Free Zombies in Paradise (Love in the Age of Zombies Book 2) by James K. Evans Page A

inside Michelle. Doc gave her an examination in the bedroom; Kevin was banned from observing the procedure and didn’t mind. Doc called him in afterwards and proceeded to ask Michelle a lot of questions about her health history. He focused a lot on her miscarriage and what the doctors had told her. Kevin could tell that despite the passing of time, it was still difficult for her to talk about the experience.
    Doc took her blood pressure, of course, and checked her blood sugar level using the standard urine strips. But without testing equipment, there was only so much he could do. His age and fatherly bedside manner kept Kevin’s obsessive jealous streak at bay.
    It became a regular routine: before breakfast he’d check her blood sugar, listen to her abdomen, and check her blood pressure. Occasionally Kevin would catch him looking concerned, but Doc always brightened up when asked how she was doing. Kevin got the impression Doc wasn’t speaking his thoughts, but didn’t know Doc well enough to read his body language with certainty.
    Then one morning after their regular exam he called Kevin into the bedroom. “I’d like to express some concerns I have. Considering your history,” he said, looking at Michelle, “there are a few things to pay attention to. One, of course, is your weight. As you well know, women who are overweight have greater risks during pregnancy, as do women who are over thirty-five—risk of gestational diabetes, miscarriage, Down’s syndrome or other chromosomal problems, et cetera . None of this is news to you,” he said, still talking to her. “In addition to your weight being a risk factor, your blood pressure has been consistently high, though only borderline. That could be the result of our circumstances, could be a pre-existing problem, or could be the direct result of choosing to be with a nincompoop like Kevin,” he said, winking. Kevin knew he was trying to lighten the tension in the air and appreciated it.
    “It’s about time someone appreciated the incredible burden I’ve taken on,” she said, martyr-like, holding the back of her hand against her forehead dramatically. Doc laughed and didn’t notice when she slowly and deliberately licked her lips while still maintaining eye contact with Kevin. Her tongue was hypnotic. Kevin had to ignore it and listen to what Doc had to say.
    “What concerns me is the possibility of preeclampsia. You told me your mom had it, and there is a genetic factor. Plus you have several classic symptoms in addition to your high blood pressure. You have some facial edema and pitting edema in your ankles as well. You were already overweight but have gained more since I’ve been here. Plus you’ve been having headaches, dizziness and abdominal pain. None of these symptoms alone points to preeclampsia, but taken together they could indicate a problem.”
    “Doc, fill in a layman, would you? I don’t speak med-talk. What’s pitting edema? What’s preeclampsia?” Kevin interrupted.
    “Pitting edema is swelling that leaves an indentation when pressed. Like this,” he said, reaching over and pressing on Michelle’s swollen shin. When he removed his finger an indentation remained but slowly disappeared. “Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder typically involving high blood pressure and high protein in the urine. Unfortunately we don’t have any protein test strips, so we’re at a disadvantage. I recommend we make a run for a local pharmacy and hope scavengers had no use for protein tests.”
    “Okay, so preeclampsia can be a problem during pregnancy. What does that mean for Michelle and the baby?”
    Michelle looked at Kevin and very somberly said “Worst case scenario: I could lose the baby. And you could lose me.”
    “Yeah, right,” Kevin said. When neither of them smiled he physically recoiled. “What?!” he exclaimed. “You mean you might  .  .  .  no, that can’t be right. We can’t let that happen. What do we need to do? How do