Expect the Unexpected

Fifteen

A week after the kids' surprising revelation, Rob and Mishy were both up almost with the Sun, even though the latter didn't wanna be. It was the Morn of her first obstetric appointment since their move from Florida, so they couldn't really sleep in, whether they wanted to or not. Besides, making that appointment wasn't just for the Health of both mom and baby–if they were lucky, they'd be able to find out what they were having today.

        Since she'd actually grown up in the area before moving to Florida as an adult, Raven was full of advice for the former spouses. Everything from which back roadsta take, if the main thoroughfares were shut down for some reason to which Healthcare system was the best was on the table. It was for that reason that when she'd all but insisted they find someone who was part of the UNC Healthcare system, they listened to her. They were both sure she'd know better than they would, just like they'd know the best Healthcare systems in the areas they'd lived in the longest better.

        Both expectant parents'd been horrified when she'd steered them away from Cone Health, Alamance Regional Medical Center in particular. They'd wanted to know why, and while she'd tried to tone down her brutally honest side, she'd given it to them straight. Apparently, they'd a bad reputation of losing patient records, and she'd even known a woman who'd been overdosed on Morphine in their emergency department just a couple Years ago. Suffering from chronic pain, she'd already been on a prescription for the shit, but the emergency team apparently hadn't kept track of how much they gave her after her arrival due to a hip problem in the Summer of 2019.

        Not wanting anything to happen to his ex-wife–and therefore, their baby–as a result of incompetent staff, Rob'd refused to take her anywhere near that hospital or any of its affiliates. He didn't care if he'd to drive all the way to the Coast to find a suitable doctor and hospital for the rest of her pregnancy. It'd be better than losing either of them for what he considered the highest order of bullshit reasons.

        "Ya sure ya don't mind coming with us?" he was asking as he glanced over at his friend.

        "Hey, I've already toldja that I know the area almost like the back of my hand," Raven laughed. "I don't mind playing chauffer while you're still memorizing routes."

        "Can't blame me for wanting to be sure," the Silver Fox chuckled.

        "And I don't," she assured him. "I'm just saying that you've just barely started memorizing the routesta places right around Town–you'd wind up down in South Carolina, if you'd to take a detour and your GPS went out, and I wasn't with y'all."

        "Got that right," Mishy giggled as she gently yanked him down onto a bar stool and moved to stand behind him. "I haven't met a man yet who actually likes asking for Directions."

        "Neither've I," the brunette woman agreed with a laugh before he could interject. "And don't even try to argue it, big boy, or I'll braid your hair tight enough to give ya a migraine."

        "No fuckin' thanks," Rob grumbled, sitting still as she started brushing his hair for him. "I'm already nervous enough to make myself sick–I don't need a migraine on top of it."

        "Wow, ya can actually do anything with that mop besides tie it in a ponytail for him?" his ex-wife queried, looking surprised.

        "It's 'cuz of how I braid hair," she answered, nodding. "I don't have to use more than one elastic band unless I wanna, even on my own hair."

        "That's certainly impressive," the blonde–whose grayish-brown roots were growing out–mused.

        "Just watch and learn," Raven chuckled as she got his hair brushed back into a ponytail that normally woulda been tied off at the nape of his neck.