Page 69 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“What happened?” I ask, my voice raspy and weak.

“You’re okay. You fainted,” she says, setting the kit on the table next to my bed. “I just need to change your IV and put you on some prenatal vitamins. Your bloodwork was a bit of a mess.”

“I’m sorry?”

The nurse smiles softly, the creases at the corners of her blue eyes deepening. “You’re okay, I promise. The doctor will be with you shortly, but in the meantime, I need to keep pumping you full of the good stuff to get you back on your feet.”

“Okay.”

I’m too weak to protest, so I just lay back and watch as she sets up a new IV bag, following the line all the way down to the tube in my forearm, gingerly taped so it’ll stay in place. Everything that transpired before I got here comes back with a headache and a vengeance.

“Where am I? Who else knows I’m here?” I ask the nurse just as she’s about to walk out the door.

“Your friends are outside, worried about you,” she says.

“My friends?”

“The Hayes brothers. Well, two of them, anyway, and that redheaded neighbor lady of theirs.” She smiles. “The doctor will be with you shortly.”

Five minutes later, Dr. Rollins walks in, and I’m relieved to see a familiar face. “Oh, thank God,” I gasp.

“Anya, we need to stop meeting like this. First, a head injury, now a pregnancy. Got any more surprises I should be aware of? “He chuckles and goes over my chart with a furrowed brow.

“I’m not sure what happened, Doc. I passed out.”

“You did. But you’re going to be okay. I ran a full blood panel as soon as they brought you in. One of the first things we look for in women of your age is pregnancy. It told me all I needed to know to begin treating you quickly,” he says.

“Who brought me in?” I ask.

“One of the sheriff’s deputies. The Hayes brothers and Breonna followed shortly afterward.”

“Do they know?”

“About your pregnancy?” he asks, and I nod once. “No, I figured it’s your business. Patient-doctor privilege does apply.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Something incredibly stressful must’ve happened before you fainted,” he says. “I’m guessing it’s connected to your current, albeit recovering, retrograde amnesia. Have you made any progress since we last spoke?”

I nod again. “Yes. It’s slow, but yes.”

“Good. It means you’re likely to remember everything, eventually. Your brain is healing. It’s a positive sign,” he says. “Now, about your pregnancy.”

“Is the baby okay?”

“So far, yes. Your bloodwork showed some concerns, but nothing that can’t be fixed with prenatal vitamins and a change in your diet. We need to get more greens in you, Anya. Less red meat, more fish.”

“Okay.”

“You also need to take it easy with the memory recovery process. At the first hint of a headache, I need you to take a deep breath and find something else to do. Any increased stress should be avoided for the duration of this pregnancy.”

I give him a weak smile. “Thank you, Doc. So we’re good”

“I would like you to come in for a checkup in the next two weeks to make sure your levels are looking good. I’m also the town’s OB-GYN, otherwise, I would’ve recommended a different clinic. We’ll run an ultrasound during your next appointment.”

“And the morning sickness?”

He laughs lightly and takes out a box of pills from a nearby cabinet. “This is an herbal remedy, in pill form, but it’s the good stuff. I give it to all my pregnant patients, and over seventy percent of them reported fewer bouts of morning sickness. Here’s hoping you’re one of them.” He pauses and gives me a curious look. “Do you have any other symptoms you wish to address?”

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