Athena
Two hours ago, I threw up for the second time this day.
My head felt like it was spinning, and a strange tingling sensation ran through my limbs. Was it just stress? Or was there something else at play here?
I tried to think back to what I had eaten or drunk, but couldn't come up with anything unusual. Maybe it was just a bug going around. But the lack of energy and other symptoms had been building for days, and I couldn't ignore them any longer.
My head was dizzy in a weird way, It was hard to comprehend what was actually going on. Whether it was the extreme pressure of stress or something else, perhaps, concerning.
The sudden lack of energy did not do any explanation either, it was true I was feeling a bit less energetic from the past few days but I had blamed that on Sebastian's arrival and my fucked up life.
But today, I did not have any more reasons to stay in my home and avoid getting a checkup.
So here I was. Laying across the examination bed, as the doctor examined me for something that could have possibly gone wrong with me.
Well, I did not know about my health but everything in my life was going downhill.
"How many times did you vomit today?"
"Two times. First, before lunch and then, two hours ago."
"And How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?" She asked, turning off the ophthalmoscope and pulling away.
"Sorry?" I sat up as she grabbed the stethoscope.
"I mean, how long have you been feeling like this? Nauseous and deprived of energy, trouble sleeping and frequent dizziness?" She explained.
I took a moment to rethink.
I had been feeling nauseous and having trouble sleeping for a month, the frequent dizziness and lack of energy had joined maybe two weeks ago, and the vomiting had accompanied me today.
"Around a month."
"A month?" She sounded a bit surprised.
I nodded, feeling my palms start to sweat.
Well, of course, she must think of me as a stupid person to not care about my health.
The doctor's eyes met mine and I saw her expression soften as she spoke. "Well, it's good that you came in. These symptoms can be indicative of a number of things, including pregnancy."
My heart stopped for a moment as I processed what she had just said.
It was impossible.
"We'll run some tests to confirm," She continued, "But if it is pregnancy, we can start talking about the next steps and prenatal care. There are also—"
"It's not needed. I am... I am not pregnant." I quickly interrupted.
"Sorry?"
"I am not pregnant, Miss Chelsea. It could be something else but I am not pregnant."
"Dear, you can't be so sure about that. Your symptoms pretty much indicate a possible pregnancy and sorry, I forgot to ask, did you miss your period by any chance?"
I already knew where this conversation was going but it didn't really scare me because I knew, the possible cause her words were indicating was outlandish since I haven't been in any close contact with any man after Sebastian
Yet it was true that I indeed missed my periods and that too for all these six months after I lost my baby, but I had convinced myself that it was normal after a miscarriage cause my body was still recovering.
"Yes, I missed my periods for the past six months but, I have not been in any close contact with any man during that time so it's not what you think."
She was shocked at the mention of six months, but she continued anyway.
"Well, maybe before?"
As much as I did not want to speak about it, I knew I had to. Keeping secrets won't give me the cure to my illness that was certainly not pregnancy as far as I could see.
"Yes."
"Were you on pills or did you have unprotected intercourse?"
"I was not on pills."
"Did your partner use protection?"
"No."
"So in that case. We'll be needing to do an ultrasound, Miss Athena," She said, "I need you to come with me."
You can say it. It'll not hurt.
It. Will. Not. Hurt.
"I had a miscarriage six months ago and haven't been with a man since," I explained, the pain of the past still raw.
Actually, it did hurt. A lot.
Her expression shifted to one of shock and sympathy. She paused for a moment, taking in the information and trying to process it. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips formed a tight line. Finally, she spoke in a low, sympathetic voice.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said softly, "but we still need to perform an ultrasound based on your symptoms."
I nodded, bracing myself for whatever news may come.
"Fine."
*******
"Hmm...it's strange," she said as she pressed the transducer against the area of my abdomen being studied, her eyes glued to the monitor as she examined the images
The room felt tense as we both waited for her to speak.
"What's going on?" I asked, my heart racing with anxiety.
She looked at me with a mixture of concern and confusion. "You had your miscarriage six months ago, right?"
I nodded, trying to keep my composure.
"How old was your baby then? How many months?" she asked, her voice gentle yet probing.
I felt a lump form in my throat, memories of that painful experience flooding back.
"One month only," I managed to choke out, my eyes filling with tears.
A flicker passed through her orbs— It was more likely a realisation of something..
"You see, Werewolf embryos are mostly at their developing phase during that time and this continues to the next month where they reach the peak of their development. They grow two months before they enter the fetus phase, however, in rare cases, some do develop within the first month and it allows them to be able to protect themselves in adverse situations. It's almost like they have a survival instinct, to protect themselves."
My heart nearly stopped beating. I did not know how to react when I was still facing difficulty processing her words.
"If the mother senses trouble, they sense them too and it lets them create a protective barrier around them that keeps them safe until they think it's okay to start developing again. Their senses are a hundred times higher than a human fetus, they can sense everything just like us. And it seems like, your baby reached the second phase faster than other werewolf embryos which allowed it to survive and now it feels safe enough to embark on the journey again," She flashed me a small smile.
"Then the miscarriage?"
"There are many cases of a false miscarriage in medical history and your case seems like one of them," She said, "There, there is your baby."
She slowly motioned her finger to the monitor where I could see it. My eyes flicked to look at the monitor, watching the precious growing in my womb.
This was when I realised that I never lost my baby. It was always there with me.
Tears gathered in my eyes, and a smile broke on my lips, "It's still one month?"
I wish I could express how I was feeling at that moment. The news blew me away and nothing in this world could measure how happy I was at that moment.
"Yes. Your baby is just like it was and I can assure you that you are not losing any months of your motherhood. These past six months do not count because your baby has just started growing again. But there are a few things you have to know," suddenly her voice grew serious, and she seemed a bit tense.
I held my breath, waiting for her to continue. What could she possibly say that would change everything?
"You'll need to be extra cautious during the rest of your pregnancy," she began, her eyes locked onto mine. "The fact that your baby has stopped growing for six months is a concerning sign. We need to monitor the baby's growth and development very closely from now on."
I felt my heart sink as she spoke. This was not what I wanted to hear.
"Additionally, we will need to do some additional testing to make sure there aren't any underlying issues that could affect the baby's health."
I nodded slowly, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. This was supposed to be a joyful time, but suddenly it felt like everything was slipping out of my grasp.
"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
The doctor hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'm sorry to say this, but there is a higher risk of complications during childbirth in cases like this. We'll do everything we can to minimise the risks, but you need to be prepared for the possibility of a difficult delivery."
Tears welled up in my eyes as I processed everything she had just told me. The joy of motherhood had suddenly been replaced with fear and uncertainty, the same as in the past, but the cause was different.
"This pregnancy is going to be difficult and complicated. Your's a very rare case and I am afraid there are no doctors here in the town, including me, who can actually help you through this. You'd be needing a lot of medications and mostly, be on full rest to allow your baby to grow healthy because that trauma from the past has not shrivelled, it can again shield itself from growing if it senses any possible threat and if it happens this time......it won't survive."