Cynthia got over the morning sickness within a month and was back working at a normal pace doing what she loved. One month after that, the reality of the risks of pregnancy became all too clear. It was a Tuesday morning and Cynthia was 4 months pregnant in the middle of May. She was making her hospital rounds when a pregnant woman came in for delivery. She was a beautiful brunette woman with long hair and a deep dimple in one of her cheeks who was breathing heavily and in a lot of pain.
"Move her to delivery," said Dr. Jameson, the on-call obstetrician. "We have a premature birth and it's about to happen," he said with an urgent tone.
Cynthia was standing at the nurses' station filling out paperwork when the woman was wheeled into delivery. A nurse blocked two men from entering the ward and said, "This is as far as you two go. We have a waiting room over there for fathers and family," she said gesturing to the room. Cynthia watched the two men, both about 40 years of age. One of the men had a gentle face and was dressed in a suit and the other was dressed in a more casual fashion and had more rugged features and was considerably taller than the other man. The shorter man patted his worried friend on the back and escorted him to the waiting room. Cynthia continued working, but occasionally watched the two men. They seemed to her to be rather close friends.
About 15 minutes later, when Cynthia was about to wrap up her paperwork, a nurse burst out the delivery room door.
"Dr. Parsons, Dr. Samuels, and you two nurses…. Dr. Jameson needs some more help," she said with some urgency and concern on her face. The two men in the waiting room stood up and watched the scene helplessly.
When Cynthia arrived in the delivery room, a nurse had already taken the baby that had been delivered and was cleaning him. She looked over at the woman who was unconscious, and immediately noticed she had hemorrhaged an enormous amount of blood. Dr. Jameson was packing her uterus with sponges and other sterile materials. Dr. Jameson exclaimed, "I can't stop the bleeding! Dr. Samuels, I need a surgeon to evaluate this patient and see if surgery is warranted. Dr. Parsons, I need you to monitor her condition while we work." Both Cynthia and Dr. Samuels jumped in with their help. Nurses were starting I.V.'s and providing more sterile materials. One dressed Dr. Samuels in new scrubs and new gloves. The trio of doctors worked on the woman for thirty minutes, when it became apparent that they couldn't save her. The woman died and the doctors and nurses stood there silently for a few moments.
Dr. Jameson broke the silence. "Dr. Parsons, would you join me while I tell the father what happened today?"
Cynthia, visibly shaken by the scene, replied nonetheless, "Yes."
"Take a few moments to collect yourself and we'll go," Jameson said. He continued, addressing the nurses, "Please clean up this patient for the husband's visit." The nurses nodded silently.
"Are you ready, Dr. Parsons?" asked Dr. Jameson a few minutes later.
Cynthia said, "Yes," and the two walked out of the delivery room toward the waiting room. The two men who were waiting together stood up.
"Have a seat, gentlemen," Dr. Jameson said.
"How's my wife?" the more rugged man asked.
"Well sir, first of all, you have a beautiful, healthy baby boy. The nurses have taken him to the neonatal ward and you'll be able to see him soon," said Dr. Jameson.
"And my wife?" he asked again. His friend looked at them in anticipation as well.
Dr. Jameson looked over at Cynthia and then back at the men, "You see Mr.?"
"Matlock," the man replied.
"Mr. Matlock, your wife had a complication. It's unfortunately, a very common one," Dr. Jameson said.
"Complication?" Mr. Matlock replied while his friend looked down at his own hands, seeming to intuit the explanation and the outcome of the delivery. Cynthia sat down next to Mr. Matlock and put her hand on his.
Cynthia said, "Mr. Matlock, your wife started bleeding severely after the baby was born. Three of us doctors and some nurses worked for a long time to save her, but she did not make it."
Mr. Matlock looked to be in shock. He said, "Susan?" He paused and reiterated, "My Susan is dead?"
Cynthia replied, "Yes, Mr. Matlock." As she said that, the friend with Matlock put his arm around his shoulders while Matlock just stared at Cynthia. After a few moments, he broke down crying with his friend's arm around his shoulders. Cynthia kept her hand on his and Dr. Jameson stood up to leave.
Dr. Jameson said, "I'm really sorry Mr. Matlock. I'll send a nurse out in few minutes to come get you so you can see her." Dr. Jameson walked back into the delivery room. Cynthia and Matlock's friend continued to comfort him while he cried.
Several minutes later, a nurse approached. "Mr. Matlock, you can come see your wife now."
He stood up slowly and crossed his arms over his stomach and with his head bowed, walked with the nurse to say goodbye to his wife.
Matlock's friend introduced himself to Cynthia. "Hello, my name is Bill," he said as he extended his hand.
Cynthia took his hand and shook, "Cynthia. Cynthia Parsons."
"Nice to meet you. I just wish it was under better circumstances," he said.
"Me too," she replied.
"This can't be easy for you….having to do this all the time," he said.
"I haven't done it much, but it is not pleasant, no," she replied.
"I can't imagine it would be," he replied.
"What makes it hard in this particular instance is that I happen to be pregnant myself," she said.
"Oh, really? Well, yes, then, I imagine that this hits pretty close to home," he said.
"Yes, it does."
"My wife Rebecca is pregnant too. She's due in July."
"Congratulations," she said.
"You women really are stronger and braver than us men. If men were responsible for bringing life into the world with the frequent and sometimes fatal dangers involved, no one would ever get pregnant and the species would disappear."
"Maybe," she replied.
"It's hard enough to worry about our wives as they go through this process. I can't imagine losing my Rebecca like Wade has lost Susan. It can also be hard on a child to learn his or her mother died giving birth to him or her. I don't know how Wade is going to pull through this tragedy."
"Have you been friends long?"
"Yes. Many years. We were friends before World War II. He used to work for me before that, and then after he came back a war hero, he came back to Texas to become a wildcatter. We've mainly known each other socially after the war. I have a cabin in the Sabine National Forest and we take fishing and hunting trips there often with some other friends."
"What do you do?" Cynthia asked.
"I started out in oil and now I have a variety of investments," he said vaguely. He continued, changing the subject, "I'm impressed that you are a doctor. I don't think I've ever met a woman doctor before. That had to be a challenge for you…becoming a doctor, I mean. Probably a lot of obstacles in your way," he said.
"Yes, but here I am. Of course they don't give you grief classes in college or medical school," she said.
"You did fine. What does your husband do?" he asked.
"He's a lawyer. Actually, he works for this hospital too," she replied.
"Oh? What's his name?"
"Roger Parsons. He works for the legal department."
"A doctor and a lawyer? Your baby is going to be very fortunate indeed. And smart…"
"We'll do our best," she replied.
"I have no doubt with such smart parents and such a compassionate mother, that your child will go far," he said.
"Thank you," she said. "I better get back to work." She continued, "I didn't catch your last name. Bill?"
He stood up and shook her hand again, "Oh. My name's Bill Houston."
"Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Houston. Please give my condolences again to Mr. Matlock," she said.
"I will. Take care, Dr. Parsons." He then sat down in the waiting area after Cynthia left and waited for about 30 more minutes when Matlock came out with a nurse who took them both to the neonatal ward to see his new baby.