I shake my head. There’s not much point now, is there? I want to ask questions, but I’m in complete shock. How could I have been pregnant and not known?
“Her fiancé was notified by the nurse, but he’s overseas, and I’m not sure when he might get here. What happens now, and what support does Astrid need?” Callan asks, and I’m grateful he’s taking control.
“From our estimate, you were only a few weeks pregnant, so a D & C is not necessary. Once the bleeding begins, most tissue passes in a few hours. You will likely continue to bleed and experience some cramping for another day or two, though it can last longer. It’s not unusual to have spotting for up to two weeks. We can discharge you as long as there is someone at home with you.”
“I want to go home.” I’ve never been a fan of hospitals.
“She won’t be alone,” Callan says. “I’ll make sure someone is with her all the time.”
“You’ll need bed rest, plenty of food, and fluids. No swimming or sex for a few weeks and no baths until the bleeding fully stops. Showering is fine. You can use Tylenol for the pain or any over-the-counter pain medication. Contact your doctor ifyou experience heavy bleeding that soaks two pads or more in an hour or if the cramping gets worse, or you develop a fever, or the pain becomes severe. We recommend you take a pregnancy test in three weeks to ensure the miscarriage is complete, and your period should return in four to five weeks. If you have any other questions, you can call the nursing team or your doctor.”
“Will I have any issues getting pregnant in the future?”
“Do you have any children? Or have you been pregnant before? Any previous terminations?”
“No to all that.”
“Then you should be fine.” He stands, offering me a kind smile. “Unfortunately, a high percentage of women suffer a miscarriage in their first pregnancy, with most going on to have healthy pregnancies. Try not to worry.”
67
ASTRID
“Darling, are you okay?” Seán asks when I pick up his call. “Fucking Mandy didn’t pass the message on until after my meeting had ended. She knows to interrupt me for emergencies. I’m so firing her ass.”
“It’s fine, and I’m okay.”
Roni fluffs the pillows on my bed and ensures I’m comfortable before slipping out of my bedroom. It took over an hour to sort out the discharge paperwork, and I thought I’d never get home.
“What happened?”
“Do you have privacy?” I hate I have to tell him this over the phone.
“I’m in a room by myself.”
“I had a miscarriage.”
Silence greets me for a few beats. “You were pregnant and didn’t tell me?”
It hurts that he instantly jumped to that conclusion. As if I’d ever keep news like that from him. “I didn’t know until the doctor told me at the hospital.”
“Oh. Are you okay?”
“I’m a little sore, but the doctor said I would be for a day or two.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be with you.”
My heart sinks. I had hoped he’d come back, even if only to hold me for a few hours. “Couldn’t you come back even for a little while?”
“Negotiations are at a delicate stage, and I can’t leave. Besides, it would take at least nine hours to get to Vermont. We’d have to make a fuel stop in Ireland. By the time I’d get there, you’d be back on your feet.”
“I see,” I quietly say, placing a hand on my chest and rubbing at the pain I feel there.
“Unless you’re not telling me the truth. Is it more serious?”
“No, no, it’s not. Miscarriages are fairly routine for first-timers, or so the doctor said.”
Words are spoken in the background, and I listen to his muffled reply with a heavy heart.
