“Could the drugs I’m taking have anything to do with it?” she asked.
Dr. Levine thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I have seen cases of women who have some vision problems, though usually it’s blurred vision and not really what you described.”
“I mean, I feel fine now. No problems at all with my vision.”
“Well, it could also have been some bozo with his high beams parked on the overpass where he shouldn’t have been. The good news is you’re okay. But, if anything else happens, I need to know. Got it?”
Becky nodded as Dr. Levine called out on the intercom for Kim to join him for the exam.
“Everything looks perfect,” he said as he finished up her scan and made notes in her folder. “You’re progressing right on schedule.”
After she dressed, she found Kim waiting for her behind the front desk. “So, good news today. Are the shots becoming easier?”
“Yeah. We’re getting through it. When I see Bryan coming at me, I remind myself it’s a means to an end.”
Kim nodded and offered a small smile. “Right. Did you print out the calendar from our website? It makes it a little easier to keep track of everything.”
“I sure did. It’s on the refrigerator, and I take great joy in drawing a big red X at the end of the day. I’m racking up those red marks, so I have to be getting close.”
“You are.” Kim handed Becky her appointment card. “We’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
There was always the chance IVF wouldn’t work for them, but Becky believed in the power of positive thinking. If she did everything she was supposed to, she’d be pregnant. This had to work. She couldn’t even imagine how devastated she would feel if it didn’t.
Chapter Nine
Becky
Mrs. Ritter insisted on dropping Becky in her driveway despite her protests that she could walk from across the street. She entered the kitchen and dropped her purse on the table. “Sherlock, Momma’s home.”
“Want to go outside?” she asked when the cat appeared.
Becky poured herself some juice and grabbed one of Mrs. Ritter’s muffins as her stomach growled. She unlocked the slider to the porch, and they both went out to enjoy the afternoon sun.
After lowering herself into one of the overstuffed chairs, she texted Jules. How did your parents take the news?
The phone buzzed, and she crinkled her nose as she read the message. The thumbs-down emoticon, followed by: They’re still here. Fill you in later.
Becky wiped a line of sweat that had formed on her forehead. The slight chill of the morning had given way to glorious sunshine set in a cloudless blue sky.
She pulled herself out of the chair and strode through the open sliding door into the kitchen and then to the bedroom. Sherlock was at her heels. She rummaged around in the dresser drawer to find something cooler and pulled out a favorite T-shirt.
As she turned to leave the room, the cat leaped off the bed and darted in front of her. With a backward glance at her to ensure she was following him back to the porch, Becky watched as he stealthily crept up to the edge of the screen to resume his surveillance.
It was then that Becky noticed the screen door to the backyard had blown open. She frowned as she pulled it shut. It wasn’t even windy out. She stood for a moment and then reopened the door.
She stepped out into the backyard and studied the trees that lined the property behind the house. Had she seen a shadow protruding from one of the trees? As she squinted into the sunlight, she scanned from one end to the other, looking for movement or a flash of color. There was nothing. She glanced around the side of the house where she could see through to the street. In the distance, she saw Mrs. Ritter’s front yard, but she wasn’t outside.
Becky’s gaze traveled the length of the backyard again. She was sure she smelled cigarette smoke, but there was no one around. She glanced into her neighbor’s backyard, but it was empty.
Shaking her head, she closed the door and lowered herself back into her chair. As she drank her juice and finished her muffin, she contemplated what to do with the rest of the day. The accident had left her sore. She considered a hot bath might make her feel better, but when she stood up, she found herself teetering, her legs wobbly underneath her.
She staggered back into the house through the kitchen, stopping to use the table to hold herself up. She hadn’t gotten much sleep in the hospital, and Dr. Summers had told her she could potentially feel a little dizzy for a few days.
With the sun streaming through the big picture window, she laid down on the couch and felt much better. An oversized yawn took her by surprise. She couldn’t even keep her eyes open, so she closed them for just a minute, her promise to call Bryan forgotten.
***
Becky blinked several times as she tried to bring her view into focus. As the fog lifted, Bryan’s face loomed over her.
He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “You were out cold. You said you’d check in, and I didn’t hear from you. When you didn’t respond to my text messages, I got worried and sent Mrs. Ritter over to check on you. She reported back that she could see through the window that you were taking a big ole’ nap in front of the TV.”
Becky yawned and stretched. “I’m sorry, babe. I guess I was just exhausted from the night at the hospital.” Sitting up, she glanced out the window. “Wow, it’s dark out.”
Still somewhat groggy, she trudged into the kitchen. As she peered through the opening of the sliding glass door, she flicked on the porch light. Sherlock wasn’t out there, so she brought in her glass from earlier and shut the door.
Over Chinese take-out, Becky reassured Bryan she was feeling much better. If she mentioned she was dizzy and seeing and smelling things that weren’t there, he would have her back at the hospital. Clearly, she had needed sleep. There was no need to worry him over nothing.
“Mrs. Ritter took me to my appointment.” Becky gestured toward the banana muffins on the counter. “And look. Banana muffins. So good.”
“And what did Dr. Levine have to say?”
“Oh, sorry.” Becky took a bite of her eggroll and finished chewing before updating him. “I’m right where I’m supposed to be, and he didn’t think the hormones could have caused that kind of issue with my vision. I’m supposed to tell him if I have any more problems, but for now, everything is right on schedule.”
“Well, that’s good news. I called the shop. They said your car shouldn’t take too long to fix once the parts come in. I’ll leave you my car tomorrow morning. Dave from work said he’d pick me up and run me over to the rental car place at lunchtime. You need to meet me there.”