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He puts on his stethoscope and listens to my heart and lungs. Writes something down on the chart the nurse left.
“I’m not seeing a lot here,” he says. “But you need more sleep, and you have to eat better. You’re taking care of two now.”
“I understand.”
“Okay. Good. The nurse will be back shortly. You have any questions?”
“No.”
“All right.” He nods at me. “Take care of yourself.” He walks out.
I sit for another ten minutes—that’s a guess because time’s been standing still since I got here—until the nurse returns.
“How are you?” She studies the chart.
“Fine.”
“Doctor say anything?”
“Sleep and rest.”
“Did he mention stress management? You need to be aware of that.”
Stress management? That’ll take some doing.
“I will be.”
“We have a lab downstairs, so we can get results pretty fast on certain things. They checked your hCG levels. They’re high. So . . .” She smiles and leaves me hanging.
Guess I don’t watch enough doctor shows on television because high hCG levels sounds ominous to me. “What does that mean?”
“You’re pregnant.”
I’m filled with a joy I haven’t felt until now. Her reaffirming that I am pregnant gives it a sense of legitimacy. My eyes well up.
“Are you okay?” The nurse rubs my back.
“I’m fine.”
“You’ll need to take better care of yourself.”
“I know.”
“I can get you the name of a top-notch obstetrician if you’d like?”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“Can I go home now?”
“Not yet. But soon.”
“All right.” The nurse turns to leave. “Is the man I came with still here?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“I’ll be back.” She walks away.
Noah hasn’t left yet. I wonder why? Is he here out of guilt? Does he still have feelings for me? I shouldn’t be thinking of the whys because they don’t matter. His future is mapped out with somebody else. He’ll be leaving once I walk out of this hospital.
I rub my belly. “Looks like it’s just you and me, kid.”
