Page 49 of Kevin's Destiny

“That’s fine,” Doctor Stone said, and opened a cabinet and pulled out a packet of papers. “This is information you’re going to need during the pregnancy. I’ll see you once a month until you get closer, then it’ll be twice a month, then once a week in your last month.”

“I have a question,” Reid said.

“What’s that?”

“There’s only a clinic here in Fool’s Gold, not an actual hospital. Will Erin need to go to Colorado Springs to deliver?”

“How far do you live from town?”

“We’re an hour out from here, and an hour away from Colorado Springs. Erin’s the owner of Erin’s Way?” At the doctor’s confused look, he sighed. “A horse ranch.”

“Ah, sorry, the only ranch I know about is Broken Wheel, my great-niece goes there for her therapy. It’s helped her tremendously since the car accident. She’s starting to walk now.”

“Thank you,” Erin said. “I own that ranch too.”

“Oh, wow, okay. I hate to ask, but are the rumors I heard true?”

“What rumors?”

“You employ former military people, both male and female?”

Reid grinned and tapped his lower leg. “Yes, I lost my leg due to injuries I received while on a mission. There are several former military working there, especially on Broken, they healed themselves as they healed the horses.”

“Well, thank you for serving our country, and thank you for opening that wonderful ranch to help others. I would love to stay, but are there any more questions?”

“What about the hospital for delivery?” Reid asked.

“I’m taking your question seriously, but read the material I gave you. You have seven months to decide what to do. Inside that pack is information for a doula or a midwife, beside my services.”

“What’s the difference?” Erin asked.

“In a nutshell, a midwife is medically trained to do what I do, however, they cannot perform a C-Section if it is needed. They can come to you for your monthly check up, talk to you about hospital or home births, and even write the prescriptions for your prenatal vitamins. A doula, is just a support person. Not that their job isn’t equally important, but they don’t have any medical training. It’s all emotional support.” She saw their confusion, and smiled as she reached out and laid her hand over Erin’s. “Take your time and read everything. There are comparison explanations of each position, along with a list of five people in the area who practice each thing. The top three on the list have been known to move into the couple’s home the last two weeks of the pregnancy to make sure everything goes as planned. It’s totally up to you, and I am not putting any pressure on you. The choice is yours, but you need to read what I’ve provided. I’m here if you have any questions.” She gave them her business card and then looked at them with a grin.

“What?” Reid asked, feeling as if his head was about to explode.

“Along with deciding how the birth will happen, home, hospital, with me, a mid-wife, or a doula, you’re going to have to look into a pediatrician for the little one. Most hospitals prefer you to have one before you give birth.”

“Christ,” Erin said with a shake of her head. She looked at Reid and saw his green tinge, and gripped his hand harder.

“I’ll leave you with that.” She laughed and headed to the door, but paused and looked back at them. “There is an office with three pediatricians in it up on the sixth floor. Stop in and ask if they’re accepting new patients. That’s all you have to do.”

“Thanks,” Reid said, and looked at Erin. “Damn,” he whispered after the doctor left them.

“Yeah. And here I thought all I had to do was come to the doctor once a month.” Erin shook her head as she gathered the folder, her purse, and sighed.

At the reception desk, she made her appointment for the next month, and Reid talked to the woman. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“If you had to use a mid-wife, which one would you choose, and why?”

“Do you have the list?” she asked, and took it from Erin as she held it out. She looked it over, and picked up her pen and circled a name, who happened to be at the top. “I would pick this one.”

“Why?” Both Erin and Reid asked as one.

“Because they are generational. Don’t quote me on this, but I believe this family started being mid-wives before Colorado was even a territory, back when it was owned by the American Indians. I do know that one of these women, I’m not sure which generation, but someone from this family delivered my grandmother, my mother, me, and though I started to use them, there were complications from the beginning of my first pregnancy, and I needed to be seen in a hospital setting. Unfortunately, that pregnancy didn’t result in a viable child. I’m still going through tests to see if I can conceive again, but whenI do, I’d like to go the way of the mid-wife if medically possible.” She saw their expressions and shrugged.

“It’s not a bad thing to use a mid-wife, they go to school, they get training, and they get degrees. It was just that my body decided to shut down on itself when I was pregnant. This was a one in a trillion case, don’t take what I told you to heart. Each woman is different.”