Chapter Two: La Push Family Clinic

Justin hovered over me as I got ready the next morning, afraid to leave me alone in case I fainted again. Leaving Carl and Esme Renée with Aunt Mandy, we drove to the La Push Family Clinic.

Marjorie was expecting us, and stood up as we entered the waiting room. "Good morning, Winnie. You can come right on into the exam room; Dr Uley will be there in a few minutes."

Justin moved to follow us, but Marjorie shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr Morrello; Dr Uley wants to conduct the exam privately."

Justin bit his lip, but turned to pace in front of the waiting room window.

In the exam room, Marjorie helped me change into a hospital gown and took my temperature…John really was giving me a full medical workup. Half seriously, I thought that he wasn't taking chances with the alpha wolf's daughter.

Marjorie patted my arm. "You just wait here, Winnie; Dr Uley will be here in a minute."

I leaned back on my hands and closed my eyes. I heard John greet Justin in the waiting room, and then he came in, still studying a printout of the blood tests he had ordered. "Well, you're definitely anemic," he murmured. He looked up, smiling at me as he pulled the door shut behind him. "How are you feeling this morning, Winnie?"

"All right, I guess."

"Still lightheaded?"

"A little…it comes and goes."

"And the thirst?"

I swallowed. "Still there," I whispered.

For the next hour or so I submitted to being examined and grilled thoroughly. But I didn't really mind; I was actually more comfortable with John than the female obstetrician Justin had found when I was pregnant with Carl and Esme Renée. Maybe it was partly because I was used to Uncle Carlisle, but women just didn't feel like doctors to me.

Finally John wrote something on my chart, then studied his notes for a minute before looking up. "Winnie, is it possible that you're pregnant?"

I flushed. "I haven't gotten my period back since Esme Renée was born…I told you that."

"And your mother's never had a period at all," he countered. "That isn't what I asked, Winnie."

I blushed still redder as I realized what he was actually asking. "Yes…it's possible."

"All right…a pregnancy test will just take a few minutes."

I waited nervously for him to tell me the results. Pregnant. I hadn't even considered that. Of course, I had been pregnant before…but not with these symptoms. I dreaded the thought of what it could mean.

When John turned back, it was with a smile. "Positive. You're about a month along, I'd say…Winnie?"

I was gripping the edge of the examining table, staring at him in frozen horror. "But I'm craving blood…it's going to be like when Momma was born…" Spots danced before my eyes as I began to hyperventilate.

"Winnie!" John's voice echoed as from a long distance, and I felt the warm pressure of his hand on my arm. "Breathe with me, Winnie. In…and out. In…and out."

Slowly my breathing returned to normal, and I was able to focus on his concerned face. He shook his head. "I could use that uncle of yours…which is the one who can control emotions?"

I smiled slightly. "Uncle Jasper."

He nodded and smiled. "That's right."

"John…"

"Winnie, you're not craving blood."

I stared at him. "John, I am thirsty!"

"I realize that; I mean you're not craving blood in the sense that the baby needs it. You're anemic — which happens sometimes during pregnancy — and your vampire traits are interpreting the need for iron as thirst."

I relaxed slightly; his explanation seemed to make sense.

"I'm going to start you on iron supplements…if that doesn't help we'll try blood transfusions before resorting to more…drastic measures." He knew it wasn't simply to hide what I was from Justin that I hadn't asked him to get blood for me; as appealing as blood was just now, I didn't want it to be. I wanted to be disgusted at the thought of drinking it. In a way I was; part of me was disgusted at the very fact that it seemed so appealing.

"What if you're wrong, John?" I whispered. "What if this baby is a-a throwback to my vampire ancestry?"

"Then I make one phone call, and the world's only vampire physician will be here in twenty-four hours or less," John said quietly.

I stared at him. "But — Dad said I could never see any of them again!"

John shook his head. "I've spoken with Jacob about that; he won't enforce it to the point of keeping your Uncle Carlisle from you if I feel I'm out of my depth. But remember, Winnie, at the very least, as a quarter vampire, you're stronger than Bella was. And even if this baby does exhibit more vampire traits than Carl or Esme Renée, I really doubt a one-eighth vampire will be as strong or as thirsty as a half vampire."

All John's logic made sense; maybe I was just too emotional to think about this clearly. Maybe I did need Uncle Jasper.

"Unless you have more questions for me now, Winnie, I'm going to call Justin in to talk about how I'd like to treat this."

I nodded quietly, and John stepped out for a moment. When he returned, Justin followed him into the room and hurried to my side; I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Uley, what's wrong with my wife?" Justin demanded. He wasn't really prejudiced against John as an Indian; if it came to that he knew I was half Quileute. But he knew John and I weren't really cousins; our easy familiarity made him vaguely uneasy. He couldn't realize what a connection to my past John was; for some reason even more so than Uncle Seth. Maybe in John I saw both my father and Uncle Carlisle.

John smiled. "Actually, congratulations are in order; she's pregnant."

Justin's mouth dropped. "Pregnant? But — Renée isn't even a year old!"

John's mouth twitched. "It's possible for a woman to become pregnant sooner than you might expect after the birth of a child; I've heard of siblings born only ten months apart."

"But she fainted — you can't tell me that's normal, Uley!"

John sighed. "She is anemic," he admitted. "I'm starting her on an iron supplement, and I'd like to keep her here in La Push for at least a week so I can monitor her response."

"A week…I have important cases I'm working on, Uley; I can't stay here a whole week."

"I realize that; my idea was for Winnie and the children to stay with Seth and Mandy; you can come back for them at the end of the week."

"No," Justin said quietly. "It's nothing personal, Uley; I realize you're fully capable as a doctor. But with all due respect, there are equally capable doctors in Port Angeles. I don't see the sense in keeping Winnie here when it's more convenient for her to go back to her obstetrician in Port Angeles."

John's calm expression never changed; he had picked up more than just medicine doing his internship under Uncle Carlisle.

"More convenient from one angle, maybe," he admitted. "But a doctor in Port Angeles would probably want her hospitalized for observation, which would mean finding childcare for Carl and Esme Renée. Here, she'd be more comfortable with Seth and Mandy, with Mandy as a built-in babysitter for the children." He flipped a page of his notes, making a show of studying them. "I also believe there may be genetic issues at play here; I'm more familiar with them and would be better equipped to handle them." He left Justin to assume that the "genetic issues" were from my Quileute side.

He didn't mention the higher costs of going to a doctor in Port Angeles, knowing that to hint we couldn't afford it would be an almost sure way of making Justin put his foot down. For that reason, John probably was going to charge the typical fee for his services.

Justin sighed. "You want to stay here, don't you, Winnie?"

"Yes," I admitted in a whisper.

He sighed again. "All right. I'll stay with you until Sunday afternoon…you're sure Seth and Mandy won't mind, Uley?"

John grinned. "Mind? Mandy dotes on those children like they were her grandchildren. Winnie, I'll bring you in for an ultrasound later in the week, but for now you can get dressed and go on back to the Clearwaters'. Come on, Justin; let's give her some privacy."

Next chapter coming next week!

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