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“Exactly. If you’re still hesitant, we can give her one project at first. If we don’t like the result, we just don’t give her another, but if we do…” I trail off.
“Okay, that works.”
“Awesome, I’m going to–” I trail off hunching forward when a sharp, painful bite goes from my belly up to my rib cage. I gasp, arms going around my stomach protectively.
Ella is out of her seat like a shot, coming round to my side. “Charlotte! What is it?”
“I-I–” I gasp breathlessly. “My babies.” I groan when the pain courses through me again. It’s like a period cramp, but a lot worse. My stomach aching as my uterus seems to contract. I feel dampness soak between my legs. I freeze, lips parting as I stare at Ella in terror. “Ella,my babies. It’s too soon.”
She inhales sharply and stands up, grabbing my arm so I can stand up too, but my lower belly hurts so badly that I have to hunch over. We shuffle like that to the elevator. I lean on her shoulder quietly.
God please. Not my babies.
The elevators slide open when we get to the basement garage, and Ella slowly leads me to my new Jeep. I didn’t even notice her taking my keys from the table, but luckily she came prepared. She helps me into the passenger seat and buckles my seat belt before she runs to the driver side.
“You’re going to be fine. All of you,” she asserts as she starts the car.
I nod in agreement. Wehaveto be. I don’t know what I’m going to do, how I’m going to survive if I lose. I shake my head not wanting to think about it at all. I close my eyes, resting my head against the car window as we drive to Dr. Boyle’s office. My arms curve protectively over my small bump.
Thankfully, the clinic isn’t that far from our office, so we’re there in record time. Ella must’ve texted ahead because the doctor is waiting at the door with a wheelchair. As I move to sit, I notice a little red splotch at the crotch of my navy pants, and I sway on my feet.
“Charlotte!” Ella screams, grabbing my upper arm. Dr. Boyle takes my other arm, and together they help me into the wheelchair and whisk me away.
“B-blood. There’s blood, Ella,” I whisper fearfully, gripping her hand tightly as I blink back stinging tears. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. She squeezes my hand, the terror on her face reflecting mine.
I’m wheeled into a ward and transferred to a bed. A nurse comes in to take my blood pressure. Dr. Boyle talks soothingly as she palpitates my abdomen and receives a swift kick from one of the babies in return. Relief courses through me, and I let out a sigh. “Everything seems okay from here. Hold on.”
Just as the nurse is done taking my blood pressure, which she notes down, the doctor wheels in the equipment needed to get an image of the babies and hear their heartbeat. I grab Ella’s hand again, holding my breath as she wipes the goop over my belly and glides the wand across my abdomen.
Dr. Boyle exhales, her shoulders seeming to relax. That’s a good thing right?
“How are you feeling Ms. Square? Are you still having the cramps?”
“N-no, that stopped midway to the hospital.”
“That’s great. Your blood pressure is low but normal. Something seemed to have disturbed the circulation to the babies, which led to the stimulation of the uterus and the false alarm. May I ask if you have changed your diet recently?”
“False alarm. It was a false alarm?” I ask, that being the only thing I really grabbed from her sentence.
She gives me a reassuring smile. “Yes, It was a false alarm. We’ll have to keep you overnight to keep an eye on you. But yes, you and the babies are going to be fine.”
I deflate into the bed with an exhale, the tension finally leaving me. We’re fine. We’re fine.
“So, what changed in your diet?” she asks again.
I frown trying to think of what new thing I have started eating. “Nothing changed. At least nothing that I can think of.Oh, I started taking tea before going to bed because I noticed it helped me relax and fall asleep easier.”
“What tea?”
“Raspberry leaf tea.”
She snaps her finger and states, “That’s it.”
“What? The tea caused all this?” Ella asks, speaking up for the first time since we got into the ward. “But Mom said she had it throughout her pregnancy with us. Oh God, Mom. I have to call her.”
Shit,Ezra. I have to call him too.
“While raspberry leaf tea can help you relax, if you didn't drink it prior to pregnancy, a sudden regular intake can stimulate the uterus, which can lead to a miscarriage or preterm labor,” Dr. Boyle explains. “It is thought to help tone the uterus in preparation of labor, but you don’t want to drink too much, especially this soon.”
