“Sure thing.”
He took Kristine’s hand, and as they walked toward the door, she called over her shoulder, “Get better, Gabe.”
“I will. I’ll probably be out of here this afternoon.”
Finally alone, Gabe mulled over what everyone was saying. And demonstrating. Misty had stayed with him all night. Was that just because she had nowhere to go? She had friends. She had his family. She had plenty of places she could have gone.
But she stayed with me.Knowing that made him think. He didn’t know if he liked her actions or not. On one hand, it was nice that someone cared that much. On the other hand, maybe she cared too much. She deserved someone who would love her unreservedly and be there for her—always.
He just wondered if he was up to the job. At some point, he was bound to disappoint her.
* * *
Several days later, Misty was seeing doctors again. Her friend Julie took the day off and drove her. Misty could have taken public transportation, but she had a foreboding feeling and wanted her friend there. Besides, Julie made her laugh. She had an appointment right after this one with a gynecologist named Dr. Ingalls. Julie decided to rename the gynecologist they hadn’t met yet Dr. Tingles.
In her internist’s waiting room, Misty’s name was called.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Julie asked.
“Nah. I’m all right. Thanks, though.”
She followed the hefty nurse through the busy office area. This time, she didn’t complain when she had to step on the scale. The number shocked her, and she gulped.120 pounds? Oh my God! I’ve gained ten pounds? How? When? It must be the lack of exercise. Or water weight. Yeah, one of those.
“No need to get undressed,” Dr. Warren’s nurse said. “In fact, you don’t even need to go into an exam room. He wants to meet with you in his office.”
Misty wasn’t about to complain, even though the formality concerned her a bit. She followed the nurse to a door with Dr. Warren’s nameplate on it and ushered her in. The walls were lined with books, and her doctor sat behind a dark wood desk. Two comfortable chairs sat in front of it.
“Have a seat, Misty.” His expression looked grave.
She lowered herself slowly into one of the blue upholstered chairs. “Hi.”
“I have some news, and I’m afraid it isn’t good.”
“Oh?” Her mouth went dry, and she steeled herself for whatever he was about to say.
“I’m afraid you have multiple sclerosis.”
She knew this was a possibility, but hearing it confirmed seemed surreal. “That’s…that’s what’s responsible for all my symptoms?”
“Almost all.” He smiled. “When you called to say you were experiencing nausea, I had the lab run another test on your blood.”
“Really? I didn’t know you could do that.”
“Sometimes we hold onto the samples for a while. I see you have an appointment with Dr. Ingalls right after this.”
“Yeah. I haven’t seen a gynecologist in a few—Wait! What are you saying?”
“I’m not saying anything. I’m letting Dr. Ingalls explore the new findings with you. It’s her area of expertise.”
“New findings… What did the blood test show?”
He paused until she thought she might throttle it out of him. At last, he said, “You may be pregnant. We’ll need that confirmed. I expect your gynecologist will want to do a more definitive test and an exam before confirming anything.”
Internal shock waves knocked Misty back in her seat. “Are you sure?”
“Again, I’ll let Dr. Ingalls be the one who determines that. Don’t you want to know more about the MS?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes. Of course. I’m just…overwhelmed at the moment.”
