Part 26 (1/2)
That small head. So tiny. Fragile.
”Yes,” the doctor says, nodding. ”That is correct. There are no lasting effects.” The doctor smiles again. ”I am very happy for this.”
No lasting effects. Devon closes her eyes, lets her breath out. But, somehow, she feels little relief.
”Thank you,” Dom says. ”Your Honor, I have no further questions for the witness.”
”Prosecution? Care to redirect?”
”No, Your Honor,” the prosecutor says. ”I'm good.”
”Well, then, thank you for your testimony, Dr. More. You may step down.”
Randomly, a line from a poem creeps into Devon's mind-steadfast you hold/this slippery grip on life. Where had she heard it?
Steadfast you hold/this slippery grip on life.
Devon remembers then-along Point Defiance that night, that walkway with the poetry. Holding Connor's hand. She'd thought of her mom then, thought of her slippery grip on life. And, in contrast, Devon's own tight one.
But . . . it wasn't tight enough, not That Night. She'd gripped a life in her hands then, a small life, and she'd just let it slip away. Didn't she? She'd done nothing to stop it.
”The state calls Dr. Rohit Katial.”
This is the first person the prosecutor's called whose name Devon recognizes. She is still shaken from the last witness; she wishes Dom would ask for a short break.
Devon watches as the man steps up to the front, raises his right hand. When he settles into the witness stand, she notices him smooth down his tie. He turns his face then, and his eyes meet hers.
Devon feels a jolt, sucks in a hard breath. Her eyes drop to the tabletop before she can read what his say.
”Please state your name for the record.”
”Rohit K. Katial.”
”And what is your occupation?”
”I am a physician, a general practice physician.”
”And where do you currently practice?”
The prosecutor spends a lot of time going over Dr. Katial's credentials-where he went to medical school, his professional affiliations, and where he had practiced medicine throughout his career. Then he works his way through a series of questions which, by its conclusion, draw out the story of Devon's appointment back on September twelfth.
”Do you recall the exam,” the prosecutor says, ”or are you relying soley on your records?”
”I do recall the exam, but I've also looked back at my records to refresh my recollection.”
”And would you please tell the court what the typical sports physical exam entails?”
”These exams are essentially well-child examinations, which are biennial, occurring once every two years, generally. During these exams, I take a cursory overall look at the patient's health. In short, I work my way down the body from the head to the feet. I also rely on what the patient says about his or her own health.”
”Do you routinely take blood or urine samples?”
”No, not routinely, unless the patient complains of specific symptoms that I'd like to further investigate, or during the course of the examination I hear or feel something out of the ordinary.”
”So, during this particular appointment, did the respondent complain of having any symptoms?”
”Yes. Miss Davenport mentioned that she had been experiencing fatigue, which she attributed to her strenuous soccer practices. She also mentioned that she had been urinating more frequently than usual, approximately ten to twelve times each day. Specifically, she related her need to use the bathroom between cla.s.ses several times throughout the school day. Also during the course of my examination, her mother, who was present in the exam room with her, stated that Miss Davenport had actually vomited that morning before coming to her appointment.”
”Did the respondent concur with this statement that her mother made?”
”Yes. Miss Davenport believed she had vomited that morning because the night before she had eaten spoiled tuna salad. In addition, on the morning of the appointment, her temperature was slightly elevated to one hundred point three.”
”Would you say, Dr. Katial, that the symptoms which the respondent exhibited are consistent with morning sickness, and more specifically, pregnancy?”
”Yes,” Dr. Katial says, ”but vomiting, fatigue, and the need to urinate are symptoms of a number of ailments, not unique to pregnancy specifically.”
”At the time of the respondent's appointment, did you think pregnancy was a possibility?”
”A possibility, yes, but the patient had told me that she had started her menses-her menstrual cycle-that morning, and that she had been menstruating regularly, generally every month. Also, she stridently expressed to me that she was not s.e.xually active. And then an additional factor that I took into consideration was the matter of her slight temperature, which could indicate an infection of some sort. Since Miss Davenport told me she had started menstruating that morning, the likelihood that she could be pregnant fell, in my mind, as less of a possibility than, say, a urinary tract infection or even juvenile diabetes.”
”Did you believe the respondent when she told you that she had started her period that morning?”
”Yes. I had no reason to doubt her.” Dr. Katial pauses. ”I generally take my patients at their word.”
Devon has kept her head down during the entire exchange. The doctor knows the end of the story now, knows why he's sitting in a witness stand answering a prosecutor's questions. He thinks that she'd lied to him.
Had she?
Devon thinks back to the morning of the appointment. I kind of started my period today, Devon had told her mom, and my stomach's a little crampy from that. Had she lied to her mom then? Because what she'd said hadn't been the truth. But was desperately hoping that something was true and then expressing that hope to someone else a lie? And then her mom had suggested that Devon wear a pad so the doctor would get the subtle hint that she was menstruating. Is giving a ”hint” based on a hope a lie?
The doctor said he had no reason to doubt her, that he takes his patients at their word.
Devon wonders what he thinks about that practice now. Has she, Devon Davenport, made it harder for him to ever fully trust his patients again?
If she could, she'd tell him she's sorry. I'm not having s.e.x, she'd yelled at him. And that statement hadn't been the whole truth, either. She didn't want to face it then, but that day she knew-buried in some deep place inside herself, but still there-that she was being dishonest. She wanted him to believe that she was still a virgin.
She wanted to believe it herself.
”To narrow down the possibilities,” Dr. Katial is saying now, ”the next step is to order tests. So I asked for a urine sample.”
”And did the respondent give that sample to you?”
”No, she did not. Miss Davenport was unable to urinate during the appointment. She was slightly dehydrated, as she had vomited that morning, so I asked that she return a sample to my office within the next day or two. My nurse sent her home with a clean catch urine sample container and instructions on how to do it properly.”
”Yes, but did the respondent return that urine sample to your office, Dr. Katial?”
”No, she never did.”