A sonogram shows twins holding hands inside their mother's womb, but the touching moment is marred by sad news. It turns out that one of the babies is dying.

Doctors told Ian and Brittani McIntire from Hutchinson, Kansas that they are having twins - a boy and a girl - and the surprise was well-received by the couple after having two daughters. However, when they had a sonogram test during the sixth week of the pregnancy, the doctors revealed the bad news: one of the babies might not make it, KWCH reported.

The unborn boy had a hole in his heart and his brain was developing abnormally. "He's only weighing nine ounces and his sister is over two pounds, so big size difference," the mother said. "His only chance of survival would be heart surgery but they wouldn't do heart surgery on him because of his brain."

A succeeding checkup with the doctor revealed more bad news, but when they were showed the latest sonogram, the McIntires were comforted. Doctors explained that the twins - whom the parents named Mason and Madilyn - were holding hands. Mason's tinier fingers were clasped around his sister's hands.

"Most twins when she's trying to take pictures and stuff, they're kicking each other and hitting each other, and she said with our twins, it seems like she was very protective over him," Brittani McIntire said. "It's just nice with everything going on I know I'm holding him, I'm carrying him but I just want to be there for him and not knowing and she's the only one who can actually be there and holding onto him through it, and so it's comforting to know that if he does pass, he won't be alone."

The McIntires continue to pray for Mason's life and they believe that what they witnessed is not a coincidence. "We know we have a piece of them together that will last forever and it's special to have," said Ian McIntire.

Some comments on the Facebook post doubt the validity of the McIntire's claim, writing that the fraternal twins would be in separate sacks and thus unable to hold hands or touch. Watch and let us know what you think.

A previous study has confirmed that unborn babies do exhibit feelings of joy and pain inside their mother's womb even in the early stages of development, according to Life News.

For more interesting news about twins, read: Identical Twins Give Birth To Daughters In Same Hospital Six Minutes Apart and Britain's Oldest Twins Die Weeks Apart.