Chapter Twelve
A week passed, and things settled down. Beth was pleased she didn’t have to see Una because the woman stayed in her room for the most part. Her back had fully healed, but she’d never forget the pain.
Beth had gotten into a routine of sorts and had started taking Angus out for walks in the garden. She hadn’t known that Alastair had an elevator put in after his dad’s stroke but was thrilled because they didn’t have to ask for help which would have embarrassed the older man.
It was wonderful when Freya or Alastair would join them in their walks, and she’d grown close to the woman.
She was about to leave her room for the day when a sharp pain hit in her midsection, almost doubling her over. It didn’t last very long, so she waited a moment, and then she went down to breakfast. The rest of the day seemed normal except for a sharp pain that would hit her periodically. She was able to hide it for the most part, but it made her exhausted.
That night, instead of a movie they usually watched before bed, she told him she wanted to go to bed. He made slow sweet love to her, and she was asleep before he pulled out of her.
The following few days, the pain got a little worse, and it was getting hard to pull herself out of bed and act normal. Alastair kept asking what was wrong, but she didn’t know, so she assumed it was a virus of some sort.
That morning, she woke to see Alastair sitting beside her on the bed with a worried look on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I got worried when you didn’t come down for breakfast. I don’t like this, baby. Something’s wrong.”
“It’s probably just a virus.”
“I don’t care. I called in our family physician.”
“Oh, God, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. I should have done it a few days ago. Let’s get you into one of my shirts before he comes.”
Beth couldn’t believe what a struggle just doing that was.
She hadn’t realized she’d gone back to sleep until Alastair was nudging her awake again.
“Sweetheart, this is Dr. Benjamin Peters. He’s known the family for a long time.”
“I’m so sorry he bothered you. I told him it was just a virus.”
“Well, since I’m here already, I might as well check you out.” The doctor took her vitals. “Any vomiting or diarrhea?”
“Just a little diarrhea and some nausea.”
“Tell me how it started.”
“About four days ago, I started getting pains in my stomach.”
“Describe the pain.”
“It’s sharp, but it goes away after a second or two.”
“Did the pains get more frequent?”
“Yes, it seemed to get a little worse and more of them every day.”
“Alastair says you’re tired all the time.”
“He’s a worrywart.”
Dr. Peters chuckled. “Tell me about the fatigue?”
“It seems to get a little worse every day, too, but I think it’s the pain that’s making me tired because it’s waking me up in the nighttime.”
“It could be.” The doctor nodded. “I’m going to press on your stomach. Is that okay?”
He pulled the blanket down and unbuttoned a few so he could see her stomach.
She sucked in a startled breath and cried out when he seemed to hit a few extremely sore areas.
“There?” the doctor asked.
“Yes. It’s very tender.”
The doctor stood back and got a few things out of his bag. Beth didn’t like the concern on his face.
“It’s just a virus, right?” she asked.
“It could be, but I’m going to take some blood and test it to see if it is and what kind it is. That way, I’ll be able to determine how to help you.”
She felt Alastair’s hand on hers as the doctor took the blood. It seemed to bother him more than it did her.
“All right, I’ll get back to you on the results later today. In the meantime, young lady, get some rest.”
“I will. Thank you, Doctor.”
He patted her shoulder. “You’re welcome.”
He looked at Alastair. “Why don’t you show me the way out?”
“Sure.” Alastair pressed a kiss to Beth’s forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded and fell asleep.
****