Every Summer Has A Story

Ch. 41 - Thump, Thump, Thump

Thea's knee bounced nervously against the uncomfortable plastic chair, the slight squeak of her hot pink Chaco sandal on the tile floor grating continuously against Eve's skull. They'd only been seated in the waiting room for about 10 minutes, but Thea's energy seemed to be in overdrive and Eve was ready to scream.

She stole a look out of the corner of her eye and forced her heart to soften. Thea looked positively green.

"It won't be long," Eve said quietly, "I'm pretty sure you're the last appointment of the evening."

Thea's arms subconsciously wrapped around her stomach.

"I hope so. The waiting is the worst part for me."

Eve nodded and allowed her gaze to travel back to the television up in the corner. The clinic was showing the local evening news, on mute, and Eve was suddenly struck by how long it had been since she watched TV. Or connected with the outside world, for that matter. Thea shifted positions again and Eve felt another stab of compassion. She knew why it was taking so long for them to go back. She could picture which instruments and tools the staff would be setting up to check Thea over... and it made her clench her legs firmly together in response. She'd seen more than enough during her OBGYN rotation to last a lifetime.

A moment later the door to the waiting room finally swung open and a kind-faced woman in light green scrubs called Thea's name. Thea's entire body seized up before she managed to drag herself to her feet and plaster on her mega-watt smile. Eve rose in tow and followed quietly behind, giving the nurse a small smile of her own.

"Okay Miss Thea," the nurse said sweetly, "just hop up here and we will get your weight and height."

Thea's face puckered as she glanced between the scale and Eve.

"Is it okay if I turn away?" she asked nurse green scrubs.

"No problem," the nurse said, motioning for Thea to hop on.

She did as instructed but pointedly avoided meeting Eve's eyes.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

Eve could practically feel the shame radiating from Thea and it took every ounce of self-control not to assure her that she did the exact same thing whenever she was weighed. There was something incredibly triggering about seeing a number on the scale and Eve felt it on a spiritual level. After jotting down a few notes, nurse green scrubs escorted the girls down the hallway and into an exam room. Sure enough, Eve's gaze immediately landed on a small metal table laden with various tools that made her squirm.

"So what brings you in today, Thea?" The nurse asked, closing the door behind them and taking a seat at the computer near the exam table.

Thea struggled to keep her expression neutral as she lowered herself onto the table.

"I got a positive pregnancy test a few days ago and I wanted to get it checked out."

Nurse green scrubs nodded and began typing things into the computer. 

Eve tried to make herself comfortable on the chair that seemed to be a carbon copy of her seat in the waiting room as the nurse dove into taking down Thea's medical history. After a litany of questions, a knock came at the door and an older gentlemen let himself in.

"Good evening," he said warmly, a slight lilt of an accent reaching Eve's ears, "I'm Dr. Karmando."

He extended his hand to Thea in greeting and Eve could see her visibly relax.

"Hi, I'm Thea and this is my co-worker, Eve."

Eve nodded her head in greeting and hung back, studying Dr. Karmando's demeanor.