{"id":163,"date":"2016-09-04T13:48:20","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T17:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.herbheineman.com\/?page_id=163"},"modified":"2024-07-24T15:20:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T19:20:08","slug":"chapter-9","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/edensgarden\/chapter-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 9: Indictment and Conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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PART II: 1983<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cLet\u2019s hope there aren\u2019t any complications,\u201d Dr. Harmon said with a sigh.<\/p>

\u201cIsn\u2019t there anything we can do?\u201d Alan knew enough not to set his hopes too high.<\/p>

\u201cTrying to stop this thing now is like trying to stop the potholes from showing up when the ice melts.\u201d<\/p>

The verdict was in. No one test alone proves rheumatic fever, but Eden\u2019s symptoms and lab results combined were enough for a diagnosis. What Rick had said was old news; internists know the nature of rheumatic fever. Why had he even asked? Now he could spend weeks waiting to see how deep the potholes were. \u201cAt least she isn\u2019t hurting anymore.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cTypical aspirin response. Too bad it\u2019s only the symptoms that go away, not the process.\u201d<\/p>

For Eden the symptoms were<\/em> the process. \u201cHi, Daddy. I\u2019m better. See?\u201d she had announced, hopping into the kitchen the day before. To prove it she bent and straightened her arms, stood up and sat down. Alan smiled bravely and took her temperature.<\/p>

\u201cNinety-nine four. You may as well stay for dinner, but then I want you back in bed.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cCan\u2019t I help with the dishes?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWell, now,\u201d Karen said, eyes wide with astonishment. \u201cWould you consider volunteering sometime when you don\u2019t expect to be turned down?\u201d The answer was a mischievous grin.<\/p>

Karen waited till she was upstairs before asking Alan, \u201cPlease tell me what we\u2019re in for. I know this miraculous cure\u2019s too good to be true.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThere are various diagnostic possibilities\u2014\u201d<\/p>

She stamped her foot. \u201cPlease, Alan, don\u2019t patronize me. She\u2019s got rheumatic fever, right? Start from there. What\u2019s going to happen to skating, running? Will her fingers be deformed? That\u2019s what I want to know.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe assume<\/em> she has rheumatic fever. But if she does, the heart\u2019s what we have to worry about.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHeart<\/u>! My God! What\u2019s that got to do with her knee and her elbow?\u201d Karen\u2019s panic caught Alan off guard. It hadn\u2019t occurred to him that she wouldn\u2019t automatically make that association.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I should\u2019ve led into that. Sit down, and let\u2019s keep our voices low. I\u2019ll explain.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThis gets worse and worse,\u201d Karen said in a despairing tone. Instead of sitting down, she tried to control her agitation by clearing the dishes. Alan sat at the table, fidgeting with a cup.<\/p>

\u201cI should get hold of myself,\u201d Karen said. \u201cI\u2019ve been so on edge since this thing began.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault. Doctors need to be reminded once in a while how to talk to people. The term \u2018rheumatic fever\u2019 is graphic: fever and painful joints. Funny thing is, despite all the pain and swelling, there\u2019s no damage to the joints. You don\u2019t need to worry about her being a cripple. She\u2019ll skate and do everything like before. But rheumatic fever affects the heart too, and it\u2019s the exact opposite.\u00a0 She can be in perfect health after the attack, and years later she comes up with murmurs.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ve never understood murmurs,\u201d Karen said. \u201cMy cousin was turned down by the army because of one.\u00a0 Aren\u2019t people born with them?\u00a0 If Edie had a murmur, wouldn\u2019t Rick know about it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cCongenital murmurs are different. Rheumatic fever damages the valves.\u201d<\/p>

Karen was wiping the counter, her back to him. \u201cOh Alan,\u201d she said wearily, \u201cAll the answers only raise more questions. I don\u2019t think I can absorb any more. I need sleep.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWill Frank give you a hard time about staying home?\u201d<\/p>

Mention of her boss at the law office arrested her hand in mid-air. It was a moment before she answered. \u201cHe knows I have responsibilities at home. He expects no more than he\u2019s getting.\u201d<\/p>

The last was said in such a flat tone that Alan feared more was to come. He got up and put his arm around her. She turned away, wiping her eyes with the hand towel. He knew they were at that point again, where neither words nor silence offered any comfort. She left the kitchen.<\/p>

~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>

Alan had a dream. He was walking with a little girl. In one hand she clutched a cage with a bird; with the other she held tightly onto his.\u00a0 A cold wind came up and she became frightened.<\/p>

\u201cScarlett\u2019s after me!\u201d she cried. \u201cI want to take the bus.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo one\u2019s after you, sweetheart. Don\u2019t be scared,\u201d Alan replied.<\/p>

\u201cBut there\u2019s other horrible things,\u201d the child insisted. \u201cPlease let\u2019s take the bus!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s only a wind. We can walk.\u201d<\/p>

A bus stopped and a woman motioned them aboard. Alan waved her off, but she persisted. He shook his head and the woman was angry as the bus drove off. Suddenly a storm broke, tearing the child from his hand and breaking her leg. Then her arm broke too. A heavy-set man glared at him, but the limbs healed right under his eyes. A blast of hail sprang open the cage and the bird escaped.<\/p>

\u201cCordie\u2019s gone! I want my Cordie!\u201d The child cried.<\/p>

Alan woke to the sound of rain pelting against the window.\u00a0 Karen was asleep beside him.<\/p>

~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>

Rick Harmon came next evening carrying a box. \u201cI don\u2019t need to explain this, do I?\u201d he asked, opening the portable electrocardiograph. \u201cAfter I\u2019ve checked her out, I\u2019ll do an EKG \u2015 for baseline. Then a shot of Bicillin in case there are still bugs hanging around. She\u2019s not allergic, I hope?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNot as far as we know,\u201d Alan said. \u201cDon\u2019t remember her ever getting any.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNeither do I,\u201d Rick continued. \u201cWhen I\u2019m done, I\u2019ll come down and we can talk.\u201d<\/p>

He knocked on Eden\u2019s door and went in. \u201cHow\u2019re you holding up, young lady?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cGreat. The other knee felt a bit stiff this morning, but it never got real bad.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cGood! But don\u2019t get any ideas of running around. Not until Simon says \u2018Run.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>

\u201cOK, Doctor Simon. A bedpan, if you please. I have to go. Maybe run.\u201d<\/p>

Make a child feel better, and instantly all is forgiven and forgotten. No questions about causes and meanings, no worries about the future. It was one reason Rick liked pediatrics.<\/p>

\u201cNow I have to listen to your chest,\u201d he said after confirming that her joints were improved.<\/p>

\u201cMy chest\u2019s fine. I don\u2019t hurt there.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThank goodness for that. Still, I have to listen. Then I\u2019ll explain.\u201d<\/p>

She held still while he examined her. \u201cFind anything?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNot a thing. Sounds fine. I have to check because you might have rheumatic fever, which sometimes affects the heart. I also have to take an EKG.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m sure my heart\u2019s OK. I can feel my pulse, see?\u201d She demonstrated. \u201cAnd if I close my eyes and concentrate real hard, I can feel my body shake a teeny bit every time my heart beats.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re quite an observer.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat do you need the KGE for?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cEKG. It shows the electric currents in your heart.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cElectric!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s not like your electric outlets. You can\u2019t get a shock from your own body. When the heart beats, there\u2019s something like a tiny flash of light, so tiny you can\u2019t see it. The EKG picks it up.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s amazing. Wait till I tell Josh. How do you do it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWho\u2019s Josh?\u201d He unfurled the wires and attached the electrodes to her wrists and ankles.<\/p>

\u201cWhy there? I thought you said my heart. Josh is Debbie\u2019s brother.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYour body conducts electricity, all the way to your hands and feet. Who\u2019s Debbie?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHey! I never knew that. Debbie\u2019s my friend.\u201d<\/p>

Rick turned to plug in the machine. \u201cStop!\u201d Eden shouted. \u201cNow you are<\/em> going to shock me!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo! This plug isn\u2019t connected to you. You won\u2019t feel a thing.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you tell Debbie?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t trust you. I don\u2019t want to be zapped. Josh\u2019s a wise guy. I\u2019m going to get back at him.\u201d<\/p>

He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI can see I\u2019m going to have to prove it to you.\u00a0 Tell Josh what a skeptic you are.\u201d He took the electrodes from her limbs and put one on his own wrist.\u00a0 He picked up the plug.<\/p>

\u201cCareful!\u201d she shouted, starting to pull him back. With ostentatious nonchalance he plugged in the machine.\u00a0 Nothing happened. \u201cDo you want me to put on the others too?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI guess not,\u201d she replied, still wary. \u201cYou\u2019re sure I won\u2019t feel anything?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cQuite sure. These wires aren\u2019t connected to the outlet, just your body. Now, can we proceed?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m still scared, but if you promise me it won\u2019t hurt \u2015 I guess so.\u201d<\/p>

He took the EKG. Now her anxiety was replaced by eagerness. \u201cCan I see it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAnother triumph of curiosity over fear.\u201d Rick showed her the tracing with its repeating pattern of blips and waves. \u201cEach set goes with one heartbeat. See? How nice and regular they are?\u201d<\/p>

Karen had stolen upstairs on hearing Eden\u2019s raised voice, but by the time she got there the alarm had subsided. She stepped inside to find doctor and patient engaged in a study of the EKG.<\/p>

\u201cI think I\u2019m missing something.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cCareful, Mommy, don\u2019t touch me, I\u2019m electric! Here, I\u2019ll show you. This is P, this is QRS, and this is T. Isn\u2019t that right, Doctor Harmon?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cRight on the button. You learn fast. How come you\u2019re not doing that well in school?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI haven\u2019t been paying attention,\u201d she answered sheepishly. \u201cI know I should do better.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhen you go back, you\u2019ll be a heart expert, so flunking math won\u2019t look so good, will it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI promise I\u2019ll try.\u201d Karen smiled.\u00a0 Another promise.\u00a0 Eden considered the subject closed.<\/p>

\u201cIsn\u2019t it great, Mommy? Every time my heart beats, you get these wiggles on the KGE \u2015 I mean GEK. Doctor Harmon, do animals and birds have electricity in their hearts too?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThey sure do. But that\u2019s enough excitement for one day.\u201d Rick returned the electrodes to the box. \u201cSee you tomorrow. And by the way, birds are<\/em> animals.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh, I know.\u201d She waved dismissively. She recapitulated. With every heartbeat there\u2019s a teeny flash of light. Maybe if I concentrate really hard I\u2019ll see the flash, just like I feel my body shake. She closed her eyes and waited. Yes! There it is, right inside my eyes, the same steady beat. Fantastic! All those things going on. Plug in an . . . EKG and take a picture.\u00a0 PQRST. Animals and birds have electric hearts too. How about maggots and caterpillars? They\u2019re not really disgusting now that I think about them. \u00a0Josh is right. How would you take a maggot\u2019s EKG? She laughed at the idea; she was happy.<\/p>

Rick told Karen and Alan that all was in order. \u201cShe has a soft flow murmur.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s all it is.\u201d Seeing Karen\u2019s puzzled look, he explained: \u201cNormal blood flow is audible. If you listen hard enough, you can hear it in anyone. The trick is to recognize the sounds that shouldn\u2019t be there.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou really have a way with her. I was listening at the door.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI was having fun. If I had more time, I\u2019d hang around just for the pleasure of talking with her.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cShe has real confidence in you\u2014\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou must have missed the part with the outlets!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIs that what she was yelling about?\u00a0 Obviously you calmed her.\u00a0 I wish I could be as calm.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe difference between grown-ups and children,\u201d Rick answered. \u201cShe\u2019s rooted in the present, and she feels good. Period. You\u2019re worried about the future. Enjoy her na\u00efvet\u00e9 while you can.\u201d<\/p>

~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>

With time Eden became restless. Her joints no longer hurt, Rick\u2019s visits had become a boring routine, and she had mastered electrocardiography. Then Rick heard a new murmur and, despite her wailing, forbade all strenuous activity. \u201cShe has mitral regurgitation,\u201d he told Alan.<\/p>

\u201cYou mean, the valve\u2019s shot already?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cMore likely dilatation of the left ventricle. But cardiac dilatation means carditis, and you know the implications. Also, she must go on prophylaxis as soon as the shot of Bicillin I gave her wears off. Once a month, you know the routine.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cShe\u2019ll want to know why she can\u2019t just take a pill.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cShe can. But if you\u2019ll take my advice, don\u2019t try it. You\u2019ll have to remember every single day. Then she goes away for a weekend, or off to camp, and you have to rely on someone else. Shoot her up once a month and you\u2019ll have peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>

The murmur did not disappear; it became louder. Then Eden, her eye sharpened by experience, noticed a subtle change in her EKG which might have escaped some medical students twice her age.<\/p>

\u201cLook,\u201d she said. \u201cThis line is longer than it was the other day.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou mean this?\u201d Rick asked, pointing to the line between atrial and ventricular blips.<\/p>

\u201cIt looks, like, stretched out.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re as sharp as ever. I agree. We\u2019ll have to see how it looks next time. Remind me.\u201d<\/p>

Eden, pleased with her observation, asked to keep the tracing. He ran off an extra strip. The other would be analyzed with calipers, for the change she had noticed was measured in millimeters.<\/p>

Downstairs, Rick cornered Alan. Karen was in the basement, out of earshot. \u201cShe\u2019s got first-degree block,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cP-R interval 0.24 second. More evidence of carditis.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cDoes she know anything new\u2019s happened?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAre you kidding? She saw it before I did. I\u2019m glad she didn\u2019t ask what it means. She obviously hasn\u2019t stabilized. Be alert but don\u2019t alarm her by asking pointed questions. Let her come to you.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHow about Karen?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI suggest you say nothing. She\u2019s been through enough. Maybe it\u2019ll go away.\u201d<\/p>

Alan told Karen the physical exam was normal.<\/p>

The storm broke two nights later. At one o\u2019clock there was an insistent knocking on their door.<\/p>

\u201cEdie, what are you doing up? Is something wrong?\u201d Karen asked, sitting bolt upright.<\/p>

\u201cMy chest hurts and I can\u2019t breathe. I\u2019m scared.\u201d Her wheezing was audible across the room the moment she opened the door.<\/p>

\u201cAlan, wake up!\u201d Karen shook him with one hand while flicking on a light with the other.<\/p>

In a single fluid motion he swung out of bed and walked toward the door. He took Eden\u2019s hand, led her to the place he had just vacated, and said gently: \u201cSit here. I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>

He raced downstairs and returned with his stethoscope so fast that his own heart was pounding almost as fast as Eden\u2019s.\u00a0 Lifting her pajama top, he applied the instrument to her back.<\/p>

\u201cOw, cold!\u201d she said.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, baby. I should\u2019ve warmed it. Now don\u2019t talk, just breathe as if I weren\u2019t listening.\u201d<\/p>

But listening he was, and what he heard made him turn his face so Karen couldn\u2019t see it. The rales and wheezes spelled heart failure. He had heard it hundreds of times \u2015 in people five or six times as old as she. There was fluid in the air spaces of her lungs. That was why she couldn\u2019t breathe.<\/p>

He now needed to listen to the heart. Lately, out of respect for her modesty, he had avoided being present any time her torso was not covered. Evidently she didn\u2019t have self-consciousness to match his scruples, for she lifted the front of her pajama top even while he was listening to her back.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m afraid I have to listen to the front, too.\u201d He felt silly saying it, but he was not ready for the change in her body since he\u2019d last seen it. Did respect for her modesty justify not knowing how his twelve-year-old daughter was maturing? Good Lord! He didn\u2019t even know if she was menstruating. What if someone asked and he couldn\u2019t answer? As if he hadn\u2019t been embarrassed enough forgetting what grade she was in. He brushed those questions aside so he could concentrate on the examination. Careful not to touch, he listened to both sides of the sternum. Then, pushing up her tiny left breast with the stethoscope, he listened to the apex of the heart. The murmur and the gallop rhythm \u2015 a triple beat instead of the normal double, typical of heart failure \u2015 were so compelling, even at her heart rate of one hundred twenty, that all other thoughts were crowded out. With deliberate calm, he withdrew the stethoscope, wiped from his face anything that might be construed as concern, and said, \u201cJust sit here. This is the kind of thing Doctor Harmon wants to know about right away.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNow?<\/em> You only get called in the night for emergencies. I can wait till morning.\u201d<\/p>

Karen and Alan looked with wonder at their child who, even as she fought for her every breath, didn\u2019t want to wake the doctor. But Alan knew what had to be done. \u201cHe made me promise to call. He may groan now, but if I don\u2019t call he\u2019ll have my head in the morning. I\u2019ll settle for the groan.\u201d<\/p>

He went to his study and dialed. He could never understand why a doctor\u2019s spouse would pick up the phone in the middle of the night. Karen didn\u2019t. The call was always for the doctor.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll get Rick right away.\u201d Rick came on the line. \u201cLet me guess. It\u2019s the heart, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYes, she\u2019s about to go into pulmonary edema, if she isn\u2019t there already.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSay no more. Meet me at the emergency room as soon as you can get her there. Carry her if she has trouble walking. If she objects, tell her I insist. Poor girl.\u201d<\/p>

Eden didn\u2019t resist. Clad in pajamas, a robe, and slippers, she let herself be led to the car. Alan was registering her when Rick walked through the emergency room door.<\/p>

\u201cWe must stop meeting like this!\u201d he growled, making Eden laugh in spite of her distress.<\/p>

He took her to a cubicle. \u201cDo you hurt anywhere?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHere,\u201d she answered, pointing to the lower part of the sternum.<\/p>

\u201cLean forward. Now breathe all the way out and wait before taking the next breath, if you can.\u201d He then felt her abdomen. As he pressed gently just under the rib cage on the right, she winced.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll explain when you\u2019re better. Right now you\u2019re getting an injection. There\u2019s fluid in your lungs and it gets in the way of breathing. You\u2019ve never peed the way you\u2019re going to pee in the next couple of hours. The more you pee, the easier you\u2019ll breathe. You didn\u2019t know breathing and peeing go together, did you? Then we\u2019ll give you pure oxygen through a little tube, which we\u2019ll put right under your nose. And you\u2019ll stay in our guesthouse overnight, second floor. The nurses will be at your beck and call with bedpan, pillow fluffing, and good food without a grain of salt. We like to pamper our guests.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m flattered. When can I go home?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat? You just got here. I\u2019m offended! Let\u2019s talk about it in the morning.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOK.\u201d The diuretic injection was ready even before Rick wrote the order. Eden was wheeled to the elevator, leaving the three adults by themselves.<\/p>

\u201cFriction rub, too,\u201d Rick said to Alan. \u201cDid you hear it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo, I missed it.\u201d He had been too flustered to listen for it, but there was no need to say so.<\/p>

\u201cYou had to get her to lean forward and exhale. Maybe you were squeamish examining your pubescent daughter? It\u2019s natural. Right now, just be a parent. I\u2019ll be the doctor. Liver\u2019s congested too. Your diagnosis was right on the button. I\u2019m starting her on steroids.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cCan you give us any<\/em> idea how long she has to stay,\u201d Karen asked.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019ll be a day-to-day thing, but she\u2019ll be laid up for a while, that much I can tell you. Her heart\u2019s inflamed, if you can picture that.\u00a0 And all the while it has to keep working as hard as ever. Quite an imposition on an organ that sick. Imagine! You sprain your ankle and I say stay off it, do without ankle motion for a while. Upset stomach? Go easy on eating. But the heart, no rest, ever. And the work it does, unbelievable. . . . But Alan can tell you. He treats lots of cardiac patients.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cMy God, the idea of Edie being a cardiac patient\u2014\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHer heart muscle will recover, which is more than you can say for most of Alan\u2019s cardiacs.\u201d<\/p>

Karen got the double message. \u201cIs there a part that doesn\u2019t recover?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cFor some reason the valves develop scars years later. The scars may be inconsequential or so bad that the valves don\u2019t work. The best we can do is keep her from getting rheumatic fever again.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHow do you do that?\u201d Karen asked, expecting there\u2019d be no way.<\/p>

Rick\u2019s answer was a pleasant surprise.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the easy part.\u00a0 Keep her from getting another strep throat. A shot of Bicillin once a month\u2019ll do it.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled at them.\u00a0 \u201cOne of you will give it.\u201d<\/p>

Karen was silent for a while.\u00a0 \u201cThanks again for everything, Rick. I\u2019m so ignorant.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s what I get paid for. Go get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>

Karen leaned back against the seat of the car and closed her eyes. \u201cPoor child. Fighting to breathe. Her heart\u2019s failing. I\u2019m so afraid she\u2019s going to die.\u201d Alan reached out and she grasped his hand with the desperation of one falling into the abyss. He knew Eden\u2019s prognosis was not as grim as the events of the last few hours suggested. Still, he knew that trying to reassure Karen with statistics would only isolate her in her fear. Better share her anxiety even if his was partly feigned.<\/p>

\u201cThank God for Rick,\u201d he said. \u201cShe couldn\u2019t be in better hands. I know she\u2019ll make it.\u201d<\/p>

~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>

Eden made it, but not before her parents and Rick had passed many anxious days. First the heart ballooned alarmingly because its muscle was so weakened.\u00a0 Then the electrical conducting system was blocked, causing the ventricles to contract irregularly and ineffectively. Eden was transferred to intensive care and treated with steroids to control the inflammation. Doctors were in and out and conferred in huddles. EKG tracings littered the floor. Eden, heavily sedated, paid no attention to the bustle surrounding her. Her parents barely slept.<\/p>

Slowly the steroids exerted their anti-inflammatory effect, and after many days of fearful waiting electrical connection was restored between the atria and the ventricles. The heartbeat again became regular and the x-ray showed a decrease in heart size. The crisis had passed.<\/p>

It was her birthday. A white-coated gathering greeted her as she awoke. She gasped, believing for an instant that she was before a celestial welcoming committee. Then she saw the familiar faces. At a signal, oxygen was shut off and a nurse entered pushing a cart. On top of it stood a cake with a single lit candle.<\/p>

\u201cHappy Birthday!\u201d sang her visitors.<\/p>

\u201cIs it really my birthday? I must be thirteen. That\u2019s an unlucky number.\u201d<\/p>

Rick Harmon stepped forward. \u201cIf you really want to know, Edie, this is the luckiest birthday you ever had. Now that you\u2019re better, I can tell you, you came close to not having one.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI didn\u2019t know I was that sick. But having a birthday in the hospital is sort of weird. And a cake! Thank you.\u201d<\/p>

The nurse wheeled the cart over and asked Eden to blow out the candle. She was too weak.<\/p>

\u201cYou do it, Mommy,\u201d she said to Karen. Karen obliged and cut the cake.<\/p>

\u201cFirst piece for you,\u201d she said to Eden. \u201cIt\u2019s salt free. Right, Rick?\u201d<\/p>

Rick nodded. After the ceremony all except the Averys and Rick left the room.<\/p>

\u201cAm I going to be OK now?\u201d Eden asked.<\/p>

\u201cThings are looking up,\u201d Rick answered. \u201cIt\u2019ll take a while to get your strength back, so we\u2019ll leave now. Just a little oxygen for the next few days. We had it shut off because of the candle.\u201d<\/p>

As they turned to the door, Eden asked: \u201cWhy only one candle?\u201d<\/p>

The others looked to Alan to give the agreed-on answer.<\/p>

\u201cA new lease on life; first birthday. Just symbolic. Next year you\u2019ll be fourteen.\u201d<\/p>

Eden laughed and asked for a second piece.<\/p>

~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>

Karen and Alan did not allow themselves to believe that Eden\u2019s problems were over. They had been too close to the edge to turn their backs on anxiety. To Karen the future looked ominous, for she lacked the medical education against which to measure her fears. Caught between the need to know and the pain that knowledge inflicted on her, she kept on asking for details and then wondering why she tortured herself.<\/p>

Alan did know enough medicine to put Eden\u2019s future in perspective, but he had his own demons to deal with. Rick had never said another word about not treating Eden\u2019s sore throat, but the thought pursued Alan relentlessly. Lying awake in bed, he saw images of her heart fluttering helplessly in its ribcage, her brain pale for lack of blood, arms and legs convulsing, eyes rolling up in sightless stare. Knowing that the present reality was otherwise availed him nothing; his emotions were already tuned to the imagined future. The next attack would kill her for sure; and even without another attack, things could only get worse with time. Alan the prisoner cowered before Alan the accuser, hearing yet again the indictment: You brought this on her<\/em>.<\/p>

Medical judgment. Doctors do it all the time. He had made a judgment, and even in Eden\u2019s case he could argue that the odds were on his side. The outcome didn\u2019t imply his reasoning was faulty, any more than if he had passed up a winning lottery ticket; it was just bad luck.<\/p>

His defense fell short. Guilty. Sentenced to perpetual confrontation with his forgiving victim<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Chapter 10 >><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART II: 1983 \u201cLet\u2019s hope there aren\u2019t any complications,\u201d Dr. Harmon said with a sigh. \u201cIsn\u2019t there anything we can do?\u201d Alan knew enough not to set his hopes too high. \u201cTrying to stop this thing now is like trying to stop the potholes from showing up when the ice melts.\u201d The verdict was in. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":21,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-163","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":749,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163\/revisions\/749"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}