New Life : A Second Chance

"What's wrong, doctor?" Zack asked, suddenly realising the abnormal expression on the doctor.

"No-nothing," he stammered, putting the machine back in order.

He was just the doctor. Whatever they did in their personal life, was not his business. All he needed to do was make sure his patient was well. He was not here to judge them.

He was just shocked, that's all.

Twins being close was not unheard of, but to allow the twin to kiss his wife?

That was beyond what he would be used to.

"Both of you will be great fathers," Beatrice said to them as she gingerly got down from the table.

"We will have lots and lots of children!" Zack said excitedly, and Yuri smacked the back of his head.

"You have to ask our wife first, you dolt," Yuri chastised him, "She's the one who will be carrying the babies, not you."

Zack rubbed the back of his head and looked apologetically at Beatrice, "Sorry, honey. I was just too excited. Just thinking of our daughters made me want more."

"She hasn't even given birth to our first batch, and you're already thinking of the future batches?" Yuri said with a shake of his head.

They walked slowly back to the doctor's office and only when they reached there did they realise … they had left the doctor behind.

He was still looking at them with his mouth open.

Didn't he close it earlier?

"Doctor?" Beatrice called out tentatively.

He snapped out of it, shaking his head.

The words that were spoken by the couple … no, couples? What do you call this? Threesome? 

After a while, the pieces fell into place and he finally understood. 

Initially, he thought they were just talking collectively - that is, they saw each other as one entity. So even though they said 'our son' or 'our daughter', his mind did not make the connection yet.

Now, though … 

As close as they were, saying 'our' wife? 

It wasn't that one twin was sharing his wife with his twin … the twins were sharing one wife. It sounded the same, but was completely different. 

He had completely forgotten Country Tz allowed polyandry.

This was the first time he had met such a family, however.

And they didn't even seem like they were fighting, or uneasy. Everything seemed so natural.

This was such great research material!

He excitedly went back to the office, and was wondering if they would be willing to help him in the research. If he combined forces with the social sciences, the paper they would come up with would be phenomenal. 

He would be doing the science while the other one would be looking at it from the sociological perspective. How could they accept children while not knowing who was the true father? What about jealousy? Favouritism? 

However, in his excited state, he completely forgot his professionalism. How could he possibly ask this from his patients when he didn't even know them that well yet? He should ease into the subject, test the waters and then ask after determining whether they would be comfortable with such a study.

Suffice to say, he learned his lesson pretty quickly.

The moment he posed the question to them, the husbands turned their heads to face him in a synchronised motion, their displeasure evident on their faces. 

It wasn't just displeasure.

It was unmasked, unbridled anger.

The doctor froze (yet again), though this time in absolute fear. 

It was as if his life was in danger.

Beatrice patted the back of the hands of her husband and said, "Stop it. You're scaring the poor doctor."

She then turned to face the doctor, and smiled kindly to him, "No, we aren't interested at all. Our lives are very private."

"But it will all be confidential," the doctor said softly, trying to persuade her even though the death glares by her husbands were making him quake and nearly peed in his pants.

"First of all," Beatrice said, "What you've said is pretty laughable. Just how many women out there are married to two men? It won't be difficult to figure it out. At the very least, our friends and families would know it's about us."

"Secondly, even in the insane possibility that it really won't be found out," Beatrice continued, "We still won't agree. We do not talk about our private lives. At all."

The doctor looked visibly disappointed but at the same time, relief. The latter due to the fact that her husbands stopped staring daggers at him.

The doctor felt rather bad about his faux pas that he actually walked them to the door. As he watched the family go, he sighed at the lost opportunity.

His nurse came to hand him the folder for the next patient and seeing where he was looking, commented, "That couple really is sweet. Her husband never missed an appointment with her and he was always so attentive. Didn't know there were two of them!"

She giggled and said, "Is the other twin single, doctor? Do you know? I wouldn't mind such a hot and caring guy for myself."

The doctor looked at her, sighed loudly and shook his head. 

"What? What?" his nurse demanded, "Are you thinking I have absolutely no chance? You haven't seen me make any moves yet!"

"You've lost even before you started, my dear," the doctor replied, "She's married to both of them."

The nurse looked at him in shock, her mouth wide open. 

He felt rather satisfied with that expression, since he was the one that had it as well earlier.

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"What are you thinking about?" Yuri asked Beatrice.

He saw how she was smiling and giggling, her thoughts obviously elsewhere.

"Oh, nothing much," Beatrice replied, "Just remembering the doctor's shocked face when he realised I had two husbands."

Yuri just shook his head and continued to massage Beatrice's legs. Just as he got to the thigh, Beatrice gripped his head.

"What?" he asked gently, "I wasn't going to do anything."

"No, it isn't that," Beatrice said, "It's time."

"Time for what?"

"Time for you to meet your daughters," Beatrice replied.

 His hands, which were still massaging her, stilled.

"Now??" he asked.

"Well, no, not now now," Beatrice said, slowly getting up from the sofa, "Depends when they're actually getting through but they're knocking at the door right now."

"Nurse Lin!" Yuri shouted as he helped Beatrice up, "My babies are coming! My babies are coming!"

Nurse Lin came quickly and Grandpa Anton also ran out of his room with Chen. 

"Really? Really Really?!" Grandpa Anton was saying excitedly and grabbed Chen by the arm, "I'm going to be a grandpa!"

"You're already a grandpa," Chen pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Grandpa Anton said, "I'm going to be a great-grandpa! Wait, that just sounds like I'm going to be a great grandpa, when I mean I am going to be a great-grandpa."

"Wait …" Grandpa Anton started to stammer.

"It's okay, Grandpa Anton. We get it," Chen said, "You stay at home, okay? The labour can take hours. You can go and visit once the babies are born, okay?"

"No!" pouted Grandpa Anton, "I wanna go too!"

He started stamping his foot on the ground, "My bellissimo angioletto is going to give birth! I have to be there!!"

Chen was trying to placate him but the old man was throwing a tantrum and getting agitated.

Beatrice, who was waddling over to the exit, turned to face Grandpa Anton and said, "Grandpa Anton, be good. You need your rest. The babies need you to be well rested to see them, okay?"

"Okay!" Grandpa Anton replied, smiling widely.

He turned to Chen and said, "Come on, you heard her. I have to rest now."

"Yes, Grandpa Anton," Chen said patiently. As he led Anton to his bedroom, Chen looked at the figure of Beatrice heading out and sent a silent prayer that everything would be okay.

She truly brightened up the house and with the babies coming, the house would be filled with more joy and laughter. 

It was a good change.

✿ Five hours later ✿

Beatrice was in the delivery room, huffing and puffing while her husbands held her hands. Beatrice's face was full of sweat, her hair plastered on her head as she screamed again when the contractions hit.

"Yes, that's it! Push!" the doctor was saying as he sat in between her legs, looking to welcome the new life.

Zack and Yuri were rather pale at that moment, their own foreheads full of sweat as they watched their beloved be in so much pain.

Maybe having children wasn't a good idea.

Just hearing her scream and seeing her being in so much pain made their hearts twist.

It wasn't as if they weren't used to hearing blood-curdling screams, but when it came from their beloved?

Heartwrenching beyond description.

Soon, the room was filled with a loud cry.

Their daughter was born.