Page 18 of Playing With Secrets
The nurse peeks up from her chart. “Have you had any spotting with the pain?”
“No.” My eyes stay on Jami.
He’s smiling and is still about to sever my hand in two. Confusion swarms around me as I try to get him to ease his grip. The nurse keeps me focused with more questions.
“Tell me about the pain.” She studies me as she waits for me to respond.
My nerves jump up a notch as Jami relaxes his hand and dials in on how I answer the question.
“It comes and goes.” I think about it more. “Actually, it’s always there. But it’s achy like I’m having terrible cramps. My lower back hurts. The shooting pain is more random. It’s sharp and jarring, making me lose my breath at times.”
Jami shifts, so I glance at him. His expression is tight and pulled together. He’s more than concerned with something I just said. My eyebrows draw down.
Should I be scared?
I was already fearful something was wrong with me, butnow the fright is being doused over me like kerosene. I hope nobody lights a match or I might go up in flames.
Right as I’m about to pass out from my sudden terror, my gynecologist steps into the room. “Good afternoon, Dori.”
“Hi, Dr. Ring. How are you?” I ask.
My doctor trades places with the nurse. As they do, my doctor nods to the nurse. She walks over to an ultrasound machine and pulls it closer to me. Jami squeezes my hand again when he realizes what it is.
Dr. Ring’s relaxed stance puts me at ease. My heart starts to pitter-patter, but I hold my breath and wait.
“I’m well, thank you. And who might you be?” Dr. Ring places her hand out to Jami.
“I’m the boyfriend, Jamison Stone.” He holds out his hand and shakes hers.
“It’s nice to have you join us.” She sits on a rolling stool before me. “Do I have your permission to speak openly while your partner’s in the room?”
I’m still processing the boyfriend comment, but I nod anyway. “It helps to have him here.”
She smiles warmly. “Of course it does. Since you’re probably anxiously waiting, your test came out positive. You are pregnant.”
Unexpected joy takes over. I start to turn to Jami, but he’s up and hugging me before I can. I laugh into his chest and can’t believe I’m happy about this. It’s a less-than-ideal situation.
I half expected them to tell me I was making the symptoms up in my head. I should be crying and panicking, but I’m not. Instantly, I’m settled. All my worries about work and Hunter fall to the side.
Jami pulls away and excitement bursts from his eyes. He kisses me over and over with little pecks all over my face.
“I see this is good news,” Dr. Ring interrupts our celebration. “I want to discuss a few things before we do theinitial ultrasound to ensure everything is progressing normally.”
Jami sits beaming proudly, and I can’t help but bask in it all. Oliver yelled at me for days when I told him I was pregnant, so this reaction from Jami has my heart blowing up into a gigantic love balloon.
“About the pains you’re having. There are several reasons why that could be happening. Your uterus growing is one of those. The other is you have a significant UTI, which may be the source of the pain.
“There’s blood in your urine. You need to start an antibiotic today. The infection could also be causing you to feel run-down.” She pauses for me to respond.
Jami cuts in before I can say anything. “What does that mean for the baby?”
“It means we’ll treat her with an antibiotic that’s safe for the baby and watch her for further complications.” She addresses me. “Since we’re aware you have one, I’ll be on high alert, looking for any signs of it returning.”
I nod, but Jami isn’t satisfied with her response. “And if it returns, what then?”
I didn’t think he’d be this nervous, but he’s pale and tense. I’m trying to figure out why, then it hits me. He has no family left. He must be terrified of losing anything he loves. His parents’ deaths must have him about to jump out of his skin with anxiety.
“We’ll be monitoring her closely. The worst thing that could happen is it could turn into a kidney infection. That could cause early labor and low birth weight, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” She gives him a stern look. “We’ll make sure she’s progressing as expected if that becomes a concern.”
