Dr. Trigiani’s eyes flicker to mine in disappointment.
“What is that exactly?” Benjamin presses.
“Her red blood cells have deteriorated. It’s a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Your wife’s case is severe, although the transfusion brought her hemoglobin up to 7.4. Still low, but better, which means after I perform your vitals, Darcy, you may be even higher since you have been taking the medications.”
My heart takes a pitfall.
“How dangerous is her condition?” he asks after a moment.
Doctor Trigiani glances briefly at me and then back at Benjamin, gaping for a moment in hesitation. “This is a high-risk pregnancy.”
“What is high risk, Doctor?”
“Ben,” I whisper, “I—”
“No,” he pins me a look so full of betrayal that I shut up immediately. “Doctor?”
“It means precautions are necessary to ensure a healthy pregnancy and labor. It also means knowing the dangers, despite how rare it is to have things go south.”
“Could my wife die from this?”
She gapes slightly because it’s impossible to not be intimidated by him, especially when he’s bristling. “In anemia cases, there’s a greater chance for miscarriage rather than death of a mother. However, it’s important you know the facts going into this. Anemia doubles the chance of death in pregnancy, because the body isn’t receiving the proper nutrients, let alone proper oxygen to sustain two human beings. It’s extremely rare, Mr. Scott, and we are monitoring your wife’s pregnancy closely.”
His hand has bunched into a fist in his lap. “You just said you had to perform more tests.”
“Because we don’t know what’s causing the anemia yet. It’s usually due to loss of blood, but she’s not losing any. It’s most likely a medical condition in her case. We will be scheduling tests, and we will find out what it is.”
“Fucking hell, Darcy,” he growls, snapping back in his seat. He covers his mouth and stares at me, speechless.
The doctor stands. “I’ll give you two some time.”
As soon as the door is closed, he’s up fast as lightning and doesn’t stop until he’s by the window. His arms are laced in front of his chest, his back rigid.
“Benjamin, I can explain.”
“You kept this from me.”
“Ben, I’m sorry, I—”
“You lied. You lied straight to my face. Went behind my back and—”
“I was going to tell you.”
He turns on me, seething. “When? Before you went into labor?”
“No, I was going to wait until I knew what was wrong. I didn’t want to worry you! I knew you wouldn’t warm to the pregnancy if I told you. I knew you didn’t even want this so I had to make a choice.”
“Don’t turn this on me. Don’t youdare, Darcy!” he bellows, and I blanch. “This was your choice, your secret! Fuck, I even asked you what those pills were for, and you chose not to tell me. Your goddamn life is at risk, and I’ve been playing along to the charade you’ve made this into!”
“Charade? Are you kidding? Benjamin, I should have told you, I know that. But you have to understand why I hid it!”
“You still want to go through with this? Even though it could mean your death? The baby’s death?”
I gape at him, tears rushing to my eyes. “What is the fucking alternative, Benjamin?”
He doesn’t dare voice it. I rush to my feet, gripping his arms. He shoves my hands away and clears a safe distance from me. He falls so quiet it becomes terrifying.
“It’s strange,” he finally says. “The anger I feel right now somehow outweighs the embarrassment of our doctor thinking you have to hide shit from me. You knew this appointment was today. I spent half the morning inside of you and never once did you think it would be nice to tell me about the appointment.”
