“It’s only water.”  The man’s voice penetrated the silence of the room that was so small that the sounds seemed to be drunk in and absorbed by the walls.  She was terribly thirsty.  She knew that she was going to have to take his word for it.  Taking a small sip, she let it lay in her mouth for a moment, trying to detect whether there was anything in the glass besides tap water.  When there was no hint of anything other than what it appeared to be, she drew the water into her mouth and allowed it to sooth her parched throat.  She drained the glass in case it would be a while before she was offered another drink.  Once the glass was empty, the man turned and pushed his frame through the doorway and closed the door behind him.  There was silence again, deafening silence.

After what seemed hours, Rachael began singing lullabies, knowing that her babies could hear her.  When she wasn’t singing, she was humming.  Trying to keep her mind off of what was happening, or not happening.  She thought at one point that maybe she was losing her mind.  Maybe none of this was happening at all.  But she knew she wasn’t hallucinating, this nightmare was definitely happening.

Rachael struggled to free her hands but they were strapped securely at the wrists with duct tape to the wooden posts of the headboard.  No matter how hard she tugged, she couldn’t free them.  She was feeling desperate.  She needed to use the bathroom and she was extremely hungry.  She had no idea what time it was, or even if it was still the same day.  It was then that her mind drifted to Taylor.  She was supposed to pick Taylor up in the afternoon.  Surely by now it was past time to pick her up at her daycare.  It seemed she’d been there in the tiny room for days now.

Just about the time she was certain she was going to wet herself the door opened again.  There in the doorway stood Donna with a stern look written across her face as she closed the door behind her.  It was then that Rachael noticed that there was no doorknob on her side of the door.  There was only a handle and a plate to cover a deadbolt lock.

“I brought you something to eat.”  Donna placed a tray of food on the tiny table beside the bed, and then she bent over to cut the tape from Rachael’s wrists and ankles.  Rachael sat up and rubbed her wrists and ankles to restore the circulation.

“Donna, why are you doing this?” she asked.  But Donna ignored the question.  Instead she turned and knocked twice on the door.  The bald, heavyset man opened the door from the other side and Donna left.

“But I need to use the bathroom!”  Rachael screamed.  There was no response.  She glanced toward the tray of food on the table.  There was bread, meat, vegetables, fruit, and a large glass of milk.  Beside the plate sat what Rachael recognized as a prenatal vitamin.  At least it appeared Donna had some degree of compassion for the babies. 

She sat down on the edge of the bed and ate the food with hunger, hoping desperately that Donna hadn’t spiked it with anything harmful.  An hour must have gone by before the door opened again and Donna came in, picked up the tray, and scrutinized what Rachael had eaten.

“You need to eat better, Rachael.  It’s beneficial to the baby.  Eat the fruit.”  It was more of a demand than a request as she handed Rachael the tangerine from the tray.  Rachael peeled the fruit, separated the segments, and ate them, watching Donna from the corner of her eye as the woman stood and observed her.

“Babies,” Rachael said, looking up as she corrected Donna while swallowing the last segment.  It was obvious Donna had either had her baby, or there was possibly never a baby to begin with.  Her stomach was completely flat without even the hint of a bulge.

“Did you have your baby?” Rachael ventured to ask, glancing in Donna’s direction.  The woman merely cast a sardonic grin.

“Not yet.”  She reached out and placed her hand on Rachael’s stomach and Rachael became nauseated, reading the scenario that was obviously in Donna’s mind.  “You’ll be the first to know when I do.”

Donna intended to have her babies!  She was certain that’s what this was all about.  Rachael drew in a deep breath and released it, trying to clear the cobwebs of fear that were entangling her mind.

“And it’s singular, baby.  I’m having a girl.”  She smiled with her hand still pressed firmly against Rachael’s belly.

“I’m having twins, Donna, a girl and a boy, Deana and Dustin.”  Rachael said, hoping beyond hope that her worries were unfounded.  But Donna shook her head with an insidious grin.

“I wouldn’t worry about your defective baby boy Dustin.”  Donna chuckled.  “And I’ll name my own daughter, thank you very much.”  Her eyes twinkled with pleasure at the evilness of her insinuation.