the phone with a scowl. More doctor appointments.
Isaac talked me into going yesterday because I’ve still been having headaches.
They’re not debilitating, but they are frequent. The doctor suspected that they
were due to stress, but ran labs just to make sure everything was on track.
Everything
had better be on track and this is just routine or I’m gonna punch somebody in
the throat. I’m done with doctors for a while.
My phone
rings again, and I smile when I see it’s Brynna.
“Hey.”
“Hey, I’m
leaving your mom’s. She has Sophie and offered to keep the girls for me too.
Where are you?”
“I was
going to get a pedicure…” before I can finish the sentence, Brynna gasps.
“Without
me? What the fuck?”
“It’s a
good thing the girls aren’t with you,” I reply dryly.
“I know. I
try to get all the swear words out when they’re not around.”
“As I was
saying, I was going to get a pedi, but my doctor just called and they want me
to go in for a follow up instead.”
“You’re
still having follow-up visits at almost five months post-partum?” she asks.
“No, I
went in because I’ve been having headaches. I guess there’s some blood work
they want to talk about.”
“Oh. Well,
since I don’t have the girls, want company? We can do lunch after.”
“Sure,
thanks. I’ll meet you there.” I rattle off the address to her and end the call.
I pull into the office parking lot and wait for Brynna in my car. It doesn’t
take her long to join me.
“Hi,
Fran,” I greet the receptionist. “Dr. Wilson wanted to see me again today.”
“He’s
expecting you. Thanks for coming on such short notice. No Sophie today?” she
asks with a smile.
“No, I had
a babysitter today.”
Nurse
Kimberly comes around the corner and smiles at me. “Oh great, you’re here. I’ll
take you back.”
“It’s not
terribly busy today.” I’m trying to make small talk to calm my nerves. I hate
the doctor office. You’d think with all the dozens, if not hundreds, of hours
I’ve spent in them over the past three years it wouldn’t bother me.
It does.
“This time
of year is usually slow. Especially this week, the week of Christmas.” Kimberly
offers a friendly smile at Brynna.
“Oh, I’m
sorry. This is my cousin, Brynna.”
“Nice to
meet you. Okay, have a seat, the doctor will be right with you.”
“This
place gives me the heebs,” Brynna remarks after the nurse leaves. She shivers
and looks at a plastic vagina. “What the fuck do they put these things out here
for, anyway? I don’t want to see a plastic model of the jay-jay.”
“It’s to
scare us into not having sex anymore.”
“It’s
working.”
There’s a
brief knock on the door, startling Brynna and then the door swings open, and my
handsome doctor, Dr. Delicious Wilson briskly walks in the room.
“Thanks
for coming in, Stacy.”
“Sure.
This is my cousin Brynna.”
“Brynna.”
He automatically shakes her hand, not looking up from the chart in his hand. Bryn
catches my eye, her own big brown eyes wide and mouths, Holy shit!
I know! I respond.
“So,
Stacy, I know we discussed yesterday that the headaches are most likely due to
stress, and not related to the minor gestational diabetes that you had in the
latter part of your pregnancy.”
“Right,” I
nod.
“And that
may still very well be the case because your labs are perfectly normal in
regards to your blood sugars.”
“Good.” I
smile and drape my handbag over my shoulder, expecting to leave with the
results of my test.
“However,”
he continues and I halt my movements. “You’re pregnant.”
“The
fuck?” Brynna mutters and then breaks out into hysterical giggles.
Chapter
Nine
I stare at
Delicious for a few seconds, my mouth gaping, my eyes wide, and then Brynna’s
giggles break through the fog surrounding my brain.
“I’m
sorry, what did you say?”
“You’re
pregnant.”
And just
like that, just as the
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