Chapter 6

Dear God she had to pee!

Lexi tried not to squirm as the man she now knew as Doctor Petrucci moved the ultrasound device over her abdomen.

"The baby looks good," he murmured. "Heartbeat is strong and the size is congruent with all the information you and Doctor Amman provided. I think it's safe to say that you're about ten weeks along. Which would make your due date…" He set the monitor down and pulled what appeared to be a calculator type device out of his pocket. Lexi desperately tried to do the math in her head as she realized the month would definitely be August. Please not the twenty sixth! Doctor Petrucci typed in some numbers, then nodded at the result. "August sixteenth."

She let out the breath she'd been holding as relief swamped her. Too many things already reminded her of her last pregnancy and the baby that never was. Having her children share a due date would have been more than she could handle.

"What about the scar tissue," Roman asked.

The doctor picked up the monitor and returned to her belly. Lexi's gritted her teeth as the urge to pee returned in force. With all of the advances in medicine she would have thought they would have figured out a better way to get an ultrasound picture than to use a woman's full bladder as a magnifier.

"Hmm.." Doctor Petrucci lifted a hand and pointed to the opposite side of the screen from where the baby was. "See this white area."

"Yeah?" Roman and Lexi replied in unison.

"That's scar tissue. From what it appears, there seems to be quite a bit in the upper right quadrant. Probably covering the right fallopian tube completely, which is more than likely why it took you so long to get pregnant." He continued moving the monitor. "The rest of the uterus looks healthy. I mean there's a couple of little blips here and there, but nothing I'm too concerned about."

"The baby's not in any danger then?" Roman asked.

Doctor Petrucci shook his head. "The baby's implanted about half way down on the left. It's far away from the scar tissue, so there shouldn't be any issues in that regard."

Lexi frowned. "Wait? I'm confused. So I'm not completely scared up like they told me in the hospital."

Doctor Petrucci shook his head. "If I were to speculate, I'd guess you probably misunderstood them, Lexi. Were you still groggy and sedated when they told you about the miscarriage and hemorrhaging?"

"Yeah," she gave a slight nod.

"Well, combine being drugged, groggy and emotional from the sudden loss of your child and I'd say you completely misunderstood what they were telling you. Yes, you have scar tissue. More than likely the direct result of your miscarriage and yes, it's something for us to watch, but it's not enough to put this pregnancy in jeopardy or prevent you from getting pregnant again. Though it will make getting pregnant more difficult since you'll only be working with one ovary."

Relief swamped Lexi and she felt her body go limp as the tension she'd been carrying for days instantly drained. All that time she'd spent pining over something she thought she couldn't have and it had ended up being just a misunderstanding. "I guess I probably should have gotten a second opinion, huh?"

Doctor Petrucci grinned. "That would have definitely cleared up your confusion."

"Um...Doc," Roman began, then immediately looked uncomfortable as he glanced from the doctor to Lexi and back. "What about…"

Lexi's lips turned up in a slow grin. "I think what my absolutely adorable fiance is trying to ask, is what about sex? Is it safe?"

She met Roman's stare and saw the gratitude and embarrassment in his gaze.

Doctor Petrucci's smile widened. "Completely safe," he replied. "The baby is well cushioned, so as long as you feel up to it, by all means, indulge yourselves."

"Oh." She snapped her fingers as work fell into her thoughts. She didn't want to give up traveling with Roman and the boys if she didn't have to. "Can continue traveling for work?"

The doctor nodded. "You're healthy and I don't foresee any complications. Plus, you have the added benefit of having a Doctor available all the time, so yeah, I'm okay with you continuing to travel, for as long as you can tolerate it."

Lexi exchanged a grin with Roman. "But," Doctor Petrucci added. "I think it would be best if we perform a C-section when it comes time for delivery."

"What?" Lexi's eyes widened as shock rippled through her. "Why?"

"Scar tissue is hard, Lexi. It's not pliable like the rest of the uterus and isn't going to stretch and give. Now this isn't a big deal while the baby is growing, because this process is gradual and will give the rest of your uterus time to adjust around the part that isn't going to give."

"But," Roman questioned, his eyes suddenly filled with concern.

"But," Doctor Petrucci repeated. "During labor, the uterus contracts hard and fast. This quick change adds stress to the structure of the uterus and is not only going to be extra painful, but has the potential to dislodge that scar tissue, cause tearing, and ultimately a hemorrhage."

"Has the potential," Lexi clarified. "Which means it might not happen."

Doctor Petrucci nodded. "That's right. It might not, but why take the chance if we don't need to? A C-section would be a safer way to go for both you and the baby. Yes, it takes a bit longer to recover and would put you out of your line of work for a longer period of time, but in my opinion, it's worth the sacrifice."

With her hand in Roman's Lexi walked out of the OBGYN's office with an empty bladder and a lot calmer than she was when she'd entered. While she was disappointed to know she couldn't have a vaginal birth, which also meant she woudn't be able to hold her baby right away, she'd figure out a way to come to terms with the disappointment and move on. After all, making sure the baby was healthy and safe was most important.

"You okay?" Roman asked as they slipped into the car.

She nodded. "I'm relieved to know that the pregnancy is healthy and should be uneventful, but I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed about the C-section thing."

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "I had a feeling you would be, but does it really matter how our little one arrives, as long as he or she arrives healthy?"

She managed a small smile. "No. I suppose not."

"I have an idea that might cheer you up a bit." He let go of her hand and started the car.

"Oh yeah?" she arched a brow. "And what would that be?"

"You'll see," he replied and pulled out of the parking lot.

She was wearing a full on grin when Roman parked the car in front of the Babies R Us, ten minutes later. "Now that we know everything is good, let's go do a little wishing and dreaming," he said.

She unbuckled her seat belt, leaned across the seat and pulled him into a soft kiss. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"Yeah, but I can tell you that it's not half as much as I love you," he replied.