The Twins. Sheldon Cohen

my examining fingers. It should feel like a firm organ about the size of a pear, but in your case, I could barely feel it. Your history was also very revealing. You described your menstrual periods as being very short with very little bleeding. That’s quite unusual. You also reported several missed periods followed by heavy bleeding with cramping. With this information, I can make a diagnosis with a high degree of certainty.”

      “What is it, Doctor?

      “I believe your problem is a small uterus; the medical term is hypoplastic uterus. It is possible that you have become pregnant several times when you missed your periods, but then each time you had what we call a spontaneous abortion or miscarriage, which caused the increased bleeding and the cramping you felt. In other words, your small uterus couldn’t hold the baby and expelled it at one or two months. I can’t be sure of that, of course, but the history is very typical.”

      Struggling to understand Dr. Bloch’s rapid, big word rhetoric, Werner asked, “Can you make a small uterus bigger?”

      “No. I wish it were possible, but it isn’t.”

      “Are you saying that it’s impossible for a small uterus to grow with the baby?” asked Brigid.

      “I’m afraid so. There’s not enough uterine lining for the placenta to attach to, so it can never develop enough to nourish the growing child.”

      Brigid slumped in her chair. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying. “So nothing can be done,” she sighed. Then her emotions broke through, and she hunched over and sobbed, her hands over her eyes. Wiping away a tear, she asked, “Why do I have such a small uterus?”

      “I wish I could tell you, but perhaps there’s a clue in your family history. You mentioned an aunt who could never conceive.”

      “So maybe it runs in my family?”

      “We have much to learn, Mrs. Stegerwald. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help. If I were you, I’d see Pastor Braun again. Please give every consideration to adopting a child. There are so many out there who need a good, loving home.”

      That’s it, thought Werner. She’ll never get pregnant. Adoption…damn, I don’t know. What’ll the old man say?

      “Thank you, Doctor Bloch. We appreciate your thoroughness and honesty,” said Brigid.

      Brigid and Werner went back to Werner’s sister’s house deep in their own thoughts. They reported the doctor’s findings. Werner’s sister, Gertrude, looking out her window asked, “Do you see those children playing outside?”

      “What about them?” asked Werner.

      “Both of you come look,” she said.

      “They’re adorable,” said Brigid.

      “Which one is adopted?” asked Gertrude.

      Werner and Brigid stared out the window.

      “It’s the little girl with the long black hair. Isn’t she cute?” asked Gertrude.

      Werner stared at the little girl. Brigid held her hands together in front of her chin and smiled over her fingertips. She watched the children at play for several minutes. They spent a quiet, uncomfortable night and went home the following day.

      CHAPTER 7

      Ludwig, anxious to hear what had transpired at the doctor’s office arrived at Werner’s house the next morning. “What did you find out?” he asked.

      “The doctor said that Brigid’s womb is too small. A baby won’t fit. She was born that way. She mighta been pregnant a couple a times, but lost it.”

      “I see,” said Ludwig, “Could the doctor offer any hope?”

      “No hope,” replied Werner. “He said we should adopt.”

      “You two must have had a lot to talk about on the trip home. Have you made any decision?”

      “Well, I figured you wouldn’t go for adoption,” said Werner.

      Ludwig shook his head and asked, “That doesn’t answer my question. What makes you think I wouldn’t go for it?”

      “I didn’t think that you would want a bastard to take over the farm. Maybe you should leave the farm to Albert. He’ll probably have a son. Knowing him, he’ll have ten sons.”

      “This farm has been left to the firstborn son for five generations,” Ludwig declared. “I won’t be the one to break tradition, even though I have doubts about you running it. If this farm is still a going business when I die, it will be yours. Under the ground, I won’t care who follows you on this farm. You know, you’ve still got a lot to learn about dealing with people, but I see you working and I can give credit where credit is due. No doubt you’ve got all the strength you need. There’s no one better with their hands. So, all you need to do is learn about the finances. Then if you can learn that not everyone is your enemy, maybe the farm will be a success.

      “People tell me how smart I am, but I was stupid to keep records in my brain. I should have prepared you a long time ago. I’m going to speak to Mr. Weiss in town and tell him what I’m trying to teach you about finances and bookkeeping. He promised me that he’ll help you with any advice you need after I’m gone. We’ll see him together one of these days. He knows everything there is to know about such matters.”

      “You’re still pretty young and healthy. You’re going to be around a long time,” said Werner.

      “I hope you’re right. Now back to this bunk of my not wanting a bastard to inherit the farm. That’s ridiculous! First, it’s none of my business. Second, if you adopt a son, I’m sure you’ll love him as if he was flesh of your flesh. You and Brigid will nurse him and care for him, and that’s what’ll make Brigid a mother. And maybe it’ll make you a father. Anyhow, I don’t count here. There’s no problem with adoption as far as I’m concerned. That’s your decision to make together. It’s none of my business.”

      It took a week for Brigid to feel the finality of Dr. Bloch’s diagnosis, but when she did, she became depressed again and decided that it would be best if her husband divorced her. Then Werner surprised her when he said, “We have to keep the appointment we made with Pastor Braun to talk about what the doctor told us.”

      Bridget said, “You didn’t say anything for a while, so I wondered. Yes, we have to go.”

      Braun stared at them as they sat with dual frowns in front of his desk. “I can tell that you got bad news from Dr. Bloch. You’re both sitting there moping. Either you can let that news ruin your marriage, or you can confront it head on. The choice is yours.”

      The pastor paused to see the reaction of the two of them. While Werner was frowning, Brigid was staring at the pastor, and Braun wondered whether he perceived a glimmer of interest in her expression.

      “As I see it, you have three choices,” he continued. “You can divorce. You can stay married and childless, or you can deal with the problem and adopt a child and become parents. Have you talked about these options yet?”

      “Only one. My wife talks about divorce.”

      “I see. Well, don’t act upon that right away. Brigid, you could still be in shock over Dr. Bloch’s diagnosis. You need to take some time to let the facts sink in. Don’t make a hasty decision that you both will live to regret. It’s important for you to talk about this and let some time pass. In the meantime, I can at least give you some things to think about. Very few people know that I’m active in arranging adoptions, but I have, and I know a lot about it. There’s no shortage of unwed mothers, and there’s no shortage of people like you who aren’t able to have a child. I work with the Angel Sentinel home. Have you ever heard of it?

      “No,” they said with surprise.

      “It’s located in a suburb of Munich. There’s no publicity about it. But they take in unmarried pregnant girls