Page 5 of Always Yours

“Any headaches?”

I’m not one to ever complain, and even being honest with the doctor right now feels like complaining. “Uh, yes, I usually have one every day, but if I sleep or take a pill”—I hold my hand up—“Dr. Parks said it was okay to take them while pregnant.”

Dr. Reynolds nods his head. He’s got my file open again and is jotting things down. “Okay, so I know this is not what you want to hear.”

I throw a hand up. “Just tell me, Doctor, because right now, you have me freaked out a little bit.”

He rolls his little stool closer to me, and his voice drops at least an octave. “You have to rest, Miss Trevers.”

I literally let out a breath of relief. Thank God. Okay, I can do this. “Rest, right. I can do that. And if I do, the baby will be okay?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think I’m explaining myself clearly. What do you do for a living?”

My forehead creases, already not liking where this is going. “I’m a hair stylist.”

His frown deepens. “So you’re on your feet all day?”

I don’t want to, but there’s no getting around it. I nod. “Yeah.”

He grabs a prescription pad and scrawls something across it before ripping it off the pad and handing it to me. “Here you go. Give this to your boss and let them know you’re taking the next two weeks off. But just so you know, Miss Trevers, it may be longer. Now, I’m not going to put you on bed rest… yet.”

My mouth hits the floor. “Uh, bed rest? I don’t need a note. I’m my own boss, I just rent out a space at the salon, and I can’t take two weeks—”

He starts to interrupt, and I hold my hand up. “I can’t take two OR MORE weeks off. I mean, I know it’s important for me and my baby to eat, so yeah, I can’t afford to take time off. I can’t.”

He reaches over and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I understand what you’re saying, but for your health—and the baby’s—you really have to. I’m worried about preeclampsia, and that can be dangerous for you both. I think you need to go ahead and prepare yourself that the baby may need to come earlier than expected.”

I just stare back at him, speechless. Everything he’s said is whirling around in my head, and I’m feeling completely overwhelmed.

He seems to sense that and pats me on the shoulder. “It says here the last time you did an ultrasound, we were unable to see the sex of the baby. What do you think if you hop up here and we take a look?”

I nod, still unable to form a sentence. It seems like my whole world is falling down around me.

He holds his hand out to help me up, and when I’m settled on the bed and leaning back, he asks me again. “You sure you don’t want anyone here with you…”

His voice trails off, and I shake my head. “Nope, the, uh, father is not involved.”

If anything, his frown gets even deeper. “Oh, okay. So let’s see here. Can you pull your pants down a little right under your belly? Now this may be a little cold at first—sorry, the warmer in this room broke.” He squirts some cold jelly on my belly and starts pressing around my stomach. I just emptied my bladder, but I’m afraid that if he keeps pressing the way he is, then I’m going to embarrass myself and pee right here on the table.

He turns a screen so both of us can see it and continues moving around on my belly. The sound of my baby’s heartbeat fills the room, and I let out an audible sigh. “Good, steady heartbeat,” he says.

I bite on to my lower lip and wait for something to appear on the screen. Right now, it looks just like a grainy television feed. The doctor clicks a few buttons, and the screen freezes as he takes pictures. “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?”

“Yes!” I answer way more enthusiastically than I should in the small, quiet room.

He chuckles and then nods his head. “A daughter. You’re having a little girl.”

I can’t help it; tears start rolling down my cheeks. I make promises to myself and even pray to God that I’m going to love and care for my baby. That she will always be loved.

The doctor hands me some tissues, and when I use them to wipe my face, he gives me more. “Those are for your belly.”

I nod, taking them all. Doctor Reynolds goes on to tell me about what I need to be doing, a prescription he’s going to send me home with, and for me to call if I need anything. Honestly, after the ultrasound, it all becomes a blur. All I do know is that I have to take care of my baby… no matter what.

Chapter4

Austin

The distillery is like a well-oiled machine. Every now and then, something breaks or a formula gets messed up, but for the most part, everything goes smoothly. And yeah, there’s always something going on with the employees. Someone calls in for a sick kid or an emergency, but for the most part, our employees are exceptional. It doesn’t hurt that we pay well.

---