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Declan
“Oh god, you’re goingto have to help me,” Maggie says with a laugh.
She’s looking at the examination table at the doctor’s office like it’s Mt. Everest.
“Here,” I say, helping her up.
Once she seated, we hear a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Maggie calls.
Dr. Curtis walks in. “Maggie, how are you feeling?”
“Enormous,” Maggie says.
Dr. Curtis laughs. “To be expected.”
I help Maggie lean back and she lifts her shirt. Dr. Curtis goes to work, listening to her heart and lungs, measuring her bump, and then she puts the fetal heart monitor on Maggie’s stomach.
“Sounds great,” she says. “Everything is looking just as it should. You’re feeling lots of movement, right?”
“God, yes,” Maggie laughs. “He’s active, that’s for sure.”
Dr. Curtis smiles. “Well, that’s good news. If you can slide down a little, I’d like to see if you’re dilated at all.”
Maggie nods and puts her feet into the stirrups. I take her hand as the doctor examines her.
“You’re not dilated at all. There’s no signs of labor. I’m releasing you from bedrest.”
Maggie looks over at me and then back at the doctor. “Really? I still have three weeks to go.”
“I know you’re still having contractions here and there, and we want you to get to your due date, but the risks just don’t outweigh the benefits anymore. I’d like you to limit your activity – nothing rigorous and listen to your body. If you’re tired or not feeling well, take a break, but for the most part, you can do light activity. Sex is fine. Go back to normal – I meanpregnantnormal, notnormalnormal. You’ll have to wait a few more weeks for that.”
“Oh, that’s great news,” Maggie says, looking up at me.
I squeeze her hand.
“I’ll see you back in a week,” Dr. Curtis says.
“Hopefully not before,” Maggie says.
When we walk out of the doctor’s office, Maggie says, “I want to go over to the park.”
I nod. We cross the street. It’s hard not to think about how different things are now than the last time we took this walk.
“You feeling alright?” I ask.
“Can I have my water?” she asks.
I’m carrying her purse and pull her water bottle out. “Here.”
She takes a sip and says, “God, I’ve lost so much strength. I’m going to need to rest.”
We walk over to a bench and sit. She lets out a little sigh and says, “It’s really nice to be outside.”
I place my hand on her thigh and say, “Bedrest wasn’t easy, and you handled it really well. I’m proud of you.”
She puts her hand on top of mine. “Well, I had good company.”
