Georgia and Vanna followed the nurse and Charlie into what could have been an operating room but was nighttime dim. Georgia could just make out cartoonish animals on the walls. The animals were doing all sorts of cute things: a giraffe munched tree leaves, a cat licked her paw, and a monkey was caught in mid-jump from a branch.
Charlie stirred. Vanna leaned down to coo and brush his forehead. He seemed irritable and cranky and started to fuss. Vanna looked pleadingly at the nurse. “Can I pick him up?”
The nurse shook her head. “It’s better if we handle him from here.”
Vanna swallowed, stepped back, and grabbed Georgia’s arm.
The doctor came in and gave them a warm smile. “Hello. Sorry for the delay. I’m Dr. Kumar. We’ve just been so busy today. And we had to rule out other things. But we’re ready to proceed now.” She glanced at both women. “Which one of you is the mother?”
“I am,” Vanna said.
“This isn’t going to be easy, sweetheart. He’s going to cry. A lot. Do you think you can handle being here? It’s understandable if you can’t. A lot of mothers end up stepping out.”
Georgia couldn’t see past Vanna’s mask, but she knew her sister was wavering. She draped her arm around Vanna’s shoulders. But she also knew Vanna wanted—no, needed—to be near her baby. “I’m her sister. If she has a problem, I’ll handle it.”
The doctor seemed satisfied. She went to a sink in a corner of the room, washed her hands thoroughly, and slipped on her own mask and gloves. Then she nodded to the nurses in similar garb. They lifted Charlie out of the cradle and moved him to the table, all with loving murmurs and support. But Charlie didn’t like it and started to cry.
Vanna stiffened. Georgia tightened her hold on her sister.
The doctor inspected a plastic tray on which a number of instruments and vials had been placed. “First I’ll mark the incision point.” Dr. Kumar picked up a marker and made a tiny circle on Charlie’s back, about two inches from his butt crack. Charlie’s cries intensified.
Vanna seemed to be in a daze. Georgia whispered. “Hold on, sweetheart.”
“Now I’m swabbing him with Betadine. It’s cold. That’s why he’s crying.”
Vanna didn’t move. Georgia nodded. The doctor peered at Vanna. “You sure she’s going to be all right?”
Georgia nodded again, but her stomach was roiling, and she wasn’t sure she was all right. She could only imagine how Vanna felt.
The doctor nodded to the nurses. Both situated Charlie so he was leaning over, to stretch his back. As they did, they pinned down his arms and legs. He couldn’t move. His crying turned to screams. The doctor took a needle, filled it with a clear substance, and inserted it into the area she’d marked.
“Lidocaine,” the doctor said. Charlie’s screams scaled up the register to a high-pitched keening.
Vanna tried to pull away from Georgia. “No more,” she cried. “I can’t take it. Please stop.”
Georgia restrained her sister, but Vanna was stronger than Georgia expected. Never doubt the strength of a mother protecting her child. “Vanna,” she said into her sister’s ear, “it will be over soon. Do you want to leave the room?”
“Oh God, Georgia. Make them stop!” Her screams mixed with Charlie’s as the doctor inserted a long needle into the spot where she’d previously injected the lidocaine. Georgia had to suppress a shudder when the needle went in. She squeezed her eyes shut. Charlie was inconsolable, his screams rising to an intolerable pitch. Vanna retched and looked like she was going to vomit.
“Vanna, honey, let’s go outside.” Georgia tried to lead her to the door of the procedure room.
But Vanna resisted and stiffened so much, Georgia couldn’t budge her. “No! I’m staying with my baby. He needs me.”
Then a remarkable change came over Vanna. It was as if she suddenly steeled herself to her own feelings and decided to focus only on Charlie and the need to identify what was wrong with him. She stopped crying, and amid his screams, Vanna started to coo to her son.
“Charlie, baby, it’s Mama. It will all be over soon. I promise. I’m here, and it’s going to be okay. Just hold on, sweetheart. I promise to hold you and rock you and sing to you all night when this is over.” A tiny smile curled her lips, and though it was impossible to silence his sobbing, Vanna looked peaceful and confident.
A swell of love and pride for Vanna washed over Georgia. It took incredible courage to control the anguish of watching her baby in excruciating pain. At that moment Vanna was a hero, and Georgia knew if Vanna could handle it, so could she. She hugged her sister. A little blood oozed from the injection site, but no more than a bruised knee would cause.
Finally it was over. The needle came out, and the doctor attached a Band-Aid to the injection site. Georgia was astonished that a simple bandage was the only tangible sign that Charlie had undergone such a critical procedure.
It was one in the morning. She sagged in relief. It was Vanna’s turn to hug her.