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It was a little easier to distance himself from his own feelings today than it normally was, just because he felt so ill. The treatment Amy had started him on consisted of a weekly IV drip to be supplemented by pills. The pills weren’t so bad—he’d been taking them for three days now, with the only discernible side effect being a bit of light-headedness in the mornings and evenings—but yesterday he had done the IV for the first time, and he had been feeling weak and nauseous ever since.
“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” Amy said, not for the first time. “I can handle this by myself.”
“I wouldn’t miss the first scan,” he said. The truth was that he did feel like going home and pulling the covers up over his head, but he also didn’t want to let Barks-Howard’s—or the treatment for it—get in the way of what should be one of the most important moments of his life.
They were on their way to see the OB-GYN Amy had found here in Lake Como. Today, she was going to find out about the health of the baby, and about how far along in her pregnancy she was. Adriano couldn’t miss those things. They were too important. He wouldn’t stay home, lying in bed and feeling sick and miserable, at such a milestone moment.
Still, being in the car was hard. Had this road always had so many twists and turns? By the time they arrived at the doctor’s office, he felt green.
“Anyone would think I was the one who was pregnant,” he grumbled.
“If you need to go be sick somewhere—”
“I’m not going to be sick.” He took several deep breaths of fresh air. It helped a bit. The dizziness and the nausea didn’t go away completely, but they did fade somewhat, and he thought he might be able to cope.
“Are you ready to go in?” she asked, and he nodded.
The inside of the little office was calm and quiet. The waiting room was full of women in various stages of pregnancy—some of them not showing at all, looking nervous or excited, some of them clearly nearing the end of their term.
“Sit down,” he told Amy. “I’ll go check you in.”
She looked annoyed. “I made the appointment,” she reminded him. “I can check myself in.”
“Are you not going to allow me to do anything for you during this pregnancy?”
“There are plenty of things you can do for me,” she said. “But I don’t need you to doeverythingfor me. You go sit down. I’ll check myself in.”
He had to smile. There was no point in arguing with her when she got like this, and if he was being honest, it was one of the things he liked best about her. She knew her own mind, and she stuck to it. She would never allow him to tell her what to do, even when it was something as inconsequential as this.
She might have been the only person in his life who didn’t take orders from him.
That was refreshing. It was something he hadn’t known he needed.
She came back from the registration desk and sat down beside him. Adriano reached over and took her hand, and to his surprise, she allowed that.
He looked over at her. Nervousness was practically radiating off of her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I just hope everything’s okay with the baby,” she said. “I know there’s no reason to worry.”
“Of course there isn’t. You’re a doctor, you know how routine all this is.”
“I know,” Amy said. “If this were about one of my own patients, I wouldn’t be worrying at all. It’s just…different when it’s me. Us. Our baby.” She let out a little laugh. “Do you know what I mean?”
“I do,” he said. “I’m still sorting through my feelings about it all as well. But it already feels like this is the most important thing in the whole world, doesn’t it?”
Amy nodded. “That’s exactly how it feels.”
He squeezed her hand. This time, she didn’t just allow it—she squeezed back. She was comforted by having him there with her, he could tell, and he was surprised by how good that made him feel.
I don’t see how we keep things professional. Not now.
Maybe it would be best to end their doctor–patient relationship.
It wasn’t the first time Adriano had had the thought. Now that he was on a treatment plan, it might be possible to just continue working with the technicians and clinicians at Romano. Maybe he didn’t really need Amy, specifically, anymore. He’d chosen her for her expertise, but he’d gotten her expertise. And besides, their lives were intertwined enough now that he would probably always be able to call her and ask her questions if anything came up. She wouldn’t refuse a call from the father of her child.
But the idea of sending her away was horrible. He couldn’t face any of what was happening without her by his side and he knew it. He needed her now more than ever. Switching doctors was a possibility, but it wasn’t one he was willing to entertain.
