Annie's optimism had been spot on. At four o'clock, the four of us sat huddled around Lissa's dining room table with Annie's phone on speaker between us. We were anxious for HCG levels. Without them, there was no pregnancy, fifty indicated one baby, two hundred or higher, and we were having multiples. All four of us had prayed for multiples.
Holding hands in a circle, we waited for the nurse to pick up the line.
"Hey, guys." Her voice was chipper when it finally replaced the hold music. "Do we have everyone on the line?"
I took the lead. Annie was squeezing the circulation from my hand, and I wasn't sure she'd be able to speak. "Yeah, all four of us are here."
"Let me pull up Lissa's file. Give me just a second."
I had hoped her tone was an indication of her good news, but it didn't seem she'd even looked at the labs.
"Everything looks good, guys. Labs are great."
Annie took a deep breath beside me but hadn't let it back out.
"HCG levels?" I asked.