Page 97 of Fever: Love In Scrubs
“Good morning, Ms. Driscoll. I’m Candis and I’ll be your nurse today. I see you’re here because of a late period and you’re worried you might be pregnant?”
“Yes?”
“How are you feeling right now?”
“Like my stomach is in my ass right now.”
Both she and Mr. Pierre laughed.
“I meant, are you having any symptoms, dear.”
“Oh… no. None that stick out off the top of my head. I just… my period comes like clockwork. It’s late, like really late and I just want to cover the bases.”
“Have you taken an over the counter test?”
“I’ve been too afraid.”
“Well, no worries. That’s what we’re here for. We’ll start with a few quick checks. Is this our possible dad?”
Mr. Pierre laughed. “God no. All my kids are grown. I’m the possible grandfather.”
“My mistake. You never know these days. My husband is older than me and we get that look all the time.”
Nurse Candis motioned me toward a scale. I stepped on, my eyes fixed on the blinking digital numbers. Once she collected my weight, she led me to a chair and checked my blood pressure.
“One-twenty over seventy-eight,” she noted cheerfully, writing it down. “Perfect. I’m gonna need a urine and blood sample just to be double sure, okay?”
“Okay.”
I sat still as she prepared to draw my blood. Mr. Pierre extended his hand and though I wasn’t afraid of having blood drawn, him being here gave me comfort. I took his hand and squeezed it. Once the blood sample was collected, Nurse Candis gave me a cup to collect the urine sample.
As I tried to give them enough, I said a silent prayer. If I was pregnant, all I wanted was a healthy child with all ten fingers and toes. I placed the sample in the collecting tray, wiped, and flushed the toilet then washed my hands and left the bathroom. Nurse Candis led us down the hall to the exam room andinstructed me to undress from the waist down. Mr. Pierre told me he would wait until the doctor came before he joined me.
In the small exam room, the walls were decorated with posters about prenatal vitamins and fetal development. I sat on the exam table, the paper crinkling beneath me so loud in the quiet space as I shook my leg. I’d never been so nervous in my damn life.
After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and in walked Dr. Jean. She was a beautiful older woman with salt and pepper hair and a warm smile. Mr. Pierre walked in behind her and took the seat next to the door.
“Good morning, beautiful!” Dr. Jean greeted me.
“Good morning.”
“I see we might be having a baby. How are we feeling?”
“Nervous as hell. I’ve never been pregnant before.”
“That’s completely normal, especially for first time moms,” Dr. Jean said, nodding. She flipped through the chart the nurse had updated. “Your vitals look excellent. No concerning medical history on file. While we wait on the results, let me ask you a few quick questions.”
I straightened my back, clutching my hands together.
“When was your last period?” Dr. Jean asked, pen poised.
“According to my app, about three months ago.”
“Any nausea, fatigue, or changes you’ve noticed?”
“Nothing that I paid attention to. It’s been… some changes in my life recently and that’s where all my focus has been.”
Dr. Jean nodded. “Life happens. I see we did a urine test and a blood test to check hormone levels. We should have those results?—”
