly panicked when he asked, are her babies okay?
“What is it?” Mark asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Something doesn’t look right…we need to change what ultrasound we’re doing so I can take a closer look,” Dr. Watson said, surprisingly calmly.
“Hm…okay,” Tasha said.
He spent roughly five minutes looking at the screen once he switched, “It looks like Holoprosencephaly for the one on the left, the baby on the right looks normal.”
Tasha and Mark looked at Dr. Watson, and each other, confused. Tasha opened her mouth to ask.
“Holoprosencephaly is caused by a failure of the prosencephalon, also called the embryonic forebrain, to divide into double lobes of the cerebral hemisphere,” Dr. Watson said, “You have the option to abort him if you need to.”
“No, I’m not doing that,” Tasha was somewhat angry about that comment.
He nodded, “Well, that’s the end of the appointment, you two may head home now,” he didn’t seem to want to continue the conversation.
Tasha and Mark were home, and Tasha was thinking about what Dr. Watson said. It was just spinning round and round. She just couldn’t get it out of her head.
“Why do you think he’d want to suggest something like that?” Tasha was annoyed by this, “It just feels so cruel!”
Mark nodded, “Yeah, I agree; I wouldn’t want to possibly lose one -- or both of our children.”
Tasha nodded, tearing up slightly, not knowing what she wanted to say.
She looked down, and stopped pacing for a moment, “It just feels so…heartbreaking.”
Mark nods, waiting for her to continue rambling.
“I’m just saying, I wouldn’t want to give away, nor would I even consider killing them for being different,” she said, “That would just be cruel of me! Why would I ever…!”
Tasha was just angry at that point. She would never want to do that, ever. Tasha felt that if she did ever, ever, abort the children, the guilt would follow her like a pack of snakes.
Tasha had a lump in her throat, she just couldn’t take all this, “Would someone really abort their child over a disability?”
“Some people may be cruel that way,” Mark nodded, but his frown turned into a soft smile, “But you aren’t like that, and I’m not like that. We’re keeping them both, so you don’t need to be upset about it anymore.”
“Thanks, Mark,” Tasha smiled slightly, wiping her tears off of her face, “I guess even after I announced this to the family, the thought of that just leaves me wanting to cry.”
“I know it does,” Mark put his arm around his wife’s shoulder, “But it’s all going to be okay, just remember we are never going to.”