Chapter 32 - The Independent Doctor
I changed my prenatal appointment to a clinic closer to Brooklyn, where no one wore Adrian's name on a visitor badge.
Dr. Leila Morgan reviewed my records while a bright paper fish swayed from a string over the examination table. She asked about nausea, sleep, work, and stress. She did not ask whether the baby's father was wealthy.
“Has anyone been interfering with your medical decisions?” she asked after reading the transfer notes.
“He tried.”
“Is that still happening?”
“Not through this clinic.”
She waited until I finished explaining, then asked what support I had at home. I named Elena and Miriam. I could feel myself sitting straighter as I spoke.
During the scan the baby turned its face away from the probe. Dr. Morgan laughed softly. “Already uninterested in our plans.”
I laughed too. When she offered a printout, I accepted it and tucked it into my coat pocket.
May you like
On the subway home, I thought about the first sonogram Adrian had discovered by accident. This image was different. I knew who had permission to see it. I knew where it would go.
I taped it inside a kitchen cabinet, a place visible only when I opened the door to reach my tea.
