Page 19 of Save You
“So, Lydia, how are you doing?”she asks.
I watch Lydia as she looks back at the doctor.
Suddenly, she makes a kind of hysterical sound that was probably intended to be a laugh.But she quickly pulls herself togetherand clears her throat as if nothing ever happened.“Not too bad, I think.”
Dr.Hearst gives an understanding nod.“Last time, you said the sickness was very bad.How is that going now?”
“It’s better.I haven’t been sick at all for a week.But sometimes it really hurts when I stand up after a long time sitting down.Is that normal?”
Dr.Hearst smiles.“That’s nothing to worry about.The ligaments in your womb are under a lot of strain now, making room for the baby.I can prescribe you magnesium, which should help with the pain.”
“OK, that sounds good,” says Lydia with relief.
After the conversation, Dr.Hearst sends her behind the curtain to undress.I stay in my chair, staring at the painting over the desk, while she examines her.I’m trying to figure out what the shapes and colors are meant to represent but stand no chance.It’s one of the weirdest pictures I’ve ever seen, all in yellow, red, and blue.I wonder if it was done by a child.
I hear Dr.Hearst say, “Everything is as it should be.The cervix is nicely closed, and so long as you have no cramps or bleeding, it should all be fine.”
Lydia murmurs something that I don’t catch, then she’s allowed to get dressed again.I sigh with relief.We’ve got through this part.
“You can join us now, Ruby.”
Lydia is now lying on a bed with her blouse pushed up.Her fingers are resting on her bare belly, and I realize that you can see a clear bulge now.
I smile nervously back at her as I sit on a chair beside her.Thedoctor is bringing over something that I presume is an ultrasound machine.
“So, are you ready to see your baby, Lydia?”
Lydia nods, but she’s clearly tense, so I scoot a bit closer to her.
The doctor rubs a transparent gel onto Lydia’s belly and then presses the tip of the scanner to it.I stare in fascination at the screen, but at first, I can’t make anything out at all in the fuzzy black-and-white image.Dr.Hearst moves calmly over Lydia’s skin and, after a while, the picture changes.It gradually comes more and more into focus and…
I catch my breath.Beside me, Lydia gasps an “oh” of surprise.
I’m pretty sure there’s a little head on the screen, over to the right.
“There you are,” says Dr.Hearst, pointing to the screen with her finger.As she moves the scanner, the baby becomes clearer to see.Now I can make out tiny arms and legs.This is so, so cool—far and away the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Wow,” I whisper, and the doctor smiles at me.
I dare to glance at Lydia.Her eyes are huge as she stares at the screen in disbelief.
“Hold on,” Dr.Hearst says suddenly, leaning in a little closer.For a moment, the black-and-white chaos is back, but then the little bubble comes into view again.
“Is everything OK?”Lydia asks anxiously.I put my hand on her shoulder.The doctor’s hesitation is making me nervous too.The baby moved, I saw it very clearly.She can’t give us bad news now—not now.Lydia wouldn’t cope.
“Ms.Beaufort, may I introduce you”—Dr.Hearst is beaming at Lydia—“to Baby Number Two!”She points to a dot on thescreen.“They’re slightly hidden behind their little brother or sister, so it’s harder to make them out.”
Lydia gasps.She stares incredulously at the monitor as Dr.Hearst zooms in on the second little bubble and enlarges the image.I can’t see anything myself, but I know she’s telling the truth.
Twins.
Lydia is not expecting one child but two.
I can’t imagine what’s going through her head right now.I pat her shoulder a little awkwardly, desperately trying to think what to say, when Lydia suddenly throws back her head and laughs.
Dr.Hearst and I exchange glances that say we can’t blame her.Lydia must be in shock.After everything she’s been through in the last few weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up having a breakdown.
“That’s crazy.”She giggles after a while, turning her head toward me.“That’s just…I don’t know what to say.”
