Chapter Twenty-Two
Amy? There you go. Open up your eyes. That’s good. My name is Dr. Scott, and I’m going to check you over, okay? Do you know what happened this morning?”
Amy awoke to the gentle voice and questions of the doctor. She had no idea how she’d gotten into her bed, but the warmth felt so good that she didn’t even care to ask.
“I was throwing up all morning. It just wouldn’t stop, so finally I climbed into the shower, hoping the spray would help. Then, I got light-headed and lost all my energy and couldn’t get back out,”
she mumbled in a cracked voice. She finally looked around and noticed Lucas standing nearby.
“I don’t know how I got here or really what happened. I was just so cold and tired,” she said.
“Save your energy, Amy. We’re going to make sure you and your child are okay,”
said the doctor, comforting her. Amy’s eyes felt like they had a ten-pound weight on each lid and without another word she let them slowly close.
She felt him touching her and then felt a slight pinch, but the worst part of the whole exam was being uncovered periodically. She faded in and out of sleep. Finally, she heard the doctor quietly talking to someone. It felt more like a dream. Maybe it was.
“She’ll be fine. She needs to be on bed rest until I get these tests back, but it looks like severe morning sickness, leading to dehydration. There’s no bleeding, but she’s undernourished. The baby seems to be fine. Your child takes from Amy what he or she needs, but Amy hasn’t been able to eat enough to nourish herself. I’ll want her to come to the office in a day or two for an ultrasound, but it seems she’s about three months along. Get a lot of fluids into her today, especially soup broths and juice. The more calories, the better.”
“That’s great, Scott. I appreciate you rushing over here so quickly. I’ll see you on Friday.”
She heard fading steps as they left the room and finally the faint sound of a door shutting. She faded back into the blissfulness of sleep.
Lucas paced the apartment after he called in and canceled all appointments for the day. He wanted to wake Amy and feed her, but the doctor told him the rest was just as important as food. Dr. Scott had given her sleeping aids and anti-nausea pills and told Lucas to keep an eye on her to make sure she ate and drank whenever she woke.
Each time she partially came to, Lucas practically force-fed her. She mumbled complaints, but she took the food.
By the time darkness fell, Lucas was exhausted. He went into the room and climbed in bed next to her. He pulled her close and fell into a deep and exhausted slumber. He felt that he could sleep an entire week with her in his arms.