More Than You, More Than Me

Double the Size PT1

2020

"Dianne," a cheerful face popped around the door of the hospital room Dianne had spent the past four days in, "can we come in?"

"Of course," Dianne answered the midwife she had become accustomed to seeing, adjusting Eleanore who was dozing sweetly in her arms.

"Ah Joe, you're here too, lovely," Helen said, as she and a student midwife and the head obstetrician came in.

"Morning Dianne," she, the obstetrician, greeted, having also followed Dianne's progress over the last few days meaning the family had become used to her too, "I'm pleased to say, Dianne, the last blood transfusion has worked and your blood count looks really good, as do, thankfully, those blasted iron levels, so if you're feeling well enough you can leave later on today."

"We can?" Dianne asked, as the student midwife took her vitals, as several of them had done every few hours since little Eleanore Alice Sugg was born.

"How are you feeling?" Helen asked, checking the student's takings.

"I'm still feeling a little tired but nowhere near what it was a few days ago. I think my milk might be beginning to come in too."

"Wonderful, well I'm, we're," she gestured between herself and the doctor, "happy to discharge you later once we've done a once over on Eleanore and you've had some more iron just to be sure."

"That's brilliant news," Joe said, standing from the couch where he had been editing a little introduction video about Eleanore and kissed two of his three girl's heads- Connie was at school and had been unable to visit since the first day due to Dianne's ill health. They hadn't had many vivitors at all, Rina and Mark, as well as Tracey had been looking after Connie at home for them, meaning, other than when he returned to get some new clothes or an item they had forgotten, and one day where he took Connie on a little date, Joe had mainly remained in the hospital by Dianne's side. Of course, their parents, Graham included, had popped in a couple more times but other than that it had been just the three of them and the multitude of medical professionals who had expertly cared for one Buswell and one Sugg.

"It is, we're happy for you three, now, we talked yesterday about the iron supplements, didn't we?"

The couple nodded, Dianne was to follow a strict regimen of medicines including having high-concentrate iron tablets for the next few weeks, until her levels evened themselves out. They had also been warned that if they dropped again by her one week postpartum blood test or she had a further episode of fainting, like the one she had had a couple of hours after all of their family left, she may need another transfusion, though, all of the medical professionals she had seen thought this unlikely; her body had responded well. Dianne was keen for it not to happen again either, the event had unnerved her as a whole. For the first part she had been holding Eleanore and the second Joe had just arrived back from collecting their Deliveroo, only just putting the stuff down in time to catch her. After that she had been reluctant to stand and then when she did manage- without too much of a headache, reluctant to hold Eleanore. All in all, it had been a bizarre experience and not one she wanted to repeat ever in her life and if that meant taking extra iron for the next few weeks or even months; she would do it.

"Brilliant, I've written the prescription out for you, as well as these discharge papers for you. The Paeds doctor will be down in the next hour or two with Eleanore's, so you may take your time in signing them and as always if you have any questions just give us a buzz."

"Thank you," the pair said simultaneously, even more in tune than they had been before the bundle of love in Dianne's arms had arrived.

"We'll leave you three be, alright?"