Mollie sat nervously on the floor of the room that was supposed to be their nursery the first time she was pregnant.  JC should be home any minute and she hadn’t told him the news.  It had been three months since she found out and she didn’t want to tell him over the phone but she hadn’t wanted him to leave the tour for her.  So when he was talking about flying her out for a mini vacation, she gently suggested that he should come home for a while.  It was fall and the air was chilly but not unbearable.  Mollie was extra careful about everything she did, not wanting any accidents this time.

She was getting pretty antsy when she heard the door open.  She scrambled to her feet when he called out for her.  She had laid a series of arrows leading up the stairs to this room and soon enough he’d spot them and be here.  She laughed as she heard his footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Oh I like games babe,” he said, trying to be cute.

She rolled her eyes and waited until she saw his form come into sight.  He looked at her with one eyebrow raised as he stepped through the doorway.

“What’s going on?” JC asked, noting the envelope in Mollie’s hands.

“I wanna show you something,” Mollie said, holding the envelope out to him. 

He took it cautiously and slid his finger under the flap.  It felt like it was taking him forever to slide the paper out of the envelope but when he finally got it all the way out and realized that he was holding an ultrasound photo, his face was priceless.  His jaw dropped and he looked at her in amazement. 

Mollie couldn’t help but cry.  They’d been through so much in the last year and this was a blessing they never expected to get.  JC swooped her into his arms and she could feel him sob against her shoulder.  They held each other and cried for a while before JC pulled back, bending to place a kiss on her stomach. 

“You are the best gift we could ask for and we’re going to take the best care of you,” he said, speaking to the baby.

The pair laughed and cried as they sat on the floor of the nursery, trying to guess if it was a boy or a girl.  They talked about their fears and about their hopes for the future.  They decided they wouldn’t tell anyone until they were in the safe zone.  Before they knew it midnight had rolled around and JC insisted she get to bed. 

JC had time off during the holidays, his next trip coming at the end of January.  They relished in the times with nothing to do and spent time talking about the nursery.  Mollie was hungrier than usual and they talked about how they’d tell their friends and JC’s family.  After a round of shopping, they were eating lunch at a restaurant nearby their house.

“My jeans are getting really tight.  I didn’t think it would happen this soon,” Mollie said, sipping her water. 

“I didn’t want to say anything because I’m totally looking forward to your big pregnant belly but I feel like you’ve got a bump already and we're not that far in.”

“Maybe I’m just eating more because I think I should be.  We have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow so I guess I’ll ask them where I should be weight wise.”

They enjoyed the rest of their lunch and woke up the next morning, ready to go to the doctor and see the baby on the ultrasound.  The technician dimmed the lights and started moving the probe around her belly.  They saw a few things and the technician kept zooming and snapshotting things.  She didn’t say much and that made Mollie concerned.  At the last ultrasound, they chatted and the technician pointed things out to her.  Before she knew what was happening the technician excused herself and came back in with the doctor.

“Is something wrong?  I’m getting a little nervous with all this silence,” Mollie said, squeezing JC’s hand. 

“Nothing’s wrong, I just want Dr. Garcia to check something,” the technician assured her.

It didn’t help soothe her fears.  The doctor moved the probe around again and her eyes went wide.  She looked at JC and Mollie and took a moment before speaking.

“Well, it looks like you’re not having just one baby,” Dr. Garcia began.

“Twins?” JC asked. 

“Not quite.  It looks like there are five babies in there.”

“Five?” Mollie asked, in disbelief. 

“Yes, this would certainly explain why you’re growing so fast.”

The doctor showed them the five distinct bodies on the screen, printing out pictures of each.  The couple had a moment to themselves while Mollie cleaned off her stomach before they met with the doctor and they were in shock.  JC held her while she cried.  She didn’t know whether they were tears of joy or sadness or fear but she let them out while JC remained her steady partner.  They headed over to the doctor’s office to discuss what this meant.

“Having this many babies at one time, naturally, is a one in a million thing.  It just doesn’t happen without modern technology and help in the pregnancy process.”

“What does this mean for Mollie?  Is she in danger at all?” 

“No, at some point you will most likely have to go on bedrest to prevent early labor.  Multiples tend to come early and we want those babies to stay in there as long as possible.  Overall I would say take it easy from now on, don’t over exercise or lift things that are too heavy.  You will need to up your diet.  We’ll provide you with some information on that.  Just keep in mind you’ve got five little lives to nourish and while it may seem like a lot to you, it’s what they need to thrive.”

The doctor kept going on about various changes that would be coming but Mollie’s head got fuzzy.  She was scared that something would go wrong.  She didn’t think she could handle losing another child and the high risk of this pregnancy didn’t ease her worries. 

“Miss Greenspan, did you have any other questions for me?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve processed the information yet, I’ll probably call your office tomorrow with a thousand questions.”

The doctor laughed and shook their hands.  The couple head to the car and their drive home was silent as they took in the life changing moment they’d just shared.  When they arrived home, Mollie went up to their room to change out of her tight jeans and into comfy yoga pants.  She lay on the bed, her head still spinning.  JC climbed in next to her.

“I’m scared,” Mollie said, running her hands over her bump.

“I’m not gonna lie, I am too.  But we’ll do it together,” JC said reaching his hand over and placing it on her stomach. 

“What am I gonna do when you’re gone?  Jo’s gone,” Mollie said, panicking.

“Listen, I have a video to shoot, two shows to film and the Pro Bowl.  After that I’m going to slow down and not do things that I can’t do from here.” 

“But you’re just getting your solo career off the ground, you have to be out there.”

“Don’t you know that you and these babies are more important to me than anything in this whole world?”  JC turned to face his girlfriend.  “I would give all my obligations up right now if I thought you’d let me do it.” 

“You can’t do that for me.    Besides, we’ve got five babies to raise, you need a job!”  They both needed that laugh and it broke the seriousness.

“We’ll have enough to start a boy band,” JC quipped. 

“Oh god, how are we going to tell everybody that we’re having five babies?  How are we going to tell your mother?  She was already upset about us having a baby and not being married.”

“She’ll get over it and immediately want to move down here to be with them every minute.  Speaking of which, we have two Christmases this week to get ready for.” 

“We should probably make a grocery list.  It’s a good thing I’ve cleaned the house already.”

            They tried to carry on as normally as possible over the next week and having something to keep her busy kept Mollie’s mind off her expanding stomach.  She managed to make some appetizers and prepare some desserts in advance.  When Friday rolled around, she needed to take a break.  She knew she’d be on her feet this weekend and early next week so she wanted to relax today.   Just as she settled into the couch, however, JC came in the room. 

“I brought your jacket and some shoes,” he said, sweeping in like she’d asked him to.

“Thanks?” 

“You’ve got a car waiting for you my girl.  I’m sending you out for a little pampering.”

“What?” 

“Consider it an early Christmas gift.  You have a driver and you’re headed to the salon.”

“Baby, you don’t h…” 

“I want to,” JC said, escorting her to the car door.  He managed to get her in the back and give her a kiss.  “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay,” Mollie said, confused but willing to get pampered. 

She took the ride to the salon where she was told she would be getting a manicure and pedicure.  She was excited at the thought of a foot massage, her feet were tired. 

Back at the house, JC began his preparations.  He had more surprises in store for Mollie tonight.  He figured he had about two hours or so before she would be back so he had to move fast.  He headed to the back yard and rigged up a big screen that he had rented for the night.  He had it facing the woods so that her back would be to the dock.    He moved on to the projector and then the chair he wanted to set up for her.  He strung Christmas lights on the back of the house and along the dock.  When he was satisfied with the outside, he moved inside.  He placed bunches of peonies, her favorite flower, on every surface he could find.  He wrote the notes that would instruct her on what he wanted her to do and then he got himself ready.