[ENGLISH VERSION] Back to You

∾ Chapter 2 ∾

Carina decided to leave the apartment she shared with Maya and sought emotional refuge in a hotel. Each day, the feeling that her marriage to the firefighter was on the brink of collapse grew, leading her to seriously consider the possibility of getting a divorce.

The weekdays passed automatically for both the firefighter and the doctor. Maya, who was already in a constant bad mood, worsened after Carina left home. The conversations that were almost non-existent among the colleagues at the firehouse now boiled down to the essentials. Things weren't much different for Carina; the Italian hadn't slept well for days, resulting in dark circles under her eyes due to sleepless or poorly slept nights.

During one of her shifts, Carina attended to a patient who had been referred to the hospital by another obstetrician due to a concerning diagnosis. Dr. Walker had referred Clara Morgan to be seen by Arizona Robbins, a specialist in fetal surgeries within the uterus.

— Good morning, Mrs. Morgan! I'm Dr. Carina DeLuca. This is my resident, Dr. Schmitt. — Carina entered the patient's room along with Levi.

— Good morning, Dr. DeLuca! I came on Dr. Walker's recommendation. He was following my prenatal care, but he noticed something irregular in my tests and referred me here.

— Don't worry, Mrs. Morgan. Here, we will provide you with all the assistance and monitor your baby. I have the images from the tests that Dr. Walker performed, but we will conduct new exams to determine what is happening with your baby. Schmitt, prepare Mrs. Morgan for the ultrasound.

— Okay, Dr. DeLuca — The resident began to get organized with the help of a nurse so they could perform the examination on the patient.

Meanwhile, Carina went to the nurses' station to check on her other patients. A few minutes later, Schmitt went to the doctor and informed her that the patient was ready for the examination. Carina returned to her patient's room.

— Mrs. Morgan, I'm going to spread this cold gel on your belly, okay? — Carina asked Clara, and she simply nodded. — Are you accompanied?

— My husband is at work, and since it's just a routine exam, I came alone.

Carina began spreading the gel and then passed the transducer over Clara's belly. The Italian had already looked at the exams that Clara had brought from Dr. Walker's clinic but preferred to double-check to be sure. If her suspicions were confirmed, the doctor would be facing an extremely rare case in which the fetus had a sacrococcygeal teratoma.

Clara was 20 weeks pregnant, a period when the baby is not yet ready to survive outside the mother's womb. Therefore, if Carina's suspicions were correct, she would contact her ex-girlfriend, Dr. Arizona Robbins, who was a specialist in fetal surgery.

After completing the examination, Carina confirmed what she had suspected all along – it was indeed a teratoma.

— Mrs. Morgan... — Before the doctor could continue, the patient interrupted her.

— You can call me Clara. By the look on your face, the news isn't good. — Clara said apprehensively, seeing the seriousness in Carina's expression.

— Clara... before performing this ultrasound, based on the images you brought me, I already had an idea of what it could be. But I preferred to do it myself to be absolutely sure. Your baby has a rare anomaly. — Carina explained, causing Clara's eyes to well up with tears as she became increasingly worried about her baby. — In scientific terms, it's a sacrococcygeal teratoma, which is an uncommon tumor located at the base of your baby's spine. This condition is formed by a mass of tissue containing a mixture of different cell types and can be either benign or malignant.