"How have you been feeling lately?"
Sabrina groaned, leaning her head back and rolling her neck, her hands braced behind her on the examination table. Looking around the office, she sighed, taking in the comfortable atmosphere: the walls were still painted in the same sterile white she had come to expect from doctors' offices, but even with that, the office retained enough hominess to calm her and help her relax. Several paintings and posters lined the walls – she could see Nath's signature on at least one, which showed a doctor caring for a young child with a cast on her arm. In one corner, small portraits of Ladybug and Cat Noir stared out at the patient, wearing expressions somewhere between encouraging and confident. On the opposite side of the room, an embossed book cover with what appeared to be Arabic writing on it had been framed and hung in the middle of an assortment of diplomas and certifications. A simple rug in bright colors had been placed in front of the examination table, right where a patient would stand to climb up. Sabrina had to admit: Chloe had done a good job when she decorated the clinic, giving it a fusion of North African, Arabic, and European aesthetics. Refocusing on the question, she drew in and released a slow breath. "Aside from feeling at least three times bigger than I was four months ago, I feel pretty good," she began, giving a calm smile. She kicked her legs a bit and frowned. "But my feet have been sore for a few days."
Dr. Ouazani hummed, making a quick notation on his clipboard. Warming his stethoscope with his hands, he pressed it against Sabrina's chest in a couple of places, then pulled her blouse up to check the baby. He nodded to himself judiciously, adding to his notes. Finally, he picked up her foot and examining the sole more closely, pressing the arch several times in different spots. Sabrina winced, flinching as he pressed a particularly painful spot, and Dr. Ouazani immediately released her and leaned out of the way. Sabrina flushed in embarrassment, though Max squeezed her hand comfortingly. Finally, Dr. Ouazani nodded judiciously and reached for a small hammer. After checking her reflexes, he frowned, his brows knit together. "You seem to be in good health," he finally announced. "Everything appears to be normal."
"I think her sore feet may be a consequence of the dancing at Adrien and Marinette's wedding," Max pointed out in amusement.
Sabrina grimaced. "Well, you insisted that we should dance…" she argued, smiling. "I was just… going along with it." As usual, she didn't add, heat rising in her cheeks.
Max raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, you asked to dance."
"If the kids were going to be dancing, we couldn't well sit at the table the whole time," she reminded him. Stifling a laugh, she added, "After all, someone had to keep an eye on Turing."
"And that is exactly what we were doing," Max deadpanned.
Dr. Ouazani chuckled. "My Leïla has been talking about nothing but that wedding celebration since it happened!" he observed. "And especially about how much fun it was to see so many people there." He hummed. "I do recall her mentioning the young couple that was with you there – the boy and girl sitting at your table."
Max smirked. "In his normal guise, Turing could not have remained incognito," he pointed out. "And with his friend planning to attend, he did not wish her to go alone."
"I see." Dr. Ouazani raised an eyebrow. "And because of this 'friend', you had to dance for hours?" he asked.
Sabrina nodded innocently.
Dr. Ouazani sighed. "Well, either way, I doubt the soreness in your feet is cause for concern," he told them. "It is not uncommon for pregnant women – even if they did not 'dance the night away at a wedding'!" He gave Max a meaningful look. "My recommendation is a foot rub – that can help to ease the pain, though you should not continue if it causes more pain. Other than that, if you are still concerned about it at the end of the week, I'll be happy to run some additional tests, but for now my prescription is rest. Rest and fluids. Water is especially important during pregnancy."
Sabrina made a face. "You and Dr. Brasseur keep saying that – I'm going to turn into a river if I drink anymore!"
"You need a lot for the baby," he told her. "And for yourself. You do not want to become dehydrated – that would be even worse for the baby."
"I have been ensuring that she drinks enough water," Max informed him.
"That is good." Dr. Ouazani made another notation on his clipboard before refocusing his attention on Sabrina. "You are taking your vitamin supplements, of course?"
Sabrina nodded. "Every morning – Nooroo doesn't let me forget."
Sitting on the cabinet in the corner, Nooroo folded his arms. "If I did not remind you, you would forget more often than you remembered," he squeaked.
"I wouldn't," Sabrina insisted, though Max gave her an amused look. She flushed. "I would remember something this important," she muttered, folding her arms.
"Well, regardless of how it happens, it is good for you to take them," Dr. Ouazani told them, nodding. "The baby could be born healthy, even without neonatal vitamins and prenatal care – I have seen it more often than I care to admit – but the care really does help with the delivery process and help with the baby's health and development." He frowned, looking back and forth between them for a moment before consulting his clipboard again. "Now let's see… at check-in, you told Leïla that your next checkup with Dr. Brasseur is in… three weeks?"
"That is correct," Max agreed, glancing up at Markov, hovering beside him, for confirmation. The robot bobbed its head up and down, the appointment date flashing across his display. "That will be approximately 20 weeks."
"And how did the first trimester go for you?" Dr. Ouazani asked Sabrina, stroking his chin pensively.
She shrugged, glancing over at Nooroo. "Overall, it was about what I thought it would be, I think. Morning sickness was worse some days than others, but once I figured out what was happening and how to handle it, I managed just fine."
Max frowned, glancing over at Markov, who beeped as binary digits scrolled across his screen. Max gave Sabrina a concerned look. "There were no less than eight days that you could not eat before eleven without getting sick afterward," he pointed out. "And an additional seventeen when you refused to eat at all prior to lunch."
Sabrina folded her arms, pursing her lips. "I managed," she repeated.
"Well, with any luck, the morning sickness will not continue," Dr. Ouazani told them. "But if it does – and especially if it worsens and you struggle to keep food down – you need to tell me or Dr. Brasseur about it. We need to make sure that you are getting the nutrients you need – the baby will take whatever he or she requires, even if that means leaving your body to go without. And if that happens, it will be bad for both you and the baby. Bundle of joy, a baby undoubtably is… but it is also something of a parasite. We need to keep you healthy, if we are to keep the baby healthy."
Sabrina sighed. "I understand."
"But what about everything else? Everything is well with the baby?" asked Dr. Ouazani, placing his stethoscope on Sabrina's abdomen once more and closing his eyes to listen intently. She sucked in a breath as the cool metal touched her skin.
"The baby is… happy," Sabrina responded, focusing on the wellspring of emotions coming from within her. "Content."
Dr. Ouazani shook his head ruefully. "I still do not understand what you can do, how you can sense what the baby is feeling. But I wish I could understand it better – it would be useful if I knew how to use that information for treatment."
Sabrina nodded in understanding. "All I know is that my baby is happy and content; beyond that…" She shrugged, rubbing her belly. "That's all that matters to me."
He hummed. "Would you be willing to sit in as a consultant on occasion?" he asked. "If you let me know what the fetal emotional state is, I may be able to start making connections in terms of health, treatment…"
Sabrina frowned, furrowing her brows in thought. Max squeezed her hand gently. Finally, Sabrina gave a half-nod. "I'm really busy, so I don't know if I'll always be able to do it, but I'm willing to give it a try, at least. If you think you might be able to use that information to help other mothers and babies." She glanced over at Max. "But I will need to make sure my identity is still protected."
"Of course – absolutely," he assured her quickly. "I would never wish to put a hero's identity at risk."
"We know that," Max replied. "We would not trust you with our identities – to say nothing of our lives – if we did not trust you implicitly."
"I will give that some thought," Dr. Ouazani mused. "I will need to protect my patients' information, as well…" He let out a breath, a hint of anxiety in his emotions. "But perhaps we can start small, by having you both over for dinner?" he suggested. Sabrina cocked her head in confusion. Dr. Ouazani grinned in excitement. "Yamina is expecting!"
Sabrina gasped. "Oh! That's so amazing! Congratulations to you both; we're so happy for you! Yes; of course we'd like to come over for dinner some night."
Max gave them a pensive look. "I am fascinated to see the results once you have sufficient data," he told Dr. Ouazani.
"What night should we come over?" Sabrina asked Dr. Ouazani.
He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I should let you suggest a night – preferably one when Nabatala would not be scheduled for patrol…"
Max stifled a laugh. "I will arrange it."
