“Not usually.” Which wasn’t a no. “Here, go and pee in here, and then come back, and I’ll have the nurse come in and draw some labs.”
One test became two became four. I didn’t even pay attention to what the rest of the tests were because I had the results of my pee test within minutes. I was pregnant. Lincoln and I were going to be dads.
I was thrilled and wanted to call my mate, but also terrified because of the way the doctors were acting. My physical side effects of pregnancy were not normal. Not only that, they werehorrible. I wanted to crawl into bed and wish for the goddess to come and get me. Maybe it wasn’t quite that bad and I was being dramatic, but it was bad.
“Well, congratulations again on your pregnancy,” the doctor said. “Based on your levels, it’s probably only four weeks, which is really early to know. And it looks like it’s a coincidence that you feel like, quote, ‘death.’”
“What do you mean, a coincidence?” Please let it mean the death vibes were not pregnancy related and easily cured.
“Well, all of the ‘bad’ things we tested for were negative. The only thing the tests indicate is that you are severely dehydrated, and that’s an easy fix. It made you tired, your head hurt, and most everything that felt like being hungover. Everything except for possibly being sick to your stomach.”
“How did that happen? The dehydration, I mean.”
“It could be a mixture of many variables, including stress. Are you under a lot of stress lately?”
“No, my life’s actually better than it’s been in a long time.” I was happier now than I’d ever been. Having Lincoln made each day brighter.
“Did you drink a lot of water yesterday? Or a normal amount?”
I had to think on that. “I’m sure I did?”
“You’resureyou did, or you maybe did?”
“I don’t remember. It’s not something I pay attention to. If I’m thirsty, I drink.”
“From now on, make sure you drink frequently. You don’t want this happening again.” Wasn’t that the truth. “Did you have an excess of physical activity yesterday, possibly?”
“No.”
“Were you sweating a lot?” He wasn’t dropping it, which was good. It meant I wasn’t just a random number to him.
“A little, I guess. It was Give Back Day at work, so we were doing some community service, and I was helping in an attic with no air-conditioning. Why didn’t I remember that from the beginning?” I kept getting in my own way.
“Probably because you feel like death,” he teased, but in a way that had me relaxing, not feeling attacked. “What I’m going to give you is a list of recommendations, including some electrolyte drinks to start with. I’m also going to give you some IV fluid to jump-start things, and then I need you to take it easy. No more attic rummaging.”
Getting the IV fluids was like night and day. The feeling of my body being rehydrated was such quick relief. I no longer felt like death. I had a slight headache, and my stomach still wasn’t great, but he had said that could be part of the pregnancy.
In any case, I was definitely going to take his advice and drink a lot, take my vitamins, and avoid activities like I’d been doing in the attic. Anything to avoid feeling like this again and harming my baby.
When I got home, it was already near dinnertime, which was good because it meant Lincoln would be back soon. I couldn’t wait to tell him the news. I hated that I’d kept it from him this long, but I wanted to make sure everything was okay beforecalling him. And it wasn’t really the kind of information you delivered over the phone.
I sent him a quick text.Can you grab something quick to eat on your way? Just got in now.
Sure. Preferences?
No.I instantly regretted my response, soup suddenly sounding like the best idea, ever.I mean wonton soup.
Wonton soup it is.
I had the table ready for when he got there. I started to unpack the bag of food as I cleaned up. I wanted to fling myself at him and tell him about our child, but also, I wanted it to be more special than that.
“Something smells different,” he said when he walked back in.
“It looks the same.” Lincoln had picked up all our favorites.
“No,” he said, coming up behind me and hugging me. “Something smells different with you.” He rested his hands on my belly. “Are you pregnant?”
So much for me having to worry about a fancy way to tell him, which was good. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep the great news in any longer than I already had.
