Another Life

24

"Okay so based off the tests today, Hailey, everything's doing great," Leah says and I can feel the weight lift off of my shoulders, something that had become an occurring problem each time I had an appointment, which was now every other week, because at thirty-four weeks movement from him was starting to become limited. "Baby is head down and in an anterior position, your blood pressure is good, and all the other tests have come up good results. I'm really happy about all of that."

I nod at what she told me as I sit up in the chair. "So we're done today?" I then ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

She stops me before I can get up from the chair, starting to talk again and her words grab mine and Jay's attention sharply. "Almost. I do need to speak to you about one thing."

And right then the weight comes crashing back down on me.

Jay's the one to speak, I just sit there staring to Leah with wide eyes. "What is it?" He asks and I can hear the worry in his voice too.

Leah shakes her head quickly. "It's really nothing to be worried about, it's just that during the palpation I noticed baby's head is a little lower than we'd like for thirty-four weeks, meaning he has lightened, or dropped, lower into the pelvis. This is completely normal and what we like to see, but you've still got six weeks to go until your due date and while lightening does usually occur two to four weeks before actual labor in first deliveries which would be fine it doesn't always work like that, and standing around all day at work and at home is letting gravity pull him down further, meaning he might be putting pressure on the cervix, which would start labor." She explains.

I raise my hand from my leg and up to my face, informing her I was about to cut in. "So how do we stop that from happening?"

She shrugs, a small smile on her face. "Get off your feet," she replies, sliding her eyes between the both of us before locking them directly to me. "Hailey I would advise you to take the rest of your pregnancy off. Stay at home, try and keep off your feet as much as possible, at least until you're thirty-seven weeks, and I know that might be difficult with a toddler at home half of the time, but I do think it will keep baby off of the cervix and in there a couple more weeks, which is what we want, that way we can have as least amount of complications possible."

************

Taking Leah's advice I called Voight straight after the appointment to explain the situation. On the other end of the phone I heard him nod, him saying that was completely fine before I had even finished my sentence and I spent the rest of the weekend basically living off of the couch and in bed. Intelligence didn't have any cases over the weekend so Jay was able to be there as well so I could have my pillow to lie my head on as we passed the days by watching movies (granted kids cartoon movies on repeat) and eating snacks in sweats.

But of course first thing Monday morning Jay got a call from Voight explaining they had caught a case, and that's how I found myself with my head tipped against the back of the couch, looking at Jay as he hovered over me as he said his goodbyes.

"You promise to be careful today? I'm not there to keep you in check and make sure you don't get yourself shot or shot at. Just try and remember you're getting older and you're not as fast as you used to be and if I have to take you and a baby home from the hospital I'm not going to be impressed." I say, staring directly up at him.

He shrugs lightly. "I mean that does sound like something that would happen to us, having to take both your boys home from Med?"

I can't help the small smile come over my lips as he refers to him and our unborn son as both my boys, but I try to hide it and get back into the importance of the conversation. "I'm not kidding, Jay, I'm not doing it," I say, hoping he would take me seriously despite the smile still on my face. "Just promise you won't anything something stupid and get yourself hurt."