Roger and Cynthia dated for a year, got engaged, and married in 1948, the same year Cynthia finished her residency. The administrators at Hermann Hospital were so impressed with her performance during her residency that she was hired full-time immediately upon completion. Roger also continued to work at Hermann in the legal department. It was the end of March 1950 when things took a turn.
"Are you alright in there?" Roger asked as he gently rapped on the bathroom door.
"I think I just have the stomach flu or some food poisoning from last night's dinner," Cynthia replied, even though she'd been sick for a while.
"Okay. Well, do you need anything before I head to work?"
"No. I'll be fine." Cynthia continued, "See you tonight. Love you."
"Love you too," Roger replied.
Cynthia finally started to feel better around 9:30 in the morning, making her late for her hospital shift. She decided to see if one of her colleagues and mentor, Beth Carraway, a family practitioner, would give her a prescription for anti-nausea medicine so she could work.
"Hi Beth," Cynthia said to Beth who was working on some paperwork in an office adjacent to her exam room.
"Hi, Cynthia. You look kind of pekid," Beth remarked. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Can't seem to keep the food down. I was wondering if you could give me a script for some anti-nausea medicine," Cynthia requested.
"Ah well, you know policy around here. I can't give you a script unless I check you out."
Cynthia sighed but agreed to the terms. After checking her eyes, ears, and throat, and palpating her thyroid, Dr. Carraway asked some routine questions.
"Are you having any abdominal pain?"
"No," Cynthia replied.
"How long has this been going on?" Dr. Carraway asked.
"About 4 days."
"Probably not food poisoning, then," Dr. Carraway replied. "You don't seem to have a fever. When was your last period?"
That question gave Cynthia pause. She looked to her left trying to remember. "You know….I think I missed my last period. I've just been so busy," Cynthia replied, and then paused again and locked eyes with Dr. Carraway. "You don't think…."
"When are you usually sick?"
Cynthia didn't answer but just stared into Dr. Carraway's eyes.
"It might be a good idea to run a pregnancy test. I can do that if you want."
Cynthia was still silent with a look of panic on her face.
Dr. Carraway, sensing Cynthia's trepidation, placed her hand on her shoulder, "Might as well confirm it or rule it out."
Cynthia nodded in the affirmative, looking paler than she did when she came in.
With her hand still on her shoulder, Dr. Carraway said, "Okay. Just bring me a urine sample when you have time today. I'll take care of the rest. Here's a script for an antiemetic."
Cynthia replied, "Okay," and took the slip of paper and went to the hospital pharmacy.
After stopping to take the medication at a drinking fountain, Cynthia began checking on her patients. The symptoms subsided fairly quickly and she was able to manage the workload for the day. She checked on a teenaged girl who had had an appendectomy, a man in his thirties who had gallbladder surgery, and a woman in her forties who had been in a car accident. She tended patients through lunch, having missed a couple of hours that morning. Around 12:30, she delivered a urine sample to Dr. Carraway. After checking on a couple more patients, she ran into Roger in the hallway at 1:30.
"I missed you at lunch. Are you still feeling poorly?" Roger asked.
"No, I'm better now. I've been catching up on patients," she replied.
"Good. I've been worried about you," he said.
"No reason to worry. I'll be fine," she said with a furtive expression, which Roger observed.
"Are you sure?" Roger inquired.
"I said, I'm fine," she said abruptly.
"Cindy…," he said with concern in his voice.
"Roger, I'm fine. I'm just very busy," she replied.
"You're never this busy to talk to me," he said.
"I promise we'll talk tonight," she continued, "I really have to get back to work."
Looking worried, Roger relented, " Okay. See you tonight."
Roger made it home earlier than Cynthia that evening and prepared dinner. Once she arrived at their home on Richmond Ave., Cynthia sat silently for a while in her car with her hands resting on the steering wheel. After a few moments, she went into the house and dropped her purse on the couch in the living room. She headed toward the kitchen where Roger was cooking. He stopped what he was doing and took her in his arms, noticing that she was somewhat rigid to his touch.
"Cindy, what's wrong?" he asked tenderly.
She removed herself from his embrace and sat at the kitchen table looking down at her hands. "I saw Dr. Carraway today."
He sat down with her. "Oh?"
"Roger, there's a chance…," she paused while still looking at her hands, and then looked up at him, "I might be pregnant."
Roger looked surprised at first and then smiled broadly. "Oh, Cindy, that's great news!"
"I'm not so sure," she replied.
Roger, looking surprised again, said, "Why?"
"I just got my medical career started. Now I'm afraid it will be over before it begins," she replied.
"Cindy, we can make it work," he said.
"Roger, we don't live in this utopian world you've created in your mind. Society isn't set up for women to be both mothers and career women," Cynthia asserted.
"We don't live in society. Wait a minute. That sounded wrong. We do, but we can make our small part of it the way we want."
"I could lose my job, or if I'm allowed to work into the pregnancy, I may not get my job back after I take some time off to have the baby," she said.
"I don't think that's true. You are highly regarded at the hospital and I'm sure they'd want you back."
"If that's true, then, what about child care while we're both at work?"
"Cindy, we'll figure it out. Sometimes life happens and you have to make of it what you can in the moment. Not everything can be planned out or calculated in advance. There are too many unknowns. Besides, both of us make enough money and have enough connections to pay for a quality nanny in the short term."
"I wouldn't like to face off against you in a courtroom," Cynthia said with a smile.
"Probably not. I've told you that I support you and your dreams and career goals time and again and I mean it. You have to just trust me and enjoy the fact that you and I may become parents," he said.
"I planned on being a mother, just not so soon," she said.
"There you go again, thinking everything planned works out." He continued, "You have to let go of that. Let's just take one day at a time. I mean, we don't even know that you're pregnant for sure yet. When will we know?"
"Probably tomorrow," she replied.
Roger put his hands on Cynthia's. "This is such wonderful news. Try to enjoy it," his said with a smile.
"I'm scared and happy at the same time," she replied.
"That sounds normal to me," he said. "Why don't we discuss a tentative plan of action after you've found out you're pregnant?"
"Okay."
The two caught up on each other's days over dinner. The next morning, Cynthia was sick again, like clockwork. She went to work late and visited some patients for a couple of hours before dropping by Dr. Carraway's office.
"Hi Beth," Cynthia said.
"Hi Cynthia. Have a seat," Dr. Carraway replied.
Cynthia sat down in the leather chair in front of Dr. Carraway's desk. "Well?"
"Congratulations." She continued, "you're pregnant."
Cynthia exhaled a heavy breath and rubbed her forehead with her right hand. She had a look of panic on her face.
"Cynthia, what's wrong?"
"I'm going to lose my career. I've worked so hard to get to this point."
"What makes you say that?" Carraway asked.
"It's just the way things are," Cynthia said sadly.
"No it's not. I think you're worries are unfounded. You're in a better position than most to have a child and manage to keep a career at the same time," she reassured. "You're educated, and already have a good income, and a supportive husband."
"That's what Roger said."
"Roger is right," Dr. Carraway agreed.
"I hope so. I suppose I'll have to tell hospital administration what's going on," Cynthia said.
"Yes you will, or you could wait until they figure it out on their own," Dr. Carraway joked. She continued, "Cynthia, you don't work for the hospital, technically. They grant you privileges. I have no doubt, after you leave for a while to take care of your baby, that they will reinstate your privileges."
"Do you think so?" Cynthia said, looking more optimistic.
"I know so. You're a good doctor and they are going to want you back." Dr. Carraway continued, "I have a patient coming in in a few minutes. Here's the name of an excellent obstetrician." She handed Cynthia a slip of paper with a name on it.
"Thank you," Cynthia said.
The two women stood up at the same time and Dr. Carraway walked around her desk and put her arm around Cynthia's shoulders, "This is good news, Cynthia. Embrace it."
"I think I'm breathing a little easier now, having talked to you," Cynthia replied.
"Good. See you around the hospital," Dr. Carraway said with a smile.
"Bye," Cynthia said, and left.