Billie and Brandon: Unpredictable Circumstances

12

"Alright, lift up your shirt please, Billie" Dr. Torres said with a smile, tugging on her gloves and picking up the tube of propylene glycol gel.

Billie complied, lifting it up as far as where her bra was and laying completely back into the examination tale. She squirmed when her doctor squirted the cold, sticky gel onto her abdomen. She no longer hopped around and giggled when it happened, but it still made her uncomfortably ticklish.

"Oh, I see on your file it was your birthday the other day. So happy birthday! Were you 17...no 18?" Dr. Torres asked

"Yup. The big one eight. I'm officially an adult now."

It's funny because she had been waiting to be eighteen her whole life but now that she was pregnant it didn't seem like such a big deal to her now. Sure it made her feel a little like she wasn't completely a teen mom. But she would have way rather been 25 and having her first child.

"Did you do anything special?"

"Not really. Just went out to dinner with Drew's family and some of my friends"

"That's nice. Where is Drew today?" Dr. Torres asked, smoothing it around on her bump, making sure to spread it in all areas it needed to be.

"She's stuck on cooking duty with her mom," Billie responded, "She couldn't get out of it."

"That's too bad" She turned on the transductor and set it under Billie's bellybutton, slowly gliding it around to get a reading. "Anyway, how were your final exams?"

"B's. Nothing new." Billie glanced at the screen as the image began to materialize. "Although, I did get an A on Bio."

Which honestly surprised her, because she was fairly certain she had spent the rest of the semester sneaking glances at Brandon the whole class.

"I guess this whole baby business must have helped me with the reproduction and development chapter."

"Well congratulations then."

Dr. Torres chuckled softly as she tapped on a few keys of the ultrasound before running the ultrasound transducer over the area right below her belly button once again.

"How will you be spending your Christmas, Billie?"

"Probably eating. Maybe napping." As if on cue, she yawned. "I've been really tired lately."

"Hormonal changes. Make sure your getting enough rest as well. I know school takes up a lot of your time, but above all, I want you to make sure you are at your healthiest for your baby." She slid the transducer a little lower. "Your bump is starting to get nice and firm in some areas though. Your pregnancy is going spectacularly."

She moved the mouse on the screen, checking fetal heart rate and the amount of amniotic fluid in the uterus. She moved the transducer once again, a small frown on her face.

"Huh."

"Is something wrong?"

"Part of your placenta seems to be covering your cervix..." Dr. Torres muttered. tapping the screen where the odd blob was located. Billie frowned, still unable to understand anything she was seeing even after having bad multiple appointments, "It's not a problem right now, but I'm hoping it will shift as your uterus grows in the future, otherwise it could cause some bleeding later in your pregnancy."

Billie's eyes widened nervously, "As in hemorrhaging?"

"Yes, but don't worry. Placental misplacement is common in week sixteen but will usually correct itself by the third trimester."

Billie let out a breath of relief, and Dr. Torres patted her hand consolingly.

"I'm sorry. I should have phrased it better. I know you get nervous about these things." She smiled. "How's your nausea?"