Stephanie stared at the sonogram images. Jeanne Ellen got through her routine examination without her family being inside the room. The doctor conducted the ultrasound, hoping to convince the third baby to reveal its gender. It didn't take long for the doctor to check the triplets before announcing, "Babies A and B are boys. Baby C is a girl." Stephanie was shocked, though it should have been expected. She kept dreaming about the two boys and one girl since her incident.
The firstborn son resembled Stephanie with his curly locks and bright blue eyes but with his father's personality. Stephanie's second boy was a carbon copy of his father. However, he had her personality. The girl was a remarkable blend of mother and father with straight dark hair with bright blue eyes. She was beautiful. Stephanie's eyes glazed over as she stared at the sonogram images.
"Babe?" Carlos whispered, gently pulling the printed sonograms from her hand. Stephanie shook her head, unwilling to talk in the examination room. The doctor was withholding some information, making Stephanie uncomfortable. Stephanie wanted to call out Dr. Struthers, but Jeanne Ellen beat her to the punch.
"Dr. Struthers, is everything okay?" Jeanne Ellen asked, sensing Stephanie's discomfort. Jeanne Ellen could tell the doctor wasn't saying something, which unnerved her. What was wrong with the babies? Dr. Struthers had spent too much time examining one of the babies on the monitor, turning the screen to prevent anyone from watching her actions.
"Oh. Everything is fine. I want to see you every two weeks going forward," Dr. Struthers distractedly replied. She didn't want to tell Jeanne Ellen the third baby, Baby A, was significantly smaller than the other two. Dr. Struthers wasn't sure if the baby would survive the duration of the pregnancy. She recorded the details on the digital image and sent it to Melody to attach to Jeanne Ellen's file.
Stephanie waited until Jeanne Ellen got dressed before approaching the doctor in private. "What aren't you saying? Which baby?" Stephanie demanded. "I'm not leaving until you tell me." Stephanie was oblivious to the drama about to unfold in the reception area.
Sighing, Dr. Struthers guided Stephanie to her office and explained everything. Stephanie was furious about not hearing the news in the examination room. "In my experience, telling a pregnant woman one of her babies may not survive caused undue stress. I want all of your babies to survive the pregnancy," Dr. Struthers replied, defending herself.
Rage corroded all sensibilities in Stephanie's mind. She wanted to rip the doctor apart, limb from limb. It took every cell in Stephanie's body to keep her seated on the chair.
"What are the chances of Baby A surviving?" Stephanie asked through gritted teeth. She put a lot of faith in her dream. Stephanie felt deep inside her soul that all three babies would survive.
"Around nine percent," Dr. Struthers answered. "Baby A could still catch up in size, but he isn't getting enough nourishment to survive. Jeanne Ellen increasing her caloric intake won't help."
"And what happens if Baby A survives?"
"Mental or physical deficiencies."
"Thank you for telling me," Stephanie said. She believed the doctor was mistaken. Perhaps, the baby had a nine percent chance of dying. It was small, but there. Stephanie left the doctor's office without a backwards glance but with a newfound determination to find another obstetrician for Jeanne Ellen. She didn't appreciate the doctor withholding crucial information. Jeanne Ellen was an intelligent woman. She would have seen through the doctor's brush-off regarding the babies.
Carlos tugged Stephanie toward the car. He got into the driver's seat, leaving the others to arrange themselves. Though Carlos preferred Stephanie sitting in the front, he respected her decision to sit with Jeanne Ellen in the backseat.
Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen exchanged a silent conversation. Carlos was proud Stephanie had ESP with someone other than him. With a quick exhale, Stephanie placed a call to Bobby Brown.
"Yo," Bobby answered.
"I've got you on the SUV Bluetooth," Stephanie warned.
"That's fine. What do you need, Steph?"
"Another obstetrician for Jeanne Ellen. Dr. Trisha Struthers withheld information regarding Baby A. She claimed it was to prevent Jeanne from getting stressed, but I'm not buying that shit. We all know Jeanne doesn't like getting kept in the dark, and neither do I," Stephanie replied.
"How can I help?" Bobby asked.
Stephanie knew it would out his relationship, but it was unavoidable. "Ask Suki if she can take Jeanne on as a patient. I know she's busy at the hospital. Jeanne and I can't trust Dr. Struthers to be honest about my babies' development," Stephanie replied. She was worried about the doctor moving or destroying Jeanne Ellen's embryos.
Bobby remained silent for several minutes. He had never asked Suki for favours before and wasn't about to start asking. Stephanie knew Bobby wouldn't ask Suki for help. "Fine!" Stephanie said, then hung up. Bobby swore, dropping his phone on the coffee table.
"Is everything okay?" Suki asked Bobby from the kitchen. She placed the casserole dish in the oven and set the timer. The chicken florentine was a pain to make, but it was Bobby's favourite.
"A situation came up with Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen," Bobby replied.
Suki hung up her apron and washed her hands before approaching Bobby. "Is Jeanne Ellen still seeing Dr. Struthers?" Suki didn't like how Trisha conducted business with her patients. Lots of women under her care quickly changed obstetricians during the third trimester.
"Yes," Bobby replied. "Stephanie said the doctor withheld information."
"What did Trisha withhold?"
Bobby shrugged because Stephanie hung up before providing the details. Suki shook her head and sighed. "I need your phone," she demanded. Bobby passed her the unlocked device. Suki scrolled through the numbers until she reached the one for Stephanie. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. "You really fucked up," Suki said. "Stephanie's rejecting your calls. I'm going to miss your handsome face after Carlos takes you to the mats for pissing off his wife."
Suki used her phone to contact Stephanie after copying the number into her contacts. "Hello," Stephanie politely answered. Suki glared at Bobby before retreating to her home office.
"Hi, Steph. It's Suki. Tell me everything about the babies," Suki ordered. Stephanie warned Suki that she was on the Bluetooth connection. Suki patiently listened as Stephanie described the appointment and her discussion with the doctor. "I understand your concern. It won't affect Jeanne Ellen's ability to have more children. The embryos are stored at a lab facility, not inside the fertility clinic." Suki checked her appointment calendar. "I don't have any openings for the next few weeks. However, I can see Jeanne Ellen after hours in two weeks. Would that work for her?"
"Yes," Jeanne Ellen replied. "Send Steph the date and time."
"I'll see you soon, ladies," Suki said. She ended the call and set up the date and time on her calendar, then sent a message to Stephanie. Suki returned to the living room, where Bobby was reading the deluge of messages on his phone. "So… how pissed off are the rest of the men? How many called you to the mats?"
"Only Stephanie called me to the mats. All the guys are pissed off," Bobby replied, shaking his head. He didn't want to spar with Stephanie. She could take Carlos to the floor with a well-timed combination ending with a roundhouse kick to the head. Stephanie learned many skills during her kickboxing lessons with Tito and Ram.
"Dinner won't be ready for another forty-five minutes. You should go to Rangeman to meet with Stephanie," Suki suggested.
Someone knocked hard on the door, then the doorbell rang. Suki raised a brow, wondering who was visiting without an invitation. Bobby grimaced as he stood up. He thumped his head against the door after checking through the peephole. Stephanie stood outside, looking ready to kill.
Reluctantly, Bobby opened the door, "Please, come inside."
Stephanie entered Suki's house with Carlos, Jordan and Jeanne Ellen. "What the fuck is your problem?" Stephanie demanded. She shoved Bobby. Stephanie turned to Suki and said, "We're sorry to intrude, but Bobby's tracker placed him here."
"I have a gym in the basement. The door is off the kitchen in the back. You'll find clean yoga pants and shorts on the shelf in the washroom," Suki said.
Bobby ran upstairs to change into shorts. He hoped Stephanie would cool off before taking him to the mats. It was just wishful thinking. Bobby sensed Suki entering the bedroom. The door closed with a quiet snick. "I honestly wanted to help. We never asked each other for favours before," Bobby said when Suki wrapped her arms around his waist. Suki rested her cheek between Bobby's shoulder blades.
"You should have said that you'd ask but couldn't make any promises or guarantees," Suki suggested.
"I know that," Bobby said, sighing. "Stephanie's hormones are all over the place. They haven't returned to normal after the fertility injections." Bobby gently removed Suki's arms from around his waist. He turned in her arms to kiss her.
"Give it time, Bobby. Stephanie's been through a life-altering event," Suki reminded him. "It may take a few more years before her body adapts to the changes."
Bobby, closing his eyes, rested his forehead against hers. He breathed in Suki's scent to relax. Suki patiently waited for Bobby to open his eyes. "Thanks, honey," Bobby said. "I needed the hug."
"So does Stephanie," Suki said as she left the room. Suki contacted the lab to secure Jeanne Ellen's embryos. She wanted to ensure nobody moved them from storage. Suki learned Stephanie Jeanne Ellen got a copy of their files from the clinic and demanded they delete all digital copies.
Staring at the ceiling, Bobby silently prayed Suki was right. Would simply a hug fix the issue? Bobby shook his head and got dressed to face Stephanie. He didn't know what he'd do without Suki. They started dating after Stephanie got discharged from the hospital. Suki was the light to his darkness. She smoothed his rough edges. He loved her more than his own life.
Bobby suspected Stephanie knew about the relationship, but she never said anything. He cautiously approached Stephanie, then pulled her into a hug. At first, Stephanie felt stiff in his arms. It took a minute for her to relax. Bobby rubbed Stephanie's back as she cried.
Stephanie snaked her arms around Bobby's waist and buried her face into his chest. She hated people seeing her cry.
"Lo siento," Bobby whispered. "Tell me what happened." Bobby held Stephanie as she shared the problems with Dr. Struthers. He gently pushed her away to look into her eyes. "Steph, she got her percentages backwards. Suki knows the risks involved with multiples. Everything will work out. You'll see."
~~~~~
Trisha Struthers checked her appointment calendar before logging off her computer. She furrowed her brows when Jeanne Ellen wasn't scheduled. The issue needed to get resolved before she could go home. Furious, she stomped to the receptionist's desk to demand what happened. It wasn't the first time Melody forgot to arrange appointments.
"Why didn't you schedule Jeanne Ellen's appointment?" Dr. Struthers stood with one hand on her hip.
"Mrs. Burrows?" Melody asked.
"Yes," Trisha replied. She tapped her toe on the floor, impatiently waiting for Melody to answer her question.
Melody didn't know how to explain that another patient left the clinic. She suspected Dr. Struthers neglected to tell the expectant mother important information regarding the pregnancy or babies. Taking a deep breath, Melody said, "Mrs. Burrows and Mr. Manoso requested their files. I don't have anything on my system."
"What do you mean?" Dr. Struthers demanded.
"They have the digital and paper records of everything carrying their names," Melody explained. "I moved everything to flash drives Mr. Manoso provided. Mr. Burrows took the printed copies."
Trisha's lips thinned. She still had the files backed up to her offsite server. Glancing back at her computer, Melody said, "The backup of their file got deleted."
"Undo it, now!" Trisha demanded.
"No," Melody said. "It's within their rights to have every copy of their file. I removed their details from the past three backups. The offline sever doesn't keep more." Melody knew Dr. Struthers would fire her and didn't care. None of the doctors taking over the patient's case ever contacted Dr. Struthers for the records. They either received a copy from the patient or started from scratch.
Dr. Struthers was good at her job, but it gave her a God complex. She believed her skills were superior to any other doctor. "Reschedule the other appointments on Wednesday through Friday. I'm attending the medical conference in Austin," Trisha said.
"Sure," Melody replied. It was a last minute change in the schedule, but Melody knew Dr. Struthers was narcissistic. Whenever something didn't go her way, she'd bolt. Melody shook her head as she emailed and sent text messages to the patients with the updates to their appointments. As usual, Melody told the patients that Dr. Struthers had an out of town emergency to handle.
Melody had enough of the doctor's bullshit practice ideals. She typed out a letter of resignation, then sent a message to Rangeman for the medical assistant job Mr. Manoso mentioned. Melody left the letter on her desk, then packed up for the day. Smiling, she removed the key from her keychain, placing it on her resignation letter. With a final wave, Melody left the clinic for the last time.
Doctor Trisha Struthers had no idea what would happen next.