3:00 AM
"Crap." Abby muttered to herself. She was looking over the charts and x-rays for the pregnant patient who had just been admitted. She had massive internal bleeding. Her liver was enlarged and she had multiple cracked ribs.
"Wow! That's not pretty. Looks like someone had been beating whoever this is. Pretty badly from the looks of it." Carter was standing behind her.
"Oh hey. I was just about to come get you. Teenage, white female, 9 months pregnant, gone into labor. She passed out right be the admit desk. She hasn't woken up yet. But when she does there's going to be a lot of things we need to know. And there's a lot she needs to know too.
"Look at this, her uterus is being squeezed but the enlarged liver, this baby needs to come out. But wait.... Oh my God. Wow. I can't believe this. We can't operate. If we do, the baby will die. Notice the position of the baby's head To properly fix the liver and reduce pressure on the uterus, we would have to cut into the baby. I can't believe I am seeing this.
"So you mean, either she delivers the baby and she dies. Or she had surgery, and the baby dies.
"That's it.
"God...... poor girl.
"Look she is waking up. I'm going to go talk with her. I want to get a full history first, find out where she got beat so badly.
"Do you want me to tell her for you.
"No I can do it.
Abby couldn't believe this. Poor Carter, this must remind him of his baby dying. Poor girl, Abby didn't even know her name. Most likely if they did have to operate, she would also loose her uterus, she would never be ale to have another child.
"Hi I am Dr. Lockhart.
"Morning.
"How are you feeling?
"I hurt.
"Well you are in labor. But I need to ask you a few questions. I need to know your name, your age, address, is there anyone we can call, any family."
Abby noticed when she mentioned family, the girl suddenly looked alarmed. But almost immediately her expression changed.
"Right. My name is Faith, Faith Swanson. I'm 16.
"Any one we can call." Abby noticed again the same frightened and furtive look she got when she said that. But it vanished.
"No, no one.
Abby was now dreading what she had to do. She knew this was the worst part of her job. Well that and tell people their loved ones had died. She had only just started doing that. As a nurse she had watched doctors do it all the time, but now she had too.
"Faith, I need to tell you something. This will be hard, but I need you to make a choice and soon. It's very important.
"Shoot.
"Okay, you have massive internal bleeding, you have a number of cracked ribs and an enlarged liver. Your liver is pressing down on your uterus, causing the labor. But also causing many more complications. You have a choice. You can have surgery, but the baby would most likely die in the process. And you would probably have to have your uterus removed, meaning you can't have anymore children.
"And if you don't operate?" she seemed to be taking this very calmly.
"Then your baby would survive, but you would die from blood loss internally.
Faith didn't speak. She showed no sign of emotion at all. Almost as if she didn't really take any of it in.
"Do you understand what I am saying?
"Don't operate."
"What?" Abby wasn't exactly sure she was hearing correctly.
"Don't operate. I want my baby to live." What she was hearing? Here was a teenage girl sacrificing her life for her child, and if she had no family the baby would most likely end up in a orphanage. "But you do understand that you will die then.
"I know.
Abby was in shock, she wasn't sure if she had explained everything correctly. Faith seemed to be completely sane.
"Think we should see if we can find someone?" Abby asked Carter, she had stepped out into the hall with him. Not so much seeking his approval, she was going to do it. She was mostly just telling him what she was going to do in the form of a question.
"Don't bother, she said there was no one." Abby couldn't believe that Carter was acting this was normally he would be eager and ready to help her see if he could find any family. She understood though, he had been so different now that Kem was gone. She couldn't completely tell what he was mourning more, the loss of Kem or the baby. She didn't want to be the one to ask though.
Abby wanted to know more, she felt like there was something Faith was hiding. She went back into the room.
"Faith are you sure you want to do this. If you have no family, this baby will be placed in orphanage or foster home.
"I know.
"Can I call the father of the baby? Do you know who that is?
"Yes.
"Would you like me to call him.....
"Faith, oh my God faith there you are."
A man had just walked into the room. He was tall, and with a slight beer belly.
"Can I help you?
"This is my daughter."
Abby glanced at Faith with confusion. He looked nice enough, Abby wondered why Faith didn't want her to call him. Then Abby thought she knew.
"Dr. Carter is right out in the hall, he can explain her status with you. I just need a few minutes alone with her.
When he left the room Abby looked back at Faith.
"Does he know your pregnant?
Slowly Faith nodded her head.
"Are you sure there isn't anyone else we can call. Did you want to call the babies father?
"Don't need to?
"Why not?" Abby thought this was getting weirder and weirder by the second.
"He is right there." Faith slowly lifted her head. Staring straight at the man talking to Dr. Carter, Faith's father.
"Crap." Abby muttered to herself. She was looking over the charts and x-rays for the pregnant patient who had just been admitted. She had massive internal bleeding. Her liver was enlarged and she had multiple cracked ribs.
"Wow! That's not pretty. Looks like someone had been beating whoever this is. Pretty badly from the looks of it." Carter was standing behind her.
"Oh hey. I was just about to come get you. Teenage, white female, 9 months pregnant, gone into labor. She passed out right be the admit desk. She hasn't woken up yet. But when she does there's going to be a lot of things we need to know. And there's a lot she needs to know too.
"Look at this, her uterus is being squeezed but the enlarged liver, this baby needs to come out. But wait.... Oh my God. Wow. I can't believe this. We can't operate. If we do, the baby will die. Notice the position of the baby's head To properly fix the liver and reduce pressure on the uterus, we would have to cut into the baby. I can't believe I am seeing this.
"So you mean, either she delivers the baby and she dies. Or she had surgery, and the baby dies.
"That's it.
"God...... poor girl.
"Look she is waking up. I'm going to go talk with her. I want to get a full history first, find out where she got beat so badly.
"Do you want me to tell her for you.
"No I can do it.
Abby couldn't believe this. Poor Carter, this must remind him of his baby dying. Poor girl, Abby didn't even know her name. Most likely if they did have to operate, she would also loose her uterus, she would never be ale to have another child.
"Hi I am Dr. Lockhart.
"Morning.
"How are you feeling?
"I hurt.
"Well you are in labor. But I need to ask you a few questions. I need to know your name, your age, address, is there anyone we can call, any family."
Abby noticed when she mentioned family, the girl suddenly looked alarmed. But almost immediately her expression changed.
"Right. My name is Faith, Faith Swanson. I'm 16.
"Any one we can call." Abby noticed again the same frightened and furtive look she got when she said that. But it vanished.
"No, no one.
Abby was now dreading what she had to do. She knew this was the worst part of her job. Well that and tell people their loved ones had died. She had only just started doing that. As a nurse she had watched doctors do it all the time, but now she had too.
"Faith, I need to tell you something. This will be hard, but I need you to make a choice and soon. It's very important.
"Shoot.
"Okay, you have massive internal bleeding, you have a number of cracked ribs and an enlarged liver. Your liver is pressing down on your uterus, causing the labor. But also causing many more complications. You have a choice. You can have surgery, but the baby would most likely die in the process. And you would probably have to have your uterus removed, meaning you can't have anymore children.
"And if you don't operate?" she seemed to be taking this very calmly.
"Then your baby would survive, but you would die from blood loss internally.
Faith didn't speak. She showed no sign of emotion at all. Almost as if she didn't really take any of it in.
"Do you understand what I am saying?
"Don't operate."
"What?" Abby wasn't exactly sure she was hearing correctly.
"Don't operate. I want my baby to live." What she was hearing? Here was a teenage girl sacrificing her life for her child, and if she had no family the baby would most likely end up in a orphanage. "But you do understand that you will die then.
"I know.
Abby was in shock, she wasn't sure if she had explained everything correctly. Faith seemed to be completely sane.
"Think we should see if we can find someone?" Abby asked Carter, she had stepped out into the hall with him. Not so much seeking his approval, she was going to do it. She was mostly just telling him what she was going to do in the form of a question.
"Don't bother, she said there was no one." Abby couldn't believe that Carter was acting this was normally he would be eager and ready to help her see if he could find any family. She understood though, he had been so different now that Kem was gone. She couldn't completely tell what he was mourning more, the loss of Kem or the baby. She didn't want to be the one to ask though.
Abby wanted to know more, she felt like there was something Faith was hiding. She went back into the room.
"Faith are you sure you want to do this. If you have no family, this baby will be placed in orphanage or foster home.
"I know.
"Can I call the father of the baby? Do you know who that is?
"Yes.
"Would you like me to call him.....
"Faith, oh my God faith there you are."
A man had just walked into the room. He was tall, and with a slight beer belly.
"Can I help you?
"This is my daughter."
Abby glanced at Faith with confusion. He looked nice enough, Abby wondered why Faith didn't want her to call him. Then Abby thought she knew.
"Dr. Carter is right out in the hall, he can explain her status with you. I just need a few minutes alone with her.
When he left the room Abby looked back at Faith.
"Does he know your pregnant?
Slowly Faith nodded her head.
"Are you sure there isn't anyone else we can call. Did you want to call the babies father?
"Don't need to?
"Why not?" Abby thought this was getting weirder and weirder by the second.
"He is right there." Faith slowly lifted her head. Staring straight at the man talking to Dr. Carter, Faith's father.