Page 49 of Storm

He doesn’t seem bothered by my reaction. Tatum is standing next to him with his arms crossed, fighting back a smile, then winks at me when I roll my eyes. Richard seems uncomfortable, but he doesn’t seem to be overly upset at being in here with us.

“So, I’m going to have you go over to the scale so I can get your weight and?—”

“Okay, so that part I’d love for you to not announce out loud,” I say quickly.

I don’t care what anyone says because I’m not ashamed of my body, but I really don’t want them to hear how much I weigh, especially now that I’ve got a little extra padding. The nurse laughs and nods in understanding. She uses her body to shield the numbers when I stand on the scale, to Ezra’s eternal frustration.

He flops back in his chair to pout. “I don’t give two shits how much you weigh, just so you know.”

“Noted,” I tell him, sitting back down. The nurse informs all of us that my doctor will be in shortly, so I should sit up on the table. Thankfully, this is just a checkup, so I don’t have to put on a gown for a full exam.

“She’ll just have you lift your shirt when she does her measurements,” she tells me after I ask.

As soon as she slips out of the room, Tatum is behind me, holding out a hand to help me up on the table.

It’s Richard who surprises me next, asking, “What’s going on with your blood pressure?”

“It’s gone up a bit since my last appointment. Anything above 140 over 90 is considered high. During pregnancy, the biggest concern is blood flow to the baby if it gets too high. There are other things, but I’m sure my doctor will help me stay on top of it. There are a lot of options. I’m not too worried about it.”I know I sound reassuring, but I’ll admit that number did scare me.

I’ve been in the medical field long enough to know generally what early signs of high blood pressure can indicate and the problems that may accompany it. Now isn’t the time to get anyone worked up over possibilities when I haven’t discussed it with Dr. Jolee.

They all seem tense, so I try to redirect to a different topic just as the door opens. “I’ll be sure to ask about paternity testing as well. Just in case we get off track with other things, don’t feel bad bringing it up.”

“Seems we’ve got a lot of visitors today,” Dr. Jolee says boisterously, striding into the room with the nurse behind her. Curiously, she asks, “I heard paternity testing. Should I ask or just let you fill me in?”

My face flushes red.Jesus, how the hell do I explain this to her?Giving me a chance to compose myself, she pats my hand, sits on her stool, and rolls over in front of me. Crossing her legs, she puts my chart on her leg and clicks the pen.

“We’ll get to that later. My biggest concern right now is that blood pressure. Laurel said you’ve been having more regular headaches. Will you describe them to me?”

The moment she asks, the remembered pain draws my hands up, palming both sides of my head. “It’s here. Like a pounding pulse, and heavy. Every now and then, it feels sharp, but they seem to go away after taking a pain reliever. I try not to take them often, but if I’m at work, I will sometimes. Sleep seems to help get rid of them as well.”

I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I don’t look at any of them directly, keeping my eyes firmly on Dr. Jolee. “How often are you experiencing them? What does your diet look like?”

“Not every day, maybe three a week on average, recently a bit more often. And diet? Umm, probably not the greatest, but notbad. I do my best to cook most nights, but I do grab quick snacks to tide me over.”

“Salty snacks?” she asks as she stands up and uses her stethoscope to listen to my heart and lungs. “Deep breath in for me.”

“She loves chips, particularly the salt and vinegar ones,” Ezra unhelpfully supplies.

I glare at him, but the heat I’m feeling is from being called out. “Tattle tale. But yes, I’m struggling with cravings for salty things. Sugar makes me feel sick to my stomach, to be honest.”

“Told you it was a boy,” he whispers to the guys.

Dr. Jolee starts laughing and turns to face him. “Someone’s been researching a bunch of nonsense, but that’s funny. There are actually good reasons for wanting salt when you’re pregnant, but with your blood pressure, I’m more concerned that you’re retaining fluid. Scoot up the bed so I can check your ankles.”

I shift up and close my eyes when her cool hands start squeezing around my ankles. She continues to educate Ezra while I unexpectedly get my aches massaged away. I had no idea I was sore from being on my feet so much.

“When you’re growing a fetus, the volume of blood increases in a woman’s body, which can dilute the sodium levels, triggering the body to crave salt in an attempt to replenish. Miriam, it’s not a lot, but you do have a bit of swelling in your lower legs and ankles. I’m going to prescribe you a blood pressure medication, something low dosed for now, and see if we can’t bring that pressure back down. While I’m not overly worried about water retention, this will help with that as well. I also want you back in two weeks just for a blood pressure check to see where we’re at.”

Kevin is furiously writing, then asks, “What’s the medication and possible side effects?”

She checks with me first, then fills him in as she moves around the room to gather her tape measure and Doppler ultrasound. It’s just a little handheld device, but Ezra is eyeing it warily.

“What’s that?” he asks, pointing at it accusingly.

Waving it at him, she gives me instructions to raise my shirt up and lower my pants. “It’s for the baby’s heartbeat. I’m going to press to feel for the bottom of your uterus and take some measurements. Sorry if it’s uncomfortable, Miriam.”

Knowing this is part of the drill since they did this at my last appointment, I stare at the ceiling and keep my face neutral as she presses on my lower abdomen, finding the spot she’s looking for, then measures my stomach. Calling out the numbers, the nurse, Laurel, jots them down, along with Kevin.

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