Prologue #3
“Hi, Amy Marie,” she said softly, her tiny daughter blinking as she stared at Kylie. “I’m your mom. I will love you fiercely. I will protect you. I will be your champion. Always.”
A light tap sounded at the door, and her OB and Amy Marie’s pediatrician entered the room, concern on both their faces.
Dr. Blankenship looked to where Brady slept and said, “I’m going to wake him.” He walked to the sofa and clasped her husband’s shoulder. “Wake up, Mr. Masters.”
Brady yawned sleepily and sat up, eyeing the two doctors warily. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re here to talk with you and your wife about today,” Dr. Blankenship said.
Brady glanced to her and the baby but kept his seat.
Dr. Blankenship said, “Kylie, you suffered a serious complication at the end of your labor. Your uterine wall ruptured in what we call a complete rupture. Your uterus is a muscular organ composed of several layers of tissue. It grows and supports your baby as it develops. While uterine rupture isn’t common, it’s a serious medical complication, threatening the life of both you and your baby. ”
“So, that’s why my stomach hurt so much?” she asked.
“Yes,” Dr. Blankenship replied. “Essentially, this tear created a hole in your uterus and abdomen. It resulted in severe blood loss. Suddenly, your baby didn’t have the protection your uterus offered, and she went into fetal distress.
Her heart rate began to slow, and she wasn’t getting any oxygen. ”
“No oxygen?” Brady interjected. “That means … what? Brain damage?” He didn’t bother to hide a look of disgust.
“It can,” the OB said. “That’s why we had to get Kylie into surgery ASAP to remove the baby so that she wouldn’t suffocate.
We also had to repair Kylie’s uterus.” He smiled at her.
“Your stomach is going to be very sore. You can’t lift anything heavy for a few weeks, nothing beyond a couple of pounds, but you didn’t suffer any long-term consequences.
I’ll go over everything with you in detail, as well as provide you with written instructions.
Things such as no stairs or exercise. No sitting in baths.
Showers only. Nothing placed inside your vagina, which means no tampons. ”
Dr. Blankenship turned to Brady. “And no sex.”
Her husband glared at the OB.
“What about … more children?” she quietly asked. “Will this keep me from having another baby?”
“No, it shouldn’t. You did nothing wrong, Kylie,” the doctor assured her.
“Sometimes, this just happens, and there’s no reason we can attribute to it.
You should have no trouble becoming pregnant in the future.
What I would strongly advise you to do is schedule a C-section, however.
A vaginal birth could result in a tearing of the uterine wall again.
Other than that, after resting adequately, you should heal with no problems. I know Dr. Peters will agree with me that you’ll need to hire help in caring for the baby since you won’t be able to lift her for a couple of weeks. ”
She glanced down at Amy Marie, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“If you don’t have any further questions, I’ve got another patient I need to see. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning on rounds and see how you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Dr. Blankenship. For saving me and Amy Marie.”
“Anytime,” he said, smiling at her before exiting the hospital room.
Dr. Peters cleared her throat. “I’d like to talk to you about Amy Marie now.” She paused. “Have you noticed anything unusual, Kylie?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “She has Down syndrome, doesn’t she?”
“What?” Brady roared, jumping to his feet and stepping toward her bed. He looked down at the baby, and Kylie saw him recoil. Then he looked at her accusingly. “What the hell did you do to cause this to happen?”
“Your wife did nothing to contribute to this,” the pediatrician said sharply.
“Neither did you, Mr. Masters. No behavioral activity or environmental factor is known to cause Down syndrome. It’s simply when a person has an extra copy of chromosome twenty-one.
This extra chromosome changes how a fetus’ body and brain develop in utero. ”
Brady looked down at Amy Marie, revulsion on his face. He backed away, bumping into the sofa and sitting on it, pushing his hands through his hair, clearly frustrated.
“Amy Marie will have developmental challenges,” Dr. Peters continued, looking at Kylie.
“She’ll be slower in hitting her milestones, from crawling and walking to talking.
She may develop health problems down the road, such as hearing loss or congenital heart defects, but many babies with Down syndrome grow to adulthood and lead satisfying lives. ”
“No,” Brady said, shaking his head as he came to his feet. “I didn’t sign up for this. Any of this.” He looked at Kylie. “You can’t make me be a father to … that.”
Anger poured through her, and she went into full mama bear mode, though she knew to maintain her composure.
“I don’t want you as a husband or father to my baby. Things were shaky for us before, Brady, but it’s obvious you do not want to be around Amy Marie. I think it best that we file for divorce. I’ll contact a lawyer. You should do the same.”
“Oh, believe me, I’ll be filing the moment I walk out of here,” he said. “And we have a real shark at my law firm. She’ll make mincemeat of whoever you hire.”
With that, her husband walked out of her life—and Amy Marie’s.
Calmy, she met Dr. Peters’ gaze. “I’m fully prepared to manage on my own. What’s the first thing I need to know about my daughter?”
The pediatrician ignored what had just occurred and carried on as if everything were perfectly normal.
“Let’s talk neck muscles. Down babies have hypotonia, which is low muscle tone, and their necks can appear floppy to the rest of us.
You’ll need to take great care when you hold Amy Marie, Kylie.
Right now, though, she’s exhibiting no heart defects although these can manifest quickly in an infant with Down Syndrome.
I have high hopes that she’ll remain healthy. ”
“I hope so,” Kylie said, a sudden calm blanketing her.
Once she filed for divorce and healed, she was going to return home. To Driftwood Bay. And raise her baby with the love and help of her family.