Billie and Brandon: Unpredictable Circumstances

20

Billie watched the screen of the ultrasound as Dr. Torres slid around the transducer, still wondering if she would ever be able to read it or even understand what was going on with Jellybean. But where Jellybean used to be a sort of tiny long blob, Billie could now make out the shape of her head and her nose and her little hand moving around. Her baby had started out so small, a little jellybean looking thing, and had over time grown into the form of a human being. It was actually pretty amazing.

But Billie could definitely make out Jellybean's spazzing limbs and wiggling around. It was kind of hilarious.

"Your baby just won't stop moving." Dr. Torres said in slight awe. "She's jolting the transducer around so much. Do you want to watch her respond to words? Say something to her."

"Jellybean" She cooed to her abdomen, "I want your first word to be Kane so we can surprise your daddy. What do you say?"

When Brandon was about 13, he insisted his nickname was Kane. This was before his nickname was Que. Brandon hates the fact that he wanted to be called that. So of course when Billie found out about that, she had decided to call him it to get on his nerves. At first he hated it, but he just started to accept that she wasn't going to stop. Plus, Billie knew he secretly loved it.

Billie felt the strike and watched the ultrasound as a somewhat distorted fist moved. She laughed and poked her side gently as Dr. Torres then moved around the image. She felt like she'd finally transcended early pregnancy and was now in the nesting period, cleaning literally everything and just waiting for her baby to finally arrive. She'd hit all the check points by that point. Vomiting until she was dizzy, the neverending nausea, wild cravings for food, seeing the heartbeat, hearing the heartbeat, finding out the gender, figuring out the name, moving, kicking.

Now all that was left was waiting for Jellybean to finally arrive in about ten weeks.

"Alright. We should be just about..." Dr. Torres paused, a frown on her face as she moved the transducer once again. "Hmmm..."

Billie's gaze shot to her OB, a little perturbed by her contemplative expression. That didn't sound good.

"Is there a problem?"

"Remember how I told you your placenta was covering part of your cervix a while back? I was hoping by now it would have moved more but it still seems to be in relatively the same place."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if your placenta stays where it is, the delivery of your baby could result in some severe bleeding. We might have to look into a Caesarean section as a delivery method if you want to safely birth Jellybean."

Billie's brows furrowed as her heart started racing.

"Isn't that surgery?"

Dr. Torres smiled sympathetically. "Yes, I know it is surgery, and it sounds a little scary, but it would be for your own good. Jellybean cannot really be birthed naturally with part of your placenta over your cervix, and you risk losing a lot of blood during labour if we even try. And even with a blood transfusion, you'll be putting your life at risk. A C-section would be for your own good and would be a safer method for Jellybean's birth."

"Okay. I understand." Billie chewed on her thumbnail.

"I know it sounds kind of scary, but as we approach your due date, we will explain the procedure to you and anyone involved so that you know what you'll be going into. You have nothing to worry about."

Even though she said that, Billie was worried. Normally, she would come with Brandon to her appointment, but he had a basketball game that day and couldn't get out of it. And Drew was on her way back from visiting a university in Arizona and wouldn't be in until later. Even Prince also had a basketball game. She would have asked Sarah or Brooklyn as a backup, but she had assumed it would just be her usual routine checkup and she would be fine. But she hadn't expected this C-section talk. She needed some support or reassurance because she was terrified.