Mia's Open Heart (Choices Open Heart AU)

Chapter 33: Bearing it all

"Just take the damn blood already Ethan." Mia said, as Ethan stabbed her with a needle, drawing blood for an hCG test during their lunch break. They knew alone from the test she took days before and her terrible symptoms that she was pregnant, but a piece of them wanted to check her hCG levels, just in case.

"How are we supposed to get this tested in the lab?" Ethan asked.

"Just Jane Doe it, genius." she said. "Get an intern to do it, they wouldn't question you."

"But they're more afraid of you." he said. "You do it."

"You hear that child?" Mia said, looking downwards. "This is what I have to deal with."

"The child can't hear you for another six weeks." he said.

Too bad, Im just preparing it for what it has to come out to. Anyways, I have to rush off and go check on patients right after this, Ethan." she said. "Stop being such a goody-two-shoes, you can do it. I won't be able to keep a straight face when making them do it."

"Fine." he said with a roll of his eye as he pulled the needle out, keeping the cotton pad on top and taping it with medical tape, applying cotton bits to parts of the tape so that it wouldn't irritate Mia's skin. He created a quick label using the printer, applying the label as he gave Mia a small orange juice carton from the cafeteria.

"But I only had one vial taken out!" she protested as she place her doctor's coat on, hiding the taped on her arm. Ethan pushed it towards her yet again, and she picked her battle and decided to quickly chug the orange juice. "You're way too overprotective." she said, quickly kissing him before walking off to go see her patients. Ethan took the Jane Doe-labeled blood vial, trying to think of a story as he walked out, seeing an intern outside.

"Hey, you, come here." he said to the intern, who rushed over.

"Yes Dr. Ramsey?" the intern asked, trembling slightly.

"I have a John Doe patient that just came in, we need an hCG test done to test if she's pregnant." he said. "I need you to send this to the lab and rush the results and page me when you have them." The intern nodded, rushing away towards the lab to drop it off.

Even though it had only been about a week, Mia and Ethan already created their own little schedule, something that came easy to them because, as doctors, they needed to have control on whatever they could. Mia, who was having 'morning sickness' much worse and frequent than the average person, had a system. She would hold it in as best she could and then use some excuse, saying things like 'I have to use the bathroom', 'I forgot something in my office', etc.

There were four bathrooms in the hospital that were near the staircases, one on each wing of the hospital on the floor she worked on. These bathrooms tended to be always unoccupied, perfect to escape to to throw up all her insides into. And, in the event that this occurred when Ethan could escape off with her, he would, sneak into the bathroom with her as he would soothe her during her moments.

Thankfully, the intern returned back to Ethan within the hour, letting him know that the Jane Doe was in fact pregnant, and that her hCG levels were normal, no reason to worry.

A couple days later, Mia and Ethan had a dinner scheduled with the parents. And it was during this dinner that they planned to tell Naveen, Louise, Anna, Alan, as well as Moira and Matt via FaceTime, that Mia was pregnant.

"I just wish we could've had the first 6-week appointment first at least." Mia said. "Make sure that everything's good."

"Hey, we don't have to tell them yet if you don't want to." Ethan said, holding her close.