14th May 2013. Oh, well alright then... if you insist then. :-)
Chapter 49.
Lauren felt amazing as she stared at her reflection. Her mum had worked a miracle and Lauren felt like a new woman. "Thanks mum... It looks great." She said, "I'd better go upstairs though... need the loo, again." She blushed as she got to her feet and walked up the stairs.
She was gone for a few minutes and Tanya began to get concerned. She walked up the stairs to check on her. Lauren was coming out of the toilet as she got to the top of the stairs. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just another nosebleed." Lauren whispered.
"How many have you had now?" Tanya asked her in concern.
"That's the fourth one." She admitted.
"You're going to tell the doctor at your next appointment, right?"
"You said it was natural..." Lauren frowning as she saw the worry on her mum's face.
"It is but you should still mention it. It's seems quite a lot, Lauren. Just check, okay...?"
"I will." Lauren said.
"Why don't you give Joey a call and see if he wants to come over for tea tonight." Tanya said as she pulled her daughter into her arms and against her body. "It means you get to see your dad. You can put Oscar to bed and read him his story, which I know he will love. And I'd feel happier if Joey collects you rather than you travel back on your own."
"I'm capable of getting the tube back, mum."
"I know. Just humour me, please?"
"I don't know why everyone seems to think I'm incapable since I got pregnant but okay, I'll get him to come over."
"Now have you had anything to eat today? You need to make sure you look after yourself, sweetheart."
"I could do with something. Baby's hungry, I think." She whispered with a smile, her hand brushing across her belly gently.
They walked back down the stairs and Lauren sat in the centre of her friends, laughing with them.
*JL*JL*
"Do you want to see a picture?" Lauren asked as they finished their lunch.
"Please..." Poppy said quickly and Lauren chuckled.
She reached into her bag and pulled out the scan picture. "This was from two weeks ago. It had grown so much since the previous couple of scans."
"You've had three?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, I had one when I was seven weeks... that was when we found out I was pregnant. I had another after I started cramping and then this one." Lauren told her friends as they pored over the photo.
"Will you find out the sex of the baby?" Sharon asked.
"No, we want to be surprised." Lauren told them with a smile.
"How are you feeling, Lauren?" Lucy asked.
"I'm doing okay." Lauren said, "I've come off the medication for my heart."
"What? Why would you do that? Isn't that dangerous?" Lucy asked in a panic.
"I had to, Luce. The medication could harm the baby so I stopped taking it June last year." She said, "My consultant is keeping a close eye on me."
"More than a year ago?" Whitney said.
"I had to come off it for six months before we started trying..." Lauren explained, "It took us a while before I got pregnant." She added with a shrug, glossing over how painful those few months had been. Today was a day for celebration.
"So when will you be able to go back on it?" Lucy asked.
"Not until after the baby is born... it could harm it." Lauren said calmly. "Luce, we thought about this a lot before we made this decision and we spoke to my consultant about it. He's been monitoring me really closely. Like I said to my dad, I'm going to be the model patient. I'm going to do exactly what I'm told to do." She could see her friend was getting upset and she pulled her into a hug, "I promise, Lucy, I'm going to be fine... I have so many people looking out for me and watching my every move. I'm going to be around to see this baby." She whispered to her friend.
*JL*JL*
The door to the salon opened as Poppy was giving Lauren a hand massage. All the girls turned to see who it was and saw Joey standing in the doorway. "Baby?" Lauren asked.
He walked over to her and kissed her softly, his hand resting gently on her bump, "Baby girl... I missed you." Lauren's friends giggled, "Having a nice time being pampered?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Your hair looks lovely, baby girl." He told her, "and you look very relaxed..."
"I am relaxed." She told him with a smile. He sat on a chair and turned it to face her. Lauren smiled and toed off her boots, lifting her feet and putting them on his lap. Joey smirked at her, pleased to see her so playful. "My feet hurt..." she whispered, her eyes sparkling as she stared at him.
"I can give you a foot massage, Lauren." Poppy said making Whitney and Lucy roar with laughter. Lauren thought they might have had a little too much wine. "Why are you laughing? She said her feet hurt?"
"She was messing with Joey, Pops." Lucy told her between giggles.
Joey coughed, "Actually, Poppy, joking aside, can you show me how to do that?" Lauren looked at Joey in shock.
Tanya stepped towards her son-in-law and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Poppy can do that, Joey. I think Lauren will really appreciate you knowing that when she's further on in the pregnancy."
Poppy spent the next twenty minutes showing Joey how to massage Lauren's feet and Lauren had to bite her lip several times to stop herself from moaning at the sensations his fingers were created. Apparently Lauren had several erogenous zones on her feet. Joey smiled at his wife as he saw her bite her lip. He knew exactly what he was doing to her. His hand stopped moving, "Babe?" he asked, "Your face..."
Lauren's hand rose to her face and came away covered in blood again. Her eyes darted to her mum and Tanya passed her a handful of tissues. "I think you should call your consultant, darling. That's two today and five in the last week."
Lauren wiped at her face self-consciously and reached for her bag, pulling out her mobile. Joey shuffled his chair forward and took the tissues from her, brushing away the blood tenderly. "Can I have a bowl of water, Tanya?" he asked. Tanya got him what he needed and placed it on the side.
"Obstetrician or consultant?" Lauren whispered to Joey as he dabbed at her face.
"Obstetrician first... your mum said it was a part of pregnancy, right. You're just worried about the number of times it's happening. She'll know if it's to do with your heart, baby girl." He leant forward and kissed her, before pulling away and finishing wiping her face, "All done." He said gently. He noticed her hands were shaking and he took the one not holding her phone between both of his, pressing his lips to the back of it softly.
Lauren dialled the number for the clinic and soon got put through to her doctor. "Hello, Lauren. Is there a problem?"
"My mum and Joey think I should call you. Mum said it was part of early pregnancy when it first happened last week but it's getting quite frequent now so we thought I should check."
"What's been happening?" She asked in concern.
"I keep getting nosebleeds. I've had five this week but two of them were today."
"Your mum is right, women do tend to get them when they're pregnant, especially at the beginning of the second trimester. How long had they lasted for?"
"They've all be really short... there's lots of blood and then it's all over again."
"And are you feeling ill in any other way?"
"I've had a couple of dizzy spells when I stand up too quickly but that's it."
"And your wrists and ankles aren't swollen?"
Lauren looked down, "No, they're fine.
"Okay, well I don't think it's an emergency, Lauren but I would like you to come into the clinic tomorrow so we can take some blood and check your iron levels and your blood pressure. You could be displaying signs of anaemia and I'd like to disregard any issues relating to blood pressure."
"What does that mean?"
The doctor sighed before speaking again, "I promised your husband I wouldn't lie to you, so I'm not going to. If there are issues with your blood pressure this could indicate you may have pre-eclampsia. It's a little early for you to be displaying those symptoms but given your heart condition, I'd like to rule it out." Tears ran down her face and Joey reached for her phone and pulled her forward so her head rested on his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. Tanya ushered Lauren's friends away from the couple, giving them some privacy, although they all watched in concern.
"Doctor, its Joey. Lauren's a bit upset." He said quietly. The doctor repeated what she'd just said to Lauren. His hand brushed up and down his wife's back. "So I don't need to bring her over now?" he asked.
"No, it's fine. Make sure she has a quiet night tonight and bring her over in the morning. Just let reception know when you're here and I'll see you as soon as I can." She paused briefly, "Please tell Lauren that she has nothing to worry about at this stage. It's just a precaution. It's something I check for every time she comes to see me. Also, she needs to bring a urine sample with her in the morning as well."
"Okay. Thank you, doctor. We'll see you in the morning." Joey said, ending the call and dropping the phone on the side. "It's okay, baby. She's just covering her bases." He whispered to her. He brushed his hand through her hair, trying to soothe her.
"When will things stop being so difficult, Joe?" she whispered.
"We just need to think of the end goal, baby." He said, kissing her cheek.
"I'm not feeling very relaxed anymore." She said.
"I can massage your feet again." He suggested with a soft smile.
"I think I'd like that, Joe..." She placed her mouth on his and kissed him, deepening it.
"Come on, I think we should go home."
"Mum invited us for dinner." She said. "I'd like to see dad and Oscar. Mum said I could put him to bed."
"Your dad?" Joey teased.
Lauren rolled her eyes, "Oscar." She said, hitting his arm. "Dork..."
"Let's go back there then and I'll look after you." He said. He picked up her socks and boots and slipped them back on her feet. He stood and watched as Lauren did the same, grabbing her when she swayed slightly.
"Too quick..." she said, closing her eyes as her vision blurred. They stood where they were for a minute or so before Joey picked up her bag and grabbed her phone.
"Anything else?" he asked.
"Just my coat." She told him.
Joey led her over to the coat stand and then helped her into her jacket. Tanya gave them her house keys and she kissed Lauren's cheek softly. "Look after her, Joey." She said softly as they walked out of the salon. He smiled back at her but didn't respond. Tanya wasn't surprised because she knew it needed no answer. Joey would always look after his girl.
TBC
A/N: Firstly, Joey can give me a foot rub any time of the day (or night). Also, I love the little moment between Lauren and Lucy in this chapter. This is a Lucy I actually like... and I know, another little blip on the baby trail. Is it anything serious? Back tomorrow to find out...