Page 86 of Zone Protection

My mom gasps. “Oh my God, Em. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” I can hear the panic in her voice, which is why I should have waited to call her until I had more information.

“I’m good. The baby is good. They think it was likely dehydration, but we’re still waiting to get the blood work, and I just had an ultrasound. I’m guessing the doctor will be in here soon—or I’m hoping anyway. I really don’t want to have to stay overnight. I want to get home.”

She releases a breath, and then I hear Dad in the background say, “Oh, thank God. Emma, please call us as soon as you see the doctor.”

“I will let you know when I have more information.”

“Have you called Archie yet? He’s at the combine, isn’t he?” Dad asks.

“Yes, he is. I tried getting ahold of him, but he hasn’t replied yet, and I’m not really sure what he has going on today. I don’t want him to be distracted or worried about me though until I have more to tell him.”

“Honey, you need to keep trying to reach him,” Mom says.

“I will, I promise.”

“Do you want us to try to call him?” Dad asks.

“No, I’ve texted and called. If he can have his phone on him, he’ll see me calling.”

A new doctor in white a lab coat walks into the room.

“I have to go. The doctor just came in. I’ll call you later.”

“Okay, we love you. Call us back as soon as you can. You know I’ll be here worrying until you do. And if they want to keep you overnight, we’ll come down.”

“Mom, gotta go. Love you.” I disconnect the call before she can reply.

I look up at the doctor. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem at all. My name is Dr. Romano, I’m the chief obstetrician here at the hospital. I heard you had quite the afternoon. Will you go over the details of your day?”

I restate the events that led me to be in this hospital bed and answer a few more questions about my pregnancy and family history while Dr. Romano listens.

“Is everything okay with the baby?” I ask, watching as Dr. Romano looks at the tablet in her hand.

She looks down at me and smiles. “Your blood work looks normal, and the ultrasound looks good, and the baby’s heart rate is good, but we did want to mention that there might be a small hole in the baby’s heart. Has your doctor mentioned that to you?”

My entire body freezes.

Hole. Heart.

Sunny.

The one thing I worried about with this pregnancy has just washed over this room like a black cloud. My chest tightens, and I feel like I might be sick.

All of a sudden, I’m nine years old again, sitting in a sterile waiting room with a stranger and feeling so very alone.

My baby’s heart. I can picture it already. The surgeries, the worry. The dread of always thinking the worst is about to happen.

I can’t reply, so I just shake my head.

“Okay, I’m going to send the report to your doctor back in Oklahoma. They can schedule some additional tests to monitor you further. You should be okay to be discharged tonight and go back with your team.”

“Thank you.” I can’t bring myself to tell her about my sister right now.

She places a hand on my arm. “There’s no need to panic. When you get back to Oklahoma, you can have a fetal cardiogram and get a better idea of what you’re dealing with. It is something that happens and often resolves on its own. Right now, the baby looks good. Strong heartbeat, good growth. But like I said, get an appointment scheduled with your doctor when you get home.”

I nod and clear my throat. “Okay, thank you. I need someone to let my team trainer know I’m ready, and I need to get in touch with my coach and let her know I’m being discharged. Do you know when that will be happening?”

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