Page 99 of Agony of Our Regret

The nurse ignored him. “Are you feeling movements?”

“Yes.” I pressed my palms deeper. “Baby’s active.”

“Okay, I’ve ordered an ultrasound. The tech will be in here soon. Then the doctor will review the results and perform an exam if needed.”

“Thank you,” I said, as she stepped out. “She didn’t seem freaked out.”

Noah’s whole body was tense. “She’s a professional. They aren’t supposed to freak out in front of patients.”

“But she didn’t scream for a doctor or run us into the OR.” I was fighting to cling to the bright side.

“I saw this coming.” Noah dropped his head. “I should have been ready.”

“Hey, that vision showed me in my office. This is completely different.” I grabbed his hand. “We’re okay. We caught it as soon as we could, and we’re here.”

He sucked in a breath and slowly released it. “You’re right.”

“Did you let the guys know?”

“Yeah, but I said not to come here until we know more. They’ll wait for us at the condo unless you want them here.”

I shook my head. There was enough going on without four more worried men.

An ultrasound tech arrived a minute later and calmly and quietly got everything set up. As soon as we heard the baby’s heartbeat, we both relaxed a little. She didn’t explain what she was seeing on the screen, but got all the images quickly before leaving.

“Are they normally that silent?” Noah asked.

“No, but I’m normally at the smaller clinic. I haven’t met her before.”

He didn’t comment, so we sat in silence, holding hands until Dr. Gracie walked in a while later. “Avalon, I wasn’t expecting to see you today.” She grinned. “And Noah, you look like you’ve had better days.”

I smirked and squeezed his hand.

“Here’s what we’ve got going on.” She jumped into things rather than making small talk, which we both needed. “Your placenta has moved, and not the direction it should have. We were hoping it would move to the top like it should have, but it’s now partially covering the cervix. Bleeding is common with placenta previa, which is what’s going on.”

“What does that mean?” Noah asked before I could.

“Since the bleeding isn’t severe and baby still looks healthy, I recommend Avalon go on bed rest until delivery.”

I cringed. “Bed rest?”

“At home,” she added. “No sexual activities or exercise. We’ll check twice a week to see if there’s movement, but if there isn’t, we’ll schedule a C-section.”

I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t thought much about the labor and delivery part of pregnancy, but I always pictured myself going through contractions, using the breathing techniques the guys practiced with me, and pushing the baby out myself.

Lying on a bed with my arms tied down while the baby was cut out would take some getting used to.

“It sounds scary, but I promise it's nothing to worry about. Now that we know what’s going on, we’ll closely monitor you and take it a few days at a time.”

“The baby can come anytime though and be okay, right? It’s not too soon?” Noah asked.

“We’re in a safe range right now. If she delivers in this next week, we might give her steroids to help baby’s lungs get ready, but I’m not too concerned.”

Noah nodded and relaxed a bit.

“I can still work, right?”

She smiled at me. “I’m sure your team would be understanding.”

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