Physician’s Assistance

By Marilyn and M

Ivy felt guilty she had told Jim he couldn’t come in during her doctor’s appointment. Her reasons were complicated and she had to know for herself what she was dealing with before she could hope to make Jim understand. Part of her wanted to go home and yet she knew she no longer had that option, particularly with him waiting outside for her. Ivy sent up a silent prayer, “Papa if you can hear me. Please help me with this situation.” Just then the doctor came into the waiting area.

“Mrs. Braddock?” Doc Knight looked around the room and when she saw Ivy stand she held out her hand. “Hi there, no need to look so nervous, I don’t bite. Shall we go into my surgery?”

Taking a deep breath Ivy stood up, swaying slightly. "I stood up too fast", she said apologetically. "I'm fine. Just lead the way." Glancing out the window she saw Jim standing outside. "Let's just keep all this between us. Jimmy doesn't need to know right now, whatever it is."

As the two women entered the surgery The Doc put her arm on Ivy's. "Please sit down," she said, "what you say to me here, remains with us but, I saw Jim outside the window he looked so worried, what is it you don't want him to know Ivy?"

Doc Knight did not go behind her desk but sat next to her patient. "Take your time, there's no rush."

Ivy sat quietly for a few minutes, gathering her thoughts. "I'm only here because Jimmy and Ian made me promise to come. They know I haven't been feeling well...I guess it has been going on for the last month. I have been really tired. I thought it was because of all the hours and the stress of opening the store. So when I would get dizzy I'd tell them that it was a spell. Colleen thinks I am pregnant." Ivy paused, swallowing hard, wiping away tears and ran her fingers through her hair. "I am scared she might be right."

The Doc put her hand on Ivy's arm. M kept her voice soft and low, there was something fragile about the woman before her.

"The Doc" as she had been labeled was only just finding out about the people living in The Glen. As far as she was aware Jim and Ivy Braddock where solid, a unit.

"If you are pregnant Ivy would that be a bad thing?"

"It isn't that. I sound like a crazy person don't I?" biting her lip a second she then exhaled. "Jimmy would be so happy if I am but..." Ivy's face grew a little paler. "What if what happened to my mother happens to me?" Silent tears were streaming down her face. Never before had she actually verbalized her fear. She had always felt she had been responsible for her mother's death, despite the fact her father told her she wasn't. If she hadn't been born, Mark would have grown up having a mother and her Father...would have had his wife by his side, everything would have been different.

“Perhaps we should approach this by finding out the facts first. We’ll do a pregnancy test and I’d like to do some blood work to see what if anything might be going on.” Doc Knight began to gather her testing supplies hoping that once Ivy knew the cause of her condition she would be better able to deal with it.