He sobered with a nod of understanding. “Statistically the odds are very low but a pregnancy can be dangerous in certain situations. But you’re a young, healthy woman and I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t be just fine.”
She nodded but the image of Mindy, bleeding to death on her own bathroom floor, slammed into her mind. Mindy had hidden her pregnancy from everyone and had sworn Julianna to secrecy. Every day she wished she’d broken that promise. “I knew someone who died from a complication.”
“Oh? I’m so sorry. May I ask…what happened?”
Julianna didn’t want to talk about Mindy but she supposed she couldn’t get over her fear unless she did. “She was my best friend. We were in high school. The baby got stuck I think because it wouldn’t come out.”
“And the doctor didn’t do a C-section?”
She swallowed. “She didn’t have a doctor,” Julianna nearly choked on the words. All Mindy had had was Julianna. And Julianna hadn’t known a thing about birthing a baby. New tears followed as she shook her head. “It’s hard for me to talk about. Just tell me…what would happen if my baby got stuck in there.”
“Then we would do an emergency C-section and within minutes the baby would be out and the crisis would end.” He took a risk and clasped her hand gently as he said, “Julianna…I am so sorry about your friend. That’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone, much less a young girl who probably wasn’t ready to be a mom, but that’s not going to happen to you. I promise.”
She swallowed and wiped at her eyes. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Julianna released a shaky breath and whispered, “Okay. Thank you. I don’t want to die.”
“I don’t want you to die either. It’s hard to hold onto patients if they die on you.” He surprised her with a cheeky grin and she couldn’t help the smile that followed. “That’s a girl. Okay, no more tears. This is a happy day where I get to say, congratulations, you’re having a baby!”
She regarded him with gratitude for being so kind and gentle when she needed it most, saying, “Dr. Lassiter, you’ve been so sweet listening to me blubber about my problems when that’s not your job. I don’t normally break down and overshare with strangers but I’m new to the area and I don’t know anyone yet and I think the situation just kind of overwhelmed me.”
“No need to apologize. You’ve got a lot happening in your body right now. Growing a whole other human is hard work. Cut yourself some slack.” His smile faded as he slipped back into doctor-mode. “However, here’s the part where I must warn you, you are very early in your pregnancy and this is generally the most fragile of the terms. I am going to prescribe some prenatal vitamins and plenty of rest. Don’t try and overdo it. If you’re tired, take a nap. Listen to your body.”
She nodded. “I have been pretty tired…and nauseous. When does that constant urge to throw up go away?”
“Every woman is different but usually by the second trimester.”
“Second trimester?” she repeated in dismay and added with a groan. “I don’t think I can handle months of this stuff. I’ve never thrown up so much in my life.”
He laughed. “Well, like I said, your body is doing a Herculean feat. Making eyeballs and all that so accept that nausea like a badge of honor. Maybe you’ll get lucky and the morning sickness will fade before your second trimester.”
“Does that happen?”
“Sure,” he answered with a grin. “In the meantime, eat small, light meals and always have a few crackers stuffed in your purse for emergencies.”
Julianna sighed and her thoughts immediately went to Boston. If he were here he’d no doubt hire a nutritionist and a full-time chef to follow her around to ensure her every need were met. Ugh. What a nuisance that would be. But then if he were there with her, she’d also be snuggled up to him every night, too. Their bodies had fit together in a way that defied explanation. She smoothed her hand over her still-flat tummy and looked to the doctor to ask with hope in her voice, “Can I hear the heartbeat again?”
“Absolutely.” He grabbed the Doppler and lubed it up again as she laid down and lifted her shirt. After he found the little bumping bean inside her, he grinned as fresh tears of wonder filled her eyes, saying, “Most beautiful sound in the world, isn’t it?”
Yeah…she kind of had to agree.
Well, girl…looks like you’re going to be a mother. Wow. Talk about a crazy turn of events.