Knight was sitting on the gurney when Dr. Sacks walked in. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,” he said.
She snorted. “Not like I have a ton of patients outside waiting. What’s up that I couldn’t talk to you over the phone?”
“I’m worried.”
“That’s not unusual.”
“No. Tha’ I’m gonna lose one.”
Sacks drew up a chair and sat down across from Knight. “Listen. This whole situation is not common, you understand that, right?”
He nodded.
“Then you also understand that I am treating this as a very high-risk pregnancy. I’m treating you like you’re a 50 year old first-time mother with octuplets and a small vaginal canal. That’s the absolute worst case scenario that I can think of, Knight. You have to understand that these things take time.”
“Bu’ wha’ about th’ little one?”
“Knight, even if it comes out as premature, they do amazing things with babies that are born at even five months gestation. I suggest you take a tour of the NICU at Mercy and talk to some people there.” She took her stethoscope out and said, “Now, let me listen.”
Knight lifted his shirt as she warmed up the stethoscope by habit. She placed it on his abdomen that was starting to lose definition. “No more six pack abs for a little while,” she said with a smile, and put the stethoscope against his belly. “Good, strong heartbeats. I can’t pick them out yet, but definitely more than one.”
“I got an ultrasound next week. Maybe tha’ little one won’ be so little anymore.”
“Maybe.” She wrapped the stethoscope around her neck.
“’re there any tests y’ c’n send me to? I’ll pay for ‘em if th’ insurance won’t.”
“Insurance isn’t paying it anyway, once I put you down as male.” She sighed. “I can put you on a baby monitor for a little while. It’s too early for that kind of thing but it’s not unheard of.”
“I’ll do’t.”
“Come into the other room.”
Sacks passed by the assistant and asked her to set up room 8, which she nodded and beckoned to Knight. Knight followed her to another room, on which was a bed with rails, and a square machine. “Ever have an EKG?” she asked, as she patted the bed.
“No,” Knight said, laying down.
“This is kind of the same thing. I’ll do all the work.”
She placed stickers on his abdomen and then some leads from the square machine. She switched it on, and plucked a magazine off the rack. “Just relax, I’ll be back in a little bit.”
He looked at the magazine, Parenting, and sighed, flipping it open. She returned while he was reading “10 Exercises to Help You Lose That Baby Fat”. The doctor soon followed, and looked at the long strip that the machine was spitting out. “Just as I figured,” she said. “It’s too chaotic in there to split them up. When they get bigger, we’ll be able to figure out who’s who.” She shut the machine off. “In the meantime, I want you to take it easy. No heavy lifting, no weights.”
He nodded. “I haveta figure out a way t’ get outta luggin’ the kegs upstairs.”
“That’s easy. You have a hernia. I’ll get you a doctor’s note. Without the OB/GYN on the stationary.”