Read Online The Road to Mercy by Kathy Harris - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kathy Harris
Ads: Link
Perforation?”
“No . . . no. I don’t think so.” Beth struggled to remember the details she had tried to forget.
“That’s all good. Complications with an abortion can create problems with future pregnancies.”
Tears threatened again, but they were tears of joy.
“How about gastronomical problems?” The doctor asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Have you noticed any unusual digestive symptoms lately? Lower stomach or abdominal pain?”
“Not really. I’m on strong painkillers now, so I don’t know.” Beth thought back. “I might have had some pain before going to the hospital.”
“Where?”
“Here.” Beth placed her hand over the right side of her lower stomach.
“I didn’t feel anything unusual,” the doctor told her. “How about dizziness, light-headedness—”
“Oh, yes. A lot of that now. But I thought it was from the drugs.”
“It could be, and I don’t want to alarm you,” Dr. Myers said. “But there is a higher rate of ectopic pregnancies in women who have had abortions. I’m sure you know, that’s a very serious situation, dangerous for both mother and baby.” The doctor jotted more notes on her chart. “I want to run a couple of tests. Let’s try to rule this out so we can move on in a positive direction.”
Beth clutched her hands to ease the shaking. “How do we do that?”
“We can be relatively certain with two simple procedures. One is a hormone test, the other is a specific kind of ultrasound.”
“Yes, please, Dr. Myers. Let’s do them. I have to know.”
“Alisha, let’s schedule her as soon as possible.”
11
Present Day
The sky was overcast in Milwaukee when Josh stepped off the bus for his hotel room. The others would be leaving soon for the concert hall, where they would do a sound check and spend the afternoon.
He had several hours to get in a two-mile run, eat lunch, and then relax before he showered. A staff member from the hall would be picking him up at five p.m. so he could join his band and crew for dinner.
Josh had never liked exercising, but after ten hours on the bus, he had to admit it would feel good to stretch his legs. And he always enjoyed seeing areas of the various cities they worked that he would not have ordinarily seen. Once in a while he would come upon a good place for lunch or a shop that interested him. On a really good day, he would be able to run next to the waterfront, in a park, or even on a school track that was open to the public.
He didn’t expect to be so fortunate today, because the outside temperature was hovering around the thirty-two-degree mark. Not bad for this area, but chilly enough to get hisexercise done and then hurry back to the hotel for a hot lunch at the restaurant.
The road life wasn’t a bad life. In fact, it could be fulfilling and quite interesting. He saw new places, met new people, and experienced things he never dreamed possible when he was a young man growing up in central Alabama. But things were beginning to change. If all went well, he would be a father this time next year. And there would be two reasons to want to stay home.
He hurried to his hotel room and changed into his jogging clothes. He was halfway to the elevator when he realized he had forgotten his cell phone. He heard it ringing as he was opening the door to his room but didn’t get to it in time. The call went to voicemail.
He dialed his number, entered his code, and listened. It was Beth. She was crying so hard he could barely understand her. She said something about an ectopic pregnancy. Tubes . . . uterus . . . more tests. He heard enough to understand the bottom line. They might lose the baby. She asked him to call her back right away.
Oh, God, I don’t know if I can handle this
.
Josh hit resend to return the call, praying for the right thing to say to his distraught wife. Yet, just as he hadn’t found the right words to comfort his father eighteen months ago, he doubted he would find them today. How
“No . . . no. I don’t think so.” Beth struggled to remember the details she had tried to forget.
“That’s all good. Complications with an abortion can create problems with future pregnancies.”
Tears threatened again, but they were tears of joy.
“How about gastronomical problems?” The doctor asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Have you noticed any unusual digestive symptoms lately? Lower stomach or abdominal pain?”
“Not really. I’m on strong painkillers now, so I don’t know.” Beth thought back. “I might have had some pain before going to the hospital.”
“Where?”
“Here.” Beth placed her hand over the right side of her lower stomach.
“I didn’t feel anything unusual,” the doctor told her. “How about dizziness, light-headedness—”
“Oh, yes. A lot of that now. But I thought it was from the drugs.”
“It could be, and I don’t want to alarm you,” Dr. Myers said. “But there is a higher rate of ectopic pregnancies in women who have had abortions. I’m sure you know, that’s a very serious situation, dangerous for both mother and baby.” The doctor jotted more notes on her chart. “I want to run a couple of tests. Let’s try to rule this out so we can move on in a positive direction.”
Beth clutched her hands to ease the shaking. “How do we do that?”
“We can be relatively certain with two simple procedures. One is a hormone test, the other is a specific kind of ultrasound.”
“Yes, please, Dr. Myers. Let’s do them. I have to know.”
“Alisha, let’s schedule her as soon as possible.”
11
Present Day
The sky was overcast in Milwaukee when Josh stepped off the bus for his hotel room. The others would be leaving soon for the concert hall, where they would do a sound check and spend the afternoon.
He had several hours to get in a two-mile run, eat lunch, and then relax before he showered. A staff member from the hall would be picking him up at five p.m. so he could join his band and crew for dinner.
Josh had never liked exercising, but after ten hours on the bus, he had to admit it would feel good to stretch his legs. And he always enjoyed seeing areas of the various cities they worked that he would not have ordinarily seen. Once in a while he would come upon a good place for lunch or a shop that interested him. On a really good day, he would be able to run next to the waterfront, in a park, or even on a school track that was open to the public.
He didn’t expect to be so fortunate today, because the outside temperature was hovering around the thirty-two-degree mark. Not bad for this area, but chilly enough to get hisexercise done and then hurry back to the hotel for a hot lunch at the restaurant.
The road life wasn’t a bad life. In fact, it could be fulfilling and quite interesting. He saw new places, met new people, and experienced things he never dreamed possible when he was a young man growing up in central Alabama. But things were beginning to change. If all went well, he would be a father this time next year. And there would be two reasons to want to stay home.
He hurried to his hotel room and changed into his jogging clothes. He was halfway to the elevator when he realized he had forgotten his cell phone. He heard it ringing as he was opening the door to his room but didn’t get to it in time. The call went to voicemail.
He dialed his number, entered his code, and listened. It was Beth. She was crying so hard he could barely understand her. She said something about an ectopic pregnancy. Tubes . . . uterus . . . more tests. He heard enough to understand the bottom line. They might lose the baby. She asked him to call her back right away.
Oh, God, I don’t know if I can handle this
.
Josh hit resend to return the call, praying for the right thing to say to his distraught wife. Yet, just as he hadn’t found the right words to comfort his father eighteen months ago, he doubted he would find them today. How
Similar Books
