Carole - Now Complete!

Part 49 - Questions and Answers 2.

Ritchie arrived at Carole's room just before 10am. He found a very nervous wife waiting for him. He kissed her.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling today?"

She gave him a swift hug. "Improving and a lot better for seeing you! I can't wait to come home!"

"Let's get moving then. The nurse said all your paperwork was done."

"It is," said Carole, "But I can't go yet."

"Why?" Ritchie was immediately concerned.

"The doctor will be here at 11 o'clock. He's got my test results." 

"Already?"

She nodded nervously. "You'll stay with me when he comes, won't you?"

"Of course!" He sat beside her and hugged her, "Remember what we discussed. Not matter what we're told, nothing changes with us!  She nodded but looked doubtful. "Carole! Please!"

"I know what you're saying but it still worries me!"

They chatted for a while, quiet and comfortable together. Carole jumped when there was a quiet knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and the doctor entered the room.

"Hello Mrs Starkey, how are you feeling today?"

"Good thanks. You?"

He nodded then turned to Ritchie. "Mr Starkey, hello again." He turned back to Carole and held up a brown manila folder. "I have your test results. Are you ready for them?"

Carole went pale. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be!"

Ritchie put one arm around her waist and top Carole's hand in the other. "We're ready please doctor!"

The doctor sat on a chair next to the bed. "OK. First of all we carried out your internal test. Well you can be rest assured that all your 'pipes and plumbing' is looking healthy and normal. Nothing unusual at all."

"That's good?" Carole asked.

"Very good." The doctor nodded. "Further investigations did show, however, an area of scarring with I am assuming came from your cesarean section delivery of your first child."

"I had a cesarean delivery?" Carole looked astonished. "I didn't know that!"

"Really?" The doctor was surprised, "You don't remember the surgery?"

Carole shook her head sadly. "I have very few memories of my time in hospital or my baby. I don't even know what gender it was!"

The doctor smiled. "I can tell you that if you would like to know."

"You know?" Carole's shock was very apparent.

He nodded. "It's in your notes Mrs Starkey." he added gently.

"But...I...." Carole shook her head and wiped a stray tear. "Nobody told me. EVER! Why?"

"Some hospitals had a policy that mothers were not allowed to see or hold a stillborn baby or be told what gender it was. They believed it was less distressing for the mother concerned!" He paused. "Would you like me to tell you what gender your baby was Mrs Starkey?"

Carole glanced at Ritchie. 

"It's up to you baby." he whispered softly, "Entirely up to you."

Carole nodded slightly."Please." she whispered.

"You delivered a little boy. Your notes say he was fully developed as per your dates. Death was, as you know, due to the prematurity of his birth."

He gave Carole a few minutes to digest the information. 

"Would you like me to continue with your test results.... or would you prefer some time alone?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you. Please continue."

"As I mentioned, the scarring which you knew about already, further investigations lead to the discovery of something that may be partly to explain for your conception difficulties."

"What's that?"

"When your baby was delivered, there was some complications as you know. In order to treat the complications, your right fallopian tube was removed. You are aware of the role of your fallopian tubes in fertility?"

Carole nodded. 

"Good." The doctor smiled, "I feel very aware that you are being bombarded with a lot of information. However, I do have some potentially good news for you both."

"Really?" 

The doctor smiled. "After discovering that you now only had one tube, we carried out a series of hormone test to establish how your long your ovulation window was. It was then that we discovered the absolute cause of your infertility."

"You know why?"

"You're not ovulating properly Mrs Starkey and, as I'm sure you're aware no egg means no baby." He saw her glum face but smiled at her, "However, of all the causes of infertility, ovulation is the easiest problem to treat."

"You can treat it!" Carole was excited, "So I can have a baby?"

The doctor help up his hand to stop her excitement. "I MUST stress that we never guarantee a pregnancy after any of our treatments Mrs Starkey! We can offer treatment which may increase your chances of conceiving!"

"OK," Carole sighed, somewhat deflated, "So you can treat me?"

"Yes." The doctor replied, "However, the first thing we will do is send you home where I want you to rest. Take things easy until the bleeding stops and you're feeling more your normal self. Then, in twelve weeks time, we will recall you to begin hormone treatment."

"Twelve weeks! That a long time! Why not sooner?"

"I understand your eagerness to start treatment Mrs Starkey but we need to allow that amount of time to give your system time to recover from the test we've put you through."

"And think love," said Ritchie softly, "we've wait how many years, will a few more months make much difference?"

"I suppose." Carole nodded reluctantly. "There's not much else I can do!"