“There’s plenty of time to decide what you’re going to do. Book an appointment with your family doctor and think on things a little more. I’ll run the idea past Nix, but I’m sure he would give up the bachelor pad in a heartbeat for you,” Sage assured me.
A few days later, I was waiting for Dr. Pinsent in the examination room. I’d already peed in a cup and had my bloodwork taken by the nurse, now it was just a matter of talking to my family doctor about the results.
My stomach was a wreck of nerves and had been since I’d faced off with those two positive lines. I wasn’t one to worry or live in fear, but I was in a constant state of worry and fear now.
The door to my examination room opened, and Dr. Pinsent stepped inside. I’d been seeing her since I was a small child. She knew my parents—a little too well, but I was confident that patient confidentiality laws would protect me for the time being, until I was ready to tell them myself. If there was anything to tell. It could be a false pregnancy. It could be a tubal pregnancy. Even if I was pregnant, I could still suffer a miscarriage. The thought turned my stomach, and I tried to breathe through that fear.
I hadn’t even allowed myself to think about wanting kids, and yet now that I was faced with a positive pregnancy test, the mere thought of a miscarriage was enough to send me into panic mode.
“Good afternoon, Nellie,” Dr. Pinsent smiled warmly at me, her brown eyes twinkling when they lifted from the reports to meet mine. “Looks like you’re about seven weeks pregnant.”
The air left my lungs on a whoosh, and I felt lightheaded. “Oh, wow. Okay.”
“I’m sure this is a bit of a surprise, given your history of endometriosis.” Dr. Pinsent said.
I swallowed, nodding slowly. “You could say that.”
Dr. Pinsent moved her stool closer to my chair and sat down, facing me. “Would you like to discuss options?”
“No. I—I know it’s unexpected, but I want to keep it, if my body lets me.”
“Endometriosis does put you at a slightly elevated risk for miscarriage, but you’re young, and going off your last scans, your scarring is minimal. I would have to refer you to a high-risk obstetrician, who would follow you a little closer than a regular OB.” Dr. Pinsent turned to her computer.
“Are there any high-risk obstetricians near Hartwood Creek?” The question spilled from my lips before I had time to think about it. “I’m thinking about moving there. It’s closer to my support system.”
Dr. Pinsent typed something into her computer, then glanced at me over her shoulder. “There’s one in Springwood.”
“Okay, that would be… That would be good,” I nodded, knowing I sounded unsure.
“Is the father in Hartwood Creek?” Dr. Pinsent asked casually, going back to typing out the referral.
I blinked, wondering what I should say. I didn’t want Dr. Pinsent to judge me for not knowing who the father was, but I didn’t know for sure. “Something like that.”
My evasive answer didn’t seem to appease Dr. Pinsent, but I could tell she was too kind to probe.
“Did you need me to send a referral for a family doctor, too? I’m happy to continue seeing you until one becomes available, but Hartwood Creek is a bit of a trek if you relocate there.”
“That would be good, I think,” I nodded.
Dr. Pinsent finished typing and then spun around to face me. “Okay, we’re all set there. You can pick up prenatal vitamins from the pharmacy, just make sure you’re taking at least eight hundred milligrams per day of folate. The good news is that many women with endometriosis notice their symptoms get better during pregnancy, they benefit from the increased levels of progesterone.”
“Well, hey, if I’d known that, I might have tried sooner to get knocked up,” I joked, and Dr. Pinsent smiled, standing up.
“The referral for the high-risk OB shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks, but the wait for a new family doctor might be longer. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call and book an appointment with me,” Dr. Pinsent said. “If necessary, we could do virtual appointments until we find you a family doctor closer to Hartwood Creek. Congratulations, Nellie.”
Chapter Two
Nellie
* * *
I was the kind of person that once I decided something, that was pretty much it. I was all in.
From the moment I asked Dr. Pinsent to send my referral to a high-risk obstetrician in Springwood, my resolve for my situation had only grown. I had a lot to figure out, but one thing was certain: I would be moving to Hartwood Creek.
It was a good thing, too, because when I got home from my appointment, Angry Angela was waiting for me in our shared living room. She practically flew at me the moment I opened the door.
“Why the hell is there a pregnancy test box in the bathroom trashcan?” she demanded, scowling at me with her arms crossed.
