Page 44 of His Bittersweet Regret

“Maybe I should check with Joe about being on call for emergencies, just in case,” I mumbled to myself.

“Who in the hell is Joe?”

“My Uber driver,” I announced with little thought.

“The same Uber driver who asked you out on a date, today?” Marsh asked, exasperation clear in his tone.

I thought I caught Tanya sniggering over by the door as the doctor pulled off his gloves and threw them away. “All right, Opal, one final question for you, we never came to a decision about what you wanted to do for pain if you need help during the labor process. We’re running out of time for those decisions.”

“Not that you can’t change your mind later, if you need to, but it does help to know up front,” Tanya added for him.

“Tanya’s right. You can always change your mind, but it’s good to go in with a solid plan.”

“I don’t want any help unless it is absolutely necessary. I’ve read a lot about the effects of drugs and even epidurals on babies.”

“Well, some of that…” Dr. Burns started to say, but I waved him off.

“I understand that the chances of complications seem to be slim, but I’d like to try to keep everything as natural as possible. I’ve already put my poor boy through so much with my emotions being all over the place and the amount of walking I’ve had to do.”

Dr. Burns patted the covered part of my leg and smiled at me. “It’s your show, Opal. We’ll try everything natural, but if you decide you need help, I want you to ask for it. Don’t be stubborn. Pain can add to stress, which can cause issues too. The good news is, you are in prime health. The walking, while not ideal amounts, means you’re in better shape than a lot of pregnant women.”

“The prenatal yoga too,” I added.

The doctor nodded again and then stood. “Is there anything else on your mind? Any questions you need answered?”

“No. Just worried about everything happening sooner than it’s supposed to.”

“I assure you that you are in good hands. Now, we’re going to get you up and out of here. Assuming nothing progresses, I’ll see you again in a week. If not, we’ll get to meet your baby real soon. Stay off your feet as much as possible and try to keep the stress down.” The last part was said with a pointed look toward Marsh. “One more thing, since we did a vaginal exam, you might notice a bit of spotting and your mucus plug might also make an appearance. I don’t want you to panic, if that happens. If you have more than a little bit of spotting though, I want you to call the office immediately. If it’s a lot, go to the emergency room.”

After that lovely spiel, the doctor and Tanya cleared out of the room. We were left alone, while I tried to decide how I was going to get dressed again with Marsh still present. There was a screen to hide behind, but hiding while pregnant seemed nearly impossible.

“You either need to leave or turn around,” I said as I sat up on the exam table and carefully tried to get my feet down from the stirrups. Marsh came over and took hold of my arm when I had trouble maneuvering my awkward body.

“Please, let me help you. Once you’re up and solid on your feet, I’ll turn around, I promise.”

“Stop promising me things.”

“Okay, still, I’ll honor your wishes. Just, let me help first.”

“Fine,” I huffed. After Marsh helped me up, it didn’t take too long to get dressed, and then he walked with me to the checkout window to get my next appointment set up. Unfortunately, my luck had run out because Monica James stood there, smugly smirking at me before her eyes drifted over my shoulder and locked on Marsh.

“Well, maybe there’s hope if I turn up pregnant. Seems you figured out how to step up after all.” Monica was not being quiet about her pronouncement, as several of the other women working the front desk area and a woman who was checking in, all gasped and stared at us.

“I seem to recall you telling me that if you accidentally got pregnant, after the one time we had sex, even though I couldn’t finish with you, that you would get an abortion. So, that really wouldn’t be an issue for you, since you don’t want to be pregnant, huh?” Marsh threw back at her. I was so embarrassed, especially when I realized Dr. Burns was within hearing distance of their little verbal sparring war.

“Ms. James? A word?” Dr. Burns called out. I couldn’t hear what was said between the doctor and Monica, but she did not come back after he finished speaking to her. Instead, he turned back to me and offered up a sad excuse for a smile. “Someone else will help you arrange your next appointment, and you will not have to deal with Monica at any future appointment.” He turned to leave, but Marsh stopped him.

“Can I speak to you, for a moment?”

Dr. Burns moved to the little window where we’d been standing during this awful scene, waiting to schedule my exam for the following week. “I’m truly sorry that happened,” he apologized again.

“That’s not what I want to talk to you about. A month ago, or close to that, Monica told me information about Opal’s pregnancy that I wasn’t aware of previously.”

“What information was that?”

“She informed me that Opal’s file said the father knew about the pregnancy and refused to be a part of it. For the record, that wasn’t true, as Opal had been misled by someone else that I’d been informed. I never knew until that day when Monica and I were eating lunch and saw Opal outside the café. She told me things that were in Opal’s medical chart, and led me to believe that someone else was the father. That is something I meant to discuss with you before now, but since I just found out I was going to have a baby soon, other things took precedence.”

“Understandable,” Dr. Burns stated. “I might need you to fill out a formal complaint, both of you, regarding the situation.” He sighed. “Considering the timing, it can wait until after you’ve had the baby,” he said while addressing me. “This falls under the realm of don’t stress yourself out too much over the next few weeks. I’m sorry that one of my staff members contributed to that. It will not happen again. Considering you expressed concerns when you first saw her working here, and I assured you that wouldn’t be a problem, you have my sincerest apologies.”

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