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I moved towards the voice, leaving the guys to trail behind me, so grateful I had been called in before the guys could freak out any more.
We were led into a small office where a nurse busily took my vitals and asked me questions about my pregnancy so far. Hunter and Kai stood awkwardly in the corner, looking unsure and worried.
When the nurse had all the details she needed she led us next door into a much bigger office and the three of us sat behind a huge, modern glass desk. Certificates hung in fancy frames ahead of us, and one wall was covered floor to ceiling in solid wood bookshelves, stacked with medical volumes. It was unlike any doctor’s office I had ever been in before and I started to panic about just how much this appointment was going to cost.
Before I could raise the question with Hunter, a young woman in a white coat strode in. She was younger than I expected – maybe just a little older than me. Her almost black hair was styled perfectly into some fancy chignon, and she had on a perfectly pressed white blouse beneath her doctor’s coat. She smiled kindly as she rounded her desk and stood opposite us.
“Sorry for the delay,” she said. “I’m Doctor Andrews.” She held a hand out to me, which I shook as I forced a smile.
“Maddie,” I replied. “And these are my….friends,” I stuttered as I looked between the guys who sat either side of me.
“I’m Hunter,” Hunter offered as he held a hand out to her in greeting. She shook it and kept her smile in place, not even looking curious at my hesitation.
“And I’m Kai,” Kai said as he took her hand to shake next.
“So,” Doctor Andrews began as she took a seat behind her desk and looked to the screen of her computer. “We managed to get your records from Chicago and I’ve had a look over them. I don’t see any issues with your first pregnancy, correct?”
“I had low blood pressure throughout, but it wasn’t much of an issue,” I replied. “Everything else was normal as far as I know.”
“And you’ve been experiencing low blood pressure through this pregnancy too?”
“Yes, and it seems worse than last time. The morning sickness is worse too. It’s gone on past the first trimester and it’s not only in the mornings.”
“That can happen unfortunately, but I can give you some pills to try and ease that. Your blood pressure was very low when the nurse took it earlier. While it’s not unusual, it is concerning if it was the cause of your fainting spell earlier.”
“So it’s normal to have low blood pressure when your pregnant?” Kai asked.
“It can be, because the blood is being rerouted to the fetus. It only usually happens for the first trimester, but it can go into the second,” Doctor Andrews explained patiently.
“What can we do to stop it?” Hunter asked next. I wanted to get annoyed at them butting in, but how could I when they sounded so keen to understand what was going on and in finding ways to help me?
“I suspect Maddie may need to take things a little easier. I understand you have recently separated from your husband?” She looked to me with understanding.
“Yes. He…he was abusive. I had to get my daughter away from him,” I admitted, my face heating with the shame I felt at admitting that. Hunter must have picked up on it, because he grabbed my hand in his and smoothed his thumb back and forth over my knuckles comfortingly.
“I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. Are you and your daughter staying somewhere safe now?”
“Yes. I’m staying with Hunter and Kai. We’ve been friends since we were kids,” I replied as I gave both guys a shy smile of gratitude.
“And you plan to stay there for the time being?” the doctor probed.
“Yes,” Hunter answered for me. “She and Willow are staying with us.”
Doctor Andrews looked to me with question and I just nodded, smiling to reassure her I was good with that.
“Well, I know you have a lot going on, but I really would advise you to try and minimize stress as much as possible. Put your feet up and rest whenever you can. Small meals and snacks often should help with your blood pressure too.”
“We can do that,” Kai agreed keenly.
“Good. I’d like you to get a sonogram before you leave today, but all being well with that, I’d say you and baby are doing just fine, Maddie,” the doctor summarized.
“Thank you,” I replied, relieved everything was okay. The longer we had sat in that waiting room, the more and more convinced I became that I had done something to hurt my baby with all of the chaos that had surrounded me lately.
At least I wasn’t a complete failure in life. I may not have protected Willow from her father, but so far I had successfully done what I was biologically programmed to do – incubate my child.Yay me!At least I managed not to fuck up something.
***
“I think that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!” Kai announced excitedly as the three of us headed through the parking lot towards Parker’s Range Rover.
