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Sarah shook her head, but Saff could see a flicker of recognition flash across the older woman’s face.
“I can’t be sure without being able to run some tests, which we wouldn’t be able to run here. But based on your symptoms, that would be the most probable scenario.”
“What does that mean for the baby?” Sarah asked, anxiety thick in her voice.
Saff pursed her lips. “It really depends on the severity, which again we can’t really know for sure in this case.” She glancedup at the shelves lined with supplies behind her. “Typically, you would want to deliver as soon as possible after the baby reaches thirty-four weeks at least.” She looked back down at Sarah’s stomach again. “But I think, like you said, you’re past that point.”
Sarah nodded. “So what do I do?”
It felt odd consulting a patient and not being able to run the tests she was used to, not having access to the typical tools or medication. It also felt odd consulting a patient at all. Or even thinking of someone as a patient. She never really thought she would ever experience that again. But what made it especially difficult was knowing that the solution existed, but they couldn’t have it.
“Have you been on bed rest?” Saff asked.
“Just for the last few days, after I started getting dizzier and more sick.”
Saff nodded. “You should stay on bed rest.” Then she looked up at the older woman again. “Mind if I take a look?” she asked, gesturing to the shelves of supplies behind her.
She nodded.
Saff walked to the nearest shelf and began scanning.
All the medication appeared to be organized neatly and alphabetically, making it much easier to skip past the things she didn’t need. She browsed through one entire shelf, then moved on to the next, stopping suddenly when she found the first one she was looking for.
She grabbed one bottle, then continued, moving over each shelf.
Finally, when she couldn’t find the other two medications she was searching for, she turned back and walked toward the bed, holding up one bottle.
“This is a medication that works to lower your blood pressure. It should help a bit.”
Sarah nodded slowly, and Saff could see the hint of fear in her eyes.
This was the part that Saff could never quite get down: the comfort. It was the part of the job that always made her feel disconnected, like she was missing something vital. And for some reason, she couldn’t seem to learn it, even when she watched her colleagues.
She cleared her throat awkwardly, turning the bottle over in her hands. “How much do you weigh?”
Sarah paused, thinking for a moment. “Um—I’m not really sure, especially not with this one inside me,” she said, rubbing the bottom of her belly.
Saff looked over at the other woman. “Do you guys have a scale?”
“I’m sure we could find one somewhere,” she answered.
Saff looked back at Sarah. “Okay, after we check your weight, I’ll let you know how many of these to take each day.”
Sarah nodded, that fearful look still present in her eyes. Saff hated that she looked more nervous now than she did before.
Saff set the bottle next to her on the bed, then glanced over at the other woman.
“I’ll come back and check on you again a little later, okay?” the woman said with a smile, placing a gentle hand on Sarah’s leg. “And in the meantime, we’ll find a scale and bring it in so you can get started on the medication.”
“Yeah,” Sarah answered with a small smile. “Thanks, Sylvia.” Then she looked at Saff. “And thank you.”
Saff nodded, clearing her throat awkwardly again. This was her other least favorite part.
The woman—Sylvia—began walking out of the room, and Saff followed closely behind, remaining quiet until they were outside a few steps away from the house.
“Is it worse than you let on?” Sylvia asked, looking straight ahead as they walked.
The sky had brightened now with the morning sun, and more people had begun emerging outside. It looked so odd, almost reminding her of normal life before the outbreak.
