Yellow Lines

Chapter 33 - Feelings

My eyes fluttered open and I squinted, thinking I was at the dentist. What was it with the bright lights? But it didn't take me long to realize that I was in a hospital. Memories floated back to the club with Jeremy, and with horror, I touched my stomach. No!

The monitor attached to my hand disconnected and fell to the floor from my sudden movements. My baby. God, there was blood... and Jeremy... and—tears blurred my vision. "No!" I didn't want to lose my baby. I didn't want to lose it.

A doctor and a nurse rushed into the room and caught me clutching my stomach.

"Calm down," the nurse said, reattaching my monitor. "You need to calm down."

I swallowed, dreading the news they were about to tell me. My mind kept replaying the blood dripping from between my legs. "My baby..." I cried.

The man, who I assumed was the doctor, moved to the foot of my bed and retrieved the clipboard. He gave me a quaint smile—one that didn't seem good at all. "Hello, my name is doctor Ojiste, and the nurse here is Ms. Henry." Then he moved beside me. "How are you feeling, Ms. Clarke?"

I didn't know how to feel. Right now, I felt numb. Right now, I was scared. "My baby. Is my baby good?" I felt my stomach again.

"Yes," the doctor said.

I exhaled a sigh of relief. Thank God.

"But we would like to ask you a few questions, but before we do that, we would like to know your attending doctor."

"Why?" Couldn't they just run the tests and tell me what was wrong?

"We are doing what is necessary, but your information will give us an idea of what we are working with."

Sighing, I gave him the information he needed and waited for him to return. I couldn't believe I was mere rooms away from my mother and she had no idea I was here. What if I had died? God, I needed to be more responsible. Who would take care of her?

When the doctor returned, he handed the notepad to the nurse and pulled a chair next to me. "Ms. Clarke, were you having pains prior to the incident?"

I nodded. "I had one, two weeks ago when I wanted to pee. My back ached, but when I relieved myself, it eased. I noticed every time I needed to pee the pain returned. But as long as I went to the toilet, it stopped. I figured it was nothing to talk about."

Doctor Ojiste shook his head. "Anything else out of the ordinary?"

"Yeah..." I revisited last night in my head. "When I arrived at the club last night, I felt a mild pain as if the baby kicked me."

"Well, yes and no." He inhaled. "A baby's movement could occur within week sixteen and seventeen of pregnancy, but not with the pain as you expressed."

"So what happened, then?"

"You had a threatened miscarriage. This can sometimes happen in pregnancy. It is fortunate that your cervix remained closed and the fetus was still intact. The bleeding stopped, but we would like to monitor you over the next few days to ensure everything is fine."

"What?" I pinched my forehead, suddenly feeling a slight headache. "But... but I don't understand. The last I checked, the ultrasound had been fine."

"These things can happen at any time. We are glad that you were brought in promptly to deal with the situation."

Jeremy? Jeremy must have brought me in. He saved me... he saved my baby.

"We are recommending progesterone supplements to help stabilize the lining of your uterus, and that you stay on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. This is only a measure of safety."