The Unexpected (3)

This part was very hard for me to write, I don't like to open up wounds but as I explained before I felt I needed to do this story. They arrived at the childrens hospital and had to go in a different way from the ambulance. Once they found where their baby was, it had been 20 minutes or so. He was taken straight to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). They anxiously told the secretary who they were and was told to have a seat in the waiting room. She still carried his little blankie, smelling it every so often with tears in her eyes, seeing other people in the room also but thinking no-one mattered right now because her thoughts were solely on her baby....Waiting to hear their name being called seemed like eternity. Her mother-in-law came rushing to the hospital with the news and waiting with the once care-free couple. Finally they called their name and asked us to follow them. All three of them walked quietly to a meeting room with a long oval table. There across from them set a Doctor, she explain her name and who she was.....a cardiologist? What kind of Doctor is that she was thinking....thoughts races thru her head. The Doctor continued on to say the words that put the mother in a trance......."Your child is very sick, he has a congenital heart defect". He has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrom. Which basically means your son was born with half a heart. The left half never developed. As she continued to explain the parents were over whelmed. Not understanding what the words meant that the Doctor was saying. What is a aortic arch? They had so many questions, and not understanding most of the answers given to them. What.....thats impossible? That can't be....YOU HAVE THE WRONG BABIES FILE!! Things like this don't happen to anyone you know, surely not us!!!! As she set there explaining to the family what their next options were..... #1 wrap your baby up and take him home and he will live apx. a day to possible several days, spending your last days with him together. This is where the mom lost it, ARE YOU SERIOUS???? You are not taking my baby from me. I just had him. Why GOD why is this happening to me? Have I really been such a bad person that you'd do this to my baby? She couldn't think....then came option #2 Let your child have a set of 3 OHS (open heart surgeries), they will not "FIX" his heart but they will buy him time, allowing him to grow and get stronger. The Doctor explained that he has a 70% chance for survival. The mother still lost in the 1st option then realizes that OHS.....meant opening her sons chest up and only 70% he would LIVE......he could die? How is this option better? Then came option #3 Let him have a heart transplant now, but as the Doctor explained the problem with this is that there are not many newborn hearts available and to find a match for your son might prove lengthy and he really don't have the time to wait for one. The once happy couple quickly chose Option #2 the 3 stage surgeries. The parents wanted to see their baby even more now. They Doctor told them shortly they will call you back to his room. He had a room now? As they left the meeting room the mother let loose and bawled.....bawled like she never had before as the father just held her crying himself. Not thinking she could even stand she was feeling so weak, drained. Not caring who was watching her cry like this.....Sniffing the blankie to feel close to her baby, the couple and mother-in-law sat and waited to be called by a Nurse so they could see their baby. To be continued.....