The Pregnancy ship

Chapter 10: Don't Treat me like a Grenade about to Explode

The weeks seem to fly by with ease. Cases were pretty much open and shut. Then suddenly Sharon was sixteen weeks pregnant, the doctor had tried to talk her into an amniocentesis, but she had been adamant when she refused.

Andy wanted to respect Sharon's feelings on the subject, he could tell she felt strongly about it, but he wanted to know the reason for her decision. They were supposed to discuss things but she had made this decision without talking to him and he wanted to know why. So as they pulled up in front of Dr. Janet Lockhart's medical building, Andy turned to Sharon. "Okay, we have twenty minutes, please explain to me why you are refusing to do the amnio. I'm not for it or against it. I just want to know why you didn't discuss it with me before you said no."

Sharon pressed her lips together and looked out the window. She cleared her throat and started, "When Emily was two she had a preschool teacher named Caroline, she adored her, and Caroline adored Emily. At first I was jealous, but I got to know Caroline and we became friends. I learned that Caroline and her husband had not been able to have children, in spite of the fact they wanted them badly. I was in IA and my hours could be erratic at times. So Caroline offered to baby-sit free of charge, and I took her up on it. Jack was away at the time and my sister Jan was having her third baby, and so mom and dad were across the country with her and her other two children. Their father was in the Military. Mary was doing a movie out in South Dakota and Judy was abroad studying for a Doctorate. Caroline was a Godsend then Jack came back long enough to get me pregnant yet again and then leave again. Then I had Emily and Ricky, and once again Caroline and her husband stepped in and helped by babysitting. Then by miracle of miracles, Caroline called me and said she was pregnant. She was 38 and having twins. Her Doctor insisted she have a blood test to see if they needed to do an amnio. It came up questionable, so they did the amnio and that night..."

Sharon swallowed hard as her emotions threatened to overcome her ability to speak. "She..she lost the babies, and her uterus. She would never be able to have more children. We almost lost her because of the hemorrhaging. She never recovered, emotionally. She stopped working with children, and she and her husband split up. I never saw her again because she moved away and we lost touch. After that, I promised myself I would never have an amniocentesis, and I never will." Her voice finally broke with the memories of her friend's heartache and loss.

Andy nodded. "I understand, Sharon. That's all I wanted, to understand. I thought at first it was your aversion to needles."

"My... aversion to needles would not get in the way of doing the amnio if it would really be helpful. You are good at distracting me, but I feel the risks outweigh the benefits in this case. I am high risk on two counts, my age and the fact that I'm having twins. Janet is concerned about the possibility of abnormalities with the babies, but I would not abort our babies just because one or both were not perfect. So why put myself or the babies at risk, when quite often the blood test comes out false positive and the problem is non existent. I'm not saying that people shouldn't have them, it's just...me, I'm not willing to take the risk." Sharon looked at Andy then willing him to understand.

He looked back at her with compassion and understanding. "Okay, let's go find out what we're going to have," Andy said squeezing her hand three times. It was their nonverbal way of saying, "I love you."

After registering at the desk they were called pretty quickly. Sharon was weighed, she had had gained 10lbs, which didn't surprise her with the forbidden foods that she had been craving lately, like pizza, hamburgers and cheesecake. She'd have to be more careful or she'd be as big as a house. Oh right, who was she kidding, she'd be as big as a house anyway she was carrying twins! The nurse took her and Andy to the examining room where they took her blood pressure, which were 128 over 75. They gave her a gown with the usual instructions and the cup for the urine sample. She took care of both and then Andy lifted her onto the table. A new nurse came in with equipment to take a blood sample and Sharon's entire body tensed. Andy tried to help her lay back, but she resisted.

"Hi Captain Raydor, my name is Patricia Perry, I'm Patrice's youngest daughter."

"Patrice's youngest daughter? Patrice Perry? I didn't realize she had other children besides Kendra, Keisha's mother. Who I um understand was killed in a car accident when Keisha was eight."

"Yes, Ma'am. Lily is the oldest, she lives in Africa working with Doctors Without Borders and I went to a Nursing college in Europe as an exchange student. Mama was afraid if she told anybody, about us they would contact us, and we would come home. She didn't want to interfere with our lives and studies. She's always protecting us. I hate that I wasn't able to be with her when Keisha did what she did, but I'm glad Uncle Louie was there for her."

Sharon nodded, remembering that that was the beginning of her second in commands romance and a wonderful friendship for her. "Um, how old are you?" asked Sharon thinking to herself, that the girl looked no older than 12.

"I'm twenty-six actually," said Patricia knowing what Sharon was thinking. "I've been busy with nursing school and then I just got finished phlebotomy school. I was the best in my class."

"Really? Well...um that's en ...encouraging," Sharon said pressing her lips together and tilting her head towards Andy with a pained look on her face. She hated being at the mercy of young over confident people who thought they could get her spidery veins to give up blood easily. They never could, which was the source of her anxiety. Her hand squeezed Andy's hard. He squeezed back sympathetically and stroked her back.

"I know I look young, but I promise you I will make this as painless as possible. Why don't you lay down and Andy can tell you the latest funny story about him and Uncle Louie, and my Mom."

Sharon looked curiously at Andy who looked blank at first but then he chuckled, remembering. He then gently helped Sharon lay back, shielding her line of vision from what Patricia was doing as he proceeded to tell her about accidentally spoiling Provenza's proposal to Patrice, while he was recovering from the blood clot surgery nine and half months ago. He also added funny snippets about his overly enthusiastic physical therapist.

Sharon was so caught up with what Andy was telling her; giggling at the hilarity of it she never felt anything Patricia was doing. Which was a good thing, because in spite of Patricia's confidence in her own abilities she had trouble finding a vein that would give up any blood, so she had to root around. If Sharon had not been distracted and entertained by Andy, she would have had to be peeled off the ceiling.

Being caught up in his story, she was surprised when Patricia folded her arm over a large cotton ball and pressure bandage, saying "all done." Sharon cradled her arm, which was beginning to feel sore, and thanked her. Wanting to be supportive to her friend's daughter, she commented that Patricia had been right, it was relatively painless and it had been basically. For a new phlebotomist she was pretty good, but it had been laughing at Andy's funny stories, and focusing on Andy's face that had gotten her thru it. She watched as the girl left, and then turned her attention back to Andy. Sharon looked for the scar on his neck it was barely visible. She touched it with her fingertips and he took her hand in his, kissing her palm, and then intertwined their fingers and squeezed her hand three times for I love you. Sharon smiled and did it back. Her eyes were misting as she looked at him.

He knew she was remembering how frightened she had been that she would lose him before she could tell him she loved him. So after they had actually told each other of their love for one another, the night after his surgery. They had been using her mother's way of saying I love you without words. Three squeezes of the hand. She had explained to him what it meant, and he had liked it so much they did it often. Never wanting to leave the other in doubt, about their feelings ever again.

As he looked into her beautiful green eyes, the freckles across her nose and her beautiful, if watery smile he was glad they were living together at his place. No, it was now their place; she had signed her name to the title just the other day. He was so glad that she had agreed to marry him before their babies were born. They had finally decided on a date, September the twentieth, which was also his birthday. He couldn't imagine not seeing her when he woke up and before they went to sleep, and in between.

Andy remembered how tight his chest had felt when after staying with Sharon for a couple of weeks, during his recovery from surgery and he had moved back home. They had missed each other so much she had asked him to come back after a scant 24 hours separation. They had been at work; it had been long after everyone else had gone home. She had asked him into her office, had closed the doors and blinds and then had asked him to come back to her condo. Andy had said, "I think Rusty is tired of sleeping on the couch, Sharon."

"He wouldn't be sleeping on the couch... and neither would you," he had kissed her then. A real kiss not just a peck on the lips, but a bone-melting kiss. Andy's hands fumbled with the buttons of her blouse, as he sought the feel of her soft skin under his fingers. One hand felt for the clasp of her bra while the other reached under her skirt for her center.

Surprisingly she had let him, moving her legs slightly apart, to give him room. He lowered her onto the couch and knelt in front of her to remove her panties. When they were off he started to kiss his way to the apex of her thighs, his lips and tongue had made love to her center, making her hum and even growl a little. Finally Sharon had let go completely and had screamed as she reached an orgasm like she'd never had before. It shook her whole body, making her entire body tense and then relaxed completely. This was one of those times she was ever so glad her office was sound proof.

That had been followed by the hottest lovemaking either had experienced to date and had evidently started them on the journey they were on now.

Watching his face, Sharon knew where his mind had gone and smirked. She remembered that night, too. Her body tingled with the memory of it. She also remembered that afterwards they had gone to his house and she had spent the night making up for lost time, they had made love half the night.

The next morning she had walked through the house with him, and marveled at everything, especially the pool. It had occurred to them then, that it was silly to cram the three of them into a two-bedroom condo, when they could live at Andy's much more comfortably. They were suddenly startled out of their thoughts by Janet Lockhart clearing her throat, and smiling at them and the way they were looking at each other. "If I'm not mistaken, what you're thinking about is what got you to this point to begin with," she said dryly. Sharon's face suffused. With color and so did Andy's. They pulled their gazes away from each other and focused on the doctor.

"Okay, Mommy and Daddy it's time to see the babies." she pushed the 3D ultrasound equipment over to the examining table. Before starting, she took Sharon's pulse and redid the blood pressure reading. It was 125/70, which was lower then before. Then she moved the gown and put the conducting jelly on Sharon's stomach warning her it would be cold. She moved the wand over Sharon's stomach, and besides Sharon's they were able to hear two distinct heartbeats. They could also see their babies, moving, stretching and sucking their thumbs.

"Okay little Eggbert and Eggberta, show your little hoo-haas, so we know what you are, boys, girls or one of each?" She finally located what she was looking for. "Ahhh! Well it looks like we have two little girls! What are their real names going to be?"

"Natalie Ciara Eileen Flynn and Isabella Claire Eileen Flynn," Andy said, beaming with pride. Sharon had shared with him a family tradition that all girls in the family had the name Eileen in them. Eileen O'Dwyers four daughters had her name as their middle names and her granddaughters had Eileen as their second middle name. Their one son Jonathan had Sean as his middle name and all grandsons had Sean as a second middle name. Isabella was Andy's mothers name, Sharon had suggested using it as well.

Sharon beamed at Andy. She was happy they were girls, especially after Andy had confided that he hoped both the babies were girls. He felt much more confident as a father of girls than a father of boys. He and Nathan hadn't got along in years, while he and Nicole were becoming very close. Sharon was momentarily sad, that at least one of the babies wasn't a boy, because she loved her boys and Emily equally, and she hoped for a girl and a boy, so that Andy would have a second chance at having a son. But he was thrilled to be having twin girls.

He had a question however. "Are they identical or fraternal?"

"Well, it looks like they are fraternal. Were you hoping for identical?"

"No, I was just curious, my first set of twins and Sharon's sisters were both fraternal, it doesn't matter if they are identical or fraternal as long as they are healthy and Sharon and the babies survive this."

At this point it starts getting a little more interesting." Janet directed her comments to Sharon. "You're going to be even more tired, and your legs might swell or they might not. I believe in preemptive strikes. So to guard against common problems such as anemia and a lack of enough folic acid and vitamin B-12 you'll take extra vitamins in addition to your prenatal vitamins and you'll be getting a B-12 shot once a month. Unfortunately we'll be taking blood every two weeks." Sharon groaned and buried her face into Andy's shoulder. Although she hadn't been aware of what Patricia was doing at the time, her arm was sore, now and she guessed she had had to dig a little bit for a vein that would give up some blood.

Janet said sympathetically." I know you hate that Honey, but it can't be helped. We have to keep a close eye on your iron levels and folic acid levels. If they become too low it could lead to birth defects, such as Spina Bifida. They can drop quickly. Also you could develop gestational diabetes. So we have to keep a close eye on that. Your blood pressure is perfect this time but it could change, it was high last time, but you were freaked out about being pregnant so that was understandable. Right now I need you to lie back, because I need to take a swab of your cervix to make sure there's no leakage going on. If there is it will indicate preterm labor. That will be a monthly part of your exams. Because of the double high risk factor, I want to see you every two weeks from now on until you get closer to delivery then every couple of days."

Sharon nodded and closed her eyes and endured the rest of the exam. Andy distracted her for the B-12 shot, with more stories and then the doctor was finished.

"All done. Now, I want you to go home and rest and I want you to start lowering the amount of hours you're at work. In other words, go from sixty to forty, and a little less every week, with a nap in the middle of the day. By the end of this trimester, I want you to go on maternity leave. Trust me, carrying twins is going to force the issue. I'm surprised you've lasted this long on sixty hours a week."

"It's not always sixty hours." Sharon said defensively.

"Just when we have a really important case."

"Aren't they all important?" Janet retorted. "This isn't going to be like your other two, Sharon. I know you worked up until the time you delivered with them. How old is Ricky now, 26? Then you had the miscarriage, so it's been twenty-five years more or less since you've been pregnant and twins really changes things."

"Yes, I know that believe me I've noticed, but wouldn't it be better if I was at work surrounded by people that care about me? Rather than home alone? It's not like Rusty or Ricky, or Emily are going to be there all the time to help me if something goes wrong. They all have their own lives. Emily left a week ago to go back to New York, Ricky left for Palo Alto last night. Rusty is still at home but he's at school or the library, more than he's at home. Look I keep my feet up when I'm sitting at the desk or sitting in general. I take naps when I need them and if I don't do it on my own, Andy sees to that all I have to do is yawn for crying out loud and he puts me down for a nap, "she said with exasperation."

"I suppose I could... stop doing interviews with suspects, and just watch the interviews from the electronics room ...with my feet up..." Sharon said and looked at Andy guiltily when she saw the shocked look on Janet's face.

"You think?" Asked Janet sarcastically.

"Janet, I'd rather be doing something even if it's only paperwork than being at home alone worrying about every little twinge and bored out of my mind!" Sharon's voice rose in frustration.

Andy rubbed Sharon's back, to calm her, he could see she was getting upset with the restrictions the doctor was trying to put on her.

"She's right, Doctor. At least if she's at the precinct where she's surrounded by people who care about her. Even if she's figuratively chained to a desk, it's better than being by herself where she can think of all kinds of work to do around the house. Sharon still gets dizzy if she turns suddenly or gets up too fast, so she's safer at work where we can keep an eye out for her, and make sure she doesn't do too much."

"Yeah, like you were doing that when she was interviewing suspect?" Janet asked.

"They weren't dangerous and she was surrounded by her team. She hasn't interviewed suspects since the beginning of the Borden case. I made sure of that and so did Chief Taylor and Chief Pope."

"All right, you have a point. But if she starts showing signs of preeclampsia, which symptoms are fluid in the legs and face, headaches and vomiting. Take her straight to the hospital and then call me. The best thing is to not let her get to that point. I will give you some sterilized cups to take urine samples and strips to test for protein and sugar anything 1+ and above is cause for concern. Call me if you get a reading of 1. Also get a blood glucose monitor and take your blood sugar at random times, and buy a digital blood pressure cuff and keep a log of those readings. Do the urine test three times a day."

"Janet, you said my blood pressure was perfect. Why must you act as if I'm about to step off a precipice? My mother gave birth at fifty-two to fraternal twin girls, she had them two weeks early, which is within the normal range. I seem to follow my mother. As far as I know, neither my mother or sisters had any health issues."

"I know you feel like I'm being an alarmist and over monitoring you, but I'm just trying to keep you from any of the many pitfalls of being pregnant and having twins at the age of fifty-two. There are many!"

"Yes, I'm only too aware, but I believe in being positive. I believe that you should be aware of what could go wrong, but not assume it will! I also believe that surrounding yourself with positive energy helps. But it is extremely difficult to generate positive energy when everyone around me treats me as if I'm a grenade that's about to explode!"

Janet was getting annoyed too. "Well, Sharon I'm afraid that's just too bad! In the medical world you are considered very fragile, because things can go south very quickly and very easily. You're right they don't have to, but it's better to be prepared and not need to be, than not prepared and need to be. So get used to being treated like, what did you call it? A grenade about to explode for the next 5 months, that being said go home and stay off your feet for the rest of the day. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, I will rest, but on my own terms."

"And what does that mean?" asked the doctor, rolling her eyes at her stubbornness.

"I'll rest on my couch in my office. Andy has to go back to work anyway, I'll be surrounded by the team one of which went to medical school. I'll be fine."

The Doctor opened her mouth to insist on her way, because she just couldn't see Sharon actually resting while at the precinct, but Andy shook his head and mouthed the words I've got it covered. She nodded and closed her mouth.