Read Online Caroselli's Accidental Heir by Michelle Celmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michelle Celmer
Ads: Link
yada. But the doctor was wearing a frown that said maybe everything wasn’t fine this time.
“I don’t like what I’m seeing here,” he said.
Lucy sucked in a quiet breath and Tony went tense beside her.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“The baby isn’t growing like he should be.”
How could that be possible? “But...everything was fine at my last appointment,” Lucy told him. “They did mention that he was on the small side, but the doctor said that’s probably because I’m so small.”
“It’s more than him just being small in size. He’s underdeveloped for his gestational age. I think you’re both suffering from malnutrition. It could result in complications.”
“Malnutrition?” Tony said, like that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “How is that possible?”
“It’s something I might see in a woman with severe morning sickness. Which you said you didn’t have.”
Lucy shook her head, wishing she could disappear. Or that Tony wasn’t in the room. There were certain things the doctor needed to know. The same things she didn’t want Tony to know. She could fudge it just this once, but one lie had a way of turning into two, and so on, and so on. And before she knew it, the doctor might miss some critical detail, and the baby might be born with a third eye or fifth appendage, or something even worse.
If she and Tony were going to make this shared-parenting thing work, she was going to have to be honest with him. A lie by omission was still a lie. But there were some things she just couldn’t tell him. Ever. For his own good. And for hers and the baby’s.
“In my experience, Caroselli babies are above average in size,” Dr. Hannan said. “We could be looking at a metabolic disorder.”
“What kind of disorder?” Tony asked.
“One thing at a time,” the doctor told him, then asked Lucy, “How has your diet been?”
“Well...up until Sunday, not so great.” She cringed at the look he gave her. As if he were thinking, You poor stupid girl, too much of a low-life hick to know about proper nutrition.
“I’m sure that your doctor in Florida told you the importance of a balanced diet. Now is not the time to be cutting calories.”
“It’s more of an availability issue,” she said, and at the doctor’s look of confusion added, “When I eat I make sure it’s something healthy. It’s just that for a couple of months money was tight.”
She braced herself, expecting Tony to jump all over that one, but he didn’t make a sound. Which was probably worse. She had no idea what was going on in his head.
“Give me an example of your daily intake,” the doctor said. “How often did you eat?”
Oh, boy, here we go. Tony was not going to like this. “Well, I did try to eat at least once a day. Sometimes that wasn’t possible. But I always bought healthy things, even if that meant quality over quantity. But from now on that won’t be a problem.”
“No, it won’t,” Tony agreed tersely. She could see that he was angry, and could she blame him? She’d put his baby’s life in danger. She was angry with herself.
“I’d like you back here tomorrow for an ultrasound,” Dr. Hannan told them. “If the baby looks good, I won’t need to see you back for a month. But I would like you to see a nutritionist.”
One more thing Tony would have to pay for. In her lifetime she would probably never make enough money to pay him back for everything he would be doing for her.
They both shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him, but Tony was silent as they checked out and made the ultrasound appointment. He didn’t speak as they walked through the waiting room, or as they crossed the lobby to the door. He wasn’t the type to embarrass her or himself by making a scene in front of other people, but she could feel him working up to something. He would wait until they were alone, in the privacy of the car, before he let her have it.
“Fancy meeting you two here,” a
“I don’t like what I’m seeing here,” he said.
Lucy sucked in a quiet breath and Tony went tense beside her.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“The baby isn’t growing like he should be.”
How could that be possible? “But...everything was fine at my last appointment,” Lucy told him. “They did mention that he was on the small side, but the doctor said that’s probably because I’m so small.”
“It’s more than him just being small in size. He’s underdeveloped for his gestational age. I think you’re both suffering from malnutrition. It could result in complications.”
“Malnutrition?” Tony said, like that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “How is that possible?”
“It’s something I might see in a woman with severe morning sickness. Which you said you didn’t have.”
Lucy shook her head, wishing she could disappear. Or that Tony wasn’t in the room. There were certain things the doctor needed to know. The same things she didn’t want Tony to know. She could fudge it just this once, but one lie had a way of turning into two, and so on, and so on. And before she knew it, the doctor might miss some critical detail, and the baby might be born with a third eye or fifth appendage, or something even worse.
If she and Tony were going to make this shared-parenting thing work, she was going to have to be honest with him. A lie by omission was still a lie. But there were some things she just couldn’t tell him. Ever. For his own good. And for hers and the baby’s.
“In my experience, Caroselli babies are above average in size,” Dr. Hannan said. “We could be looking at a metabolic disorder.”
“What kind of disorder?” Tony asked.
“One thing at a time,” the doctor told him, then asked Lucy, “How has your diet been?”
“Well...up until Sunday, not so great.” She cringed at the look he gave her. As if he were thinking, You poor stupid girl, too much of a low-life hick to know about proper nutrition.
“I’m sure that your doctor in Florida told you the importance of a balanced diet. Now is not the time to be cutting calories.”
“It’s more of an availability issue,” she said, and at the doctor’s look of confusion added, “When I eat I make sure it’s something healthy. It’s just that for a couple of months money was tight.”
She braced herself, expecting Tony to jump all over that one, but he didn’t make a sound. Which was probably worse. She had no idea what was going on in his head.
“Give me an example of your daily intake,” the doctor said. “How often did you eat?”
Oh, boy, here we go. Tony was not going to like this. “Well, I did try to eat at least once a day. Sometimes that wasn’t possible. But I always bought healthy things, even if that meant quality over quantity. But from now on that won’t be a problem.”
“No, it won’t,” Tony agreed tersely. She could see that he was angry, and could she blame him? She’d put his baby’s life in danger. She was angry with herself.
“I’d like you back here tomorrow for an ultrasound,” Dr. Hannan told them. “If the baby looks good, I won’t need to see you back for a month. But I would like you to see a nutritionist.”
One more thing Tony would have to pay for. In her lifetime she would probably never make enough money to pay him back for everything he would be doing for her.
They both shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him, but Tony was silent as they checked out and made the ultrasound appointment. He didn’t speak as they walked through the waiting room, or as they crossed the lobby to the door. He wasn’t the type to embarrass her or himself by making a scene in front of other people, but she could feel him working up to something. He would wait until they were alone, in the privacy of the car, before he let her have it.
“Fancy meeting you two here,” a
Similar Books
