The Road to Mercy Read Online Free PDF Page A

chart.
    “What just happened in there, doctor?”
    Dr. Abrams motioned for him to walk down the hallway. “Your wife had a morphine-induced dream.” They stopped a few steps from the nurses’ station, and the doctor looked squarely into Josh’s eyes. “It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
    “I have a hard time accepting that.” Josh ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m afraid these drugs will affect the baby.”
    “Any medication can put the baby at risk, but—”
    “I’ve heard the word
risk
way too many times this week. I need facts, reassurances. How long will Beth have to stay on the morphine?” Josh pointed to the clipboard in the doctor’s hands. “Or any of these drugs?”
    Dr. Abrams studied him. “I don’t think you understand. Your wife is in a lot of pain. She needs medication just to get through the day.” He frowned. “Her pain is intolerable. Do you understand that?”
    “Of course, I do, but . . .”
    The physician continued. “We don’t dispense morphine, or any narcotic, unless it’s necessary. In Bethany’s case, narcotics may be required for months.” The muscles in his jaws twitched. “If there is no sign of healing after a few months, then we’ll discuss surgery, which has its own set of risks.”
    Josh shook his head. “I’m not challenging your judgment, but . . .”
    The doctor heaved a long sigh. “You’re emotionally involved. You’ve chosen to keep the baby.” He softened his stance a bit. “Of course, that’s your and your wife’s decision. But, please, realize that this pregnancy is a complication to an already serious condition.”
    The doctor’s piercing blue eyes cut through the chilled air between them.
    Josh steadied himself against the wall, trapped between two difficult choices, and nodded.
    “My priorities are with your wife. Her artery is microscopically dissected. It’s weak and vulnerable. The more stress on that tiny tear, the more likely it will rupture. Even the smallest complication could cause that to happen.”
    “Shouldn’t she have surgery right away?”
    “In many cases, these fissures repair themselves. But it takes time. We should know more in three or four months. In the meantime, I want to give Bethany all of the advantages I can.”
    “Because the pregnancy adds risk. . . .” Josh heard himself repeat the word he had come to hate. “What happens if her artery doesn’t heal in seven months, when the baby is born?”
    “Pregnancy is a natural condition, but it puts additional stress on the body,” the doctor said.
    “Beth could die in childbirth?” It was more a statement than a question.
    “Of course, it’s a possibility. The trauma of labor will put pressure on her artery and if it hasn’t healed by that time, well . . . wedon’t know what will happen.” He took a long breath. “But you have to understand that just getting to that point is dangerous.” The doctor studied Josh’s reaction. “It’s not too late to terminate, to give your wife every advantage you can.”
    “Dr. Abrams, Beth doesn’t want to do that.” Josh chose his words carefully. “I appreciate you shooting straight with me and your concern for my wife’s best interests. I need all the insight you can give me.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “But Beth is determined.”
    Josh looked down at the floor and then back to the doctor.
    “She has—we both have—a strong faith, and we must ultimately believe that God will get us, and the baby, through this.”
    Ben Abrams shrugged a shoulder. “I wish you the best, and I’ll do all I can to help you. Just understand, I’m not in the business of miracles.”

    Ben Abrams shook his head as he walked away. What was it with religious types always basing their lives on the unseen? The intangible rather than the tangible. How could that kind of thinking help get someone through life much less influence their afterlife, as they all seemed to believe?
    Such irrational