Page 122 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

Two hours later, Dr. John beckoned to us. “Operation was successful. Nurses will take care of
everything, okay?”
The corner of my mouth rose as I bowed to him. “Thank you, doctor.”
“I will come to see him tomorrow. Good night.”
“Goodnight, doctor.”
A nurse in a green gown called out my name: “Dorji Wangdi?”
I scurried to her. “Yes?”
“Father?”
“I am.”
“Take the baby back to the pediatric ward. Wait here, I’ll get the baby.”
“Sure.”
She brought the baby. “Please take care of the tubes on his abdomen.”
“Sure.” I picked the baby up into my arms and walked to the ambulance. “Everyone, come.”
In the ambulance, Choki held his tiny flabby fingers. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He looks fine.”
The next morning, our medic came to see the baby. “I am glad the baby is fine.” His eyes glowered
with profound pride. “I’m going back today.” He caressed with the baby’s cheeks and walked down the
stairs and turned back. “I know you’ll take good care of your baby.”
“Thank you for escorting the baby,” I said, flashing him a radiant smile. “You all saved him.”
“It’s my duty. Bye.”
I waved.
Choki tucked up the baby’s shirt and said, “Oh, no! The baby’s abdomen is all lacerated. And many
tubes.”
“Please don’t panic,” I said, standing behind her. “That’s okay. Our baby will get well soon.”
In the evening, Dr. John came and examined the baby. “The baby is fine. I will explain the procedure of
the surgery. It is called Colostomy. In this surgery, the large intestine is cut up and diverted through a
stoma.” He made a fine diagram on the paper. “Do you know stoma?”
“No, doctor,” I said. “What is that?”
“Stoma is an opening in the abdominal wall where a pouch for collecting feces is attached.” He tucked
up the baby’s shirt. “This is a stoma. And we call this a colostomy bag. It is a waterproof pouch for stool
and other waste from the body. You must empty it at regular intervals.”
“Oh, I see.”
“He needs intensive care. Nurses will do everything.”
“We would appreciate it, doctor. Thank you.”
“We will discharge him next week if everything goes as expected, okay?”
“We would be glad, doctor.”
A week later, the nurse said to Choki, “Have you seen this before?”
“No,” said Choki.
“Never mind,” she said. “I will teach you to fix this on your baby’s stoma.” She measured the stoma
and cut a hole in the bag. “Remove the adhesive cover and fix it like this.” She attached it to the baby’s
stoma. “Got it?”
“I got it,” said Choki, cutting one herself. “I saw nurses fix it.”
“Don’t waste it,” she said. “It’s very expensive.”
“I won’t.”
“Always handle them with clean hands. Since stoma is an open wound, there’s a risk of infections. You
will get the discharge summary at the counter.”
A gigantic grin spread across my face. “Thank you, nurse.”
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