Aubrey #2
“How about dinner? Do you want me to pick up something? Maybe Chinese? I could try to stop at that bakery you like, like on our first date.” I take her hand in mine, kissing the inside of her wrist as she smiles.
“That would be nice.” That sounds more like my girl.
Her smile fades as she starts to move, trying to pull herself up.
“I should probably get out of bed if Ronnie’s coming over.
” She places her feet on the floor and goes to stand but drops back down immediately, her hand coming out to the side and grabbing onto the nightstand.
“Aubrey!?” I shoot up in a hurry, rushing to her side.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she says quickly with her eyes squeezed shut. “I just got a little dizzy. I’ve probably been lying down too long.” She finally opens her eyes and looks at me while letting out a breath. “I promise, I’m okay.”
“I don’t like this, Angel. Are you sure you don’t want me to call the doctor? We could go in for a quick check up.” I crouch down at her feet.
She cups my cheek and smiles. “There’s no need, it already passed. I’m fine. I’m just tired, nothing to worry about. But if something changes, I’ll tell you. Okay?” She leans in and kisses me. “I love how much you worry about us, Shane, but we’re okay.”
I work my jaw, contemplating what to do. I really want her to see the doctor, but I don’t want to force her either and cause her any stress. I’ll let it go for now, but if she hasn’t improved by the time I get back, I’ll give her doctor a call and see what she advises us to do.
“Okay.”
Fifteen minutes later, Gabe, Noah, and Veronica arrive. “Thanks for coming.”
“Anytime. How is she?” Ronnie asks with a worried look.
“She claims she’s just tired, but I think you’ll see it for yourself that it’s more than that.
” I sigh, hating leaving her when she’s clearly not feeling well.
“She’s in the living room watching TV. Just stay by her side and maybe try to get her to eat.
Marianne is here if you need anything, and call if something happens. ”
“I will.” She squeezes my bicep, reassuring me, then kisses her men before heading farther into the house.
It takes us a total of three hours to get everything that Emma wrote on the list she made me, as well as a few extra things.
We also got a large amount of clothing, diapers, everything the sales lady told us a newborn would need.
I’m sure there are things that weren’t a necessity but that doesn’t matter, and anything we might still be missing, I can get later or order it online.
Noah and Gabe help me bring everything inside and into our daughter’s room. I had to rent a truck to bring all the huge boxes back home, because none of my cars could carry that much cargo. I’ll probably need to buy one at some point. It could always be useful to have.
When we’re done, we wander into the living room where the girls are still located. Ronnie sits beside Aubrey who’s lying down asleep and pets her hair. When she notices us, she stands quietly and joins us.
“Shane, something’s not right with her. I don’t like this.” Veronica chews on her bottom lip, looking back at Aubrey with watery eyes.
“I know, I’m going to call her OB and try to get an appointment as soon as possible,” I reassure her. “I’ll keep you updated if there’s any change. Thank you for staying with her,” I say to Ronnie before turning to the guys. “And thanks for the help.”
“No problem. Let us know if we can help in any way.” Noah squeezes my shoulder as they head out.
I make my way back to Stellina’s room, moving things around to clear a path and make it look a little less messy.
This will definitely take a day’s worth to set up everything.
I’ll get to that tomorrow. I manage to reach the Chinese food and baked goods I promised Aubrey earlier and had left in the room while we were carrying things in.
“You’re back.” Aubrey’s tired voice sounds from behind me and I spin with the food in hand to find her leaning against the door frame.
“Yeah, just got back. I was coming to wake you.” I wiggle the bag and box in my hands with a smile that she returns.
“Wow, that’s a lot of things,” she says next, looking around the room.
I begin to walk toward her. “It is, but you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll place everything tomorrow.”
She smiles again and pushes off the wall. I’m only three steps away from her when I see it happen.
Her eyes roll back into her head and she collapses.
“AUbrEY!” I shout, dropping the food in my hands and lunging for her. I throw myself to the ground, catching her in my arms before she connects with the floor, but hit my injured shoulder onto the corner of a box.
“Fuck!” I push the jolt of pain aside and focus on my girl, who lies limp in my arms. “Angel, baby, can you hear me?” I check her pulse, finding it quickly. Thank God. “MARIANNE!!!”
She shows up at the door seconds later and gasps when she sees us on the floor. “Oh, dear God.”
“I need you to call for an ambulance. Make them hurry!” I rush out, holding Aubrey to my chest while making sure I can feel her breathing.
God fucking damn it! I thought we were done with this!
She rushes back out of the room as I hear her frantic voice on the phone.
“You’re going to be okay… Both of you are going to be okay,” I whisper into Aubrey’s hair as I place my hand on her belly.
Three hours later, Aubrey’s sleeping form is lying in a hospital bed and hooked up to machines to monitor her heart rate and the baby.
They also have an IV going into her arm for dehydration, while I sit in an uncomfortable chair, praying we won’t be getting any bad news as I wait for the doctor to come by.
She woke up in the ambulance but seemed confused and passed back out a minute later, then again while they were running tests on her.
That time she stayed awake a little longer, but you could tell she still wasn’t feeling well, and by the time we took her back to her room, she was sleeping and has been since.
There’s a soft knock on the door before it opens and Aubrey’s OB-GYN walks in. “Dr. Carlson?” She wasn’t the one I was expecting to see.
“Hi, Shane. I saw Aubrey’s file during the shift change. I’ll be taking over for the rest of the night until the morning,” she says quietly, walking over to Aubrey to check on the monitors.
“What’s wrong with her?” I ask as a lump forms in my throat and fear crawls up my skin.
She sighs and steps away when she’s done looking over everything. “It’s her blood pressure again. All her tests came back clear, which is a good thing.”
“How is this a good thing? She’s fainting left and right. She’s not eating or acting herself.” I swipe my hands through my hair, pulling on the ends as aggravation fills me from the inside.
“I understand your worries, Shane, and you have every right to be. These are scary situations. All I’m saying is that her tests coming back clear are a good thing, because it means her condition isn’t caused by anything more serious. It’s just the pregnancy.” She smiles sadly.
“I’ve seen other pregnant women, none of them went through this. Why is it happening to her?”