334 Checkup

May 22, 20X2 (Friday)

Various Places

Mei Lin and Yang could not believe that the time of the long-awaited checkup has finally come. When the sun rose for the day, even before Mei Lin had risen from the bed, the other members of the Zhao family had already finished their daily preparations and was already seated on the dining room, chattering and betting about the gender of the baby. There was chaos in the living room because of this reason. The hype of the checkup had brought their energy up into a new level of craziness. When Mei Lin and Yang went down with the kids, and into the dining room, it felt like an explosion of noise. Everyone was talking to them all at once.

"Mei Lin, can we come with you for the checkup?" Aunt Qinyang shouted on her chair as the pregnant woman entered the room.

Yang had to take a step back as his mother pushed him to the side, sliding her arms to wrap around Mei Lin's shoulder. With the softest voice, Mother Zhao said, "I am free today as well. How about taking me with you?"

Grandma Zhao was not doing anything and was watching on the side, but Mei Lin could see the hopeful gazes that were sent her way. Mei Lin felt that she was being pouted by the elder, silently begging to let her come along. The three Zhao men calmly sat on their chairs, laughing at their situation. Honestly, Mei Lin thinks they were laughing at Yang for being ignored for the rest of the time they ate their breakfast.

Because of her pregnancy, Mei Lin's mood was not great. Her attitudes tend to swing from one direction to another in a matter of second. Having Aunt Qinyang and Mother Zhao's insistent rambling, pleading, and subtle begging for them to be taken along, irked Mei Lin. Familiar with most of her mood, Yang had to intervene immediately.

"Mom, Aunt; Mei Lin and I have decided to wait until the baby is here to know the gender," Yang announced. He knew how the family has been so excited to know, but Mei Lin and he did not want to love one gender and find out that it would be the opposite gender. He and Mei Lin would like their child to be accepted no matter what gender it will be and having this small tug and war of what it would be had annoyed even him, what more if he was Mei Lin and pregnant. If he were as moody as Mei Lin, Yang would have no employees left in his company. He was fear enough without his mood swings.

There was an awkward silence after Yang's words flowed out of his mouth and echoed into everyone's ears. Mother Zhao and Aunt Qinyang visibly wilted. Seeing every woman in the table being sad, Ling Ling tilted her head and voicing out her confusion, "Why is the gender of the baby important? I would love my little sister, even if I have to share a room."

Chang nodded in agreement, "I would love my little brother even if I have to share my books too."

Instantly the room brightened because of their innocence. Chang and Ling Ling shook their heads. Sometimes, they could not understand adults. One moment they were sad, then next thing they know they are already happy. Their mother was the most confusing adult of them all. She changes facial expression like she was practicing for appearing in a play.

Hours later, Mei Lin and Yang with Chang and Ling Ling were in the radiologist department in the ultrasound section. Ling Ling and Chang were wide-eyed as they watch the image on the monitor that looked like it could not be understood. Yang and Mei Lin were silent as they watch the kids grill the doctor with questions.

Chang turned to the female doctor with narrowed eyes, "Is that the baby?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes, this is one baby." The smile on the doctor's face as she explained to the kids about the baby and its body part was beaming like the sun. She was enamored with Chang and Ling Ling.

Suddenly, the doctor said as she pointed at another more massive blob of black inside a circle of white, "...and this is baby number two."

The doctor's words took time to settle in the kid's mind and much longer in Mei Lin's and Yang's brain to process. Ling Ling gasped and exclaimed, "There are two?! How can they fit in mom's stomach?!"

Mei Lin turned to the doctor and exclaimed, "Wait. Wait! There are two?!"

Yang, who was previously standing, had to sit on the large couch on the side, touching his nose in helplessly. It was one thing to have one baby, but to have two just made sure he would not be sleeping anytime soon. How was he going to handle twins?!

The doctor smiled and said, "Do you want to know the gender of the two?"

Yang stood up, immediately and said, "No!"

When everyone's head turned to him after his large and loud proclamation, Yang had to mentally slap himself for panicking and said out loud, "We would like to wait for the baby to be born to know."

The doctor nodded her head, and when she opened her mouth to say something important, Yang stopped her with a hand to signal her to silence. The doctor was wide-eyed. She too was scared of Zhao Yang, but the news she was about to tell was important!

"As long as Mei Lin and the babies are doing great then we don't want to know anything else," Yang said, and Mei Lin nodded with an agreement.

Ling Ling and Chang were the only ones that could see the hesitance and the nervousness of the doctor. Once they were about to go home, Ling Ling and Chang turned to the doctor and tugged on her lab coat, successfully making the doctor bend down on their level. Chang leaned into the doctor's ears and whispered, "If there's more important information, you can tell it to Uncle Dr. Zhang."

Ling Ling nodded her head, making her ponytail bounce before she whispered, "He'll know what to do with it."

The doctor was surprised that two kids could be as perceptive as the two, and she was grateful that she could finally get the vital information across without having to deal with Zhao Yang's intimidating presence. The doctor had been nervous enough just knowing that she was going to be the one to be birthing Mei Lin and Zhao Yang was sure to be in the room to see the process. The doctor had been dreading that inevitable day. Sighing, the doctor began to think about how she was going to word the information. How can you tell the uncle that the couple thought they were having twins when they were actually having triplets because they would not let them add more to her previous announcement?

The doctor sighed again. She still has lots to learn.