Chapter 64

Controver sy

Pregnant women often feel like their lives aren't their own, especially in the early stages of pregnancy.

The afternoon was crazy clear, and Emily and Melissa were cruising to the prenatal hospital, chatting the whole way. They got there pretty quickly.just in time for the appointment.

The obstetrics department was on the second floor. There were just too many people! Crowded everywhere, half were pregnant women and half were their family members.

Emily hadn't eaten anything because she needed to fast for the examination. Melissa took the examination slip from Emily's hand and began to queue up obediently. “Emily, you just sit here and wait for me.I'Il stand in line first. and when it's your turn, I'll call you. That way, you won't have to stand for too long. I'm really afraid you'll faint."

Melissa felt a bit sorry for Emily. All the other pregnant women were plump,but why did it seem like Emily had lost some weight since getting pregnant? Aside from her slightly larger belly, her arms and legs were still thin and felt quite bony to the touch.

"Okay. I'll just sit here." Emily replied like an obedient quail.

Emily had woken up too early that morning, so she was feeling quite sleepy. In the waiting area, she leaned back in her chair and started to doze off.

Suddenly.her phone rang, jolting her awake. It was Marlon calling,which surprised her because she thought it might be Patrick.

When she answered. Marlon heard the background noise and guessed she was at the hospital. He got all worried and asked. "Emily. what's going on?Are you okay?"

Emily instinctively covered the receiver for a moment, then felt as if he were guilty of a crime, so he could only close his eyes and lie, "Mr. Hughes.

I'm fine. Just here for a check-up because of a stomach issue. Is there something going on?"

Marlon relaxed a bit but still asked, "Which hospital are you at? I'll come get you later."

Emily replied, "No need, Mr. Hughes. I'm with a friend. But thanks for the offer."

Soon, Melissa's call came in. Emily hurriedly said. "I'll call you back later,"and quickly hung up the phone.

Seeing the dark screen, Marlon wasn't sure if he had just heard “Obstetrics Clinic 2" or "Gynecology Clinic 2." In any case, he was quite certain that the mechanical voice hadn't mentioned “Gastroenterology.”

Entering the consultation room, Emily began to undress as usual. The doctor glanced up at her. "It's you again, young lady? Did you come alone today?”

"No. I'm with my friend." Emily lay back nervously.

The doctor gently touched her belly. "The baby is developing well, but it seems your nutrition might be a bit lacking. You need to eat more meat and high-protein foods. Also, you're toothin; you should eat more foods rich in hormones. Absolutely don't try to lose weight, okay?”

Emily quickly nodded.

"It's best if you bring your husband next time. Around four months, the baby will start to interact with the parents. At that time, the hospital will have free prenatal education courses and such; you can bring your husband along."

Emily responded vaguely, just wanting to leave quickly. As long as the baby was fine, she didn't want to discuss anything about Patrick with anyone.

At that moment, her phone rang again.

"Hello? Emily? Are you sure you don't want me to come keep you company?" Marlon said.clearly worried.

"No need, Mr.Hughes. Sorry, they called my number, I have to hang up now.”Emily hung up the phone and sighed. 'Marlon's enthusiasm sometimes really overwhelmed me.'

"Emily, please enter the first consultation room for examination," the nurse called out. Emily got up and told Melissa, "Wait here for me. There are a lot of procedures. and I don't want you to get too tired." She walked into the consultation room, noticing how exhausted the doctors looked from seeing so many patients.

As she sat down, the older female doctor asked, "What brings you in today?"

Emily replied, "Prenatal check-up. It's my first time here. I came for a check-up last time, and the doctor suggested I come back to set up a medical record."

The doctor then asked, "How old are you? When was your last menstrual period? Do you have any family history/of illnesses or any other medical

conditions?"

Emily answered. "I'm 24. I can't remember my last period. No family history or other illnesses."

The doctor nodded and signaled the assistant to enter the info into the system.

The assistant typed away, entering all the details. When it came to the emergency contact info, the doctor's gaze fell on Emily, who remained motionless. Feeling a bit awkward, she nervously tapped her fingers together, wondering to herself. 'Should I put down Patrick's number?' She asked the doctor softly, "Can I leave a friend's number?"

The older doctor looked at her and said, "Sure, as long as someone can be reached in an emergency. You can leave two numbers if you want." They were used to seeing young women in all sorts of situations, so they didn't judge.

They heard the printer whirring and saw a stack of papers coming out.The doctor's assistant quickly marked them up and handed them to Emily.Each test, the floor, and the time were cleary noted. Emily felt a warm,fuzzy feeling from this thoughtful gesture. The vibe was way better now compared to the tired scene when she first walked in.

With a thick stack of forms in hand, she left the room and saw Melissa almost dozing off. She hurried over, got Melissa, paid the fees, and started on the tests. There were quite a few to get through today. Emily flipped through the forms and saw the one she dreaded most - the blood draw.

Blood draws were pretty standard, but they freaked Emily out. She clung to Melissa's arm, and it was obvious how scared she was. Even Melissa felt bad for her and held her hand tighter.

First up was the blood test. Knowing the wait for results would be long and that Emily was scared of blood. Melissa tried to pep her up. "If you want this baby, you gotta face these challenges. You never know what else is coming. Be ready, cause pain is part of the deal."

Trying to be brave. Emily joked. "Melissa. I can do it; you need to believe in me."

Melissa took Emily to the blood draw window and had her sit down.Then she leaned over to the nurse and whispered. "Could you be gentle?My friend faints at the sight of blood. Thanks!"

"Raise your right hand. place it here, and give me the form," the nurse instructed. Emily slowly raised her hand, trembling, placed it where the nurse indicated. and then shut her eyes tight. burying her head in Melissa's arms.

Having someone there made the fear fade. Emily, who was terrified of blood, felt less scared with Melissa by her side. Then she heard Melissa's encouraging voice, "You're actually braver than I thought. I remember back in college, every time you had to get blood drawn, you would spend a long time mentally preparing yourself."

After conquering the first big hurdle, everything else was a breeze for Emily. They navigated through the crowd, hit up the exam rooms,and knocked out almost everything in no time. The highlight for Emily was the final ultrasound, the moment she'd see her baby for the first time!Emily felt a sense of anticipation to meet her child sooner.