Wynonna hasn't exactly been feeling great and visits Dan at the clinic to see what's going on. Instead of the flu, she finds out she's knocked up
(again).
⚠
None? Medical stuff? IDK
For several days now, Wynonna had been dealing with mild symptoms of something she was simply chalking up to some sort of flu. Feeling sick to her stomach? Check. Fatigue? Check. Slightly elevated temperature? Check. Those were all signs of just being sick, right? And honestly, it was probably time her body had caught up to her – she hadn’t been properly sick in what felt like years at this point; all that whiskey kept things regulated, she was sure of it.
It was the addition of feeling bloated and a couple of other things that made her wary. Like her body wasn’t her own, in a way, and no matter what she did she couldn’t feel right. “I’ve been drinking my weight in coffee to push it out, nothing. I guess prunes are next, huh? Or increasing my fiber intake.” Pause. “Ew, now I really sound like a grandma.” Wynonna’s face contorted briefly into one of disgust. Her, a grandma. Gross.
“But I’ve also been peeing like a racehorse and I don’t know why. Could it be a UTI?” she asked, just tossing out an idea. “All I know is I don’t feel good and it’s annoying the shit out of me.”
Honestly, when we were talking about clinic visits? This type of thing was preferable - routine sickness, routine check-ups, routine exams. All of it much better than a deluge of patients who were broken and bleeding due to Vallo’s latest shenanigans. And in this particular instance, if there was one thing Dan didn’t have to worry about it was Wynonna being vague or shy about her symptoms - he made note of the bloated thing and also peeing like a racehorse. As soon as he’d gotten her to one of the exam rooms he checked her vitals - temperature, blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. All the good stuff. “Temperature’s a little high - nothing worrisome though,” he said, properly disposing of the clinical thermometer. “Could be a UTI. Also when was the date of your last period?” he asked, since he was narrowing down the potentials - plus, menstrual cycles were often directly related to health anyway.
“And - “ Dan set his clipboard on the sleek counter and rummaged for one of the handy dandy urine collection cups, handing it over with latex-gloved hands. “If you’ve been enthusiastically peeing, it should be easy to fill up to the line for me here? We’ll be able to see if it’s a UTI right away.”
If bloodwork was needed, he’d be fit and ready to collect that too (with minimal needle scariness) - but urine results were always quicker in the lab, than blood happened to be.
Wynonna hated going to the doctor for anything, and it made it weird when it was someone she knew, but at the same time… she at least knew Dan’s bedside manner. If something were seriously wrong (though she doubted that was the case), she knew he’d handle it as graciously as he could. Of course, when she found herself in the clinic because of stupid injuries she got from this or that Vallo event, well…
There was a brief pause when he asked about her last period and she raised an eyebrow. “Uhhh, early last month, I think? I dunno, it’s been kind of inconsistent and spotty ever since Alice was born. Like nothing hugely problematic, but I think because my pregnancy with her was weird, now my period is too.”
Then he was asking her to pee in a cup for him and she groaned softly, mostly in mock annoyance. She grabbed the cup from his hand and scooched herself off of the exam table. Her nose scrunched briefly, but she turned to head for the door. “I’ll BRB, doc.” At least if it was a UTI she’d know sooner rather than later and could get it taken care of. It only took a matter of minutes before she came back, set the cup down, and quickly did her best to hike her pants (leather, of course) up just a bit further onto her hips with only a slight struggle. Had she gained weight? Was it the bloat? Fuck, why weren’t they fitting the way they’re supposed to?
Dan had a feeling he knew what was going on here even if it was only gut instinct. He wasn’t a doctor and he couldn’t make a diagnosis based off of a description of verbal symptoms, but regardless. Sometimes you just had those tinges where the little voice in your head said something or another - and that gut instinct was powerful, a pressure point; sometimes it even felt like protection. The individual person always knew their own body best, so likely Wynonna had an inkling too. Deep down. Possibly.
He’d do all he could to get to the bottom of the situation as well. “Good job - you’ll definitely get a sticker at the end of this visit,” he chuckled, taking the cup (he’d changed into a fresh pair of gloves - the clinic ran a sterile shop, thank you) from her when she returned. “I’ll just go get this set up in the lab for the doctor to look at, and then let you know what’s going on? If it’s a UTI we’ll send you home with some antibiotics.”
Technology and medical advancements meant that it wouldn’t be too awful of a wait time either - Dan never liked leaving patients hanging. Especially good friends. “If you’ll be more comfortable in the Snooze Room, it’ll only be a few minutes. I’ll come get you when it’s time.”
Of course Wynonna had an inkling of what it could’ve been, but she was shoving that inkling as far back into a box in her mind as she possibly could. She’d joked with Doc about having another kid, but she hadn’t been serious. Right? Oh god, what if she’d joked it into existence?
Wynonna cleared her throat softly and hopped back up onto the exam table, leather clad legs dangling over the edge. “Nah, I’m good where I am,” she said with a grin before pulling her phone out of the inside pocket of her jacket. “You take all the time you need, I’m just gonna dick around on this thing and see what sort of chaos may or may not be happening on the network. Did you end up watching any of that Serendipity Hills shit? We were all glued to the TV at the Homestead.”
“I missed most of it, honestly,” Dan admitted - it just wasn’t his cup of tea and he’d been kind of laser-focused on work and trying to do what he could for Sabrina. She was slowly coming out of the fog of sadness (at least she was able to leave the apartment now?) and the dance of giving her space but not too much space took up most of his time; it was also a little bit exhausting, but he pressed on. Whenever he did get free time, he preferred to spend it with Allison and Claire and preferably out of the house. Watching television wasn’t on his radar. “Anyway, be right back.”
He tossed Wynonna a reassuring smile before leaving the exam room. Sample in the lab, analysis ready to go - Dan could tell right away it was not a UTI (no cloudiness) but he did all the right tests to see what it actually was. Visual examination, dippin’ in the dipstick, drops under a microscope, and then checking for the pregnancy hormone just in case.
That reactive paper lit up like a Christmas tree, as he suspected. Though he had Dr. Strange look at the results too, just to get a doctor’s opinion. Everything was documented in the patient notes and Dan returned to where Wynonna was not-so-patiently (probably) waiting. “So,” he started, clearing his throat.
“It’s not a UTI.”
As promised, she sat with her phone in her hand, scrolling through this and that and also shooting a couple of texts off to Waverly saying that she’d be back home soon. No mention of being at the clinic though; she didn’t want to worry her baby sister any. When she heard the knock at the door, the phone was set aside almost cautiously.
The throat clearing made her raise an eyebrow slightly. Dan seemed… well, almost nervous? Sort of? Wait, was it nerves? “Uh, okay. Not a UTI. Flu? Cause I feel like it has to be one or the other and if we’re counting out UTI…”
Nope. Wynonna was in deep denial.
Breaking news like this was kind of nerve wracking - despite how during his tenure at the clinic, Dan had shared the news about pregnancy many times. To locals, for the most part - he couldn’t remember any Outlander walking in here and describing their symptoms, needing urine or blood tested for pregnancy. It was always possible, he supposed - he’d even helped Dom deliver her twins when she was here - but not common. At all.
This was actually the first time he’d be with an Outlander, a friend, from beginning to end throughout their pregnancy - and yes, the thought was a little exciting. But it also wasn’t his body or his decision so he’d ultimately support whatever Wynonna wanted to do.
“You’re pregnant,” he told her, smiling a little - warmly, a soft sort of smile. “If you’d like, I can draw some blood so we can do a more in-depth test to be sure but - that’s what the urine analysis was showing.” Dan paused, clutching the clipboard - but then he set it down and pulled up a stool to sit. “And I’m here for whatever you decide comes next.” If this was something to offer congratulations for, he would - but first he’d gauge the reaction.
She sat there and just kind of stared at Dan for a moment once the words were out of his mouth. You’re pregnant. “...I’m what?” she said quietly in response, her eyebrows knitting together a little in confusion. No. No, that couldn’t… oh, fuck.
The thing was, her first time around with pregnancy, she hadn’t had any time to experience the early symptoms. A demon, of all things, had ultimately been what led to her sitting in the bathroom at the Homestead with a positive pregnancy test in her hand. Of course, that entire situation had been fucked from the get go, but it ended with Alice.
Wynonna seemed to be in a bit of a brief haze before shaking it off as he pulled up a stool to sit closer. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” It didn’t come out harsh or anything; quite the opposite, in fact. She was shocked. Her voice was soft. Maybe even a little scared. Sure, she’d been through this before, but the hot mess that was Purgatory had made sure that she’d skipped most of her initial pregnancy – now she was going to have to go through the whole thing. Probably. Though at least she had Doc here (and knew for a fact it was his).
“Not kidding. It’s probably a shock, I’m sure,” Dan replied - and he could sense the mix of emotions rolling off of Wynonna; it was a whirlpool picked up on with the Shining, the strength and clarity of those emotions beautiful in how real they were. “A blood test will give a better idea of how far along you are - not very, I’m guessing.” Six or so weeks would be his estimation - it was still very early, but the pregnancy hormone was definitely present.
He didn’t make a move to collect any blood samples yet, however, instead reaching over and placing a hand over hers - just to give it a comforting squeeze. “But like I said, I’m here for whatever you need. If you need some time and want to come back for more tests and to get started on the whole prenatal vitamin regimen, that’s okay too. Or...anything else.”
Look. He was still aware that he wasn’t in any place to tell someone what to do when they had a uterus and he didn’t. It was possible Wynonna would decide that Vallo wasn’t too unstable to bring a baby into, as a non-native, and like hell he was going to judge her for that.
The feeling of his hand was definitely a comfort and she turned it over in his hold, squeezing it back in an almost desperate sort of way. The initial rush of emotions were still very surface level and she took a couple of quiet moments to let the weight of it settle. She was pregnant. Again. Alice was going to be a big sister, because there was no doubt in her mind that she was going to keep it, as terrifying as the notion was.
It was one thing to have a daughter that had been born in another world show up here and be raised here, it was another entirely to find oneself pregnant in a world where people disappeared on the reg.
“Um, right. Okay. Do the blood work, I guess? I should… I should, uh, have an idea of how far along I am, right? So I can at least tell Doc that much…”
Dan nodded. “Blood work,” he agreed, fond pressure added to the grip he had on Wynonna’s hand before he pulled back to slip into gloves and gather the right supplies. When he had everything he was on his stool with the rolling wheels again, sliding closer to put a tourniquet on her arm and find the vein.
He was good at that, fortunately - he had a knack for it, as a nurse. Had a knack for inserting the needle at the right angle too, without any pain, that crimson life force rushing into the catheter. “It’ll be a couple hours before the results are available in the lab but I can call you?” he offered. “Or come see you in person. Drop off the lab report, if you want something tangible.”
Sometimes that made things more real. It was no pregnancy test stick that you peed on, but it was something. Honestly, he was pretty excited for Wynonna - Vallo, despite the hardships it doled out, was also all about second chances. New opportunities. This was definitely one full of promise, and he would do whatever he could to help make sure she had a safe and healthy pregnancy.
“There we go,” he gently extracted the needle and applied the small bandage, labeling the tube to be dropped off in the lab. “Extra sticker for you.”
Wynonna wasn’t sure if the sudden queasy feeling was a symptom of her diagnosis or a side effect of finding out about it, but either way she was pretty sure she was going to hurl as soon as she stepped foot out of the clinic. Or the exam room, at the very least. She swallowed it down though and fell quiet as Dan worked to draw the blood he needed to run that particular test.
“Calling me is fine, I think. I don’t… I don’t need the actual paperwork.” Besides, she wasn’t sure how soon she wanted to tell anyone other than Doc about this. Any number of things could happen between now and whenever that baby would be born and she wasn’t sure she was mentally ready for the way Waverly was likely going to react to the news (even if it would be good).
Her mind was reeling a little though, that much was obvious, and she turned her focus back to Dan when he was done. “Thanks. Hey, um, I know doctor-patient confidentiality is a thing, but definitely keep this on the DL for now? I know you will, I trust you, but Doc and I need to make sure we’re on the same page about what we want to do before I decide I want others to know, y’know?”
"I'll give you a call, then," Dan promised. "And I won't breathe a word to anyone. It's up to you to tell people whatever you want them to know, whenever you want them to know." He couldn't imagine blabbing news like this to anyone - it was a maelstrom of so many ethics violations that it made his head spin. Also it was just a shitty thing to do to a friend.
And, because he'd promised, he peeled a bright blue Donald Duck 'super patient!' sticker off its paper and stuck it to Wynonna's shirt. Lollipops were ill-advised in this day and age of diabetes, but it was important to add levity to some situations sometimes.
"I'll walk you out if you want," he offered. And if Wynonna was going to puke he'd have a bucket ready, like any good nurse. "We'll speak soon too. Congratulations, by the way."
Wynonna watched as the blue sticker went from the roll in one hand to the front of her shirt and she scrunched her nose at it slightly. Leave it to Dan to slap a Donald Duck sticker on her. At least she wasn’t being a pain in the ass this go around like normal, huh? The sticker was earned, dammit. It was also going to get removed before she got home, but that wasn’t important.
She slid off of the exam table and smiled, though it was on the weaker side of things. The shock of the situation was still settling in. “No, that’s okay, I can see myself out.” But she hesitated to leave, instead pausing for a moment before turning and wrapping her arms around Dan in a hug.
Because right now? That hug was exactly what she needed. “Thank you, Dan.” This is terrifying on a level I haven’t comprehended just yet, but I’m glad you’re here. The words were left unsaid, but she hoped they were conveyed, nonetheless.