DOUBLE-TROUBLE
618 Words
The paper lining on the exam table crinkled loudly under Evelyn's weight as she stared up at the dark monitor mounted on the wall.
The door opened, and Dr. Chen walked in holding a tablet. "Morning, Evelyn. Nervous?"
"Terrified," Evelyn admitted, her voice tight. "Just tell me the embryo actually took."
"We'll know in ten seconds," Dr. Chen said, pulling up her rolling stool. "Lie back and relax."
A sharp, double knock rattled the door.
Before Dr. Chen could answer, Julian stepped into the room, his jacket off, his dark sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
Evelyn sat up immediately. "What are you doing in here?"
"I'm watching the scan," Julian said, closing the door behind him with a firm snap.
"Get Out, Julian," Evelyn said, pointing straight at the hallway. "We didn't agree to this."
Julian didn't budge. He stood near the foot of the table, his arms crossed over his chest. "I cleared three board meetings to be here. I'm not waiting in a lobby like a stranger while my child is on that screen."
"I am the patient, and this is my body," Evelyn shot back, her eyes flashing light and anger . "Dr. Chen, tell him to leave."
Dr. Chen paused, looking between Julian's unyielding stance and Evelyn's furious glare. "Mr. Vance, legally, if the patient asks you to step out."
"I am paying the clinic's operating retainers, Doctor," Julian said, his baritone slicing through the air. "I will stay here ."
"You don't own me, Julian!" Evelyn shouted, sitting all the way up on the edge of the table. "go Out now!"
Julian looked at her for three agonizing seconds. The muscle in his jaw flexed, but seeing the sheer defiance in her eyes, he backed up toward the door.
"I'll be right outside the glass," Julian said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Don't take too long."
The door slammed shut.
Evelyn let out a jagged breath and dropped back onto the table. "Proceed, Doctor."
Dr. Chen dimmed the lights and applied the cold gel. The ultrasound monitor flickered to life, glowing with dark gray static before a sharp black shape appeared in the center.
"There's the sac," Dr. Chen said, zooming in. "Implantation is strong. The embryo is right where it needs to be."
Evelyn let out a shaky sigh, her eyes tearing up as she looked at the tiny dot. "It's really there..."
"Wait," Dr. Chen said suddenly, her fingers freezing on the controls. She shifted the probe half an inch to the left.
A second, perfectly formed black circle appeared right beside the first one.
Evelyn's breath hitched. "Is everything okay? What is that second shadow?"
Dr. Chen looked at the screen, then back at Evelyn with wide eyes. "Sample 408B split after implantation. Evelyn... you're carrying identical twins."
Evelyn felt the world tilt. Twins. Two babies. Two heirs to Vance International.
Before she could even process the shock, the exam room door was shoved open so hard it cracked against the wall.
Julian stood in the doorway, his face pale, holding his phone in a white, knuckled grip.
"Evelyn, get your coat," Julian commanded, his voice raw with sudden, furious urgency.
"Julian, I told you to stay out of the room."
"Aegis Clinic just filed an emergency court injunction," Julian cut her off, grabbing her coat off the chair and tossing it to her. "They're claiming the sample was corrupted and demanding an immediate forced termination procedure, and their legal team just walked into the building with a court order."
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