Rookie Playing For Keeps #Wattys2015 #NewAdult

Chapter 12 Part 2

December 2013

            I've been shopping with Jackson all day. He's taken the day off so we can pick up the last few things from our registry that I didn't get at the giant baby shower Angelique helped organize for me. The truck is packed full as we drive back toward home. I lift my legs and set my aching feet on the dashboard as Jackson navigates the curves of the road. My ankles are huge! It's as if there is no joint, just a large calf that descends straight into a huge stump foot.

            "Look at this, Jackson. I can't believe I used to have an ankle in this mess somewhere." He glances over.

            "Maddy, I think we should maybe call the doctor. I don't think you're supposed to be that swollen." His tone is light, but I can tell he is worried.

            "She's not going to be in the office. It's New Year's Eve." I examine my puffy skin, which is stretched tight from the pressure of the water.

            "I'm just going to drive by her office—it's not too far out of our way. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight if she doesn't tell me everything is okay." He sounds worried and I laugh a little at his concern. I think it's cute. He just doesn't understand how miserable pregnancy can be. My feet have been swelling lately, but when I rest and put them up they always go back to normal in a few hours.

            "She's going to think we're crazy." I shrug as he turns and heads us toward her building. When we finally make it inside, I'm feeling a little out of breath and hot. I take a seat and Jackson explains our situation to the receptionist. I look at the clock on the wall and see that it is almost 5:00. We are lucky that the office is still open, but I don't have much faith that she'll be able to see me even if she is in.

            "Mrs. Rider?" the young assistant asks as she opens the door that leads to the examining rooms. I nod and try to stand up, reaching for Jackson as he bends to help me out of the chair. This is not new to us; Jackson has been having to help me up for a few weeks now. I waddle down the hall and into the first room. I take my jacket off, hoping it helps to make me feel less sweaty and warm. 

            The nurse looks a little concerned as she hands me a sterile cup. "Could you please go into the bathroom and leave us a sample?" I wasn't worried at first, because leaving a urine sample is something they have me do at every visit, but when the nurse meets me at the bathroom door on my way out, my anxiety kicks up a little. I sense urgency in the way she takes the sample right to the back of the office. 

            I try to make myself comfortable on the exam table as we wait for the doctor. Jackson is staring at me, looking troubled as he watches me shift around and try to find a position that makes it a little easier to breathe. It isn't until the doctor enters the examination room with a very serious look on her face that I realize Jackson hasn't been overreacting.

"Mrs. Rider, I am going to send you over to the hospital right now. I've called ahead and they are expecting you." What? I feel like the room is starting to spin. "You have ketones in your urine." 

            She comes to stand in front of me, prodding the place where my ankles used to be before reaching for the thermometer and taking my temperature. When the numbers flash across the screen I see that I have a fever.

"What will happen at the hospital?" I ask as she flips through my chart.

            "You're nearly 35 weeks. I know from your last ultrasound that everything is positioned right for you to try a vaginal birth like you wanted. I'm going to have them induce you because I believe you are becoming toxic. If you don't deliver soon there is a chance you won't make it. The good news is that the cure for toxemia is delivery. I will make sure we have a perinatologist on call since the delivery will be early."

            The trip to the hospital is quick as we are just across the parking lot, but it feels as if time is standing still while we call the people that are most important to us and ask that they let everyone else know. We head straight for labor and delivery and they have me in a room in no time. As Jackson helps lift me onto the table and the nurses hook up monitors to my arms as well as my big belly, fear seeps through me. Life is a very fragile thing, and with the recent loss of Abby's baby in the back of my mind, I can't help but fear the worst. 

            Jackson moves the chair from across the room and pulls it up right at my side, holding my hand and rubbing softly on my leg to help calm me down. "Everything is going to be okay, Rookie. You've done a fantastic job during your pregnancy, and now it's my turn to help." He brushes a tear from the side of my face as a low thumping noise fills the room. "It's amazing every time," he whispers as we sit quietly, listening to the life inside me.

*****One part left! Please help me out by voting and commenting! I have loved sharing this story with you and hope you have loved reading it****