hear Maddy's voice. Determinedly he focused on it and on what she was saying.
The obstetrician had told her that she was suffering from pre-eclampsia, a condition which could, if left untreated, threaten the life of both her and her baby.
In order for them to treat it she would have to stay in hospital where her progress could be monitored and she would not be allowed to return home until they were satisfied that she was well enough to do so.
A nurse appeared in the room giving Max a frowning look as she reminded Maddy that she must try to keep calm.
'Can I see Mr Lewis?' Max asked her.
She pursed her hps.
'He's with another patient at the moment and I don't know how long he will be.'
'I'll wait,' Max told her in a tone of voice that said he wasn't going anywhere until he had spoken to the consultant.
'Oh, Max, I'm so afraid,' Maddy confessed. 'And I feel so guilty. If I hadn't missed my last antenatal appointment they would have found out then what was happening but Ben wasn't well and—'
His grandfather! Max closed his eyes and willed himself not to over-react.
'You're going to be fine,' he tried to reassure Maddy as he held her tightly, 'Both you and the baby.'
Ten minutes later, having told her that she wasn't to worry about anything and having promised that, yes, he would get in touch with Jenny and, yes, he would pick the children up from school and bring a bag of things into the hospital for her, Max kissed his wife and followed the nurse who had come to tell him that the consultant was ready to see him.
'...and there's nothing you can do?'
'In the sense of making the condition completely disappear, no,' the man agreed. 'But in the sense of getting it under control, yes. Our first priority is to bring your wife's blood pressure down and for that we need to keep her here in hospital. Once we are satisfied that it is safely under control then she will be allowed to return home but only on the understanding that she does not overdo things.'
'And if you can't bring her blood pressure down?'
Max pressed.
The consultant stood up and walked over to the tiny window of his office, keeping his back towards Max as he said quietly, 'That shouldn't happen....'
'But if it does?' Max persisted.
There was a long pause before the consultant replied.
'If the condition runs its course unchecked in the final three months of pregnancy it can lead to the mother suffering from fits and to the deterioration of the placenta which obviously affects the baby. Ultimately—" he paused and looked at Max "—when this happens the mother can suffer from convulsions which in a worst-case scenario causes brain damage for mother and child and potentially death.'
Max stared at him in white-faced disbelief, and sensing his feelings the other man assured him, 'These days the risk of that happening is minimal. As I've explained, now that we've detected the problem we should be able to bring your wife's blood pressure back to normal and keep it there.'
'You say should,' Max interrupted him grimly.
'What if you can't?' he demanded, his heart hammer-ing against his ribs.
There was a long pause before the doctor told him carefully, 'If we were to consider that there was any threat to your wife's life then we should need to discuss with her terminating her pregnancy.'
'Have you told Maddy any of this?' Max asked him grimly.
The consultant shook his head.
'At this stage I do not believe it is either necessary or constructive to add to your wife's anxiety. And I must reiterate to you that we are talking about a worst-case scenario.'
'There is no way I would ever countenance anything that would put Maddy's life at risk,' Max started to tell him. 'Even if that meant that...the baby...that a termination...'
The consultant looked at him with sympathy. 'We'll advise you and your wife of the best course of action as her pregnancy progresses.'
Max closed his eyes in mute despair. He knew full well just how Maddy would react. She was the kind
The obstetrician had told her that she was suffering from pre-eclampsia, a condition which could, if left untreated, threaten the life of both her and her baby.
In order for them to treat it she would have to stay in hospital where her progress could be monitored and she would not be allowed to return home until they were satisfied that she was well enough to do so.
A nurse appeared in the room giving Max a frowning look as she reminded Maddy that she must try to keep calm.
'Can I see Mr Lewis?' Max asked her.
She pursed her hps.
'He's with another patient at the moment and I don't know how long he will be.'
'I'll wait,' Max told her in a tone of voice that said he wasn't going anywhere until he had spoken to the consultant.
'Oh, Max, I'm so afraid,' Maddy confessed. 'And I feel so guilty. If I hadn't missed my last antenatal appointment they would have found out then what was happening but Ben wasn't well and—'
His grandfather! Max closed his eyes and willed himself not to over-react.
'You're going to be fine,' he tried to reassure Maddy as he held her tightly, 'Both you and the baby.'
Ten minutes later, having told her that she wasn't to worry about anything and having promised that, yes, he would get in touch with Jenny and, yes, he would pick the children up from school and bring a bag of things into the hospital for her, Max kissed his wife and followed the nurse who had come to tell him that the consultant was ready to see him.
'...and there's nothing you can do?'
'In the sense of making the condition completely disappear, no,' the man agreed. 'But in the sense of getting it under control, yes. Our first priority is to bring your wife's blood pressure down and for that we need to keep her here in hospital. Once we are satisfied that it is safely under control then she will be allowed to return home but only on the understanding that she does not overdo things.'
'And if you can't bring her blood pressure down?'
Max pressed.
The consultant stood up and walked over to the tiny window of his office, keeping his back towards Max as he said quietly, 'That shouldn't happen....'
'But if it does?' Max persisted.
There was a long pause before the consultant replied.
'If the condition runs its course unchecked in the final three months of pregnancy it can lead to the mother suffering from fits and to the deterioration of the placenta which obviously affects the baby. Ultimately—" he paused and looked at Max "—when this happens the mother can suffer from convulsions which in a worst-case scenario causes brain damage for mother and child and potentially death.'
Max stared at him in white-faced disbelief, and sensing his feelings the other man assured him, 'These days the risk of that happening is minimal. As I've explained, now that we've detected the problem we should be able to bring your wife's blood pressure back to normal and keep it there.'
'You say should,' Max interrupted him grimly.
'What if you can't?' he demanded, his heart hammer-ing against his ribs.
There was a long pause before the doctor told him carefully, 'If we were to consider that there was any threat to your wife's life then we should need to discuss with her terminating her pregnancy.'
'Have you told Maddy any of this?' Max asked him grimly.
The consultant shook his head.
'At this stage I do not believe it is either necessary or constructive to add to your wife's anxiety. And I must reiterate to you that we are talking about a worst-case scenario.'
'There is no way I would ever countenance anything that would put Maddy's life at risk,' Max started to tell him. 'Even if that meant that...the baby...that a termination...'
The consultant looked at him with sympathy. 'We'll advise you and your wife of the best course of action as her pregnancy progresses.'
Max closed his eyes in mute despair. He knew full well just how Maddy would react. She was the kind
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