“Steady, woman. They’re fine.”
“What happened to me?”
“Hyperemesis gravidarum.”
“Oh, God. Is that as bad as it sounds?”
“Yes and no. You were badly dehydrated, Simone, and disoriented. One of the unlucky women who suffer from severe nausea and vomiting when pregnant. Women with multiples are more prone to it.”
“Well, that’s just peachy,” she muttered.
“Dr. Fetter wanted to admit you, but you pitched a fit and demanded to go home. She only agreed because I promised to stay with you.”
For the first time, Simone realized she was hooked up to an IV. “You did this?”
He looked at her strangely. “Yes. But if you’ve changed your mind, I’ll take you back to the hospital.”
Now that her head was clearer, she did remember most of what he was saying. It didn’t paint her in a good light.
“How did you hear I had passed out? Why were you there with the EMTs? Candace doesn’t even know you.”
“She was trying to call 911 and saw my card on your desk.”
“I knew I should have thrown that away.”
Hutch had the audacity to laugh. When he did, she caught a glimpse of the carefree young doctor she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Heaven help her. With the shadows gone from his eyes—chased away by genuine humor—he was irresistible.
He fiddled with a setting on the monitor. “It will take at least twenty-four hours to get your electrolyte levels balanced again. After that, we’ll have to see if you are able eat or drink at all. Otherwise, you’ll have to get nutrition intravenously.”
“How long will this last?”
“Well...” It was clear he didn’t want to upset her.
“Go ahead, Hutch. I can handle it.”
“Days. Weeks.” He grimaced. “For some it’s all the way till the end. But you’re in the earliest moments of this pregnancy. Your body is adapting to the flood of hormones. With any luck, things will settle down soon.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” she said drily. She watched as he moved around the bedroom. “You can’t stay here. You have a job.”
“I was going to talk to you about that. I have a friend, a nurse, who does in-home care. She’s expensive, but it’s cheaper than being hospitalized and a lot more comfortable.”
“She would stay overnight?”
Hutch rubbed two fingers in the center of his forehead. “No. I would be here when I get off work in the evenings.”
Simone closed her eyes and told herself not to get upset. That wouldn’t be good for the babies. “You know that’s impossible,” she whispered.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand, the one with the needle taped into it. “My job is to protect high-risk infants. What happened to you is serious, but there’s no reason to take up a hospital bed.”
“What about staying away from each other?”
“You’re all hooked up. How bad could we be?”
The droll comment startled a laugh from her when she could have sworn she didn’t have it in her. “I have friends,” she said. “And parents.”
“Don’t be coy, Simone. I happen to know that Cecelia is newly engaged and pregnant and Naomi flits all over the country. Your parents wouldn’t begin to know how to be nurturing. I’ve met them, remember? I’m your best shot if you want to stay out of the hospital.”
Well, damn. The idea of checking into a hospital for something like this gave her the hives. “You could teach me about the IV,” she said, giving him a hopeful glance.