Once he was dressed and walking to the bedroom door, he got a text from John.
We’re prepping your patient for surgery, more bleeding.
Robert texted:
I’m on the way.
Debbie was sitting at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee, reading the news on her tablet. “Robert, what are you doing up?”
“My patient’s in bad shape—more surgery, I’m afraid.”
“Can’t someone—”
“Debbie, something is wrong with Gini. She wouldn’t let me touch her this morning. I’m… I’m afraid I might have hurt her in our lovemaking earlier. Please, will you check her out and let me know?” The whole time he talked he was gathering his bag and coat.
“I will. Was she crying?”
“No, I don’t think she was fully awake. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Robert, I doubt that you hurt her.”
“I don’t know, sometimes we get a little crazy.” He patted her on the arm and then flew out the door.
It was almost ten o’clock, and Gini was still sleeping. Debbie kept going in the room and checking on her, but she seemed to be peaceful, and Debbie knew she had been awake some of the night, so she didn’t disturb her.
Debbie got a text from Robert asking about Gini. She reassured him Gini was fine. Maybe she’d had a bad dream. He said the surgery had been delayed until they could stabilize the patient, but they were about to start, and he’d probably be out of touch for a while.
A few minutes later, Gini started moving on the bed.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Debbie said.
“No, be… uff, seepy… head, be… uff, tire.”
“I know, baby. I’m glad you got to be awake with Robert for a while.”
“Be… uff, luf… mae—” The word was lost in her yawn.
Debbie reached over to rub Gini’s arm. Gini immediately curled up into a ball. “No, be… uff… tuss.”
“Baby, what is it? Are you not feeling well?”
“No, be… uff… tuss. Be… uff, goo.” She raised her voice at the end in an attempt to indicate nothing was wrong, but she would not let Debbie get near her.
Debbie’s visual assessment was Gini didn’t seem to be sick, and she wasn’t crying so she probably wasn’t hurt or scared, but she had no idea why Gini didn’t want to be touched.
“Okay, so let’s get you up and get some food in your tummy.”
“No, be… uff.” Gini burst into tears. “Bay… be, be… uff, tummy. Bay… be, gill, be… uff, tummy. Rob… ber, bay… be, Jess… eeca.”
“Gini, are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?”
“Oh… yes,” Gini said through her tears. “Rob… ber, say, Guiney, no, have, bay… be. Be… uff, bad. Dee… bee, bay… be, no, be… uff, bad.”
“Gini, you know I’m a nurse, right?”
Gini nodded her head on the pillow.
“So, can I check you to make sure the baby is okay?”
“Bay…be, be… uff, goo.” The words got lost in Gini’s whimpers, but she turned over on her back and straightened out.
Debbie went and got some latex gloves and checked Gini out, first pressing on her abdomen, then doing a pelvic exam. Gini was right, her uterus was enlarged. If she wasn’t pregnant, then definitely something was going on.
“Baby, when did you get pregnant?”
“Hooney… moon, night, two.”
Gini had only had a couple of periods since Debbie had known her. Normally, she’d question that Gini could conceive, but she had to remember Gini was pregnant with twins when she had her accident.
“Did you tell Robert about the baby?”
“Rob… ber, be… uff, mad. Rob… ber, no, wuan, bay… be, gill. No, wuan, Jess… eeca.”
“We don’t know that.” Since Robert had said nothing about Gini being pregnant, Debbie knew Gini had not told him of her suspicions.
“Do you use protection when you make love?”
“Oh… yes.” Gini was still sobbing. “Be… uff, rub… ber, con… dom.”
“I’m going to call Dr. Nelson and see if she can work you in today. It’s a good idea to be examined by a doctor just to make sure you and the baby are okay.”
“Bay… be, be… uff, goo.”
Dr. Nelson told them to come in around eleven-thirty, and since Gini was so upset, she had arranged for Maggie to be there, just in case there was a psychological issue.
It was obvious from Gini and Debbie’s conversations that at some point Robert had told Gini he would not want Gini to get pregnant because it was too dangerous. And she figured out that sometime between their lovemaking and when they woke up, Gini had physically felt her hardened uterus and knew Robert would be upset, so she didn’t want him to touch her and feel the bump.
When they arrived at Dr. Linda Nelson’s examining room, Maggie and John were also there. Linda checked Gini out, finding the same results as Debbie. She could hear the baby moving and a faint heartbeat with her stethoscope. She agreed with Gini that the conception date was the last week of October, exactly when they were on their honeymoon.
After further discussion with a tearful Gini, Maggie determined Gini had told Robert she had a baby in her tummy when they were in Mexico, and Robert, not fully understanding what she was saying, had told Gini she would never carry and deliver a child. It was just too risky for her. Gini had known from the day she was pregnant and hadn’t told anyone because she didn’t want Robert to be upset. When asked how long Gini thought she could hide her tummy, Gini got more hysterical, saying she hadn’t thought about how to hide it. Maggie and Debbie finally got Gini calmed down.
John went through all of Gini’s records since the accident. He felt Gini was as healthy as any other
