Different Is Good

Thirty Four

Stevie kissed Sara's head as she bounced her softly. She had visited Lindsey three times a week for the past three weeks and is was taking a toll on her mentally and physically. Her back and ankles gave her trouble as sitting in a car for hours did not agree with being pregnant. Seeing Lindsey lifeless and dull put a massive emotional toll on her
All she wanted to do was to see him free. He was doped up on god knows what to keep him docile and compliant. Oh if he could speak, the things he would tell her! Stevie had to form a plan, but his parents truly believed what they were doing was right. As she looked down at her daughter in her arms, she told herself she had to fight even harder. There would be two babies soon and she wanted, no, needed Lindsey to come home so they could be a family.

"Dada...?" Sara questioned, her eyes focused on her mother's.

"Soon, baby." Stevie pressed her daughter to her chest.
"Teedee," Barbara knocked on her door and opened it, "Gloria is here."

"Mama, I have to go see Lindsey soon. I don't have time."

"Stevie you have to take care of yourself. I will not allow you to neglect your child."
Stevie huffed, mentally preparing herself to see her midwife. Maybe she could hurry it along so she could get on the road.

"Alright, send her in," Stevie said. She placed her daughter down on the floor to play and she sat on the bed.
"Hello!" Gloria smiled brightly, "how are you?!"
"I'm great!" Stevie lied. "How are you?" Gloria answered but she didn't really listen. The midwife opened her bag of instruments, taking out a blood pressure cuff. She fastened it around the younger woman's arm and pumped the bulb a couple of times, trying to get a reading.
"You're blood pressure is a little on the high side," Gloria commented, "we want to keep that down given your past history."

"I'll try...but it's hard with Lindsey gone. I constantly worry over everything."
"Ahh...I knew something was wrong," Gloria said, giving her a comforting smile. "Let's talk about that? Getting it off your chest might reduce your stress."

"Actually, I'm going to go see him today."
"I can't function without him anymore...I constantly worry about him and if he is happy. I want him to come home to me and help me with the kids..."
"If you don't mind my asking, where is he staying?" Gloria asked. She has many friends who are doctors, nurses and surgeons, not just other midwives. She remembered Barbara mentioning a hospital, but not which one.
"The state hospital...where they take the crazy people...but my Lindsey isn't crazy. He just gets upset."
"The state facility is almost as high security as a prison. Why was he placed there? Are his parents getting reports?"
"No they aren't. Lindsey started to have outbursts and his parents tried to calm him, Ruth tripped and fell and broke her wrist...the police thought Lindsey did it and locked him up!"
"Oh my goodness...when does his evaluation come up? Has he made any improvement since being there?"
"He's been there for three weeks! They won't tell me anything! They give him sedatives and he just sits in a hair by the window all day!"
"I had a feeling you'd say that. I'll give your mother the phone number to a really great doctor. He has an in there and I think he might be able to help." Gloria said and Stevie felt as if this might be her answered prayer.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Stevie wrapped her arms around Gloria
"You're so welcome. Make sure she passes the phone number to Lindsey's parents."

"I will! Gosh, you're a life saver!" Stevie smiled for the first time since Lindsey had been gone.
"Now let's take a look at this baby, Alright?"

"Okay," Stevie sat back
Stevie made herself comfortable on her bed and Gloria took out her cloth measuring tape, making sure the baby was growing properly. She would then check the measurement against the gestational week. She pressed down a little to get an accurate fundal measurement.
"Does everything look okay?" She asked, knowing that the stress did not help her situation.