Fertility: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

yesterday, came to the door. I told her to get Dr. Smith back ASAP, which she did.”
    Sarah thought to ask for Tracy’s surname, but then she remembered Nancy Howland was already on the case. “And when Dr. Smith saw the mother?” Sarah prompted.
    “He was very concerned, but calm and patient, as he generally is with the patients and their families. He said sometimes newborns get staph from contact with their mothers; some people carry staph on their skin or in their nasal passages. Babies and their mothers can have concurrent infections. Apparently, this was the case here.”
    “Had the baby’s antibiotic — let me see, clindamycin — or the heparin been administered at this point?”
    “No, Dr. Smith had left to order it, but it hadn’t yet arrived on the floor.”
    “So what did Dr. Smith do, if anything, for Mrs. Arkin?”
    “He said that the mother would also have to be put on an antibiotic regimen. He told the parents that he wanted to consult with one of the hospital’s lactation specialists, but he thought it was probably best for her not to nurse the baby at that time. He said they could give the baby formula if need be. Then the mother got upset. Very upset. She said she couldn’t believe this was happening. Her husband tried to comfort her. Then he got kind of pushy and told the doctor to get that lactation specialist in the room right away. Dr. Smith said he’d do what he could and asked me to page the specialist. I took off my gown and gloves, disinfected my hands and left the room to page the consultant.”
    “And where was the infant at this point?”
    “She was in her crib.”
    “And had you or anyone on the floor administered any medications to her?”
    “The ER had started an IV for fluids. But we were still awaiting the clindamycin and heparin.”
    “And what time did you leave the baby’s room to page the lactation specialist?”
    Hilker thought a moment. “I really can’t say exactly. I would guess it was around 4:15 or 4:30.”
    “Were you successful in paging the specialist?”
    “Yes. She answered her page within just a few minutes. She said she would be at the baby’s room in fifteen minutes — which was amazing, considering it was a Sunday. I thought to myself that at least that baby and mother had caught a little break.”
    Cletus Jackson interrupted. “Joyce, remember to just state the facts as you remember them.” Sarah couldn’t tell if the nurse appreciated the union rep’s advice or found it a put-down. She nodded once and then waited for Sarah’s next question.
    “At what point did the heparin and clindamycin arrive on the floor?” Sarah inquired, drawing the circles of her questioning closer to the actual target of the investigation.
    “Well, that was the thing. The pharmacy technician actually brought the two orders right up to the floor. He said the new computer system had a glitch and wasn’t cooperating. The doctor had ordered them ‘stat’ so he ran them up to the floor himself.”
    Sarah couldn’t help but think of Joanne Marsh’s demonstration of the apparently foolproof system. “Is that an unusual thing for the pharmacy to do?”
    “It happens from time to time, but it’s fairly unusual. I thought the pharmacy tech was going the extra mile and I told him so.”
    “At what point were the clindamycin and heparin administered?” Sarah set her sights for the bull’s eye.
    Hilker looked at her union rep. Jackson nodded and the nurse proceeded, looking down at her hands. “I immediately gowned up and brought the meds into the baby’s room. I told the father that Dina Geissinger, the lactation specialist, would be in to see them very shortly. The mother was still sitting in the chair. She had the yellow paper gown covering her breasts and she was weeping. The dad was pacing around the room and talking to someone on his cell phone very quietly — almost in a whisper.”
    “And where was Dr. Smith at this time?”
    “Dr. Smith was no longer