Ntandwenhle : If Only Yesterday Was Tomorrow

CHAPTER 17

"What do you mean I have to give birth? I'm only 22 weeks pregnant," I protested. She took off her glasses and sighed.

"Will you listen to me?" she said and looked at us. I looked over at Ndumiso and he looked numb. "I'm a gynaecologist," she continued. I was shaking.

"You have craniopagus twins," she said still looking at us.

"But last time you said it's Siamese twins and now it's that ... cranio what-what of yours. Are you sure you're a gynae?" I asked standing up.

"MaMthembu," Ndumiso said with a calm but warning voice. I sat down and crossed my arms.

"They are joined at the head," she continued. I sat still. 'Joined at the head' screamed they shared a brain. "You have to give birth," she said.

"I'm only 5 months pregnant," I replied.

"Well it's either that or you'll have stillbirth,"

"What's that?"

"You'll lose your babies now, before you reach the 7th month"

"You should've just said miscarriage"

"It's not miscarriage. It's stillbirth if the foetus dies at or after 20-28 weeks. Anything earlier than that is miscarriage. Siamese twins are the most complicated condition to exist," she replied.

"I did research and they said they are not likely to make it alive," Ndumiso said. I looked at him with a lump on my throat. "How true is that?" he asked not even looking at me.

"It's true Mr Bhengu. Very true," she said looking at him. I felt hot. I fanned myself and breathed out. "That's the thing with Siamese twins. If you manage to give birth to them you'd be lucky if they stayed alive for a maximum of 24 hours," she continued.

I felt my soul leaving my body. Just when I thought things had settled down, I receive such news.

"So, there's nothing we can do to save them?" Ndumiso asked looking as calm as ever.

"I'm sorry but I don't have a straight-forward response to your question," she replied. "I can only suggest performing a C-section now and separating them," she continued.

"What do you mean separate them? They are joined at the head. They share ...." "Singh are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"I won't force you to give birth but saving one is better than losing both," she replied.

"They're both mine! I can't lose them," I cried. "Shh," Ndumiso said next to me.

"You'll lose them if you don't give birth," she said in between my sobs. I wasn't being selfish. I was being a mother. How do you give people the go-ahead to perform a surgery that might kill one of your babies? The same babies they said won't be able to make it beyond 24 hours? I shook my head no whilst crying. I couldn't.

"Hear me out," she said. "Noooo!" I replied laying on Ndumiso's chest.

"I think you should leave," Ndumiso said.

"This is my office you can-"

"L-EA-VE," he said with clenched jaws. "Shhh MaMthembu," he said brushing my back.

"Mr Bhengu!" she said. "Leave!" he responded.

"Very well then," she said fixing her hair. I wailed with Ndumiso still brushing my back.

'It's going to be okay," he replied.

'Wha ... What if they're the ones that are going to die? The blood and Bhengu on the door Ndumiso. What- what if it's theirs?" I asked still crying. "Shhh," he said brushing my back.