Chapter 12
Another month had gone by and Ajna was at her doctor’s office for a scheduled follow-up appointment. X-rays revealed that the graft in her rib had integrated well with the surrounding bone. However, Ajna still continued to feel some stiffness and was told that was normal after the kind of trauma she had experienced. The doctor told her that she was quickly on the mend and could take something over-the-counter for the stiffness. With Edward sitting in the chair next to her, the conversation took an unusual turn.
“Uh, doctor there was one other thing we wanted to talk with you about,” Edward said as he took Ajna’s hand.
“We’re thinking of starting a family and we were wondering if this whole … incident – her injury – might interfere with Ajna being able to have children.”
The doctor smiled saying, “I had a feeling you were going to ask. I could see it on your faces.”
The doctor assured them that it was likely there would be no complications from her injury. But, he also recommended that she get a complete physical exam and see an OB/GYN doctor before conceiving. They stood and shook the doctor’s hand, thanking him for everything he had done. As they began to walk out of his office they were stopped by the doctor’s final remark.
“Oh, remember to get your screening done.” Edward spun around, his hand still on the doorknob.
“What?” he asked.
The doctor’s words caught him by surprise and he wasn’t even sure what he had heard. “Your screening,” the doctor answered. “The federal government has developed a program called ‘The Well Baby Initiative’. You have to get screened before you conceive.”
Now he remembered and his misgivings came creeping back to before the shooting.
“Oh, right,” Edward responded. “I do remember hearing about that on the news, but with everything going on I guess it just slipped our minds.”
“I understand,” the doctor said. “If you like, I can notify the state of your intentions to conceive.”
“Well, uh…I’m sure that we can handle it when the time comes,” Edward said.
The doctor was well versed as to the intentions of the program and was obligated to notify the state regarding any possible candidates. Just after Edward closed the door behind them the doctor picked his phone and called the department of human services. He only knew what he was told – just like everyone else. It would be much later that Edward would suspect that it was the doctor who initiated their screening. After a roughly one minute conversation, the state had all the information they needed to open a file on the young couple. After Ajna was cleared to return to work, they would both be covertly observed for a two week period as part of the psych profile that would become part of their screening. The doctor thought he was only passing on a bit of information. He had no idea that he had unknowingly become part of something that was beyond anyone’s imagination. He was only doing his job.