Page 147 of Whispered Sins

“Just the baby,” I said.

She rubbed her eyes and stretched before looking at her phone for the time. She groaned.

“Christ. It’s barely 4 a.m.,” she said, settling back in her chair.

“I know.”

“Baby kicking?”

“It’s the witching hour.” I laughed.

“At least when the baby is here, I can relieve you so you can get some rest. There’s not much I can do out here.” She pointed at my belly and back to herself.

“Go back to sleep,” I said with a chuckle, settling back in the bed. I turned on my side and shut my eyes tight, willing sleep to come.

But it never did.

Three hours later, a different doctor knocked softly on the door, waking Monica from a deep sleep that I was jealous of. I sat up slowly, hoping I could go home. I looked at him eagerly.

“Hello, Ms. Heartly. How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, clicking his pen and readying himself to write on the clipboard in his hands.

“I’m feeling much better,” I said.

“Any nausea?”

“No.”

“Dizziness?”

“No.”

“Cramping?”

“No.”

He jotted a few notes down before looking back at me.

“Well, it sounds like you’re feeling much better. I was able to go over your charts from the night, and it looks like things are normal.”

“Does that mean I get to go home?” I asked eagerly.

He laughed. “I take it you want your own bed?”

I smiled and nodded.

“I will have a nurse come by with your discharge papers. But before I do, I need to remind you that stress is not healthy for you or the baby. I don’t want to assign you bed rest.”

I gulped. I couldn’t imagine being bedridden for the rest of my pregnancy.

“We’re not at that point yet,” he continued, “but I do need you to take it easy.”

“Yes, doctor,” I said sheepishly.

I couldn’t believe I had gotten myself to this same place again because of the mess that was my life. I wanted to kick myself for putting the baby under any stress. It wasn’t fair.

“I’ll make sure she takes care of herself, doc,” said Monica, standing up and giving him a firm nod.

“Good,” he said. “Now, you do need to schedule a follow-up with your OB. I will make sure to put in my notes that it’s urgent so you can get scheduled in a timely manner.”

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