Their Double Blessing

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Patricia lay in the hospital feeling groggy. Everything had gone by so fast. One moment she was working and the next being rushed into an ambulance. The pain had gotten to the point where she was given strong drugs to counteract it. They asked her a bunch of questions in between that were impossible to remember now. It was all a hazy nightmare she wanted to forget. Whatever caused this had to be serious and a source of concern. Leave it to her bad luck to be hit with some kind of illness after finding George and considering a life together.

Not knowing was the worst part. She’d lived a healthy life and had regular check-ups. There was nothing coming to mind as the source of this new predicament. Could it have been stress? With recent events of her sister becoming engaged to a notorious conman and staying busy with work plus activism, it was tempting to nail that as the source. But that didn’t feel like the heart of the matter.

“Miss Williams, you’re awake.” A nurse peeked in the room. The woman was blonde and stout with a warm smile. “The doctor will be with you soon. That was quite a scare yesterday. Let’s hope that there won’t be more anytime soon. I can’t imagine how scary it was in your condition.” The nurse left without further explanation. What did she mean by ‘condition’.

Worst case scenarios raced through her head. Could there be a terminal illness looming on the horizon? A diagnosis that made it impossible for her to carry on life as she knew it? The thought of becoming a burden to her loved ones was terrifying. Those who cared would be there, but she never wanted to be dependent on others at that level. Used to independence, such a life would be soul crushing. Plus what would George say to returning to such terrible news? If there was anything to break a budding romance it was a bad medical diagnosis.

“Patricia, I see that you’re awake. The drugs will still be working through your system. We have to be careful since no one realized the state you were in at admittance,” a doctor said as he walked in. He had chocolate skin and stern eyes. “I’m Doctor Wharton and hopefully we can have a short talk about what happened. According to your colleagues, you called for emergency assistance after having sudden pain in your midsection. Did you injure yourself in any way recently? Any strenuous activity that might have aggravated anything?”

“No, everything was business as usual.” Patricia turned to face the doctor. She’d tried to sit up but her head swooned. The sooner she was well enough to go home the better. Plus, she was struggling not to blush when that night with George came to mind. No way was her body that out of practice. Not that it was anyone’s business. “I want you to give it to me straight doctor. I’m not a shrinking violet so don’t hold back a terrible diagnosis. Does this pain mean I’m dying or have some sort of debilitating illness? Just tell me the truth.”

The doctor looked shocked at the suggestion. He placed down his clipboard and took her hand. His eyes became kind as he stroked it. “You’re not ill, I promise there’s no awful source to this pain. In fact I think this might be a source for celebration. There were a few rumors about our resident activist getting back out there. I guess they were true.”

The nurse giggled as if keeping some kind of secret. It was grating having these medical professionals acting as if they were on the set of a reality show. No one was waiting for the news besides herself. There was no reason to delay what was going on and get it over with.

“Patricia, you’re pregnant,” Dr. Wharton revealed. “I have your medical history and know that miscarriages have been an unfortunate experience in the past. The pains were from strain. Your uterus as you know takes more strain when going through a pregnancy. Five times for the average woman, eight when working as you do currently. Congratulations, I hope recovery for both you and the child goes smoothly. Aside from this sudden hospitalization.”

Patricia was dumbfounded. What the doctor said didn’t compute. She was pregnant? No, that wasn’t possible. All precautions were taken. Had something burst? Did they do more than what was supposed to happen? She doubted this was a random act of God. No one in their right mind would try to make her a modern day Virgin Mary. “I had no idea.”

“We realized after running tests. If you knew that would be the first thing to mention to the ambulance crew. Having a child can be both terrifying and exciting. Know that we’re here to help ease along the process medically, personally too if need be.” The nurse smiled.

Dr. Wharton grasped her hand. “I won’t lie to you, this will be risky due to your medical history. So I’m going to ask but you can answer later. Do you want to carry the pregnancy to term?” The question hung in the air. Her body might not be able to go through with this. Worse, she knew that doing this was going to be a risk to her life. After the last miscarriage she was advised to consider adoption over making another attempt at getting pregnant. The memory of how the adoption process treated her was a bitter one she tried to avoid.

“I want to keep the baby. If things go sideways I’ll be here immediately to see what can be done,” Patricia decided. At the end of the day she wanted this baby more than anything. Even George. A child was her dream and this was a chance to make that come true.

“Great, then we’ll be taking every precaution. Including immediate leave from work. No buts; if it were possible you would be kept here for the entirety of this pregnancy,” Dr. Wharton said. “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you, Patricia. The community needs you.”

Patricia blinked back tears. She was touched by what he said. This place was a caring city and she loved living there every day. Even the bad ones, which didn’t compare to time with her ex-husbands. “Thank you, I want this go well too. If work needs to take a back seat, so be it. I’m determined to carry it to term. I truly think this is my only chance at a baby.”