Short story - The Delay

I turned my car from main gate of the hospital. It was not a special day, as such. Every thing seems to happen in the most usual way, my daughter couldn't find her shoe, and my tea has gone cold as ever.

Ugh! How I hate to drink such cold tea! Suddenly I jammed on the brakes, and just prevented running over a woman. I was out of my wits and was about to blast, but just collected my self back as I was almost in the hospital. She hurried away, I tried to look at her face, but I guess she purposely hid it. She was dark thin and short, dressed in a dirty white blouse, and a ragged black skirt.

Ward rounds and clinic

I parked my car, ran all the way to the ward and forgot the stethoscope as well. "For most patients I see do not require the steth, they are young and healthy". I heard my self justify. I returned to the car and took it.

Ward rounds were done quite quickly. i attended to the mothers who were in labour and ran to the clinic thorough the carried or which was lined by two rows of tummies. Near the door there were further more. I squeezed myself through them, smiling to the nurse at the reception, wishing I could finish the heap of clinic books fast to find my way back.

Yes, it's a rewarding job, to see a smile on the face of a tired mother after giving birth to a baby. The whole world vibrates with the energy of life with the first cry of the new born.

And females! A peculiar group of course, beautiful - Yet changes from moment to moment. In my opinion they resemble the deep blue sea. Working and dealing with them is an art we have to master.

I examined the patients, palpated a number of tummies, and took care that every one of them will be protected from dangers of mother hood, to the best of my capability.

The pile of clinic books reduced one by one, and I finished the last patient after giving some assuring advice as she was very worried about the growth of her baby.

Late

I heaved a sigh of relief as Kanthi the attendant said the clinic numbers were over. i was just getting up when the rang. "Thaththi, you said you'll come to pick me up". A tiny voice, angry and was about to cry was on the other side.

"I am on my way raththaran, just stay inside the school with your class teacher, and I'll be there in ten minutes, Ok?" It was almost twelve thirty. My heart sank; she should have waited there for half an hour.

So I got up from the chair and was about to start to run when the door creaked and two tear filled eyes peeped in. Then I remembered her and the incident in the morning. The owner of those eyes was the woman that escaped the accident in the morning. "Yes?" I required.

She stepped in, closed the door behind her and looked down. Her fingers were busy with a dirty handkerchief. Once in a while her hand reached her collar to straighten it up. Her toe was trying to dig in to the cemented floor. After a couple of minutes she looked up and she said "I am bearing a baby".

I could not imagine as she was a bundle of bones covered with skin, and will need to be nourished to a reasonable extent to get pregnant or at least to carry a pregnancy if she is having one. Yet I did not say anything, and waited for her to come out with her story. She came nearer, and touched the edge of the table and said

"I already have four kids sir"

Oh No! I was uttering to myself.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Twenty eight".

She had a look of forties.

Unwanted pregnancy

She looked down again. After a few seconds spent on gaining courage she said with a shivering voice,

"I don't want this baby....sir"

I looked up and waited a few seconds.

As I was bound by the rules and regulations of this country I had to say,

"You know, we can't do any thing right now, it is illegal to abort, only possible solution is to carry this pregnancy and doing a family planning method after delivery. And by means weren't you taking anything to protect your self"

A tear ran down her cheek. Her face clouded.

"My husband is threatening me he says if I do not get rid of this child, he would kill me. Think of the other four children sir, two are being breast fed still"

I felt a shiver running down my spine. Two being breast fed and yet carrying another pregnancy! That's impossible.

Risks

The risks were too many. At this stage she had hardly any muscle not to mention fat-she was only bone and skin and was severely undernourished. Carrying a pregnancy would not be suitable at any cost.

Though I can ask her to bear this child, any moment there is a possibility of her being taken to a quack or an illegal place to get the abortion done, which can even cost her life, and leave FOUR children motherless at the expense of one.

Even if she completes her pregnancy, she has a high risk during the child birth if she remains in this nutritional state.

Helpless

I have skill to terminate her pregnancy; it'll be a matter of few minutes. Yet I am bound by law not to do so. I was lost in some thoughts, feelings, and arguments.

"My husband...... sir" she whispered.

"What is he doing?" I asked her.

"He is a labourer and he said he will not let me come in to the house again with the child" She was breathless even to finish one sentence. A Mother

"What do YOU want to do?" I asked

"A child...... will not be a burden ...... I am a mother sir" I was feeling helpless.

"So go and tell your husband that such things are not done is hospitals".

In a second I realised that I was digging her grave by not offering a solution and indirectly referring to another place, so with the same breath I continued.

"Now listen, convince him to have this child and be finished with it, we can do a permanent family planning method afterwards"

She burst in to tears.

"He will not believe me, sir"

A ray of light

I could not think of a thing to do.

I waited a few seconds till I could collect myself.

"Sir, Can you write and tell him what you said, otherwise he won't believe me."

I wrote to her husband, in very simple language the risks she has, the possible solutions, and placed my stamp on it too. Then I registered her in the clinic and advised her to come at regular intervals and at any moment if she wants to. Also I gave her some vitamins and supplements too.

That was the most sensible solution I could think of at that moment.

She want away, and I saw a flicker in her eyes which was not there before, and a little happiness was sprayed on her face, maybe because she wanted the child her self.

Another female

Just then the phone rang.

"Yes?" I answered.

"What on earth are you doing, that poor child was waiting at the school for almost an hour, Good thing that the teacher had my phone number, I just came and picked her up, She was crying like nothing, You and your hospital! You will forget everything if you are there. Don't you remember you have a family to take care of......, what kind of a father are you......"

That was my wife.

Another female on this planet.

Chamin Senani Baduraliya, Faculty of Medicine,University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya.