11.(53-54) The Days Wind Down to a Precious Few Before the Big Bang

Slim Novel 11 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage


53. Pregnant’s Progress

Nearing end of year of the worst winter of the war, the hospital's December rice ration drops to 300 grams a person a day. Air raids occur nightly. An hour's warning precedes a raid, thanks to spotters on the Bonin Islands who observe B-29s in formation hundreds of miles off the coast. The bombers are instructed not to bomb downtown so no bombs fall on Hospital but how long this will go on is anyone's guess and every night Kimi and fellow workers pile into the street bunkers hauling patients and causing daytime drowsiness and edginess.

   Kimi starts regular duty in Obstetrics, first sitting with the pregnant, laboring women checking fetal heart rate with a straight wooden stethoscope pressed into pregnant belly. And she learns to soothe labor pains by finger pressure, by use of moxa skin fire and by acupuncture; all oriental medical techniques that the midwife teaches. Also she learns vaginal fingering to determine progress of labor and, before she knows it, she is delivering babies.

   Her pregnancy is in final phase. In clinic, she watches over 12 pregnants – as the women are called. She learns the last 3 months are the most important because if anything starts going wrong, the baby can be saved by delivery surgically through the abdomen. 
   And the worst thing to go wrong in late pregnancy is toxemia. No one knows the cause of its swelled face, high blood pressure, damaged kidneys that spill precious protein and why its final fatal epileptic fits. Observations handed down from midwives show that toxemia strikes mostly in first pregnancy and more frequently in twin or even more in multiple pregnancy; and when not killing the mother it causes dead-baby birthing. Sanya because of her western medical training thinks Toxemia has to do with table salt and forbids food with it but this order is not followed enough and Kimi, during her brief time, sees a woman die of of a fit after delivering a dead baby. So she herself avoids salt shaker and her beloved Korean pickles and salty salmon. And each week she watches with held breath the mercury column level on the machine measuring the pregnant blood pressure and sighs with relief when the pulsations start below the 130 millimeter mercury mark.

   Kimi does a pilot study for Sanya on fetal movements. Every pregnant experiences a kicking and elbowing inside her abdomen but no one ever asked what it means until Sanya's asking and getting data. Sanya wonders whether they might predict the onset of  labor, the sex of the fetus (as the unborn is called), its health and even muscle and brain later development by the fetal movements.
   On waking, at mid day and at night Kimi lies down with pencil and paper recording her fetus's twitches, kicks and turnings.

   Sanya's idea is to communicate with the fetus by abdomen taps. She tells Kimi, “I do not really expect to get messages but a change in the rate of fetal movements after the taps might be a first suggestion of fetal consciousness of its surroundings. That is where you and my other volunteers come in.” So that is what Kimi is started on.

    Another activity in the final three months is exercise. Kimi starts at 8 full weeks till her birthing date, and 3 times a day, before breakfast, lunch and supper, she does squats lying on back and 10 abdominal tightenings a minute for 15 minutes then gently stretches her vaginal opening using both hands inserted and repeating at 3 a minute for 5 minutes 3 times a day.

   She also practices relaxation: lies quietly in darkened room, feet slightly rotated outwardly, hands by sides with palms down, jaw slack, eyelids loosely drooping and head on small soft pillow while she makes slow moderately deep breaths 10 a minute.

   By mid February with 1 month to go she feels in control of her body like an athlete before the main event.

54. Declining Days

Meanwhile the bombs come closer. One night, Shinjuku; another, Ogikubo; another Shibuya. As yet, Downtown is spared, but stories from the more south cities of Osaka and Nagoya tell of massive fire bombings that do not spare the downtown. One tells of hundreds burned to death in department store on Sunday afternoon, another of a sky black with the B-29s, another of a fierce firestorm bombing destroying hundreds of houses at midnight, roasting people in bed. Then come rumors. According to one, the Ginza in Tokyo will be spared because Mrs. MacArthur wants to shop it after the war; another says B-29s will only bomb Tokyo's sister city Yokohama on odd day; and another that eating a rice ball with scallion during a raid will protect one's body from direct hit.

   All the rumors prove false: the Ginza is firebombed, Yokohama is bombed on an even day, and eating a rice ball with scallion does not make a difference. But Downtown around Hospital continues un-bombed.

One day, mid February, Kimi is summoned to Sanya’s office. She has not seen Sanya for 24 hours and is surprised by her tired look. Sanya sits behind desk strewn with papers. With right hand she brushes gray hairs from brow.   
   Looking up at Kimi, she says: “Magnificent belly! I expect to see a healthy baby soon. When?”

   “9 March is my date.”

   “Ah, an idea of March, beware!” Sanya chuckles at the word play.  She purses lips and gets serious. “I have news and tell you first because you need to know. From secret source I got that firebombing will hit Downtown here."

   “The Hospital?”

   “Will burn to ashes.” Sanya considers her words, “All essential persons shall be evacuated starting now.”

   “Essential? Don’t you mean non-essential?”

   “I know what I mean." Sanya puts on eyeglasses and looks up focusing on Kimi's eyes. “Essential if we are to have a future, Young women, especially pregnants.”

   “But what of all the others?”

   “No one will be forced to stay.”

   “I won't go.”

   “If you are going to be stupid, there is nothing to do, but once I announce the evacuation do not say you will not go. I do not want to see an obvious exception to my rule.”

Next day at chapel Sanya announces that workers under 35 and others who are pregnant should prepare to evacuate. Most of the patients are to transfer to rural hospital or family care outside of Tokyo. Only small staff – Sanya and aides – plus a few very old or weak patients without family or sponsor will stay. Afterwards, the chapel hall is abuzz with conversation of workers walking to duty stations. Some talk of contacting distant farmer relative, others of going it alone as evacuee in countryside; most have nowhere to go but home in Tokyo and they resolve to sit at home and hope the bombs and fire will miss them.

   Yo wants to stay at Hospital but Sanya is firm that teenage girls are high priority to transfer to safe haven, and it is already arranged for teenager to become government-assisted evacuee, and when Yo arrives at workplace the supervisor hands her brown envelope which Yo tears open and after glance snorts in disgust “De're sendin’me ta some fahm family in Yamagada! Damn in hell if I go!” I did'n runaway from bein’da dauda of one fahma to be da slave of anuhdah. Dey woik ya ta da bone and find some slobby husband who'll toin ya inta a baby maykah.” She looks up at Kimi, eyes glimmering with hope. “Where ya gunna go, Big Sis? Take me wid ya, puhleeze!”

   Kimi looks at Yo. “I guess I'll go to my Village up north. But –” she stops short; she cannot bring herself to refuse her little roommate but still cannot tell her.”

   Yo frowns and shrugs. “Well, dat lets me out, Much as I like ya, Big Sis, I couldn't go up Nort in winta. My southern Oki blood ud freeze.” Suddenly Yo's face lights. I know whut! Dat ole geezer at da black market! He been askin’me ta come help ‘im ebah since I got ta Tokyo.” She turns to Kimi in low voice. “But dat means I gotta lay wid ‘im in is bed ebry night.” she answers her own question. “Guess if it’s wid an ole geezer like dat it don’really mattah.”

Later Yo bids Kimi farewell and, belongings on back, heads for the old geezer. By weekend the Hospital is nearly empty. Kimi tells everyone she is delaying leaving for her Village.

 Kimi is not allowed to do hospital work and Sanya examines her every day.
    For next, click 11.(55-59) Closer and Closer