Go Baby Grow

Chapter 33 – Discomfort

Thursday, June 4th

As the last week of school came to its end, the pace of life seemed to increase. Amelia was anticipating her 20 week check up with enthusiasm, but the length of the appointment put a wrench in her already-planned schedule. Owen, attempting to fully free his schedule from Friday night through Tuesday morning, was working odd shifts and hours to compensate. The Littles were especially antsy and unfocused, barely able to contain their joy that summer was right around the corner. The Tremblay Hunts were reaching the end of a successful first week with Miss Becca, yet new routines were not yet established. The frenzy of three adults never quite sure what the other adults were and were not handling made for hiccoughs along the way. Ryder and Julie were eagerly anticipating her prom and working out feverishly with Ensign Larson. They were giddy as they looked forward to graduating over the weekend. Then, there was Olivia.

Even though she had recently stolen away some special time with Owen, Olivia had sensed a general lack of attention since the New Year. With Amelia's pregnancy, Ryder's upcoming shift to the Academy, and the Tremblay Hunt's hiring of a nanny, very little energy and attention remained for Olivia. Used to being one of the stars of the family, Olivia felt out of place as she stood at the sidelines rather than in the middle of all that was unfolding.

However, less attention meant more opportunities to goof off and not be caught. Being out of the limelight had benefits for a 15-year-old in search of increased privacy. Olivia enjoyed being able to dance or read in her bedroom on a regular basis without interruption. With less focus placed upon her, Olivia found more time and freedom to develop her budding relationship with her girlfriend, Gwen.

The morning of the second to the last day of school, Olivia asked if Gwen could come over after school. Eager to meet the girlfriend she'd heard about, Amelia readily approved and planned to add another passenger to her afternoon carpool. Even though they saw each other at school throughout the day, Gwen and Olivia sent texts to one another during classes as they discussed plans for the afternoon at the Lake House. With the weather forecast to be near 80 degrees, the two looked forward to swimming in the water and lying in the sunshine.

Instead of picking up Olivia last, Amelia began with her. She hoped to have a chance to get to know the famous Gwen that Olivia mentioned non-stop. The two girls climbed into the SUV and immediately scurried to the furthest back seats giggling. Gwen, a long and lanky 16-year-old, had layered blonde hair that hung past her shoulders. Accenting the blond were purple pastel tips and horizontal lines of turquoise blue and bright green above the purple. From her scalp to the green, random strands of faded pink mixed in with her wavy blonde locks. While most of Gwen's make up was minimal, her black eyeliner was perfectly applied and set off her highly mascaraed eyelashes.

"Mom, this is Gwen. Gwen, this is my mom," Olivia hollered from the back.

"Hi, Gwen. I'm Dr. Shepherd," Amelia clarified with a grin. "But you can call me Mom if you'd rather."

"How about Mama Shepherd?" Gwen grinned.

Amelia shuddered, "Yikes, girl! Anything but that. That's what people call my mom." The three laughed and the two teenagers transitioned swiftly into staring at their phones and showing one another their screens.

So much for getting to know the kid, Amelia thought as she drove to Anna's school. When Anna loaded up, she shot Gwen a quizzical look before buckling up by the window in the middle seat.

Glancing over her shoulder, Anna cleared her throat and introduced herself with a sly grin, "Hi, I'm Annabelle. Olivia's favorite sister."

Olivia, not playing along, scoffed and rolled her eyes, commented, "Yeah… right."

"I'm Gwen," the friend chirped cheerfully before leaning her head on Olivia's shoulder. Anna was disappointed that Olivia killed the attempt at humor and chose to gaze out the window.

The last stop before home was St. Frances. As Amelia drove up and joined the pick-up line, Gwen sneered with concern, "St. Frances?"

"Two of my brothers and one of my sisters go here," Olivia explained with a completely unimpressed tone.

"I went here when I was like five or six. I hated it," Gwen commented.

"Hey, me too!" Olivia celebrated. "Mom? Did I suffer through a whole year here?"

Laughing, Amelia clarified, "More like a week, Olivia."

With a sour expression, Olivia added, "Everyone dresses the same and all the boys have similar haircuts. This place is like a snob factory where they turn little kids into rich robots."

"And so many rules…" Gwen complained.

"I know…" Olivia groaned.

Ryder popped up against the driver's window and slapped his hands on it, causing Amelia to jump. She turned and rolled down the window, suggesting, "That is cruel to do to a pregnant woman, Bear."

"Bear?" Gwen mumbled.

"It's like their pet names for each other. It's totally gross," Olivia whispered back. With disgust, she added, "That's my older brother, Ryder. The one who is joining the Navy."

"Hi, Reds and… friend," Ryder greeted as he popped his head in the window.

Both of his sisters responded with a feeble greeting and Gwen responded, "I'm Gwen. Hi."

"Oh… you're Olivia's chickie babe. Nice to meet you Gwen," Ryder smiled widely before turning to Amelia to fill her in on his afternoon plans and when he'd be home.

"He is so ridiculous," Olivia moaned. "I don't know how we could possibly be related."

"I like 'Chickie Babe,' Babe," Gwen giggled as she wrapped some of Olivia's curls around her finger. Olivia blushed and smirked at her girlfriend, grasping her hand and squeezing it.

Bursting in to ruin the moment, Lucas threw open the side door and hollered, "Hey… get outta my seat, Olivia!"

"Lucas, Olivia and her friend are sitting back there today. Sit in the middle, please," Amelia directed.

"Are you serious? Geesh," Lucas responded, having learned his reaction from Ryder. He huffed and puffed, squeezing in next to Anna.

"Where's Ria?" Amelia inquired.

"She's coming. She's been whining about her leg all day," Lucas grumbled.

With an ear to ear smile, Victoria came limping out of the door by the school office with Mrs. Tottingham. When Olivia saw the Principal, she predicted, "Ooooohhhh, Ria's in trouble."

"No, she's not," Anna defended her twin.

"How would you know?" Olivia challenged.

"Ladies," Amelia warned as she rolled down the passenger window and greeted the administrator.

"Dr. Shepherd, I would have called you but Victoria's limp only began about 45 minutes ago. I hope you're not cross that I chose to wait," Mrs. T explained.

"Not at all. That's fine. Did something happen?" Amelia attempted to figure out.

Ria looked at Amelia. Even though she forced a grin, she was obviously in pain. She explained, "It's been stiff and tight all day, but started squeezing and cramping a little bit ago."

"Climb in, Ladybug, and we'll check it out at home," Amelia encouraged before thanking the Principal and driving toward home.

"Hi," Ria smiled softly at Gwen. "I'm Victoria. Are you Gwen?"

"Yes, I am," Gwen smirked.

"I think your hair is really pretty," Victoria offered.

"Thanks. So is yours," Gwen replied kindly.

"Mine is like my mama's," Ria smiled before buckling up.

A few minutes later, the van-full of students poured out of the driveway at the Lake House, Gwen stopped Olivia as she took in the landscape and huge home. "Wow… you live in a mansion," Gwen commented.

"Not really," Olivia shrugged. "Come on, I'll show you my room."

"Doors open, Olivia," Amelia called out as the two teens ascended the steps.

"We're changing into swim suits, Mom. Probably not the best idea," Olivia mouthed off with impatience.

Rather than correct her daughter in front of her friend, Amelia made a mental note to chat with Olivia about the comment later.

"What's up with the 'doors open' thing?" Gwen asked as she began taking off her clothes. She and her siblings lived with their unmarried, permissive parents who believed in free-range child rearing and few rules. Her home, as some would describe it, was like a return to the hippies of the 60s.

"It's my parents and one of their stupid rules. With my older brothers, doors had to stay open if a girl was with them so Mom and Dad knew they weren't kissing and stuff," Olivia explained as she slipped off her shirt and bra. "Since they know I'm gay, I have the same rule: no closed doors with girls around. Stupid."

With sincere disbelief, Gwen asked, "Do they think that will stop you from kissing and having sex?"

"I don't think so… they know that'll happen at some point. They just don't want to make it easy for us," Olivia shrugged with certainty. "It makes them feel better to pretend they're a little old-fashioned."

"That's weird," Gwen observed.

The two girls changed, not kissing or physically interacting until both had changed into their suits. Olivia relished Gwen's relaxed approach regarding nudity. Even though the two had not yet crossed many sexual lines, being able to be naked and simultaneously comfortable with one another was a lovely arrangement.

While the teens settled into a shady spot by the water, Amelia examined Ria's leg. The muscles were incredibly tight. Occasional spasms caused Ria to wince, even though she tried mightily to hide her pain. When Amelia spotted a few small blisters and reddened areas, she frowned and told her daughter, "Ria, I'm going to call your doctor. Let's see what she has to say."

"It's no big deal, Mama, really," Ria insisted. She was worried that she would miss Field Day at school the next day if her leg was hurt.

"I want to check it out, Ladybug," Amelia pressed.

"Mommy…please… Please don't call. I'll be fine, I promise," Ria begged.

Amelia pursed her lips and considered the situation. "I'll make you a deal. Let's call Dad and see what he says. If he thinks you don't need to be examined, you're off the hook. How's that?"

Hoping she'd have better luck with Owen, Ria agreed. Reluctantly, she let Amelia snap a few pictures to text to Owen before they called him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Owen was instructing a classroom full of interns who were about to become 2nd year residents when his phone vibrated in his lab coat pocket. He reached in and pressed the button to stop the movement, hoping he'd remember to check it later. He resumed his summary, "If there is one concept to take away today and to remember regardless of your future specialties, it is this: trauma isn't pretty. It's a specialty that is fast and demands a strong ability to improvise. Trauma is about saving a life, not avoiding scars. If you're a person who wants every detail planned out and precisely addressed, trauma is not the specialty for you. Any questions?"

One intern asked about the schedule trauma residents could expect. Owen emphasized that his students were expected to work nearly all Fridays, Saturdays and holidays since that was when the bulk of traumas occurred. To that, he added, "And full moons. Regardless of the day, I expect my team to be fully if not over-staffed if there's a full moon. I can't explain it, but it's always a busy time."

Another intern wondered about charting and about how detailed notes could be recorded in such a fast-paced environment. Owen shared that in many ER cases, charting was similar to any other area of the hospital. "In cases that appear to be trauma-related, we have staff who chart for us along the way. For some of you, that might be a real incentive for considering trauma as a specialty," he teased, knowing full well which interns struggled with staying on top of their charting.

"How would you compare neuro to trauma and vice versa?" another student asked as Owen's phone vibrated again. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and set it on the podium he'd been using before answering the question.

"Hmm…" Owen pondered. "Neuro has many facets. Sometimes, you must meticulously pre-plan each and every movement of an instrument, each and every stitch and microstitch, every possible route and angle possible to access a tumor. In Trauma, the life is on the table in front of you. Your first job is to do whatever must be done to save that life. Your task could be to stop bleeding, intubate, or triage the various unknown injuries. Neuro, in general, is far more intentional and based on research. Trauma, in general, is far more chaotic and based on hunches. My wife would love to hear me refer to our specialties that way, so please don't quote me back to her. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Pardon me for a moment. I've been paged," Owen explained as he stepped into the hall. Spotting April and holding up his pager, he caught her attention and asked if she could finish the Q and A for him. Thrilled for the teaching opportunity, she readily agreed.

Owen studied the pictures of Ria's leg, ankle and foot intently. As he stood against the wall honed in on the screen and scowling, Callie walked by and commented, "I understand… I hate it when my lottery numbers aren't chosen."

He huffed a small chuckle before catching up to her and requesting she look at the pictures.

"Ooooh… that has to hurt," Callie winced. "Who's the patient?"

"My daughter, Victoria," Owen clarified.

"The one with Spina Bifida…" Callie commented as she grabbed the phone and enlarged one of the pictures. "She's how old now?"

"Ten and a half," Owen shared.

"Early puberty?" Callie inquired.

"Yes. Last year. Although she'd be horrified to hear me share that information," Owen smirked.

"She needs to be seen, Owen. Her body is growing and the areas effected by Spina Bifida can respond differently than non-symptomatic areas. Today would be ideal," Callie weighed in as she handed Owen his phone. "Out of curiosity, have Amelia send you another set of pictures now. Let's see if there are differences."

Owen sent a text to Amelia and quickly had another set of pictures. "The redness is more intense and growing," Owen frowned.

"The color might be the phone. It's hard to know. But, you're right, the area is larger," Callie nodded. "Page me when she arrives. I'm not the only one who should take a look, but I'm happy to offer my impressions."

"Thanks, Callie," Owen stated with gratitude as he called his wife.

At the Lake House, Amelia answered the phone, "Hi, Handsome. What do you think?"

"She needs to be assessed. You're right there with her so it may not be obvious, but Callie and I could both see a difference in the two sets of pictures. Something's going on," Owen stated seriously.

"Sounds great," Amelia piped up in a sing-songy tone.

"She's next to you…" Owen stated.

"Yes," Amelia confirmed. "We'll make our way over. Meet you in your office?" Owen agreed and Amelia ended the call. "My darling girl…" Amelia began as her eyebrows lowered by her temples and her mouth hinted at a frown.

"Daddy said I have to see the doctor, didn't he?" Ria groaned. Amelia nodded and began figuring out childcare needs. If worse came to worst, she could take Anna and Lucas with her. That still left Olivia and her friend unsupervised. Had it been only Olivia, Amelia would have no reservations. With her girlfriend in tow and the house to themselves, Amelia hesitated.

Amelia peeked out the window to check on the girls, discovering Olivia lying on top of Gwen. Although both still wore their suits, the two were kissing. Gwen's hands were hiding under all of Livie's curls and caressing Livie's head. Olivia's hand ran along Gwen's side as they giggled. Decision made, Amelia sighed internally.

"Olivia? Can you come up here for a quick minute?" Amelia opened the glass doors and called to her daughter from inside as if she didn't see what was happening.

"What's up?" Olivia wondered aloud as she sprang up the short trail.

"Ria needs to be seen by her doc," Amelia shared. "Ryder's working out until 5:15, Dad's at the hospital…"

Olivia interrupted, "I don't need a babysitter, Mother."

"I understand that, Olivia. However, I'm not comfortable leaving you and Gwen here alone," Amelia admitted.

With a hand on her hip, Olivia pressed, "You don't trust me?"

"Oh, Livs, I don't have time to sort this all out. Here are your options: I'll leave Lucas with you or I can drop Gwen off at home on my way to the doctor," Amelia offered.

"C'mon," Olivia sputtered. After more conversation back and forth, Olivia chose the option of having Lucas tag along with her. Amelia figured he'd be the quickest to tattle on his sister, but Olivia considered him the easiest to bribe with unexpected TV time and cartoons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

While she, Anna, and Victoria waited in Owen's office, the baby kicked strongly and moved rapidly. Amelia paced slowly and rubbed her bump, hoping to calm the baby down. She knew the movements were caused by the adrenaline running through her concerned Mama Bear body, so she worked hard to breathe deeply and center herself.

On his way to the office, Owen ran into Callie and asked her to join him. They decided to stop at PT, but Ria's therapist was not available. One of her colleagues, an orthopedist named Dr. Miche, joined them. Dr. Miche had seen Ria before and was familiar with the challenges of Spina Bifida patients. He was happy to accompany the Chief and assess Ria's predicament.

"Ria, do you remember Dr. Torres and Dr. Miche?" Owen inquired as he and his colleagues entered his office.

"Yes. I'm not having surgery, though," Ria tentatively responded, remembering that Dr. Torres was a surgeon.

Kneeling down on the floor, Dr. Miche began, "Do you mind if I take a look, Victoria?"

Cooperating, Ria stretched her leg toward him. He asked about the swelling and redness. Not able to feel from the knee down on that leg, she didn't know when it had begun. He put pressure on the bottom of Ria's foot and ran his hand over the top of her calf.

"Dr. Torres, tell me your impression of the tibialis anterior," Dr. Miche requested.

Callie ran her thumb along the upper half of Ria's lower leg multiple times. "It's rock hard." She pressed into the muscle and asked Ria to let her know if she felt any pain. When Ria didn't react to Callie's strong thumb, Callie pinched the muscle from the knee down. Ria admitted to a little discomfort.

"Let's try this," Callie suggested. She began to push along the thin, long muscle next to the tibialis anterior.

Ria flinched involuntarily before crying out, "Stop! Please stop!"

Dr. Miche suggested, "Let's flex her foot forward and compare the response." This time, Dr. Miche ran a thumb along the tibialis anterior. Ria reported that it hurt, but not as much as the previous try.

"Try to push against my hand, Ria," Dr. Miche advised as he pressed her foot downward and to the side. Even to Anna, who was ten feet away sitting at Owen's desk, it was obvious that Ria's foot could easily turn inward but barely turn outward. Dr. Miche frowned at Callie and she nodded slightly.

"Ria, we're going to try one more exam. This one is a little strange. I'm not sure you've experienced it since you were a baby," Callie disclosed. "We're going to have you sit up straight against Mom or Dad, then I'm going to place my hand here," Callie described as she put her hand on her own leg and pressed the fold at the top of the leg. "Dr. Miche is going to pull on your lower leg and examine the muscles again."

Looking up at Amelia, Ria shared a look of hesitation. Not fully comprehending Ria's concern, Amelia reassured her, "Even if it hurts, it will be quick, Ree."

Whispering and leaning toward Amelia, Ria clarified, "Does she really have to put her hand right there?"

Modest, sweet Ria, Amelia thought. "Can we have the room for a moment?" Amelia requested. "Anna can stay."

The three doctors stepped into the hallway, which provided an opportunity for Callie and Dr. Miche to share their preliminary findings with Owen.

Back in the office, Amelia tried to calm Ria, "Honey, they need to do that to push your hip away from the foot. Nobody is going to touch anything further down."

"It's embarrassing," Ria complained with blushing cheeks. "It's close to… you know… almost everything."

Amelia stroked Ria's hair and offered, "It has to be done and nobody is going to even be thinking about what's down there. I promise. You can choose which doctor does it. Would that help? What if Daddy did that part?"

"Mom! NO!" Ria yelled. "That'd be the worst ever."

"Who then?" Amelia pressed.

"I guess you can do it," Ria groaned.

Amelia called the doctors back in and declared that she would press in at the hip and Owen would sit behind Ria and hold her body. Dr. Miche planned to examine the muscles while Callie pulled the leg.

"Everyone needs to maintain their position regardless, got it?" Callie confirmed. Everyone nodded. "Anna? Do you want to come hold your sister's hand?" Anna scurried over and wrapped her forearm around Ria's, resting her head on Ria's shoulder.

"Ria, you need to keep your eyes focused on my eyes the whole time," Callie instructed. "We can have a staring contest, but we have to restart without a break if either of us loses before Dr. Miche is finished."

She's giving Ree a focal point and has her surrounded by family. This is going to hurt like a mother, Owen concluded in his head. He caught Amelia's eye and she returned his glance with her own furrowed, worried brows.

"Ok… on three, Amelia and I will jump into action. Owen, go ahead and hold her now," Callie advised. "1… 2… 3…"

Ria immediately cried out and Callie hollered, "Eyes on me, sweetie. Keep looking right here. Who's winning the staring contest?"

With tears pouring down her cheeks and an inability to move away from the pain, Ria begged, "Please stop. Please."

"Really soon. We'll stop in a minute, honey. Look at me. Ria. Look at my eyes. Focus on my eyes," Callie coached as Ria shook her head and tensed up. She wrapped her arms around Anna for emotional support and cried out for the exam to stop.

"Dr. Torres," Dr. Miche said softly as he pointed at one area. Callie ran her thumb along Ria's leg and nodded, adding, "Is that the Peroneus longus?"

Dr. Miche nodded with a serious expression and then rubbed Ria's leg, "Ok, everyone but Dad and sister can release. Dad, follow Ria's cues."

As Callie patted Ria's leg up and down trying to calm the multiple muscles that were in spasm, Ria turned to Owen's chest and bawled, "Daddy, that really hurt."

Amelia rubbed Ria's back and Anna kept her grip tight as Owen soothed his girl, "I'm sorry, Ree Ree. It's over. You did great."

"Ria, you handled that better than any other patient I've ever seen," Callie lied. "Great job. I know it hurt."

"Please don't do it again," Ria begged as she whimpered.