Week 30: Baby's hair grows

Thirty weeks into your pregnancy, or 28 weeks after conception, your baby's eyes can open wide. Your baby might have a good head of hair by this week. Red blood cells are forming in your baby's bone marrow.

By now your baby might be more than 10 1/2 inches long from crown to rump and weigh nearly 3 pounds.

***

“THAT NEW DRESS LOOKS lovely on you, dear.”

Mandy looked up as she walked into the penthouse apartment to see Mrs. H and Robert playing cards. She flushed at the compliment, knowing that the older woman was most likely trying to make her feel better.

“Thanks, Mrs. H, what are you playing?”

Mandy set her purse down on an end table and kicked her shoes off. She had been waiting to do that all day, and it felt amazing.

“Let’s get your feet up, lass,” Robert stood and pulled out a chair for Mandy. He then positioned a footstool, so she could prop her feet up.

“Robert, I don’t understand why you aren’t married,” Mandy said sinking into the chair and sighing. Mrs. H had gotten up to grab Mandy a water bottle and didn’t hesitate to hand it over.

“Are you asking?” Robert’s faded blue eyes twinkled under his gray brows.

Mandy smiled, “I can’t decide between you and Mrs. H, she is quite a catch as well.”

Mrs. H waved her hand at their nonsense, “Go on with you, now. How did your appointment go today?”

“The peanut is growing well. I measure right, for the most part, it was a pretty straightforward visit.”

“For the most part?” Mrs. H prodded.

Mandy winced, “I am retaining some water in my extremities. They have assured me that is it...”

The three of them spoke at the same time, “Normal!”

Mrs. H looked worried, “Did they say that there was anything you could do?”

Mandy shrugged, “I need to make sure and stay hydrated. He said the swimming is excellent exercise and to continue it. And when I am swelling to try and stay off my feet.”

“Makes sense,” Robert added, “Do you feel like a game of Black Jack?”

Mandy smiled, “Are you ready to lose?”

Mrs. H snorted, “He fancies himself a card shark, but we all know that he would lose his drawers if we played for real money.”

Robert didn’t even pretend to be offended, he laughed and passed Mandy her allotted chips—chocolate chips.

The white chocolate was worth five dollars, milk chocolate was worth ten, and dark chocolate was fifteen. The first time Mandy played she ate more than she gambled and laughed until she almost wet herself.

Robert regaled them with stories about when he was in the navy. Some of the antics those sailors had gotten into were downright shameful and positively hilarious. Mrs. H told stories about when Elliot and Nate were young. Mandy secretly liked these best.

The image of a young Elliot that whistled as he delivered papers at five thirty in the morning warmed her heart all over. Elliot had been distant since that day they were trapped in the elevator. Oh, Mandy supposed it was her fault for pushing him away. But she hadn’t known what else to do.

These people were becoming friends to her, and Mandy couldn’t jeopardize that. A niggling feeling of unease swept through her. She had heard from Shay today.

Shay had been Mandy’s best friend for several years now, and she was the one to invite Mandy to work that party where she first met Elliot. Mandy was also fairly confident that Shay had gone home with Nate that night.

Shay’s grandma had been sick and passed shortly after that, so Shay had been out in Tennessee dealing with funeral arrangements, selling her grandmother’s home, and settling the estate. While they still spoke on the phone often, Mandy hadn’t seen Shay in nearly three months.

Mandy didn’t know she was keeping her job a secret from her best friend. Well, that was a lie. She was terrified that Shay would tell Eliot who she really was and that he would either kick her out or try and take the baby from her.

For the first time in a long time, she ignored the call when Shay had tried her earlier. Elliot had a business meeting this afternoon and then a gala that he had to attend that night. Since Mandy had an appointment, she spent the time in the cab calling Shay back.

It was good to hear her friend’s Tennessee twang, and Mandy really was excited for her to come back. She just didn’t know how to explain it all.

“You are off your game, pumpkin,” Robert gave her an inquiring look.

Mandy bristled, “What do you mean?”

He arched a brow, “Well, you just had nineteen and asked to hit again.”

“Oh, shit!” Mandy looked down to see most of her chocolate money had been given to the other players.

“Is something bothering you, dear?” Mrs. H gazed at Mandy assessing, and suddenly she felt as they could see right through her.

“I am just going to go to my room now,” Mandy muttered.

Forgetting about the footstool by her feet, she caught her toe on the edge and tripped. The ungainly weight of her belly was causing Mandy not to be able to readjust. It happened so quickly. One moment she was sitting and the next she was sprawled out on her hip. It had to be bruised, but Mandy was fairly certain that she was okay.

Mrs. H and Robert, on the other hand, were near hysterics. Before Mandy knew what was happening, an ambulance had been called. She tried to reassure them that she was fine, but when she tried to stand there was a massive pain that shot up from her ankle.

The paramedics were there in less than fifteen minutes. And to Mandy’s utter humiliation they not only placed her on the gurney, but they strapped her to it.

It was this sight that Elliot walked into.

A very pale Mandy, whose swollen belly looked awkward as she was strapped down. Mrs. H was crying, and Robert was reenacting some sort of Greek tragedy. Elliot felt his heart stop. He went straight to Mandy.

“Are you hurt? What happened?”

“I am afraid that we need to get her to the hospital, Sir,” the young redhead tried to escort Elliot out of the way.

“Hospital?” his voice sounded panicked to his ears, “What is wrong?”

The raised the gurney and placed oxygen over Mandy’s face much to her ire. She didn’t want to have oxygen. She just wanted her damn ankle to stop hurting. And she didn’t like the way that everyone was fussing over her.

They wheeled her to the elevator with Elliot, Mrs. H, and Robert hot on their heels. Once they arrived in the lobby, they loaded Mandy into the ambulance.

Her look of sheer panic cut Elliot to the core.

“I am going with her,” he demanded and began to climb into the back of the ambulance.

Mandy’s eyes widened in horror. Shakily she removed the oxygen mask despite the redhead frowning at her.

“You have the Gala tonight,” Mandy said breathlessly.

“Fuck the Gala,” Elliot replied in an instant. “You are a million times more important than any of that.”

Mrs. H and Robert shared a surprised look. The Mr. Brand they knew would never miss the Haven shore Gala. It had been created by Elliot’s own mother to help single mothers better their work environment.

“Call Nate,” Elliot instructed Mrs. H, “Tell him to deal with it.”

And then the doors were shut, and the siren’s flipped on as the ambulance raced through the city towards their local hospital.