The Hat Fairy (Good Omens)

The Day After We Found Out We Were Having Twins

I arrived at work in our North Vancouver clinic. By chance of fate perhaps, I ended up back here in Vancouver (just north of Portland across the border in Washington) in a clinic that I worked in about 10-12 years ago last time I was at Kaiser. Working with Rose Marie, who I worked with from 2002-2003, when I was a new hire at Kaiser. She was and is like my mom at work and a best friend. A rock and true confidant. When I returned I never dreamed we'd get to work together again. But we do. Two days a week.

This morning I arrived at work with my three little ultrasound pictures in my green waterproof backpack. The one I used to travel the world. And now I am back. I knew she would be excited.

"Come in here." I said. We hid in the exam room with the door shut. Whispering.

"Look what I have."

I pulled out my pictures from my lab coat. She didn't recognize at first what she was seeing.

"It's two."

"Oh my god. I just got hot shivers everywhere." She rubbed my belly. (She is the only one who has done this. And it is fine with me.)

I told her how my mom had thought it was twins from the start because I was so nauseous.

We hurried out and I started my first patient. I finished a second and came out in the hallway.

The other optometry assistant, Kyla, who was also born in 1976 and just had her first baby last year, is staring at me with huge eyes. "Do you know anyone who is expecting!?"

I looked at Rose Marie. What is happening? Did she tell?

Her eyes gave nothing away. Rose Marie wouldn't spill a secret to Jesus. It wasn't her.

"I know two." I said. "Why?"

"I have these hats from the hat fairy. She just gave them to me." Kyla said.

I still felt like it was a set up. What the hell?

"Come here" I led her to an exam room.

"It's you." Kyla whispered.

"Yep."

I showed her the ultrasound.

"It's two." She was the first one to recognize it right away. "The hat fairy was one of our patients.  She makes hats to give away anonymously to babies. She gave me one hat to give away. Then I said, 'Can I have two?' I don't even know why I asked that. These are for you."

A pink hat and a neutral rainbow hat.

After a night filled with anxiety where I slept only two hours, I felt like the universe was giving me a sign that it was going to be okay. I breathed out and decided I could handle it and the twins were going to be fine. The only question I had was, "What am I going to do with a pink hat?" But maybe someone else knows more than I do. Or I'll just put a little boy in a pink hat. ;)

Oatie zonked at coffee