Disclaimer: I do not own these characters






Chapter Six: A Father's Accusations





"Morning, Lana." Lu greeted the receptionist the next morning. Lana Hawkins glanced up from the computer screen.

"Hey, Lu." Lana immediately noticed that the young doctor appeared to be tired. "You okay? You look a little peaked."

"I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh really? Care to tell Lana who he is?" Lu poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down in the nearest chair.

"Who who is?" She questioned. Lana turned in her chair.

"Don't give me that, Luisa Delgado. Who is he?" Lu shook her head.

"Really, Lana. There is no he. I just had a lot on my mind. What's so unusual about that?" Lana shrugged, not sure if she was telling the truth or not.

"Nothing, I guess. Wanna talk about it?" Lu sighed.

"I was just thinking about the Kollier baby. It doesn't look good, Lana." Lu said sadly.

"Yeah, poor thing. I took a peek at her. She sure is a tiny thing." Lu took a sip of her coffee.

"RDS and Down Syndrome. But I suspect that she has other serious health issues as well."

"How did her parents take the news when you told them?" Lana asked.


"Like any parents would, I guess. Miranda cried. She's scared. But Bryan....I think he blames me."

"Blames you? Why? If it weren't for you, that baby would have died." Lu shrugged.

"I don't think he sees it that way."

"Excuse me?" Lu and Lana glanced up to see Bryan Kollier standing at the reception desk.

"Bryan. Hi. What can I do for you?" Lu asked, putting her coffee cup down and standing up.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few minutes." Lu glanced quickly at Lana, then turned her attention to Bryan.

"Sure. Let's go into my office." Bryan followed her into her office. Lu shut the door, then motioned him to a seat as she sat down behind her desk.

"What can I do for you, Bryan?"

"I want to know what the prognosis is for my daughter. You say she has a lung disease and is mentally retarded. So are you saying she will never be like a normal child?"

"RDS is very common in preemies such as McKenzie. She was two months early. Her lungs weren't fully developed. That is why she is on the ventilator. It will help her to breath, until her lungs are developed and she can breath on her own." Lu replied.

"How could you let her be born so early? Why couldn't you stop my wife's labor? I know that can be done. How could you let this happen? If you had stopped the labor, maybe she wouldn't have been born quite so soon. Then maybe she wouldn't have that lung thing." Bryan accused.

"Bryan, I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do. If I had stopped the labor, the baby would have died. She was in distress. The cord was wrapped around her neck." Lu replied, trying to remain calm, knowing how upset the young man was.


"And what about this Down Syndrome? I thought it was possible to find out before birth if a baby has it." Bryan asked.

"Yes, it can be. With amniosentesis. But Randee did not want it. She is my patient, and I abide by her wishes." Lu answered. "This is something that occurs at conception. There was nothing I or anyone else could do to prevent it."

"We've been trying for over two years to have another baby. And when we finally do have another one, she's like this." Lu was becoming irritated with this father's attitude towards his new daughter.

"Bryan, no matter what, she is your child. Yes, she will always have special needs. But does that make you love her any less?" Bryan was silent for a moment.

"All you're trying to do is to lay the blame on someone else. She was born this way because you insisted on delivering her early." Lu took a deep breath, fighting to keep her composure.

"I realize how hard this is for you. And I am sorry. But the fact remains...there was nothing anyone could do. If we hadn't delivered her by emergency C-Section, she would have been born stillborn. We have no idea how long the cord was wrapped around her neck or how long she went without oxygen."

"For cryin' out loud, Dr. Delgado. Miranda was just here yesterday for a check up, and you told her everything was fine. Didn't you know then that something was wrong?"

"No, I didn't detect anything. Don't you think I would have done something if I had known it?" Lu asked.

"I don't know. Would you have?" Bryan stood to go. "But I will say one thing. Randee always brags about what a wonderful doctor you are. How do you think a malpractice suit will look on your record?" With that, Bryan Kollier stormed out of Lu's office, slamming the door behind him. Lu could only stare after him, trying to let the meaning of his words sink in. Within seconds, the door burst open and Lana rushed in.

"You okay? He seemed very angry the way he stormed out of here."

"Uh...yeah. I'm...I'm fine." Lu answered softly. "I..." Lu stood up and headed for the door. "Tell my next patient I'll be right back." Lana nodded as Lu hurried from the office, leaving Lana staring after her.

"Something is definitely wrong here." Lana told herself before leaving the office and going back to the reception desk.