A Friendly Hand
By Didi
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters. John Wells and his friends do. Let's not get into the debate as to who owns the ideas and all that; cause let's face it, you'll lose. Enjoy the story anyways.
Summary: Jules and Slingerland face up to more than just one problem as the hospital revel in the gossips.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Suggestion: End of last chapter will make this one better. And again, no medical training here. Anything that sounds remotely like medical terms was thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, where one can find light information on anything and everything.
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Chapter 15
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"Whoa there, what's up with the running people down thing?" Jackie asked as she watched a determined Dr. Jordan and Dr. Brennan march down the hall at a steady unwavering pace...somewhere between a hard march and power walk.
"Labs," Letty answered as she passed the plastic surgeon. "Keating had blood work done on Friday. Doesn't look alike it's good news."
"How bad?" running to catch up to the longer legged doctors. She liked Keating. She was smart, ambitious, talented doctor. It wasn't right for this to be happening to her again.
"At best, really bad if it's what I think it is," Rae answered, her face set in grime displeasure. She had to wonder why Jules hadn't confided in her if there had been a problem she suspected. But then, Rae admitted, she has been a little preoccupied lately with other things in her life.
"Where's the fire, ladies?" Kokoris asked as the three women marched pass him at station three.
"Labs," Letty answered again as Rae picked up her pace, almost running as the lab doors were in sight. "Keating may have a relapse."
Nick heard enough about Keating's ovarian cancer to know that it was serious. He picked up his charts, motion for the nurse to keep his patients waiting for five more minutes, and then followed the troop of women into the labs. He liked the young pediatrician and her constant fight for their youngest patients.
"Where is it?" Rae demanded, holding out her hand.
Rick, the new technician snatched the print out from the printer, where it had only just reprinted the test results from Dr. Slingerland's charts. Handing them over, he made a quick exit in hopes of avoiding any backlash bad results are likely to produce. A wise man knew when to retreat from a bad situation. Two anxious doctors glaring down at him was definitely a bad situation.
"What is it?" Nick asked from his position behind Rae's shoulder.
Letty raised a brow as she spotted the irregularity before the others did. "Oh my god."
"I'll say," Rae murmured.
"Are you serious?" Jackie asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"And here I thought it was all just a rumor," Nick mused with a grin. "This should be interesting."
(Okay, that should have solved all the questions from the last couple of chapters.)
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"Hey there," Jules shut the door with the heel of her shoe as she carried the armful of clips and charts toward her table.
"Let me get that for you," Matt offered, shifting the entire load off of her as he came around her desk. "You look cheerful."
"Thanks," she replied, as she handed the stack over with relief. "I got to talk to Tank's parents today. The little tike is going home possibly by Wednesday if we all cross our fingers and pray real hard. Lung cleared up nicely, breathing on his own, no seizures or bleedings, heart is strong and his little brother is getting anxious to have company. It is days like these, with smiles like those happy parents, that makes it all worthwhile. Not that I'm not going to keep wishing that I had change professions when it gets rough again." She smiled, pressing a hand of her back and worked some of the muscles loose. She groaned as she gazed at the stack of charts with all the little bright sticky notes on them. "I keep getting behind on my paperwork and the nurses keep loading them on me. If Jana looks at me one more time with those accusing eyes of hers..."
"Sit down," Slingerland advised, pulling her into the chair as quickly and gently as he could. "The paperwork can wait a bit."
"What's up?" Jules asked, sighing as she dropped herself into the chair, relieved that she was getting off her feet. The morning had been a busy one and it was only ten. This week was already beginning to shape up like another hectic one. "Anita said that you wanted to see me real bad. And this has better be good, I've got three patients waiting and a NICU full of newborns to watch out for."
"This will take a minute or two to sort out," he replied, knelling before her and resting his hands on her knees. Turning her chair, so that she was facing him directly, Matt suddenly found himself a little lost for words. "Um..."
Jules grinned, her freckled nose wrinkling with fun. He was adorable when flustered. "What's the matter? Another old flame popped up today and someone saw you together and you are afraid that I'd hear about it through the grapevines?"
He gave a weak laugh. "If only it was that simple."
"Oh, this is sounding serious," a little unsure now that he failed to laugh at her little sallies. Slingerland looked decisively uncomfortable as he stared at her, searching her face for something she wasn't sure of. "What's the matter?" all teasing dropped from her tone.
He took a deep breath and watched her eyes, those trusting eyes that were filled with concern. "I got your test results back ten minutes ago."
All the color drained from her freckled cheeks. "Oh."
"No, no, no, it's not all that bad!" he tried to reassured her in a hurry. Taking her face into his hands, he kissed her nose and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm making a hash of this."
She searched his eyes, you can always tell by the eyes; there was no dread in them only apprehension. That's a good sign... kind of. "What do they say?"
He smiled for her benefit, wide and reassuring. "That, first of all, you are extremely anemic. Your iron levels, my dear, are ridiculously low. We're going out for sushi and eggs tonight."
She laughed, silently thanking him for his lightheartedness. "What else?"
He touched her face, brushing a lock of flyaway hair behind her ear. The soft touch sent a shiver down her spine. "You're blood sugar is high. I'm concerned that you may have the beginnings of diabetes."
His soft words were beginning to sooth her jittery nerves. "Okay, I can handle that." She reached up and took his hands into hers. "Anything else?" her eyes conveying her dread that there was.
Swallowing to wet his suddenly dry throat. "You have elevated hCG levels."
That was not what she was expecting. "Excuse me?"
"I'm not repeating it," Matt replied with a quick shake of his head. It was hard enough saying it the first time, even with the professional clinical terms to help him along; he was not going to try to croak it out again.
"hCG?" she asked, her face full of confusion and disbelief.
"Yeah," he nodded, waiting for it, whatever 'it' was. She looked...stunned. It was hard to find another word that could possibly describe the reaction that was suddenly clearly written on her face. Not only stunned but maybe just a little horrified. "Jules?"
"How did this happen?" she asked, voice low and bewildered. Her soft eyes were hard for him to confront, uncertain and afraid.
"Well," he cleared his throat and tried to smile. "One would think that old fashion way considering our recent nocturnal activities."
Jules slanted him a wholly un-amused look. "I know how a person gets pregnant, Matt. Thank you very much, I only went to medical school for that. My question is how did it happen to 'us'? We were careful." She poked him in the chest to emphasize her point. "We were really, 'really' careful. Two forms of birth control; condoms and pills. You can't get more careful than that!" The rise of hysteria was so very unlike her. Of course, this was one of those situations when any reaction was going to be... a first.
She had a definitely point though. He took her hands into his, partly to keep her from poking him again and partly to calm her. "Condoms are only 97% effective when used properly; and most people don't use it properly, not exactly a class one can take comfortably on the subject. And pills are 99.7% effective if used correctly as well."
Glaring at him, "Are you saying we are in that lucky point three percentile that slip between the cracks?"
"No," shaking his head. She was mad, simply and utterly furious. And anything he said in defense was probably going to make it worse. So there was only one thing to throw back at her, the absolute truth. "I'm saying we weren't all that careful that first night in your flat."
That gave her pause. "Oh."
"Yes, oh." Matt squeezed her hands gently, bringing her attention back to him before she got lost in her own thoughts. She went from a tower of outrageous energy to defeat slump in less time than he thought was possible. He didn't like seeing her so defeated. "The good news is you won't be needing those frozen eggs any more."
Jules blinked at him.
Slingerland watched her pale face, eyes avoiding his as she trying to put together enough thought to convey something. "Look, I know this is a bit much to take in all at once. Believe me, I sat downstairs a bit, working up enough nerve to come up here and sit some more, before I could make any comprehensive sense of all this."
"Matt..." she began.
"No, no," stopping her with a quick finger to her lips. "We, both of us, have patients to see today. Like it or not, we do have responsibilities even shocks to our personal lives cannot alter at the moment. Take a few moments throughout the day to think about the baby you're carrying. We'll proceed with tonight's plans; you'll come home with me after work. We'll talk about this some more over dinner. All right?" it was good to be the voice of reason, even if his insides were quaking in fear. This was not how he planned his future to be.
For lack of anything better, Jules nodded. "All right. That sounds like a plan."
"Good," he hesitated for a moment before leaning in and pressing his lips firmly against hers for a moment, tasting her anxiety. She was scared, even with all her training and understanding of the medicine she was scared stiff. And as Matt wrapped his arms around her, he felt her suddenly cling to him. Breaking the kiss, he pulled her tight into his embrace. "It's going to be all right. Everything will work out," he whispered into her ears, not sure if he was saying it for her benefits or his own.
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"Norman," Slingerland called as he jogged back into the exam area, hands reaching for the stack of charts that was beginning to pile on the nurse's station. "Call down to OB, get me an appointment with Dr. Lenning and coordinate it with Dr. Keating's schedule. Sometime in the next two days would be fine."
"What reason should I give?" Norman asked, his face only slightly revealing his curiosity and thirst for gossip.
"An appointment is all you need," Matt replied, eyes cutting off any more question that may arise in that area. "And put Mrs. Monroe in exam three. I'll be with her in a moment. I want to check on Jesse Martin first."
"Sure," Norman agreed with a nod of his head then waited until Slingerland had gone out of sight before exam knowing glances with a nearby nurse. "An appointment?"
"Looks like more news for the ladies in the lounge," the nurse replied with a giggle. "Should I get Mrs. Monroe or do you want to?"
"I think I'll make the appointment first," Norman replied knowingly.
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"So?" Letty asked, her hands busy making notes on her chart as she slide up next to Keating at the nurse's station. "How are you doing?"
"Okay," Jules replied, making a quick note about little Edward's fragile bones. It was the poor kid's third visit in four months. Lots of calcium for that little tike. "What are you doing down here?"
"NICU had a two day old baby with a heart murmur," she replied cheerfully. "You ordered the consult, remember?"
"Oh," she had forgotten. Too much on her mind and not enough nurses around to remind her of things. "Sorry, I didn't realize that was now."
"It's not," Letty replied with a grin. "It's in half an hour. Something on your mind?"
"A lot of things," she replied with a sigh, dropping the chart into its slot. "Not all of which can be solved overnight." What she really right now was a good hour or two of complete alone time to think things through. It was all just happening a little two fast for her poor taxed mind to comprehend.
"Anything I can do?" Letty asked, closing her chart and walking with Keating down the corridor to her next appointment. If ever a woman was distracted, it was Dr. Jules Keating right at this moment.
"No, no," she waved off the light concern in her friend's voice. "Though you might want to do the sonogram on the infant now. I just sent the parents to the cafertia. I rather they not have to see it."
"I'll get the boys to bring it in," she paused for a moment. "You feeling all right?"
"Sure, why?" Jules asked, signaling through the glass separator.
"You look a little... loaded."
Turning her head, Jules slowed her steps until she came to a halt in the middle of the hallway. "Just how much do you know?"
Letty shrugged her shoulders innocently. "This is a small hospital."
"Like hell it is," planting her hands on her hips, Jules glared at her. "How much do you know and how did you find out? Wait, wait, wait!" Her mind played back the many pieces of gossips that floated like coffee cups in the morning. "The lab lives in fear of you. You got the lab results, did you?"
"For your information," Letty said with her superior air fully in play, "I did not request to see the lab results."
She wasn't buying it. "Then who did?"
Lying was nothing she did well or often. "Rae... With me, Kokoris, and Colette looking over her shoulders when she got them."
Leaning her head back, Jules sighed. "Oh shit."
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"Come, come," Slingerland grabbed her arm before she had a chance to react.
Struggling for a moment, Jules managed not to drop the three charts she had been on her way to finishing in her office and away from the speculating eyes of the nursing staff. If one more person asks if they can get her anything, she was going to scream. "Matt, what are you doing?"
"Norman and Anita managed a miracle and nabbed us an appointment with Dr. Lenning in two minutes. You blocked out half an hour for paperwork and my patient cancelled on me on the last moment. Sandra in OB said that Dr. Lenning has fifteen minutes free right now if we can make it."
"You made an appointment with Harriet without consulting me first?" Jules asked, the outrage evident in her voice even as she allowed him to propel her down the hallway toward the elevators. "The stairs would be a lot faster."
"I don't want you bouncing up and down stairs from now on. You take the elevator like any sensible pregnant woman would." Never faltering a step, he leaned over and kissed her temple. "I know it was wrong of me to make the appointment without your consent but I honestly thought that given this was unexpected and you have coffee all weekend long..."
"Matt! What happened to no show of affection at the hospital?" she reminded him, dropping her charts at the nearest nurse's station. "Get these back to pediatrics and tell Dr. Pivotte that I may be late coming back in."
Slingerland waited patiently as Jules made a couple of quick notations before dragging her off again toward the elevator. "Any pretense we may have managed to keep up in the past weeks has been dispelled, or have you not notice the amount of scrutiny we've been receiving?" he pushed the up button. "And for your information, according to the Margaret Doley in Rick Management, I seduced you."
As annoyed as she was, she couldn't help but smile. "You did."
He looked shocked, "I beg your pardon?" just as the doors opened to the elevator. The two nurses on their way out immediately move aside and held the door for Dr. Keating.
Jules grinned as Slingerland followed her into the elevator. She waited until the doors fitted closed before turning her head to look at him. " 'You' kissed me."
Matt opened his mouth then shut it. Then, "If you hadn't move, it would have never happened. 'And' allow me to point out that you certainly didn't need encouragement after the initial... In fact, I believe you initiated the next couple of intimacies that eventually led to our bundle-of-joy-to-be."
She took a deep breath. "Okay, okay, it was a two-way street there."
"Thank you. I rather like mutual seductions," he replied, and hugged her from behind, resting his cheek against her head as the elevator hummed quietly toward their destination. "We still need to talk about this."
"After we talk to Harriet, right?" she asked, knowing that she wasn't ready to talk about anything yet until she can wrap her mind around everything. Oh lord, how was she going to tell her ultra-conservative mother? "I still need a little time to think about this."
"If you wish," he replied, not moving an inch from this position behind her. She smelled good, something floral and relaxing. "You've been resting throughout the day?"
"Who can rest in a hospital?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around his. It was nice, these quiet moments. It was times likes these that she wondered how he managed a reputation as a playboy.
"Normal people," he replied with a sigh. "You're going to leave on time tonight, right?"
"We'll see," she answered with a quick grin as she pulled away from him. The elevator door dinged as it opened to maternity. Six pairs of eyes at the nurse's station immediately turned toward the exiting couple. Amused and flustered, "Hi."
"Hi," they chimed back in unison.
Slingerland fought valiantly not to smile. "Dr. Lenning in?"
Sandra pointed toward the office. "She's expecting you."
"Thank you," he replied with a smile as he ushered a reluctant Dr. Keating down the hallway. "Feel those eyes following us?" he asked quietly.
"How can you miss it?" she hissed back.
"Just relax," conscious of the inquiring eyes seeing his hand gently rubbing the small of her back, relaxing the tension there, he forced himself not to pull her against him for support. A friendly hand was one thing; a full on let-me-take-care-of-everything hug in the middle of the hallway in front of the entire staff in maternity was another. Jules would no doubt be unhappy with that and less likely to relax under his gentle ministrations. "They'll get use to it."
Declining to voice her thoughts that particular subject, she knocked on Harriet's office door. "Come in."
Pushing the door open, Jules was met by the stern face of Dr. Mom. Resting in her hands were sheets of lab results that were all too familiar to the young doctors. "Hi. I suppose those are mine."
"Yes, they are," Harriet replied soberly as she motioned for them to set down. Glancing down again at the printout, she took a moment to study it some more before lifting her eyes to peer at the pair above her glasses. "May I ask how this came about?" lifting the leaflets. "I was under the impression Jules, that the eggs were to be a last ditch effort to have your own biological child. I had also assumed that you'd be coming to me when that time comes. I suppose that assumption was rather arrogant of me but I had hoped that our years of friendship..."
"No, no, no..." Jules and Matt immediately rushed to reassure the aged OB. "It's nothing like that."
"Oh?" one finely sculptured brow rose in question.
"Harriet!" Jules gave a small groan of disbelief. "This wasn't planned."
There was a pause as Dr. Lenning's all-knowing eyes studied the couple in front of her carefully. "This was done the all natural way?"
Blushing three shades red, Slingerland wondered how it was possible that he was reduced to an awkward sixteen year-old once more by a simple look. "An unexpected result of Dr. Keating and mine recent..." he was stuck for a word as to what was happening between the two of them. Heck, he wasn't sure of anything any more as far was Jules was concerned.
"Collaboration?" Harriet offered helpfully.
Despite feeling her face heat up at the implication of Harriet's tone, she really had no real defense or explanation to give her friend. "Harriet, we are here for a simple routine check up and to confirm the lab's findings with you."
"Oh, I think the results are very conclusive," highlighting the readings she had been reading, re-reading, and re-reading again. "Unless there is something I should know about."
"Such as?" Matt asked, glad to be moving into the more technical part of the exam considering the personal side of it was making him decisively uncomfortable. But until he's had a chance to speak with Jules of where they were going with all this, he couldn't give anyone any answer that will be of any satisfaction.
"You were given heavy injections of hCG during the period that you were trying to create your backup plan, have those continued?" Harriet asked her pen posed over a fresh sheet of doctor's progression chart.
"No," Jules frowned. "I haven't had another since we concluded the project. There wasn't any need for it after the eggs went into storage."
"I see," making a note to herself. "And recently? Have you taken any hormone supplements to increase your chances of conceiving? Estrogen injections? Herbal pills?"
"No, nothing like that." Matt assured her. "This was unplanned. Jules and I are just getting to know one another. We've only been truly dating for a little over three weeks... this was hardly something we were going to jump into so suddenly."
Soft blue eyes widened, "Three weeks?" The two doctors nodded their head as if answering a question from a teacher. "And the night I called Jules's apartment and you answered the phone..."
Matt winced. She would have to remember that now. "That was... It was just...." He sighed and gave up. Anything he said was not going to make it any better thought how it could be worse was beyond him. Slouching in his seat, he muttered, "Bloody hell."
Harriet smiled gently. "Hum..." making another quick note. "Well, I would like to draw some blood and do another work up. I have to say that this pregnancy has come at a rather inconvenient time."
"Really?" Slingerland asked, the frown that graced his smooth brows an indication of his confusion over the matter. "How is that?"
Taking note of the genuine concern written in those brown eyes, Harriet felt herself breath a sigh of relief for Jules sake. What she was about to tell them was not going to be easy for them to hear. "Jules, not eight months ago, you underwent a biopsy and operation for ovarian cancer. Following that, you loaded your body with hormones to produce eggs to freeze. Now under the circumstances, I was not surprised by your decision to rush from one procedure to the next. Many women have done the same due to fear that they will never be able to produce their biological child. But I have to say that it is in my opinion, both as a doctor and a friend, that you've not given your body enough time to recovery from the consecutive shock its had to endure. And while bearing children is one of the most natural thing in the universe, in your case it is not."
The heavy tense silence got to Matt first. "What does that mean?"
Jules reached out where he instinctively linked fingers with her. Taking a deep breath, she never took her eyes from Dr. Lenning's steady ones. "I'm looking at a high risk pregnancy."
By Didi
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters. John Wells and his friends do. Let's not get into the debate as to who owns the ideas and all that; cause let's face it, you'll lose. Enjoy the story anyways.
Summary: Jules and Slingerland face up to more than just one problem as the hospital revel in the gossips.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Suggestion: End of last chapter will make this one better. And again, no medical training here. Anything that sounds remotely like medical terms was thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, where one can find light information on anything and everything.
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Chapter 15
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"Whoa there, what's up with the running people down thing?" Jackie asked as she watched a determined Dr. Jordan and Dr. Brennan march down the hall at a steady unwavering pace...somewhere between a hard march and power walk.
"Labs," Letty answered as she passed the plastic surgeon. "Keating had blood work done on Friday. Doesn't look alike it's good news."
"How bad?" running to catch up to the longer legged doctors. She liked Keating. She was smart, ambitious, talented doctor. It wasn't right for this to be happening to her again.
"At best, really bad if it's what I think it is," Rae answered, her face set in grime displeasure. She had to wonder why Jules hadn't confided in her if there had been a problem she suspected. But then, Rae admitted, she has been a little preoccupied lately with other things in her life.
"Where's the fire, ladies?" Kokoris asked as the three women marched pass him at station three.
"Labs," Letty answered again as Rae picked up her pace, almost running as the lab doors were in sight. "Keating may have a relapse."
Nick heard enough about Keating's ovarian cancer to know that it was serious. He picked up his charts, motion for the nurse to keep his patients waiting for five more minutes, and then followed the troop of women into the labs. He liked the young pediatrician and her constant fight for their youngest patients.
"Where is it?" Rae demanded, holding out her hand.
Rick, the new technician snatched the print out from the printer, where it had only just reprinted the test results from Dr. Slingerland's charts. Handing them over, he made a quick exit in hopes of avoiding any backlash bad results are likely to produce. A wise man knew when to retreat from a bad situation. Two anxious doctors glaring down at him was definitely a bad situation.
"What is it?" Nick asked from his position behind Rae's shoulder.
Letty raised a brow as she spotted the irregularity before the others did. "Oh my god."
"I'll say," Rae murmured.
"Are you serious?" Jackie asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"And here I thought it was all just a rumor," Nick mused with a grin. "This should be interesting."
(Okay, that should have solved all the questions from the last couple of chapters.)
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"Hey there," Jules shut the door with the heel of her shoe as she carried the armful of clips and charts toward her table.
"Let me get that for you," Matt offered, shifting the entire load off of her as he came around her desk. "You look cheerful."
"Thanks," she replied, as she handed the stack over with relief. "I got to talk to Tank's parents today. The little tike is going home possibly by Wednesday if we all cross our fingers and pray real hard. Lung cleared up nicely, breathing on his own, no seizures or bleedings, heart is strong and his little brother is getting anxious to have company. It is days like these, with smiles like those happy parents, that makes it all worthwhile. Not that I'm not going to keep wishing that I had change professions when it gets rough again." She smiled, pressing a hand of her back and worked some of the muscles loose. She groaned as she gazed at the stack of charts with all the little bright sticky notes on them. "I keep getting behind on my paperwork and the nurses keep loading them on me. If Jana looks at me one more time with those accusing eyes of hers..."
"Sit down," Slingerland advised, pulling her into the chair as quickly and gently as he could. "The paperwork can wait a bit."
"What's up?" Jules asked, sighing as she dropped herself into the chair, relieved that she was getting off her feet. The morning had been a busy one and it was only ten. This week was already beginning to shape up like another hectic one. "Anita said that you wanted to see me real bad. And this has better be good, I've got three patients waiting and a NICU full of newborns to watch out for."
"This will take a minute or two to sort out," he replied, knelling before her and resting his hands on her knees. Turning her chair, so that she was facing him directly, Matt suddenly found himself a little lost for words. "Um..."
Jules grinned, her freckled nose wrinkling with fun. He was adorable when flustered. "What's the matter? Another old flame popped up today and someone saw you together and you are afraid that I'd hear about it through the grapevines?"
He gave a weak laugh. "If only it was that simple."
"Oh, this is sounding serious," a little unsure now that he failed to laugh at her little sallies. Slingerland looked decisively uncomfortable as he stared at her, searching her face for something she wasn't sure of. "What's the matter?" all teasing dropped from her tone.
He took a deep breath and watched her eyes, those trusting eyes that were filled with concern. "I got your test results back ten minutes ago."
All the color drained from her freckled cheeks. "Oh."
"No, no, no, it's not all that bad!" he tried to reassured her in a hurry. Taking her face into his hands, he kissed her nose and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm making a hash of this."
She searched his eyes, you can always tell by the eyes; there was no dread in them only apprehension. That's a good sign... kind of. "What do they say?"
He smiled for her benefit, wide and reassuring. "That, first of all, you are extremely anemic. Your iron levels, my dear, are ridiculously low. We're going out for sushi and eggs tonight."
She laughed, silently thanking him for his lightheartedness. "What else?"
He touched her face, brushing a lock of flyaway hair behind her ear. The soft touch sent a shiver down her spine. "You're blood sugar is high. I'm concerned that you may have the beginnings of diabetes."
His soft words were beginning to sooth her jittery nerves. "Okay, I can handle that." She reached up and took his hands into hers. "Anything else?" her eyes conveying her dread that there was.
Swallowing to wet his suddenly dry throat. "You have elevated hCG levels."
That was not what she was expecting. "Excuse me?"
"I'm not repeating it," Matt replied with a quick shake of his head. It was hard enough saying it the first time, even with the professional clinical terms to help him along; he was not going to try to croak it out again.
"hCG?" she asked, her face full of confusion and disbelief.
"Yeah," he nodded, waiting for it, whatever 'it' was. She looked...stunned. It was hard to find another word that could possibly describe the reaction that was suddenly clearly written on her face. Not only stunned but maybe just a little horrified. "Jules?"
"How did this happen?" she asked, voice low and bewildered. Her soft eyes were hard for him to confront, uncertain and afraid.
"Well," he cleared his throat and tried to smile. "One would think that old fashion way considering our recent nocturnal activities."
Jules slanted him a wholly un-amused look. "I know how a person gets pregnant, Matt. Thank you very much, I only went to medical school for that. My question is how did it happen to 'us'? We were careful." She poked him in the chest to emphasize her point. "We were really, 'really' careful. Two forms of birth control; condoms and pills. You can't get more careful than that!" The rise of hysteria was so very unlike her. Of course, this was one of those situations when any reaction was going to be... a first.
She had a definitely point though. He took her hands into his, partly to keep her from poking him again and partly to calm her. "Condoms are only 97% effective when used properly; and most people don't use it properly, not exactly a class one can take comfortably on the subject. And pills are 99.7% effective if used correctly as well."
Glaring at him, "Are you saying we are in that lucky point three percentile that slip between the cracks?"
"No," shaking his head. She was mad, simply and utterly furious. And anything he said in defense was probably going to make it worse. So there was only one thing to throw back at her, the absolute truth. "I'm saying we weren't all that careful that first night in your flat."
That gave her pause. "Oh."
"Yes, oh." Matt squeezed her hands gently, bringing her attention back to him before she got lost in her own thoughts. She went from a tower of outrageous energy to defeat slump in less time than he thought was possible. He didn't like seeing her so defeated. "The good news is you won't be needing those frozen eggs any more."
Jules blinked at him.
Slingerland watched her pale face, eyes avoiding his as she trying to put together enough thought to convey something. "Look, I know this is a bit much to take in all at once. Believe me, I sat downstairs a bit, working up enough nerve to come up here and sit some more, before I could make any comprehensive sense of all this."
"Matt..." she began.
"No, no," stopping her with a quick finger to her lips. "We, both of us, have patients to see today. Like it or not, we do have responsibilities even shocks to our personal lives cannot alter at the moment. Take a few moments throughout the day to think about the baby you're carrying. We'll proceed with tonight's plans; you'll come home with me after work. We'll talk about this some more over dinner. All right?" it was good to be the voice of reason, even if his insides were quaking in fear. This was not how he planned his future to be.
For lack of anything better, Jules nodded. "All right. That sounds like a plan."
"Good," he hesitated for a moment before leaning in and pressing his lips firmly against hers for a moment, tasting her anxiety. She was scared, even with all her training and understanding of the medicine she was scared stiff. And as Matt wrapped his arms around her, he felt her suddenly cling to him. Breaking the kiss, he pulled her tight into his embrace. "It's going to be all right. Everything will work out," he whispered into her ears, not sure if he was saying it for her benefits or his own.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Norman," Slingerland called as he jogged back into the exam area, hands reaching for the stack of charts that was beginning to pile on the nurse's station. "Call down to OB, get me an appointment with Dr. Lenning and coordinate it with Dr. Keating's schedule. Sometime in the next two days would be fine."
"What reason should I give?" Norman asked, his face only slightly revealing his curiosity and thirst for gossip.
"An appointment is all you need," Matt replied, eyes cutting off any more question that may arise in that area. "And put Mrs. Monroe in exam three. I'll be with her in a moment. I want to check on Jesse Martin first."
"Sure," Norman agreed with a nod of his head then waited until Slingerland had gone out of sight before exam knowing glances with a nearby nurse. "An appointment?"
"Looks like more news for the ladies in the lounge," the nurse replied with a giggle. "Should I get Mrs. Monroe or do you want to?"
"I think I'll make the appointment first," Norman replied knowingly.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"So?" Letty asked, her hands busy making notes on her chart as she slide up next to Keating at the nurse's station. "How are you doing?"
"Okay," Jules replied, making a quick note about little Edward's fragile bones. It was the poor kid's third visit in four months. Lots of calcium for that little tike. "What are you doing down here?"
"NICU had a two day old baby with a heart murmur," she replied cheerfully. "You ordered the consult, remember?"
"Oh," she had forgotten. Too much on her mind and not enough nurses around to remind her of things. "Sorry, I didn't realize that was now."
"It's not," Letty replied with a grin. "It's in half an hour. Something on your mind?"
"A lot of things," she replied with a sigh, dropping the chart into its slot. "Not all of which can be solved overnight." What she really right now was a good hour or two of complete alone time to think things through. It was all just happening a little two fast for her poor taxed mind to comprehend.
"Anything I can do?" Letty asked, closing her chart and walking with Keating down the corridor to her next appointment. If ever a woman was distracted, it was Dr. Jules Keating right at this moment.
"No, no," she waved off the light concern in her friend's voice. "Though you might want to do the sonogram on the infant now. I just sent the parents to the cafertia. I rather they not have to see it."
"I'll get the boys to bring it in," she paused for a moment. "You feeling all right?"
"Sure, why?" Jules asked, signaling through the glass separator.
"You look a little... loaded."
Turning her head, Jules slowed her steps until she came to a halt in the middle of the hallway. "Just how much do you know?"
Letty shrugged her shoulders innocently. "This is a small hospital."
"Like hell it is," planting her hands on her hips, Jules glared at her. "How much do you know and how did you find out? Wait, wait, wait!" Her mind played back the many pieces of gossips that floated like coffee cups in the morning. "The lab lives in fear of you. You got the lab results, did you?"
"For your information," Letty said with her superior air fully in play, "I did not request to see the lab results."
She wasn't buying it. "Then who did?"
Lying was nothing she did well or often. "Rae... With me, Kokoris, and Colette looking over her shoulders when she got them."
Leaning her head back, Jules sighed. "Oh shit."
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Come, come," Slingerland grabbed her arm before she had a chance to react.
Struggling for a moment, Jules managed not to drop the three charts she had been on her way to finishing in her office and away from the speculating eyes of the nursing staff. If one more person asks if they can get her anything, she was going to scream. "Matt, what are you doing?"
"Norman and Anita managed a miracle and nabbed us an appointment with Dr. Lenning in two minutes. You blocked out half an hour for paperwork and my patient cancelled on me on the last moment. Sandra in OB said that Dr. Lenning has fifteen minutes free right now if we can make it."
"You made an appointment with Harriet without consulting me first?" Jules asked, the outrage evident in her voice even as she allowed him to propel her down the hallway toward the elevators. "The stairs would be a lot faster."
"I don't want you bouncing up and down stairs from now on. You take the elevator like any sensible pregnant woman would." Never faltering a step, he leaned over and kissed her temple. "I know it was wrong of me to make the appointment without your consent but I honestly thought that given this was unexpected and you have coffee all weekend long..."
"Matt! What happened to no show of affection at the hospital?" she reminded him, dropping her charts at the nearest nurse's station. "Get these back to pediatrics and tell Dr. Pivotte that I may be late coming back in."
Slingerland waited patiently as Jules made a couple of quick notations before dragging her off again toward the elevator. "Any pretense we may have managed to keep up in the past weeks has been dispelled, or have you not notice the amount of scrutiny we've been receiving?" he pushed the up button. "And for your information, according to the Margaret Doley in Rick Management, I seduced you."
As annoyed as she was, she couldn't help but smile. "You did."
He looked shocked, "I beg your pardon?" just as the doors opened to the elevator. The two nurses on their way out immediately move aside and held the door for Dr. Keating.
Jules grinned as Slingerland followed her into the elevator. She waited until the doors fitted closed before turning her head to look at him. " 'You' kissed me."
Matt opened his mouth then shut it. Then, "If you hadn't move, it would have never happened. 'And' allow me to point out that you certainly didn't need encouragement after the initial... In fact, I believe you initiated the next couple of intimacies that eventually led to our bundle-of-joy-to-be."
She took a deep breath. "Okay, okay, it was a two-way street there."
"Thank you. I rather like mutual seductions," he replied, and hugged her from behind, resting his cheek against her head as the elevator hummed quietly toward their destination. "We still need to talk about this."
"After we talk to Harriet, right?" she asked, knowing that she wasn't ready to talk about anything yet until she can wrap her mind around everything. Oh lord, how was she going to tell her ultra-conservative mother? "I still need a little time to think about this."
"If you wish," he replied, not moving an inch from this position behind her. She smelled good, something floral and relaxing. "You've been resting throughout the day?"
"Who can rest in a hospital?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around his. It was nice, these quiet moments. It was times likes these that she wondered how he managed a reputation as a playboy.
"Normal people," he replied with a sigh. "You're going to leave on time tonight, right?"
"We'll see," she answered with a quick grin as she pulled away from him. The elevator door dinged as it opened to maternity. Six pairs of eyes at the nurse's station immediately turned toward the exiting couple. Amused and flustered, "Hi."
"Hi," they chimed back in unison.
Slingerland fought valiantly not to smile. "Dr. Lenning in?"
Sandra pointed toward the office. "She's expecting you."
"Thank you," he replied with a smile as he ushered a reluctant Dr. Keating down the hallway. "Feel those eyes following us?" he asked quietly.
"How can you miss it?" she hissed back.
"Just relax," conscious of the inquiring eyes seeing his hand gently rubbing the small of her back, relaxing the tension there, he forced himself not to pull her against him for support. A friendly hand was one thing; a full on let-me-take-care-of-everything hug in the middle of the hallway in front of the entire staff in maternity was another. Jules would no doubt be unhappy with that and less likely to relax under his gentle ministrations. "They'll get use to it."
Declining to voice her thoughts that particular subject, she knocked on Harriet's office door. "Come in."
Pushing the door open, Jules was met by the stern face of Dr. Mom. Resting in her hands were sheets of lab results that were all too familiar to the young doctors. "Hi. I suppose those are mine."
"Yes, they are," Harriet replied soberly as she motioned for them to set down. Glancing down again at the printout, she took a moment to study it some more before lifting her eyes to peer at the pair above her glasses. "May I ask how this came about?" lifting the leaflets. "I was under the impression Jules, that the eggs were to be a last ditch effort to have your own biological child. I had also assumed that you'd be coming to me when that time comes. I suppose that assumption was rather arrogant of me but I had hoped that our years of friendship..."
"No, no, no..." Jules and Matt immediately rushed to reassure the aged OB. "It's nothing like that."
"Oh?" one finely sculptured brow rose in question.
"Harriet!" Jules gave a small groan of disbelief. "This wasn't planned."
There was a pause as Dr. Lenning's all-knowing eyes studied the couple in front of her carefully. "This was done the all natural way?"
Blushing three shades red, Slingerland wondered how it was possible that he was reduced to an awkward sixteen year-old once more by a simple look. "An unexpected result of Dr. Keating and mine recent..." he was stuck for a word as to what was happening between the two of them. Heck, he wasn't sure of anything any more as far was Jules was concerned.
"Collaboration?" Harriet offered helpfully.
Despite feeling her face heat up at the implication of Harriet's tone, she really had no real defense or explanation to give her friend. "Harriet, we are here for a simple routine check up and to confirm the lab's findings with you."
"Oh, I think the results are very conclusive," highlighting the readings she had been reading, re-reading, and re-reading again. "Unless there is something I should know about."
"Such as?" Matt asked, glad to be moving into the more technical part of the exam considering the personal side of it was making him decisively uncomfortable. But until he's had a chance to speak with Jules of where they were going with all this, he couldn't give anyone any answer that will be of any satisfaction.
"You were given heavy injections of hCG during the period that you were trying to create your backup plan, have those continued?" Harriet asked her pen posed over a fresh sheet of doctor's progression chart.
"No," Jules frowned. "I haven't had another since we concluded the project. There wasn't any need for it after the eggs went into storage."
"I see," making a note to herself. "And recently? Have you taken any hormone supplements to increase your chances of conceiving? Estrogen injections? Herbal pills?"
"No, nothing like that." Matt assured her. "This was unplanned. Jules and I are just getting to know one another. We've only been truly dating for a little over three weeks... this was hardly something we were going to jump into so suddenly."
Soft blue eyes widened, "Three weeks?" The two doctors nodded their head as if answering a question from a teacher. "And the night I called Jules's apartment and you answered the phone..."
Matt winced. She would have to remember that now. "That was... It was just...." He sighed and gave up. Anything he said was not going to make it any better thought how it could be worse was beyond him. Slouching in his seat, he muttered, "Bloody hell."
Harriet smiled gently. "Hum..." making another quick note. "Well, I would like to draw some blood and do another work up. I have to say that this pregnancy has come at a rather inconvenient time."
"Really?" Slingerland asked, the frown that graced his smooth brows an indication of his confusion over the matter. "How is that?"
Taking note of the genuine concern written in those brown eyes, Harriet felt herself breath a sigh of relief for Jules sake. What she was about to tell them was not going to be easy for them to hear. "Jules, not eight months ago, you underwent a biopsy and operation for ovarian cancer. Following that, you loaded your body with hormones to produce eggs to freeze. Now under the circumstances, I was not surprised by your decision to rush from one procedure to the next. Many women have done the same due to fear that they will never be able to produce their biological child. But I have to say that it is in my opinion, both as a doctor and a friend, that you've not given your body enough time to recovery from the consecutive shock its had to endure. And while bearing children is one of the most natural thing in the universe, in your case it is not."
The heavy tense silence got to Matt first. "What does that mean?"
Jules reached out where he instinctively linked fingers with her. Taking a deep breath, she never took her eyes from Dr. Lenning's steady ones. "I'm looking at a high risk pregnancy."