She Needed Answers
While she was lying on the bed, the doctor sat beside her. In an attempt to appear okay, she stifled a cry as the sharp pain flared up again in her pelvic area.
The only thing she needed from him was to let her know what was happening to her.
As the doctor leaned forward in his chair, he laid out documents. “I’m not sure how to say this, Donna.” he began. “But you are forty years pregnant.”
Peace And Quiet
Donna Butler had endured a challenging day.
Her only desire was to spend quality time with her family and friends like many seventy-year-olds across America.
As a recently retired university professor, she was eagerly anticipating relaxing on the beach with her husband, son, and granddaughter. There was no way she could have predicted what would happen next.
Routine Check-Ups
The advancing years of her life had caused her to visit the doctor more frequently, despite leading a very healthy life.
It had not been so long ago that she had been an active woman who didn’t have to visit the hospital every fortnight.
She knew, however, that as she approached her third quarter century, she should visit more frequently. The sooner she did so, the better.
She Was Content
Donna and her husband, Henry, lived a simple life in Asheville, North Carolina. There were three children between the two, two of whom died. Henry Jr., the surviving child, was the apple of their eyes.
In addition to his recent marriage, he had a two-year-old daughter, Jenny, who was always visiting Donna and Henry on weekends.
Donna couldn’t have asked for a better life. There was already a storm brewing over her paradise that she was unaware of.
Stomach Pain
Initially, Donna’s nightmare was accompanied by mild abdominal pain. A seventy-year-old woman had been through a lot in life and had been able to pick up some valuable lessons.
Her experience has shown that lower abdominal pain is usually caused by one of two things. First, there could be gastrointestinal disorders, which are nothing to laugh at.
Second, you may have problems with your ureters, ovaries, or uterus. It was apparent to Donna that she should go to the doctor, regardless of what the implications were.
Calling For Help
Dr. McCall, her physician, came to her house the following day after she spoke with her husband about it.
Having checked on Donna for an hour and a half, he assured her she would be fine.
Her body showed no signs of gastrointestinal disease. Only one thing could explain the absence of signs or symptoms.
Joking Around
To lighten the mood, Dr. McCall joked, “You might be pregnant.”. While collecting his belongings, Dr. McCall chuckled.
“You are too old in years to be experiencing pregnancy issues,” he comforted. “I’ll prescribe something light for the pain, but don’t worry; you’re completely fine.”
However, he had overlooked something crucial.
A Few Hours Later
Dr. McCall missed Donna’s actual cause of pain when he determined that she was too old to have a child.
She and Henry spent the remainder of his afternoon with him discussing their interests and future plans.
Throughout this period, Donna forgot she had been ill a few hours earlier. The calm before the storm was only temporary.
It Came Back
With a vengeance, the pain returned in the middle of the night.
In that moment, Donna felt as if someone had cut her in half with a flaming chainsaw, and she had to use all her strength not to scream.
As she struggled to get out of bed, she popped the amount of medicine that Dr. McCall had prescribed earlier. As she sat on the toilet, her hands rested on her belly. What was going on with her?
Excruciating Pain
As the pain spread from her belly to her pelvic area, it became white hot every second.
Now Donna felt like someone was pouring hot liquid metal over her stomach instead of sawing her in half.
A loud yelp erupted from her. Suddenly, Henry, who had been fast asleep, awoke. In the darkness of the bedroom, he asked, “What is it?”. He ran in to see what was wrong when he couldn’t get an answer from Donna.
On The Floor
Henry found Donna on the floor, curled into a ball with her face contorted beyond measure. “Donna,” he cried, going down to see what was wrong.
“It’s gotten worse,” Donna barely said. “Call Junior and McCall. Hurry.”
Henry didn’t waste any time. Even though he was the same age as Donna, he still had the energy of a young bull, enough to rush for the phone and circle back to Donna.
Doctors On Site
He called their son first, who jumped into his car immediately.
Dr. McCall was next and showed up a few minutes after the call, finding Henry and Junior tending to Donna.
Junior briefed him on what was happening. The pain from earlier in the day had seemingly doubled, rendering Donna delirious and unable to talk.
Junior’s Analysis
Junior had given her a few pain relievers as they waited for the EMTs and Dr. McCall to arrive.
But in this waiting time, he’d run a few quick tests on his mom, ascertaining that she was exhibiting symptoms akin to someone with reproductive system complications.
Dr. McCall listened carefully to his analysis and assumption, agreeing that he’d overlooked this path earlier. Donna was simply too old to be showing such symptoms. If only they knew what was happening.
Returning To The Hospital
The EMTs finally reached the Butler house, taking Donna to the hospital. Dr. McCall admitted Donna into a ward and immediately began running tests on her.
He started with what he’d dismissed earlier, checking if Donna’s reproductive system was okay.
The first slew of tests showed that the seventy-year-old mom was okay. Dr. McCall needed to bring in the big guns.
X-Ray
He did an X-Ray test on Donna and was left speechless at what he found. Sitting down with his mouth agape, he called in another doctor, asking her if she’d ever seen something like this.
“What is that?” the doctor asked as she came closer for a better look. “Is that a fetus?” she asked. “My God. It is!” She said to Dr. McCall, “She’s not gonna believe this.”
To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.