The Invitation Arrives

Hira bounced on her toes in the hospital corridor, her phone buzzing with notifications. At five months pregnant with thirteen babies, she moved carefully but with excitement sparkling in her blue eyes.

"Elizabeth!" she called as her friend approached. "Perfect timing. I just got the test results back."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Already? That was fast!"

"The doctors said they've never seen anything like it." Hira grinned, patting her growing belly. "Thirteen heartbeats, all strong and healthy. And now we know their genders!"

Elizabeth practically bounced. "Tell me everything!"

"Not yet." Hira's smile turned mischievous. "I'm planning something special. A gender reveal party like no one's ever seen before."

She pulled up her contacts list, scrolling through names. "I want to invite all your pregnant friends. We'll make it a competition - everyone can guess the genders, and whoever wins gets a prize."

Elizabeth laughed. "That sounds absolutely chaotic."

"Exactly." Hira's fingers flew across her phone screen, already typing invitations. "This is going to be legendary."

When the Phone Won't Stop

Three hours later, Hira sat in the hospital café, her phone buzzing constantly with replies. Elizabeth stirred her hot chocolate and watched her friend's eyes grow wider with each notification.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand," Hira said, scrolling through messages. "Twelve pregnant friends have already said yes, plus their husbands, and now some are bringing their kids."

A woman with short auburn hair approached their table, carrying a medical clipboard. "Excuse me, are you Hira? I'm Dr. Sarah Chen from the ultrasound department."

Hira looked up nervously. "Is everything okay with the babies?"

Dr. Chen smiled, but her expression seemed puzzled. "The babies are perfectly healthy. But we need to discuss your gender reveal party. Word has spread through the hospital, and now we have reporters calling. Apparently, thirteen babies is some kind of record."

Elizabeth nearly choked on her drink. "Reporters?"

"The local news wants to cover your party," Dr. Chen continued. "They're offering to provide decorations and a professional photographer in exchange for exclusive coverage."

Hira's phone rang again. This time it was an unknown number.

"Should I answer?" she whispered to Elizabeth, who nodded frantically.

"Hello, this is Channel 7 News..."