Baby on Board

Roast Chicken

"Dr Fletcher, there's someone here to see you," one of the nurses on the ward said as she popped her head around the door. Looking up from the file in front of me, I frown. "He said that he knows you. He said his name is Henrik."

It takes a second to compute the nurse's words but as soon as I realise who the man is, I leap up from my chair and rush down the hallway, greeting the man with a tight smile. The last time I saw Henrik, it was the morning after I had diagnosed his daughter with an incurable disease. Marina was so young and didn't have much time before she succumbed to her illness, something that made her parents decide to want to spend as much time with her as possible. They had refused to prolong treatment, discharging her a few days later and taking her home. Since then, we hadn't heard from them. 

"Henrik," I say, capturing his attention. Spinning to face me, I see the despair written on his features, the look of a man who had lost faith. He had aged, his dark hair thinning and greying, and his weight had dropped considerably, becoming a shadow of the man he used to be.  Still, I looked past that and kept my professional mask firmly in place. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to treat Marina," Henrik announced, his words coming out fast, frantic. Pulling a stack of paperwork from the bag that hung at his side, he thrust them into my hands and started to rush his words out again. "There this experimental treatment in America for a similar condition that Marina has. I've researched it and I think it'll work but we can't afford to take her to California. Jules and I gave up our jobs so we could have more time... we want more time, Dr Fletcher. Please help us make that happen. Please."

As much as I wanted to make Henrik's dream a reality, there was absolutely nothing we could do for Marina. Krabbe Disease has no cure and the prognosis is poor in babies and young people; despite experimental treatments, there was nothing I or any other doctor on the planet could do. A quick flick through the research that Henrik had painstakingly printed told me all I needed to know- Henrik is clutching at straws, wanting beyond reasoning to cure his daughter. 

Placing the paperwork on the nurse's counter, I try to find suitable words to give to Henrik that, while they needed to be realistic, should also be reassuring. "How is Marina?" I ask before adding, "What does Julie say about all this?"

"Jules is against the idea," Henrik sighs, rubbing his weary eye before dragging his fingers down over the stubble that covered his cheeks. "She thinks that I'm prolonging the pain and that I should let it go, make the most of the time we have. What if this was your daughter, Dr Flethcer? What would you do? Would you go to the ends of the world to save her? I would. I'm risking my marriage for this because I love my little girl and even if we had all the time in the world, it still wouldn't be enough. Take a look at the research, please. I'll come back tomorrow. Please."

Henrik promptly spun on his heels and marched to the lift, waiting impatiently until the doors opened. When he stepped inside, his eyes were trained on the floor, only looking up at the last moment. I wish I had turned away. I'll never forget that look of loss. 

Taking the research, I hid in the staff room, spreading the papers across the table and starting to filter through the complex information that I was presented with. Highlighting the most important items, on a separate sheet of paper, I scribble down some notes, frowning all the while. Everything written in the research was compelling; I was almost convinced that this radical treatment could work. Shaking my head, I had to keep telling myself that this wasn't a cure. It wasn't even for Krabbe Disease. The condition that they were treating was similar but totally different. 

Whatever my opinion on the matter, there was one thing that I couldn't ignore. Unless Julie was on board with Henrik's plan to treat Marina, regardless of success, no doctor would touch this case. It was an ethical conundrum and a legal case waiting to happen.