not forget stubborn,’ her mother commented with a wistful smile.
Juliet stood up. ‘Have you finished?’
‘With this conversation or the cookies?’ her mother asked with a cheeky grin.
‘Both!’
* * *
‘Remember, if there are any issues or just for peace of mind, if you need or want to stay at the hospital and monitor the quads’ mother, you know your mother and I are here to look after Bea.’
‘I still can’t believe you flew all that way just so I could focus on the babies,’ Juliet said as she gathered the last of her things, wrapped her scarf around her neck over her heavy coat, pulled on her knitted cap, kissed Bea and headed for the door. They had all enjoyed a restful night’s sleep and Juliet felt good about the impending surgery.
‘If Bea needed you in the future, you would do exactly the same.’
Juliet knew that was the truth. She would indeed do anything for her daughter, at that time or any time in the future.
‘Despite what you say, Juliet,’ her mother added as she sipped her early morning cup of tea and prepared for the cold gust of air as her daughter opened the door, ‘it’s not easy being single and raising a daughter and having a career that makes you responsible for other people’s lives. You have a lot on your very slender shoulders.’
‘But I love it. It gives me purpose and I can’t imagine doing anything else,’ Juliet told them both as she stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her.
‘I know,’ her mother replied as she looked over at her husband, reading the local paper. ‘The apple indeed did not fall too far from the tree.’
* * *
Georgina and Leo were waiting outside Theatre when Juliet arrived. With her hair tucked inside a disposable cap, and dressed in a hospital gown, Georgina had been prepped for the surgery. She was lying on the trolley with the sides up ready to be wheeled inside by the theatre staff. Leo was holding his wife’s hand tightly and trying to put on a brave face but Juliet could sense the fear that was mounting by the minute.
‘I will be scrubbing in for your procedure now,’ she told them as she patted Georgina’s arm. ‘And, Leo, you can scrub in with me. I know that Georgie will want you right beside her during the procedure.’
‘Sure.’
‘Any questions?’
‘Yes,’ Leo said with a cheeky smirk. ‘How hot does it get in Australia in summer?’
Juliet was surprised by the question. It was definitely left of centre. ‘Quite hot in Perth, well over one hundred degrees on our hottest days. I left only a few days ago and we’d been through a heatwave—we had three days in a row that reached over one hundred and five degrees.’
‘That’s hot. Maybe spring would be nicer.’
Aware that time was ticking, and the medical team would be waiting, she quickly asked, ‘For what, exactly?’
‘Georgie and I have decided, should all of our babies come through this happy and healthy...’ he paused for a moment and smiled lovingly at his wife ‘...that in honour of you we’re going to take them all on a trip to Australia before they start school. We were planning on showing them Italy, but I think an adventure down under would be more fun for the six of us. Besides, Georgie and I have been back to Italy a few times but we’ve never seen a kangaroo up close and we can tell the girls how an Aussie doctor saved their brothers and, if you’re home, perhaps we could call in and say hello.’
Juliet thought it was such a sweet sentiment and optimistic. It was what would pull them through whatever lay ahead. ‘And I will put the barbie on for all of you.’
‘I’ll cook the pasta,’ Georgina added from the trolley.
‘And I’ll bring the vino,’ Leo chipped in as the theatre staff began to wheel his wife into surgery. Juliet couldn’t help but see through his jovial façade that a tear trickled down his cheek. She patted his arm. ‘Georgina is in good hands and so are your babies.’
Juliet then took Leo to scrub in.
* * *
‘Heads up to the medical student and interns with us today, if you have questions about any of this procedure, ask. We will be using a laser to coagulate the shared blood supply between two of the four babies. This will be more complex with the four foetuses and will take considerable time to map the shared arteries and veins but it will be done. So we are all in here for the long haul.’
Charlie was pleased to hear the conviction in Juliet’s voice.
‘After this procedure I am hoping the two babies currently affected by the TTTS will be able to grow to their maximum size without complications.’
The epidural had taken effect and Leo was behind the blue surgical sheet holding his wife’s hand. Everyone present in Theatre was wearing the protective goggles in preparation for the laser, including Georgina and Leo. Juliet carefully inserted the fetoscope and, guided by the screen, began the arduous task of locating Rupert, otherwise known as Baby A. Once this was done she traced his umbilical cord back to the placenta and began the process of identifying the offending arteries. Secure in the knowledge she had the first communication located, Juliet utilised the laser to cauterise the artery.
Charlie held his breath. That was only the first; he was well aware there were more to locate and sever. Juliet continued mapping the vascular placental linkages and painstakingly cauterising each one. The procedure was progressing slowly but successfully. Charlie was still cautious. Any disruption to the uterus he knew was risky. With only two veins to cauterise, Juliet announced they were on the home stretch and everyone in Theatre felt instant relief sweep over them.
‘Well done, Juliet,’ the anaesthetist announced. ‘Great outcome.’
‘I said home stretch, not completed,’ she countered cautiously as she pushed down on the foot pedal for the laser and severed the second to last. ‘We still have one to go.’
Charlie was impressed with her reply. She had every reason to gloat that close to seeing the end in sight but still she was hesitant to accept praise. He also realised that he had been wrong to judge the procedure. Perhaps, in fact, Juliet had made the right call with the quads. And if the babies all continued to grow, they would be able to prolong the pregnancy for at least a few more weeks until the uterus became too large, but by that time the babies would be all viable and have a good chance at a healthy life.
The final artery was the most difficult to locate due to Baby B’s position. All eyes were on the monitor as Juliet carefully manoeuvred around the tiniest twin.
‘We have a problem,’ the neonatal cardiologist announced. ‘Baby B’s struggling, he’s clearly in stress.’
Charlie stepped forward again to observe the screen. The invasive procedure had been delayed by the fact it was four babies, not two, and it had adversely affected the smallest quad.
‘I’m ceasing laser now,’ Juliet told the room, then quickly but delicately removed the fetoscope but it was too
