Author's Note: Okay, so we're getting into the thick of things now. There's lots of technical jargon in this one. If you get confused, as I sometimes do reading it myself and trying to keep it straight in my head, just stick to what Will says. He's much more clear cut on what it all means when it's boiled down. Many thanks go to my local library, wikipedia, and my mother for info that I could adapt to my idea. Note however that while much of the science is close to real life, I did take some liberties with Helen's peculiar circumstances and my view of how this would all play out. Little cliff-hangery, but it couldn't be helped, unless you guys wanted to wait till Monday to read anything new. Which I suppose you can still do if you prefer.
CSIGurlie07...
Serendipity indeed. I was just thinking along the same lines. If this doesn't answer your questions, feel free to drop me another line. It might help me keep true to more believable circumstances.
Disclaimer: I do not lay claim to anything from the show, only my own work and creations. Mostly just Dr. Telares, Dr. Gering, Dr. Marks and the accolo-nexum. Oh, and the Oolues, and the Serpiente insecto, which don't actually exist, even in myth.
Survival of the Fittest
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Part Eight: Things Bared
It wasn't hard to avoid Magnus. He didn't even have to do it on purpose, his duties did it for him. Not that he didn't want to see her, but he wanted to talk to her about the birth and needed to work out his own thoughts, not to mention the courage. This would not be easy. He couldn't go right up to her and just say he wanted to be with her through the intense process of giving birth. Not only did that make him uncomfortable just with the thought, but he knew one look at her would drive all coherent thought from his head. Magnus was probably the most intimidating person he had ever met and damn, he had met the actual Ripper. Finally, at the closing of the long day he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Magnus?" Will poked his head around the door of his boss' office to find her sitting serenely at her desk. She was working around her large belly, clicking at her computer. All told, she was pretty adorable. If Will didn't know better, he would say she looked healthy for a woman in her final month. The fact that she had only been "pregnant" for about five, made him have to swallow nervously. As she looked up, he came in the rest of the way.
"What can I do for you Will?" She asked briskly.
"Uh, Big Guy asked me to inform you that Peter Mylinton is down in the infirmary to see you when you get the chance."
"Thank you." She looked back at the papers she was shifting on her desktop, then raised her head once more. "Was there something else?"
Another deep breath to calm his nerves and then he started to speak. "I had a question."
One delicate eyebrow rose. "And?"
"I spoke with Dr. Gering. He said- well, statistics show that those who have supportive... persons with them during child birth have fewer complications. Something about stress and pain. I wanted to ask..." He trailed off.
Magnus' expression was amused, her grin battling against her fierce control for room to grow.
Will sighed. Well, if she was already struggling not to laugh, he might as well just spill it. "I wondered if you wanted me there, but didn't know how to ask... like with Ashley's birthday."
She sobered immediately.
He winced, wishing he could take back those last words. It was like purposefully rubbing salt into a wound. There was a following silence that had Will with his eyes turned toward his feet, but he was in reality trying to watch her face discreetly. It was why he spotted her features softening.
Her sigh was gusty. "You are very good at reading people, Will." She smiled slightly. "I- suppose I would like someone there beyond the doctors trying to focus on keeping me alive. It needn't be you though, if you would prefer."
"I'd prefer it actually being me."
She gave him a look he had to describe as pitying. "You are sure you wouldn't be permanently traumatized?"
"I can't promise anything, but if it would be helpful to you, I'd be willing to risk it."
Her hesitation was clear. "I don't know Will."
"I'm not just offering for you, you know."
Her brow furrowed.
"I want to be there. Make sure you're okay and all that. Child birth is stressful as it is without- everything else that's going on." He made a sweeping gesture that didn't even come close to illustrating how much else was really going on.
For several silent minutes, Magnus studied him thoughtfully. At last, she lowered her gaze. "All right then." Her answer was so quiet he barely caught it.
Will smiled slowly. Her answering, gentle smile was one of his favorite. Just a touch revealing and mysterious at the same time. He nodded. "Okay. I'-uh, I'll read some books. Ask Dr. Gering some questions. I'll be prepared to help you."
Eyebrows up, her smile grew uncontrolled. "Trust me, Will. Nothing can quite prepare you for the experience. Anything that says it can, is lying. Besides," She shifted back in her chair, one hand falling casually onto her belly. "-I don't expect there will be much reading material on cross-creature birth. Even my own notes are not as extensive as I would like on the subject."
He finally copied her expression. "You never do the expected I'd warrant, even without the abnormals thrown in the mix."
She tilted her head, her grin morphing into mischievous. "Now where would be the adventure in that?"
Will laughed, waving away the conversation before it got any more ridiculous. "Dr. Gering said he had been talking to you. Want to fill me in?"
"I would have assumed you would already have gleaned such information using your considerable skill with revealing conversation." Her expression was now teasing.
"Oh, ha ha. Come on." He made a gathering motion. "Lay it on me."
Magnus shook her head, chuckling. "The birth with be very complex and hazardous. As the accolo-nexum is not my own child, and in fact entered my body through a wound, it's placement is... off. The scans are unclear as to the fetus' exact position but there is no doubt it is attached to my uterine wall. It's difficult to get a clear view without possibly causing harm to the infant. Ultrasound and MRI can only show so much. However, with a bit of supposition, I've managed to develop a hypothesis. It's clear the DNA of the senior abnormal entered my blood stream and traveled through my system, already multiplying as it went before latching onto my internal organs."
He already felt a little ill, but nodded, not wanting to let it show. This was stuff he needed to know, had wanted to know but would never ask about.
"Luckily, it made it's way to my uterus through the blood vessels that pass along the outer wall."
"How?"
She shrugged. "It really is the most hospitable area. The uterus provides a safe and comfortable place to grow and everything is already there for it's use. Blood vessels ready to supply oxygen and nutrients that are designed to form spiral-" She stopped at the look on his face. "The vessels are essentially designed to grow to increase blood flow."
"Ah."
"There's no way to know why it didn't attach to any of my other organs. Perhaps because the blood vessels centered around the area allowed for easy entry. It burrowed it's way in without causing any real damage. That, however, seems to be the end of the good news."
He gulped.
"Because the infant is not of my body, there is no placenta."
Nodding slowly, Will tried not to look too confused. "That's...bad."
Her grin showed he didn't fool her. "In humans, aside from serving as the conduit for oxygen and nutrients for the fetus, the placenta secretes hormones to the body that are important during pregnancy. It was a major reason why the infant and I almost died. The first placental hormone produced is hCG, or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, which is often the hormone first tested for. That was why the cause of my condition was't apparent to begin with. hCG suppresses the maternal immunologic response so that the placenta is not rejected, or in this case, the attachment of the accolo-nexum within. The hormone also ensures that the corpus luteum continues to secrete progesterone and estrogen. Progesterone is very important during pregnancy because it is necessary to maintain endometrial lining of the uterus during pregnancy. This hormone prevents preterm labor by reducing myometrial contraction. Estrogen contributes to the woman's mammary gland development in preparation for lactation and stimulates uterine growth to accommodate the growing fetus."
He nodded, sort of following.
"The placenta also produces Human Placental Lactogen or hPL. This hormone is lactogenic and has growth-promoting properties. It also stimulates mammary gland growth in preparation for lactation in the mother. In addition, it regulates maternal glucose, protein, and fat levels so that this is always available to the fetus."
"Which was why Junior was sapping your strength so quickly."
"That and the accolo-nexum have very high metabolisms."
"So... basically the progesterone and the hCG hormones the placenta excretes keeps your body from miscarrying, while the estrogen and hPL helps your body adjust and grow in preparation."
"Essentially. Dr. Gering and Dr. Telares were able to provide me with replacements for the hormones and the accolo-nexum helped stabilize my condition." Her head tilted. ""That, however, is not the troubling part."
"Then what is?" Will tried to keep his voice calm but was already feeling the heady sensation of panic at the knowledge of exactly how many things were going on all at once inside her. He'd had no idea how complex all this was.
She seemed to understand how overwhelmed he already felt so gave him an encouraging smile. "The placenta has two parts. The fetal placenta, or Chorion frondosum, which develops from the same sperm and egg cells that form the fetus, whilst the maternal placenta, or Decidua basalis, develops from the maternal uterine tissue. The accolo-nexum had it's own developmental adaptation, so there is a fetal placenta... of sorts. However, there was no corresponding development from my own body, so the attachment has grown right into the uterine wall."
"Why exactly is that so bad?"
"It increases the possibility of the uterus rupturing during contractions. If that happens..." Her face was grave as she trailed off, but she didn't have to continue for him to understand. Death, probably of both the infant and Magnus.
He shuddered.
"It also means that there will be complications with detachment. Most likely, postpartum hemorrhaging at least. The placenta usually detaches from the uterine wall relatively easily, but if the penetration goes too far, it could be attached to other organs. This can happen in regular human pregnancies as well. Normally it's called placenta accreta, but that involves the placenta forming a abnormally deep attachment through the endometrium and into the myometrium of the uterine wall or beyond. Women who encounter placenta accreta during childbirth are at great risk of haemorrhage during its removal. This commonly requires surgery to stem the bleeding and fully remove the placenta, and in severe forms can often lead to a hysterectomy or be fatal."
Will tried to remember to breath.
"I may well encounter the same complications. It's difficult to be sure. There's no way to tell how far the fetal placenta has penetrated."
"Why not do a c-section?"
"Increases the chance of rupture, and we have no way of knowing whether the attachment between the accolo-nexum and my own blood supply is stable enough. I cannot lose that much blood and still survive the inevitable hemorrhaging."
"So a C-section would be safer for the infant, but worse for you."
She smiled kindly. "It would kill me, Will."
"Okay, so if you need surgery to stop the hemorrhaging, doesn't that hold the same complications?"
"Exactly why I have opted for a laparoscopic surgery to fix the bleeding and removal of the attachment by force during delivery. I believe it has the greatest chance of survival for the both of us."
"What if it has attached to some of your other organs?"
"The laparoscopic surgery already in place can cut the links, so most of it can be removed safely. The rest will stay, unless it further effects my health, in which case a later surgery can remove it." Her expression was calm.
How in the world had she managed not to panic in the face of all this? She'd been handling this all on her own. Will shook his head in amazement. "You're the doctor."
Magnus smiled. "It will be very hectic. Dr. Talares will be handling the care of the infant, making sure it survives. Dr. Gering will be handling the placenta removal, and Dr. Marks will be coming from New City to handle the laparoscopic surgery. If you are going to be there, Will, it will be as moral support only. You'll need to be careful to stay out of the way."
He nodded. "I understand, and I will be there. I'm not letting you face all that alone."
She tilted her head at him. "I... I appreciate that Will, but you may regret that decision."
Will shrugged. "I'm willing to risk it. Permanent trauma, lots of blood, maybe some yells and curses, and all that, Magnus." He stood. "Besides, you're cute when you curse. Your accent totally makes even cursing sound proper, like when you say 'bastard'. And usually it's some adorable, acceptable variation like...like 'son of a biscuit' or something along those lines."
Her eyes narrowed to glare at him. "Cheek."
Unable to stop himself, Will laughed. "See? Exactly my point. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of reading to do in the library."
Her scoff only made his grin widen as he left. Okay, he could handle this. The important thing was not to dwell on the so very many things that could go wrong. Normally, Will thought of himself as a reasonable person not prone to panic, but as he stepped up to the appropriate section of the massive library, his thoughts would not quiet down. How must Magnus feel, being the one who was actually at risk? Was he really right, did she even want him there? Or was she humoring him? He dismissed that thought immediately. If she really didn't want him there, she would not have agreed. He would give her what support he could and if something did go wrong, at least he would be there to help rather than helplessly waiting outside the room with the others.
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The call came at 2 a.m. only one week later. It was Dr. Gering telling him that he needed to come to the lab immediately. "We think it's time." Then the line went dead.
Will jumped out of bed and scrambled into a shirt and jeans. Why couldn't babies ever arrive when people were ready, or at least awake? Now that the time was here, he didn't feel even remotely ready despite all the time he'd spent discussing things with Magnus, Dr. Gering, and Dr. Telares. Apparently, the others had all gotten the news as well because they were sleepy-eyed and waiting with the van when he raced downstairs. Henry was still in his pajamas and Kate was looked dead on her feet. Only the Big Guy seemed awake and alert which was why he sat behind the wheel. Will supposed the Big Guy might even have been awake when the call came in. Without a word, he dove into the open sliding door which Henry closed as they drove away.
Agitated the whole drive there, Will couldn't hold still. He jittered his leg up and down quickly as he waited for them to arrive at their destination. He realized he was still barefoot with the only portion of his brain that was still able to function, while the rest was frozen in fear.
Once they pulled up, he raced from the vehicle into the lab with the others not far behind him. The second they entered the building, they were enveloped by a wall of sound.