Everything I Need

66

I finally graduated from The Art Institute of San Antonio and the University of West Alabama. The day before graduation was Lauren's doctor's appointment which didn't go that well. Her blood pressure was up and Dr. Walsh was concerned about the swelling of her legs and feet too so she put Lauren on bed rest until her next two week appointment which is actually today. With her being on bed rest, she was not able to finish out the school year teaching and had to take an early maternity leave per doctor's orders.

Lauren had asked Dr. Walsh if she would at least be able to go to my graduation because it was super important and she really did not want to miss it. Dr. Walsh agreed that Lauren could go to my graduation then she had to immediately return to resting which meant the celebratory graduation dinner afterwards was a no go. Aunt Mary had already planned for us to all go out for dinner at Olive Garden but she understood the situation with Lauren. Since we couldn't go out to eat, my aunt placed a to-go order at Olive Garden, picked it up and brought it to our house so we still had a celebratory dinner. It was just a little different than planned which was fine with me as long as my wife was okay and able to rest.

Lauren had also gained more weight and needed bigger maternity clothes which she hated. Like I told her though, she's carrying twins so she will gain more weight than in a single pregnancy. Of course she knew that already but she was still concerned with the excessive weight gain and how hard it might be for her to lose the extra pounds after the babies are born. I reassured her that it didn't matter if she lost the extra weight, as long as our babies were healthy and she was healthy that was what mattered and that her weight would never falter my love for her.

While my very pregnant wife has been on bed rest, I have been sending my resume out to a lot of different places. I have sent my resume to advertising agencies, graphic design studios, schools, and youth centers. Hopefully over the next month or two I will hear something back from at least one. My wife had told me there was no hurry for me to find a job but I want to work. I want to help provide for our family but my main focus right now though is Lauren and our babies. She has been so miserable and her legs and feet are staying swollen. I massage her legs and feet everyday, multiple times to try and help her feel a little better.

We made it to the clinic for Lauren's 34 week appointment with about five minutes to spare. Lauren was not feeling that good and was moving a little slower so we ran a few minutes late leaving our house. She prefers to be at least 15 minutes early for appointments but it just wasn't happening today. As soon as we get inside, I have Lauren sit down and I go to reception and sign her in. Once I've signed my wife in, I sit beside her and she quickly grabs my hand to hold and lays her head against my shoulder. I kiss the top of her head and whisper "I love you."

Lauren raises her head and looks at me with a smile on her face. She pecks my lips and says "I love you too. I will never get tired of hearing you say those three words to me." I smile at Lauren but before I can respond, her name is called so I help her up and we make our way to the back. The nurse hands Lauren a specimen cup and tells her to step into the restroom to do a urine sample. Once she is done, the nurse places us in an exam room. I help Lauren up onto the exam table then the nurse checks her vitals. As soon as she is finished, she doesn't even excuse herself, she just quickly leaves the room.

Dr. Walsh knocks shortly after and enters the room with a concerned look on her face. "Ladies, good to see you both. Lauren, have you been on bed rest like I had recommended?"

Lauren answers quickly and says "yes except for Kyler's graduation." I confirm that also because she has been in bed except when needing to use the bathroom and get a shower. I've even been bringing her meals to her in bed.

Dr. Walsh listens to Lauren's breathing then checks her legs for the swelling in them. "Lauren... it appears that you have pre-eclampsia. Your blood pressure is way too high and a lot higher than your last visit. Also the protein level in your urine is high, higher than it should be. When I'm finished, I'm going to have the nurse come in and draw some blood so I can check your kidney and liver functions. I'm admitting you to the hospital for observation and so we can get your blood pressure down and keep an eye on everything." Dr. Walsh explains and Lauren looks at me with a scared look in her eyes.

I grab Lauren's hand as I stand up then kiss her forehead. "I will be right there with you, baby." I whisper to my wife. She squeezes my hand and nods her head and it's like she cannot even form any words at the moment.

"Let's lay you back some so I can check the babies heartbeats while I'm waiting on the ultrasound room to become available then I will get the nurse for the blood work." Dr. Walsh says as she pulls the fetal Doppler from her coat pocket. She places gel on Lauren's stomach and moves the fetal Doppler around and we hear a fast and slow slow heartbeat. Dr. Walsh moves the Doppler around more and she has a concerned look on her face.

"Dr. Walsh, what's going on?" I ask because normally she is very talkative and smiling but not this time. She holds up a finger like she's telling me to wait or be quiet. Lauren squeezes my hand and I know she is worried too, I can see it in her eyes when I look at her.

Dr. Walsh listens a few seconds longer then turns the fetal Doppler off. She presses the button that calls the nurse to the exam room. As soon as the nurse opens the door, Dr. Walsh says "call over to the hospital and have them get an OB room ready right away and have them put the portable ultrasound machine in the room. Send another nurse down here for the blood work and make sure they bring a wheelchair." The nurse nods and closes the door.

Dr. Walsh turns back to us, "okay Lauren, a nurse is going to draw your blood and I'm having a rush put on it to check your levels. Then, I'm getting you over to the hospital to get the ultrasound done. I'm a little worried with the pre-eclampsia and the babies heartbeats. I need to make sure nothing is wrong."