things.
“I told them to go to the ER because Quinn might need some fluids if she’s been throwing up. And it certainly won’t hurt to have the doctor look her over just to confirm everything is okay.”
When it came to emergencies, Brandon was the calm one. He was always the one to pull me back down to earth when I was ready to shoot off to Crazyville. Right now, I was ready to book a one-way ticket there.
12
Brandon
R yan’s leg didn’t stop bouncing the entire car ride from Lake Geneva to the hospital. He asked me a hundred different questions; it reminded me of being in medical school all over again. Even though I was trying to talk Ryan off the ledge by making jokes, I went through the list of possible conditions in my head. I’d seen a wide variety of things in my practice. Some of them amazing—like a woman finally conceiving after years of trying—and some of them heartbreaking—like a woman delivering a stillborn child. It was all part of the profession. As difficult as those tragic moments were, I was still the person on the outside. Now I was the father; it was my child this was happening to.
We parked the car in the lot, and I had to hold Ryan back from running into the ER. We checked in with the nurse, and she led us back to the room to see Quinn and Ray.
When we walked into the triage room, Ray was holding a basin for Quinn to vomit into. She was as white as the sheets tucked around her. Ryan hurried to the opposite side of the bed and helped Ray lay Quinn back down. Ray put the basin on the counter and went back to hold his wife’s hand.
“Quinn, how are you feeling?” I asked, standing next to Ray.
“How does she look? She’s a hot mess,” Ryan barked, stroking Quinn’s forehead and hair.
“Has the doctor seen her yet?” I wanted to talk to the doctor and check her chart at the nurse’s station.
“She came down just a short while ago. They gave me something to try to stop the vomiting and some pain medication, but so far it’s not working. My blood pressure is high, and they took some blood for some more tests,” Quinn said.
“What about the baby?” I asked.
“All of the baby’s stats look fine; it’s what’s happening to Quinn that has them concerned,” Ray said, rubbing Quinn’s arm.
I looked at the monitor Quinn was hooked up to and noticed her blood pressure numbers. My first thought was preeclampsia, but I wasn’t sure about the pain she was experiencing in her abdomen. My mind went down the list of possibilities: gallbladder, food posing, liver? None of it would be answered until the blood work came back.
“Quinn, can I look at your legs and feet?”
She nodded as Ryan continued to stroke her hair. I pulled at the bottom of the sheet to reveal her leg.
“Holy shit,” Ryan said, gawking a Quinn’s leg. I shot him a look, letting him know not to freak Quinn out. As I suspected, her high blood pressure had made Quinn’s legs and feet abnormally swollen.
“Did the doctor give you any indication of what she thought it could be?” I turned my attention back to Ray.
“She thought maybe it was her gallbladder or preeclampsia, but she can’t confirm anything until the test results come back. In the meantime, she gave the nurse instructions to give her some medicine to make her more comfortable.”
“Quinn, I’m going to look at your belly really quick, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, wincing and blowing out a harsh breath.
I pulled the sheet away and lifted the hospital gown. The swell of Quinn’s belly reminded me that this wasn’t just any patient. It was my daughter who was nestled safely within Quinn’s body, and I was anxious that there could be something wrong with her or with Quinn. I placed my hand on the bump and was surprised when Ryan placed his hand on top mine. I looked at him, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. I mouthed the words “I love you,” and he nodded, understanding. He let go so I could continue my examination.
I
“I told them to go to the ER because Quinn might need some fluids if she’s been throwing up. And it certainly won’t hurt to have the doctor look her over just to confirm everything is okay.”
When it came to emergencies, Brandon was the calm one. He was always the one to pull me back down to earth when I was ready to shoot off to Crazyville. Right now, I was ready to book a one-way ticket there.
12
Brandon
R yan’s leg didn’t stop bouncing the entire car ride from Lake Geneva to the hospital. He asked me a hundred different questions; it reminded me of being in medical school all over again. Even though I was trying to talk Ryan off the ledge by making jokes, I went through the list of possible conditions in my head. I’d seen a wide variety of things in my practice. Some of them amazing—like a woman finally conceiving after years of trying—and some of them heartbreaking—like a woman delivering a stillborn child. It was all part of the profession. As difficult as those tragic moments were, I was still the person on the outside. Now I was the father; it was my child this was happening to.
We parked the car in the lot, and I had to hold Ryan back from running into the ER. We checked in with the nurse, and she led us back to the room to see Quinn and Ray.
When we walked into the triage room, Ray was holding a basin for Quinn to vomit into. She was as white as the sheets tucked around her. Ryan hurried to the opposite side of the bed and helped Ray lay Quinn back down. Ray put the basin on the counter and went back to hold his wife’s hand.
“Quinn, how are you feeling?” I asked, standing next to Ray.
“How does she look? She’s a hot mess,” Ryan barked, stroking Quinn’s forehead and hair.
“Has the doctor seen her yet?” I wanted to talk to the doctor and check her chart at the nurse’s station.
“She came down just a short while ago. They gave me something to try to stop the vomiting and some pain medication, but so far it’s not working. My blood pressure is high, and they took some blood for some more tests,” Quinn said.
“What about the baby?” I asked.
“All of the baby’s stats look fine; it’s what’s happening to Quinn that has them concerned,” Ray said, rubbing Quinn’s arm.
I looked at the monitor Quinn was hooked up to and noticed her blood pressure numbers. My first thought was preeclampsia, but I wasn’t sure about the pain she was experiencing in her abdomen. My mind went down the list of possibilities: gallbladder, food posing, liver? None of it would be answered until the blood work came back.
“Quinn, can I look at your legs and feet?”
She nodded as Ryan continued to stroke her hair. I pulled at the bottom of the sheet to reveal her leg.
“Holy shit,” Ryan said, gawking a Quinn’s leg. I shot him a look, letting him know not to freak Quinn out. As I suspected, her high blood pressure had made Quinn’s legs and feet abnormally swollen.
“Did the doctor give you any indication of what she thought it could be?” I turned my attention back to Ray.
“She thought maybe it was her gallbladder or preeclampsia, but she can’t confirm anything until the test results come back. In the meantime, she gave the nurse instructions to give her some medicine to make her more comfortable.”
“Quinn, I’m going to look at your belly really quick, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, wincing and blowing out a harsh breath.
I pulled the sheet away and lifted the hospital gown. The swell of Quinn’s belly reminded me that this wasn’t just any patient. It was my daughter who was nestled safely within Quinn’s body, and I was anxious that there could be something wrong with her or with Quinn. I placed my hand on the bump and was surprised when Ryan placed his hand on top mine. I looked at him, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. I mouthed the words “I love you,” and he nodded, understanding. He let go so I could continue my examination.
I
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