Page 4 of Stone Vows

She nods, sniffing. I turn to walk away when I realize she has a firm grip on my hand.

“Sorry,” she says, her cheeks pinking up. She releases me.

“You’re scared,” I say, reassuring her. “It’s okay to be scared. But know that you’ve done the right thing for you and your baby by coming here.”

“But I can’t afford this. All those tests you rattled off, they sound expensive. What if I can’t pay my bill?”

“Don’t worry, honey,” Jessica says, chiming in. “Before you leave, you’ll sit with someone from patient billing to work everything out. It’s not like they won’t let you leave if you can’t pay. Indigent people come in here all the time.”

I shoot Jessica an annoyed look before she leaves the room to place the orders. “What she meant is that you pay what you can. Believe me when I tell you they slash the prices for self-pay. It won’t be as bad as you think.”

Elizabeth stares at the door Jessica just walked through. “Does she think I’m indigent? As in homeless?”

“No. Of course not,” I say. “We deal with all kinds of people here. She didn’t mean anything by it.” I vow to pull Jessica aside and tell her to have a little more respect for future patients.

“Do you have an OB that you normally see, Elizabeth?”

She shakes her head. “I go to the free clinic over on 27thAvenue every four weeks. I was there last week and they said everything looked good.”

“Have you ever gotten an ultrasound?”

“Yes, when I was eighteen weeks.”

“And that was normal?” I ask.

“Uh, I guess so,” she says, tensing up. “What do you think is wrong, Dr. Stone?”

“Maybe nothing, Elizabeth. Some spotting can be perfectly normal during pregnancy. But there is no way to tell until we run the tests. Just hold tight and try not to worry.” I laugh at my words. “I know, easier said than done, but that’s what they always told us to tell patients when I was in med school.”

Jessica returns to do a blood draw and put Elizabeth into a gown.

“I’ll be back when we have the results of your tests, okay?”

“Okay.”

I close the door to give them some privacy. Then I turn my attention to the next chart that gets handed to me. However, I can’t help but let my mind wander back to exam room three. To the girl who said she has no one.

Chapter Two

“We still on for dinner at Ethan’s tonight?” Cameron asks me in the residents’ lounge as we both catch up on paperwork.

“Yup,” I answer, not looking up from the pile of charts I’m updating. I stifle my yawn. “After I sleep for about twelve hours today, I’ll be ready for some serious drinking.”

“I heard that,” he says, slapping my arm on his way out of the room.

I look at the clock on the wall. 6:00 AM can’t come fast enough. As residents, we are assigned one weekend per month when we’re on call from Friday night through Sunday morning. Makes for a long damn weekend.

My oldest brother, Ethan, invited me over for dinner and some much-needed drinks. My other brother, Chad, will also be there. They are both married, so when we get together I usually try to bring Cameron with me just to make an even number.

My pager goes off, so I close the chart and carry the pile with me back to the ER.

Jessica hands me Elizabeth Smith’s chart. “All of her test results are in,” she says.

“Thanks.” I flip through the results, going over her blood work, which looks normal. When I see her ultrasound findings, however, I blow out a deep sigh. “Did they go over it with her yet?”

“Nope. OB was backed up, so they sent a sonogram tech down to do the ultrasound.”

“Right.” That means Elizabeth hasn’t been told anything. Techs aren’t allowed to reveal results to patients. “I’ll go tell her now. Can you please gather some literature on her condition for me, along with whatever you can find for pregnant women in need of assistance?”

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