The Secret Life Of The American Teenager [SEASON 6] Together Forever

Episode 38: i wish i didn't know now what i didn't know then.

"Someone's awake!" Anne said, relieved. "So, how do you feel, Amy?" She asked, standing right in front of her hospital bed.
Amy nodded. "Okay." She said, out of breath.  "But what's going on with me and my baby?"
Anne sighed and walked to an old looking chair right next to Amy's bed. She silently sat down. She looked at Amy with eyes that could tell a lifetime full of stories.
Amy looked down and was afraid to ask questions, about the situation and about what had happened to her. She didn't want to ask anything or more importantly, she didn't want to know anything! She felt like all of this was going the wrong way. When she was pregnant with John, she never faced problems like this. She had a healthy pregnancy and now everything's falling apart? She looked with scared puppy eyes into her mother's fierce looking eyes.
"Mom, please tell me that my baby is okay!" A scared toned sigh came out of Amy's mouth.
Anne looked up and remained silent.
"Mom?" Amy asked, not knowing what was going on.
"The doctor is talking to Ricky. She only wanted to tell your options to him because he's the father."
Amy looked very confused and shook her head wildly. "What options, mom? Am i still pregnant, where is my baby?" She said, looking around as if the baby would magically appear right in front of her.
"Honestly Amy?" Anne took a deep breath and looked into her daughters eyes. "I don't know what's going on. They won't tell me anything!"
Amy wiped a tear away, if she didn't promise herself not to cry, she would have already cried a river full of tears.
"Get Ricky!" She demanded. "Get him and get a doctor! I need to know what's going on before i'm going to lose my mind!"
Before Anne could even respond, the door opened and a very young looking, attractive brunette; probably the doctor came in, followed by a serious looking Ricky.

"Hello Amy. My name is Doctor Sophia Narmino. I will be your doctor throughout this process of having this baby."
Amy nodded.
"First of all, we talked to your doctor from New York who diagnosed you with this condition..."
Amy lighted up. "Yes, Chriss! I mean... Doctor Drey, right?" She asked, mealymouthed.
Ricky looked down, trying to ignore the fact that he knew about the relationship Amy and this doctor shared in New York.

"First of all, the cramp or the pain you felt down your spine was purely caused by the fetus, because she was getting ready..."
"Getting ready for what?" A scared toned Amy asked.
"She was getting in position, which shouldn't affect your body in any way but it did because of the condition you have!" Doctor Narmino said. "And the reason why you were bleeding is because of the illness, and because you are far along in this pregnancy. Not many women with this condition decide to remain pregnant till the end!" She followed. "I've tested and studied your condition." She sighed. "We have some bad news and some good news."
Amy sighed. "What's the bad news?" She asked.
"The bad news is that your Preeclampsia led to Eclampsia. This is far worse and a higher risk for you and your baby!"
Amy bit on her lip, she tried to stay calm but she couldn't.
"What's going to happen now?" She asked.
"Eclampsia is unfortunately a serious condition, far worse than Preeclampsia! This can put you and your baby at risk and even in rare cases cause death."
Anne suddenly felt that all of the pain her family went through will never have an end or even a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel. She looked down, trying to keep herself together for her daughter. Her daughter who now realizes how serious all of this is. And how she was going to fight for her baby.

"What should she do?" Anne asked.

Doctor Narmino looked at Anne and looked back at Amy, who now tried to sit up. "You have some options left, but whatever you decide, we have to handle soon to save the fetus's life and to probably even save you!"
"I'll do anything!" Amy responded.
"Okay, because something you should really think about is... giving birth today. To stop this condition once and for all!" She said.

Amy sat frozen in place. Did she heard that right? Is she supposed to have her baby today?
"What?... No!" She suddenly said. "I can't do that, how am i even going to do that i'm 7 and a half months pregnant!"
"Well." Doctor Narmino said. "We know it's a risk. There's no guarantee this baby will be born alive or dead but we have to decide!" She sighed. "We can induce labor. By inducing labor we use our in-office technique to help kick labor on its own. It's called; stripping the membranes, it's basically a more intense version of a pelvic exam. It involves feeling around your cervix to seperate the membranes that connect the amniotic sac to the wall of the uterus..."
Amy suddenly interrupted her. "I really don't know what all of that means but it sounds painful and..."
"Please Amy, will you just listen?" Ricky asked.
"If i can now continue?" Doctor Narmino said, irritated.
"All of this causes your body to release prostaglandins, the hormon-like substances that may help get labor started!"
"May?" Amy, asked, rubbing her belly.
"Yes." Doctor Narmino sighed. "There i no 100% guarantee that this will work on you, because every woman and body is different and reacts differently! But this is your choice to make! Yours and the baby's father."
Doctor Narmino sighed. "If you do have the baby today, you have to know that the baby will not be ready to be taken home any time soon!"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.
"It means that there are risks involved in this procedure! This is nothing like a normal pregnancy. Inducing labor might or might not work because of your condition! If the baby will be born, you will be cured of Eclampsia, and the baby has to stay in the hospital for let's say... 2-3 months. Because she's going to be a premature!"
"But what are the life threatening risks for my baby if i do this?" Amy asked, while she looked at her belly.
"The risks evolve that the baby could be born with a heart disease, because Eclampsia does that to an enfant.

Amy shook her head, wildly.

"And what if i remain pregnant and don't give birth today?"

"This can be very dangerous to you and the baby! But if you do decide this, then you have to take everything very slow, remain on bedrest for the rest of your pregnancy. I will also give you medicine to prevent seizures. These medicines are called anticonvulsants."

"So what you're saying is that if i give birth i'm screwed and if i don't give birth i'm more screwed?" Amy suddenly said.
"Amy!" Ricky said, shaking his head.
"What?!" She shouted. "After everything that's happening, i do think i have the right to speak this way!"
"No, you don't have the right to be so rude to her!" He shouted.
"Are you planning to sleep with her, is that why i can't be rude?"

Doctor Narmino sighed. "I understand you need time to think about this decision with your mother and your... Husband?"
Doctor Narmino turned around and walked towards the door.
"He's not my husband so, don't worry he's still available!" Amy said, harshly.

Doctor Narmino left without saying a word.

"What's your problem, Amy?" Ricky asked, irritated.
"What my problem is, really?!" She blurted out.
She looked at him as if she was trying to compel him out of the room.
"Just leave me alone, okay?"
Amy turned around to lay on her side. She didn't want to face Ricky or even speak to him.
Ricky looked at Anne. "Do you mind?" He asked.
Anne shook her head and walked out of the hospital room.

"Okay, now that we're alone, you can tell me what's really bothering you here?" He asked.
Amy sat upright and looked at her belly. "What's bothering me is that everything's going wrong. If i decide to have the baby today, there will be a risk the baby could die because she's going to be premature and she's coming out of an ill body!" She wiped her tears away.
Ricky took her by her hand and stared at it for a few seconds. "You don't have an ill body, you are not ill Amy!"
"Isn't that what everybody keeps telling me? That i'm ill, that i have an illness, a condition." She sighed and looked into his eyes. "It's like i am a robot or something! Carrying a child who's life's already a struggle and it hasn't even started yet!"
"Look, you're not ill! You just got bad luck by having this Eclampsia thing. You're body is not ill! Believe me, i've seen it!" He smiled. "I think you should just listen to your body! What is your body telling you? Do you feel like you should have this baby today or wait until the end of this pregnancy?"
Amy hook her head. "I don't know what to do, what should i do?" She asked. Squeezing his hand.
"Well." He sighed. "If you have the baby today, she will be too early, she's going go be a vulnerable premature. She will be staying in the hospital for months. And she could even be born with a real illness." Ricky looked her into her hazel brown eyes. "But if you wait, this pregnancy can become dangerous, you could even have an illness. And by that, i mean a dangerous life threatening illness Amy!"
Ricky stared at Amy's round looking belly. "It's like choosing for your or the baby's life! Because if the baby will be born today, she could possibly die. But if we decide to have her when you're nine months, you could die!"

Amy wiped her tears away and shook her head wildly. She now saw the Ricky she fell for at Band Camp.

"There's no guarantee of anything. Everything's a 50/50% chance. Everything, but also nothing can go wrong!" She responded back.

She sighed and layed back down.

"All of this is becoming too much, you know?"

Ricky nodded and gave her a strong and warm hug.
"Whatever you decide, Amy!"

~

'Oh, I'm gonna keep my baby.
Don't you stop loving me daddy,
I know, I'm keeping my baby.'
- Papa Don 't Preach by Madonna