Scarlett Rose's Arc

Chapter 33 of 57

Clayton pulled up just after ten. Scarlett was on the porch with her bag and a foil-wrapped loaf. Aunt Lorraine stood in the doorway in her pink cardigan, waving until the taillights turned at the end of the drive. Scarlett slept most of the way home. Clayton drove with one hand and kept the other on her knee. The doctor's office opened at eight. Rose met them in the parking lot with two coffees and a decaf for Scarlett. She wore a turquoise scarf and no makeup, which meant she'd left the cottage before sunrise. "I'm coming in," Rose said. "Don't argue." Scarlett didn't argue. The nurse took blood before the doctor came in. Then she took more. Scarlett sat on the paper-lined table with Clayton on her left and Rose on her right. Clayton held his hat in both hands. Rose held Scarlett's hand. The doctor came in with a folder and sat down instead of standing. Scarlett's stomach dropped. "The babies are fine," the doctor said first. "Strong heartbeats. Both measuring right on track." Scarlett breathed out. Clayton's shoulders dropped an inch. "Twins," the doctor said. "A boy and a girl, from what we can see." Rose made a sound Scarlett had never heard her make. "But your bloodwork came back low," the doctor said. "You're anemic. Severely. That's why you've been so sick, and why the trip wore you out." "How bad," Clayton said. "Bad enough that I want you on iron infusions starting this week. And I need you to understand something before the delivery." The doctor looked at Scarlett, then at Clayton. "With twins and numbers like these, there's a real chance you'll need a blood transfusion when you give birth. We plan for it now, not in the room." Scarlett kept her hand flat on her stomach. Two of them. A boy and a girl. And her own blood too thin to carry them across the finish line without help. "What do I do," she said. "Iron infusions weekly. No barn work. No lifting. You eat what I put on the list. You sleep when your body asks." The doctor slid a page across. "And we type and cross-match you now so the hospital has units ready on your delivery date." Clayton took the page before Scarlett could reach it. He folded it into his shirt pocket. "She'll do all of it," he said. "I'll do all of it," Scarlett said. In the parking lot, Rose hugged her hard and didn't let go for a long time. Then Rose stepped back and wiped her face with the turquoise scarf. "I'm calling Maya," Rose said. "She needs to know you're off your feet until April. She'll set up a schedule." Clayton opened the truck door. Scarlett climbed in slowly. She looked at her hands in her lap. Two babies. A boy and a girl. And a hospital already setting aside blood with her name on it.