"How have you been feeling? Anything out of the ordinary?"
"No," Elisa said, already getting used to answering the same questions over and over.
"Any more morning sickness? Cramping? Headaches or lightheadedness?"
"No, no, no and no," Elisa said.
"Okay," He said, making notes in her chart. "You went back to work for a few days this week. How did it go?"
"It went fine," Elisa answered slowly. "Why?"
Doctor James sighed, closed the file and tossed it onto the low counter beside him. "You're going to have to have some understanding and patience with us all, Elisa," He said bluntly. "And I mean everyone, since most of them are asking a lot of the same questions that I have going around in my head."
"Like what?" Elisa asked, trying very hard for the patience he had just asked for.
"For example," He said with a heavy sigh. "Will you be able to carry to term like a normal pregnancy? Are there any health risks to you or the baby? Will you need to be on bed rest at any point? Should you be allowed to continue working your normal job, your normal position with your abnormal hours?" He sent her a look, "Things like that. And in the spirit of being completely honest, the answer to a lot of that is that we don't know.
"But we are taking measures to make sure that we are prepared for any eventuality. We have ordered specialized equipment in case the baby is born prematurely to give him or her the best possible care. We are also going to keep a supply of anything that you would need to make sure that you are safe and healthy as well."
Elisa blinked at him.
"We are very lucky to have Margaret here with us. She's familiar with you as a patient, and did a good amount of her residency in both Prenatal and Labor and Delivery," Doctor James continued. He looked at her then, his gaze focused on her intently. "We can play this one of two ways, Elisa. I can be your best friend, smile and tell you that everything will be sunshine and rainbows. Or, I can be completely honest with you, even if it's something that you don't want to hear."
Elisa didn't hesitate. "Not that I don't like the smiles and jokes," She said, "But I think you'd better just give it to me straight, Doc."
"Alright," He said. "I have been researching like crazy, but there are no records, anywhere, of a human carrying a baby that had parents of different species… and I looked," He cringed visibly. "There are some places on the internet that should not exist, and I think I stumbled on to most of them."
Elisa gave him a look.
"That was only a partial joke," He deadpanned. "How about this. There is a reason that I want to monitor you closely. Your baby is unique. Truly, the only one of its kind. As such, so is your pregnancy. We are going to be watching you closely, so you'd better just accept the fact now."
Elisa nodded. "Alright. I don't like it, but I do understand."
"Thank you," Doctor James said.
Elisa put her hands on her belly. "Do you really think that the baby could come early?"
"So far, everything looks like a normal pregnancy," Doctor James said softly. "The baby's heartbeat is strong, and everything is still within normal ranges. We just want to be ready if something happens. And," He gave her a stern look, "I need you to be honest with me. If something doesn't feel right, you call me or come straight in to the clinic. Between Kiersten, Margaret and myself, we are all here to help you."
Elisa nodded. "But everything's fine right now?"
"Yes," He said with a small smile. "Both you and your baby are fine."
Elisa breathed a sigh of relief… just a moment too soon.
"There is one thing that I need you to do…" Doctor James began.