Chapter 6 #3
Clint’s first reaction was to question this kid’s age. Was he even old enough to be in med school, let alone graduating?
“Good morning, Mrs. Castillo.” He glanced at the chart in his hand. “My assistant is going to bring in the ultrasound, but let’s go ahead and get the usual measurements. We’ll talk after I look at the results.” He exited as quickly as he had entered, leaving the chart on the table.
The nurse helped Theodora deal with her clothing while maintaining her modesty until Theodora’s expanded bare belly was exposed. The nurse then pulled a cloth measuring tape from a pocket and began to take several measurements, recording them on the chart.
Had Theodora made up the story about no nurse being in the room just to get him to go with her? Or was this unusual?
At the knock on the door, and the nurse opened it wide to make room for a portable machine being expertly driven by a woman in her mid-fifties.
“Hello, Mrs. Castillo. You’ve been through this before, so you understand what I’m going to do.
Sir, please step to the other side of the bed and hold your wife’s hand. ”
“Oh, no.” Clint tried to explain as he moved to the other side. “She’s not…”
“Go ahead and hold her hand,” the ultrasound tech ordered. “This is quite an exciting time for both mother and father.”
“But—” Clint was cut off.
“The gel should feel warm,” she explained as she placed the wide head of the probe on Theodora’s stomach.
The woman quickly smiled as a loud whoosh-whoosh came over a speaker Clint hadn’t known was there.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat. It’s good and strong.
” She looked directly into Clint’s panicking eyes.
“Fathers are often overwhelmed the first time they hear their baby’s heartbeat.
Let’s see if we can get a picture of your baby. ”
Clint was too stunned to correct the woman.
Listening to the heartbeat was kind of cool.
When she moved the probe around and found the baby, his stomach churned as though he was going to be sick.
Her screen showed a tiny human with a face, arms, and legs that moved, even though it was no bigger than an avocado.
The sight brought home the fact that there was a living child growing inside her.
Beyond his fascination that he could see the baby inside her uterus, it scared the shit out of him.
He realized how small and fragile the baby was.
It was real. It was alive. And it was Clint’s responsibility to keep it that way.
“Oh,” the technician said with a smile on her face. “Do you know the sex of the baby?”
“No.” Theodora immediately answered.
“Do you want to know the sex of your baby?” This time, the technician looked directly at Clint, who threw his hands up in the air and stared at Theodora.
“Yes, please,” the mother-to-be said tentatively.
“Congratulations, you’re having a boy. Let me take some pictures for you.”
Clint’s immediate thought was that she was going to take pictures of him and Theodora, but as he was about to protest, she moved the wand and started clicking a button. Black-and-white photos rolled out from the side of the machine.
He felt stupid for his initial reaction, but was thrilled that Theodora would have pictures to show her mother when they picked her up at the airport.
The woman started packing up the machine, and the nurse, who had been patiently waiting on the side of the room, opened the door to allow the tech to exit. Before she could close it, the doctor walked back in.
“Your baby looks perfect, and the due date is right on target, given its weight and size. Do you have any questions for me?”
Clint couldn’t help himself, “How old are you?”
The doctor laughed. “I’m thirty-two, but I’ve been practicing obstetrics for the past five years.
Don’t look so shocked,” he said in perfect British-accented English.
“My parents are from Ethiopia, and both are research physicians specializing in African viruses. I grew up in Great Britain since they spent a lot of time there. I started University had sixteen. By the time I was twenty-five, I had completed my rotations as a physician.”
The doctor looked at his feet before returning his gaze to Clint.
“I spent summers working with my parents all over Africa since I was old enough to fetch whatever medical supplies they needed. Did you know that central Africa has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world? I saw so many mothers and babies die every summer. I wanted to change that. I’m here three weeks out of every month.
I spend almost every weekend and one week a month traveling to other African countries teaching midwives, nurses, and even some doctors, how to better take care of pregnant women and babies. ”
The doctor glanced at Theodora. “Your wife is in the best hands she can be in Africa.” He held Clint’s gaze for a long minute. “You sound American. If they were my wife and baby, they’d be on the next plane to the United States.”
Clint nodded. “That’s the plan.” And the sooner he can make that happen, the better.