Scent Of Roses. Kat Martin

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СКАЧАТЬ of Family Circle.

      “How are you feeling?” Elizabeth asked Maria, who sat with her hand cupped protectively over her belly.

      “I am fine, a little tired, is all.” She looked pretty today, in pink slacks and a pink-striped maternity blouse, her black hair drawn back into a single long braid.

      “Sleeping any better?”

      Maria sighed. “If you are asking if I have heard any more voices, no, I have not. Besides, Miguel has been home in the evenings before it is time for bed.”

      “Well, at least you’ve been able to sleep. Let’s see what Dr. James has to say about what’s been going on.”

      Maria stood up from the sofa. “Will you…will you come in with me?”

      “I think the doctor would rather talk to you alone.”

      “Please?”

      Elizabeth looked up to see Michael James standing in the doorway.

      “It’s all right, Maria. If Ms. Conners is free, she is welcome to sit in for a while.”

      Maria cast a hopeful glance at Elizabeth, who nodded, and all three of them went into the doctor’s office. The women sat down in front of his desk and Michael took a seat in the leather chair on the opposite side. He slid a pair of tortoiseshell reading glasses up on his nose and scanned the information in the manila folder on the desktop.

      When he finished, he took the glasses off and set them down on his desk. “Let me start by saying that Ms. Conners has told me a little about what you’ve been experiencing, Maria. I’m sure it’s been very disconcerting.”

      Maria glanced at Elizabeth and the doctor realized she didn’t understand the word.

      “I’m sure it’s been extremely upsetting,” he said. “Having an experience like that is bound to be difficult.”

      Maria nodded. “Sí. I have been very frightened.” She gripped her hands tightly in front of her.

      “Before we get into a more serious discussion, let’s start with something simple. I have two brief tests I’d like to give you. Just answer each question honestly, yes or no, then we’ll see where we are.”

      She nodded, seemed to brace herself. For the next fifteen minutes, the doctor asked questions from the first sheet of paper he picked up, questions that would reveal symptoms of depression.

      “All right, Maria, here we go. For the past few weeks or months, have you been excessively worried about work, family or finances?”

      Maria shook her head. “No. Miguel is doing very well at his job, and Raul, he is doing very good, too.”

      “Have you lost interest in the things you usually like to do?”

      “No. I am very busy at home getting ready for the baby.”

      “Have you been feeling sad or hopeless?”

      “No.”

      “Have you lost interest in sex?”

      Soft color rose beneath the dark skin over her cheeks. “My husband, he is a very virile man, but with the baby coming…” She glanced away. “Still, I feel desire for him.”

      Elizabeth bit back a smile and Michael looked down at the paper. “Do you cry often?”

      “A few times lately, but only because I am afraid.”

      Michael made notes on the paper. “Are you irritable and out of sorts with other people?”

      “No, I do not think so.”

      “Do you spend time thinking about death or dying?”

      Maria shook her head. “I think mostly about having my baby. The doctor says it is going to be a little boy.”

      Flicking a glance at Elizabeth, Dr. James set the questionnaire aside and picked up a second sheet of paper. “This is a test for Anxiety Disorder. Answer each question just as you did before.”

      Maria nodded, sat up a little straighter in her chair.

      “Do you sometimes feel that things around you are strange, unreal, foggy or detached from you?”

      “Sí…at night…when I am alone.”

      “Do you have a fear that you are dying or that something terrible is about to happen?”

      “Sí, and I am very afraid.”

      “Do you have difficulty breathing? Or feel as if you are smothering?”

      “That has happened to me…yes.”

      He made notes on the paper. “Do you suffer chest pains, light-headedness or dizzy spells, shaking or trembling?”

      “Sí, but only when the fear comes.”

      “Have you experienced the sensation of your legs being rubbery or jellylike?”

      “It was not quite that way. The last time the voices came, I could not move my legs. I could not move from the bed. I could not get away.”

      Dr. James frowned. “Have you experienced a skipping or racing heart?”

      “Oh, sí. My heart, it goes so fast I think it will beat right through my chest.”

      The doctor set the paper aside and pulled off his reading glasses. “From the answers you’ve given, Mrs. Santiago, you have the classic symptoms of anxiety. What you’re feeling isn’t really happening. But stress is making it seem as if it is.”

      “Then the voices, they are not real?”

      “No. But you mustn’t be afraid. Once we discover what is causing the anxiety, the voices will go away.”

      Dr. James glanced at Elizabeth, who took her cue and rose from her chair. “Dr. James is going to help you, Maria. All you have to do is talk to him, tell him your fears, be honest about yourself and your past.” Elizabeth squeezed the young woman’s shoulder. “If you do that, it won’t be long before you’ll start to feel better.”

      Elizabeth left the doctor’s office, closing the door softly behind her. It looked like Maria was definitely suffering from anxiety. Michael James was good. In time, he would discover the cause. Once the problem was out in the open, the symptoms would likely disappear.

      Elizabeth returned to her office, relieved yet wondering what had set off the young woman’s recent attacks.

      Her marriage, perhaps. Miguel Santiago was twenty-nine, ten years older than his wife.

      He wasn’t abusive, just domineering, and up until now, Maria hadn’t seemed to mind. She had been raised to believe the husband was master of the household and it seemed their mutual understanding was working to make a successful marriage.

      Now, based СКАЧАТЬ