Page 65 of Lay Me Down
“But it’s not high,technically.”
“It is for you, though. You haven’t gained any weight, and now your blood pressure is high. I don’t like this.”
“Ohhh-kay. I think it’s good to document. I’ll just take that back,” Pam says nervously, and pulls the stethoscope and cuff out of Ser’s hands. “Your doctor should be here in a few minutes, and then she’ll look everything over and discuss it with you, okay?” she says back to me and smiles.
“Okay, thank you,” I say back, and the moment she leaves and shuts the door, I turn to Serena. “You have got to chill out. You cannot scare my OB team.”
“Well, Ashia, honey. It is quite concerning,” Leanne finally chimes in, resting on my knee.
“Is it that bad?” I ask in a worried tone and look back to Ser. Her face softens as my eyes meet hers, and she sighs.
“It’s notbad. Especially because you’ve been under so much stress lately. Let’s just see what the doctor says. Okay?” she says softly, but I don’t respond. I can’t think of that right now. If something is wrong with either myself or the baby, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Even though a part of me wants to do nothing but curl up in our bed and not move an inch until Damien carries me out, I’ve been doing the best I can.
The doctor taps on the door and walks in with a wide smile, like my heart rate hasn’t just gone up a few beats per minute over the concern.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Ser,” Dr. Campbell says a little more sternly to Serena. “Who’s this?” She points to Leanne.
“Oh, I’m her mother-in-law. Pleasure to meet you.” They shake hands, then Dr. Campbell sits down on the stool.
“So, Ashia. I heard that your friend has some concerns with your vitals and your weight?” She looks at me, but I don’t miss Serena’s eyes as she narrows them at my doctor. “I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about right now. We knew with your stomach disorder that gaining weight would be difficult, but I think it’s great that you’re maintaining it. I would be much more concerned if you were still losing it. So, I’m going to take that as a win for today. I would like to see you maybe up a pound in the next two weeks. You could always eat healthy fats like nuts, avocados, and full-fat yogurt.”
Fucking avocados.
She looks over to Ser, I guess to make sure she’s listening. Damien normally asks for an appointment overview of everything she suggests, so I’m sure his absence is noticed. I observed the curiosity in her eyes when she didn’t see him here, but I’m glad she didn’t ask why.
“As for your blood pressure, I feel that it’s something for us to watch, but I don’t believe it’s concerning as of yet. Since you and Serena are so close, I would like her to check it for you every other day or so. That is, if she’s alright with that.” She looks back at Serena with judgmental eyes again, and I start to get the feeling that theyreallydon’t like each other.
“Of course I’m fine with that, Alyssa. Don’t be ridiculous.” Ser rolls her eyes.
“Okay, remind me to come back to that later. Can we continue with the appointment?” I practically beg.
“Yes. I’m so sorry. Go ahead and lie back, then lift your shirt and push your leggings down a little.”
I do what the doctor says and look at the screen. Ever since the first ultrasound, I always get a little nervous. For weeks, I was terrified that they would look and there wouldn’t be a heartbeat. It’s a little better now that I can feel them moving, but the moment they stop, the paranoia comes back at full force. Obviously, the baby can’t move every second of every day, and I’m just a freaked-out mess, but that’s my own problems coming to the surface.
She presses the wand to my belly, and with a click, the baby pops up on the screen. Leanne grabs my hand and gasps quietly, like it’ll go away if she’s too loud.
“Would you look at that,” she says softly and pats my hand. Dr. Campbell goes on to talk about some measurements, but I don’t really hear anything past the baby’s heart. I heard some ‘goods’ and ‘greats’ and that was good enough for me. I just want the baby to be okay, and anything else doesn’t really matter to me as long as it’s healthy.
“Would you like to know the gender today?” she asks me, and when I go to say no, Ser squeals. It’s one of those awkward and excited screeches, and she pairs it with tiny stomps—practically a tap dance. I know she’s excited, and I can see her trying tosneak peeks at the screen to find out herself, but I’m just not ready yet.
“Um, could you put it in an envelope so I can open it with my husband when he gets home?” I hate how pitiful I sound, but the doctor smiles it off and grabs her pen. As she writes on her clipboard, I faintly notice Ser staring down at her. “Serena!” I yell at her.
“What?! I was onlybarelylooking! I didn’t see anything!” She steps back and throws her hands up. I can’t help but laugh and flip her my middle finger. Leanne laughs a little and shakes her head, probably thanking God that she doesn’t have to deal with two of us together too often. Dr. Campbell hands me the envelope and some prints.
“I would like for you to come back in two weeks, just so we can keep monitoring your vitals. If you develop any of the symptoms on this paper, give my office a call.” She hands me a paper and wipes off my belly before standing to leave. “See you later, Serena,” Dr. Campbell says in an off tone.
Ser crosses her arms over her chest and stares at her as she walks out.
“Why do you have a secret war with my OB?”
“It’s not a war. Let’s just say there’s been a few cases that’s come into the ER, and I didn’t necessarily agree with her diagnosis.” She bobs her head a little, but my stomach churns. Is she not good at her job? Is she bad with patients? Does she make a lot of mistakes? Ser normally works great with everyone here at the hospital. So, why would she have an issue with Dr. Campbell over afewcases? How many are a few? Her face morphs into concern, along with mine, and it’s like she reads my thoughts. “But there’s nothing for you to worry about!” She holds her hands out like I’m going to burst into tears. “She’s a good doctor.”
“Okay, so we can go now?” I ask softly, and she nods before helping me down. We make our way back to the waiting area, and as soon as I open the door, all four of our guys look at me.
“Well?” Zeke asks, clearly concerned, and I raise a brow.
“Well what?” I ask.
