Willow

Chapter 19

“Hello,” Willow answered her phone on the fly.

She was looking through her closet to see what she could wear to the opening for the New York gallery exhibit, flying out in three days.

She was confident she had everything already sent to the gallery.

Gypsy was already in New York, and Willow only had to check that she had an appropriate dress for the two opening days.

“Ms. Perkins?”

“Yes.”

“This is Nurse Julie from Dr. Hall’s office. He asked me to call to see if you could come into the office after hours tonight.”

“Why?” Wanda was so shocked she didn’t bother to temper her demand.

“To discuss the results of your blood work.”

“Ohshitohshitohshit.” Wanda dropped to the floor and began rocking back and forth.

“Ms. Perkins, are you okay?”

“No, but I will be. What time?”

“Will six work for you?”

Wanda saw it was after four and sighed. At least she didn’t have time to stew and wonder.

“Yes. I’ll be there at six.” She hung up on the nurse and sat there for at least fifteen minutes before she jumped to her feet and hurried into her bathroom and took a quick shower.

Trying to turn her mind off as to why the doctor wanted to see her.

She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and didn’t bother with makeup.

Just before she went out the door, she rushed over to the kitchen sink and was surprised when she lost the contents of her stomach.

She cleaned up, went back upstairs and brushed her teeth.

She looked at the mess on her bed and decided to go shopping after what she learned.

She refused to let her mind think of the possibilities. Every time her mind flirted with the idea that she wasn’t in remission or her body was rejecting the organ she slammed it shut and pictured how she’d look in a little black dress on the opening night of the art exhibition.

With all her focus on that she pulled into the doctor’s with the mindset that there wasn’t anything wrong, she strode into the office and right up to the receptionist with the confidence she didn’t feel at all.

She went with the attitude that she would fake it until she made it.

Until she heard directly from the horse’s mouth that she wasn’t in remission, or her body was rejecting the kidney, she’d fake that everything was right in her world.

“May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m Wanda Perkins. Nurse Julie called me and asked me to come in to talk to Dr. Hall after hours.”

“One moment please.” The receptionist picked up the phone and spoke into it. Not wanting to hover, Wanda sat down in the empty waiting room. She had just settled when a door opened, and a nurse called her name.

“Wanda Perkins?”

“Yes.” She stood and followed the nurse.

All the time she was on the scale and had her vitals taken she was repeating in her head.

‘Please, not the office, please, not the office.’ In her experience whenever she had to go into the doctor’s office, and not the exam room, it meant she was about to receive bad news.

“Let’s go down to the doctor’s office. He’s waiting for you.”

“Shit,” Wanda said, and had tunnel vision on her way to the office. She saw the nurse open the door and a doctor sat at his desk. She didn’t see the other doctor in a chair before the desk.

“Ms. Perkins. Thank you for coming in. Please, have a seat. I know we only see each other once a year but I’m Dr. Hall.” He held out his hand, and Wanda took it and couldn’t let it go.

“Just tell me, Doctor, Just rip the Band-Aid off.” When he frowned at her, she dropped his hand and began to pace. She didn’t see the two doctors exchange worried looks.

“Is my body rejecting the organ? Am I out of remission from my Leukemia?” She felt herself begin to get fuzzy headed and immediately pulled a chair out, dropped into it while she quickly lowered her head between her knees, locking her fingers together behind her head to keep it down.

She still couldn’t get her breath. Suddenly a man was kneeling beside her with his hand on her back, rubbing it gently, but firmly.

“Slower, take slower breaths, Ms. Perkins. Take a deep breath in, hold it. Now slowly release it. Repeat.” It took a good five minutes before she felt her head stop spinning. She looked up and sighed.

“Thank you, I think I’m better. Who are you?”

“I’m Dr. Carson. I’m going to be your doctor for the next several months.”

“Are you an oncologist?”

“No, why would I be?”

“Isn’t my Leukemia back? Am I out of remission? Or is my body rejecting my donor kidney? Please just tell me.”

“Ms. Perkins. Wanda.” Dr. Carson was still kneeling, and he took both her hands in his. “Dr. Hall called you in because of your blood work results.”

“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 and was 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 own website. “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 floor length. 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.”

“Go ahead, I only make things when the orders come in, but by then, hopefully, I’ll get your clearance to be able to glaze them.

But rest assured, I’m leaving here to go home and clean up my mess in my bedroom then tomorrow I’m going shopping and pack.

I fly out early Thursday morning for New York so I won’t be working until sometime next week. ”

“Good. Get me that information and I’ll look it over tonight or this weekend. Do you have an e-mail separate from your website so I can send you my findings?”

“Yes.” She wrote down her information, and they went out, and she made an appointment for two weeks from then.

She left and did precisely what she said she was going to do.

Instead of cleaning her bedroom, she ended up cleaning her entire house.

She so wanted to go next door and talk to Gypsy, but she was already in New York for the gallery opening.

And she thought she’d better tell Christopher in person.

She didn’t know how he would feel, but time would soon reveal.

But she decided she’d wait until Sunday before telling him.

She giggled as she remembered that she had an engraved invitation mailed to him.

She’d even had extras in case he wanted to invite his business partner and if they wanted to bring dates.

She didn’t think someone that handsome would wait until they were divorced.

After all, technically they were legally separated.

She knew she didn’t want to pressure him into accepting the baby, but he was the father, and he had a right to know.

The last time she’d talked to him was when he’d called two weeks after he’d received the invitation to the gallery opening and told her that his parents were crashing at his place for her opportunity.

She’d gotten a hotel room. He knew she’d be busy and had asked if she could stay an extra day, she’d agreed to fly home on Monday instead of Sunday, so that’s when they would talk.

On Wednesday, she laid everything out on her bed and sighed.

Then she made a list and went shopping. She ended up buying four different dresses with shoes and the unmentionables to go with them.

She also bought another set of luggage that had a matching garment bag.

She was all packed and made sure her electronics were charged or charging and was ready to get up early, and head to the airport for her 6 a.m. flight.

She was surprised that she was sound asleep by nine that night.