Órion Fantone
My head was about to explode. The conversation with Melissa hadn’t been easy, and once again, my daughter had turned against me. Abigail absolutely refused to go public about our relationship and our baby, which meant I was back to square one—unable to walk hand in hand with my woman for fear of paparazzi, forced to have medical appointments at night, at home, not in a fully equipped hospital, staying away and seeing her in secret. I closed the laptop and lit a cigarette. It was morning, and I was in the office, flooded with rescheduled meetings I had missed earlier.
"You know cigarettes can cause miscarriage, fetal malformation, and even changes to the placenta." I froze at the sound of my assistant’s voice. She was reading a document to me about pregnancy and its precautions.
"Shit," I shouted, putting out the cigarette. I opened a drawer, grabbed all the packs of that poison, and threw them in the trash. "I’ll never smoke again in my life."
"And how are you going to calm down?" she asked, drawing my attention.
"Counting to a hundred." I shrugged, grabbing my blazer from the desk. "Actually, to a thousand—I think a hundred’s not enough."
"And where do you think you’re going?" She stood from the chair she’d been sitting in and placed the papers on the desk.
"To take care of my pregnant woman."
"But we have a speech to prepare and—"
"You can handle that for me. Now I need you to send the obstetrician to my flat. I need to talk to him."
"Governor, Miss Abigail had a consultation last week. I know you couldn’t be there, but she assured you everything is fine."
I took a deep breath and slipped on the blazer. I had missed our baby’s first appointment because of a damn meeting with the president, but I needed to see with my own eyes that the little one growing inside her was okay.
"Don’t question it, just do what I’m asking." I picked up my phone, typing a message to Abigail. She didn’t have class and was at my flat, waiting for me. "And buy me an ultrasound machine—I can’t wait month to month just to make sure my baby’s alright."
"Alright, sir, I’ll take care of that. Anything else?"
"Buy a thermometer too." She burst out laughing. "And get a sphygmomanometer."
"A what?" She raised her eyebrows, not writing any of it down.
"Are you taking notes?" I crossed my arms.
"I feel so sorry for Abigail. She’s going to suffer in your hands until that baby is born." Smiling, she gathered the papers and walked past me. "Who buys a thermometer to care for a pregnant woman? This man is losing his mind—and I’m the one who has to deal with it."
I ignored her comment and left the office. I walked as fast as I could to my car. One of the security guards opened the door for me, and I got in while trying to call my daughter. Melissa didn’t answer. I was worried and desperately wanted to reconnect with her, but after our talk, things had only gotten worse.
When I arrived at my building, the doctor was already waiting for me, and we entered the elevator together. He had already signed a confidentiality agreement—something I wasn’t fond of—but after I cooled my head and Abigail asked me to wait until after the elections, I realized it was the best way to protect her.
"Governor!" my woman shouted, throwing herself into my arms as soon as the flat door opened. "We missed you so much!"
"I missed you too." I kissed her lips but stopped when I remembered we weren’t alone. "The doctor is here to examine you."
"Again?" She glared at me, clearly annoyed. She kept telling me I was too worried. "Hello, Doctor."
"Hello, Miss Abigail. It’s an honor to be here once again." The doctor shook her hand until I pulled my woman away. I didn’t like other men touching her, let alone holding her hand. "Shall we begin the consultation?"
"Of course, let’s go upstairs," I said, smiling. I felt nervous and anxious to see my baby.
Carefully, I helped Abigail up the stairs and into the first bedroom. She went into the bathroom, put on the gown the doctor had given her, and lay down on the bed, knees raised and legs slightly apart. I sat beside her on the bed, holding her hand. I hadn’t been part of Melissa’s early checkups because I’d been too busy with college, but now, I would do everything differently.
"Last week, we didn’t do the transvaginal ultrasound because you wanted to wait and see the baby together with the governor," the doctor explained, setting up a small monitor on the bedside table. "Today we’ll do the exam, and you’ll be able to see the baby and determine the exact gestational age, since the menstrual date isn’t always reliable."
"Thank you for waiting for me," I whispered in her ear and kissed her before gently caressing her hair. My heart was racing, and my mouth was dry. I’d felt this sensation before, but knowing I had created a life—it was magical.
"Shall we begin?" The doctor showed a device that looked like a male member and covered it with what looked like a condom.
"Sorry, but what exactly do you plan to do with that?" I adjusted myself on the bed, staring at the doctor.
"It’s a standard procedure, Governor. I’ll insert it so we can see the baby."
"Um..." I looked at my wife, feeling extremely uneasy. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes, it’s normal. I looked it up—it’s safe for both me and the baby."
I looked again at the device, and even though mine was bigger, I felt a little uncomfortable—but I was dying to see the baby. The doctor began the procedure. Abigail squeezed my hand slightly, which made me nervous. I was about to say something when he pressed a button, and the images appeared.
"Look here." He pointed to a small black-and-white dot on the screen. My eyes were locked on it. I couldn’t even blink. The doctor kept talking, but I was in another world—all I could think about was that little life. "Wait a second."
"What’s wrong?" Abigail asked, bringing me back to reality. Something was off, and it made my chest ache.
"Is the baby okay?" I asked, worried, staring at the doctor.
"The babies are fine," he corrected me, smiling. I kissed my wife’s hand.
"Relax, curls, the babies are... babies?" I said aloud, realizing what he had said. "Wait, the babies? Plural?!"
"Yes, Governor. Twins—with separate placentas." I went pale, feeling my wife’s cold hand. Abigail already had tears in her eyes. "Congratulations to the couple—two at once."
"Two babies? Governor..." She tapped me a few times. "One wasn’t enough, huh? You had to put two in me."
"I’m so good at what I do, I made two at once," I joked. "Can we hear the heartbeats?" The doctor pressed another button, and the loud, rapid, and beautiful sound filled the room. It was the sound of the lives Abigail and I had created. "Strong—just like their daddy."
I let out a laugh and kissed her lips. I was in bliss—I wouldn’t be a father to just one, but two babies. I had always dreamed of a big family, and now I was making that dream come true. I used to be a lonely man, but Abigail came into my life and changed everything. I was finally happy, and I would do everything I could to help my daughter share in that happiness too. After all, she would be the big sister and would have the important mission of helping with her little siblings.
After the ultrasound, I got a call from my assistant. Something was going on, and she needed to meet me at my mansion right away. Melissa was also there, waiting for me. I was so happy and glowing that I didn’t think anything could ruin it.
"Dad, I’m so glad you’re here." Melissa hugged me. "I... I’m sorry. I was so angry, I did something stupid."
I let go of her, looking into her eyes. She was nervous, her hands trembling. I knew my daughter only got like that when she’d done something bad.
"What’s going on?" I looked at my assistant, who held a tablet in her hands. "What did you do this time, Melissa?"
"Your daughter sent some pictures of you and Abigail—and worse, she told the press about the baby."
I felt a sharp pain in my chest and placed one hand over my heart, massaging it. Sooner or later, the press would find out about my relationship, but something inside me said this would bring serious trouble—not just for the election, but from my enemies. Now my whole family was at risk.
"Dad... are you okay?" I took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. "I’m so sorry. As soon as I posted the pictures, I regretted it. And when I told Katarina, she scolded me."
"Abigail is pregnant with twins," I whispered. "You’ve put your siblings in danger."
"So it’s not a lie? She really is pregnant." She ran her hands through her hair. "I’m sorry. I... damn it! I was jealous. You love them so much, and I always feel left out."
"Melissa, you went too far. I would have gone public, but not like this—not without preparing." I was disappointed in my daughter. She was always causing trouble, but this time, she had gone way too far. "It seems like you enjoy hurting me. Maybe it’s because of your mother’s death, and I get that—but I’m tired."
"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it."
"Save your apologies. This time, I’m not letting it slide."
I walked away from them, pulling my phone from my pocket. I was shaken and had a terrible feeling. I called Abigail, and as soon as she answered, my heart calmed.
If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself.