"Preeclampsia.", the doctor repeated, looking up from his clipboard right into Lana and Sean's eyes. His body language was quite tensed, his grip around the paper quite strong.
"And... That means?", Lana asked nervously and even frightened, squeezing Sean's hand even more than before. Even though the doctor gave them some information already, she needed to hear it again. She needed to know it all. Deep inside of her head, she already cursed herself for not doing any tests, for not visiting a doctor sooner and for not reading more about risks that could come with her age. She did remember the name of that condition. She knew it from the very first day after finding out about this pregnancy, when she was literally obsessed with informing herself.
"Preeclampsia is a very serious blood pressure condition. This means that you'll need to stay here, monitored all the time to reassure that you and your baby will be okay. We had a call with your doctor because of your urine tests. They came back and the results confirmed our diagnosis. Your headaches, blurry sight, even the nausea are symptoms which developed pretty severe in your case.", he said.
"Is there no treatment? Anything??", Sean asked helplessly, now kind of falling backward on a chair that was standing next to Lana's bed. He couldn't wrap his mind around anything that could put his girlfriend or daughter at risk and especially his past made him insecure about the fact that everything is going to be alright. He wasn't as frightened as now in a very long time.
"Unfortunately... No one is entirely sure what the cause of that condition is. It is believed to come from a health problem of the placenta. All we can do is treat her with medication for high blood pressure and in case of any cramping with other medications.", he explained. "The only way to stop the symptoms and condition itself is the birth of the baby."
"Birth? We're at 24 weeks!! This baby cannot be born yet!", Lana almost yelled.
"We try our best to keep the baby in until the 34th week of pregnancy. Your daughter should be all healthy and able to live outside your stomach by then. Of course, if your health is going to recover, we will push the delivery back but If the preeclampsia worsens or becomes more severe, your baby will need to be delivered", he explained.
"Is it possible for me to say that you should safe her instead of me?", Lana coldly asked, causing Sean's eyes to widen. He couldn't even speak and protest when Lana's words started to come out.
"I...can write it down but--"
"No!", Sean cut in. "I am sorry but... Lana, you can't do that to me. You can't. I cannot lose you...i...I wouldn't know what to do.", he confessed full of fear, trying to find a resolution but all he came up with sounded so stupid inside of his head. "This... Condition... It's not life-threatening, is it?", he asked, hoping that they would never even have the torment to decide over something like that. Decide who is allowed to live.
Sean was shaking by now since he couldn't imagine going through that again but deep inside he knew that it was pretty serious since doctors would never get the baby as early as the 34th week if not necessary.
"Well... Preeclampsia may result in damage to the kidneys, liver, lung, heart, or eyes, and may cause a stroke or other brain injury. In your case, the vomiting alarmed us since it is not a usual sign of preeclampsia. But it's one of Eclampsia, which can develop within the illness itself. It may cause cramping or rupture of the placenta, meaning mother and child are at high risk. We need to make sure that your baby is growing normally without any signs of lack of provision.", he sighed. "I am sorry but it will be for the best to keep you here for now. Approximately two weeks... If your symptoms stay as strong or will get more serious, we might let you stay until birth.", he said.
"Could you leave us alone for a second, please...", was the only thing Lana managed to press out, whilst sitting there numb and lifeless. This pregnancy was supposed to be the best thing in the world. She wanted to be those happy smiling women that she had seen on magazine covers. Completely flawless and glowing. She on the other hand was sitting in the hospital bed, in sweatpants, with frizzy hair and probably ruined make-up.
YOU ARE READING
The way I love you
FanfictionAfter Lana and Sean's life got turned upside down, they finally managed to settle as a newly formed family, learning how to enjoy life together even with all the struggles that it came with. Just when they thought that they had reached the ultimat...
