The OB-GYN showed up around thirty minutes later, her name was Dr. Venkataraman. She knocked on the door and found Raghav feeding Pallavi.
"Sorry to disturb you two, just want to do a quick ultrasound and set Mrs. Rao here up with some prenatal care. I'm Dr. Savitri Venkataraman, how are we feeling today?"
"Stressed, worried, nauseous," Raghav responded quickly.
Savitri laughed.
Pallavi rolled her eyes, "Raghav, she was asking about me."
"Oh, well Saree ka Dukaan — I mean Pallavi, she spent the whole day fasting, so she fainted, but doctor, now that she's eaten everything is fine, right? Pallavi, lay back down, maybe you should be eating more? Should I get her some orange juice? Juice is good during pregnancy right—" Raghav was babbling again.
Savitri interrupted, "Mr. Rao, let's calm down, take a deep breath. Yes Pallavi should be fine now, but I should tell you that you won't be able to fast for the next seven months at least, Pallavi. Understood?"
Pallavi nodded and added, "So, how far along am I? Will we be able to see anything on the ultrasound?"
"You're about 9 weeks from what I can tell," Savitri responded, and sat down on the other side of Pallavi's bed, watching Raghav catching her every word, seeming to be unable to let go of his wife's hand.
"Let's do the ultrasound, I can't promise we'll see anything yet, but I'll let you know if we do. Now this jelly will be cold."
Dr. Venkataraman applied some jelly on Pallavi's stomach, and then placed the ultrasound wand on top of it. Pallavi gasped a little at the cold feel of the jelly.
"Sorry about the cold, but let's see...ah that sounds good." Savitri said.
"What?" Raghav and Pallavi asked together.
"If you listen closely that's a heartbeat. Here let me show you." Savitri whirled the screen in front of them, and pointed out the fetus' tiny heart, and almost immediately Pallavi's eyes filled with tears.
"Pallavi, what's wrong? Does something hurt?" Raghav asked, worried.
Pallavi shook her head, "How could I be so stupid, I stayed hungry all day, and this baby.." Pallavi cried louder.
Savitri responded, "Mrs. Rao, your baby is perfectly fine. Every mother makes mistakes during their pregnancies, it's completely natural, and more importantly, babies, even ones that aren't born yet, are resilient. I promise your baby looks perfectly healthy, and if you follow your prenatal care rules, your baby will stay healthy."
Pallavi nodded, and Raghav hugged her.
"So, you can be discharged and you can head home. I'd like to see you again in a couple weeks, and make sure to fill out these prescriptions and I'll also send some pamphlets home with you about diet and exercise and other do's and don'ts for the next few months. Does that sound good?"
"Discharged? Doctor, are you kidding me? She just fainted? Aap kaunse medical school mein padthi thi?" Raghav asked, getting angry again.
Savitri was about to respond when Pallavi interrupted, "Ignore my husband, he has no idea how to talk to people. Raghav, mein teek hun."
Savitri smiled and added, "I'll make sure to send home a video of the ultrasound with you two too. You're going to make great parents." And with that she left the room.
Raghav helped Pallavi out of the bed, even though she was perfectly fine, she liked holding his hand. Immediately Raghav left the room however, and he came back with a wheelchair.
