living_history (living_history) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-12-27 22:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 24, bridget mackenzie, louisa may smith, | bridget and louisa may |
Week 24 - Wednesday Morning
Characters: Bridget and Louisa May
Location: Louisa May’s trailer
Summary: Bridget goes for her monthly checkup and the two women talk about various issues after that.
Rating: PG
Bridget was sick of the cold. She hated the snow, the wind, the fact that it caused her to have to wear heavy clothes that didn’t fit very well with her as big as a house and getting bigger.
That didn’t stop her from throwing on the layers and making her way outside to Louisa May’s trailer, however. It had been a month since her last checkup, roughly, and she and Louisa May had discussed her coming in for a new one a few days before. Considering everything that had gone on since the doctor had joined the group, it was probably better for her to get the exam in while she could before something else happened that would eat up Louisa May’s time.
She trudged through the slushy snow/mud mix of the farmyard to the trailer, grumbling under her breath as she did so. Maybe leaving Las Vegas hadn’t been the best idea she’d ever had...
Louisa May finished wiping off the surface of the kitchenette counter -- germ patrol was something she was constantly vigilant about, because even though the trailer was her living space, it also had to be constantly ready for her to treat patients. So she’d gotten into the habit of thoroughly cleaning the front part of the trailer at least once in the morning, and if she’d seen any patients, in the evening as well.
This morning, she was expecting Bridget to stop by for a monthly appointment, so as soon as she’d disposed of the paper towel she’d been using, she pulled her bag out from its usual storage space, and went digging for the small scale she’d spirited away in a cabinet.
Bridget reached Louisa May’s trailer and reached up to open the door before climbing the two steps to get into the dwelling proper. With it opening outwards there was no way she’d have been able to get the door open past her belly if she’d tried it from the top of the steps, but she wasted little time in getting it closed again after stepping inside the trailer.
She smiled at the other woman as she stomped her feet to try and rid her shoes of the dirty slush before stepping off the doormat. “”Morning Louisa May, this still a good time?”
“Good time as any,” Louisa May replied, returning the other woman’s smile as she straightened up, scale in hand. “Whaddaya think?” She gestured to the main room of the trailer. “Ain’t much space, but it’s home.”
“Nice! I’ve seen a lot worse in the last year.” Bridget nodded in approval, taking in the small living room cum exam space that the other woman had created. Beside the couch against one wall the other furniture consisted of the examination bed and small stool beside it, and a few bar stools against the kitchen counter.
“Do you want me to try to get my shoes off before coming any further? I don’t want to get your floor all dirty.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Louisa May replied. “Just so long as you don’t feel like you’re gonna slip and fall.” She’d be cleaning everything again this evening anyways, so it didn’t matter much one way or the other. “Here, let’s go ahead and get your coat off and get you on this scale.” She moved towards the other woman to help her with her heavy coat.
Bridget met the doctor part way and allowed her to help with getting the coat off. “Don’t you ever tell Alice or she’ll probably try to kill me, but part of me wishes we’d stayed down south. At least we wouldn’t have to deal with all this snow, rain, and cold weather.”
“Heh, you got that right,” Louisa May replied. “Still, I’d rather go through this winter with y’all than without.” She put the coat on the couch and set the scale down.
Bridget stepped onto the scale, one hand holding on to Louisa May for balance until both feet were in place. “If I’m still underweight after all the food I’ve been packing away I’m going to scream. It seems like all I do anymore is eat.”
Louisa May looked at the scale, and brought out her notebook where she’d been keeping notes on Bridget since their first meeting. Bridget was now 155, which was certainly better than she had been last month. “Good, good. Right on target.” She knew the other woman had been trying assiduously to gain that extra weight, and even though she’d be happier with another five pounds, it was still progress. “Keep up the good work.” She wrote the new number down in her book and flipped it shut.
“Take a seat,” Louisa May continued, gesturing to the couch.
Bridget breathed a sigh of relief at the pronouncement and gladly stepped off the scale and moved to the couch. “I can’t tell you how much hearing that means to me.”
“Figured you’d say that,” the doctor replied, taking a seat on her stool. “So, how’s your blood sugar been doin’? You been monitoring it regularly?” She took a quick peek at her notes -- Bridget would be in her 25th week, which meant that gestational diabetes was something they'd have to keep an eye on -- and she'd written 'iron supplement' in the book as a reminder to get Bridget started on the pill.
“Once a day, and I’ve got the sore finger to prove it.” She held up the finger she normally used for the check. “So far I’ve been ok. The last couple days have been pretty stressful, what with everything that happened with Jed and Alice.” And that was something Bridget was still quietly furious about. The breakup and Jed’s reaction to it had shattered Alice, and it was going to take time to put all the pieces back together. Bridget knew it wasn’t her responsibility, but she still felt she needed to be there to help her friend and it bothered her to see Alice so heartbroken.
Louisa May pressed her lips together. She was all too familiar with Alice’s struggles, and she was considerably worried about her -- but her role as Alice’s... well... therapist muzzled her a bit when it came to talking about her troubles. “It has been a bit tense around here, yes,” she allowed, her voice carefully neutral. “Happens when you’ve got a small group of people in tight quarters that’re having a rough time of it. Good to know you haven’t seen any spikes or drops in blood sugar, though, that’s a good sign.”
“I’ve been trying very hard to watch my diet,” Bridget confirmed. “It hasn’t been easy but I’ve managed to stay away from sweets for the most part, aside from when I made the brownies for Searle’s birthday.”
She looked down at her stomach and rubbed it as she felt one of the twins shifting inside her. “These two have been really active, I think they get a thrill keeping mommy awake at night with all their soccer practice.”
“Well, that’s another good thing,” Louisa May replied, smiling. “Even though they are a bit cramped for space, the more they can work on those muscles, the better. And both of them are equally active? Or is one moving more consistently than the other?”
“Oh they’re both active all right.” Bridget grinned as she leaned back on the couch, hands still on her belly. “Usually at different times though. The one on the right likes to kick me in the morning most of the time, and my other soccer player is more of a nightowl.”
“Excellent,” Louisa May replied. She rustled around in her bag, drawing out a blood pressure cuff. “Okay, let’s take a look at that blood pressure.” This didn’t take more than a minute, and as the cuff released, she took note of the numbers on the dial and her brow furrowed as she wrote them down.
“It’s a little on the high side,” she said to Bridget. “Not to the point where I’m really concerned, mind, but I don’t want to see it get any higher. So that means keep takin’ it easy, and if at all possible, take it easier than you have been.”
“But all I’m doing is taking care of the chickens, taking my turn on cooking duty, and giving lessons to the kids.” Bridget protested, the surprise and dismay clear on her face as she rolled her sleeve back down. “How can that put my blood pressure high?”
“Well, I know it doesn’t feel like you’re doing much, but having twins can cause additional strain, and we’ve all been through stress this winter above what we’re used to, which is making your heart work harder. I’d say you aren’t doing anything wrong -- just be aware of how you’re exerting yourself, and pay attention to those internal signals. I can work you through some breathing exercises that might help, too.” There wasn’t much more she could tell Bridget -- but the next few weeks would tell if her body continued to experience more strain than was healthy.
Bridget deflated a little, silently conceding defeat. Her children were far more important than any jobs she might be doing, but she wanted to carry her (increasing) weight as much as she could as far as helping out with the group activities. “I’ll talk to Tom.” she sighed.
“Okay. And I’m also gonna get you started on some iron supplements while we’re at it. Can’t test you for anemia, of course, but if you’re a little low, it’ll bring you where you need to be, and if you’re already doing fine, it’s not going to hurt anything.” For the hundredth time, Louisa May wondered what on earth they were going to do once all these vitamins and pills expired. Still, for the time being, she was glad to have them available.
Bridget nodded at the explanation from Louisa May. “I suppose that makes sense,” she allowed. “I’ll make a point of taking them when I get up in the mornings, along with everything else.” She looked at the doctor expectantly. “So what’s next?”
Louisa May checked her notebook. “That’s all that was on my checklist for now -- since we’re in the final stretch, I’m probably gonna ask you to check in with me every two weeks instead of every month, though. You got anything else in particular on your mind?”
Bridget mulled the question over. There were things that had been done with her sister’s pregnancy from what she remembered from talking with Calleigh, but how many really were necessary or even possible in this world? She was lucky she had a doctor at all, and had been able to get an ultrasound. Louisa May wasn’t an OB or Midwife, it wasn’t fair to expect that from her when they’’d covered the basics and Bridget herself wasn’t sure what else they should do. “I think that works, but is there any way short of the ultrasound to make sure the babies are on target size-wise?”
“Well, we could hook it up during your next two week visit -- it’s in the garage. I couldn’t leave it behind, not after it’s been so useful so far, and I’ve got electricity in here. It’d be a bit crowded, but worth while.”
That got Louisa May a nod. “That could work.” It was as good an idea as she’d had anyway. She looked at the doctor and couldn’t help but tease her a little. “Couldn’t bear to part with it after all the effort you took to get it to your house the last time?”
“I nearly put my back out lifting that damn thing into my truck,” Louisa May replied with a smile. “I was so nervous about meeting y’all, I wanted everything to be just right.” So much had happened in the intervening weeks that it felt like it had been longer than just a month.
“We were nervous too,” Bridget shared, smiling as she remembered. “We were so excited that we’d come across a doctor and wanted to make a good impression with you.”
Louisa May laughed. “Shoot, I was gettin’ so lonely out there, it wouldn’t have taken much.” She shook her head. “Well, I’m glad it was you folks knockin’ on my door, given all the alternatives out there.”
Bridget shuddered at the thought. “Yeah, we were both pretty lucky. We could have ended up in some group like the one poor Abby and her brother ran into last year.”
“That wouldn’t have worked out particularly well for either of us,” Louisa May agreed. “Or any woman, for that matter.” She paused, considering. “Although to be fair, it wasn’t a walk in the park for Nate either.” Louisa May had the opportunity to converse with Abby numerous times, but had never really had the chance to talk to her brother just yet. “How’s he been settlin’ in anyways, you have any idea?”
“I haven’t really talked to him much to be honest with you.” Bridget said thoughtfully. “I really should make an effort to get to know him a little bit. I’ve talked to Abby once or twice, and that Greg guy, but haven’t bumped into Nate.”
Louisa May nodded. "Haven't had much of a chance to talk with him either." She thought he might be a decent candidate for poker night, but she'd have to talk to him about it first. She could sympathize, seeing as how they were both fairly new to the Farm, but he had a sister to lean on for support, so at least there was that. She realized that since taking on a therapist role with Alice, she'd been spending a bit more time than usual thinking about the mental well-being of her neighbors.
“He seems like a nice enough guy from what I’ve heard from his sister, their family owned a couple gas stations back in Texas.” Bridget offered, though what relevance that had to anything she didn’t know. “How about you? I know we’ve kept you busy.” With everything that had gone on it was probably just this week that the other woman was feeling like she was settling in.
"That's for sure. And that's a good thing - I like feeling useful. Makes me glad I made the move here." She smiled a little. "You don't know how good it feels to have folks callin' me Doctor again."
“It’s good to be busy,” Bridget agreed. “I’ve always tried hard to help out since I joined the group, try to pull my weight.” And now she couldn’t do that anymore, not for a long while anyway.
"It's more than that, though..." Louisa May mused. "There's something about being in a community of people... A place where you feel safe. Where folks know your name and would notice if you were gone. I don't think I realized just how important all that could be before. I didn't even think that I needed it. Lord, was I wrong."
It was on the tip of her tongue to mention the group she’d started out with on the trek to Las Vegas, including her husband and two of her brothers. She had been the only one to make it, and their absence was still felt. “We all need people to depend on. I remember when I first ran into Searle back in Las Vegas, he was the first member of the group I met, the first human being I’d seen in over a month. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.”
"I hear you there. Other than some fools that tried to loot my home while I was in it, y'all were the first bit of humanity I'd seen since my folks died, right at the start of everything." She paused. "Let's just say I was getting' tired of talking to my chickens."
“I’m glad you took a chance on us.”
After a moment, Louisa May nodded. "Me too."