Physically, the Karma of children is generally determined by the Karma of their parents. On the effect of how the Karma of their children is determined; the child’s Karma is a thing apart of itself-it forms the child’s individuality, the sum-total of its merits and demerits accumulated in innumerable past existences. Chapter 27 It was January, 2016. Daphne sat back on her recliner trying to get comfortable, but wasn’t having much success. She had only gained twelve pounds in the four months she had been pregnant yet her body seemed completely alien to her and she wondered again how it was possible that she would survive five more months of this. She picked up the phone and hit the speed dial to Alex’s office. He picked up as soon as he saw her name on caller ID. “Hey beautiful, what’re you doing?” “Just laying here wondering how I’m going to get through the next few months. I can’t believe how big I’ve gotten Alex. Is this normal?” “What does Lizzy say?” he asked. “She’s says I’m on track, as far as weight gain. However she did acknowledge that I am rather large for only being four months pregnant.” “Well, maybe you’ll have a big, fat baby Daphe. A sumo-wrestler-kind of fat baby,” Alex said with a smile on his face. “I doubt it. Justin and I are not exactly up there in the charts, height-wise. How could I possibly have a large kid,” she said. “You never know. Maybe somewhere back in the gene pool there’s a jolly green giant no one told us about,” Alex said. Daphne laughed at this statement, thinking how much Alex had changed since they had started this whole process. He was so comfortable talking about the pregnancy and the fact that Justin’s sperm had helped to create their child didn’t seem to matter in the slightest. He was completely caught up in the whole impending father thing. “Okay you, let’s get down to why I’m calling,” she said. “What’s up?” he asked. “Today’s the ultra-sound, remember? I thought you wanted to be there when we find out the child’s sex. Then we can start fighting over names,” she added. “Shit! Is that today? I completely forgot about it and I have to be in surgery in about half an hour. And it’s a long one too. I’ll probably be in the OR for at least seven hours,” he said. “Oh,” Daphne said, disappointed. “Hey,” Alex said, “Why don’t you call Justin? Maybe he’d like to go with you. This way you’ll at least have one of the fathers present.” “Are you sure? You okay with me asking him?” “Of course, Daphne. I’m fine with it. I’d rather that he be with you than you be by yourself.” “Okay,” she replied happily. “I’ll call him right now.” They hung up and Daphne punched in Justin’s cell. He picked up on the third ring, sounding a little out of breath. “Sorry,” Daphne said, “Did I interrupt anything?” “No, not really. I was just on the other side of the room and had to sprint to pick up the phone. What’s going on?” Justin asked. “I’m having an ultra-sound today and Alex has a huge surgery so he won’t be able to accompany me. Would you be interested in seeing the baby in living color?” “Really? That would be pretty exciting, I’ve never seen a baby cooking before. Yeah, I’d like to come. How soon do I need to be ready?” “The appointment is in two hours, will that work for you?” “Yes, that’s fine. How about if I pick you up and we can go together?” “Sounds good,” she said. Justin put the phone down and left the studio to find Brian and tell him what was going on. A couple of hours later he sat in his car in front of Daphne’s building waiting for her to come down. He saw the front door being held open by the door man and he watched Daphne walk towards the car. She was wearing a light green top and blue jeans. The top stretched over breasts that had grown to an incredible size over the last few months and she was definitely showing, the bulge at her stomach very pronounced and obvious. She got in and kissed Justin on the cheek. She smelled of Jasmine, fresh and sweet. “Hi,” she said. “Hi yourself,” Justin replied. “You certainly look pregnant today.” “Ya think?” she replied. “I feel like a fucking cow, my boobs have taken on a life of their own, Justin.” Justin looked over at them and made a face. “They are rather ripe, aren’t they?” “They are disgusting,” she replied. “I can’t believe people actually pay money to get this kind of result. The only reason I’m not losing it is because I know they’ll go back to normal in a few months.” “They are quite gross,” Justin said. “Alex probably likes them though, doesn’t he?” “Whatever,” she said with an eye roll. “Can we talk about something more pleasant?” “Sure, how’s it going with the remodeling?” “Good,” she replied. “We’re at a point where we’re waiting to find out the baby’s sex so I know what colors to go with. They should be able to start painting next week, after today’s visit.” Justin turned to her and said, “Today?” “Yes. The ultra-sound will be able to tell us if it’s a boy or a girl.” “Well, that’s exciting! I didn’t know we’d find out so soon. What’re you guys hoping for, Daphe.” “We don’t care Justin, so long as it’s healthy.” “I’m sure it will be Daphne, stop worrying,” Justin said looking over at his friend. She was radiant, despite the bitching about the boobs. Her skin glowed with good health and she had such a peaceful aura about her, something he had never seen in the past. She looked happy and content. “I’m not worrying. I feel good Justin, now that the morning sickness is gone. Too good in fact,” she giggled. “I’m eating like there’s no tomorrow. I made Alex go to my favorite Chinese restaurant at ten o’clock last night because I had to have beef broccoli over rice and I wanted it right there and then. Poor guy didn’t get to bed at his normal time and he had this big surgery today; that’s why he couldn’t come to this appointment,” she threw in. “Oh well, this too shall pass,” Justin said. “You may as well eat all you want now because once you give birth you’ll have to starve yourself to get back in shape.” “I know; I’m not looking forward to that at all.” They had arrived at the hospital and Justin parked the car as close as possible so that Daphne wouldn’t have to walk too far. They made their way into the building and took the elevator up to the third floor, to the private offices of the doctors on staff at the hospital. Dr. Russo stood up as her secretary let them in and she crossed over to where Justin stood beside Daphne. She had never met him before, even though she heard Daphne talk about him so it was a pleasure to finally meet the famous Justin Taylor. “Lizzy, this is my friend Justin,” Daphne said. Justin stuck his hand out to shake Dr. Russo’s. “It’s a pleasure, Justin. I’ve heard so much about you from Daphne. I’m also a huge fan of your art, as you can see,” she said, pointing to the painting over her desk. Justin was pleased and flattered to see one his earlier pieces. “The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Russo. Thank you for taking such good care of my friend,” he said gently. “Please, call me Lizzy, Justin.” “Okay,” she said to both of them. “Are we ready to do this?” “Yes,” Daphne replied. “Justin, why don’t you wait here and I’ll get Daphne set up. We’ll call you in a minute.” “Okay,” Justin said, as he moved out of her office and over to the reception area. He picked up a magazine and started thumbing through the pages. About ten minutes later the nurse came to get Justin and he went into one of the examining rooms with her. Daphne was lying on the table with Dr. Russo by her side. She had a light blue paper gown over her, covering her breasts but open at the stomach. Justin walked in just in time to see Lizzy slathering some gel over Daphne’s tummy which was nice and rounded, like she had swallowed a small basketball. “You can stand over here by the monitor, Justin,” Dr. Russo said. “That way you can see your baby very clearly.” “Thanks,” Justin said quietly, not really comfortable in these surroundings. It was weird hearing Dr. Russo referring to the baby as ‘his’. He hadn’t really thought of this child as his, it was Daphne and Alex’s as far as he was concerned. He was just the ‘godfather’. He watched as the doctor picked up a wand that was attached to the monitor. It had a flat disk at the end and she dabbed some gel on that too and started rubbing it on Daphne’s tummy, looking at the computer screen the whole time. The room was completely silent and pretty soon a small whooshing sound came through, in a regular rhythm. Dr. Russo leaned forward and increased the volume. “Can you hear that? That’s the baby’s heartbeat,” she said. Justin looked over at Daphne and they both grinned. Dr. Russo continued to pass the wand back and forth, going over different areas of Daphne’s stomach. Justin kept looking at the monitor, trying to figure out what he was seeing but not really sure what was what. “I don’t see the baby, Dr. Russo,” he said. He looked over at the doctor and saw that she was frowning slightly. She shifted position and moved the wand over a certain spot on Daphne’s stomach, leaving it there and moving it back and forth, bending forward towards the monitor, staring at something only she could see. Daphne knew immediately that something was off. “What is it Lizzy, what’s wrong?” Dr. Russo shook her head, and made a silencing motion with her hand. She turned the knob on the volume and a new sound was heard, along with the first original noise they could hear another less noticeable, very faint whooshing sound. “Holy shit,” she said, under her breath. “What is it, Dr. Russo,” Justin asked alarmed. “Is there something wrong with the baby?” “No,” she said, very slowly, drawing out the word and looking at Justin then back at Daphne’s puzzled face. “There’s nothing wrong at all, in fact, this is fucking wonderful, if you’ll pardon my French,” she said to both of them. “What is it Elizabeth,” Daphne said in her most professional voice. “Just tell me and get it over with.” Dr. Russo broke into a huge smile and said, “You guys are having twins!” “What!” Daphne squeaked, unable to believe what she was hearing. Justin looked at her, appalled. “Are you sure?” “As sure as your name is Justin Taylor. Look,” she moved the wand back and forth, pointing at the monitor. “See that outline? That’s one head, and over here, she pointed to another spot, that’s another. That is why we’re picking up that other sound; it’s the other heartbeat. I couldn’t tell right away because one twin is covering the other. It took a minute to see them both,” she said with a big smile. “Oh-my-God, I have to sit down,” Justin said, looking completely panicked. “Can you tell their sex?” “Yes,” Dr. Russo said. “They’re girls, which is good. Girl babies are stronger and do better if they are born premature, which happens a lot with twins.” “Girls?” Justin said, still in shock. “I don’t know anything about girls.” “It’s my dream, Justin,” Daphne said in awe. “My crazy dream is coming true. I can’t believe this!” Justin sat there and stared at both of them. His eyes kept going back to the computer screen and he was finally able to make out the outlines of the two babies. He could feel his skin turning clammy and there was a slight hissing in his ears. He looked at Daphne and Dr. Russo and said, “I don’t feel so good.” In a minute he had fallen in a dead faint. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian looked at his cell phone as it buzzed, disturbing his train of thought. He put his pen down with a sigh and he picked the phone up to see who it was. He saw Daphne’s name on caller ID and he quickly answered, wondering what she wanted. He knew that Justin had gone with her to her doctor’s appointment so he hoped they hadn’t seen anything bad. “Brian, it’s Daphne.” “I know,” he said. “You need to get over here, it’s Justin,” she said. “What about him?” Brian asked concerned. “He fainted.” “What? Why?” Brian asked. “We’re at the doctors office. I just had an ultra-sound and Justin fainted while he was watching,” she said excitedly. “Why did he faint, Daphne? What else were you guys doing?” Brian was talking to her even as he was walking out of his office and down the hallway to catch the elevator to the basement. “He fainted because of what he saw on the monitor.” Brian stopped in his tracks and asked, “Is something wrong with the baby, Daphne?” “No Brian, the babies are fine.” “Excuse me?” Brian said quietly. “Did you just say babies, as in plural?” “Exactly. I’m having twins.” “Holy fucking shit! No wonder he fainted, I would have had a heart attack. I’m on my way over there, are you on the third floor, same as Alex’s office?” “Yes, just a few doors down. Suite 306.” “Did you have any idea you were having twins? That this was even a possibility? Brian asked, as he opened his car door and fastened his seat belt. “No, are you kidding? I was just so thrilled I even got pregnant, but I guess this was something that I should have expected since I was on hormones to stimulate ovulation. It’s not uncommon for women to have multiples on these types of drugs.” “Then I guess we should be grateful you’re not having triplets, or worse,” Brian stated. “Oh my God, that would have been awful,” Daphne said. “Well, I should be there shortly. How’s Justin doing?” “He’s lying down on one of the examining tables. They’re giving him stuff to revive him. He’ll be fine, I just thought you should come and be with him.” “Thanks Daphe, I’m glad you called. I’m almost there.” Brian was driving as fast as possible through the mid-day traffic. His mind was focused on Justin and he could only imagine what kind of state he was in. He remembered what he had felt like, the first time he held Gus in his arms. It was such a surreal feeling, as if he were watching someone else on a movie screen. It took many months for him to accept the fact that the child was actually his. Justin had not really talked about Daphne’s pregnancy or the future baby since they had come back from Toronto last fall. He accepted the fact that she was pregnant and that a child would be born, but the reality of that child being his had not really sunk in yet. Today was the first time that he would have been around anything having to do with the baby and to find out that they were not only having one baby, but two would have definitely caused some major drama. By the time he had parked his car and made his way up to the doctor’s office, Justin was already sitting up in a chair with an ice-pack pressed to the back of his neck and a small glass of orange juice by his side. His face was still as white as a sheet, the only color on it were two red splotches high on his cheekbones. “Hey,” Brian said softly as he sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulder. “Are you okay?” Justin leaned his head against Brian’s and he whispered into his ear. “Did they tell you?” “Yeah, what a shocker! This is what happens when Rage and JT get involved in anything,” Brian said with a smirk on his face. Justin sat in a daze, not smiling at Brian’s comment. “Brian, what are we going to do?” he asked, looking completely lost. “Do? We’re not going to do anything Sunshine. You’ve already done more than you were supposed to do. Talk about sharing the wealth; Jesus, this is more than anyone bargained for.” “Exactly,” Justin said. “We’re going to have to re-write the contract, add more money to the fund, and double everything in our plans. Holy-mother-of-God!” “You mean mother-of-Buddha, don’t you?” “Shut up Brian. This is so not funny.” “Why are you acting like it’s the end of the world, Justin? This is actually amazing. Daphne is getting two for the price of one. Just think about it, she’ll have her instant family and she’ll never think about getting pregnant again,” Brian said, staring at the deep blue eyes that were still in shock. “I guess,” Justin replied. “I just never thought I’d have a daughter, much less two!” “Hey,” Brian said gently, cupping Justin’s face tenderly, “Did you think babies only came in one style? The world is full of girl babies, Sunshine. Actually, if you think about it, this is a good thing. Gus will still be the only son and retain his Alpha position. There won’t be any jealousy issues.” Justin stared at Brian and his face started to change slowly and pretty soon a tentative smile appeared. “You are absolutely right, Brian. Why didn’t I think of that?” “That is why I make the big bucks, Sunshine.” Justin smiled wider now and he kissed Brian on the mouth saying, “Thank God for that. You’re the only one that ever makes sense when my world is turned upside-down.” “I love you too, Sunshine,” Brian said, grabbing Justin’s hand and intertwining their fingers. He stood up and pulled Justin along with him. “Come on, I want to see the picture of the girls and congratulate the mother of the future drama queens.” “How do you know they are going to be drama queens?” Brian looked at Justin and raised an eyebrow. “Do you really need to ask that question?” “What? I’m not a drama queen,” Justin said indignantly. “Really? Tell that to all the people in this room who have just finished picking up the remnants of your great queen-out in here.” “Shut up, Brian,” Justin said, feeling his face turn red as the receptionist and surgical assistant both watched him with smiles on their faces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was the second week of May and Daphne could no longer see her feet, which was a good thing, because if she had been able to, she would have been quite alarmed. They were swollen and her toes looked like Vienna sausages. The rest of her was almost as bad; she had taken off her wedding and engagement rings several weeks ago when they were getting painfully tight and her fingers now matched her fat feet. The pregnancy had progressed as well as could be expected although she was definitely retaining fluids in a big way, which was a cause for concern. Her blood pressure was starting to elevate and she was being monitored very closely to make sure she didn’t go into pre-eclampsia. They had removed any kind of salt from her diet, which was a horrible thing as her favorite snack was popcorn and without salt it felt like she was eating Styrofoam. All Daphne could think about at this point in the pregnancy was how to find a comfortable position. She was miserable lying down and standing was only comfortable for little bits at a time. The only thing that saved her from completely losing her mind was the recliner in Alex’s study. She spent most nights in it, trying to get comfortable and catching up on her sleep. Needless to say, their sex life was for shit and she sympathized with Alex but clearly, sex was the last thing on her mind right now. She had excused herself from her patients, going on maternity leave sooner than she would have liked. It was just too difficult to lumber back and forth from the house to the hospital and trying to sit through an hour with each patient was just out of the question. This left her with a lot of free time to spend planning for the impending arrival of the twins. Justin had been great after his initial melt-down. He had spent hours with her, picking out cribs and high chairs and strollers; deciding what colors to put in the nursery. He had insisted on painting a mural, a wonderful fantasy scene with princesses and unicorns and fairies in lovely pastels. She had asked him to paint it on canvas, rather than directly on the wall so that if they ever moved, she would be able to take it with her. Jennifer Taylor had been wonderful as well. Calling her almost everyday, asking her if she wanted anything special, offering to bring her food or DVD’s or books to alleviate the boredom. Alex was going crazy with excitement. When he found out they were having twins, and girls, he was overjoyed! He was hoping they would look like Daphne and have her coloring as he had always found it much more attractive than his and Justin’s blond-blue-eyed combination. Daphne didn’t care what they looked like. She just wanted them to be healthy and she prayed that she wouldn’t go into labor too soon which was always a danger when carrying twins. She had passed the seventh month mark which was a good sign. The longer she could keep them in utero, the better their chances were for survival. The biggest concern at this point was the water retention and her blood pressure. Alex took it every morning before leaving for work. He called her at least six times a day, just to make sure everything was alright and she was doing well. Her mother called everyday as well, dropping in unannounced too often, bringing her books on how to raise children, as if she hadn’t bought enough of those on her own and of course, the many volumes of poetry by Maya Angelou. Her mom was convinced that if she read to the girls while they were in her uterus they would be born reciting entire verses or some such garbage. Daphne could only roll her eyes and keep quiet. Daphne felt like a prized hen. Everyone was waiting for her to drop her precious load and she was getting as impatient as all the people around her. She was starting to chafe from the boredom of inactivity but was told in no uncertain terms that any form of exercise, other than walking was not allowed. This was considered a high risk pregnancy and everyone was doing all that was necessary to make sure the girls were born as close to the ninth month mark as possible. She and Alex had discussed names ad-nauseum and had finally decided on Justine Brianna and Alexandra Victoria. The first names were obvious as without Justin and Brian they would not exist. The second name she had insisted on, wanting to name one daughter after Alex and she had to throw in Victoria as a constant reminder of the struggle they went through to get them in the first place. Justin came over everyday, around lunch time, to bring her something healthy to eat and to sit and chat with her for a while. He had finally finished painting the mural which took up one entire wall and so now he spent the time sitting with her and listening to her bitching about her fingers and toes and stretch marks and just about anything else that popped into her head. He was flattered that they had decided to name one of the babies after him and Brian but he still didn’t feel anything when he thought about the children. He supposed that it would all change when they finally made their appearance but right now he felt like a guest at a sports event, present but not really involved. “How was your blood pressure this morning,” he asked Daphne, placing the tuna salad in front of her. “It was high but not terribly so. It’s been worse,” she said. “Isn’t that unusual for such a young woman in the peak of good health?” he asked. “It happens a lot in pregnancy, Justin. Hypertension and mild diabetes, in some women. Pregnancy can wreak havoc on your system, it’s just one of those things, and with multiple births the fun and games get really interesting,” she said. “Well, thank goodness it’s almost over. How many more weeks of this torture?” he asked. “About five,” she said. “That’s not so bad,” he replied. She looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one with two bowling balls in your tummy. And I swear Justin, these girls must have inherited your energy because they are constantly moving, especially at night. It feels like they’re having a party in there and can’t wait to get out,” she said. “Is it weird, feeling them move?” Justin asked. “I’m used to it now,” she answered. “But it was definitely a strange feeling in the beginning. Strange, but in a good way,” she said gently, with a small, satisfied smile on her face. “I would be so weirded out,” he said. “You want to feel?” she asked. “They’re moving right now.” She reached over and grabbed Justin’s hand and put it on her belly. She watched his face as it changed from normal to surprise when he felt the undulations under his hand. He pulled it away quickly and looked at her wide-eyed. “That is really strange,” he said. “I don’t think I could ever get used to that. It feels like aliens are in there.” “Well they are, in a way; we haven’t really met yet. But they’re a part of us Justin, a part of my body and I don’t really give it much thought. Feeling them move is rather comforting actually, it lets me know they’re okay.” “Speaking of moving,” she said, “I’ve got to get up and pee. Another wonderful side-effect of the pills I’m on. They have me peeing every hour on the hour hoping it will keep the blood pressure in check.” “Well, come on, let me help you up,” Justin said as he reached for her hand and hauled her up and off the chair. He watched her rear end as she sashayed out of the room, thinking to himself that she would have a hell of a time getting her ass back into shape after the babies were born. Of course he didn’t say anything lest his head get ripped off. He heard her calling his name and he made his way across the room and down the hall to the guest bathroom where she had gone into. He opened the door and stood there looking at a white-faced Daphne. She was leaning against the counter and starting to shake with anxiety. “What is it Daphne? What’s wrong?” he asked. She pointed at her feet and he looked down and saw a huge wet spot. “What happened? Didn’t you make it in time?” he asked. “No, that’s not it.” She looked at him and he could see the fear in her eyes as she said, “I’m leaking water, Justin. I think I’m about to go into labor. It’s too soon,” she said as a sob escaped her lips. “No!” Justin exclaimed, “What should I do? Do you want me to go get the car?” “Call Dr. Russo, Justin. She’s on our speed-dial. Tell her what’s going on, and then call Alex,” Daphne said, as she made her way over to the living room with tears pouring down her face. TBC