“I know that,” she said impatiently, and waved her hand at him. Or tried to, but he wouldn’t let her hands go. “What is it? Cancer? Organ rejection?”
“Deep breaths.” He had a calming effect on her, and she looked into his kind brown eyes and did as he said. “It’s neither. You are still in remission, and your body is still accepting your kidney.”
“Then why in hell will I be seeing you for the next few months? What’s with the timeline? How do you know it’ll only be for a few months? In my experience, my illnesses take years to correct themselves, but then again, they only do that when I get help from donors. Again, in my own personal experience, I am literally at death’s door before those donors appear.”
“Because you’re pregnant.” He smiled gently at her and was shocked by her reaction.
Wanda threw her head back and laughed until she was crying. “Oh, good one, doctor Nice try. Now tell me what’s really wrong with me. And don’t tell me I’m pregnant because I can’t get pregnant. That’s what the doctor in California said when I was three, after having all that chemo and radiation. And when I was fifteen and had my kidney transplant, I was told the same thing. Hell, I’m twenty-four and have only had my period ten times in the last twelve years. So, why am I really here?”
Dr. Carson, who was in his fifties, grinned. “Come with me.” He took her by the hand and out the door and down the hall. Holding her hand, the entire way. Wanda saw that Dr. Hall and Nurse Julie were close behind. They went into a room, and he patted the exam table. He had her lay back, and he slowly lowered her jeans just a little bit and raised her shirt to just below her breasts. He only revealed her stomach above, and slightly below her belly button.
“This may be cold,” he said as he squirted gel on her stomach, then put a wand on her belly. As he moved it around, he grinned. “There’s the heartbeat. Now let’s see if we can see this little bug.” He grinned and turned a TV screen, and Wanda watched in shock as a tiny moving blob appeared.
“Is that a spine?”
“Yes, and that’s the heart,” Dr. Carson said and pointed out all the baby’s features. He also took several pictures. When done, he wiped her stomach, lowered her shirt and raised her jeans. After he helped her sit up, he sat on a stool and faced her.
“As I said earlier, I’m Dr. Carson. Dr. Hall called me in when he received your blood test results. I am an OB/GYN. However, I’m known for specializing in high-risk pregnancies. That’s the only women I work with. And you’re high risk because of your history of cancer and an organ transplant. Now you said earlier that you don’t have your period a lot?”
“No. I think the last time I had it was Christmas of last year.” She was still shocked by the results as to why she was there. Being pregnant was a total shock, but one she was beginning to wrap her head around andwas happy. “So, I’m still in remission, and I’m not rejecting my kidney?”
“No, you’re just pregnant.” Dr. Hall grinned and grabbed several tissues and handed them to her. “Now, we can’t base how far along you are on your period, so when was the last time you had sex?”
Wanda felt her cheeks warm and frowned. “Do you have a calendar?” The nurse took one off the wall and handed it to her. She flipped it to July and frowned. “The first and only time I ever had sex was July 18th. But we were together for three days. So, it was the 18th, 19th, and 20th. And I haven’t had sex since.”
“Okay, that would put you at about twelve weeks. And according to the measurements I took when I saw the little bug on the screen it coordinates. I can honestly say that you are twelve weeks along. Now, normally I see my patients every month for the first months then every two weeks, then every week the closer to the due date. I put your due date around April 11th. But I’m going to want to see you every two weeks for your entire pregnancy. Until we get closer to the end, then it'll be every week, possibly twice a week.”
“Can I travel?”
“Depends, when and where and for how long?”
“Thursday, New York City, back on Monday.”
“Flying?”
“Yes.”
“I can agree to that. Now I need to know what you do for a living?”
“It’s hard to explain. But I guess you could say I’m a potter.” She pulled her iPad and accessed her ownwebsite. “That’s the only way I can explain it.” She turned it so the two doctor’s and the nurse could see.
“You’re Willow Raintree?” Dr. Hall asked in shock.
“Sh.” Wanda giggled. “I don’t like to mix my personal life with my professional one. But yes, that’s me, and I make all these designs. I start with a hunk of wet clay and make it into these. The only chemicals I’m around are the glazes after they’re fired. Will they be dangerous for the baby?”
“I don’t know. Here’s my card. I want you to take a picture of the ingredients on all the chemicals you use and e-mail them to me. Until you hear from me, don’t use them, but if you have to, then use a mask.” He stood and opened several drawers until he found some. “These should do for now. Wear these until I can research the chemicals. But until then, I’m sorry, you shouldn’t use them.”
“That’s okay. When Nurse Julie called, I was digging through my closet trying to find something to wear, and I don’t have anything.”
“Where are you going?” Dr. Hall said as he did her BP again and started writing in a chart.
“I’m having a gallery opening in New York City. It’s in someplace called SoHo, and I don’t have a clue what to wear. It’s going to be a month-long exhibition, and I have to be there only for the first two nights. And I’m going to shut up now because I’m babbling.”
The others laughed, and she frowned when Nurse Julie handed her a piece of paper. “Try this place, and you’ll want a little black dress for the first night. With your coloring, maybe something in a midnight blue for the second night. You don’t have to have it floorlength. Knee length would be perfect and if you can pull them off, some killer heels.” She looked around and blushed. “What? My sister works in the fashion district in New York. She’s always giving me fashion advice, and one thing she always tells me when in doubt always go with a little black dress.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Wanda giggled and pocketed the paper. She knew where that shop was. “So, what’s next?”
“I’m done with you for today. We’ll go out and make an appointment for two weeks from today,” Dr. Hall said, and patted her knee. “I wish you luck with your gallery opening. And I have to say, that green mosaic bowl? Works great on the table right inside the door for our keys when we walk in the house. My wife happened to make a comment just the other day that she was going to order four more for Christmas gifts for our children.”
