The Cradle Will Fall Read Online Free PDF Page A

Katie. The day they moved in,
    last summer, I went rushing over and invited them to dinner. Right
    away Vangie told me how much she wanted a baby, and I told
    her about Liz Berkeley. She never was able to conceive until she
    went to a gynecologist who's something of a fertility expert. Liz
    had just given birth to a little girl. So I told Vangie about Dr.
    Highley. She went to him, and a few months later she conceived."

     
    "Dr. Highley?" Katie looked startled.

     
    Molly nodded. "Yes, the one who's going to ..."

     
    Katie shook her head, and Molly's voice trailed off.

     
    EDNA Burns liked her job. She was receptionist-bookkeeper for
    the two doctors on the Westlake Maternity Concept team.
    Dr. Edgar Highley was a gynecologist-obstetrician. As Edna

     
     
    told her friends, "It's a riot to see the way his patients act when
    they finally get pregnant; so happy you'd think they invented kids.
    He charges plenty, but he's a miracle worker. On the other hand,
    Highley is also the man to see if you've got an internal problem
    that you don't want to grow. If you know what I mean."

     
    Dr. Jiro Fukhito was the psychiatrist on the team. The Westlake
    Maternity Concept was one of holistic medicine. It was based on
    the idea that mind and body must be in harmony to achieve a successful
    pregnancy.

     
    Edna enjoyed telling her friends that the Westlake concept had
    been dreamed up by old Dr. Westlake, who had died before he
    could act on it. Then, eight years ago, his daughter Winifred had
    married Dr. Highley, bought the River Falls Clinic, renamed it
    for her father and set up her husband there. "She and the doctor
    were crazy about each other," Edna would sigh. "She was ten
    years older than he and nothing to look at, but they were real
    lovers. It was some shock when she died. No one ever knew her
    heart was that bad.

     
    "But," she'd say philosophically, "he keeps busy. I've seen
    women who never were able to conceive become pregnant two and
    three times. Of course, a lot of them don't carry the babies to term,
    but at least they know there's a chance. You can read about it
    yourself," she'd add. "Newsmaker magazine is doing an article
    about him. They photographed him last week in his office, and if
    you think we're busy now, wait till that article comes out."

     
    Edna was a born bookkeeper. Dr. Highley always complimented
    her on the excellent records she maintained. The only
    time he gave her the rough side of his tongue was once when he
    overheard her talking to one patient about another's problems.
    He had finished by saying, "Any more talking and you're through."

     
    Edna sighed. She was tired. Last night both doctors had had
    evening hours, and it had been hectic. Now, while it was quiet,
    she'd check the calendar to make sure she'd made all the necessary
    future appointments. She had been told by Dr. Highley that she
    was to make follow-up appointments with people as they left.
    Frowning, she leaned her broad, freckled face on a thick hand.

     
    She was an overweight woman of forty-four who looked ten

     
     
    years older. Her youth had been spent taking care of aging parents.
    When Edna looked back at pictures of herself from secretarial
    school, she was always surprised at what a pretty girl she'd
    once been. A mite too heavy, but pretty nevertheless.

     
    Her mind was only half on the page she was reading. Then
    something triggered her full attention. Last night. The eight-
    o'clock appointment Vangie Lewis had with Dr. Fukhito.

     
    Vangie had come in early and sat talking with Edna. She was
    sure upset. Vangie had put on a lot of weight during the pregnancy;
    she really wasn't well. Last month she'd started wearing
    moccasins because her other shoes didn't fit anymore. She'd shown
    them to Edna. "Look at this. My right foot is so swollen, I can only
    wear these clodhoppers my cleaning woman left behind. The left
    one is always falling off."

     
    Edna had tried to kid her. "Well, with those glass