Chapter 5. Can I?

"Ah, Miss Abayomi, do come right in '' the doctor invited as he raised his head from the file he was looking at before Marissa knocked.

"It's Marissa, doctor, just Marissa, I have an inkling I will be seeing more of you as I will have more questions and inquiries from time to time so it is only fair for you to use my name" Marissa smiled.

The doctor smiled benignly "Okay, Marissa then, I see you have our man of the hour with you there" he motioned at the baby.

"Oh yes, I do. I just couldn't stay away from him when I woke up then I had to bring him along since he was awake anyway"

"I deduced that; you were so ferocious when the nurses were trying to take him from you the other time"

Marissa was chagrined " Oh doctor, I am so sorry, I was barely conscious of my actions the other time. I assure you that I am not known for hysterics"

The doctor replied "Oh I understand, it is not every day one is faced with such a strenuous situation and you did well actually, considering"

"Thank you, doctor, I believe there are arrangements we need to make regarding erm… you know" she let out

"Oh yes, I had informed the nurse to send you over to my office so we could do just that, I will need you to contact your friend's relatives so they can make the proper arrangement for her burial. She had been taken to our morgue for now and don't you worry " he said when he realized that Marissa was about to ask something but then she stopped"Don't worry, she was well taken care of" Marissa shot him a grateful look "One of the nurses can take you to her when you are ready"

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding "Oh yes I will like that very much"

She looked down at the baby and then looked up again.

"Doctor, regarding the relative issue?"

"Yes?"

"Evelyn did not have any family, at least none that was known to me, you see, she was from an orphanage" she explained

"Oh, wow, that could be a bit problematic, so you are saying you are the only one she had?" The man asked just to be sure

"Exactly so"

"Oh, and are you willing to stand in and undergo all the needed processes? They sure are going to be hectic, especially seeing as you have a new responsibility at hand" He gestured at the baby

"No other choice, doctor, I will deal with it" she affirmed.

"Alright then, the hospital does have a cemetery as well but you will need someone of authority to help ease the way with the police report to avoid a long wait, do you have anyone in mind who could help with that?"

"I supposed I could ask the landlord or my boss," she thought " I will figure something out," she said to the doctor

"See that you do as soon as possible so we can get started with the necessary process" He cleared his throat "About the baby, miss Abayo…Marissa, there are agencies who would be happy to take him if you wish, hear me out first" he held up his hand as she was about to reply. "I know you are passionate about this child and who can blame you considering the situation? But you have to remember the fact that you are a young unmarried lady yourself who has never been a mother before and you do not have a partner as well. You have to work and do things for yourself as well. I know it might seem like the best option to you right now but I have to tell you the truth that it will not be easy, so think about it very well before you decide" the doctor illustrated

"Doctor, I appreciate your concern and I understand all you meant but I can't possibly relinquish the custody of this baby to anyone. First, he was entrusted to me by his mother and I cannot break my promise to her. I know it is not going to be easy and very soon I might be doubting the wisdom of this decision I am taking now but I have to. This baby is my child even if I do not give birth to him myself" she clarified emotionally

"I thought you were going to say just that. I just had to let you know the options you had. Okay then, the hospital will do all we can to help you with the necessary adjustment you will need to make, starting with assigning a wet nurse to you"

"A wet nurse?" She asked incredulously

"Yes, a wet nurse. We do have a policy of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months here as we believe it helps a lot with infants and prevents a lot of sicknesses that some infants develop. So far, it has been working well for our parents. So we made provisions of wet nurses as well in case of patients who couldn't produce milk at first or in a case like yours"

Marissa looked down at the baby in her hand who was currently nuzzling her chest with his cheeks and turning his mouth to her breast like he was hungry.

Then she asked the very first question that popped into her mind.

"Doctor, can I breastfeed him myself?"

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Doctor Feranmi in all his years of practice had thought he couldn't be surprised anymore by the patient's demands and requests but he was doubly amazed by the young woman in front of him as she calmly asked a baffling question.

"Err, can you what?" He asked again then just to be sure that he heard her right the first time.

" I know it might sound ridiculous, doctor but I just wanted to know if I can feed him myself, breastfeed him, that is" she explained sheepishly

"It is not ridiculous at all, just rare. And yes, you can breastfeed him yourself though that will take a while because we will have to induce lactation for you. Naturally, when a woman is pregnant her body undergoes some hormonal exchange that makes a mother ready to breastfeed after birth. But in your case now, it is different and we will have to trick your body into secreting milk. And even though it might take time but yes, we can find our way around that, yes it is quite possible" He said the last phrase more to himself thoughtfully.

"Oh thank God, thank you, doctor, at least it is possible. That is what matters most. Whatever the process is I am ready to undergo it. I am not a fan of formulas for babies as well, and the idea of a stranger nursing him didn't sit well with me, " she explained with relief.

"I understand, though we still have to make do with that for a while because you won't start producing milk instantly so for now, we will still need the service of the wet nurse. If you do not want him to form an attachment with her though, you can be using the bottle for him with her milk of course. Then after each meal, you can place the baby on your chest and let him suck. With the aid of the supplements you will be taking and the artificial inducing, in no time at all you should be producing milk as well" the doctor explained in details

"Oh, thank you so much, doctor, I can't express just how happy I am by this news" To the baby "You hear that, champ? You and I are going to do just fine." she beamed at the baby and hugged him closer.

The doctor smiled indulgently at the lady as he saw love in her eyes for the child and this further put his mind at rest that the child won't just be a duty to the lady because of what the mother asked. Of course, others would still have more gruelling questions for her especially when she was filing the adoption papers and other procedures that would fully make the baby hers. But he believed she would do just fine.

Right?