Page 72 of Prince of Tides
Gisele held my hand but didn’t say anything, which sent my anxiety skyrocketing.
An older woman came in, her demeanor stern but not hostile.
“You’re awake, good,” she said. “I’m Dr. Beaner.”
“Hiya, Doc,” I said, trying to be cheerful. “What’s the word?”
She came to the bedside, looking me over briefly. Then she turned to the others. “A moment of privacy, please.”
“It’s okay,” I said before either of the two dragons could protest. “They know everything.”
“Everything?” she asked, her eyes dropping to my stomach. With her back to the others, neither of them saw it.
“Yes,” I said.
“So you know you’re pregnant, then,” Dr. Beaner said, relaxing.
I nodded nervously. “Am I … the baby?”
“Fine,” the doctor said. “It’s still early. In fact, it’s extremely early for you to be suffering like this. But your body was so low on fluids, even before the vomiting.”
“How can you tell?” I asked, curious.
“From what your friends said, only a few hours had passed since the nausea started. Some of the signs we saw typically take days to develop. You weren’t drinking enough.”
I frowned. I’d been drinking normal amounts of water, though. Maybe even a bit more because I was thirstier.
My eyes flicked to Gisele, then Eb, who cocked a head at the former in question.
“More water needed,” Gisele confirmed. “Lots more.”
“Oops,” I said wryly.
Dr. Beaner looked at us oddly but continued. “So we’ve got you set up with an IV drip. You’ve been diagnosed with HG.”
I stared at him. “Huh?”
“Hyperemesis gravidarum,” she said. “Extreme nausea, basically, to the point you end up here.”
“Oh,” I said softly enough not to aggravate my injured throat. “Will I be okay?”
“Most likely,” she said with a smile. “We’ll see how you do in the next two days. We’ll probably be tube-feeding you, which isn’t pleasant, but if you keep things down and do better, then I’ll be highly encouraged.”
I nodded, lying back as the doctor prattled on about a few other things, but I was still out of it and eventually fell back asleep.
When I woke, a new face was sitting in the chair next to me.
“Sis?” I called, noting my throat was, once again, dry.
“Heyyy,” Mel said, leaning over with water instantly at the ready. “You’re awake.”
“You’re here.”
Mel smiled. “The old guy with the hair had the hospital call me, I guess. Said it would be appropriate for family to be with you.”
I smiled. “Sounds like him. Where are they?”
“Went home to shower, get some rest. I had to push hard to get them out of here,” Mel said, shaking her head. “They didnotwant to leave.”
