The Heart Doctor and the Baby by Lynne Marshall Page B

ethereal outline of the baby seemed to emerge from what looked like a triangular-shaped dust storm. A perfect profile of an alien child came into view, complete with huge head and torso, tiny hands, feet and turned-up nose. Could anything possibly be wrong with her baby?
    She was thirty-six, and she recommended amniocenteses to her patients beginning at age thirty-four to rule out genetic disorders and chromosome abnormalities. In her opinion, this study needed to be done.
    Once her doctor established the placement of the baby in her uterus and marked it, her nurse swabbed René’s belly with topical disinfectant, then placed a paper sterile field with a whole in the middle over the X marks the spot. Under constant ultrasound guidance to avoid injuring the fetus or placenta, a long needle was inserted into her abdomen. The pinch of entry through the skin was bearable thanks to topical anesthetic, but then came an odd pressure as the needle pierced her uterus and entered thefluid-filled sac surrounding her baby. She wouldn’t describe it as painful, but the process of withdrawing the fluid gave an odd pulling sensation as the syringe sucked thirty ml. into its barrel, and that definitely got her attention. Could the minor procedure cause a problem? She knew there was a small risk for miscarriage by having this done, but in her opinion, the greater gamble was not being prepared for a handicapped baby.
    Gretchen was quick to be at her side, and René was grateful not to be alone through the procedure. But holding Gretchen’s hand left her wanting, and oddly enough she had a brief fantasy about Jon. Why couldn’t she get beyond him? In her thoughts, he sat beside her with narrowed eyes watching her every move, as if monitoring her well-being. The fanciful vision of Jon worrying about her gave an added sense of security to the procedure, even if only made-up.
    Within a few minutes, everything was over and she was dressed.
    â€œYou know the routine,” René’s OB doctor said. “We’ll send the specimen to the special lab where they’ll analyze the cells and study the chromosomes. Report any bleeding immediately.”
    Now all she had to do was wait two long and nerve-racking weeks for the results.
    â€œBy the way, do you want to know the sex of the baby?”
    René had quickly looked away from this ultrasound, as she had with all the others to avoid seeing anything that might expose the sex. Many of her patients wanted to know the gender in advance, but not her.
    â€œNo, thanks,” she said, opting for the gift of surprise at the birth.
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    â€œWhat are you going to give Dr. Munroe for the baby shower?” Jon overheard his nurse, Lois, ask Christina, the medical aide, the next day.
    â€œI was hoping to go in with someone so we can get her something really nice.”
    Jon craned his neck to better hear the conversation.
    â€œOh, I’d like to do that. Let’s decide what we should buy at lunch,” Lois said.
    â€œSounds good. Um, who do you think the father is?”
    â€œThere’s no telling. A woman like Dr. Munroe could have any man she wanted.”
    â€œYou think she arranged to get pregnant? She never mentions a boyfriend, and she’s getting on in age,” Christina said.
    â€œYou mean, like a sperm donor, or a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am?”
    Jon had heard enough. He pushed back his chair and strode to the office door. “Ladies? Don’t you have work to do?” He thought about making a snide remark about how it wasn’t any of their business who the father of René’s baby was. He tried to figure out how he might react if he wasn’t personally involved. As it was, he felt paranoid, and thought it might seem too obvious if he said what was on his mind, so he gritted his teeth and forced a smile.
    â€œOh, sorry, Dr. Becker,” Lois said. “I’ll get your next patient in the room ASAP.”
    He