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“According to her, she doesn’t have a baby,” I said, walking over to the table where Ms. Davis was laying under anesthesia before the scrub nurse handed me a scalpel. “The infection has spread to her abdomen. How do you want to handle this?”
“You take the abdomen. I’ll see if I can save her uterus.”
Nodding, I didn’t waste time and I made the first cut.
Everything faded while I worked on the woman, trying my damndest to save her life. It was like this with every patient. It didn’t matter who they were. When they were on my table, they were all that mattered to me.
Sometime later, I heard Dr. Robinette cursing, “Jesus Christ. She is hemorrhaging. I don’t think I can save her uterus.”
“She can’t be more than eighteen years old. Try,” I ordered as I worked to remove part of her infected lower bowels. The infection had spread further than the tests results indicated. If I didn’t get a handle on this fast, the poor girl was going to need a colostomy bag for the rest of her life.
“How did no one catch this? She definitely had a baby recently. I’d say by the look of the placenta, at least two months ago, maybe less.”
That stopped me short.
Looking at the young woman’s face on the table, I frowned.
Could she be?
“Someone call Jessica Keller. Tell her I need to speak with her. Now.”
“Yes, Doctor,” a surgical nurse said, stepping away from the table.
Continuing to work, my nerves started to get the better of me when Jessica walked in holding a scrub mask in front of her face.
“You needed me, Dr. James?”
“Jess, did all her bloodwork come back?”
“I believe so. Let me check.”
Waiting, I continued to clean her bowels, moving my way up towards her small intestines when Jessica replied. “Yes. Everything is back.”
“What is her blood type?”
“Um... it’s B positive. Why?”
“I want you to run her blood against Charlie’s.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just do it, Jess.”
“Dr. James. I can’t do that without the patient’s permission. You know that.”
“She signed the standard release forms, Jessica. Just do it.”
“What’s going on?” Dr. Robinette asked.
Taking a deep breath, I told them what I believed to be true. “I think this woman may be Charlie’s biological mother. The timeline fits, and with her injuries and Charlie’s age, it’s the only plausible explanation for her infection.”
“Lidi.” Jess stepped forward. “You can’t be sure. Yes, she recently had a baby, but you can’t be sure it was Charlie. For all we know, her baby could be at home.”
Shaking my head, I knew I was right. “No. She told me she didn’t have a baby. Only that she recently lost weight.”
“Dr. James,” Dr. Robinette said carefully, getting my attention. “How sure are you about this?”
Shaking my head, I concentrated on my job as my voice wavered. “I’m not, but my gut is telling me I’m right. If this woman is my son’s birth mother, I have to know, and we have to save her. I have to save her for Charlie. I don’t know what she went through, but she’s here, in my hands now, and I’m not letting anything happen to her. Please, just do what can to save her uterus. She’s young and has her whole life in front of her. She’s fought this long. She’s a fighter. She will survive this. I know it.”
