The next morning felt different.
Neither Leah nor Izana mentioned it immediately.
But both of them were thinking about the exact same thing.
The conversation from the night before lingered between them.
The nausea.
The exhaustion.
The headaches.
The strange food aversions.
And the possibility neither of them had dared to say out loud for weeks.
Leah woke slowly.
For a moment she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling.
Beside her, Izana was already awake.
He always seemed to wake before everyone else.
Normally she found that comforting.
Today it made her nervous.
Because she knew he was thinking about it too.
Leah turned her head.
Izana was already looking at her.
The moment their eyes met, neither needed to explain anything.
They both knew.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Leah quietly asked:
"...Should we check?"
There was no hesitation.
"Yes."
His answer came immediately.
Not because he doubted her.
Not because he was impatient.
Because he wanted certainty.
Because if there was a child—
he wanted to know.
Leah nodded slowly.
And suddenly her heart started beating much faster.
The medical corridor occupied an entire corridor of the mansion.
It wasn't something most visitors ever saw.
Private examination rooms.
Specialists.
Equipment.
Everything the family could possibly need.
Normally Leah barely thought about it.
Today she felt every step.
The walk seemed longer than usual.
The corridor quieter.
The air colder.
Izana noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
Without saying anything, he reached for her hand.
Leah looked down.
Their fingers intertwined instantly.
The simple gesture eased some of the tension in her chest.
A little.
Not enough.
But enough.
Izana glanced at her.
"You don't have to be nervous."
Leah laughed softly.
"That's easy for you to say."
"No."
His thumb brushed lightly against her hand.
"It isn't."
That surprised her.
"You are nervous."
"Yes."
The admission was quiet.
Honest.
Leah blinked.
Izana rarely admitted things like that.
Not because he hid his emotions from her.
Because he carried them differently.
But today she could see it.
The tension in his shoulders.
The way his grip on her hand remained firm.
The way he hadn't let go once.
Suddenly she felt less alone.
The doctor greeted them warmly.
"Good morning."
"Morning," Leah replied.
Izana simply nodded.
The doctor smiled slightly.
Then noticed that Izana was still holding Leah's hand.
He wisely chose not to comment.
Instead, he led them into the examination room.
The appointment began with routine questions.
How long had she been experiencing symptoms?
Had she been unusually tired?
Nauseous?
Headaches?
Changes in appetite?
Leah answered everything honestly.
As she spoke, the doctor's expression gradually became more knowing.
Which only made her more nervous.
Eventually the doctor nodded.
"Let's have a look."
Leah's stomach immediately tightened.
A few minutes later she was lying back on the examination bed.
Izana sat beside her.
Still holding her hand.
Still refusing to let go.
The doctor prepared the ultrasound equipment.
The room felt strangely quiet.
Leah watched the ceiling.
Then looked at Izana.
He was watching her.
Not the equipment.
Not the doctor.
Her.
Immediately.
Always her.
"You alright?" he asked softly.
Leah smiled nervously.
"No."
Something warm appeared in his eyes.
"Neither am I."
Despite everything, she laughed.
Just a little.
The doctor smiled at the exchange before turning his attention toward the screen.
Then the examination began.
Leah couldn't understand what she was looking at.
Neither could Izana.
The images meant nothing to them.
Just shapes.
Movements.
Grey shadows.
The doctor studied the screen carefully.
His attention completely focused.
Leah's grip tightened around Izana's hand.
Izana squeezed back immediately.
The room grew silent.
Seconds stretched.
Then stretched longer.
Leah found herself watching the doctor's face instead of the screen.
Searching for clues.
Searching for answers.
Anything.
Finally—
The doctor smiled.
A genuine smile.
The kind that instantly changed the atmosphere of the room.
Leah's breath caught.
Beside her, Izana straightened slightly.
The doctor looked at them.
"Congratulations."
Everything stopped.
Leah stared.
Izana stared.
The doctor continued.
"You're pregnant."
Silence.
For one beautiful second neither of them moved.
Neither spoke.
The words simply settled.
Pregnant.
Leah felt tears immediately burn behind her eyes.
Pregnant.
After all the conversations.
All the hopes.
All the dreams.
It was real.
Beside her, Izana slowly exhaled.
As though he had been holding his breath for weeks.
Maybe he had.
The next moment he leaned forward and pulled Leah into his arms.
Carefully.
Protectively.
Like she might disappear if he didn't hold her.
Leah immediately hugged him back.
A laugh escaped her.
Half laugh.
Half sob.
"Iz—."
He pressed his forehead against hers.
For a moment neither cared that the doctor was still there.
Nothing else mattered.
Nothing.
Izana closed his eyes briefly.
And Leah realized something astonishing.
His hands were trembling.
Very slightly.
But enough.
Enough to tell her how much this meant.
When he finally pulled back, one of his hands moved instinctively to her stomach.
Resting there gently.
Almost reverently.
Like he was already trying to protect their child.
His child.
Their child.
The future they had dreamed about.
Leah covered his hand with hers.
And smiled through tears.
Then she noticed something.
The doctor hadn't looked away from the screen.
He was still watching it.
Still smiling.
But also...
waiting.
Leah's happiness faltered.
Just slightly.
A cold feeling settled in her stomach.
The doctor looked like he still had something to say.
Immediately, fear appeared.
Leah's fingers tightened around Izana's.
The change didn't escape him.
His attention shifted instantly.
"What is it?"
Leah looked toward the doctor.
"Is something wrong?"
The room became quiet again.
The doctor blinked.
Clearly surprised.
Izana's expression changed immediately.
The happiness vanished.
Replaced by concern.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Protective.
He turned toward the doctor.
"Is the baby alright?"
Leah's heart stopped.
For one horrible moment, neither of them breathed.
The doctor stared.
Then suddenly laughed softly.
Not cruelly.
Not dismissively.
Just amused.
And relieved.
"Oh."
The doctor smiled.
"No, nothing is wrong."
The tension remained.
Neither relaxed.
The doctor glanced at the screen again.
Then back at them.
"Both babies are perfectly healthy."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Leah blinked.
Izana blinked.
The doctor continued.
Completely unaware of the devastation he had just caused.
"Everything looks excellent."
Still silence.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Because both babies?
Both?
Leah slowly turned her head.
Izana slowly turned his.
Their eyes met.
And simultaneously—
The realization hit.
Twins.
They were having twins.
For several seconds neither could process it.
The information simply bounced around inside their heads.
Twins.
Not one.
Two.
Two babies.
Two heartbeats.
Two tiny lives growing inside Leah.
Leah was the first to react.
A laugh escaped her.
Then another.
Not because anything was funny.
Because she was overwhelmed.
Happy.
Shocked.
Speechless.
Everything at once.
"We're having twins?"
The doctor nodded.
"Yes."
Leah immediately looked at Izana.
He was completely frozen.
Absolutely motionless.
The doctor continued explaining things.
Statistics.
Information.
Health updates.
Recommendations.
Izana heard approximately none of it.
Because his brain had stopped functioning.
Twins.
Two.
Two children.
He looked at the screen.
Then at Leah.
Then at her stomach.
Then back at the screen.
As though checking reality.
Several times.
Leah actually laughed harder.
"Iz."
No response.
"Izana."
Finally he looked at her.
The expression on his face made her laugh again.
Because for perhaps the first time since she had met him—
Izana Grimshaw genuinely had no idea what to say.
Eventually the appointment ended.
The doctor provided pictures.
Advice.
Instructions.
All the normal things.
Neither absorbed much.
Because both were still trying to process the fact that they had entered the room expecting one child.
And were leaving with two.
The corridor outside felt strangely bright.
For a while neither spoke.
They simply walked.
Hand in hand.
Moving slowly.
Finally Leah broke the silence.
"Are you alright?"
Izana looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Then let out a small laugh.
A real laugh.
Warm.
Soft.
Almost disbelieving.
Leah's eyes widened.
Because those laughs were rare.
Very rare.
Izana shook his head slightly.
Then placed a hand gently over hers where it rested against her stomach.
"We're having twins."
He said it like he still couldn't believe it.
Like if he repeated it enough times it might become real.
Leah smiled.
"We are."
His expression softened completely.
The shock remained.
But beneath it—
joy.
Pure joy.
The kind that couldn't be hidden.
The kind that transformed his entire face.
Leah had seen him happy before.
She had seen him smile.
Laugh.
Love.
But this was different.
This was hope.
The kind that came from imagining the future.
A future with her.
With Zarek.
And now—
with two more children.
Leah slipped her arm through his.
"We should probably tell everyone."
Izana looked down at her.
A small smile appeared.
"Eventually."
Leah laughed.
"Eventually?"
"I need a moment."
That made her laugh even harder.
Because apparently the terrifying head of the Grimshaw family needed time to recover from discovering he was going to become the father of twins.
And honestly?
She understood completely.
Far above them, completely unaware that his wish had just become significantly more complicated, Zarek was currently teaching his lion plush how to share toys.
Very soon—
he was going to need that lesson twice.