Page 57 of Brides and Brothers
Chapter 23
Camille
The next morning came muchtoo quickly for Camille, as did the subsequent mornings. Unfortunately, the day of her doctor’s appointment did not come soon enough. Her class responsibilities felt like chores rather than intellectual stimulation. She barely survived midterms. Her poor brothers-in-law had gone back to their cereal and ramen habits, and they had already resorted to frozen pizza for two different dinners. It wasn’t so much that she was too busy as that she was too exhausted to cook.
Embarrassed by their need for ramen, the guys had hidden packages all over the kitchen. Camille had found several bags in the bottom of the kitchen towel drawer. She may or may not have cut open the plastic wrapping, slid out the MSG-laden seasoning packets, and glued the bags shut again. She wasn’t physically in her prime, but she could still do her part.
On the list of her complaints, the top was reserved for her husband. Their phone time bordered on pathetic. Aiden’s long hours forced him to call her late each night, and her fatigue kept her from keeping up a decent conversation. The distance between them spanned more than miles.
After pulling into a parking space in front of her doctor’s office, Camille happily tossed her empty barf bag into the back seat. She and cars hadn’t agreed much lately, and she was pleased she hadn’t needed the bag today.
After checking in, Camille grabbed a magazine and sat down, venturing a glance at the woman next to her. She wore a gray business suit, her hair had fresh highlights, and her makeup and manicure were equally perfect.
Camille looked down at her sweats. She was acutely aware of the green tint her face had taken on in the last week. She tightened her messy bun to help her cause. Were all sick people as ugly as she felt? What if it wasn’t hormone problems? What if Camille had something worse, like cancer?
When they called the woman next to her back, Camille reached into her purse and put her sunglasses on to hide her face. The office would be closing soon, so hopefully no one else would wander into the waiting room. She sank lower in her seat. Fifteen minutes later, it was Camille’s turn. With reluctance, she shoved her glasses back into her purse. She stood slowly to fight off the onslaught of dizziness.
After an initial meeting with the nurse, the doctor came in, shook Camille’s hand, and rolled on his stool to his computer. “What seems to be the problem?”
Camille hated this part. She never knew how to describe her own body. “Well, I was hoping to get my thyroid tested again. I’ve had flulike symptoms for a few weeks, and it’s getting worse.”
“Could you be pregnant?” her doctor asked.
“No.” Camille blanched. “Well, I’m not sure.”
“Has your cycle been regular?”
Camille shrugged. “It’s never been regular.”
The doctor made a note in his computer before asking, “Any pain or fever?”
“No.”
“Well,” he said, eyeing her, “we can certainly check your thyroid. I’ll order a full blood workup. I’ll add a pregnancy test, just to be sure.”
Camille nodded, unsure what to think. She wasn’t pregnant, was she?
As she drove home, she analyzed her symptoms. Was it her thyroid? Could it be cancer? Could she be pregnant? Camille smiled. Of course, the latter was preferable. She’d heard of honeymoon babies, but she’d also heard it often took months to conceive the first baby—especially while on thyroid medication. Besides, she wasn’t confident having a child right away would be the best thing after her and Aiden’s rocky start and early separation. They needed more time as a two-person family unit—though, with her brothers-in-law in the house, that might never happen.
Camille’s worries melted away as she walked into the house and saw that the grocery list she’d left on the counter was missing, in its place a receipt and empty grocery bags. Someone had done her shopping for her.
She went to her room, plopped onto her bed, and pulled her laptop in front of her to check for emails from her students. She was surprised to see one from Aiden. She clicked on it.
Hey, sweetie!
A week and a half down! I’ve been missing you all morning, and it’s distracting me from my work. I started going through the wedding pictures I saved to my laptop, but it made it worse. I talked to Benson, and he said you haven’t been feeling well. You never said anything. Are you okay? You can call me anytime, even if I’m working. I hope you’re feeling better today. I love you.
Aiden
Camille’s heart felt lighter than it had all week. She missed Aiden. She reached for her phone to call him but paused. If she didn’t call him, then he would have more time to finish his work so he could come home to her. She decided taking a nap would be the best choice of action.
The next day Camille’s phone buzzed as she posted her last response on her class discussion board. “Hey, Daisha, what’s up?”
“I thought you should know Derek proposed last night.”
“He didn’t!” Camille gripped her laptop. “But you sound so calm.”
Daisha hemmed. “That’s because I said no.”
