“You good?” she asks, twisting off her cap before taking a sip.
My brows pinch as the question takes me by surprise. “Yeah, why?”
“You look a little pale, that’s all.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assure her. “My hands and feet are more swollen than usual, and my head is throbbing, but I probably just need to rest when I get home. Pregnancy, am I right?” I chuckle, and she does too, but it sounds forced.
She’s got that look on her face she gets when she’s assessing a patient. “Any dizziness?” she asks, lifting my arm so she can look at my hand. “Spotty vision? Nausea?”
“Actually, I have been a little queasy today,” I say. “No dizziness. I’ve had a few spots in my vision, I guess, but that’s been happening pretty often at work lately. I think it’s from the adrenaline.”
Casey nods, checking something on her phone. “Have you checked your blood pressure lately?”
“Not since my last prenatal appointment.”
“Okay, and it was normal?”
“I assume so. She didn’t say otherwise.” My pulse kicks up. “Why do you ask?”
“Would you be okay if I checked it right now?” she asks gently.
My mouth dries as I nod. “Yeah, of course.” I chew on the inside of my cheek as Casey gets the cuff. “Do you think something’s wrong?”
“Oh, I’m sure everything’s okay, but with the nausea, headache, blurry vision, and swelling, I’d rather be sure, that’s all.”
A dozen thoughts fly through my mind. Is the baby okay? Am I okay? Did I brush off something that should’ve been takenseriously? What if the babyisn’tokay and it’s my fault? I would never forgive myself. It feels like something is sitting right on top of my chest, a weight I can’t move. It’s suffocating.
The machine beeps, and I hold my breath as I glance at Casey.
“Okay, it is a little higher than it should be,” she says, keeping her voice soft. “But that could be for a number of reasons, so I don’t think we should jump the gun just yet. I do think it would be a good idea to go to the hospital and get you checked, to be on the safe side.”
There’s a roaring heartbeat thrumming in my ears, and my throat tightens. The panic in my chest gets more intense, and I’m afraid I’m about to have a full-blown panic attack in front of my coworker, butwhat if something is wrong?
Casey rests her hand on her shoulder. “Hey, breathe, Charley,” she says. “I’m sure everything is fine. High blood pressure is very common in pregnancy. It happened to me with my second, but it went away on its own. I know it’s hard to not think the worst, but I really think it’s going to be okay.”
Swallowing roughly, I nod. “Okay, can I call Graham and give him a heads-up before we go?”
“Of course, go ahead. I’ll be over by the table when you’re done.”
My hands tremble as I pull out my phone and find Graham’s contact. I feel like I might throw up as it rings, and when the line connects and his deep, soothing voice comes through the speaker, tears spring to my eyes.
“Hey, Sunny. On your way home?”
“No, not yet.” I hate the way my voice cracks. “I don’t want to worry you because it’s probably nothing, but Casey is going to run me by the hospital to get checked out?—”
“Run you by the hospital,” he repeats. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” I murmur, hoping I sound reassuring.I’m probably worrying him for no reason.“My blood pressure is just a little higher than usual, but my anxiety has been pretty bad today, so I’m sure it’s that.”
Save for the shuffling around on his end, the line is quiet for a moment.
“I’ll meet you there,” Graham finally says.
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure everything is fi?—”
“I want to,” he cuts me off. “You shouldn’t have to be there alone. I’ll meet you there, Charley.”
The ball of worry and panic grows in my throat, making it hard to breathe. “Okay.”
