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I shrug. “Fine, I think. I’m not eating as much pizza as I used to.”
“Have you been getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet? Water?”
I make a face, struggling to remember what I had this morning for breakfast. It was a very fatty breakfast sandwich with sausage and eggs. Absolutely delicious, but definitely lacking greens. “I could do better,” I say after a long while.
“Please, do.” Dr. Adams gives me a stern look, which makes me think my blood pressure is worse than what she’s letting on. “Stay away from starchy foods. Think egg white omelets, avocado toasts, and fruit smoothies. And lots of water.”
“Ok,” I say with a curt nod, making a mental note to ask Hunter to take me to the grocery store either tonight or tomorrow. We have nothing like that in our refrigerator. It’s mostly protein shakes, old pizza, Chinese takeout, and energy drinks.
Dr. Adams pats the bed between us and I quickly hop onto it, ready for the fun part of the appointment: the ultrasound. “I know I may sound like a dictator, but it’s important for the baby if the mother remains as healthy as possible. And once again, please, pay attention to your stress levels. I know you’re a student and all. Things can get quite busy, but we don’t need anything causing you to go into labor early. Just keep that in mind if you have any plans for late night studying.”
“I’ve been getting my eight hours of sleep,” I say with a grimace, hating this ongoing lecture, hating how I know so little about my own pregnancy.
“Shoot for ten,” Dr. Adams says as she rests the doppler on my belly.
I turn toward the screen near me, watching my baby come on screen. They’ve grown so big since the last time I saw Dr. Adams. All of my worries dissipate as I look at the image, my eyes welling with tears.
“Everything looks good,” Dr. Adams says with a smile mirroring my own. “You have nothing to worry about, Rachel.”
I barely register her words. My fingers reach for the screen, tracing my baby’s head, wishing I could meet them now.
“Would you like to know the sex of the baby?”
My eyes widen as I meet Dr. Adams and my smile grows as I nod. “Yes,” I breathe, turning my attention to the screen.
Chapter 9
ALEX
9
ALEX
The trees rustle with the wind as I walk down the street toward our house. The air is crisp, hinting fall will come soon. I pull my jacket closer to my body, my gaze on the GAMSAT practice test in my hand, one ear paying attention to cars that may pass. It’s too beautiful a day to take a cab or call Hunter to pick me up from campus. We won’t have days like this soon, so I need to take advantage of it as much as possible.
I was restless the moment I woke up this morning, deciding it better to spend my day studying at the library rather than remaining inside the house. It gets lonely from time to time with Hunter and Rachel attending classes and Lucas and Seth at work. The silence tends to get to me. I need to be surrounded by noise, even while studying. It soothes me—something I will never understand about myself.
I spent the whole day at the library, drinking coffee while studying. I finished my session with a practice test. Even graded it myself. Staring at the score now, seeing that 88%, I should feel happy. That’s a good enough score to get into any medical program. Instead, I feel… unsatisfied. I keep thinking about the runway, the photographs snapping their photos, the adrenaline behind the curtain—recalling how assistants ripped the clothes from my body and shoved me into new attire while others fixed my hair, my makeup.
I want to relive it all over again. I can’t see myself cooped up in a doctor’s office, or a hospital. I want the noise, the action, the drama. I want to travel around the world, meeting new people, experiencing new things. There’s no way I can turn down Susan’s offer.
Cramming the practice test into my pocket, I know the decision I’m going to make. I’m going to do it. I’m going to become a model. Seth and Rachel may not like it, but if they love me, they will support me. I, of course, will talk to them about it, but my mind is made up.
I inhale deeply, breathing in the crisp, leafy scent as I come upon the house, my pace quickening while my heart skips giddily. It shouldn’t have taken me this long to come to this decision. I should have told Susan ‘yes’ the moment she said anything. I will call her tonight, after I speak with Rachel and we will get anything finalized. I’ll sign anything Susan sends my way. This is going to be my new career path. I feel both exhilarated and nervous.
“I’m home!” I call while entering my home, kicking the door shut behind me.
Silence greets me, and I heave a long, frustrated sigh. At least, with me being away so much traveling, I won’t feel so alone all the time. I toss my bag in the corner, near the door, and trudge up the steps toward my room. Maybe I can go on a run before everyone gets home.
I pause, my head tilting as I hear a noise coming from the bathroom.
“Hello?”
No response.
Slowly, I step closer toward the bathroom, listening in to what it could possibly be. Did someone leave the bathroom window open? Is a squirrel currently having a party in our bathroom? My eyes widen when I recognize the sound distinctly as retching. I clamp a hand over my mouth, swallowing bile while taking a step back.
Another good thing about deciding to give up on med school, is that I won’t have to deal with people throwing up around me. I can handle blood. I’ve watched a surgery before. But if there’s one thing I cannot do whatsoever, that’s watching and listening to someone vomit.
