13
Chapter Thirteen
“Sophia Vasco,” the nurse calls from the open doorway.
Dominic and I rise from our seats and follow her to the weight scales. As she adjusts the counter-weights, she states my weight and then begins to write it in my chart. The alarm in her voice catches me off guard when she realizes the difference.
“Sophia! Why have you lost six pounds since the last time you were here?”
“I’ve been sick all the time. I’ve had a hard time keeping anything down,” I explain and feel the tension rolling off Dominic in massive, crashing waves. I’ll be on complete bed rest with an electric wheelchair to cart me back and forth to the bathroom by the time he’s finished with me.
“You should’ve called us, sweetie,” the nurse says. “It’s not good for you to lose that much weight when you’re pregnant.”
She escorts us to an exam room, tells me to undress and put the hospital gown on, and then leaves Dominic and me alone. He helps me undress then he helps me into the hospital gown before circling his arms around me and pulling me close to him. His warm hands are splayed across the bare skin on my back and he smells so good. I love his scent–his woodsy cologne mixed with the purely dominant, alpha male scent that only belongs to my Dom.
He tenderly strokes my back, along my spine, before he says, “Hop up on the table and get off your feet, baby.”
I smile at him but I do as he says. “Are you going to be this overprotective for the next seven months?” I laugh.
He gives me a real smile, the one that can break hearts and melt glaciers, before his answer makes my heart swell with more love than I knew I could even feel. “No, baby, not for the next seven months. For the rest of your life.”
He stays at my side, his arms wrapped protectively around me, his head nuzzled against mine, until the doctor walks in the room. “Hi, I’m Dr. Tabitha Perry,” she says as she shakes hands with Dominic.
“Sophia, I hear you’ve been very sick and have lost six pounds.” Her voice conveys concern and I feel Dominic tense beside me.
“Yes, the morning sickness isn’t following the rules. I’ve been sick all day and night,” I explain. “Dominic was worried about me last night when I got sick again and wanted me to come see you as soon as possible.”
“Morning sickness is a bit misleading,” she smiles, “because it’s not always morning when it hits. The problem comes when you’re not able to keep nutrients in your body to feed the baby. The baby will first steal what it needs from you, but when that’s depleted, then you both suffer.”
I notice, with deep foreboding, that she hasn’t said it’s normal to be this sick. Casting a weary look at Dominic, I see the worry in his eyes, too. “What do I need to do?” I ask Dr. Perry, terror and panic rising in my throat.
“Let’s do your exam, get your blood work back, and we’ll go from there. In the meantime, I will give you a prescription for anti-nausea medication that will help you keep your food down.”
“Is that medication safe the baby?” Dominic asks.
“Yes, pregnant women have safely used it for many decades now. Your mother probably even used it with you,” Dr. Perry explains before having me lie back on the examination table.
“Have you seen any spotting or bleeding?” she asks as she checks my stomach.
“No.” I’m so scared now. It’snotnormal to be this sick and I shouldn’t have let it go on so long.
“Any cramping? Either in your lower abdomen or in your lower back?”
“No.”Oh my god, why is she asking all these questions? What’s wrong?
She nods, “I’m going to check you now. Put your feet in the stirrups and scoot all the way down to the edge of table.”
Dominic helps me move down and I know it’s just so he’ll have something to do, something to contribute, and something to help distract him from his thoughts.
“Dr. Perry,” I start apprehensively, “I have to ask you an embarrassing question.”
“Sure,” she laughs. “I assure you, I’ve heard them all and nothing will shock me.”
“Will…vigorous…sex hurt the baby? Or make the morning sickness worse?” I’m so glad I’m lying down, staring at the ceiling, and can’t see her over the sheet draped across my legs.
“No, not at all. Your baby is well protected in your uterus, surrounded by amniotic fluid, and padded with your internal organs. At most, the baby would be rocked to sleep,” she assures us.
“What if it overexerted Sophia?” Dominic chimes in. “What if it took too much of her energy?”
