Chapter 6
She willed the doctor to give her a positive result.
The examination had been going on far longer than she anticipated and she could feel Christos' anxiety in the tension of the hand holding hers.
She had partially succumbed to staying at his place by moving some of her things there.
But refused to talk about anything permanent.
"We'll see how we tolerate each other in close confines. And what this pregnancy has to offer."
He had left it at that, but she knew he was not finished and neither were his family. It had been two weeks since the fateful dinner where she had hurled the very delicious dinner and she had been back twice. They were starting to grow on her.
Now she was due to go back to work after taking another week off. This time, come hell or high water, she was going on that ship. It was the celebrity 'Love Boat' cruise and she had planned the heck out of that theme. She wasn't going to miss it.
"I've been feeling much better." She decided that the silence was stretching far too long. "Right Christos? The nausea is not so bad and I've been eating right."
The woman continued to run the machine over her belly and peered at the grainy screen.
"Is something wrong?" Christos' abrupt tone had the doctor looking up.
"Just checking the fetal heartbeat."
"And?" Leanne's grip tightened on his hand.
"All clear." Dr. Henderson looked over at Dr. Friedmann who had just entered the room. "You're twelve weeks in and your blood pressure is a little high. We're also concerned about the slight swelling of your ankles."
"She's planning on going back to work." Christos said tautly. "What's your take on it? Because she for damn sure will not listen to me."
Leanne bristled at his tone and spoke up before the doctors could respond. "I already said I would hand over most of the responsibilities to my assistant. I worked damn hard on the Valentine's Day theme and refuse to hand it over to someone else."
"Oh yes," Dr. Henderson nodded, gray eyes twinkling. "There's been a lot of write up about it in the papers and on the internet. I wish I could go myself."
"We're solidly booked." Leanne told her with a pleased smile.
"Doctors?" The impatience in his voice had the medical team turning towards him.
"I don't see why she cannot resume her duties." Dr. Henderson held up a hand before Leanne could express her gratitude. "In a limited capacity. How long is this cruise? Ten days?"
"Yes."
"And you'll be going to Europe."
"Yes. I can assure you that there are several excellent doctors and nurses onboard." She added hastily.
"We will be sending your medical information along with you." Dr. Friedmann told her. "And liaising with them. I would advise you not to overdo it. We want you to get plenty of rests and whatever exercise you can manage. And stay off your feet as much as possible."
"I will see to it."
"What do you mean? I will not have someone watching my every move."
"That someone will be me." He told her calmly. "I will be on that cruise." He shook his head as he rose. "Don't even bother wasting your breath by arguing, it's a done deal." Turning away, he nodded to the doctors. "May I speak with you outside?"
*****
She fumed all the way back to his place and turned her head away, refusing to talk to him.
As if fate was acting against her, she was starting to feel queasy and dizzy.
Not only that, but she was tired. She blamed it on the period of inactivity of the last couple of weeks. She was used to getting up and going.
For two weeks, she had been catered to, spending most of the time in bed. She certainly did not appreciate being babysat. She was a grown ass woman and wasn't the first or the last to be pregnant with triplets.
There was a whole community on social media of mothers who had gone through multiple pregnancies and birth. Some of the stories had scared the crap out of her, especially one mother who had lost all three and almost lost her life. Then another who had lost two, with only one surviving.
She was scared. After not being sure she wanted to be pregnant, she had reluctantly started to bond with the lives growing inside her.
So much so that she had been researching names and reading up on what to expect when expecting multiples.
She was also listening to classical music as science proved that it was geared towards having smarter children with excellent brain functions.
Before she could shove the door and march from the car, he was around to take her hand.
"I'm not an invalid." She snapped.
"I never said you were. You can be mad at me all you want, but I told you that I'm here and I intend to keep my word." He took her hand, resisting her effort to pull away from him. "Watch your step, there's a patch of ice--"
"What did I ever do before you came into my life?" She asked sweetly as they skirted the icy path. "I spent my entire life learning to navigate my way before, but apparently that's not enough."
"This is different." Letting go of her hand, he unlocked the lock, determined not to allow her temper to kindle his. "You were not pregnant then. Let me--"
"I can take off my own damn coat." Her eyes flashed fire as she shrugged out of the jacket and marched over to the closet to hang it up.
"I'll let Mrs. Bailey know you want to have supper brought up to the bedroom."
"Did I say I wanted to go lie down? No. I'll be in the library. I need to make some calls." She flounced away and stalked down the hallway, leaving him standing there, fighting to keep his temper in check.
He was going to put up with her temper, her bitchiness if it killed him. By God, the woman was impossible and made him want to commit murder! Taking several deep breaths to level his blood pressure, he turned towards the kitchen area to alert the housekeeper they were back.
He had to pass the library to go to his den and stood just out of sight. He did not relish another round of argument with her. And the doctors had warned him to keep her free from stress as much as possible. The bloody woman was stress itself, he thought moodily.
She was seated, not around the desk as he expected but curled up on a sofa near to the window and just staring out at the wintry mix of snow and sleet. She looked forlorn. That was the most appropriate word he could come up with, and he felt his heart turning over.
She had a right to be angry, he reluctantly acknowledged. And scared. He knew that she had been perusing the different social media platforms in order to know what she was up against. He had read them too.
Knowledge was power and he wanted to be armed with it. He had seen the dismal reports. Babies not making it to full term, mothers at risk for preeclampsia, postpartum depression and so much more.
He wished he could take some of it away from her and he felt helpless and guilty. It was his family's side that had her carrying multiples and she was taking all the risks. He loved her and hated the fact that she had to go through all of it.
He just wanted it over. When he could not persuade her or bully her to take time off, he had shuffled his schedule so that he could go with her. He wanted to be close to keep an eye on her. And it did not matter how angry she was. He was sticking close.
He had taken a step forward when he stopped.
He should give her some space, a time to cool off.
Stepping out of sight, he turned around and took another route.
He would give her time to let off steam before he bullied her into eating something.
Shaking his head wryly, he wondered how the hell he was going to get through the next few months without killing her.
She refused to cry. She had come inside the library to try and calm down, but it was not working. She was pissed at the world. And she felt helpless.
She was not used to feeling helpless. Her stomach felt sore and she was fatigued. That was the worst. She felt as if she just wanted to crawl into bed and pull the sheets over her. And sleep for a week.
Her bladder was very active. She had rushed to the bathroom as soon as she stepped into the room and, by all indications, she would be going again in another few minutes. Having three babies pressing down on that particular organ was not a walk in the park.
And she was showing. Three months pregnant and she was starting to show. All hopes of hiding it from the people on the ship had been shot to hell. Her usual costumes, the skimpy dresses would no longer do.
Her breasts looked as if they had doubled in size. She had gone from an A cup to a B. She was not one of the women who longed for big boobs. Hers had been small and she was okay with it. Now, she was blowing up like a damn balloon.
Secretly, she was wondering if Christos would find her less attractive. He had his pick of beautiful women. He said he loved her, but living with her, dealing with all the less attractive side effects of pregnancy would turn any man off.
A few nights ago, the gas had escaped and the fart had been loud and smelly. It had embarrassed her so much, she had fled into the bathroom and stayed there for a few minutes. He had been the one to come and get her. And assured her that he knew what to expect.
"There's no need to act as if I'm some stranger. I'm the father of those babies and nothing about you will ever turn me off."
She wondered if he was just saying that. Then there was the damn leakage. If this continued, she was going to have to start wearing adult diapers. She could not get to the bathroom fast enough.
She had to keep changing her underwear, even though she was wearing panty shields. And she smelled. Her armpits were always sweating. She had to be taking showers twice a day.
She also suffered from UTI, another wonderful side effect. She had suggested he sleep somewhere else, but he would not hear of it. She wanted to be alone in her humiliation, and he was not giving her the chance to be.