Three days later, at two in the morning, my wife’s voice woke me up.
He was standing at the bedroom door, holding his belly with both hands.
His face was completely pale.
He told me that he felt very strong pains and that that night the baby had moved less than usual.
I immediately called an ambulance.
At the hospital, doctors connected her to several monitors. The nurses were constantly coming in and out of the room.
At first, no one told me exactly what was going on.
Finally, a doctor approached and explained that the baby’s heart rate required close surveillance and that premature delivery could not be ruled out.
She asked if Linda was still smoking.
I looked at my wife.
She looked down.
That silence said it all.
The doctor calmly explained that smoking increased the risk of serious complications during pregnancy, although it was not possible to attribute the current condition of the baby only to tobacco.
