Page 83 of Meant to Be
“Do you need to get it?”
Dazed, it took a moment to orient himself. He pulled his phone from his pocket. Lexie. He swore as he poked the “talk” button. “You have the worst timing.”
“Sorry.” Drake’s voice came through the phone.
“Drake? What’s wrong?” Worry flooded through him.
“I was hoping I might talk to Doctor Preston. Her office wouldn’t give me her number, but I’m told she’s with you.”
“Is Lexie sick?”
“Can I talk to Doctor Preston?”
Mitch heard concern, but not necessarily panic, in Drake’s voice. Still, Drake was a master of control.
“Hold on.” He covered the phone with his hand. “It’s Drake. He wants to talk to you.”
“Yes, okay.” She reached for the phone.
“Hi, Drake. It’s Sydney.”
Mitch watched her, looking for clues as to what Drake might be saying to her.
“Has she talked to her doctor about this?”
Mitch’s gut clenched as he realized Drake had indeed been calling about Lexie’s health.
“Is she eating?”
Mitch drew closer, hoping to hear what Drake was saying.
“Dysgeusia is very common. More common than people realize—”
Mitch raised an eyebrow at her. What the hell was dysgeusia?
“It’s not a problem unless it’s so bad she’s not eating enough. Try giving her citrusy things, unless she has nausea. Or pickled food. Brushing her tongue and rinsing with mild salt water can help too. I’ve had patients suck on hard candy or chew gum after eating. You should talk to her doctor about changing her prenatal vitamin. Some can make it worse. Either way, you should talk to her doctor.”
Mitch took a deep breath. Sydney was calm and wasn’t telling Drake to take Lexie immediately to a hospital, so it must not be serious.
“Yes, of course. I’m happy to help.” She handed the phone back to Mitch. He pressed it to his ear, but Drake had already hung up. “Everything is fine.”
“You’re sure? What is Dysgeusia?”
“It’s when pregnant women get a metallic or bad taste in their mouth after eating. For most it’s annoying, but for some, it’s so bad they don’t want to eat.”
“Lexie’s not eating?”
“Drake’s concerned she’s not eating enough. Her doctor should be able to help her find ways to get relief. For most women, it goes away by the second trimester.”
“But she’s in the second, isn’t she?”
“Give or take a few weeks.” Sydney smiled. “She’ll be fine. Drake won’t let her be otherwise.”
“You probably get this a lot. Being hunted down for advice. Having to reassure people.”
She nodded. “Yes, but I don’t mind. Stress can be unhealthy too, and if I can help alleviate that, then I will. But I don’t want to be seen as poaching another doctor’s patient, so I always refer them there.”
“You’re good at this.”
