A couple weeks later, during the start of harvesting, Kira had her next appointment with Doc Appleby scheduled. She had come to town early to get some shopping for the house done. She’d arranged it so that her groceries were kept in the back cooler for her until after she got finished with the doctor. When she’d gone into the dry goods store, she caught a glimpse of some material that she thought would be good for the babies’ room, maybe for a baby quilt. She didn’t know how to sew, but she was pretty sure that Daisy could help her.

Not sure just how much she would need and certain that she’d make a few mistakes, Kira bought the whole bolt. After all, she’d need enough for two anyway. The cloth had race cars on it, checkered flags, race tracks, and trophies printed on it. It seemed as good of a theme for the babies’ room as anything else. Kira went ahead and put the material in the car (since the truck was still being fixed, Cooter had to send away for parts and had gotten busy at the garage and Jebb had told him that there wasn’t a rush on it) and then headed over to the office where Jebb was going to meet her.




After Kira was called back and the nurse drew some blood and took her blood pressure and wrote it down in her file. With that done, Jebb and Kira waited for Doc Appleby to come in and go about the visit that by now had become routine. While waiting, Kira told Jebb about the material that she’d bought for the babies’ room. The whole time, she fingered the necklace that held her wedding and engagement rings that she was wearing now since her rings had started to get tight on her hands. She’d been reluctant to admit that her rings were starting to hurt her. Here lately, it had just gotten to the point where she couldn’t deny it any longer.

“Well, here we are again. How are you two?” Doc Appleby came in and shook both of their hands.

“Alright,” Kira eyed the doctor as he read her chart.

“It seems that your pressure’s up again today. Anything happen today that might have caused that?”

“No, not really. Same old stuff as usual.”

“How about your case load? Are you doin’ a lot on that front?”

“No. In fact, the only thing I’ve got goin’ right now is that Mrs. Carter asked me to draw up her will for her.”

Both Kira and Jebb watched as Doc flipped through her chart. Subconsciously, Kira shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she waited for the doctor to say something else.

“I want you to do something for me. After you finish Mrs. Carter’s will, don’t take on anything else for right now.”

“Something wrong?” Jebb thought back to Doc Greenwood’s letter explaining what high blood pressure in a pregnant woman could indicate.

“I’m goin’ to want Kira to try to take it a bit easier for a while, that’s all. I don’t want her to start having more episodes like she had in Placid is all.” Doc Appleby noticed as Kira looked slightly away. There was something in the way that she’d done so that told him that she’d already had similar episodes since the last time she was in this office. Turning toward Kira, “I’m also goin’ to ask you to set some time aside during the middle of the day to relax.” Kira fought the urge to roll her eyes. It seemed that all anyone had wanted her to do since she’d gotten pregnant was relax.

“What if her pressure doesn’t come down?” Jebb could already read Kira’s body language that said that she thought that what the doctor was suggesting was unnecessary.

“It could get serious, but for right now, we’ll just worry about bringing it down instead of worryin’ about if we can’t. I will make a point of stopping by the farm to check on Kira while I’m out making house calls a couple of times between now and your next visit which I’ll move up to just before Thanksgiving to see where we are at then.”

“When we were in Placid, Doc Greenwood mentioned Toxemia. Do you think that’s the reason Kira’s pressure has gone up?” Jebb didn’t want the doctor to hold back if that was really what he, too, suspected.

Doc Appleby sighed. He hadn’t wanted to worry these two just yet. “It could be. The signs are starting to show up. Which is why I want you, Kira, to take it easy for now. I don’t want to have to put you on bed rest, but if your pressure stays this high, that will be the next step.”

“What are the signs I should watch for?” Kira knew that her latest pregnancy book had a section on complications but she’d just by-passed it.

“Well aside from the higher blood pressure; there is the swelling of the hands, feet, and face. The protein that was found in your urine indicates that toxins could be released in your system, and there is also the rapid weight gain.” And here Kira had just thought that she was gaining fast because she was having twins. “But right now, there is no reason to not believe that we’ll be delivering two healthy babies to a healthy mother.”

Jebb thought again back to the letter from Placid. Doc Greenwood was a very blunt man. Doc Appleby was doing his best to be truthful without causing panic. Right now he wasn’t sure which approach he liked better.




Jebb was back out in the fields with the others and Kira sat herself down in the living room with her twins pregnancy book and turned it to the section that explained Preeclampsia Toxemia. Once she found the page that she was looking for, she started to read.

“Toxemia is the presence of abnormal substances in the blood, but the term is also used in reference to a condition in pregnancy also known as preeclampsia. This refers to pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure) and any possible accompanying symptoms, such as quick or sudden weight gain, water retention, and excessive swelling of the feet, hands, and face. The condition is most common among first pregnancies, with multiple births (e.g., twins),” Well that fits me, Kira thought to herself. “in younger or older women, and in women who had preeclampsia in previous pregnancies. It generally occurs near the due date,” But I ain’t nowhere near my due date. “but it can also occur earlier in pregnancy. When monitoring a female with toxemia, the blood pressure and urine protein are checked often and bed rest may be prescribed. Toxemia can be mild or severe. When severe, it is dangerous for both the pregnant female and her child, especially if the mother’s blood pressure gets too high.” Kira didn’t like the sound of this. She turned the page to read on.

“Seven out of every one hundred pregnant women will develop Toxemia. This can be a deadly disease for mother and child. Every year thousands of women suffer from pregnancy induced hypertension. This disease has two names, Toxemia and Preeclampsia. Mild Toxemia is monitored closely and usually causes very little problems for the mother or child. However, when Toxemia becomes severe it can cause many health problems.

There is no known cause for Toxemia.” Okay, so it isn’t something that I’ve done or didn’t do. “The facts we do know so far include the following. Toxemia starts to develop as your placenta begins to develop, although it may not be detected until the later part of your pregnancy. Most cases of Toxemia happen with first pregnancies. Second and subsequent pregnancies are at lower risk, unless the woman is with a new partner. Since they don’t know what causes it, there is no way to tell if a woman is at risk before she gets pregnant.

It is very important to make sure you see your doctor regularly during your pregnancy so he or she can detect any signs of Toxemia. They check your blood pressure for this reason. As it starts to rise, this is the first evidence of Toxemia. Other symptoms include bloating of the hands, feet and face due to your body retaining fluids. Your urine is checked for protein levels at each visit. If the protein level in your urine rises, it is another sign of Toxemia.

Some of the health problems associated with Toxemia can be very dangerous to the mother and the child. Besides, high blood pressure there are other things that can go wrong with your health. Toxemia can create liver and kidney damage or failure. It can cause problems with your eyesight. If left untreated for too long, it can cause the patient to go into convulsions. These convulsions can lead to coma and even death.” Kira paused in her reading. She hadn’t really thought there was much to worry about. No big deal, right?

“This is because your blood pressure just keeps rising higher and higher. Such high blood pressure can also cause a stroke. Any of these health problems can affect the baby as well. If a mother is in danger, her baby will be in danger also.

Toxemia is not something to mess around with. It is very important to follow your doctor’s orders strictly when you find out you have developed this disease. Some women are lucky and can have it controlled with mild doses of high blood pressure medication. However, in other women they are sent to bed for the remainder of their pregnancy. This will not stop Toxemia, but it is an attempt to slow down its progress.”

Kira closed her book and put it down. Well, she hadn’t been put on bed rest, per-say, but it looked like she was going to have to make some adjustments if she wanted to avoid it. Getting up off the chaise lounge, Kira went to start dinner. At least now, Doc Appleby’s announcement that he’d be coming by to check on her here at the farm from time to time made sense. And he didn’t even know about the other spells that she’d had since her last visit. Both in Atlanta and here at the house since then. So far, no one else had been around when she had one since Placid. She wasn’t sure how long her luck could hold out. Sooner or later, it was bound to happen when she wasn’t alone.




After getting Daisy’s help in setting up a sewing machine in the downstairs spare room, Kira had started to use some scrap cloth as she started to get the hang of using the machine. Daisy had loved the material that Kira had bought. In fact, Daisy had considered getting it for the same reason when she’d seen it. Daisy showed Kira how to work the sewing machine and said that she’d get some squares together to add to the material and promised that she and Kira would start on the quilts after Thanksgiving. When Daisy had asked why Kira wanted two quilts, Kira had said that she wanted a spare for when she needed to wash it. Daisy bought the excuse since everyone knows that with babies comes plenty of dirty laundry. Daisy even said that that there would be plenty enough material for matching curtains.

Kira could already picture the nursery now. She’d gone to over to Osage County and found a crib that resemble the one that Jesse had saved over at the antique store and Jebb had brought it home and fixed it up like the other one. Of course the second crib was currently stashed up in the attic so no one would suspect that they were having twins. Kira was surprised that no one had figured it out yet. Jesse was close, she thought, before she and Jebb told the family about the Toxemia. Jesse had notice the weight gain, just like Pauline had, but hadn’t mentioned it. Once he’d been told about the symptoms, he’d discounted his suspicions.

Kira had made adjustments to her household routine after the appointment where the Doc had voiced his concerns. Instead of doing all the household chores in one day, she had begun to spread them out throughout the week. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do after all. Kira had been surprised that Jebb hadn’t tried to get someone to watch after her while he and the guys had all been busy during harvesting season. She was trying to console herself through her boredom that at least she wasn’t restricted to bed, yet. She remembered too well what being confined to a bed was like from her two battles with cancer.

Doc Appleby had made several visits out to the house and although her pressure was still too high, it wasn’t rising anymore. After he had prodded her, Kira had confessed to having more spells like the one she’d had in Placid. He made her promise to tell him the next time she had another one. She’d resigned herself to only being up and around for a couple of hours a day. During the rest of the time, she would camp out in the chaise lounge in the living room since she refused to sit around in bed during the middle of the day.

When Lulu had heard about Kira’s confinement to the house during most of the day, she’d moved the ladies meetings to Kira and Jebb’s so that Kira wouldn’t miss out. Jebb and the guys spent the time that the ladies were at the house over at the Boar’s Nest. In fact, Lulu was nearly a daily visitor now. She’d even taken the time to teach Kira how to cross-stitch. She was a patient teacher. The two of them had begun to make squares to add to the ones that Daisy was making for the quilts. Lulu had one square with what looked like The General Lee on it that she was working on. Kira could just imagine what Boss would do if he saw it.

Now with Thanksgiving coming up fast, everyone was busy making preparations for all the family members that would be coming in just a few days away. The turkeys were in the freezers of both Duke farms and the rooms were all ready for the guests to arrive in the coming week. Kira had gone for a checkup with Doc Appleby yesterday and he had stressed that she was to let the other women handle the Thanksgiving dinner.

Kira thought of the irony of how last year she had jumped at the chance to avoid cooking on Thanksgiving. This year, she was pretty much told not to cook for the family. Well, cooking for the whole army wasn’t her idea of fun anyway. Especially since Pauline would be the head chef in the kitchen. At least having Pauline around, though, will break up the monotony around here. Oh, Lord. Kira knew that things were getting bad if she was looking forward to arguing with her mother-in-law.

Kira had already gotten the guest rooms ready for the girls and Jebb’s parents. Except for those exceptions as well as Coy and Vance, everyone else would stay over with Jesse and the others like always. Coy and Vance were planning to stay for a week after Thanksgiving to help with building the new barn here at Jebb’s farm. The last of the big projects that was needed before the farm would be functional for the next planting season. Once that was done, all Jebb will need would be to get some livestock together. A cow, couple of goats, chickens. That sort of stuff. A few years ago, Kira would have never of thought of herself as becoming a farm girl. It’s funny that now she felt as if she’d always belonged on one. Though she guessed that in a way, she did.

Kira looked over at the clock and saw that she was going to be late for dinner over at the other farm if she didn’t hurry. Putting away the cross-stitching that she’d been working on, she got up and headed on out to the car. Jebb was already over with the others, having helped Bo and Luke with some sort of chore over there today. Jesse had been insisting on her and Jebb eating over with them a lot since the concerns over her blood pressure had increased (though some days everyone met over here and those two just took over the kitchen here instead). Kira didn’t really mind since both Daisy and Uncle Jesse cooked so well, but her independent streak tended to get aggravated a lot. And then there were the cravings that Kira’d begun to experience. Most of the foods that she was craving weren’t exactly down home southern foods. She couldn’t bring herself to ask either of them to cook the dishes that she REALLY wanted but she promised herself that she would cook one of them for herself tomorrow.




As Daisy put a cake on the table, she smacked Bo’s hand away as he tried to swipe some frosting from it.

“Can’t you wait?” Daisy giggled since she knew that Bo had snuck food, especially sweets, before dinner since he’d gotten tall enough that he could pull himself up to the table. “Kira ain’t even here yet.”

“I wish she’d hurry up. I’m hungry.” Bo looked out the window and saw the car pull up in the farmyard. “Finally.” That comment earned him a push out of the kitchen from Daisy.

Kira got out of the car and headed on into the house through the kitchen door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to not find everyone waiting at the table for her. Instead she saw a decorated cake sitting on the table.

“Surprise!” Kira looked up and watched as the others all flooded the kitchen as they came in from the living room.

“What’s this about? The cake says ‘Happy Birthday’ but it ain’t our birthday, Bo. We celebrated that back in April.”

“Sure it is Kira. Didn’t you get the memo? We get to have TWO birthdays now. It was one year ago today that we both found out that we were twins.” Bo grinned as he gave his confused sister a hug.

“And life ain’t been the same since.” Kira returned the hug and pulled back. “This wouldn’t have been the chore that you were supposedly helping out with is it?” Kira looked over at Jebb and he just shrugged his shoulders as he grinned.

“It was one way to make sure you really were surprised. Back in the spring, you knew that there’d be a party. This one caught you completely off guard,” Luke added as he laughed at his cousin as she was taking in just what was going on.

“Well, come on. Let’s eat. The bisque is gettin’ cold.” Jesse figured that, though his niece had come a long way from the woman that had first brought Bo home; he knew that she still sometimes found herself lost in some of the various family settings where emotional displays were commonplace.

“I’ll second that.” Bo headed over to the table with his arm still around his sister and everyone followed. As usual Jesse’s Crawdad Bisque was a hit with the family and everyone had seconds (okay someone had thirds, too, and might have went for fourths had it not been for the cake, that he’d already swiped frosting from, sitting right in front of him) as everyone seemed to talk at once as they remembered the events from a year ago.

“Just think, this time last year, we were all turnin’ Hazzard upside down for you Bo...” Bo kicked him under the table before he could complete his sentence. “Ow! At least everything worked out okay,” Luke added as he glared at his cousin. Those kicks were a lot harder than when they were kids.

“I’m gonna say this once, and ONLY once. If any of you disappear like that again causin’ me to worry, I’ll tan your hides ‘til Hell won’t have it again.”

Kira grinned at the now familiar threat of tannin’s that was constantly thrown the guys’ ways. Each of the others at the table gave the expected murmurs in response. After the cake, everyone went into the living room and Kira saw that SOMEONE had brought her keyboard over. One look and Kira knew that the someone just happened to be her brother. It seemed that he never passed up a chance to make her play.

“I’m gonna love hearing you trying to pound away on that thing,” Kira said but was surprised when Bo shrugged in response then walked over to where he’d set up the keyboard and indeed commenced to pound away like a child would on the keyboard.

“Kira! Stop him before we all go deaf!” Luke held his hands over his ears since not only was Bo playing BADLY, but he had the volume set to the loudest setting. Kira went over and switched the instrument off as quickly as she could.

“She said she’d love to hear me pound away on it. I was just doing what she asked,” Bo said as he laughed after he stopped playing the keyboard.

“Real cute Bo,” Kira said as she shook her head at his antics. “I think you might want to stick with your guitar. However if we ever need a way to send Boss for cover, you’re on.” Kira winked as she added that last.

“Well, how about you show me how it’s supposed to be played then? Luke and I’ll join ya.”

Knowing that she’d been beat, Kira heaved a sigh. “Start playin’, I’ll pick up the tune and carry it.” Kira wasn’t surprised when Bo started playing one of the first songs that they’d played together. Johnny Cash’s Boy named Sue. After the family had all been singing and playing for a while, Kira stopped when the babies both started kicking. “I think we have a critic.” Or two. “Either that or we have a drummer on the way.”

“Hey, then we’ll have a full band.” Bo eyed his sister then asked, “Can I feel him kick?”

Kira looked up surprised at the request. “Go ahead. At least you ASKED. It seems that every time I go to town someone comes up and puts their hand on my stomach.” She took his hand and placed it over where the kicks were.

“WOW! He’s really movin’ ain’t he?”

“You should feel it from where I’m sitting.” Kira noticed that the others were looking at her like they really wanted to feel the baby move too. “What the hell, go ahead everyone.” After everyone else felt the kicks, Kira couldn’t help it but to ask, “How is it that once a woman gets pregnant, her stomach is considered public property?”

“Everyone likes to think that they can reach out and touch a small miracle. Plus it’s a way to bond before the baby’s born.”

“Well, you don’t see me walking up to strangers on the street to reach out and touching someone. Do you?”

“Well, it won’t be much longer. February will be here before you know it, then all those people that are grabbing for your stomach now will be wantin’ to play pass the baby instead,” Jesse informed his niece with a smile.

When an idea hit Kira, she had to give a small laugh. “In that case, make sure that when the game is over and everyone passes the baby back for a diaper change, tell everyone to end the game with Little Man’s daddy.” Giving Jebb a wink, she continued, “Between the two of us, he’s the one with the experience.”

“Gee, thanks.” Jebb rolled his eyes, though he supposed that there would be enough babies for both he and Kira to be on the recipient end of pass the dirty diaper.

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