"And what are the treatment options if it is? Is she in any danger?"
"It's very rare that preeclampsia leads to death." That word made Caleb temporarily stop breathing. "The only thing that can cure it is delivery. But she's only twenty-six weeks."
"Twenty-seven," Caleb corrected.
"Forgive me, twenty-seven. The earliest we can induce a delivery is at thirty-seven."
"And in the meantime?" he asked, gritting his teeth. He would not just stand around and watch Maddie in pain for another eleven weeks.
"Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of options until we have a diagnosis. I mean, it could be preeclampsia, but it could also be a UTI, gallstones, appendicitis, or just because her uterus is growing."
"And what about the pain?" Caleb demanded. Just remembering her racking sobs made him want to yell in frustration.
"Again, there aren't a whole lot of options. It would be Maddie's decision to take painkillers, but ibuprofen is generally not recommended in the third trimester, which is just right around the corner for her."
Fuck!
"I know this isn't what you want to hear, Mr. Montgomery," Dr. Cochrane said. "But just let Maddie get checked out first and see what the doctor says. Depending on the diagnosis, then we will decide what the next step will be."
Caleb dialed Maddie's number again when he hung up with the doctor, but it went to her voicemail, which worried him. He told himself it was probably just because they'd reached the hospital already. His foot pressed harder on the accelerator and he shot down the freeway.
By the time he was pulling into the parking lot of the E.R., he was out of his mind with worry and he hurried into the reception area. He discovered that Maddie had already been admitted and the security guard let him pass once he checked in.
She was in room 112 and when Caleb stepped foot inside, he was staggered by the sight of her. Maddie was lying upright in bed, an IV hooked into her arm, and noticeably still in severe pain. Her jaw was clenched and she kept squirming on the bed, like she couldn't find a position that didn't cause her discomfort.
"Maddie," he said, crossing to her bed. Maddie's mom, Cindy, was sitting, tense, in one of the two chairs in the room, clutching her daughter's hand.
"Caleb," she sobbed. She was crying so hard that it racked her body. She looked exhausted, beyond pale, like she hadn't been sleeping much lately, and sweat gleamed at her brow.
"How are you doing, princess?" he asked hoarsely, brushing a strand of hair off her face. Her face felt a little warm to the touch and he shot a look over his shoulder, searching for a nurse. The sight of her in excruciating pain was awful. He wished that he could take it all for her.
She didn't answer, just shook her head.
Caleb glanced at Cindy. "Have they run any tests?"
The older woman nodded. "Just blood, urine, and blood pressure. They can't do a CT scan because she's pregnant. We're just waiting for the doctor to do an ultrasound."
Caleb ground his teeth. "This is ridiculous. Where the hell is the doctor?"
"Did you reach Dr. Cochrane?" Maddie asked, huffing.
Caleb stroked her hair, trying to keep calm. If he lost his temper, it would only make her tense. He was all too aware of Cindy's eyes watching them both carefully, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He needed to touch Maddie, to reassure himself, if anything.
"He said it could be a lot of things and that we needed to wait on the diagnosis," he said, not wanting to alarm her unnecessarily. "Which should hopefully be any minute now. I'm going to go see where the doctor is, okay?"
Heads would fucking roll if a doctor wasn't in this room in the next few minutes. With that thought, he turned out of the room.
FORTY-SIX
The pain was like nothing she'd ever experienced in her life. Maddie hardly even noticed when the doctor entered the room, looking a little frazzled, a dark-eyed Caleb following right behind her, and she didn't even care that Caleb probably behaved a little badly to get her in there. She'd kiss him for it later.
"Okay, Ms. Ashby," Dr. Taylor said, shooting a hesitant look at Caleb. "Let's see what's going on here."
Maddie endured the questions, the gentle probing of her abdomen and side, and the ultrasound by the doctor. Her demeanor seemed to change rapidly as the tests continued, and once the blood work and urine samples returned, she said, "I'm afraid that it's appendicitis, Ms. Ashby. We're going to have perform an appendectomy."