Disclaimer: I do not own these characters




Chapter Three: The News




Lu took a deep breath as she stood outside Randee's hospital room, then pushed open the door.

"Hey, Lu." Randee said. "You're here kinda late."

"Bryan, I'm glad you're here because there are some things we need to talk about." Randee glanced at her husband, than at Lu, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Lu?" Randee questioned. "Something's wrong with the baby, isn't there?"

"The baby..." Lu started, but Randee interrupted.

"Her name is McKenzie Abigail." Lu nodded.

"McKenzie was born two months prematurely. She barely weighed 3 pounds. Her lungs are very underdeveloped. She developed what we call RDS...respiratory distress syndrome."

"What's that?" Bryan asked.

"RDS is the most common lung disease of premature infants." Lu answered. "RDS occurs in babies with incomplete lung development. The more premature the infant, the greater likelihood of RDS.

"Is...is she going to be okay?" Randee asked, her voice trembling.

"We put her on a ventilator to help her breath. But Randee, Bryan, there is something else also." Lu told the young parents.

"What, Lu?" Randee asked.


"McKenzie has Down Syndrome." Lu said softly.

"What?" Bryan asked. "I've heard of that, but don't know anything about it...what does it mean?" Randee reached out and held her husband's hand, knowing that the news was not going to be good. Lu took a deep breath, trying to chose her words carefully.

"Downs is caused by a chromosomal abnormality. An accident in cell development results in 47 instead of the usual 46 chromosomes. This extra chromosome changes the orderly development of the body and brain. In most cases, the diagnoses of Down Syndrome is made according to results from a chromosome test administered shortly after birth. We've done the rest, and confirmed it."

"But...but what made you even suspect that she had it?" Bryan questioned.

"There are many possible characteristics that are apparent at birth....poor muscle tone, slanting eyes with folds a the inner corners, short, broad hands with a single crease across one or both hands, short or low-set ears. There are more, but these were the characteristics that alerted me to the likelihood of your daughter having Downs. So we did the test to confirm my suspicions."

"So...so she is mentally retarded?" Bryan asked.

"Yes, she will be mentally challanged." Lu answered. "Children with Downs frequently have specific health related problems as well."

"So she'll never be like a normal child." Bryan stated.

"I'm sorry, Bryan and Randee. Really, I am." Lu told the young couple. "I wish I had better news for you. I'll be here for you if you need to talk. Or I can arrange for you to meet with someone from The Down Syndrome Support Group. They can better answer your questions, and offer advice."

"Right now we would just like to be alone." Bryan answered. Lu nodded as she stood to go.

"I understand. Just call if you need anything."She turned and walked out of the room, leaving the new parents to sort out their feelings about the news they had just received about their new daughter.