debi_do (debi_do) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2007-11-08 07:09:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, debi |
You mean they don't test rabbits?
Characters: Debi, Healer Abramowitz
Status: complete
Wizarding doctors were different.
Debi hadn't known quite what she was expecting when she arrived at Healer Abramowitz's private office, medical records and prescription in hand. The waiting area was almost like the one at her old OB/GYN's office in Oil City, even if the pictures in the magazines moved, and the mix of women there for the annual plumbing check, older women waiting for menopause, and excited mothers-to-be was similar. Even the color scheme was familiar, all soft pastels and delicate florals, and very, very feminine.
No wonder the Snapes had seen him at St. Mungo's.
She'd brought a book to read, of course (this one a worn paperback of Lammas Night, which she was now wondering was partially true), and did her best to ignore all the chatter about babies and kick counts and how best to tell if a baby was a Squib or a Wizard. A baby of her own had been in the back of her mind since just after the wedding, and she kept telling herself that soon enough it would be her turn, but it was hard not envy the already pregnant.
"Debi Smith?"
Debi jerked at her name, tucked her book in her purse, and followed a middle-aged woman into an examining room. She had expected the usual "take off your shoes and get on the scale," followed by a blood pressure check, and it was something of a shock when the mediwitch merely flicked her wand, nodded, and wrote down a few scribbles. "Is - is there something - "
"Oh, no. You're perfectly healthy." The mediwitch smiled. "Healer Abramowitz will be with you shortly."
"Thanks." Debi took a seat on the edge of the examining table. There was no hospital gown or drape, and she wondered if the Healer would simply transfigure her clothes into something suitable. And where were the stirrups, and shouldn't there be a speculum warming up, and -
"Debi? I'm Healer Abramowitz." The door opened and a middle aged man in a Healer's robe entered, followed by a second witch in a neatly pressed pinafore. "Good to meet you."
"Thanks. I - a couple of friends of mine recommended you." At least there was a woman present for the exam. There were enough old-timey customs in the Wizarding World that she'd wondered if she'd have to be alone during the pelvic.
"I’m glad. Please say hello to them for me." The Healer picked up her chart and began to read. He furrowed his brow as he flipped through her old records. "Hormonal birth control? Pelvic - good heavens. I had no idea Muggles were still doing half of this."
"You mean you don't?" Debi sat up a little straighter. Maybe this would be better than what she was used to? "I - my family is all Muggles except me, and my great-aunt. She died a couple of years ago and I didn't know she was a witch until afterwards."
"Oh my." Healer Abramowitz raised an eyebrow and chuckled. Debi found herself chuckling back. "No, this is nothing like what you're used to. Take a deep breath - there." He murmured a spell and traced a pattern above her lower abdomen. "Just as I thought. Perfectly healthy and normal. I'd recommend going off the hormonal pills and use a good contraceptive - "
"That's why I'm here, actually," said Debi. She took a moment to steady herself, then said what she'd only said to Zach. "My husband and I want to start a family, and I've already decided to go off the Pill. I wanted to get checked out before we got serious in case there was something wrong with me."
"Oh, there's nothing wrong. As I said, you're a perfectly healthy, normal young woman, and unless there's something wrong with Mr. Smith, you shouldn't have any trouble conceiving." Healer Abramowitz made a few notes of his own in her chart. "I can even give you a potion that will flush the artificial hormones out of your system - oh no, you're scarcely the only Muggleborn who uses artificial contraceptives. If you'd like that - "
Debi broke into a delighted grin. Her sister had told her that it was better to wait a few months after going off the Pill to start trying, and she'd been dreading the thought of telling Zach that they'd have to use condoms. "Oh yes! The sooner the better."
"Good. I'll have my nurse give you a prescription." Healer Abramowitz smiled at her enthusiasm, then flipped through to her old records. "Hm. There is one thing, though. You were raised in an exclusively Muggle area?"
Debi nodded. If there were any other witches besides Lil in Oil City, they'd stayed very well hidden.
The Healer shook his head. "I was afraid of that. I know that the odds of you getting any of these are slim since you're an adult, but I'd recommend that you receive the standard Wizarding immunizations. Dragon pox can be dangerous during pregnancy, and so can half a dozen other diseases Muggles haven't even thought of."
One of Grandma Dillenschneider's friends had had German measles when she was pregnant, and her daughter was blind. Debi shuddered at the thought of what a Wizarding disease could do to a fetus. "Can you do that today? Or tell me where I can have it done? I don't want to take any chances."
"Of course." The Healer summoned a vial of what looked like antifreeze. "This should cover the standard childhood diseases. The potions will prevent you from becoming pregnant until your immune system settles down, but that doesn't take more than a month or so. You should be able to start trying right after the New Year."
Debi gulped down the potion before he'd quite finished. It was almost fruity, unlike some of the viler concoctions she'd seen Severus whip up, not that it mattered. Anything was worth it if meant she'd have a healthy baby. "Thanks. Is there anything else?"
"Just the usual pre-conception advice. Eat a balanced diet, take your vitamins, and get plenty of fresh air and sleep." Healer Abramowitz smiled and offered her his hand. "If you have any problems, come back in six months with your husband and we'll test both of you. Good luck!"
"Thanks!" Debi shook his hand. She couldn't stop grinning - suddenly having a baby was very, very real. "I'll make an appointment as soon as something happens, I mean doesn't happen, and - "
The Healer laughed. "I know what you mean. Owl me if you have any questions."
"Will do!" Debi hopped off the table, still grinning, and stopped at the desk long enough to pick up her hormone-flushing potion from the receptionist. Maybe she wouldn't get pregnant right away, but soon -
A baby. Our baby. For real this time -
She waved at the row of pregnant women and wondered how long it would be before she joined them.