Twenty-six weeks.
The third trimester arrived not with announcement but with the specific, unmistakable quality of something shifting into its final phase. The body's commentary became more insistent. The twins were running out of room and had opinions about this. Sleep happened in segments rather than stretches. The walk from the elevator to his desk, which had been entirely unremarkable for months, now had a quality to it that required slightly more intention.
He managed.
He was, by this point, very good at managing this specifically.
Dr. Yuen had noted at the last appointment that his health indicators were strong, that the twins were developing well, and that he should begin thinking about the final weeks' arrangements. She said this with the measured practicality of someone who had been watching him manage at full capacity for months and understood that the concept of slowing down required being introduced gradually.
He had the arrangements mostly planned.
