The following month, Liz and Henry went to her appointment, and the doctor said everything looked good with Liz and the babies. This time, they could clearly see both children. One, as they already knew, was a boy. And now they confirmed the second baby was a girl. They were going to have a boy and a girl.
Both of them became emotional. Liz cried while Henry gently wiped away her tears. His own eyes were filled with tears, but he tried to hide it.
The doctor congratulated them once again and told Liz she expected to see her in fifteen days—or anytime she needed.
Still at the clinic, Henry called his parents while Liz called her mother, and they shared the news. Everyone was overjoyed. They invited Penne, Nick, and Piter to have lunch with them at their usual restaurant. Since it was almost lunchtime, they headed there right away.
Liz was sipping juice when their friends arrived. Henry had already ordered juice for the four of them so they could toast together. They greeted one another, and Liz announced they had found out the sex of the second baby.
Henry looked at Piter and said, "You just gained a goddaughter. We're having a boy and a girl."
Piter said he was very happy—he had chosen the pink balloon that night, so he had guessed correctly too.
"Let's make a toast with juice," Henry said, raising his glass. "Since my wife can't drink wine."
The four of them clinked their glasses and drank their juice—Liz was already finishing hers. They ordered their meals, and after lunch they said goodbye and returned to their respective workplaces.
Henry dropped Liz off at home and went back to work. But every half hour, he called to make sure she was okay.
And so those two weeks passed.
On the day of her next appointment, Liz's blood pressure was slightly high. The doctor advised her to rest more, maintain a healthy diet, and continue light physical activity.
"I'm not feeling anything," Liz said.
The doctor told her to stay alert and call immediately if anything felt off. Liz and Henry left the clinic and went straight home.
That day, Henry didn't go back to work. He didn't want Liz to be alone. His mother's housekeeper was coming by, but they needed someone there daily so Liz would have company. Liz told him he could go without worry, but he grabbed his briefcase and sat at the computer.
"I'm just going to send a document and then make us some juice."
"Are you worried about something I don't know?" Henry asked.
"No," Liz replied.
"Maybe I'll go to the office tomorrow, at least for part of the day. I've been staying home too much. Maybe that's it."
"We'll see," Henry answered.
The next morning, Liz woke up early, full of energy. She got dressed, and when Henry saw her putting on makeup, he asked where she was going.
"I'm going to the office. There's a meeting today, and I need to be there. Penne told me last night."
"I'll get ready and drive you."
"You don't have to."
"Liz, just a few minutes and I'll be ready."
"I took the morning off so we could be together."
"That's nice. After the meeting, let's go shopping. There are still many things we need to buy for the babies."
They went to the company. While Liz headed to the meeting, Henry went to grab a coffee.
During the meeting, Liz learned about a very promising new project for the company. However, the contracting company belonged to Maik's group.
Liz immediately said they couldn't take the project. But the other partners argued it was too good to refuse.
Penne asked for a moment and stepped out with Liz to her office.
"Penne, you know I can't work with Maik. Yesterday at my appointment, my blood pressure was high. My doctor ordered absolute rest. How am I supposed to stay calm with Maik nearby? I won't feel safe with him around. And what if he tries something? Henry won't feel at ease either, knowing he's so close. I think he planned all of this."
"What if he works directly with me and the others?" Penne suggested. "You wouldn't even have to see him. You could handle the parts you're responsible for and work from home."
Still distressed, Liz asked Penne to tell the others she wasn't feeling well and had left the meeting.
"Tell them to continue without me. Whatever the majority decides, I'll accept it. The other partners don't know what he did to me—they probably didn't understand why I was against it. But I'm not going to risk my children's lives. I don't know his true intentions."
Liz went to find Henry and asked him to leave with her.
He looked confused. "Is the meeting already over?"
"For me, it is. But once we sit down and I calm down, I'll tell you everything."
He agreed, and the two of them left the company to go buy the remaining baby items they needed.