Best of Both Worlds

Chapter Three

Beep... Beep... Beep...

The strong smell of Antiseptic and antibiotics filled my senses. With great effort, I peeled my eyes open, my left hand had an IV line in it. I looked around and found Whitney slouched on the sofa nearby. Groaning, I moved to sit up and Whitney stirred awake.

"Oh my God, you're awake. You nearly gave me a heart attack. When I got the call that you had passed out during surgery and I had to come in quickly. I thought it was some kind of prank call" she exclaimed, worry masking her face.

I had Whitney as my emergency contact, so it was no surprise that the hospital called her in.

"Water" I groaned out.

"Shit, sorry," she said and she rushed to get me a cup of water.

I muttered a short raspy 'thanks' before gulping the water at once. My throat was dry. She got me another cup without being asked, and I downed that one too.

"Thanks," I wiped my lips with the back of my palm. "So, did they tell you what's wrong with me?"

"Nope, they said they wanted to let you know first" she replied and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Right on cue, Ashley and Dr Meera Puri, our head of Gynecology and obstetrics physician walked in. My furrowed brows deepened.

"Amanda, how are you feeling?" Dr Meera asked as she came to stand beside my bed.

"I'm better" I moistened my lips and adjusted the hem of my hospital gown. "What's going on, I'm confused?"

"When you passed out, we conducted a blood test, to find out what was going on. The test came back with your hCG levels high" she explained.

"Amanda, you're 12 weeks pregnant." She paused for a second as she gauged my expression. "You're at the end of your first trimester, a critical stage of your pregnancy"

"Your blood sugar levels were low and you didn't have enough fluids in your system, that's what caused you to pass out. So, you need to keep your fluids up and eat something from time to time" she concluded.

The word PREGNANT rang repetitively in my ears. At that moment, I could feel my heart thumping loud in my ears and on the verge of escaping my chest cavity. It became so difficult to breathe and I could feel my throat closing in on me.

The monitors started beeping loudly. I watched them rush towards me, trying to calm me down but my ears were still ringing. I couldn't hear a word as black dots appeared in my vision so I shut my eyes tight.

An oxygen mask was placed on my face and I felt oxygen fill my lungs as I took deep breaths. Gradually, everything returned back to normal. I opened my eyes to find a pair of three concerned eyes watching me with close attention.

I felt a tear run down my cheek then another and another until I had no control of my waterworks. I heard Whitney tell them to give us a minute, they nodded and left the room. She drew circles over my arm, not uttering a single word.

I guess I didn't need the blood work after all.

Pregnancy lingered at the back of my mind when I submitted my blood for the test but I hoped with desperation that it wasn't the case. The crying had turned to hiccups, then minutes later, nothing. I stared into space thinking of how my life was about to go downhill.

Whitney climbed into the bed next to me and held me close as she stroked my arm. Minutes later, sleep consumed me.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When I opened my eyes, it was bright and early the next morning. Whitney was napping on the sofa.

I glanced around the room and spotted my small travel bag. I tried my best not to wake Whitney as I got down from the bed and walked over to the bag. It contained my toothbrush, underwear, and some other clothing. I walked towards the bathroom to freshen up. While I carried out my business, I tried not to think about my predicament.