Grace
Grace made herself comfortable in a mauve chair at Natalie’s doctor’s office. The TV directly across from her played a loop of medical tips. They weren’t meant as condescending, yet she found the simple first aid How-To-Do’s common sense. She rolled her eyes, took out her phone, and checked her email. There were no new messages.
Natalie tapped her feet on the floor with her hands underneath her thighs. She looked so youthful, like a teenager waiting for pregnancy results.
Grace rubbed the woman’s shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yep, just waiting my turn.”
A door leading into the back squeaked open and a nurse in maroon scrubs peeked her head around the jamb. “Natalie?”
Natalie jumped to her feet. She looked at Grace, pleading with her eyes.
“You want me to go back with you?”
“Please, I don’t think I can do this if you’re not there.”
As they trailed the nurse to one of the open exam rooms Grace asked, “How does your stomach feel today?”
“It’s a little better but all I’ve been able to eat are saltines,” Natalie answered.
The nurse weighed her and measured her height in the hallway.
“Well, I haven’t lost any weight,” she said, stepping off the scale.
“Are you surprised?”
“A little, I’ve hardly eaten anything in weeks.”
The nurse noted the measurements in Natalie’s chart then led them back to the exam room. She dropped her belongings on one of the chairs by the door and hopped onto the paper covered exam table. Grace sat in the other chair by the door.
After taking Natalie’s blood pressure and temperature, she asked a few questions. “What’s the reason for today’s visit?”
“I’ve been having some abdominal cramps and,” she rubbed the center of her chest, “bad heartburn or something.”
“When was your last menstruation?”
Natalie shrugged. “I’m irregular. So, a long time, it’s not that unusual for me.”
The nurse asked a series of family medical history questions. She handed Natalie a urine sample cup. “Is that your name on the label?”
“Yes. Do you want me to pee in this?”
The nurse smiled. “That’s the general idea. Down the hall on the left is a restroom. Leave the cup on the little table in there.”
Natalie took a deep breath and edged off the exam table, tearing the paper. The nurse left right after her.
Grace leaned out from her chair and read the sign hanging on the back of the door:
Did you know that 90% of the population has experienced a headache?
“No I didn’t know that.” Gawd. She read the rest of the poster, including the recommended treatment for, oh no, a headache and the copyright information and print date. Natalie opened the door, nearly clipping Grace’s nose.
“Oh, shoot! Did I get you?”
“No, I’m good.”
As soon as Natalie settled on the exam table, someone knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for a response. The doctor walked in. Grace had expected a male doctor based on the name: Harley Bastin.
“Hi, Natalie, I hear you’re not feeling so well?” Dr. Bastin washed her hands then seated herself on a stool next to the counter. She had a small laptop and read her patient’s electronic chart. “Let’s see, you weren’t here too long ago.”
“I know and I was feeling fine then…”
“Since then, you’ve been experiencing stomach cramps, is that right?”
“Heartburn,” Natalie mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Bad heartburn, bloating, nausea.”
Dr. Bastin smiled. “How severe would you say the cramping is? And show me where it’s the strongest. Is it all over?” She rubbed her own lower abdomen in a circle.
“Lower, like in my pelvic area. And it shifts.”
The doctor furrowed her brow. “Shifts how? Like from one side to the other?”
“Yeah, how did you…”
Dr. Bastin tapped out a note on her laptop. “Lay back for me, I’d like to palpate your belly.”
Natalie laid back on the table.
Dr. Bastin pressed on her lower belly, moving around and feeling with her fingers. Natalie winced and gasped. “Sorry, you can sit up now. Will you excuse me for a moment?”
“What’s wrong?” Natalie snapped.
“I need to check the results of your urine test.”
Natalie paled. “Oh God. What?” She sucked in a breath and held it.
“Relax, Natalie, I’ll be back in a minute.” The doctor left the room.
“Something’s wrong. She knows what it is and won’t tell me.”
Grace stood and gave Natalie a squeeze around the shoulders. “I’m sure there’s nothing to get worked up about.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure there is.” They stayed joined until another knock on the door. Grace sat back down in the chair.
“You’re very healthy, you know. Your yearly physical came out fine, but there was one thing I didn’t think to test for.”
“Ahh…oh God what?”
Dr. Bastin glanced at Grace then returned her attention to Natalie. “Is it okay for me to speak in front of your friend?”
After rising from her chair, Grace held Natalie’s hand.
Natalie sniffled. “Y-Yeah.”
“Okay.” The doctor smiled. “You’re pregnant.”
Natalie’s eyes went wide. “What? Are you sure you didn’t get my pee mixed up with someone else’s?”
“Positive. The cup was marked with your name.”
“How is this possible? I can’t be pregnant.”
“Are you sexually active?”
Natalie wasn’t the only one shocked. All Grace could do was blink with her mouth hanging open. She was going to have a brother or sister? Assuming the baby belonged to her father. Duh. Of course the baby was her dad’s. What the hell was she thinking?
“Um…yes, but I—” Natalie clamped her mouth shut abruptly and jumped off the table. She paced around the cramped room. “Oh, I think I’m going to be sick.”
Rushing toward the cabinet, the doctor snagged a bedpan from the counter. “Here, use this if you need to the throw up.”
Natalie heaved a few times, but nothing came up. With defeat, she resumed putting a rut in the floor tile. Eventually, she stopped, placed her palms on the table, and leaned into them. “What are my options?”
“What type of options are you referring to?” Grace asked. Options meant nothing good as far as she was concerned. Sure, what Natalie did with her own body was her choice and she’d never interfere with that, except the baby was her sibling.
The doctor ignored Grace’s question. “That depends, I’ll need you to be more specific, however, I’m going to encourage you to speak with your OB/GYN.”
“What are my options?” Natalie repeated.
“We would need to determine how far along you are, but again you’ll want to speak with—”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it, my gynecologist. Aren’t I too old to have a baby?”
“No. It’s not that common, but certainly not unheard of for someone to conceive at your age. By options, do you mean terminating the pregnancy?”
“No! Talk to my dad first.” Grace held a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, it’s none of my business.” Like hell, it wasn’t. Tears welled in her eyes. She never thought about wanting a sibling, always enjoyed being an only child, even now at thirty-three years old. Yet she wanted this baby born.