Chapter One-2
969 Words
Dr. Michelakis had a moustache to rival Yosemite Sam, and deep brown eyes which expressed a lot of sympathy. He tugged on one of the face caterpillars and leaned forward.
“What’s the problem?” he asked, in his thick Greek accent.
Adalia leaned back in the plastic chair at the front of his desk and laid her hands over her belly. “I’ve got a tummy bug or something. I keep throwing up and I feel a bit sweaty and weak.”
The good doctor squeaked back in his chair and studied her, gaze sweeping over her belly and then to Trent.
“Alright. We take urine and blood sample, then we check to see the problem.”
“How long will it take until we know what’s wrong?” Trent asked, grasping Adalia’s knee and running his thumb along the outside of her thigh.
“Maybe hour or two. Our lab is empty of samples now, so should go very, very quickly.” Dr. Michelakis rose and walked to the door. He opened it and shouted something in Greek, then walked back to his desk. “Nurse is coming now to take your blood sample.” He slapped a plastic receptacle onto the table and smiled at Adalia. “You make a pee in this one now.”
What a charmer. She nodded to him and snatched up the plastic container, then hurried out of the room and to the restroom across the hall. Five minutes later, she was back in his office with a vial of yellow fluid. A nurse was waiting, holding a needle and a syringe.
“Is this really necessary?” she asked. “It’s just the flu or stomach bug.”
“Just let the nurse do what she has to do, Adalia,” Trent advised.
She shot him a venomous look. He wasn’t the one who had to get holes poked in him by a trigger happy Greek nurse with a nose that could’ve climbed trees.
The bloodletting was done in another fifteen minutes and Adalia settled in to wait. They’d decided to hang around in the doctor’s office. Actually, Trent had decided they weren’t going anywhere until they knew what was wrong with her and how to fix it.
“You’re blowing this out of proportion,” she grunted. “So what if I have food poisoning? I’ll throw up a couple times and stay in bed for a day or two. It’s not a big deal.”
“Of course it’s a big deal,” he snapped, “I want you to enjoy our honeymoon, not be confined to the bedroom. At least not under this pretext. God, Adalia. Don’t you care about your own health?”
“Don’t start on me, I’m not in the mood,” she said.
The office was empty. The doctor had popped out to catch a quick lunch. Apparently, things moved slowly in Santorini, and his afternoon was clear except for the blood and urine tests.
She grabbed the bottle of water Trent had bought for her and unscrewed the cap. She swigged a few gulps then pulled a face at the resurgence of nausea.
“What is it? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Are you going to throw up again?” he rattled off the questions in rapid succession.
“Oh my God!” Adalia slammed the bottle onto the table top. “Would you f*****g relax? You’re starting to get on my nerves now.”
“I’m just looking out for you,” he said, his tone turning sullen. He looked out the window and silence fell between them.
Oh well, it was better than constant questions and concerns. She’d never seen him this way before. He was terrified for her safety, yet there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Trent had revealed a different side to himself, a more vulnerable side. Maybe if she hadn’t been about to toss her cookies all over the desk, she would have found it endearing.
The door cracked open behind them and Trent straightened and turned. Adalia stared dead ahead, seething for God alone knew what reason. Because Trent cared enough to rush her to a doctor? That was a good trait, so why did it piss her off this much?
“Ah good, you still here.” Dr. Michelakis entered and bustled to his desk, carrying a brown folder and a moustache coated in bread crumbs. He took a seat and brushed the remains of his lunch away from his lips.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Trent asked, before Adalia could say a word.
“Yes, what’s wrong with me?” Adalia followed up, casting another expression of irritation at her husband. What a way to spend their first day as a married couple.
“Is very simple. I look at the urine sample first and find out the result, but want to confirm with blood test.” The doctor opened the file and slid two pieces of paper onto his desk. He positioned his elbows on the wood surface, balled up his fists and pressed them into his cheeks while studying the results.
“And that means what?” Adalia tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted to get home and nap as soon as possible.
“It means what I suspected. You are going to have a baby.” He spread his arms wide, then made a cradle and rocked it from side to side. “Congratulations. Such a lovely surprise.”
“What?!” Adalia spat. “You’re kidding, right? I’m pregnant? I’m getting sick because I’m pregnant. Is this some kind of joke?”
“No joke. You no worry, this is good news for you. Good news about little baby.” Dr. Michelakis stood and gestured to the door.
Adalia couldn’t bring herself to stand. “I’m pregnant.”
“Yes, now have good afternoon. You take the vitamins.” He scratched out a prescription on a piece of paper and handed it to Trent. He accepted it, expression completely blank.
Adalia’s mind was a mess of emotions and thoughts. How was this possible?
She didn’t look at Trent all the way to the d**g store. They got back to the hotel and she walked into the bedroom and closed the door, then climbed right into bed, gripping her stomach.
- Writer
