“Your first?” she asks, tossing down her magazine.
I roll my head to look at her. I’m so friggin’ tired I really don’t want to chat right now. “First what?”
She points to my stomach. “Baby.”
My eyes widen, snapping me awake. “Oh, I’m not—” I stop when it hits me. “Oh. My. God,” I whisper, doing some quick math in my head. I can’t believe I’m so stupid.
“Congratulations.” She stands after her name is called. “Maybe I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Maybe,” I answer, completely shocked by this possibility. I try so hard to stop myself from getting excited, but a smile tugs at my lips.
I go back to reception. Luckily, both doctors are in the same office. “Um…I think I need to see Dr. Brown, not Dr. Rice,” I say and lay a hand over my stomach and think back over the last couple of months.
“Let me see.” The receptionist types away on her computer. “Dr. Brown has an opening in twenty minutes.”
Oh, thank God I don’t have to wait too long.
I pee in a cup and wait with a thumping knee for the doctor to return. So many things are running through my head, one being…what now? A few weeks ago, I would have been confused, but today, right now, I know what my heart wants. I want a home with Cole up on the mountain, full of our family. Suddenly, a haunting feeling creeps in when I think I still have two very stressful situations I need to get through—Lynn’s court case, and what’s going to happen with my father.
The door opening snaps me out of the thoughts screaming in my head.
“All righty, Savannah,” Dr. Brown says, adjusting her blouse as she sits across from me. “How have you been since the miscarriage?”
I swallow hard and try to be brave. “I’m doing better, thanks.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” She opens my file while I cling to the seat for fear of falling. “Given the details of your missed menstrual cycle and your urine results, I would say…” She turns a little wheel, concentrating as she goes. “Congratulations, Savannah, you are roughly seven and a half weeks pregnant.”
A smile bursts across my face, instantly lifting my mood. “Wow, wow, all right.”
“I take it this is something that was planned?”
I nod, thinking we never talked about ‘trying,’ but we’ve been trying. No condoms and lots of sex mean we were trying. “Yes, we have been. I just didn’t recognize the symptoms until today. My work had the flu going around, so I just thought…” I stop and place my hand on my belly, confirming it to myself with touch.
“Where are you working?”
“Zack’s, at the bar.”
“Hmm…” She nods and writes in my file. “Are you still living at the house?”
“Umm, no, I’m living in town,” I answer, not sure where she’s going with this. Or is this protocol?
She takes off her glasses and leans back in her chair. “Well, since you have had a miscarriage due to high stress, I need to know if there is anything I should be aware of that might endanger this pregnancy.” She watches as the bliss drains from my face. “Savannah, I need you to be honest with me, if only for the safety of your baby. You got pregnant very quickly after your last one, and there are risks.” She removes her glasses and leans her elbows on her desk. “Remember, everything here is strictly confidential.”
“There is.” I spend the next forty minutes filling her in on my life up until now, and what obstacles I’ll be facing.
“Well, considering all that, I really would like to see you twice a month, and if you feel any discomfort of any sort, you come right in or call me.” She hands me her card with her personal contact information. “I really need you to avoid as much stress as possible, though I know that will be hard with what’s coming. Maybe you should think about not working?”
“Do I have to?”
“No, I’m just saying if it becomes overwhelming, take some time off. It’s not worth it.” She hands me a ton of paperwork and research to go over. “For now, here are some prenatal pills with some folic acid. You remember the drill. Do you have any questions?”
“Any advice on how to fight nausea?”
“Are you actually bringing up food?”
“Yes, a lot,” I admit, remembering this morning.
She scribbles on a pad of paper. “Try eating a piece of chicken or turkey when you wake up. The protein will help take it away. But if it doesn’t, take one of these three times a day, and it will do the trick. It will not harm the baby.”