Page 29 of CADE & ANNA

“Good idea. I’ll update you then.”

Chapter 7

Cade struggled with himself. He wanted to drive full speed back to the plantation, but he forced himself to go slow and steady. Silently, he breathed a prayer of thanks to the Goddess when the dock came into view. The boat was tied up in record time. He had to be quick or his crazy mate would try to exit the boat without assistance and find herself in the water. As she stood to do just that, he rushed to help her step to the dock and then straight to the car. He wasn’t wasting any time. Anna’s coloring was still pasty white, and it may be his imagination, but her breathing seemed a little shallow.

He called ahead to warn Dr. Marjorie they were on the way as he broke every speed limit between the plantation and the clinic. He gave a shortened version of what happened so they could be ready for Anna the instant she arrived.

The minute they walked in, a nurse hustled them to an examination room. “I’m going to check your heart rate and blood pressure, as well as the baby’s heart rate. We need to know if the attack put her under any stress.”

With each new reading, Anna’s expression grew more worried.

“What is it, cher?”

“My heart rate and blood pressure are quite a bit higher than last week when I was here.”

Cade’s heart dropped to his stomach, but he kept his expression calm. Taking a deep breath, he kissed her knuckles and brushed a stray bit of hair from her eyes. “We’re here now; I’m sure everything will be fine.”

When the nurse left the room, Anna laid back on the examination table and closed her eyes. She was so tired. Just as she felt herself dozing off, Dr. Marjorie rushed in.

“Good Lord, Anna! Did Tim really attack you and threaten you with a gun?”

“Yes, he did.” She grunted as she struggled to sit up with Cade’s help. “Thankfully, Cade saved me before he could really hurt me. We’re mostly concerned about the intense stress the experienced caused.”

Dr. Marjorie looked over the readings frowning. “Your blood pressure is much higher than it should be. Since you didn’t have an issue before, it most certainly is caused by the stress. I’m putting you on bed rest for the next few days and then I want to see you again.”

She carefully felt Anna’s abdomen and checked her for dilation. “The baby is still sitting rather high and your cervix is normal for eight months.”

Dr. Marjorie was removing her latex gloves when Anna winced and held her stomach.

“Forgot about those,” she said as the tightness passed.

Cade turned white as a sheet; he had felt the tightening in his stomach, too. “What was that!”

“They’re called Braxton Hicks or false labor,” Dr. Marjorie said matter-of-factly. “It happens in the eighth month, as a woman’s body begins to prepare for childbirth and the cervix softens. All perfectly normal.”

Cade had worry etched on his face. “What can I do?”

“Wait on her hand and foot. Remember the relaxation techniques and low back massage we discussed?”

“Yes. I tried a few on her the other day.”

“Now is the perfect time to do a lot of foot and back massage.”

Cade rubbed his hands together grinning. “You got it. I’ll make sure she only gets up for bathroom breaks.”

Anna looked at Dr. Marjorie with a sly grin. “You should have lied and told him I had to rest a long time ago.”

Dr. Marjorie chuckled at them. “I could have, but I’m sure it would have broken at least one of my Hippocratic oaths. I’ll see you back here Thursday morning.”

“Thank you.” Cade shook her hand gratefully and busied himself helping Anna redress. He was still suspicious of the so-called false labor pains, but he would keep that to himself. Once they were home, and Anna was sleeping, he would research what was really expected in the eighth month.

*****

It was Wednesday afternoon; tomorrow Anna would see Dr. Marjorie and hopefully be released from bed rest. It had been a hard-fought battle, but she convinced Cade to let her sit in a chair rather than lay in bed all day. Sighing with boredom, she set her novel aside. She was tired of reading and even more tired of being waited on hand and foot. She wanted a glass of water, and she intended to get it herself. Wiggling and grunting, she heaved her big belly from her favorite oversized chair and managed to get to her feet.

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