Chapter Fourteen
The next day was appointment day. Eddie had barely slept all night she was so nervous. Henry and Melissa could tell by how she was holding herself that she was scared. "It's going to be okay Eddie," Melissa soothed. "I know it, this doctor is going to get you the right meds, the right other stuff…You'll feel better and you'll know the path to proceed."
Eddie looked down at her hands, she had needed help to get into the car, more than usual, she was spasming so badly from both stress and her body's malfunction.
"I hope so," Eddie sighed. "What if Jamie's right? What if I go in there and she says I'm too broken to do this, that I'm just so crippled by the injury and the arthritis that I can't…"
"Then we deal with it," Henry replied. "But she won't say that. She's going to give you good advice and hopefully she'll get my grandson to wake up and smell the coffee. That this child, his child, is a miracle to be welcomed and loved, not feared."
Eddie nodded and looked out the car window. She wanted Jamie to be there with her, to hold her hand, to tell her it was okay. That was his job, not Melissa and Henry's. It just wasn't fair.
Melissa put her arm around Eddie, "It's going to be okay. I promise you it's going to be okay."
Henry let the girls out then went to park the car. Melissa and Eddie rode into the office, "Eddie Reagan," Eddie told the nurse. "My friend Melissa is going to sign my name."
Melissa signed Eddie's name and filled out a few of her forms. Henry arrived as the girls parked and sat waiting. Eddie looked around the room. There were a few other ladies in wheelchairs, one lady looked to be close to fifty years old, another was bald likely from chemo…As Eddie waited, her eyes spied a wall full of pictures and not just baby pictures. They appeared to be timelines of children's lives. The entire back walls were covered with them.
"Look at all those babies," Eddie smiled feeling a little more relaxed. "Everyone of them had a high risk mom and they are here and growing up…Look at that little one she's so cute…"
Melissa smiled, "It's going to be okay, I need you to take a breath for me."
Eddie took a deep breath, "I wish…"
"I know you do, we can call him, Eddie. I know he'd come, he called Marcus this morning to see how you were, if you were able to rest," Melissa sighed.
"Then he can call me and he won't," Eddie replied. "If she says something terrible though I just don't know…"
Before Henry or Melissa could soothe Eddie again, her name was called. It was a sight, two wheelchairs and Henry going back to meet with the doctor in her central office. That room was also almost chock full of pictures of kids from baby age to teen years.
"Admiring our successes?" the doctor asked. She was a pretty woman, almost jet black curly hair, blue eyes, and a nice smile. "I'm Dr. Eisenberg, and which one of you ladies is Eddie?"
"I'm Eddie, Doctor. This is Melissa and Henry, the baby's great grandpa."
The doctor shook hands with all three then turned to the files on her desk "I have reviewed all of the scans done by your primary physicians and I have to say that information they gave you regarding the risks to your health were accurate, relatively. However, I've worked with patients with similar risks before and had very good results. My major concern for you right now is the stress your body is under being off your regulatory medications, we'll definitely work on that today."
"Dr. Eisenberg, my husband is not here today because he feels the pregnancy is too dangerous and wants me to end the pregnancy. Is that even among your recommendations for me at this stage?"
"No," Dr. Eisenberg replied. "I do not think in your case termination is necessary and believe me I do recommend it often for patients I believe will risk their own lives. I think your life is safe as along as we are careful, diligent, and most of all relaxed."
Eddie gave her a look, "Easier said than done. What is the plans for today? Are you going to examine me?"
"First I will do a cursory exam, then we'll take a look at the position of the baby and estimate the fetal age. Would you like anyone to be with you for the first portion? I'll be very gentle and you tell me if you feel flushed."
Eddie nodded, "I'll take Melissa for this and can Henry come see the baby?"
"Of course he can, let's go in the exam room and we'll get started."
Jamie sat with his phone glued to his hand. He felt that at any minute Henry would call him and say that Eddie needed him. He was dressed and ready to hurry to his wife's side, see her through this, and move on with the marriage and plans to have a family safely. The more time passed, the more anxious Jamie felt. This doctor was his last hope to save his wife's life. If she didn't support him…he was going to lose Eddie. Part of Jamie felt guilty for not going anyway. Eddie was his wife and was carrying his baby. He wanted to be there, but the only way Eddie would see reason is if he held his ground. He had to use a little tough love, just like when she was first in therapy and resisting getting well.
"Well, Eddie everything looks really good, circulation looks great…" Dr. Eisenberg smied. "Let's call in great grandpa and get a look at the baby."
Henry and Melissa held Eddie's hands as the doctor began the screening. "Where are you little baby?" she asked searching until she found the small little human on the right side of Eddie's uterus. "There you are…" She turned the screen. "You see that small flash there…that's an eight week old baby with a steady heartbeat. He or she is looking very healthy for this stage."
Eddie felt tears come to her eyes and she let them fall. There was their baby, her's and Jamie's, already loved deeply and wanted so much, by them both. "And I can do this? You're sure I won't hurt it?"
"I'm sure that if you take the medications exactly as I prescribe, take your vitamins, get lots of rest and above all, and this is important avoid stress and negative emotions as much as possible, you and the baby will come out all right."
Eddie smiled as Henry helped her to sit up and get transferred back to her chair. "Can your nurse write all this down for us?"
"Of course, and we have the 24/7 nurses' line and the email submission so if you have any questions make use of those. I'll see you in two weeks. Rest and remember avoid stress and upsetment. One thing your doctors were right about, the pregnancy can and will affect your AD so you need to avoid any emotional blood pressure spikes."
Eddie nodded, she wanted to continue to work on this with Jamie, but her baby had to come first. If that meant that she didn't speak to or see Jamie at all, well that's what it meant. It would hurt, it might hurt more than anything she ever experienced, but it had to be.
Jamie found himself in Dr. Eisenberg's waiting room a little before three. He had rushed over hoping that Eddie would still be there. His arms ached to hold her and his lips burned with the need to kiss her. Jamie had prayed and prayed that Eddie would call, that this doctor would put this to an end, but she didn't. All he received was the call from the receptionist saying to come over for his portion of the appointment with the doctor.
"Jamie Reagan," the nurse called. "Dr. Eisenberg can see you, please follow me."
Jamie saw the same pictures along the walls of happy, healthy babies, but he noted one thing Eddie did not. There weren't many pictures of the parents. Jamie wasn't concerned the baby would live, he was pretty sure that it would if Eddie carried to or near to term, but what about her?
Jamie sat down and took a long breath. Eddie's perfume lingered in the air. He loved that one, it was one her got for her. Jamie's knee bounced as he waited and was surprised how young the doctor was, just a little older than he was, perhaps forty. "Mr. Reagan, I'm Dr. Eisenberg, nice to meet you. I had the pleasure of your wife and grandfather. I understand this pregnancy is a point of contention for you and Eddie."
"Her body is fragile, she had a very bad accident and her body is incredibliy fragile, sometimes something as simple as a blister from a shoe is a two day hospitalization. Eddie is convinced that this pregnancy will be safe…"
"It will be safe," Dr. Eisenberg replied. "Is there risk, sure there is with any pregnancy but all in all, this is very healthy one. Eddie's heart, lungs, and al her organs are strong. Her bones are fragile, but I prescribed some medication and a calcium regimen that will help strengthen them, there is some risk to Eddie during the actual labor, but we can combat that with a scheduled and controlled cesearan section. This can be done, Jamie. It can be done safely and healthily."
"Doctor, I'm sure you know this, but Eddie is a C-5 quad, that is a whole other ball game. My wife nearly died from being constipated, she was near death from a cut on her foot, this is not someone who is just overweight or has a heart murmur. I see pictures on the walls here of babies growing into very happy kids, I grant you, but what about their mothers? Eddie and I can adopt, we can hire a gestational carrier, she does not need to risk her life."
"I know that, and if I felt the risk would out weigh the reward I would have recommended abortion but I do not think that's the case here. We can do this as a team, Eddie needs to take her new meds, eat right, get plenty of rest and above all remain stress free. I'm seeing that's probably going to be a rough one, and I do understand your fear."
"With all due respect, Dr. Eisenberg, until you hold your spouse that you love more than your own life in your arms while she seizes and stops breathing from being constipated, then you tell me you understand. I know Eddie is going through with it, I hoped you'd help her see reason, but ow more than ever I'm convinced that's my job. Thank you for your time."
Jamie stood up, "Jamie, please wait a minute at the desk before leaving. There are some papers for you to sign and Kira will have some information for you to read."
Jamie nodded, "Thank you."
Jamie waited at the front desk. He looked around and saw the same things Eddie did, women in better and worse health than her in various stages of pregnancy. While he waited, a man and his wife hurried into the office. "I need to see the doctor now, my wife is bleeding."
Jamie looked at the woman, standing on her own, walking on her own, premature bleeding. "Elliot, we'll be with you in just a minute."
"Hurry up!" he snapped. "She's been bleeding on and off and on and off for days…how much can her body take! She's bleeding, I want to doctor to come out now!"
Jamie sighed, how much could a body take and that was a much healthier body. Marcus and Melissa got lucky, would he and Eddie? Was it worth the chance, the risk of Eddie's life? Not a chance.
Jamie left five minutes later. Just as he did he heard it, the cry of a woman being told something had happened to her child. He would not hear his Eddie cry out that way, not ever. Jamie slid into the car with the video disc, an envelope, and his checkbook, placing them on the seat. Jamie carefully pulled into traffic, heading directly for his Dad's. Halfway there, his curiosity got the better of him. He pulled the car over and reached into the envelope. Jamie gasped at the small little form on the photo paper. That tiny little being was his son or daughter, that he already loved more than anything, except his wife. How would that baby feel, growing up without it's mother, wondering if he or she was the cause of her death. How was it fair to saddle a child with that? How was any of this fair after all they had already been through?
Jamie felt his heart clench, he missed his wife and he did want this baby but the price was just too high. As the traffic buzzed by, Jamie held the pictures to his chest and took a breath. When he exhaled it came out as a strong hard sob, he lowered his head to the steering wheel and let himself cry.
A/N: So much for the specialist, each is more determined than ever, but that much sweeter when the work it out right. I know this part of the story is rough for some of you, and believe me it was rough to write as well. I do feel it is a very important part of the journey, but I'm going to drop a bonus chapter to start to move through this patch of chapters.
For those of you who read both stories, Hardest will be a bonus chapter tomorrow and this on Sunday.
Next Update – March 12th – Jamie learns how much Marcus is helping Eddie at home, and Eddie and Jamie meet at the ER…But why?