“Hey. Yoohoo.” I waved my hand. “Down here in the bed. Can I remind you that I’m a doctor? And can I also remind you that as the patient, I’d prefer that you speak to me directly, not about me as though pregnancy somehow renders me incapable of making decisions and understanding what you’re saying?”
“I’m sorry.” The wrong man apologized. Noah looked contrite as he rounded the foot of the bed and came to stand next to me. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I just wanted to hear what the doctor had to say.” He indicated the OB with a flick of his wrist. “That doctor, I mean.”
“I knew what you meant.” I rolled my head to focus on the obstetrician again. “What are you going to give me besides fluids? My head is killing me, and my legs ache.”
“I ordered acetaminophen, and that should help. We’re getting you started on an antiviral right away.”
“How’s her blood pressure?” Noah asked, surprising me once again. Apparently, he’d been doing internet research again. I wasn’t sure if I was impressed or annoyed.
“A little on the high side, which is another reason we’re keeping her. I don’t think it’s any cause for real concern—it’s probably the stress of being here combined with feeling sick and in pain. But we’ll be keeping our eye on it.”
“All right. Good.” Noah reached for my hand, holding it carefully, his thumb rubbing circles over my knuckles. “What about the baby?”
I had to admit that Noah had done two things exactly right in the few moments he’d been in this room. His focus had been on me, concerned about my well-being first, and once he’d been assured that I was not in any grave danger, he inquired about our baby. Maybe it was the fact that I was feeling so lousy, but I felt tears prick at the back of my eyes.
“As far as we can tell, the baby’s fine. The heartbeat’s strong, and—”
“Heartbeat? You can hear the baby’s heartbeat?” Noah said, cocking his head.
“Yeah, we checked just before you came in.” The obstetrician must have seen the expression on Noah’s face because even though his expression said that he just wanted to get out of here, he added, “I can let you hear, too, if you want.”
“Yes. Please.” Noah looked so eager that my heart melted just a little bit more.
The doctor exchanged his tablet for the Doppler. He eased down the sheet that covered my stomach, and I rolled the cotton hospital gown out of the way, being careful not to let anything else show.
Noah gave a little cough. I glanced up at him, realizing his cheeks were pink again. It was an oddly intimate thing for us, even though we weren’t alone and there was nothing remotely sexual about what we were doing.
The gel that the doctor squeezed over my just slightly rounded abdomen was cold against my fevered skin, and I shivered.
“You okay?” Noah frowned. “Do you need a blanket?”
“No, I’m fine.” I tried for a smile as the OB slid the wand over me. Finding the baby’s heartbeat didn’t take as much time as it might have since we’d listened a few moments before, and he knew the relative position. The rapidka-thunkfilled the room.
“Oh,” Noah breathed. “My God. That’s it? It’s so fast. You’re sure the baby’s okay?”
“The heart rate’s perfectly normal.” Still, the doctor kept the Doppler on me for a few more minutes. “Is this the first time you’ve heard it?”
“Yeah.” Noah’s eyes met mine, and I saw his guilt, his discomfort. “I was . . .”
“Noah was injured a few months ago, and then he had complications from the surgery to repair his knee.” I offered the explanation, letting Noah off the hook. “He’s been recovering, so he hasn’t made it to any appointments with me yet.”
Noah’s eyes met mine, and I saw warm appreciation there.
“Wait a second . . . NoahSpencer?” The obstetrician pulled the wand away from me, and the silence was startling. “Like, the football player? Aw, hell, I saw the hit you took. I heard a rumor that you’re not coming back.”
I held my breath, but Noah just shrugged. “Yeah, that’s true. Unfortunately, the damage to my knee was just too extensive.” He squeezed my hand. “But now I’ve got something even better than football in my life, so I’m not complaining.”
The other man’s forehead wrinkled. “What is better than . . . oh.” Understanding dawned. “Yeah, that’s great.” He busied himself with putting away the monitor and handing me tissues to wipe off my stomach. “Still, I’m sorry about your career. Sucks for you. Sucks for Tampa. You were a really excellent player.”
Noah didn’t even flinch. His hand stayed steady around mine. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
The doctor picked up his tablet and flipped the cover closed. “All right, then. So . . . you know, sit tight for now. We’ll get you moved as soon as we can, and I’ll check on you tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, but did someone call my midwife?” I’d requested that someone call Maggie as soon as I’d been brought in.
“Uh, I think so,” Dr. Pickler hedged.
“Will you check on that, please?” I used my doctor-in-charge voice.
