Subplot (Pregnant) - Not in order...
Subplot
Mary/John
Pregnancy
Mary could simply not shake this bug. It was a week and she felt like death warmed over. She and John were still debating the best way to deal the whole wedding thing. Mary was not opposed to going to the Justice of the Peace and say their “I Do’s” with him, but John wanted something more formal.
Formalities didn’t matter much to Mary. Her parents were dead five years now, and she put John off that long. He finally convinced her to sell the house and most of the things it held. Mary insisted on keeping various items in storage, because even though she gave up the life of a hunter when she nearly lost John in ‘73, she wasn’t ready to give up all her father worked for.
The waiting room of the doctor’s office was cold, as usual. She hated going to the doctor. Sick people, sick children, and that smell of sanitary conditions just didn’t sit well with her. Mary’s stomach protested the smell of anti-bacterial cleansers and the bad coffee the receptionist was drinking. Her sense of smell was never this pronounced, but it seemed like the stomach bug she caught made her smell everything from her neighbor poaching fish to the chocolate chip cookies from the bakery down the street.
“Mary Campbell,” the nurse in the white outfit announced. Her shoes squeaked against the tile floor. Mary got up from her chair and put down the People magazine she was pretending to read. She walked over to the entry door toward the nurse. Mary choked out a small smile, and followed the nurse into the area of rooms.
“You’ll be in room three,” the nurse commented. “The doctor will be in shortly. Just make yourself comfortable.”
Mary walked into the cold room and sat down on the paper that covered what was supposed to be a bed in the room, but it was more like a vinyl bench. She looked around the room covered with posters of the skeletal anatomy, and one of the sinus cavity. She was used to seeing bodies, but never really paid attention to the technical aspects of the human machine. Sometimes she found it interesting, but today it simply made her nauseous.
Mary heard a slight knock on the door. It opened slowly, and another nurse walked in with a manila file.
“Mary?” the older woman asked. She must have been in her mid-50’s, and looked like she spent more than her share of time around sick people. Mary conjured up another smile, and nodded to the nurse.
“Hi there,” she drawled, “I’m Gladys, Dr. Wallace’s nurse. I’m here to take your temperature and vital signs, ok?”
Mary nodded, as if she had any other choice in the matter. Gladys fit the blood pressure cuff around Mary’s upper left arm, and pumped the air through the tubing. Mary felt the cuff get tighter around her bicep, when the nurse let out the air. The hissing sound reminded her of the sizzling of a vampire when it is exposed to silver on its skin. Mary closed her eyes, and tried to get the image out of her head. She swallowed hard.
“Put this under your tongue,” the nurse asked. She gave Mary a thermometer with a plastic paper protector. It made Mary gag some, but she was able to keep it in her mouth for the prescribed three minutes.
“OK, you’re just at 99.1. No real fever. We’re going to draw some blood for you just to make sure everything is ok on the inside,” the nurse smiled. “When we’re done, I’d like you to take this,” she handed Mary a small cup, “and give us a nice urine sample. The ladies room is just down the hall to the left.”
When the she finished, Mary gave the cup to the nurse and was instructed to go back into the examination room to wait for the doctor. The nurse was nice enough to allow her to grab a couple of magazines to keep her occupied. She knew it would be a few minutes.
Mary flipped through an old copy of Time Magazine. It was the most reasonable magazine the doctor had, besides Good Housekeeping, and she certainly was not interested in that topic. As she was finishing the story about the coverage of the anniversary of the Tet Offensive, the door creaked once again. This time a man with grey hair and glasses walked through the arch.
“Hi there Mary,” he greeted, “I’m Doctor Wallace.”
“Hi,” Mary said weakly.
“It seems that you’ve been a bit under the weather lately,” the doctor commented.
“Yeah, I can’t seem to shake this bug that’s been going around.” Mary replied frankly.
“Well, we know that there have been several folks sick recently, but it doesn’t look like you’ve got a stomach virus.” The doctor took out a pad and pen from his jacket pocket. He began writing on the pad, “What I’m doing is writing you a prescription for vitamins.”
“Vitamins?” Mary asked, “If I’m not sick, why do I need vitamins? And why do I need a prescription? Can’t I just get some One-A-Day from the drugstore?”
“Usually I would encourage everyone to take a daily multivitamin, but in this case you need a few more necessary nutrients.” The doctor smiled, and ripped off the top page from the prescription pad.
“Now, before I give you this I want to talk with you about something.” Mary began to get nervous. What was this all about? “I know your parents have been gone for some time, and you haven’t settled down quite yet,” he began, “so I want to make sure that you’re fully prepared for this information, so you can make the best decision for you.”
Mary was really nervous now. The doctor had a look of seriousness, but it didn’t seem like he was concerned like she had cancer or something. The doctor took a step toward Mary and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
“Mary, I’m not sure if this is good news for you or not, but the tests show you are pregnant.”
Mary’s stomach dropped. At first the level of excitement was evident, but it quickly left. She wanted children, but she knew there was going to be a price to pay. She hid the concern and smiled to the doctor.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I appreciate knowing that I don’t have cancer.” She smiled at the doctor. He handed the prescription paper to her.
“You can get this filled downstairs after the nurse checks you out,” he mentioned. If you have any questions I have a list of doctors that you may want to reach out to. Prenatal care is very important, so here are some pamphlets, and information for you. There are several books on the subject, and I’m sure you know your many options.” The doctor patted Mary’s shoulder and smiled.
* * * *
Mary walked into the apartment and put her purse and bag from the drugstore on the small kitchen table. She knew John was home from the sound of the shower in the background. She walked into the living room and sat on the couch situated toward the center of the room. She noticed that she neglected the vacuuming, and needed to clean off the coffee table.
She heard the shower switch off, and knew John would be out soon. She sat quietly waiting to tell him the news, knowing that they were going to have to make the toughest decision of their lives tonight, and have to stay strong for the next nine months, to keep Mary and the baby safe and off the radar.