Page 83 of Books and Hookups

My knees buckled, and I sprawled onto the hard sofa. “I’m okay. I just need a minute.”

“John,” she called, “get Mindy.”

“No, really, I’m fine.” Now that I was sitting, my vision cleared. I tugged my skirt down from where it had ridden up on my thighs.

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” Mrs. Gu was sitting next to me, cradling my hand with two fingers on my wrist.

“Yes.”

“Then we’re getting you checked out. Fainting could be a sign of something serious.”

“I was only lightheaded for a minute.” I squinted in the sunshine streaming through the window, which stabbed directly into my brain. “Besides, I need to get to the airport or I’m going to be late for my flight.”

“My assistant will rebook you. Your health can’t wait. I don’t like how rapid your pulse is.”

“I thought your daughter was the doctor,” I joked, closing my eyes for a minute.

“I was a school librarian for years. I’m still first-aid certified. It comes in handy.”

“Hi there,” an unfamiliar voice said. “What’s going on?”

I opened my eyes to find a young woman sitting in front of me. She didn’t wear scrubs or a white coat, but she pulled a stethoscope from her bag.

“You’re not old enough to be a doctor,” I said as she put the metal piece over my heart.

Mrs. Gu cackled. “I remember the first time I thought that. My kids’ pediatrician retired, and the new doctor seemed so young! Now it’s you, Mindy.”

“My name is Dr. Gu, and I’m fully qualified.” The young woman pulled out a blood pressure cuff. “Do you need to look up my medical license before I treat you?”

Holy shit. I’d insulted my interviewee’s daughter. “No, sorry, I…I’ve got this headache. I don’t usually have much of a filter, but I think it’s fried.”

She inflated the cuff and listened, then removed it from my arm. “A headache. When’s the last time you drank something?”

“Like booze? Months. Since I, y’know.” I pointed at my belly.

Her lips pursed like she was holding in a smile. “No, I mean water. Juice. A soda.”

“I had some water on the plane and decaf at the airport before my flight.”

“You need to drink more water,” she said. “You should carry a water bottle at all times and aim to empty it every hour.”

“That’s what my boy—my friend. That’s what he says too. He’s always bringing me seltzer and making me mocktails.”

“That’s a good start, but you need to drink plain water too, and lots of it.”

I laughed, thinking of that trend where all the influencers had to have the silly insulated cup with the handle. But the doctor didn’t laugh.

“Wait, you’re serious?” I said.

“Serious as a collapse due to dehydration. I’m going to call the hospital and have them give you some IV fluids. Meanwhile, drink this.” She pulled a bottle of an electrolyte drink from her bag and handed it to me.

I cracked open the lid and took a swig. “I bet this will fix me right up. No need to go to the hospital. My flight home is in a couple of hours.”

“You need more fluids than you can drink right now,” Dr. Gu said. “And the dry cabin air on the airplane will make it worse. You don’t want to be that person who has a medical emergency at thirty thousand feet.” Her gaze dropped to my baby bump. “Hydration is essential for your developing fetus. There are serious impacts to sustained dehydration during pregnancy.”

“Goddammit,” I muttered. “I’ll go.”

“Good choice,” Mrs. Gu said. “John will drive you to the hospital. I’d go with you, but I’ve got to get on a flight myself.”

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