Double Vision

River flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder as she scrolled through Pinterest on her phone. Baby shower decorations filled her screen - pink and blue balloons, tiny booties, adorable onesies.

"What about these?" she asked Ernie, showing him a picture of elegant white and gold centerpieces.

Ernie leaned closer, his dark eyes lighting up. "Those are perfect! Your mom is going to love planning this with us."

River's phone buzzed with a text from her doctor's office. She read it quickly, then gasped. Her brown eyes widened as she stared at the message.

"What is it?" Ernie asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"The ultrasound results," River whispered, her usual confident demeanor cracking. "Ernie... we're having twins."

The phone slipped from her hands, clattering onto the park bench. Around them, Maple City hummed with afternoon activity - cars honking, children playing on the nearby playground, water fountains splashing in the distance.

Ernie grabbed her shoulders gently. "Twins? Really?"

River nodded, still shocked. Two babies. Everything had just changed completely.

Boxes and Surprises

Ernie picked up River's phone from the bench and handed it back to her. "Two babies," he said, shaking his head in amazement. "Your mom is going to flip."

River's phone buzzed again. This time it was her mom calling.

"Hi, Mom," River answered, still feeling dizzy from the news.

"River! I just got off the phone with Dr. Martinez's office. They said you need to come in right away for some follow-up tests. Something about your blood pressure being too high."

River's stomach dropped. "What does that mean?"

"Just get here as soon as you can, honey. I'm driving to the hospital now."

The phone call ended. River stared at Ernie, fear creeping into her brown eyes for the first time since she'd known she was pregnant.

"What's wrong?" Ernie asked.

"I have to go to the hospital. My blood pressure is too high or something." River stood up quickly, then swayed on her feet. Black spots danced in front of her eyes.

Ernie caught her arm. "Whoa, sit back down. I'm calling my dad to drive us."

River had never felt so scared in her life.