by Thornton, EJ
The doctor came in and examined her. He discussed all the tests they wanted to do immediately, such as a complete blood count and a urine analysis. Jeannie submitted begrudgingly. According to Pearl, she absolutely hated doctors and she hated tests.
Jeremi and Jeannie waited for the test results to come back in. They could talk all night, if they wanted to, but in this setting it was hard to keep the conversation going. He held her hand. I could tell that he was genuinely frightened for her. Henry whispered to him "You like taking care of her." And as if what Henry had said were his own thoughts, Jeremi nodded yes to himself.
The doctor came back in. "Well, Jeannie," he started, "your white count is normal, so infection is ruled out. We've also ruled out appendicitis."
They both sighed with relief.
"We still have to figure out what's causing the pain."
"They need to put 'Suspected Angel Intervention' on the form!" Pearl said proudly. We cracked up.
"So, we would like to send you down to ultrasound and see if we can determine what's causing this pain," the doctor finished.
Jeannie agreed. "Can my, my... friend come, too?"
"If he wants to. But you'll have to obey the technician about when you can be present and when to leave," the doctor said to Jeremi. They both nodded in agreement with the terms. We followed Jeremi as he followed Jeannie, as they wheeled her down to ultrasound.
The room was pretty dark, only peripheral light in the room. They all helped Jeannie on the table. The instruments provided a little bit more light when they were turned on. The technician took Jeannie's chart and read the doctor's instructions. It read "possible ectopic pregnancy." She realized that Jeannie and Jeremi watched her every move, so she put on a poker face and smiled. "Let's get started, shall we? Just lay back and relax, Jenny."
"Jeannie," Jeremi corrected her.
She referred back to the chart. "So it is. So sorry."
She focused the equipment on Jeannie's lower right quadrant, where the pain had been. She was meticulous and slow to cover every inch of that area, and she was determined to figure out what caused the pain. So she moved the instrument closer to the center of Jeannie's belly. A little white dot flashed up on the screen. She focused in closer. It looked like a little bee, with its wings beating furiously. She kept the equipment on it, moving a little to the left, then to the right, up above it and down below it.
"That's good," she said softly.
"What's good?" Jeannie and Jeremi asked together.
"It's right where it's supposed to be," she reassured Jeannie, who looked at the screen closer. Jeannie laid back down, closed her eyes tight and took a long, deep breath. Jeremi was still at a loss as to what it was, but Jeannie had had ultrasounds before--she could tell what she was seeing was her baby's heartbeat.
Jeremi got really concerned, especially since he was now the only one still in the dark as to what was going on.
"Jeannie?" He patted her hand to get her attention. "Baby, what's wrong?"
"Did the doctor tell you what he was sending you down here to test for?" the technician asked Jeannie.
"To find the source of the pain," Jeannie answered.
"On my notes, it asks me to rule out a tubal pregnancy. I'm so sorry that you found out this way. Are you going to be all right?" she asked, a little embarrassed.
"Jeannie," Jeremi insisted, "test for what? Find out what?"
"Move over here closer where you can see the screen," Jeannie told Jeremi. "See that little white fluttering thing on the screen?" He nodded yes, but still looked confused. "That's the baby's heart beating." He stared at the screen in disbelief, then his leg gave out, but he caught himself.
"Careful over there," the technician said.
Once he caught his balance, he stared hard at the screen and then he stared hard back at Jeannie.
"Evidently I'm pregnant," Jeannie said to Jeremi quite emotionless, very much in shock.
"But I --" Jeremi started, but I made a loud bang in the hallway outside the room to interupt him. The technician left the room to check on the noise.
Jeannie looked at Jeremi. I'm sure a million thoughts ran through that frightened head of hers. Jeremi looked back at her and said, "This is a trip!" He sat down nearby, still holding her hand. A million thoughts running through his head, too, which had to started with the fact that he truly believed he was unable to have children. He stepped up to the plate and was there for Jeannie, he was very supportive.
"Whatever that was, it's somebody else's problem now," the technician said on the way back in. She stayed at the foot of the bed. "Well, we're done here. Your baby is right where it belongs, whatever your pain is, it's something else. Let's send you back up to the doctor. I'll let him know I spilled the beans."
"How long?" asked Jeannie.
"Oh, probably just a couple of weeks along."
Jeremi looked up, startled. He knew for a fact that Jeannie had been faithful to him during that time frame. He tried to stand up, but was a little weak in the knees.
"Do you want a wheelchair, too?" the technician joked.
"Huh?" He missed the joke.
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked him again.
Shaking off his shock, he responded, "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just a little . . ." he struggled for words, "just a little . . . something, uh, something..."
"Most new dads are like that," she attempted to keep the humor going.
The words shocked him. He looked hard at her and tried to figure out if she indeed thought he was the father. The orderly came and wheeled Jeannie back up to the emergency room. Jeremi followed close behind physically, but a million miles away in his thoughts.
Back in the room, they were both very quiet, very much shocked by this news. Pearl let all of Jeannie's pain subside and even gave her "You feel great!" messages. They looked at each other.
Finally, he started, "But I was wearing--"
"I know, and I was using--"
"So how could--"
"God only knows," she finished.
"Sounds like an old married couple finishing each other's sentences," Henry chuckled and all the angels cracked up again.
The doctor came back in the room. They both looked at him accusingly.
"I understand you had some unexpected news down in ultrasound." They both nodded. "I'm sorry, I should have written better instructions to the tech." There was a silence, then he continued. "Well, the good news is that we ruled out an ectopic pregnancy as the source of your pain."
"The pain's gone," Jeannie said suddenly aware.
"It's gone?" The doctor looked over his glasses at her.
"Yeah. It's gone."
He went over to her and prodded and poked her side. She was fine.
"Well," he folded one arm and propped the other on it, then tapped his lip, deep in thought. "You're single?" He asked Jeannie. She nodded. "Then I'm going to need you to leave, sir." Jeremi was taken by surprise, but obedient. "I'll send her out in a minute; she'll meet you in the waiting area." Jeremi and Henry left, leaving Jeannie alone with the doctor. Pearl went in close to comfort Jeannie.
"Well, if the pain is gone, I'll release you, but..." Jeannie started to get up. "I highly recommend that you make an appointment with an OB-GYN as soon as possible." Jeannie nodded. "I take it this was an unplanned pregnancy?" Jeannie rolled her eyes, big time. "Do you want any information about alternative--"
Jeannie shook her head, offended at the suggestion.
"You're absolutely positive? There are a lot of--"
"I'm sure."
"You tell him, honey!" Pearl cheered in her ear.
"Well then, do you have an OB-GYN or would you like me to recommend one?"
"I have a good one," Jeannie said.
The doctor looked at her thoughtfully and said, "Then you can go. But make that appointment right away. Good luck."
"I will and thank you," Jeannie said. The doctor left, scratching his head.
Jeannie got dress
ed, hurried out to meet Jeremi in the waiting room. "What did he have to say?" he asked.
"Oh nothing, really. He simply wanted to make sure I understood my choices."
"Choices?" Jeremi was lost for a second. "Oh," he said, understanding her words. "Oh!" he said, finally getting her meaning. "What did you say?"
"I said that I knew what my options were and that was enough said."
"Is that . . . an option?" Jeremi avoided saying the word that, suddenly was the only word on his mind.
"It is a choice for other people in other situations, my perspective is that I'm a mother first."
"Good," Jeremi said, which took Jeannie by surprise.
"I never thought I'd be in this position," she muttered. "I'm raising two kids by myself, what's one more?"
Then they both walked quietly to the car.
Jeannie's exile still had about an hour to go. So, they went back to the pub. Neither one said anything. Both were lost in their own worlds, still in shock.
Instead of their usual table by the stage, they took a booth back behind the bar area where they could have some privacy. They both watched each other and tried to figure out what the other was thinking. The waitress came to the table. "Is there anything I can get you?" she asked politely.
"I'll have my usual," Jeremi said.
"Better make it a double," Jeannie said in jest. The waitress looked at Jeremi for confirmation, but he looked at Jeannie strangely.
"Okay," the waitress said, "and for you?"
"She'll have a soda," Jeremi spoke for her.
This time it was Jeannie's turn to return the strange glance. The waitress then looked to Jeannie for confirmation, but realized that she was getting nowhere. She shook her head and muttered to herself about being invisible.
"Let's lighten the mood," George said and he went off to the jukebox. A young lady was selecting some songs and apparently George was reselecting them for her. He buzzed back, beaming with anticipation. "Let's see how they like these."
The first song started out with the word "Baby! Oh, baby. Baby, baby, oh baby." Then a few other words and the baby chorus again. It caught Jeremi's and Jeannie's attention casually and they shook it off and continued to stare at each other, but lost in their own thoughts. The next song was the same thing. The lyrics included the word baby at least fifty times. The next song was the same thing. When the conversation dragged, the lyrics of the music got through and they reacted every time they heard the word baby. After the third song, they both chuckled slightly, but the more it persisted, the more it helped them laugh about it. George's plan worked. It broke the tension and Jeannie and Jeremi started to talk about the situation they found themselves in.
"Do you think someone's trying to tell us something?" she asked Jeremi.
"Yeah, that we better get used to hearing the word baby," he responded, lightly sarcastic.
"Something like that," George said.
Jeremi got serious and took Jeannie's hand. She listened intently as he described his struggles in his first marriage trying to have a child and the fact that in those twelve years, they'd never succeeded. He had always assumed it was his problem, but never actually got checked to know for sure. He told her that he had always been disappointed with himself for denying me any grandchildren. I never knew he felt like that.
"Maybe your father has something to do with this," Jeannie suggested.
"Maybe," Jeremi answered unenthusiastically. After considering the possibility for a little while, his tone changed. "Come to think of it, he might've had a lot to do with this." He sat back in the booth and looked up. "It's a trip to think of it that way. The timing is pretty interesting."
"Uh huh," Jeannie, and all the angels said in chorus.
"This is a trip. Wait until I tell Mama," Jeremi said, and got lost in his own world, probably figuring out exactly how and when he would tell her.
Jeannie looked at her watch. "It's getting late. Let's go."
"I'll walk you out to your car," Jeremi said and they both got up and walked to the parking lot.
"Are you going to be all right?" Jeremi asked. "They really never figured out what caused your pain in the first place."
"I know, but I feel fine now. It's like that happened so that we would find this out." Jeannie stopped short.
"That's my girl!" I said, speaking for all us angels.
"I'll call you tomorrow. Get some rest," Jeremi said. Jeannie nodded. They kissed and held each other very tight for a long time. Then Jeannie got into her car and drove home. Jeremi went straight back into the pub, got his drink, sat at the bar alone. When he finished it, he left.
We stayed with Jeremi. We were all interested in what he would do now. He stopped at a liquor store, bought a 44-ounce bottle of malt liquor and took it home. Peter and Melinda were in the living room when Jeremi arrived. The children were already in bed.
Surprised to see him home this early or basically at all, Melinda said playfully, "Look at what the cat--"
Jeremi put his hand up, interrupting her and weakly said, "Spare me your sarcasm tonight, please."
When Melinda realized her ribbing was unappreciated, she asked concerned, "What's wrong?"
Jeremi thought for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. "Someone's messing with my head and I think it just might be Dad," Jeremi bit on his lower lip.
Peter went over and put his arm around his brother and guided him to the couch, next to Melinda. "C'mon, man, sit in here. Tell us what's up."
"It's Jeannie," Jeremi started.
Peter and Melinda looked at each other. "What about her, did she quit you?" Peter asked.
Jeremi kept his head down and shook it.
"Did you quit her?" Melinda asked.
Jeremi shook his head again.
"Did something happen to her?" Peter asked.
Jeremi nodded.
"Did she get hurt?" Melinda asked. Jeremi shook his head. Both she and Peter were extremely concerned. What could possibly have him this upset about Jeannie?
"Did she have an accident?" Peter asked.
Jeremi looked up, with a peculiar look on his face, unsure how to answer that question. "Kinda..."
"Okay, enough guessing games. Jeremi, pull yourself together and tell us what's wrong with Jeannie," Peter demanded.
"She's pregnant," he said low under his breath.
"What?" They both gasped in unison.
"She's pregnant," he said and then heaved himself backward on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
Peter and Melinda were completely surprised. "Thank God," Melinda said, relieved. Then after Peter and Jeremi looked at her strangely, she backtracked, "I mean that it's only... I mean that she's just... Oh forget it!"
"Is it yours?" Peter asked.
"I guess," Jeremi answered. "At least I'm as sure of that as I can be."
"How far along?" Melinda asked.
"Couple weeks," Jeremi responded. Peter and Melinda listened intently as he gave them the evening's details, up to and including all the songs that were playing on the juke box.
"What do you plan to do?" Peter asked.
"What would you do? This is such a trip. How could this have happened?" Jeremi leaned into his brother's strong shoulder.
Peter and Melinda glanced at each other quickly, with what had to be the telepathic thought "You know very well how it happened!" running between them. They all sat quietly. After a few moments of awkward silence, Jeremi took his bottle and went to his room, where he drank himself to sleep.
George and I went to check on Jeannie. She'd gotten home and tucked the girls into bed. She'd gotten ready for bed herself. She was under the covers, but had the phone on her stomach and her address book beside her.
"She's started to call several people, but hung up the phone before she finished dialing," Pearl told us. Jeannie stared at her walls, completely terrified. "She's at a complete loss as to what this all means to her. She needs some time to sort it out."
"Can we get so
meone to call her?"
"Oh that's a great idea! Stay with her, I'll be right back," Pearl said and disappeared.
So we watched as Jeannie started to dial the telephone, but after she pressed only three digits, she hung up again.
Pearl came back. "Anne's angel is working on her. She'll call here momentarily," Pearl explained. We watched Jeannie stare at the phone, trying to figure out who to call. Then the phone rang. She was so surprised, she jumped. The phone flew off her stomach and onto the floor. It took her a second to get it untangled, to get to the floor and pick up the receiver.
I could hear a voice on the phone. "Hello? Hello? Jeannie, are you there?"
"I'm here," Jeannie said, after she finally got back to the receiver. There was a pause, then Jeannie said, "Oh, I just knocked it off the bed. Sorry."
There was another long pause while Anne told Jeannie a story. Jeannie nodded like Anne could see. The occasional "Huh," "What did you say?" peppered the conversation. "How did my night go?" Jeannie asked, obviously repeating the question Anne had just asked her. "That's a good question. It went all the way to the hospital. Something happened tonight. Something completely unexpected." Jeannie sighed. "I found out that I'm . . ." another dramatic pause as she gathered the strength to say it, "pregnant." Then Anne rapidly asked her a slew of questions. All Jeannie said was, "I did!" "We were." "Yes, Jeremi." And several other short responses, that we could only guess what the questions were. We could tell when the big one hit, "What are you going to do?"
"Well." Jeannie sighed. "Do the best I can to raise three kids, I guess. I'm doing okay now, by myself. If I can raise two kids, I can raise three."
"That's right," Pearl said. "That subborn streak of yours will get you through. She'll do it just to prove she can!"
"I know this is different." Jeannie's tone was defensive. "I'll know soon if I'm in this alone or not. But if I am, I know that somehow we'll be all right. . . Yeah, I know the apartment is small, but we were going to move anyway, eventually. . . Jeremi took it all right, I guess. I mean, he's pretty shook. . . I suppose he went to his brother's. I hope. He said he'd call me tomorrow. . . Yeah, I hope he does, too. . . I know. I know. I know you'll be there for me. I know I can count on you. . . No, stay there! I'm fine right now. Really! I just want to get some sleep. Suddenly, I'm really tired. . . Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night." She hung up.