Little Voices
I understood babies.
The baby in Room 403 cried out, "My butt itches! It is not a stomachache!"
A newborn in the ER screamed, "Something is stuck under my belly button!"
A preemie babbled softly, "I want my mommy..."
None of that prepared me for that day.
Dr. Margot Aldrich, the country's foremost authority in pediatrics, stood before a packed auditorium and examined a baby who had screamed himself purple.
"We will keep observing."
The mother fell to her knees. "Please, my baby is dying..."
Margot let out a short laugh. "Am I the expert here, or are you?"
The room went silent. In my ears, a tiny voice raged.
"Are you grown-ups blind? Something is stuck under my belly button! It is